20demayo Chapter 162 I am your uncle Hans (9)
Chapter 162 I am your uncle Hans (9)
Soon it was the day for Croft Castle's steward to go down the mountain to do some shopping.
Many vegetable vendors had already come to the market in Mohanl County early in the morning, all waiting for the Egbert family's carriage to appear.
The reason is simple: if the butler of the Egbert family takes a fancy to something, he will buy it all.
When several carriages marked with the Egbert family crest appeared outside the market, vendors began calling out for their fruits and vegetables.
Joey got out of the carriage with the servants. He maintained a proud posture and walked among the servants.
The servants, all of them of great build, forced their way through the crowded crowd.
Joey came to the vegetable stall, picked up a handful of vegetables, looked around, and then, facing the stall owner's expectant gaze, said, "All included."
The stall owner was ecstatic. He quickly took out a large backpack from behind and put the vegetables that Joey wanted into it.
One of the servants took the packed vegetables to the carriage.
As the servant left with the large backpack, Hans, who was not far away, raised his head and revealed his bearded face.
While everyone was crowding towards Joey, Hans found the opportunity to get to the back of the carriage.
"Hurry up and get on the carriage and hide in the innermost barrel." The servant lifted the curtain at the back and urged Hans to go in quickly.
When Hans heard his voice, he hurried in from the back. When he saw a large wooden barrel at the innermost part, he hid in the barrel without hesitation.
The servant then entered the carriage and, before closing the lid on the barrel, whispered to Hans, "Go in, and when you hear me say the codeword 'drinking tonight,' you can come out."
"Okay." Hans took off his hat to make it easier for the servant to cover the barrel.
The barrel was not completely closed, and Hans could breathe fresh air through the small holes.
More than half an hour later, the freight carriage that Hans was in was full of things.
So Joey asked the first servant to drive the carriage back first. There were many people in the market, and the goods might be stolen if they were not careful.
The road back to Croft Castle was not too rough, but the mountain road was winding, and Hans didn't feel comfortable sitting in the barrel.
This time, Hans is the one taking the lead because he owes a lot of money for alcohol. If he can successfully find Neve and catch the vampire, he will get a lot of rewards.
But now he just felt dizzy. There were fish in the carriage, and the fishy smell went straight into Hans' nose.
He began to regret why he took this job, but when he thought of Neve still suffering in Croft Castle, he suddenly felt that this little suffering was nothing.
About an hour later, the carriage finally stopped.
The things around him were being carried down one by one, and then Hans heard a lively female voice.
"Why is there a big wooden barrel in here? Big guy, how about I help you? I happen to be free now and can help you."
"No! No need! How can I ask you to help me? This is my job." The servant who brought Hans in quickly refused her.
Hans prayed in his heart that the woman would not get on, but he felt the carriage sink.
Then someone took away a basket of vegetables that was pressed against the lid of the wooden barrel. "Don't be polite with me. It's hard work for you to go out and buy things."
Hans' heart was in his throat, and he could even hear his own heart beating like a drum.
If the man opens the lid, he will be found hiding in the barrel.
Then the first step of the plan would fail directly, and Hans might even die here.
Hans was so nervous that he was sweating all over. He was shouting in his heart, "Don't open the lid, don't open the lid!"
At the same time, he began to plan in his mind how he could avoid the crisis if he was exposed.
However, the hands still touched the edge of the barrel lid.
Niffe originally thought that such a large wooden barrel must be filled with a lot of things. She thought that if it was fruits or something like that, she would take some out first, which would also make it easier to move the barrel out.
But she never expected that there would be someone hiding in the barrel.
Neve stared at Hans in shock and didn't speak for a moment.
The servant outside called her anxiously, "Neve, is it too heavy? Let me help you!"
Hans, who had already touched the knife, was also stunned.
Neve? Was that the Neve he knew?
Hans decided to take a gamble. He lowered his voice and said, "I am your uncle, Hans."
Niv came back to her senses. She suddenly closed the lid of the barrel again and said to the person outside, "This is very heavy. You should carry it."
Neve got off the carriage. She glanced at the servant who looked a little guilty and guessed that he also knew that Hans was inside.
She didn't expect that her uncle Hans would be in the barrel. Although he had a beard, his eyes were very similar to her father Ed's.
Neve thought she should pretend to leave here first. Sids had not sent anyone to keep an eye on her recently, which also gave her the opportunity to meet Hans.
The servant reluctantly moved the barrel out of the carriage. He dragged the barrel to a warehouse and said to the man who was counting things, "Hey! Buddy, I'll do the counting. You go ahead and do your work."
"Thank you." The man handed the notebook to the servant and turned to leave.
More than ten minutes later, after counting, the servant came to the wooden barrel where Hans was and knocked on it with the back of his hand. "Oh, drinking in the evening is a good choice." He said and walked out of the warehouse door.
Only then did Hans lift the lid on his head and come out of the barrel.
There were several wooden boxes blocking the area where he was, so even if he came out, people outside wouldn't be able to see him.
