Krafft's Notes on Anomalies

As soon as the financial owner finished speaking, there was a rush of running feet on the deck, and several consecutive dives in no particular order splashed beautiful water over the side. The sailors who failed to catch up started placing bets on the spot.

This voice not only shouted for help, but also heard the amused crew members rushing to the upper level faster than Kraft and Martin. They came to the side of the ship to join the crowd of spectators and bettors, each cheering for the players who placed bets and expressing their gratitude to them. Commentary on swimming style.

Things quickly turned to farce. Many of the skilled sailors were born in the warmer waters of the Teme River. Their entertainment since childhood was swimming. Catching a drowned person is neither difficult nor serious for them.

Martin squeezed through the crowd first and rushed to the side of the boat with a crossbow. The fastest player had almost caught up with the floating figure. At present, it seems that it is sinking more than it is floating, and the water splash is gradually getting smaller, but it should not prevent the sailors from fishing the person out.

The atmosphere was very lively, and the winner proudly collected one or two copper coins in chips. His companions laughed and cursed the person who had bet, and handed over the coins. Martin still held the crossbow and waited, and Kraft seriously doubted that if the target became active again, he would take a shot, regardless of the risk of accidental damage.

But don’t worry about that for now. A sailor plunged under the water, and when he resurfaced, it had been hooked under his arm to his chest. The companion who came after him did not turn back directly, but stopped for a while to help him lift the body of the drowned person and swim back.

The sailors on the side lowered the rope ladder and welcomed them on board.

The whole rescue process was very smooth. There was no panic and pulling of the rescuers when they fell into the water, which saved the sailors a lot of effort. The guy seemed to have passed out and the sailors obediently allowed him to be pulled back to the ship. He lifted it onto the deck without even using any helpers.

All good, good technique, prompt response, teamwork and safety awareness - even better if the rescue target is okay.

Kraft rushed to the drowning man's side, and his sensitive professional sense of smell immediately noticed that the situation was not good from all angles. A bleak paleness became the main color of the skin, and the breathing movement of the chest stopped.

The fingers rested on the outside of the trachea for a while, almost as if they were resting on a piece of freshly thawed meat. There was no sign of pulsation under the cold temperature.

Logically speaking, according to the treatment process, if he still hoped that this guy could talk, he should immediately clear his airway and start cardiopulmonary resuscitation. However, the places where the two crossbow arrows hit made him give up this idea.

The first crossbow arrow that hit, the one that destroyed his swimming posture, was pierced in his thigh, causing the person who had no experience in enduring pain to basically lose his ability to move and could only flop on the spot. Then came the second branch, which penetrated from the back near the scapular angle to about the eighth intercostal space, creating an open pneumothorax, and then entered the mediastinum between the two lungs obliquely forward and upward.

As for the things in the mediastinum, there are a lot of them. The esophagus, trachea, aorta, and heart are almost at the same level. It's impossible to leave this thing in there to perform chest compressions without being able to pull it out, and emergency surgery can't solve such a complicated situation.

In short, wait to die.

Oh, it seems there is no need to wait, most of them are already dead.

After seeing clearly the condition of the person who fell into the water, the people who had been watching the excitement immediately dispersed in a circle and noticed that Martin held the crossbow weapon in his hand.

"This damned infidel poisons food with the intention of murdering followers of the Lord."

Very good, first make a segmentation, classify it as a heretic who committed the crime, and divide yourself and other people present into the same faith and identity group. Such a skillful operation, you can see that you are a member of a violent organization with experience in this area.

In fact, there is no need to explain so much. If a person not only has a sword and a portable crossbow, but also openly stands up to say that he killed the person and offers a reward for salvage, then it is not difficult to understand that he has a special identity and a legitimate reason. In other words, you'd better acknowledge his special status and legitimate reasons.

The atmosphere was a bit tense, and the sailors were unsure whether to let Martin do what he did, as he didn't seem to have any actual evidence. Until the alerted captain rushed to the scene and learned what happened from the sailor's mouth.

"Pagan, poison? That's really bad..."

