Chapter 248 Who Declares War First?

516

"Xiu, I bought today's limited edition cake!"

Forsi struggled to squeeze out of the crowded cake shop, holding the cake box high with one hand, fearing that the hard-won delicacy would be squeezed by other anxious guests.

Xio looked at her with a bit of laughter and tears: "You were not happy to ask you to go out at three o'clock in the afternoon, but you queued up at six thirty in the morning to grab the limited cake... What flavor did you grab this time?"

"Because I finished chatting with the editorial department at eight o'clock this morning, I made a reservation as soon as it opened. Fortunately, I came early."

Forsi handed the cake box to Xio, reached out to comb the hair that had started to fly around due to static electricity, and said happily:

"I bought chestnut cream cake, it's the new flavor this week."

The warm aroma wafts out of the carton, and together with the sweetness from the cake shop, it makes customers salivate.

"For your birthday, I ordered orange ice cream cake. It was a winter special. It is no longer available." She was a little regretful.

Xio said seriously: "I like that cake very much, but it's a little sour."

"There were not so many people buying cakes in March. The Feitus Food Factory is developing so fast."

Forsi pulled Xio back, looking back at the cake shop that was still surrounded by water from time to time, and sighed: "In the beginning, I just sold food, but so quickly I opened a Trier-style cake shop and chocolate processing Factory, and even canneries are now open. I heard that it is made according to the standards of military rations, with balanced nutrition and low price. The owner of the factory, Mr. Milan Norafetus, is so rich, well-established and so young, no wonder everyone speculates He is the heir of a noble family who came out to experience life."

"The factory has been recruiting workers. The weekly salary is 1 pound 5 sole, which is pretty good for an ordinary food worker. Although the working hours are longer, about 12 hours a day, this is also because the business is booming."

Xio nodded with great understanding: "It's better than not having a job."

Forsi shrugged: "Of course, it would be nice if the safety of the factory could be improved. It seems that workers are often injured or die accidentally in their factories... However, whenever something similar happens, Mr. Milan will personally Inspecting the factory and providing compensation to the families of the injured, assisting in reporting and even publishing an apology statement in the newspaper, factory owners with such conscience are rare now!”

"These incidents have not decreased, but this is a problem with the factory equipment and workers, not Mr. Milan's fault." Hugh replied.

"Yes, how can any factory not have accidents? But those accidents are really terrible, being caught in the machine and crushed to pieces, or falling into the mixing furnace and being suffocated to death." Forsi felt scared while saying He was very interested, "Being killed by machines that are common in life has always been a good horror theme! I think the next book can be written like this!"

Xio sighed: "I hope you can really write the next book..."

As they walked, the two of them were suddenly struck by inspiration. They vaguely heard many chaotic footsteps, beatings, gunshots, and people's exclamations and screams coming from the street ahead.

"Did the parade actually come here? This is the main road in Hillston District!" Forsi covered her mouth in surprise, and quickly pulled Xio to another road, muttering in a low voice, "The streets are no longer safe during the day..."

"Yeah... maybe we should consider cutting back on spending and hoarding some food and precious metals."

As a peace officer, Xio couldn't help but glance there a few times. She only saw the chaotic crowd and the police officers at Silveras Field. She sighed and left with Forsi in a detour.

Newspapers have begun to frequently publish the various bloody and cruel crimes committed by the cult in the Southern Continent—it’s time to call them the “Church of the Death God”—as well as its primitive and evil sacrifices, as well as the injuries sustained over the past two hundred years. Number of deaths in the Northern Continent.

These stories can naturally arouse the people of the Northern Continent to hate them, because the Southern Continent has always been a backward and uncivilized world. Due to insufficient education, the people of the Southern Continent are generally stupid and cowardly, and are not suitable for jobs other than servants and workers. .

Colonial independence is a concept that is quite new to both the northern and southern continents. It is as if a tacit tradition has been broken, and a conventional concept no longer exists... Or, To put it in an unseemly way, the servant your family bought last month suddenly escaped yesterday (considering that the Slavery Act has not been completely abolished in the Northern Continent, it is better to say slave than servant), and was in your home Buy a house next door and declare that from now on he is a legal citizen, not your servant! All the slave contracts or business contracts in your hands have become a piece of waste paper!

The loss of a large amount of property, the fluctuation of stocks, and the fact that "people from the Northern Continent will not receive preferential treatment in the Southern Continent" are truly unacceptable.

In recent decades, only the unfriendly neighbor to the north, the Feysac Empire, has received such high-profile coverage.

Now, there are "Bailan Empire" and "Church of Death".

