stjorthotic Chapter 268 Did Evan orchestrate the massive smog?
Chapter 268 Did Evan orchestrate the massive smog?
Chapter 268 Did Evan orchestrate the massive smog?
On September 21st, the air was already slightly cool, and the sunlight shone directly on people's faces, making them feel refreshed. Backlund welcomed a rare sunny day, but people on the streets were all in a hurry, and the flow of people had decreased a lot, making it seem somewhat deserted.
This is a consequence of the army entering the city. People's memories are not that short-lived; they will forget the terrifying night two days ago. Ordinary families try to stay home as much as possible.
No matter how the authorities try to cover it up, the fear and chaos that night cannot be easily erased, not to mention the losses and damages caused by lawless elements taking advantage of the situation.
In just one night, many people in the East District and Backlund Bridge area clashed with the army due to a lack of understanding of the facts or a guilty conscience, resulting in battles. As a result, these two districts remained under lockdown even after the army withdrew, with the police maintaining order.
However, this situation will not last long. After all, the poor in these two districts have little food reserves and live on a diet of working one day and eating the next. A two-day lockdown is already the limit that the local poor can endure.
After all, the poor can endure the lockdown only because they are afraid of being beaten to death by the police for no reason. But if they find that the lockdown will starve them to death, then why should they follow the lockdown order if they will die either way?
At that time, there will naturally be people with ulterior motives who will step forward to incite and lead a group of starving people to revolt.
At first, George III wasn't without ideas; he simply used this opportunity to complete his original plan to cancel the population count.
However, the three bishops of the three major churches, who were very sensitive to believers and were secretly guided by Mr. A during this period, collectively requested an audience with the royal family, asking for the lifting of the lockdown on the two major districts as soon as possible.
In addition, with his own birthday approaching, a large-scale famine would not only bring bad luck to him, but also severely damage his international image and arouse suspicion from the three major churches, which are already on guard.
Therefore, after much deliberation, George III had no choice but to give up this excellent opportunity, promising to lift the lockdown after his birthday, but at the same time ordering that no leniency be shown to the poor who violated the lockdown order, and to take strong action.
Seeing that George III had given assurances about when the lockdown would be lifted, the three major churches did not press the matter further, since they were still only suspicious and not certain.
Moreover, there are indeed practical reasons for locking down these two regions. They can also take this opportunity to distribute some food to these poor people. It doesn't have to be much, and it can win people's hearts. It is also very beneficial to the spread of the faith.
However, the events in Backlund slums had nothing to do with the nobility. They just wanted to know if what happened a couple of days ago would affect them. But seeing that the royal family and the government had issued a unified statement, although everyone was curious about what happened that night, they knew it wouldn't affect them, so they put their minds at ease for the time being and focused their main attention on His Majesty the King's birthday.
When Evan arrived at the royal estate outside Backlund by carriage, he found it bustling with activity, with no ordinary people coming and going. It seemed that every nobleman in Backlund who was still able to move had come.
Everyone greeted each other warmly, sharing all sorts of gossip and inquiring about each other's recent situations, appearing exceptionally close. However, only they themselves knew how much of it was genuine and how much was insincere.
Evan had always disliked these social niceties. After informing the royal greeter of his identity, he stepped aside.
Fortunately, he hadn't been in Backlund for long and hadn't really been involved in Backlund's social circles, so very few people knew him, and no one bothered to strike up a conversation with him, which saved him the trouble.
Today, at George III's birthday banquet, Evan only had two things on his mind: whether the flying machine competition could be successfully held, and whether the third prince, Edsack Augustus, would appear, whether Triss would appear, and whether Natasha, who had received his orders, could contact Triss.
Judging from what he had just inquired with the waiter, Edsac Augustus had not yet appeared at the manor.
Just as Evan was standing idly in a corner, watching with interest the interactions between the various nobles, he suddenly felt someone watching him.
Following his senses, he saw Prince Grove in the distance, talking to some people in military uniforms and gesturing to him with his eyes.
