civilwarnovels Chapter 458 The Helper
Chapter 458 The Helper
Chapter 458 The Helper
"madness!"
François was terrified when he heard Mr. Rand's rebuke.
He quickly lowered his head, not daring to look the other person in the eye.
"Look at me!"
Upon hearing this, François shuddered and then looked at Mr. Rand.
Mr. Rand's nose was pointed, with a high bridge and thin nostrils.
His thick beard made him look very masculine.
François only had a body of soft, flabby flesh, which was one of the reasons for his inferiority complex.
It's said that all the chefs are fat; after all, you have to taste the food yourself to know how good it is.
But alchemists wouldn't be tempted to sample the alchemical potions they themselves concoct.
Mr. Rand asked, "Why are you helping him?"
"He is an acquaintance of mine," François replied truthfully.
"Familiar?" Rand asked, puzzled. "Familiar in what way?"
"The Kingdom, my homeland," François replied, "I met him there, and I never imagined he would come to the Federation as well. Actually, before we met in the Gate City, our relationship wasn't very good, but we both had a mutual acquaintance, and because of them, we trusted each other."
"A mutual acquaintance?" Rand squinted.
“A librarian,” François replied, “I spent some time in his library.”
"So, he must be a highly respected person?"
"Not only that, he's also very strong, really strong," François exclaimed, gesturing wildly.
His refined manners and composed demeanor were underpinned by formidable strength. Ah, right, he's the one who taught me alchemy.
"You're saying he's an alchemist too?!"
Mr. Rand's eyes widened, and his tone was quite surprised.
“I’ve never seen him concoct medicine, but I think he must be good at alchemy,” François said. “He’s the one who sent me to the Far East to hone my skills, so I can’t stand idly by when I encounter people connected to him.”
If Mr. Leo tells the caretaker about François, will he allow me to go back early?
Mr. Rand grinned: "Then he certainly has good judgment. There's no place better than the Federation where you can learn alchemy."
But my purpose is cooking—but François never said that aloud.
"A librarian skilled in alchemy, huh? Interesting. Perhaps worth learning about, but—" Mr. Rand's tone turned stern again, "François, do you know your place now?!"
François nodded: "A specially appointed scholar of the Parliamentary Hall."
Although he would prefer to add this kitchen.
"And since you know your own identity, you should know who your employer is," François said.
And you actually helped a member of parliament escape!
"I didn't help him escape from prison."
Although François would most likely help Mr. Leo if he asked, "I did visit him a few times, but I knew nothing about his escape; he never told me his plans."
"If you did, you wouldn't be standing here in this lab right now," Rand said. "Your conversation has been completely recorded."
Upon hearing this, François was startled; there really was wiretapping in the prison!
The room was full of devices that François didn't recognize; in this technologically advanced city, it was highly likely that some kind of device for remote eavesdropping had been designed.
Fortunately, he was very careful from the beginning and did not say anything too outrageous.
Being careful is the right thing to do!
"Phew—then you should know that I am innocent—"
"—No!" Rand interrupted François, "But you did help him gather intelligence, and your actions indirectly helped his escape, or at least he used them."
Upon hearing this, François's heart pounded wildly; he was terrified that he would be punished for it.
"So—Captain, did my words really help him escape?"
However, Rand's words surprised François: "I don't know."
"have no idea?"
"It's said that the man's cell was intact, with no damage to any facilities," Rand said. "And the guards on duty that day weren't neglecting their duties, yet they didn't see anyone leave from there. In other words, the prisoner simply vanished into thin air."
"Evaporation?!" François replied in surprise.
"The council's agents couldn't figure out how the man escaped from prison, and they also sent several superhumans to investigate, including myself, but unfortunately, they didn't find any clues. However—there seemed to be some kind of deep and hidden fear left there, as if something blasphemous and dangerous had lingered there."
"What is it?"
“Nobody knows,” Rand’s eyes suddenly sharpened. “François, since you know that man, do you know if he possesses some kind of special talent?”
"I don't know, I'm sorry," François said. "However, since he is also an acquaintance of that administrator, it's not surprising that he possesses some kind of power."
Rand was suddenly startled: "You mean, that warden also gave that prisoner some kind of power?"
"This is just my guess," François said.
Like Miss Harriet, she was also Mr. Mosley's student.
"Who exactly is that person! But—" Rand said, "if he really does possess supernatural abilities, then his escape is somewhat plausible. But you should still pray that the pursuit team can bring him back, otherwise you might be held accountable for it."
François was taken aback: "Chase him?! Didn't you say he vanished into thin air?"
"On the night of the escape, a carriage left the city of Parliament, but it wasn't announced in the newspaper beforehand," Rand said. "And upon investigation, it turned out that the carriage was registered to a merchant guild. Just as the detectives were about to question the guild's president, he preemptively reported being robbed. And the robber was none other than the escaped convict."
François suddenly realized: "I see, the agent obtained crucial intelligence through the victim."
"A victim?" Rand smiled. "François, you're too naive. That chairman is most likely an accomplice."
François was taken aback: "Wait?! Why?"
"He reported the crime half a day after the fugitive left the city. The reason he delayed for so long was to buy time for the fugitive."
"But if he was an accomplice, why did he report it to the police?"
"Because the criminal left the city using his identification, if he doesn't report it, or if he stays out for several hours, he'll be labeled an accomplice. Only by becoming a victim can he escape legal punishment, 'embryo,'"
Rand suddenly spat, "No businessman is any good. François, be prepared, someone will be calling you in for a talk soon."
"But," François said, "why is the Federation so determined to bring him back?"
"First, he's associated with spices, and second—"
Land paused for a moment, then continued, "It seems he took away an incredible design, and the talent that designed it—"