The Laws of Werewolf Hunting

Chapter 401 Dear Old Friend

Norris was a friend that Clayton Bello had made in the Army—like most of his friends, for that was where he had spent the best part of his life.

While Clayton was still sitting in the carriage, he kept recalling the past between him and Norris.

Norris was eight years older than Clayton. He was a member of the first team Clayton led after he was promoted to officer. However, everyone in the team respected him more than Clayton at that time, and Clayton himself had to admire this man.

As long as Norris is there, their logistics can be self-sufficient.

Norris is a versatile person.

He could forge iron, cook, drill wells, sketch, act in plays, repair shoes, set traps, keep accounts, read the stars, tie sailor's knots, bandage the wounded, treat livestock, make fire with a drill, prune bushes, forage for food, identify medicinal plants, and imitate accents from all over the country. It would take hours to talk about what Norris knew. He knew almost all the skills to survive. The other soldiers once suspected that he was a pirate who was exiled to a desert island by his companions, otherwise he would not have been able to train himself to this level.

Norris denied this. He only told his comrades that he was kicked out of the house by his father when he was ten years old and wandered around. He then did many jobs to make a living and only then did he hone such skills.

Indeed, most of the skills that Norris mastered were not outstanding, but just average, barely enough to make a living, but no one doubted that he would become a big man one day.

A person who is capable of mastering so many skills will not live his life in mediocrity.

So when Clayton calmed down, he felt that it was natural for Norris to suddenly lift the veil of death and appear.

Norris is humble and selfless. He has helped everyone on the team, but he never takes credit for himself.

In addition, he has a sincere patriotism.

When he saw in the newspaper that "citizens" were asked to join the army to fight against the barbarians in Towton, he immediately quit his job, said goodbye to his family and joined the army. Even though he had been fighting on the hard front line, he never complained.

Of course, the overseas subsidies promised by the military may also be one of the reasons for fighting, but just for this, few people would choose to go to the battlefield. Norris's sincere heart is evident to all.

There is a core figure in the army. Wherever he is, confidence in combat can be gathered.

In Clayton's army, besides Clayton himself, Norris is the second core.

During a charge, Clayton's horse was accidentally shot dead by a bullet. He fell off the horse and was surrounded by the scattered enemy troops. It was Norris who discovered his predicament in time, risked his life and took the others back to break through the blockade and rescued him from the siege.

Another time, Clayton and five other soldiers were seriously injured. He lost too much blood and fell into a coma with a high fever. The team was separated from their horses and could not return to the base camp for treatment. Norris tried his best to take care of them. In the end, only one of the six died, and that was because his broken ribs pierced his lungs. This injury could not be treated in the field hospital.

With this experience, Clayton already considers Norris as his best friend.

He had repaid him once, and now he still owed him his life.

However, Norris seemed to have another algorithm and insisted that the two were even.

After Uren's death, Creighton Bello's parents died one after another, but he had no time to go back home to handle the funeral, so Cuitisi had to do it for him. After that, his troops finally got a chance to take a vacation, so he couldn't wait to go back home to fulfill his obligations as a son and brother.

When the vacation was over and Clayton returned to the army, he learned that Norris had been assigned to another team by a higher-ranking officer to participate in a special mission, and unfortunately died in an accident.

Now it seems that there may be some misunderstanding.

Clayton knew the morality of the army. Although there were regulations to bring back the bodies of dead soldiers, if the location of the bodies was uncertain or they fell into an area infected with an epidemic, the officers would order the search to be abandoned, treating it as an exception to the law.

Perhaps Norris encountered such a dilemma at that time. He did not die, but disappeared in an area that was difficult to search, while the bodies of his companions were found, so he was also put on the death list. When he regained his freedom, he lost his identity and could only find a way to earn money to return home.

As to whether the facts are the same as Clayton guessed, the answer will be revealed in a moment.

The carriage stopped in a wealthy neighborhood, which was the western district of Weiodi, not far from the "Hell Building" in the city center.

Clayton got out of the car and saw a mansion in front of him. It was only two stories high but very wide. The exterior decoration was somewhat similar to his house in Sasha City. The design had an old-school luxurious feel and was not ostentatious.

The only unique thing is that there is a shrine-like platform built on the outside of the second-floor wall of the house, on which stands a naked woman holding a spear, about five feet tall and made entirely of iron.

Clayton was familiar with the shapes of various artifacts and could tell at a glance that it was a figurehead removed from a ship.

It seems that Norris has been worrying about ocean trade in recent years.

Several silent gunmen stood in front of the door. They hardly spoke and rarely patrolled, but they gave Clayton a feeling of being more threatening than the security guards he had encountered before. When they saw Norris's servant, they made way in front of the door to let Clayton and Norris's loyal servant pass. Another servant approached and opened the door for them.
When Clayton actually saw the owner of this place, the wealthy man was leaning on a cushioned chair with his eyes closed. He looked quite solemn and his expression was so peaceful as if he had died again. Behind the chair, a male masseur with muscular arms was massaging his head.