"He put a handful of poisonous fruit in my fruit bowl." Kraft stood up and explained that the physical evidence was preserved, but no one could prove that it came from the deceased. Relying on his indirect acquaintance with the captain through William, he is somewhat credible.

The captain wanted to throw this Martin directly off the boat, but for the sake of the friend involved, and the fact that the other party's identity was obviously not ordinary, he had to endure it and assume the responsibility of the temporary arbiter on the water, "I need to see Those fruits, and the things in his room.”

"I will be responsible for explaining to the port manager the next time we dock. We are chasing these guys. I hope no one will talk too much after disembarking." The person involved looked completely confident and lightly put the crossbow back under his robe. There is also a tendency to turn against customers.

In fact, the matter is over. The captain does have the power to make temporary decisions on the water, but it definitely does not include a person who looks very dangerous, has a good background and does not want to disclose his identity. Since this person is so confident that the local governor will not do anything to him. , then throw it to the local port governor.

"Don't touch the things on the body." Martin said something and went to the cabin with the captain. His expression was not good. Maybe he would rather see a living person being fished out.

Fortunately, belladonna was indeed found in the cabin, in a small, half-empty basket, placed with baskets containing other berries. It seemed that the original plan was to mix them unsolicited and give them to the victims.

Perhaps the other party did not expect that God-given opportunity would find someone who could remember the location of each blueberry. Martin and Kraft's counterattack came so quickly that they even found him without alerting anyone else, leaving no time to clean up. .

Then he made his second mistake, exposing himself to suspicion and trying to escape by swimming. Generally speaking, this is not a mistake. After all, he can really swim very fast. Unfortunately, it is not as fast as this special portable small crossbow that Kraft has never seen.

The captain's face was no better than Martin's. The poison used by professional assassins was mixed on the ship. Fortunately, the target was the passengers and not someone else. Otherwise, if he put it on the dining table, most of the ship would be destroyed.

"I will testify for you, but I'm afraid I won't be able to afford the rest of the voyage. This is not included in our contract."

"It doesn't matter. The next stop is our destination, Westminster. After that, everything has nothing to do with this ship." Martin handed the half basket of belladonna to Kraft, who was very satisfied with it. , "Besides, I need to borrow this room temporarily."

"For placing the body."

He pushed aside the irrelevant debris, cleared the floor in the room, and moved the body back to the place where it had just escaped.

…

"I guess you want to explain something to me, and you should say something to me." After closing the door, Kraft asked a question that he had anticipated. He can control his curiosity and politely refrain from prying into other people's secrets. But if this involves self-relevance, then it has to be said separately.

A professional armed man who had obviously received professional training. Even if he was not a knight, he was still a knight's reserve squire. He came to Solace Harbor to deliver a message to an academic gathering.

Forget it, it also comes with a special crossbow. The skilful cocking action obviously comes from repeated use, rather than rushing to the rack. The messenger is already at this level, is the school security department going to sweep across the entire kingdom? Why hasn’t the guy on the Dunling Seat changed to the president of Rivers University?

It was impossible for Kraft to pretend to be deaf and dumb. There must be an explanation today.

"This matter is very complicated." The incident happened suddenly. Martin was able to shoot a large living person without hesitation, but he did not immediately give an explanation.

He has a lot of secrets, but it seems he can't reveal most of them. The hesitant gesture itself revealed a lot of things. For example, this situation was not planned in advance. No matter what the origin or the will of the person it represented, the situation was partially out of their control.

It's bad. Kraft would rather hear him say forcefully, "Don't ask questions that shouldn't be asked, just follow me." He doesn't want to see a teammate who is lost in thought, a temporary teammate.

"Then let's change the way. You don't have to say it." Rather than waiting for the other party to speak reluctantly, it is more in line with the doctor's habit of asking questions proactively. "I'll ask. You just need to answer yes or no. If you don't want to answer, you can." If you refuse, is this the main office?"

Martin nodded. At this point, a compromise acceptable to both parties could not be better.

"First of all, is this invitation to an academic gathering genuine?" If this couldn't be answered, Kraft would jump ship and swim back to Solace Harbor.