Hans stretched his arms first. He felt that as a man over fifty, he was still doing this kind of dangerous work, which really set a good example for the younger generation. Especially Frank, a man in his thirties who was still afraid of danger like a teenager.
This time he was not only doing it for the generous reward, but also wanted to let Frank see what a real vampire hunter was.
"Are you really my uncle Hans?" Neve's voice suddenly sounded from the side.
Hans, who was immersed in his own thoughts, suddenly came back to his senses. He looked at Neve beside him. The little girl was wearing a black long skirt and a white apron around her waist. She was looking at him with a puzzled expression.
Hans looked around first, and after confirming that there was no one around, he said, "Of course it's true. Have you forgotten that I let you ride a sheep when you were a kid?"
When this matter was mentioned, Neve's face turned a little ugly.
Because when she was little, Hans just put her on the sheep's back and went to buy some wine. As a result, she couldn't hold the sheep's horns with her small hands, fell off the sheep's back and ate a mouthful of sheep feces.
Later, Hans lied to Ed, saying that Neve was playful.
Having such an unreliable uncle, Neve was really helpless.
"So, what are you doing here?" Neve crossed her arms over her chest and stared at Hans with half her eyelids closed.
Seeing that Neve seemed unaware of the danger, Hans told her directly, "Your father said you were captured by a vampire. Do you know how dangerous vampires are?"
Hearing him say this, Neve pursed her lips, realizing that Hans came here to take her away.
"Is my father also in Mohanl County?" asked Neve.
Seeing Hans nod, she continued, "I know vampires are dangerous, but I haven't been hurt here." I just suffer some mental damage occasionally.
Neve was also a little hesitant. She had a good impression of Sidse, but she couldn't see how much weight she held in Sidse's heart.
The last time she jumped off the balcony, it was Sidse who came and saved her.
At that moment, her heart was moved, but what Sidse said made her very angry. She did not go out, but just enjoyed the evening breeze on the balcony, and inexplicably ran into Quilon.
Sids started blaming her for being disobedient, and Neve couldn't understand why.
What she couldn't understand was Sid's attitude towards her.
Neve was very conflicted now, but she realized that if she stayed any longer, she would really become a maid at Croft Castle.
She has her own family. Her parents must be very worried about her after she disappeared for so long.
That's why Hans came to Croft Castle to find her.
"What's your plan?" Neve asked.
"You just need to know that I want to rescue you." Hans raised his eyebrows. "Go back and do your own thing first. When you see the fireworks signal at night, come here." He still had to prepare some things so that he would be fully prepared to deal with the vampire.
"Uncle, they didn't do anything wrong, don't target them." Neve frowned. During her time living in Croft Castle, she learned a lot about the Egbert family.
The vampires in the Egbert family would not bite anyone casually. They all ensured their basic food intake by cultivating blood slaves. Those blood slaves were like Ellie she had met before, most of them were sold here.
"Neve, have you been brainwashed by the vampires? Or have they bribed you?" Hans had never expected Neve to say that. Vampires are inherently abominable creatures. They are bloodthirsty and cruel, committing countless evil deeds. They are demons in human skin.
Neve shook her head. "I haven't been brainwashed by them. But uncle, do you know that if you attack Croft Castle, the people living inside will also lose their jobs? There must be a better way, uncle. Please don't let vampire hunters enter Croft Castle."
However, Hans looked angry, as he had many dealings with vampires in his youth.
He knew very well how terrifying this inhuman creature was, and Neve was just deceived by its apparent kindness.
"Listen, the humans living here are also accomplices. They use their own blood to feed these hateful vampires. Neve, if you stand on the side of the vampires, then go and tell the vampires that I am here!" Hans grabbed Neve's shoulders with both hands and said in a deep voice.
He stared deeply at Neve, waiting for Neve's decision.
Neve pushed Hans's hand away. She lowered her eyelashes and said in a cold voice, "Uncle, we see different things. I won't betray you, nor will I betray those who have helped me."
"So you're going to betray humans and join the vampires?!" Hans didn't understand why Neve would think this way. He grabbed Neve's arm and said, "Since you've been deceived by the vampires, I have no choice but to knock you out first."
Niv stopped Hans's hand before it reached him. "Uncle, you are old and not as strong as you used to be. I remain neutral and have not betrayed you or humanity."
Hans stared at Neve's gradually leaving back and sighed in his heart. Neve was a poor child. She must have been brainwashed by a vampire to think that vampires did nothing wrong.
Every year in Mohanl County, children go missing. Some are abandoned by their families because they can't afford to raise them, while others are simply kidnapped. The families of the kidnapped children often receive a few extra silver coins, as if to say, "I bought your child."
Later, the Vampire Hunters Guild was established in Mohenre County, and such incidents gradually decreased.
Then it evolved into a situation where families who could not afford to raise their children would actively use their children to exchange for money.
If there were no vampires, these children would live in orphanages, or at least they wouldn't have their blood sucked out.
Hans knew that Neve only saw the simple side and did not see the deeper things.
Only tonight, he had to do it with other vampire hunters.
They won't kill innocent humans, but if the humans of Croft Castle want to help vampires, then don't blame the vampire hunters for viewing them as enemies.