Because the fireplace was burning brightly, Norris was only wearing a set of pajamas. A maid gently placed two plates of fruit on the table in front of him and then left quietly.

Clayton didn't say anything, he just stood there in a daze.

He looked at the man who was mistaken for Norris, and there was no sense of familiarity in his heart. But when he tried to recall Norris's appearance to compare with the person in front of him, he found that Norris's face in his memory had long been blurred, and the only clear impression left was a pair of eyes with aurora tones.

It has been so long that he has even forgotten the face of his close friend.

He was ashamed of himself.

"My lord," the servant who led the way called out respectfully, "Mr. Bello is here."

The rich man opened his eyes as if he was resurrected, and the familiar bright color instantly made Clayton relax. The color of these eyes was very, very rare, and there was no doubt that this person was Norris.

Norris also stood up and looked at Clayton carefully, with the same expression on his face as Clayton himself the moment before.

Beastial eyes, thicker beard, pale skin, black nails, a height that was impossible to achieve but still achieved
The resurrected man stared at his best friend without blinking, showing no fear at all at these features. On the contrary, his joy was evident in his words.

"My God, we've all changed! So much!" he murmured excitedly, and his voice once again confirmed his identity to Clayton.

A person's face may change with age, but the voice ages very slowly.

The vague image of Norris in Clayton's mind began to become clear, and the blank face was covered by the current image.

“Norris, when it comes to change, how dare I compare myself with a man who crawled out of his own grave?” He smiled and opened his arms, hugging Norris.

The abnormally low body temperature made Clayton immediately realize that Norris was no longer an ordinary person, but what about him?
As soon as they said their first sentence, they seemed to have returned to the past, and the awkward feeling completely disappeared.

"Please sit in the chair next to me." Norris and Clayton both sat down. He waved away all the servants, and his body was still trembling slightly as he leaned on the chair. "You know, I saw you walking towards the station in the carriage, and I recognized you at the time, but I was not completely sure, so I asked my personal valet to find you first."

Clayton interrupted him: "Of course, you should go home and rest first. I can tell from your face that you didn't sleep well last night."

Norris touched his face and still smiled: “But no matter how tired I am, I always have the energy to entertain my old friends.”

He personally grabbed the high-end red wine next to him and poured a glass for Clayton and also poured himself a glass. The two clinked their glasses and drank it all in one gulp.

"Let us meet again!"

If he hadn't seen Clayton today, perhaps they would never have the chance to meet again in the rest of their lives.

"Greetings!" Clayton said cheerfully, "But I have a question. You didn't have black hair before. If we had the same hair color, I would remember it."

Norris was playing with his wine glass leisurely. When he heard this question, he leaned forward to let Clayton see his hair clearly: "Some of my loyal friends suggested that I dye it like this. They said it would make me look younger. What do you think?" "That's great. They are right. You look younger than me now."

Norris sat up again and filled up the two cups: “Then cheers to youth!”

"Respect the young."

After the celebration, Clayton put down the cup and asked curiously, "Norris, since we are lucky enough to meet again today, you should know how curious I am about your 'death'. If this matter does not contain your secrets, I hope you can tell me about it."

Norris held the goblet between his fingers and raised it.

He was dressed elegantly and had a calm demeanor. The calluses and scars on his hands from previous labor had disappeared.

"Of course, this does deserve an explanation, but I hope you won't make fun of me for it after you hear this story, because it's a mean story."

Clayton nodded in agreement immediately.

Norris took a deep breath. It didn't seem easy for him to explain the secret of resurrection. When he started this topic, his composure began to fade. Clayton believed that there was a mental burden pressing on him:
"I remember explaining my origins to you and the other men in the company at the time - how my father kicked me out of my home when I was ten, and how I had to wander across the country, trying to survive."

"Yes, you did," Clayton said.

"Very good. Now I want to say that I forgot to mention one thing." The man with bright eyes paused and said, "I am the illegitimate child of a wealthy family. My father drove me away not because he couldn't afford to support me, but because his new wife didn't want to see my eyes, which were similar to his father's, at home."

"She lied and said I had stolen a piece of her jewelry, and my father kicked me out right away."

"What about your biological mother? Didn't she take you in?" Clayton asked.

"She is irrelevant, at least in this case." Norris was particularly calm when talking about his mother: "I have never seen her since I was born. I heard that she and my father had a mutual affection before and was his only mistress outside of marriage, but my father's love for her did not bring me any convenience. He stripped off my coat before he drove me away, just to find the non-existent jewelry that his wife said."

"That day was a little warmer than today, but not much. My father probably thought that a ten-year-old boy was as strong as he was, so he had the servant push me out the door without returning my coat. I almost froze to death. If it weren't for an old beggar on the side of the road who took care of me, I wouldn't have been able to leave the parish. I took his name from then on, and I didn't leave my hometown until he died two years later. During this process, no one I knew in the past came to see me again."