These two originally unfamiliar words spread rapidly as news, and in a blink of an eye, they became familiar to men in their sixties and children as young as six or seven years old on the streets.

War - originally it was a very distant thing for most people, and it seemed to have nothing to do with them, but now it seems to be getting closer and closer. People in the Northern Continent have an illusion that the tense international situation has It has reached the point where it is necessary to publish it, as if tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, when you open your eyes, you will see a declaration of war in the newspaper.

Everyday life is spent in tension and vague uneasiness.

They chatted and gradually walked away. In the busy cake shop, people are rushing to wait for the freshly baked desserts.

On the signboard outside the cake shop, there is a picture of a smiling, handsome young man holding a "recruitment notice". His eyes are slightly purple.

…

Klein saw the wanted notice published in the "Sea News" newspaper, and after seeing that his bounty was actually 50,000 pounds, he shamefully came up with the idea of ​​exchanging his head for the bounty.

But in fact, he couldn't do this, because he didn't want to give up the identity of "Gehrman Sparrow", which was a good business, and he didn't want to offend the Church of Storms who issued the reward for 50,000 pounds.

After saying goodbye to Ian, he squeezed out of the crowd, opened the door and left the Brave Man Bar.

After getting into a taxi, Klein cast his gaze out the window, waiting for Miss Sharon to appear.

Of course, he couldn't guarantee that the other party was still here. Several months had passed, and the lady and Maric might have changed their usual places of activity.

Silently, Klein was suddenly inspired. He turned his head and looked at the window. On the glass that was reflected by the night, he saw a clear figure of a young girl wearing a small black bonnet and a Gothic palace dress. reflected.

Looking back, Klein saw Miss Sharon sitting opposite him. Her pale blond hair, blue eyes, and pale face were no different from before.

"Good evening." Klein, who didn't need to play Gehrman Sparrow, greeted him proactively.

Sharon stood up slightly, lifted up her skirt, and returned the gesture.

Thinking that the other party might have read the "Marine News", he couldn't find a topic to talk about. He cleared his throat and said directly:

"I killed Senior."

"Yeah." Sharon nodded slightly, indicating that she knew.

Klein smiled and continued:

"If Maric still needs the extraordinary characteristics of the 'Wraith', he can wait and raise funds. When I find a replacement, I will sell Senior to him."

Sharon did not ask what "replacement" meant and simply responded:

"After seeing that news, he was waiting for you to come back."

"Very good." Klein smiled, and then he asked thoughtfully: "The ability to make every inanimate thing around you attack the target is the high-sequence ability of the 'Prisoner' pathway?"

"Puppet." Sharon replied simply and concisely.

The ability of Sequence 4 "Puppet"? He turns into an "inanimate" doll, so he can control all inanimate objects within a certain range? If you advance further, will it directly affect the enemy's magical items? Klein nodded with some understanding, and then asked:

"Then do you know such a demigod?"

He then described in detail the appearance of the old man who attacked him outside Bayam City.

"Jax." Sharon said the name calmly.

In fact, I hope you can introduce more relevant information... Klein knew Miss Sharon's style and said with a helpless smile:

"Then do you know Zatvin?"

This is the mentor of the leader of the Celestial Sect on Olavi Island.

"The demigods who are hunting us." Sharon replied like a puppet with no emotion or anything to hide.

The one who made me feel that the chairs, tables and curtains were trying to kill me for the first time... What a coincidence... However, this is not an arrangement, it just shows that the Rose School, a secret organization with a history of more than a thousand years, does not have demigods. How many... It is estimated to be about the same as the Aurora Society. The number of saints is about five, and the number of angels and level 0 sealed objects is two to three... Of course, this is because they have been suppressed by the seven major churches for a long time, and their base camps have become colonies. They In its heyday, it must have been more than that... Klein thought for a moment and asked again:

"Then do you know the members of the Rose School who can make the entire mountain tremble with just one arm?"

He originally wanted to describe the characteristics of that arm in detail, but found that he did not dare to look directly at the other person.

After Sharon listened quietly, her eyes started to move as if they were alive, and she spoke in a cold voice:

"What happened to you?"

A saint, an angel, and the "Sea King", the demigod of the Aurora Order, the monster that was incidental to the Spiritual Religion's artificial death plan... Klein silently laughed at himself and said with a bitter smile:

"I got into trouble with the 'Mother Tree of Desire' and encountered an ambush from the Rose School of Thought. Fortunately, people from the Church of Storms and the Kingdom's military took action in Bayam at that time, and I also threw away items contaminated by the breath of the 'True Creator' , things related to the Spirit...Death Church, in short, the scene was very chaotic, and I took the opportunity to escape."

