Chapter 94: A Chaotic Night
Half an hour later.
William left through the side door of the Allard Manor.
At this moment, he was wearing a black leather cowboy hat and a beige plaid scarf around his neck.
He had also changed into clothes in the style of a local demon hunter.
Unless one observed carefully, it would be difficult to discover William's identity as an outsider.
He had already obtained the "poison" from Sadie.
This was a drug that could briefly paralyze human nerves, derived from the new ammunition the Allard family was improving. It had not yet appeared on the market.
There was still plenty of time before the banquet in the evening, so William decided to go "poison" the food in advance.
Before long, he arrived near the Dead Dog Saloon.
To prepare for the banquet, the people in the tavern were busy at this time.
The staff hummed songs praising the gods as they carried vegetables and wine barrels into the kitchen.
It was approaching dusk; the afterglow of the setting sun was being driven away by the night, and streetlights lit up around the area.
William observed the perimeter and soon found a spot with few people.
Taking advantage of the moment when no one was around, he quickly climbed up to the roof along the wooden eaves outside the tavern.
For the current him, this was an easy task.
Through the gaps in the roof, William could clearly observe the scene in the kitchen.
He didn't act immediately but waited for a dish to be completely prepared to avoid anyone tasting it halfway and getting poisoned prematurely.
At the same time, at the Cooper family training ground.
"What did you say? That bitch Sadie wants to meet me?"
Dolbora looked puzzled.
"Yes, Miss."
A butler lowered his head.
"The person she sent said she wanted to talk to you about the 'secret' discovered in the warehouse earlier."
Dolbora narrowed her eyes, really unable to think of any secret she had exposed to the other party.
"Could it be the Antler?" She was startled inwardly.
This was the Cooper family's important reliance for competing for the [Trait].
Dolbora's eyes flickered, but after a moment, she decided to go to the appointment.
"Where is it?"
"Near the tavern."
A shop next to the Dead Dog Saloon, belonging to the Allard family.
Sadie stood in front of the window, staring at the movement of the tavern opposite.
Beside her was a wooden table with William's black robe and an old-fashioned player on it.
A moment later, the door opened.
"Is everything ready?"
William started changing clothes as soon as he came in.
"Hmm, I've recorded it according to your instructions."
Sadie turned around and found that the priest opposite had already taken off his shirt.
Looking at the sculpted muscle lines, she turned her head away unnaturally, but still stole a few glances.
William didn't notice Sadie's abnormality; he changed his clothes quickly.
Compared to the more functional demon hunter attire, the loose black robe was more comfortable.
"I'll go over first."
William took his cloth bag.
Although Sadie's name was also on the invitation letter, due to the incident at the warehouse during the day, she did not intend to attend the banquet.
On the way.
People greeted William from time to time.
"Father William, thank you for protecting Saint Frian!"
"You must be the kindest priest in the Church."
"I want to invite you to my house tonight."
William responded with a smile.
At the entrance of the Dead Dog Saloon, people from the Association had already come out to welcome him.
"Father William, I am Beren. Thank you for saving my life during the day!"
Beren grabbed William's hands first; his gratitude came from the bottom of his heart.
In the past, those attacked by monsters were lucky to save their lives on the same day.
But not only did he survive, he could even move like a normal person.
" 'Helping others' is bestowing the Lord's mercy upon everyone. I just did what I should do." William said modestly.
"You must be a devout believer of the Church." Beren nodded.
After the pleasantries, the group entered the tavern.
It was very noisy inside. Women were dancing happily on the stage, and men had their arms around each other's shoulders, clinking glasses vigorously.
Waiters shuttled through the crowd constantly.
Bourbon whiskey, Red Bean Rice...
Authentic food and drinks were served on the dining tables.
Seeing William enter, people raised their glasses happily, expressing their respect to this kind-hearted priest.
"If they knew I poisoned the food, I wonder what the scene would be like." William thought to himself.
But on the surface, his etiquette was impeccable.
During the banquet, Beren approached William privately, trying to persuade the latter to work for the Demon Hunter Association.
But William had other purposes today, so he just responded casually.
Soon, the poisoned meal was served.
In a corner of the tavern, a stubble-bearded demon hunter took a plate.
Inside was a local specialty—Gumbo Rice, mixed with shrimp, sausage, chicken, and some special spices.
"Oh, this is my favorite!"
The stubble-bearded demon hunter sniffed the steaming heat with a look of satisfaction.
"...Grrr..."
At this time, there seemed to be some kind of low growl outside.
"Hey, little beast, your nose is really sharp."
The demon hunter punched the wooden wall.
"But this is not for you; get lost early."
A moment later, the sound outside gradually faded.
The demon hunter nodded with satisfaction, downed the remaining wine in the cup in one gulp, and then picked up the spoon.
William estimated the time.
Before long, sure enough, someone showed signs of something wrong.
"Ricky, what's wrong with you!"
"My hand has no feeling!"
"There is poison in the rice!"
At first, the disturbance could be covered by the noise.
But as more and more people were poisoned, everyone finally realized something was wrong.
"You..."
William's face changed drastically, pointing his finger at Beren, seeming not to expect the other party to harm him.
"No... it wasn't me."
Beren shook his head constantly, but soon he also discovered his own abnormality.
"Who is it..."
The abnormality at the Dead Dog Saloon quickly attracted the attention of bystanders.
That night, many demon hunters were sent to the clinic of the Pope Beneke family.
And the tavern poisoning incident quickly attracted the attention of various forces; there were many more people inquiring about intelligence on the street.
Speculations about the poisoner varied.
Some mentioned hearing growls outside the tavern before the banquet started, suspecting it was some kind of animal.
Some saw the young lady of the Cooper family near the tavern.
Others claimed that this was the Beneke family harming people to sell their own medicine.
Of course, the Allard family was not spared either; some said they were dissatisfied with the Association inviting Father William, so they took revenge.
This night, various rumors circulated on the streets.
Those with ulterior motives were using this opportunity to throw mud at their enemies.
At the same time, because the competition for the [Trait] was about to begin immediately, everyone linked these two things together.
This made the whole incident even more confusing.
And the suspected parties all stood up decisively to clarify.
Especially the Cooper clan; Dolbora insisted that Sadie from the Allard family invited her to the tavern, but the latter broke the appointment.
Therefore, Dolbora suspected that Sadie was behind it.
But due to the long-standing hostile relationship between the two families, this accusation was regarded as another fight between them.
Only that priest received everyone's concern.
The other party helped them, but was poisoned in return, which made the people of Saint Frian very ashamed.
This was exactly William's goal—to muddy the waters.
Since he couldn't reduce the number of enemies on his side, then no one should have a good time.
Once the seeds of suspicion are planted, they will constantly take root and sprout in the nourishment of time.
In this way, after entering the Plague Zone, various forces will definitely be more careful, and cooperation between them will also be more difficult.
Weakening the enemy is also helping oneself in disguise.
And William, the initiator of all this, had already arrived at the entrance of the Plague Zone under the cover of the night and the protection of the Allard family.
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