NOVEL NEXT Chapter 57
Chapter 57 – Trial 2
Suveta bowed to the judges: “Permit me to question the witnesses.”
“allow.”
Suweita stepped out of his seat and came to the center of the auditorium. Facing the two witnesses and 500 spectators, he smiled with ease.
“Monsieur Gombet, you run a shipping company, don’t you?”
“yes.”
“Do you know the accused, Mr. Fernando Infançon?”
“know.”
“What do you have to do with him?”
“We are business partners. Because Mr. Fang Song runs a shipyard, I once bought a merchant ship from him for shipping.”
“Is it the ‘Chickweed’?”
“yes.”
“When did you order from the shipyard, when did you receive the finished product, when did the ship first sail, and where is it moored now?”
“In the first month of this year, I verbally ordered a large three-masted ship from Mr. Yin Fangsong. The two parties signed a contract and paid one-third of the purchase price as a deposit. There is a contract as evidence.”
An official presents Diego Gombet’s deed.
The businessman continued: “The ship was built at the beginning of the month, and the money and the goods were settled, as evidenced by the contract. I named the ship ‘Chickweed’. It made its first voyage in the second ten days of the month and returned this month. ‘ is moored at the pier in Spinel Bay.”
“And do you know this man next to you?”
“I know him. He’s Timon the sailor. He used to be helmsman on the Chickweed.”
“You said ‘once’, that is to say, he is no longer the helmsman of the Chickweed?”
“That’s right. I fired him when I got back from the maiden voyage.”
“why?”
“Because of the man’s insane talk, which caused a bad influence on the other sailors and my reputation, I fired him in a fit of rage.”
“What did he say?”
Gombet was silent for a while, and said: “He said that the ‘Chickweed’ was refitted from another ship, the ‘Pansy’. I was in collusion with pirates. This is slander! I recruited him with good intentions, but he retaliated!”
Suveta turned to the sailor Timon: “Timon, you were the helmsman on the Pansy, right?”
Timon was very nervous: “Yes, yes.”
“But you’re not anymore, why?”
“Because the ‘Pansy’ … the ‘Pansy’ was plundered by pirates, everyone on board was killed, and I was the only one who survived.”
“Who can testify for you?”
“Everyone knows!” Timon shouted, “Everyone in the port knows! And when I come back… also, there will be a report! The pirate is the notorious ‘Red Ghost’, and there is a warrant!”
“The pirate ‘Red Ghost’ has been punished, and his remaining party has been wiped out. Timon, you can rest assured that your partner’s revenge has been avenged.”
“Yes…thank you, General, I know it was the General who led the troops to destroy the pirates.”
“Timon, how did you end up working on the Chickweed?”
“After I came back, I lost my job and was depressed all day long. Master Gombet took pity on me, and he recruited me to board the ship because he saw that I had rich experience in steering.”
“So Diego Gombet is your benefactor, but you repay him and slander him?”
“No! I’m telling the truth!” Timon blushed, “His ‘Chickweed’ was refitted from the ‘Pansy’! I’ve been at the helm for so many years, and I can tell when I touch the steering wheel! “
“But your feelings don’t count as evidence.”
Timon glanced at the gallery, as if looking for someone. But all the bystanders wore the same white masks, and he couldn’t tell where the person he was looking for was at all. He rubbed his hands together nervously, coughed twice, and said falteringly, “I have… other evidence.”
“What is the evidence?”
“The proof is, it’s on the ship. Did you know that every ship has a shaft attached to the rudder? It’s the heart of the rudder system, and if it gets damaged, the whole ship is useless. Of course, outside the shaft There are several layers of protection, once installed, unless the entire rear of the ship is destroyed, there will be no hair on the shaft.” When it comes to his expertise, Timon’s story is much smoother, and he has confidence in himself, “‘ The former owner of the Pansy’s actually believed in the long-deceased dragon god. In order to ask for the protection of the dragon god, he ordered someone to carve the dragon god’s totem on the rotating shaft when the ship was built. You know, most of the sailors believe in the ancient **** , If they are told that the captain believes in heresy, there will be a mutiny! So only a few crew members know about this matter. Now I am the only one left alive in the whole “Pansy” ship. If I die, then the secret sink into the ocean forever!”
