A few days later, all the caravans and residents working in the drying field outside the town had returned, and Water Snake Town suddenly seemed crowded. Local residents wanted to get their houses back, while caravan travelers who rented private houses were eager to join their companions. They inevitably quarreled over the rent, and even fistfights broke out.
Fights were originally common and trivial matters, but when these trivial matters broke out together, the order in the town became chaotic. The town guard responsible for public security was even more busy. They not only had to appease the townspeople who had lost their income and rent, but also arranged a temporary location for the entire armed caravan, so they had to give up all the guard barracks and set up tents to sleep on the streets.
Even so, the armed caravans and town residents were not satisfied, and the guard members were full of resentment. If this continues, the situation in Water Snake Town is in danger of getting out of control.
Guard Captain Husserl's influence in Water Snake Town is far less than that of the town mayor and the head of the Adventurer's Guild. Now, the town mayor Middleton is dead, and he has no choice but to invite the union leader Eckert to his home, hoping that the other party will help him control the gradually chaotic situation.
Husserl's residence is an ordinary two-story building. The interior decoration is very simple, the furniture is rough and sturdy, and it is full of old tones. It looks more like the house of an ordinary town citizen than a guard chief. 's mansion.
The Water Snake Town Guard rotates every two years, and no captain has ever been willing to spend his own money to build a building for the Guard's official residence. Husserl is of course no exception. In fact, the treatment of the guard officers sent by the city-state council to garrison in remote areas was only slightly better than exile. They have a marginalized role in the upper class society of the city-state. They have backgrounds but their power has declined. For the sake of their future livelihood, they dare not squander their wealth lavishly.
The president of the Eckert branch has never benefited from Husserl and has always had a cold attitude towards him. At this moment, Husserl was begging for help, and Eckert crossed his legs carelessly, sat on the chair, and said in a strange voice: "Captain, you have made Water Snake Town like this, how do you plan to end it?"
Husserl poured a glass of fruit juice for the branch president of the Adventurer's Guild and explained with a smile: "I have already investigated it. According to the account of the slave girls in Middleton, they once saw the housekeeper Ethaniel in Christine's house. Stayed in Madam's room more than once... In fact, Ethaniel was Christine's lover, but he was not the only lover. Before Ethaniel, Christine had at least two valet lovers. .”
He put on a lewd smile and deliberately used a more cordial manner to tease Eckert about topics that all men were interested in, in an attempt to draw closer to each other. "Who would have thought that the usually dignified and elegant lady would be so coquettish and wanton at heart that she would seduce the family members?" A male servant. Ethaniel, who was overwhelmed by jealousy, not only secretly got rid of several love rivals, but also killed his own male master, and then took Lady Christine to escape and elope..."
Eckert rolled his eyes and said disdainfully: "Is this kind of thing worth making a fuss about? I'm afraid you don't know anything about the secret rituals of a noble family's partner... I heard that Christine was born in a noble family and has a good physique. She is born weak. It is normal for her to choose powerful male professionals to practice the secret ritual of companionship together to maintain her own vitality."
"Yes, yes, yes... our third-level doctor, the mayor, obviously cannot satisfy Christine's appetite. As the only venerable person in this town, Butler Iseniel meets the requirements of Mrs. Christine in choosing a partner. . However, Ethaniel went to Christine’s bed. He couldn’t bear the presence of Mayor Middleton, and he committed the crime of patricide after all.”
"Kill the Lord? Huh, Ethaniel is Christine's servant, Middleton is not his master. Since he is Christine's secret partner, there is no need to kill Middleton. Even if he If you want to get rid of Middleton and occupy Christine alone, there is no need to give up the property here and escape with the beautiful mistress. With Yisenil's methods, he has many ways to kill Middleton... Forget it , I currently have little interest in the real cause of Middleton’s death.”
Eckert waved his hand casually, turned his body sideways, stared at Husserl with a vicious look and said: "If you are still pretending to be stupid with me now, then there will be nothing to talk about between us."
