Chapter 6 Iron Box
Noon, in the castle, in the study.
"This war was led by Lord O'Quinn himself, and the Direwolf family did not have a great knight, so the casualties in the army were not large." Pariste stood in front of the desk and reported the casualties of the war. "The soldiers who died were killed as usual. Pensions were given, and the injured were treated and compensated.”
"Great, how about a loot count?"
"The inventory has been roughly completed. Please take a look at it, Master." Paris handed over a slip of paper.
Taking the sheet of paper, Enzo looked at it.
Summarizing the loot information and reporting the quantity, it is recorded that the spoils are divided into two categories, among which property such as gold coins and silverware are divided into one category, and slaves plundered in the war are divided into another category according to gender and age.
"Did the army also take slaves?"
After Enzo recorded the information in his mind with a chip, he threw the sheet aside and asked.
"Yes." Pariste nodded and said solemnly, "When attacking Langxin Town, the army encountered very strong resistance, so after breaking through, Lord O'Quin ordered the soldiers to loot at will, almost destroying Wolfheart Town. All civilians became slaves."
"That's it." Enzo rubbed his forehead and asked with a headache: "According to the past rules, how should we deal with these slaves?"
"Under normal circumstances, part of the slaves plundered in the war will be given to meritorious soldiers, and the rest will be transported to the Golden City to be sold." Pariste replied, and then suggested, "However, now that winter is approaching, the price of slaves is At the lowest time of the year, instead of selling them cheaply, it’s better to send them to the iron ore mines.”
"Okay, let's do it!" Enzo nodded.
The iron mine was the fuse of the war between Kaiyuan and the Giant Wolf. Now that the war is victorious, the iron mine must be developed and all the slaves sent to the mine, which solves the problem of insufficient labor in the mine.
"Is there anything else you need to report?"
"The issue of maintaining stability after the war is roughly the same. However, winter is coming. According to past rules, Kaiyuan City should reserve food in advance. Otherwise, once it snows, the price of food will double."
"Then let's follow the past rules."
"Okay, I will arrange it."
The conversation between the two lasted for an hour.
In addition to post-war issues, Parist also reported some daily affairs in Kaiyuan City, as well as the movements of families in surrounding towns. Enzo made decisions one by one based on his own ideas and Parist's suggestions.
It was already two o'clock in the afternoon when Pariste left.
Enzo asked Daisy to prepare lunch. After enjoying it, Moore, the castle's butler, knocked on the door.
"What's the matter?" Enzo asked, looking at Moore who was not far away.
Moore, the old butler who has served the Night Fury family for more than 30 years, is now over 60 years old. His face looks a little old, but he seems very energetic. His beard on the sideburns is neatly groomed, and he is wearing a black tuxedo. Meticulous and like a gentleman.
"I have ordered my servants to count the property brought back from the battlefield and store it in the warehouse." Old Moore bowed slightly and said softly: "Gold coins, jewelry and other things have been clearly counted according to their value, but among the spoils, there are still I found something special, so I’m reporting it to you.”
"Something special?"
"It's a locked black iron box. I don't know what's inside." Moore looked helpless and sighed, "The lock on that iron box is very strange. Even the best locksmiths in the city are helpless. The male servants I also tried using a hammer, but couldn't move it at all."
"That's all?" Enzo was a little surprised.
"Not only that." Moore shook his head slightly and said solemnly: "The surface of the black iron box is covered with strange patterns. Anyone who comes near it will feel very uncomfortable. The manservant who was responsible for carrying it died soon after. His whole body was so cold that one even fell into a coma and it took him a while to wake up."
"Oh?" Enzo became interested, "Where is the box now?"
"In the warehouse, the servants have been ordered to store it separately."
"Find two strong male servants to carry the iron box over." Enzo ordered.
"As you wish, Master." Old Moore bowed and exited the room.
After a while, two strong male servants carried an iron box into the second floor of the castle.
The pitch-black iron box was about the same size as a normal box, but its surface was covered with purple texture. It looked weird and mysterious, and it faintly exuded a cold aura. Even though it was far away, Enzo still felt faintly uncomfortable.
Stepping forward, Enzo leaned down and tried to open it.
The lock that locks the iron box has a strange shape. It is in the shape of an oval cylindrical flat body, without even a keyhole. The surfaces on both sides are dozens of small rotating parts. You can change their positions by flipping them with your fingers, as if they contain a hidden meaning. A certain pattern gives people an ancient mechanical feel.
"Code lock?" Enzo thought of the Earth's code lock.
The mechanism that locks the iron box is obviously on those small parts. It seems that only by arranging them according to the correct rules can the iron box be opened.
"Although there are only a dozen parts, according to different arrangements, there are at least a thousand possibilities." Enzo stroked his chin and raised the corners of his lips. "It's no wonder that the locksmiths in the city are helpless."
"Chip, analyze the arrangement of the code lock, and formulate a deciphering plan!"
If you try again and again with your brain power, you may not be able to decipher the code lock for half a month. Fortunately, Enzo has a smart chip. He only needs to scan the code lock back and forth, and then analyze the possibility of its arrangement, and he can quickly get the correct answer.
"Analysis within analysis completed!"
The smart chip operates very quickly, and after a short calculation, the answer is given.
"Next, let's see what's in here?"
Enzo was eager to give it a try, rubbed his palms, and moved the small parts on the combination lock according to the arrangement analyzed by the chip. After several turns, he only heard a soft click, the combination lock popped open, and the iron box was opened at the same time. , a gloomy chill suddenly hit his face.
"It's so cold!" Enzo couldn't help but shiver, feeling that the temperature in the room dropped instantly.
Looking towards the inside of the iron box, most of the space inside was occupied by black books, neatly stacked vertically. In addition, there were only three purple crystals that were somewhat similar to a Rubik's Cube, and a fist-sized, translucent light blue skull.