Suveta turned to the judge: “Your Excellency, according to Sailor Timon, if the ‘Chickweed’ was refitted from the ‘Pansy’, then the rotating shaft should still be there and has not been replaced. I request With the permission of the Hall of Justice, remove the rudder shaft of the Chickweed to prove it!”
Gombet was shocked: “How can this work! You also heard what the sailor said! Unless you destroy the ship, you can’t touch the shaft at all! Are you going to destroy my ship?”
“Sir, don’t you understand? If there is a Dragon God totem on the reel, it proves that it was refitted from the Pansy. What about the “Line”? Wasn’t it manufactured by the Infonson Shipyard? The only answer is that Fernando Infonson colluded with the pirates and sold you the booty after changing its appearance. Of course, his transformation is only superficial. It didn’t touch the core of the rudder. Fernando’s reselling the stolen goods and replacing them with old ones is not only a crime, but also a breach of the contract with you, and your losses can be fully borne by him!”
“What if there are no totems on the reels?” Gombet asked.
“That’s why I have wronged a good man! I am willing to bear all your losses, and in order to compensate Mr. Fernando Infonçon’s damaged reputation, I would like to apologize publicly and resign from my public office!”
The Hall of Justice immediately boiled over! The herald kept beating the ground with his golden staff to order the spectators to be silent, but with little effect. His voice can only be heard when everyone’s energy has passed a little bit.
“The accuser, Fernando Infonçon, do you have any objection to the method of searching for evidence proposed by the accuser, Joan Suvita?”
Fernando’s face turned pale, and his fingers clenched unconsciously.
In the auditorium, Leixi smiled slightly: “What a secret evidence, Fernando really can’t argue with it. He can’t say that his shipyard carved the Dragon God totem on the ship. The city-states of the Yords have the most devout beliefs in the ancient gods. Even if the master of the shipyard had a hundred guts, he would not dare to do this. If he said so, the people in the shipyard would probably sell him first and confess the fact of the sale.”
Seeing that Fernando remained silent, the herald urged: “Fernando the accused, if you don’t speak, then the Justice Synagogue will regard you as acquiescent. The synagogue will send a ‘Justice Messenger’ to dismantle the ship. Since this work takes too long After a while, the judges reached a consensus to adjourn the court for half a day and discuss it in the afternoon.”
The officials in charge of on-site evidence collection in the Hall of Justice are called “envoys of justice”. As soon as the herald gave the order, several envoys left the hall immediately and went to the shipbuilders’ association of the city-state to find experienced and skilled workers. Go to the dock with Sailor Timon. They towed Gombet’s Chimeweed to the shallows near the bay, ran it aground, smashed the stern, and extracted from the inside the shaft that connected the rudder.
When the court reconvened in the afternoon, the rotating shaft had been sent to the center of the hall. Sitting in any position of the auditorium, you can see a lifelike dragon engraved on the reel.
Fernando lost his strength and slumped in his seat like a pale ghost. Su Weita was proud: “Look, everyone, the totem on the reel can prove that the ‘Chickweed’ is the ‘Pansy’. The pirates handed over the plundered ship to Fernando, and he changed it and used it as a new ship. Selling to others. Fernando’s reselling of stolen goods is obviously a fact, and his complicity with the enemies of the city-state is also undeniable. Then who will murder me—Jean Suvita, the pirate extermination? Who hates me so much that he wants to get rid of him Hurry up? I don’t need to say more about the answer.” He bowed deeply to the judge, “I have presented all my evidence to you, please give me justice in the Hall of Justice!”
The herald nodded and turned to Fernando: “The accused, Fernando Infonçon, do you have any objection to the evidence presented by the accuser?”
Fernando gritted his teeth: “I admit to colluding with pirates, collaborating with enemies and treason, and reselling stolen goods, but I did not murder Hean Suveta! I did not send assassins!”
He suddenly stood up and rushed towards the accuser: “Hean Suweita, you plot against me!”
Two guards quickly stopped him and pinned him to the ground. Anyone who saw it would understand that Fernando was gone, and no matter how much he tried to justify, it would be useless.