Husserl put away his wizened smile, pondered for a moment, and said seriously: "I know that you are in the same group... except for me, the mayor of this town, you, the residents, and the passing caravans and adventure groups, You are all in the same group. The normal transportation 'loss' of each armed caravan is turned into wealth in Water Snake Town. You share the coveted wealth together. The stewards of each caravan take the bulk, and you and the mayor divide the rest. The money left in the end for the townspeople will be enough for them to live on.”
Famous wealthy families allow their armed caravans to suffer certain losses while transporting goods. This was an unavoidable loss, and the caravan manager took advantage of this rule and put part of the transportation losses into his own pocket.
Of course, they need help to do this. The people in Water Snake Town actually play the role of helpers for the caravan.
When caravans purchase goods, they will buy about 20 to 30% more goods as a margin for transportation losses. The caravan passed through Water Snake Town, where the goods were sorted, processed, and made into various finished medicines, and finally flowed into the black market in Xia Bang in Luoye City.
If the stewards did not work together to devour the goods being transported by the caravan, Water Snake Town would have lost the basis for its survival. However, today, this shady business has involved the interests of thousands of people. In addition to the residents of the small town, the Thieves Guild in Xia Bang, and even the bandit gangs wandering outside the city are inextricably linked to the black market business. At least, they can buy the secret medicine to enhance their strength in Water Snake Town.
There is no doubt that Water Snake Town is a crucial node in the black market network.
The mayor of Water Snake Town, Middleton, is secretly responsible for processing the medicinal raw materials collected by the caravan into various potions. Although Middleton was killed inexplicably, there was still a pharmacist on his plantation. The black market pharmaceutical business on this line can still continue.
However, Captain Husserl used Middleton's murder as an excuse to announce a blockade of Water Snake Town, prohibiting entry and exit. The situation in Water Snake Town became different.
In the past ten days, two armed caravans outside have been unable to enter Water Snake Town, unload their goods, and complete black market transactions. Their loss is also the loss of Water Snake Town, and it is also the loss of the Eckert branch president.
As a beneficiary and defender of the black market business, it is surprising that Eckert can give Husserl a good look.
"I know, I caused you to lose a lot of income and offended a bunch of people." Captain Husserl said in a deep voice without expression: "But when you divided the money, I even lost half a copper tower. There’s no way to catch it. Something happened to Middleton, but I, the chief of security, should be held responsible... This is not fair!”
"Sir Ector, I need you to do me a favor. If I can take over the position of mayor of this town, I guarantee that you will get more shares in the future."
If the Fallen Leaf City Council held Captain Husserl accountable for his dereliction of duty, he would have to spend most of his life savings to pay the atonement. Husserl actually had no choice. He did not want to become a miserable poor man and had to fight for the future of his family no matter what.
Eckert's eyes flashed and he said disapprovingly: "What authority do I have to let you become the mayor of Water Snake Town? Have you found the wrong person?"
Of course, Husserl knew that he had no chance of taking over the post of mayor under normal circumstances, so he put all his hopes on the outsider named Victor.
The current patriarch of the famous Golden Nightingale family in Rapid City is now very powerful and is known as the strongest professional venerable in the Disa Alliance. If Victor is really an important fugitive pursued by the Golden Nightingale family, then Husserl has the opportunity to profit from the chaos, provided that he must ensure that he can control the situation and prevent Victor and his party from escaping Water Snake Town.
In other words, even if someone has to hand over the reward, it is Husserl’s credit. And the president of the Eckert branch is the only person who has the ability to compete with him for this credit.
As long as Eckert is willing to support him, this is bound to be a good start.
Husserl leaned forward and said sincerely: "The outsider named Victor has been particularly active these days. He spent a lot of gold coins to track down a thief named Stephanie. They wandered around the town in the name of catching the thief. And openly beat and humiliated my men. The townspeople and adventurers were greedy for their reward money. Instead of helping, they even laughed loudly at the beaten guard soldiers... Now, there are rumors in the town that I ordered the thieves to steal Victor's I have identity documents, but I have no friendship with the thieves in Water Snake Town, I don’t even know any of them.”
Eckert seemed to suddenly realize it, and asked rudely: "Do you suspect that I secretly instigated outsiders to fight against you?"