Hearing this question, Martin relaxed a little, "Yes. The triennial academic gathering is a tradition of Rivers University, and all colleges participate. In recent years, the scope of invitations has begun to expand, including of course those who have made contributions in medicine. Scholars who have made groundbreaking contributions.”

"What about the honorary professor thing?"

"Yes. The Oak Leaf Medal has already been waiting for your arrival in the auditorium. It is shaped in gold and inlaid with emeralds by craftsmen who have served Westminster for generations. It is a symbol of honor that can be passed down together with the armor." His attitude became serious. As if standing at the scene of the award, describing the authenticity and seriousness of this matter.

"Okay..." Kraft believed him for the time being, these things are difficult to fake. So why would someone assassinate a quasi-emeritus professor who was not a threat and was just here to receive an award?

"Then the pagan thing you just mentioned was just made up casually?"

"No, it's true." Martin once again showed that expression of irritation and disgust. He kicked the body on the ground and started to pull up the thin clothes soaked in water, looking for something.

"There is a pagan cult with a circle as its symbol operating in Westminster. It is causing trouble for us everywhere, collecting money, murders, strange rituals and so on. It has hanged many people, but it just can't be dealt with completely."

Using the ring as a symbol, collecting money, rituals, keeping the tail big... Kraft thought thoughtfully, I seriously suspect that you are implying a certain country with a long history, strongholds all over the kingdom, many believers, serious industrialization, and its own armed forces. An organization that most nobles hate.

Seeing that Kraft was wrong, Martin immediately corrected his wording, "Their logo is just a single ring, like this."

After taking off his clothes and turning over the body, a tattoo ring with poor craftsmanship was revealed. It was tattooed around an old scar, enclosing the slightly raised and heterochromatic healing growth.

"Their habit is to draw a circle on the injured part of the body. If there is no injury, the blind fanatics will make one themselves. There will be cuts, burns, everything."

"Where are the Inquisition and the lords from all over the world?" It was unbelievable to have something like this active near Westminster for so long. It was an unacceptable shame to be near the center of the kingdom, next door to the king, in an area where the church was strong.

"These damn pagans are pretending to be members of the church and preaching. Even the contents are changed from the holy scriptures. Those people who can't even write their own names have been believing for several years when they were found out!" At this point, the annoyance on Martin's face gradually overshadowed the other expressions.

"The key is that the changes are really like that. Even the knights of the Holy See may not be as familiar with it as they are. The church doesn't have enough manpower. How can those lords find out on their own?"

Are you sure it wasn't a certain denomination in the church that broke off and was excommunicated? Kraft wanted to ask that, but considering Martin's mood, he swallowed the question and continued with business.

"Does this have anything to do with academic gatherings?"

"No." Martin rejected the connection between the two. "I am only responsible for ensuring that you arrive at Westminster safely and participate in what a professor should do. These non-medical contents have nothing to do with this."

A very straightforward answer, although the credibility is somewhat questionable. If I was really invited for medical-related reasons, it was unlikely to be a purely academic gathering and title conferment.

These are all pretense, to attract Kraft to come, and also to show others. They need medical assistance, use academic gatherings as cover, and send reliable people to accompany them.

"But it did happen. Right here, an 'unrelated' heretic put poisonous berries into my fruit bowl. Do you think this is a coincidence, Mr. Martin?"

"I don't know..." Doubts appeared on his face, and every word that came out was unsteady on the ground. He couldn't understand what this semi-professional assassination was about.

Their itinerary was revealed, and it was a heretic who came.

"The letter mentioned that a big shot will award the badge?" Kraft guessed casually, expanding the scope of attack.

"..."

"Has it something to do with what's going to be preached at the party?"

"..."

"Besides partying, what do you need me for?"

"..."

Come on, things are messed up. An invitation with an unknown ultimate purpose is connected with a pagan religion that penetrates deeply into the aristocratic church. The guide is hesitant and has no right to make decisions.

"Okay, Knight Martin, the name is always true, right?" Kraft picked up the basket and opened the unlatched door, as if he had thought of the least important issue of title before leaving.

"Yes... huh?" Martin survived the series of questions and subconsciously answered the daily address in a blink of an eye.

Ah...Martin Knight.