The trial court adjourned again to give the jury time to reach a unanimous opinion. Usually this process takes about an hour, but this time it took only five minutes before the court session resumed.
This time there was an extra messenger in court. The jurors took turns passing a scroll, which eventually passed to a second herald. He unfolded the scroll and read it quickly. The first herald struck the ground with his golden staff and shouted, “Hush!”
There was no sound in the Hall of Justice, and there was a sea of people outside the hall, as if people from the entire city-state had gathered outside this building, waiting for the final result to be announced.
The first herald asked the second herald, “Is the jury unanimous?”
The second herald replied, “Yes.”
“Is Fernando Infonçon guilty of reselling stolen goods?”
“He’s guilty!”
“Is Fernando Infonçon guilty of treason and collusion?”
“He’s guilty!”
“Is Fernando Infonçon guilty of murder?”
“He’s guilty!”
The first herald took the scroll and held it high above his head. The judges whispered to each other, and finally whispered a few words to the herald.
The second herald asked: “Inquisitor, what punishment should be given to Fernando Infançon?”
The first herald said: “Three crimes should be punished with capital punishment, but since the city-state has never imposed the death penalty on nobles since ancient times, he is sentenced to exile. Spend it. Confiscate the person’s property and use it to compensate the victim’s loss, and confiscate the rest.”
The door of the Hall of Justice opened with a “boom”, only then did the onlookers realize that there was still a messenger standing at the door. After he heard the result of the trial, he walked out of the gate unhurriedly. When the crowd gathered outside the auditorium saw someone coming out, they shouted like a tsunami: “What’s the result!” “What’s the verdict?” “Is Fernando guilty?”
The herald stood condescending, opened his arms to everyone, and announced loudly: “The verdict has been decided! Fernando committed murder, treason with the enemy, and reselling stolen goods. He will be punished for the three crimes, his property will be confiscated, and he will be sentenced to exile!”
The crowd erupted into loud shouts, some were crying bitterly, some were cheering, and more people were shouting and slandering: This Fernando is still a famous family in this city, he actually did such a thing, it seems that the nobleman They really didn’t have a good thing.
All were shouting, and the news carried the shouts from the Hall of Justice all the way to Spinel Bay. At this time, a man in a cloak quietly left the crowd. Everyone was so excited that no one noticed his departure.
He got into a winding alley, turned many turns and then boarded a small dark and dilapidated building. There is a cage of pigeons on the roof, cooing. He sat down at the table, spread out a piece of paper, and wrote:
Dear Mr. B:
The matter between you and Mr. F has been revealed. Mr. F was sentenced to exile and will spend the rest of his life on “Shirahama Island”. The villain begs you to save him from danger. Mr. F is also eagerly looking forward to meeting you again.
You and Mr. F’s loyal servants
Marco
After finishing writing, he climbed to the top of the building, grabbed a pigeon from the pigeon cage, rolled the letter into a small roll, and stuffed it into the wooden tube on the pigeon’s leg. After releasing the pigeons, he returned to his room and began to write the second letter.
Dear Governor Boniwell:
Fernando’s collusion with the pirates was revealed and he was sentenced to exile. You sent me to his side to monitor him in the first place to prevent this kind of thing, but I couldn’t do it, I am deeply sorry. I will do my best to save the situation and never let that kid ruin your plan.
your most loyal servant
Marco
He did the same, released the second letter pigeon, and then returned to the room to start writing the third letter.
Most Honorable and Great Majesty:
I have obtained the confidence of Boniwell, as you have told me. He has no doubts about my loyalty, and has sent me to spy on a Zanodian nobleman. According to my investigation, this noble may know the whereabouts of the “Black Crane Ark”, but he committed a serious crime and was exiled. I will secretly sneak into his side and wait for the opportunity to inquire about the “Black Crane Ark”. If there is any progress, Will notify you as soon as possible.
Your most loyal and humble servant
Marco
He sends a third letter. It was getting late and the sun was setting in the west. Hean Suveta moved very quickly. Fernando would not stay in the city for long. In a few days, the boats escorting the prisoners to the place of exile would set sail. He has to hurry up.
He went back to his room and began to write the fourth letter.
“The supreme master, the only legitimate ruler of Fagus…”