Evan was puzzled. Logically speaking, he and Prince Grove should not have had any chance to meet, so they should pretend not to know each other in this public place. Why did Prince Grove want to see him at this time?
Evan downed his glass of red wine in one gulp, placed it on a waiter's tray, and then casually strolled to a blind spot in the manor villa, waiting for Prince Grove's arrival.
No one knew how Prince Grove managed to get rid of the guests, but Evan didn't have to wait long before he saw Prince Grove approaching.
Before Evan could even greet him, Grotien Qintu spoke directly:
Have you heard the related rumors?
Evan's heart skipped a beat; he somewhat understood why Prince Grove had sought him out, but he still asked with a hint of doubt in his eyes:
"What rumor?"
Prince Grove looked at Evan with displeasure and said, "What rumors? You, as the deputy director of MI9, dare to ask me what rumors you're spreading?"
"Although I am the deputy director of MI9, my main task is with the Fusak Empire. If the rumors you are talking about are about the Fusak Empire, then of course I should know about them. But if you are talking about the Intis Empire, then that is not within my scope of responsibility."
The best way to distance yourself from a relationship is not to shirk responsibility, but to present the facts and reason with the other party, and give them a completely unrelated answer.
The biggest event in the Kingdom of Rune these past two days has been the simultaneous incidents involving two Intis ambassadors, so it's not surprising that rumors are flying everywhere.
Prince Grove was taken aback, thinking of Ambassador Intis's matter, but that wasn't what he was asking about, so he immediately said sternly:
"I'm not talking about those rumors. I'm talking about rumors that the royal family is secretly kidnapping people in the East End and Backlund Bridge to make elixirs of immortality. Haven't you heard about that?"
Evan had certainly heard about it, because it was something he had specifically fabricated and had Mr. A spread, in order to expose George III's attempt to cover up his debts.
This rumor contributed to the fact that the archbishops of the three major churches collectively approached George III to request the lifting of the blockade on the slums.
People at the bottom of society have always distrusted those in power, let alone rumors that involve their lives.
Moreover, similar plots are common in legends, and most people are illiterate and unable to distinguish between them, which is why the rumor spread widely among the lower classes in just a few days. This was fueled by many malicious individuals.
Upon hearing Prince Grove's stern questioning, Evan belatedly realized what was happening and said:
"I haven't heard of that. MI9 just completed its restructuring, and I've only just taken over the related work. I'm incredibly busy, so I haven't paid attention to these trivial matters! What's wrong? Has your operation been exposed? Is someone targeting you?"
Prince Grove scrutinized Evan, but couldn't detect anything unusual on his face.
Upon further reflection, considering that "Evan's" true form, "Bonaparte's Steadfastness," was now in his hands, and given Evan's flawless reaction just now, Prince Grove finally concluded that Evan truly did not know about the related rumors and that he was not the one who leaked them. So he sighed and nodded helplessly.
"Rumors have been circulating these past few days. Although they haven't directly targeted His Majesty the King, they have clearly pointed to the royal family. Moreover, these rumors fit perfectly with our upcoming actions, so they were obviously spread by someone who knows the inside story."
"Could it be a coincidence? After all, this kind of rumor and destruction is nothing new in history. Even Russell back then faced this kind of trouble."
In front of Prince Grove, Evan is the humanoid stand-in of the sealed artifact "Bonaparte's Steadfastness," a hundred-year-old "monster" with a high degree of vitality. Therefore, he doesn't need to pretend to be young in front of him, otherwise it would easily arouse suspicion.
Grotien, clearly having conducted some investigation, shook his head without hesitation upon hearing Evan's analysis, saying, "The timing of this rumor outbreak was very clever and concentrated; it's obviously deliberate and highly targeted!"
"Could it be that something's wrong with the witch cult? You know, those witches have countless small, shady organizations under their control; problems could arise anywhere!"
"No, our cooperation with them is strongly bound by contract, just like the contract you signed back then."
If they had leaked information to this extent, things wouldn't be so calm now.