"My father abandoned me for almost 20 years, and then suddenly found me and tried to pull me back from the front line."

Clayton frowned: "He finally found his conscience."

"No, it's just that his other children are dead, and he must have an heir of the same bloodline."

Perhaps because of his dry mouth, Norris poured himself another glass of wine: "Then, he completely destroyed my life. A senior military officer helped him transfer me to another unit, and then a group of people staged a play to make my identity die. One person even really died, and the real me returned to my father."

Clayton, increasingly sickened by Norris's father's deeds, interrupts him again.

"Killing people just for show? Why didn't he just transfer you back to China? Many people know that the military doesn't care about this kind of thing. Those officers who bought their positions are always on vacation in China."

"It's just to hide my identity." Norris took a deep breath and said, "Clayton, judging from your appearance, you should now understand that there are some magical things in the world, like wizards, who can tell fortunes and spy on other people's secrets. They can curse others with just a name and kill people without anyone noticing. There are also monsters that can devour people's lives with just a promise from an uninformed person."

"Did you know? In order to prevent assassinations by these mysterious forces, the kings' crowns are given various blessings so that they can transfer curses. The reason why every king needs a new crown instead of passing it down from generation to generation is that each crown has a limit. They cannot bear the curse forever. If this limit is exceeded, the power of the curse will overflow from it."

"My father is a very powerful man. He is certainly not a king, but he has dealt with wizards just as often as a king."

"After all my half-siblings died of illness, he began to suspect that his enemies had cursed his children, so when he found out I was still alive, he was determined to make sure everything was perfect. On the other hand, he also felt that my past was a scandal. For these two reasons, hiding my real name and past became a top priority."

Norris half-jokingly said: "Fortunately he is dead. If he knew that you knew the secret of my past, he would definitely send people to hunt you down."

Listening to someone confide secrets is a sign of trust, but Norris's family secrets were so heavy that Clayton felt like he was being tortured just by listening to them, and this joke did not make him feel at ease.

Facing Clayton, whose expression was becoming increasingly serious, Norris became more relaxed. He pointed at his face and told another secret:
"Clayton, you may feel unfamiliar with this face, but it's not your fault. My father used a power called Blood Mystery to permanently change my appearance. My current face and identity belong to my dead brother, and even my wife."

"That must feel terrible." Clayton responded instinctively, but Norris's expression was strange. He didn't look very painful, but there were more complicated emotions in it.

"Maybe."

Hearing this ambiguous answer, Clayton wisely did not continue to ask his family.

"So what should I call you now?"

"Just call me Norris," Norris said. "This isn't my real last name, and no one else calls me by this name. Once you contact me by this name, I'll know who's calling me."

"Is this the contact address?" Clayton asked. He had memorized the house number.

"Yes." Norris yawned, and when the excitement passed, fatigue suddenly left deep marks on his face: "I should rest, and you should take a shower and change your clothes. I know I haven't told you everything about myself, and I am also curious about your experiences in the past few years, so we must have a good chat tomorrow, not as brief as today."

"As for now, you don't have to worry about anything else. You are absolutely safe here."

He reached out to the side and tugged at the rope hanging the bell next to him. The sound of footsteps outside the secret room came closer and closer.

"If you want anything, tell the servant who brought you here. I have already told him that he will respect you as he respects me."

The conversation was coming to an end, and Clayton felt that he should say something more.

"Norris, I'm a werewolf," he said abruptly.

Even though the other party had already seen that he was a Darkborn, he still wanted to say a little more. His best friend Norris had told him an important secret, and he should return a secret.

Norris waved his hand, without any surprise on his tired face:
"We have all changed. This was confirmed the first time we saw each other today. As for what kind of changes we have made, it is not up to us to decide. As long as you are still my old friend Clayton Bello, that's fine."

Norris was fully aware of the harm of the curse. He was the first person outside of Clayton's family who understood him. Clayton was simply grateful to this friend who was eight years older than him.

The footsteps outside the door were approaching the door, and there was a knock on the door. Clayton subconsciously looked at the door, but did not hear Norris allow the servant to come in.

He suddenly looked at Clayton again, and Clayton turned back and looked at him.

During this process, there was a moment when Norris' spirit seemed to be fully restored. His all-embracing eyes stared at Clayton, as if he wanted to find the truth of the world from the smallest details in order to create new things from it.

"Clayton, have you ever eaten a human?"

Hearing this question, Clayton’s spirit and body seemed to be exhausted at this moment. He looked at Norris in surprise, but couldn’t say a word.

Should he answer truthfully? Should he disappoint Norris?
Clayton was still hesitating, but in the next moment, Norris lost the feeling of a seeker of knowledge and turned into a tired middle-aged man again, lying back on the cushions on the back of the chair.

"No, you don't have to answer. Please pretend that I didn't ask anything."

He called the servants in and arranged for subsequent services for Clayton.

The day passed quickly, and until the sun rose again in Viodi, Clayton was thinking about Norris's last question.

(End of this chapter)