Husserl's expression immediately stiffened, and then he smiled bitterly and said: "No matter what, your adventurers are protecting those strangers of unknown origin, and the local townspeople are also covering them. The guard soldiers are disliked like mice. . None of my men are willing to carry out the surveillance mission now. I don’t know where those outsiders are and what they are doing?”
Eckert smiled coldly and thought, wasn't this caused by yourself?
The Guard's announcement of a blockade of the town has caused local residents to be unable to work normally and their income has been significantly reduced. Naturally, they will be resented by the residents. Victor and others publicly humiliated the guards who were watching them on the street, and the local residents cheered. What's more, they spend a lot of money, and the locals have no reason to hate a group of tourists who are willing to spend money.
Of course, Eckert's push was indispensable, because the residents of this town and the armed caravans were very angry, and they needed a target to vent their inner grievances. Eckert was afraid of a conflict between the locals and the men of the armed caravan, so he followed the trend and sent people to point the finger at the Water Snake Town Guards.
Ultimately, this is the conflict between Husserl and Eckert. Husserl wanted to take credit from an outsider who was suspected of being a fugitive from a famous family, but Eckert was unwilling to get involved in the infighting of the famous family. There were differences in the attitudes of the two parties towards Victor, and things evolved into what they are now.
Captain Husserl was unable to grasp the movements of outsiders in time. Eckert would not inform him of the news at all, and even allowed Victor and his party to move around the town as they pleased.
"Lord Eckert, I beg you to send someone to keep an eye on Victor and the others. You don't need to do anything extra. You just need to report the situation to me in time." Husserl said in a muffled voice, and then added after a pause. : "If I become the mayor, I promise to give you half of the share that originally belonged to Middleton. Even if I am blind and offend the wrong person, I will bear all the consequences myself and will never hurt you!"
Eckert didn't take the guard captain's statement to heart at all, and asked calmly: "What if I don't agree?"
"Then I have no choice but to report to the council truthfully. The murder of Middleton is probably related to an adventurer named Rhine, and Rhine was brought into the mayor's mansion by Mr. Eckert himself, and then the murder occurred... "
Eckert immediately turned his face and said angrily: "You dare to threaten me?"
Husserl said in a deep voice without expression: "I told you before that Middleton was killed by his housekeeper, but you don't appreciate it. There is no way, I can only tell the truth. The adventurer Rhine is suspected of killing the mayor. The biggest! Once the city-state council investigates, the branch president may also be in trouble."
Eckert looked straight at the other person, smile lines gradually appeared on his face, and finally couldn't help laughing and said: "Haha, I advise you not to waste your efforts. You have no idea how big Rhine's background is... In fact, neither do I." I know his details, but I know that he holds a mission document signed by the head of the Adventurer’s Guild… Do you think you can fight against the Adventurer’s Guild headquarters?”
"I also advised him not to waste his efforts." A magnetic voice came into the house, and then a half-elf male pushed open the door and entered.
He is of medium build, has an ordinary appearance, and has neatly combed gray hair. He looks to be in his forties, and his light blue eyes are clear and bright, like the curious eyes of a teenager. The maturity and elegance of a middle-aged man and the enthusiasm and vitality of a young man are cleverly combined by something called self-confidence, giving him a unique charm that is convincing.
President Eckert stood up in surprise and shouted in disbelief and respect: "Mr. Anthony, why are you here?"
The half-elf with gray hair and blue eyes smiled and nodded: "I just arrived at Water Snake Town last night, but please rest assured, branch president, I am not here to represent the boss to support Husserl to take over the position of mayor of Water Snake Town, but for everyone's benefit." Business can continue.”
Anthony, one of the leaders of the Beibang Thieves Group in Fallen Leaf City, is also the trusted right-hand man of the underground king Brad. In fact, the entire Fallen Leaf State, including the Thieves Guild in Water Snake Town, all obey the orders of the underground king Brad. However, Red Sir Brad is hidden behind the scenes, and most of his orders are conveyed by Mr. Anthony.
Anthony's gang in Beibang, Luoye City, can be said to be a big shot below one person and above ten thousand people. His appearance shocked Eckert, but if you think about it, it was actually normal.
