Free Web NovelChapter 144: Chapter 144 Abigail’s Gift_1
Several days later, Silvertown’s lower district, down an alley, agents of the Inquisition had drawn a cordon around a civilian house.
"Oh, Judge, I really did not know that girl was a witch! She only said she made wood carvings, and after she paid a large sum of money upfront, I rented her this old house," the middle-aged landlord nervously explained as he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "I live in the upper district now, which is too far away, so I haven’t come to check on the place. I... I really didn’t know she was doing such things in my house!"
"That’s enough, I know already." The senior Judge facing him, Rebecca, raised her hand to stop him from continuing, "You don’t need to be nervous, just cooperate with us and answer a few questions."
After finishing her sentence, she gestured to another team member to bring the man over for a statement.
The landlord instinctively glanced to the left where agents from the Inquisition were carrying puppets out of his old house. The puppets’ faces were made of wax, with wide-brimmed top hats glued to their heads as a disguise. Their bodies were wrapped tightly in clothing; at first glance, they looked very much like real people, but upon a closer look, numerous details were amiss.
For an ordinary civilian like him, coming across a paranormal event linked to dark magic was almost unheard of in a lifetime. So when a Judge from the Inquisition came to his door to inform him that his old house had become a witch’s hideout, stuffed with magical artifacts she had made, he was completely dumbfounded.
Thinking about how for the past few days his house had been full of these magically animated puppets made by the witch wandering about, a chill ran down his spine.
He wondered whether the house would be haunted after the puppets were removed. Maybe he should find an exorcist to take a look...
Just then, one of the puppets being carried away suddenly twitched, frightening the landlord so much that his shoulders shook, and he let out an involuntary cry of shock.
Maybe he should just burn down the old house—suddenly, he changed his mind.
The investigation team members took the teary-eyed landlord away while Rebecca shifted her gaze to the front entrance of the civilian house.
This was the secret workshop used by the witch Vila to produce magical puppets, a base discovered by the Inquisition in the city.
Vila had been listed as a Great Witch in the past two years. The Inquisition did not have much detailed information about her and had only recently become aware of her golem-making technique.
However, in recent days, as the Inquisition conducted patrols from Rose Iron Prison, Aiden’s residence, and other places he frequently visited, the number of confiscated puppets had risen to eight.
Starting with the investigation of the crafting techniques of the puppets, the Inquisition delved into its research from the hair salon Aiden visited and the materials used for the puppets. Not only did they track down her puppet-making workshop, but they also reconstructed her portrait from the testimony of witnesses who had met her.
Unfortunately, they failed to capture Vila herself during the raid.
Rebecca watched as the last of the puppets was carried out—a puppet that was distinctly different from the rest, finely crafted to resemble a woman, fitted with a wig, and its face and fingers are made of wax, a much more sophisticated workmanship than the others. Vila had left this puppet in the house to serve as her decoy, inscribing it with illusionary runes and applying a simple deceptive spell.
The person in charge of surveillance had observed from the opposite house for a day, seeing a "woman" move around inside through the window, and so assumed that the witch Vila was also in her own workshop.
To stage a surprise, the Inquisition organized an emergency raid, overran the workshop, and seized all the puppets... but also came away empty-handed.
Vila likely only showed up in the workshop occasionally to imbue the puppet’s runes with her magic power, and she had other hiding spots. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
"Captain, evidence collection is complete, how should we handle the scene?" A junior Judge approached her for instructions.
Rebecca considered for a moment, "Let the forensic department have another look, then leave some people behind and continue surveillance from across the street for another two days."
"Understood!"
If Vila would still return to this workshop, continued surveillance might allow them to catch her.
But Rebecca also knew, the possibility was extremely low. Vila had set up a decoy in the workshop to lead them into an ambush. Therefore, she must have had something up her sleeve to keep tabs on the workshop’s situation.
Now that the workshop was being investigated, Vila would decisively abandon this stronghold—they had already spooked the quarry.
Thinking of this, Rebecca couldn’t help but clench her fists tightly.
She was in charge of this surprise attack, and the failure to capture Vila was entirely her responsibility.
Too impatient, eager to catch the witch targeting Aiden’s life, she hadn’t considered higher-level strategies...
If Aiden, who led the initial operation, had organized the assault, perhaps he would have suspected the witch had another trick up her sleeve.
There really was a significant gap between herself and him...
However, the raid was not without its gains; they not only destroyed Vila’s puppet-making hideout but also gathered quite a bit of information about her.
Vila had arrived in Silvertown less than ten days ago, and under normal circumstances, there would have been neither time nor energy to set up a second workshop. The Heresy Trial Bureau and the Mounted Police had begun cooperation. With the cavalry patrolling the city and conducting inquiries, the witch Vila’s movements within the city would be severely restricted.
Even if they couldn’t catch her, she would find it difficult to establish a second workshop to produce these murderous puppets. At least for now, Aiden’s safety was assured.
With that in mind, she steadied her spirit and called another member of the team, "Bring a portrait reconstruction over here, let’s go question the nearby residents again and see if there are any additional clues."
...
Meanwhile, in the lower city area, another street, a cellar beneath a bungalow.
"Damn it!" Vila angrily kicked the leg of a table, causing the iron crucible to roll off the table.
She’d barely managed to lead the Heresy Trial Bureau to the workshop’s location, and yet, that damned Aiden Galahad was still alive and kicking.
That man was really continuing to hide away inside the prison without coming out... Does he have no pride at all?
Her approach was too conservative. She should have used her trump card from the start—this was what she should have done all along.
" ’This flowing mercury is the wild beast I’ve tamed, it feeds on bronze and gold and silver.’ " She began chanting the magical incantation.
At the same time, the corner of the cellar’s iron barrel emitted a sound like boiling liquid.
Then, an abrupt voice suddenly sounded behind Vila: "You know, that’s the gift Abigail gave you. Are you really going to use it?"
Vila’s heart nearly stopped from the fright; she spun around and finally saw the figure that had inexplicably appeared behind her: "Qiqimora!?"