Prince Grove once again rejected Evan's guess.
When Evan saw that Prince Grove had refuted his guess and felt that he had fulfilled his responsibilities, he stopped talking and stared at Prince Grove, wondering what he wanted to see him about.
"I hope you can handle the rest of the debt settlement process!"
Prince Grove looked at Evan and told him, word by word, what he and George III had just discussed.
"Huh? You want me to help you with the accounting? Why?"
Evan exclaimed in surprise, almost attracting the attention of the guests not far away, because this was too sudden and completely beyond his expectations.
"Yes, His Majesty and I believe you are the best person to take over this matter now!"
The witch cult was supposed to be the one to do this, but a series of accidents have happened recently.
You were also a witness. First, outside the Red Rose Manor, the Witch Cult and the Gnostic fought fiercely. Then, Duke Negan was assassinated by the Witch, which forced the Witch Cult to withdraw from Backlund.
They finally came back, but then they ran into what happened the night before last. You should know that the one who instigated 'Beckron' to massacre the embassy was a witch, right?
As the deputy director of MI9, Evan received a relevant report even though this matter was not within his purview.
Besides, no one knew the inside story better than him, so he nodded and said:
"So the Witch Cult has now become a target of everyone's attacks and is under close guard. Your original plan might not be feasible now?"
Prince Grove had informed Evan to be ready to assist with the related accounting work, but he did not disclose any details.
"The Witch Cult is getting too much exposure right now, which has put the three major churches on guard. They have naturally taken corresponding precautions as well. I heard that they have all transferred a batch of sealing artifacts from their headquarters to keep a close watch on the Witch Cult."
Evan understood perfectly well that it was normal for the three major churches to be on guard against the Witch Cult's repeated "trouble-making" in Backlund.
This is also related to the Witch Cult's formidable reputation on the continent. Wherever the witches go, they often bring terrible natural disasters and man-made calamities that are hard to guard against.
The three major churches could not tolerate the "witch" causing trouble in Backlund, as it would lead to serious losses of believers.
Seeing that Evan was deep in thought and remained silent, Prince Grotien could only continue:
"It's not advisable to take action against the Witch Cult right now, and my identity is too obvious to be easily dealt with either. Therefore, after much consideration, Your Majesty and I both believe you are the best candidate!"
In the eyes of George III and Prince Grove, "Evan" was not human, so taking on this kind of task should not be a burden for him. Moreover, his essence is a demigod-level sealed artifact, that is, a demigod-level "schemer", so he is naturally suited to do this kind of thing.
Evan's eyes darted around, quickly assessing the pros and cons of the situation, then a sly smile appeared on his lips as he said:
"Our original agreement was that I would infiltrate Robert Horn's inner circle, monitor him, and urge him to do things for you, while also assisting you with your debt settlement plan. But now you've pushed the debt settlement plan onto me, which doesn't align with our previous agreement!"
Going from a supporting role to a main player, the price will definitely be different, and if Evan doesn't take the opportunity to speak up now, it won't fit his cunning and shrewd "persona"!
"This is indeed not what we agreed on before, but hasn't this a new situation occurred?"
Just tell me directly what kind of compensation you need! Of course, don't go too far!
Prince Grove had anticipated Evan's reaction, so he calmly let Evan name his price.
"Do I even need to tell you? Don't you know what I want?" Evan said irritably. "My original body, of course! Just give me back my original body, and I'll take care of it!"
Evan had always considered "Bonaparte's Perseverance" as the key material for his promotion to "Iron Knight," and had long planned to set a trap to obtain it. This proposal from the Augustus family was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him, even better than Evan's previous plans.
Prince Grove was not surprised by Evan's request and couldn't help but sigh, after all, "Bonaparte's steadfastness" had always been his best tool to control Evan.
However, it was indeed them who proposed modifying the contract this time, and it would have been impossible to successfully modify it without Evan's consent.
The angelic contract ensured that Evan could not betray them, while also protecting Evan's interests.