The thieves represented by Red Sir Brad are precisely the largest partners in the black market business of Water Snake Town. They have almost a monopoly on all medicinal materials and pharmaceuticals flowing out of Water Snake Town.
Eckert finally realized that the situation in Water Snake Town was far more complicated than he imagined, so much so that the underground king of Luoye City's southern state sent his most capable assistant to clean up the situation.
Anthony pulled up a chair and sat down. He first looked at Captain Husserl, who had a gloomy face, and then turned to explain to Eckert: "Husserl's brother went to the boss to explain clearly the situation in Water Snake Town. But The boss has no intention of intervening in the mayor's successor, and there is no time to do so. The boss believes that no matter who the mayor of Water Snake Town ends up in the hands of, we should try our best to keep this line. Otherwise, we will re-establish transaction channels I’m afraid it will take several years to restore Water Snake to its current size.”
Eckert frowned his stubby eyebrows and asked tangledly: "...Is it that serious?"
Anthony shook his head and said: "We can pretend not to know that the tiger broke into the pigsty, but Captain Husserl has already spread the news of the tiger to Luoye City. We can't hide it even if we want to, so we must respond in advance. You know, The internal fighting between famous families is brutal and bloody, not to mention the clan war between the famous Golden Nightingale clan. As long as the new leader of the Golden Nightingale clan opens his mouth, a storm may arise below and turn our shady business upside down."
He then said distressedly: "The business in Water Snake Town is related to the livelihood of thousands of people. If the lid here is lifted by Zhu Mingmen, the wealthy families in Luoye City will always be held accountable in order to preserve their family's authority. Someone will be there. Some were executed, some were exiled, some were starved to death... The purpose of my coming here is to minimize the impact of the intruders."
"Captain, you should thank your brother for tipping off the boss. Otherwise, you would have been the first to die." Anthony turned to Husserl and said.
Husserl murmured to himself: "Is there anything else I can't lose?"
"Mr. Anthony, what are you going to do? What do you need me to do?" Eckert ignored the absent-minded Husserl and asked the leader of the thieves.
Anthony clasped his fingers together, pillowed the back of his head, and said casually: "I have basically grasped the situation of the intruders. If they are really the targets of the Golden Nightingale family, there are only two situations, or they inadvertently break in. When entering Water Snake Town, they either have a powerful protector in Luoye City, and they are passing through Water Snake Town and planning to seek refuge with the protector. In this kind of thing, it is not the turn of small characters like us to interfere. The famous families will always discuss and come up with a result. We have to do it That's what Captain Husserl wants to do, keep an eye on the intruders, and hand them over when the famous family needs them... in the name of Captain Husserl."
As he spoke, he shook his finger at Husserl, who was looking happy, and said: "Don't be too happy, there is another possibility. If the famous families of Luoye City unanimously decide that they are worthless, then I will be responsible for dealing with them. . And the death of Mayor Middleton has nothing to do with us, and the charges that you should bear will still be borne by you."
Husserl stood up, bowed and said, "I have no objection."
Ector said to Anthony with a frown: "If we want to control those outsiders, it will be very difficult... Harvey next to Victor should be a sixth-level venerable, and there is no one in the entire Water Snake Town. Can compete with him. If Harvey goes crazy, I estimate he can kill a lot of people."
It was obvious that Eckert was avoiding direct confrontation with Victor and others. His power mainly comes from the support of adventurers, but adventurers have a lot of autonomy, not to mention that they are unwilling to pay the price of sacrificing their companions. Even Husserl has difficulty in instructing the guard soldiers with the same sixth-level venerable. Use all your strength to kill the sixth-level venerable.
Only warriors will work hard for you if you are rewarded heavily. Just like Victor spent a lot of gold coins, he issued a mission to catch thieves with low risk and high returns. Of course adventurers and local residents swarmed around him. On the other hand, how much money would Husserl have to spend before adventurers and guardsmen are willing to deal with a powerful sixth-level venerable?
Anthony didn't expect much from the two local gangsters in this town. He learned about Victor's efforts to win over people in Water Snake Town and suppress the Guards, and he also believed that the other party was an extraordinary character. However, the black market business in Water Snake Town brings huge benefits to the thieves group in Beitang every year. Red Jazz Brad can't let go, so Anthony has to find a way to solve the problem here.
Anthony muttered: "Try not to take action. If you really do, I won't need you. I brought more than 20 people from Beibang, and they are all good at fighting one against ten."
Eckert coughed, lowered his eyelids, and reminded in a low voice: "Mr. Anthony, Harvey is a sixth-level venerable."
"The sixth-level Venerable is indeed very strong, but we are not at a point where we can't do anything to defeat a single sixth-level Venerable." Anthony said confidently: "Fedi, come out and say hello to these two gentlemen. They have never been able to do anything." See you."
As soon as he finished speaking, a half-elf male in black clothes suddenly appeared in the air. He was tall and thin, with a bloodless face and dull eyes, exuding a heart-stopping indifference. He was clearly right in front of them, but Eckert and Husserl couldn't see his face clearly. This half-elf is like a tombstone entangled with dead vines, or like an old table and chair covered with dust, thrown into an inconspicuous dark corner, making people subconsciously ignore it.
The half-elf, who seemed to have a vague presence, bowed slightly, took a step back, and then disappeared without a trace in an instant.
Eckert and Husserl jumped up in fright, opening their eyes wide and trying to find his traces, but found nothing. He was like an invisible ghost, shadow escaping somewhere in this living room, silently peeping at everyone.
Rumor has it that in addition to the Murphy brothers, who are known to have never been defeated, Red Sir Brad also has a notorious Assassin Lord under his command. The Lord Assassin played an important role in Red Siren's ability to unify the thieves' forces in the Northern Territory of Fallen Leaf City. He quietly eliminated many tough opponents for Brad, leaving no clues or evidence for tracing.
Eckert and Husserl finally saw the legendary professional assassin, but they didn't see it because they couldn't remember the appearance of the King of Killers. They only knew his murderous name - Kai, the King of Killers. Alfredo.
There is no distinction between ordinary career paths, but assassins are not ordinary paths. Professional assassins are good at being invisible. They always hide in the dark and always have the initiative. They will never attack the target if they are not sure. Once they attack, they will definitely kill.
A bad reputation is also a weapon for assassins. Assassins with louder reputations are more powerful in deterrence and always bring fatal pressure to their enemies.
Red Sir Brad sent the King of Killers here probably not only to suppress the sixth-level Venerable Harvey.
It is still unknown who is stronger or weaker between the Assassin Lord and the Shield Guard Lord, but both Eckert and Husserl understand that this shadow-walking Lord can easily take away their lives without leaving any hidden dangers.
Only by cooperating with Anthony obediently can they save their lives under the watchful eye of the King of Killers.
Eckert was the first to react and said with a flattering look on his face: "Mr. Anthony, I will definitely obey your orders."
The leader of the thieves turned his attention to the Sheriff of Water Snake Town and said gently: "Captain, have you heard about the thief for whom Mr. Victor has a reward?"
Husserl's face was full of sorrow, and he said with great grievance: "Her name is Stephanie, and she is Goldfinger Pym's apprentice... Victor spread lies everywhere, saying that I ordered Stephanie to steal his identity document. Jin from Water Snake Town Finger has always been working for Mayor Middleton, and I don’t know Stephanie at all. I originally wanted to find Pim, but the old guy and Stephanie were hidden..."
"Well, Pim sought asylum from the mayor, but a thief is always a thief." Anthony smiled and nodded, and said: "I have already met Pim, and he told me some interesting things... I ordered him to send Stephanie to Dear Mr. Victor, the respected Eckert branch president, according to the regulations of the Adventurer’s Guild, who should the bounty money issued by Mr. Victor be given to?”
Eckert said respectfully: "Once the mission is delivered, I will send someone to deliver the bounty to you."
Anthony was in a happy mood. He regarded Victor as a cunning opponent. It was always a happy thing to let the opponent step into the trap he set step by step. What's more, he also collected a large amount of money from his opponent first.
"Captain Husserl, I want to report to you that an island street orphan who is an accomplice of the female wolf bandit Bertina is wandering around in your jurisdiction."
"Ah? Who is it?"
"Her name is Stephanie..."
(End of chapter)