He responded calmly, but concealed the presence of Miss Messenger and Mr. Azik.

"'Mother Tree of Desire'..." Sharon muttered the name, and rare emotional fluctuations gradually appeared in her blue eyes.

Klein did not have the ability to interpret "audience" and could not taste Miss Sharon's specific mood. He could only vaguely feel that she was a little scared and a little disgusted.

Sharon quickly restrained her abnormal reaction and transformed into an extremely delicate "doll" again.

She looked at Sherlock Moriarty opposite and said:

"You are lucky and mysterious."

Klein smiled and said nothing, neither lying nor explaining.

Sharon did not ask, but instead said: "You may have met Si'a. He is a 'god' born nine hundred and twenty-two years ago. He calls himself the child of the 'Bound God'. He is also a member of the Rose School of Thought. The current leader.”

"According to the latest news, He seems to have begun to try to combine the two states of 'temperance' and 'indulgence', and has been hiding for nearly two months. However, the Rose School is not optimistic about this."

No way, in order to deal with me, the Rose School directly dispatched the leader and a demigod... I am just a small Sequence 5! If "Orange Light" Hilarion hadn't reminded me, I might have been caught by the Rose School of Thought... Klein was frightened again and asked casually:

"'Abomination' is the name of the 'Prisoner' pathway Sequence 2 or Sequence 1?"

"Probably." Sharon did not answer affirmatively.

"I previously learned from the members of the Celestial Sect that the Rose Sect is preparing for a great sacrifice to Si'a."

Sharon's expression did not change: "This is an impromptu carnival ceremony for the indulgent party."

Impromptu, which means the time is uncertain... Klein nodded and reminded: "Someone has information about you and Maric, and it seems they want to use you as one of the sacrifices."

Sharon nodded slightly, not nervous or surprised: "I know."

517

"The war is not only fought on the battlefield, but also on the economy and information. Let me teach you a trick. Look, what are the main needs of Loen and Intis in the Southern Continent? They are food, cotton, spices and precious metals..."

Edward drew a circle on the document and said to the senior leaders of the Church of Death who were listening carefully and with bated breath: "The Kingdom of Loen has abolished the "Grain Act", and you announced that Balam will no longer export food to Loen. The damage is very limited."

The interim Finance Minister said thoughtfully: "So we have to continue exporting grain?"

Edward raised a finger and shook it: "No, you just want to announce that you will no longer export food to the outside world and will only sell it domestically. As a result, you people in the Southern Continent will not have enough to eat. If you do, you will attack your regime. I am even more grateful. Secondly, due to the benefits of abolishing the "Corn Act", Loen will not be greatly impacted in a short period of time. Their nobles will also relax their vigilance. When the farmers of Loen go on strike because they can no longer survive farming, When society is in chaos, your people will almost have enough to eat and drink to go to the battlefield."

The senior leaders of the Death Church suddenly realized.

The Minister of Finance took notes quickly and asked: "What about Intis? Are we going to announce that we will no longer export spices and precious metals?"

"No, but exports must be reduced."

Edward once again said seductively: "Intis is not buying staple food, but luxuries that are in high demand and easy to consume. You don't have to raise tariffs, but you have to reduce exports to one-tenth of the original volume. Theirs Nobles have more money and will be more willing to buy."

The Minister of Finance carefully tried to draw inferences: "In this way, the Intis nobles can still use our specialties, which can ease the relationship between us and Intis, and we can also make money."

"Easing relations is not the main thing. One colony is gone. Is it possible that you still want to make peace with Intis?"

The devil whispered: "After the circulation is reduced, these things that are originally equivalent to luxury goods will continue to increase in value rapidly in Intis. The nobles in Intis will continue to pursue your specialties, internal comparison, and money loss. You are rich. Make money, I can make money too.”

The senior leaders of the Death Church once again suddenly realized.

Richard Ernst raised his hand and said: "The Loen side is already fighting a public opinion war, trying to occupy the moral high ground. I suggest that the Balam Empire should also respond immediately and effectively, and take the measures made by the garrison and Zhongsunia Company into account." All kinds of bad behavior are spread back through reports.”

Edward glanced at the Temperance Angel who had sneaked in, and nodded:

"Of course, and as soon as possible, not to mention that your news and newspaper industry in the Southern Continent is simply miserable compared to the Northern Continent. As soon as possible, you should find out all the unjust, false and wrong cases in the police department, clean them up, and set up one or two more examples." Use it as a flag to attack the Northern Continent. The most important thing about public opinion is not only to prove who is right and who is wrong, but also to make the other party angry."

A demigod said: "We can convey messages through spiritual bodies more efficiently, not necessarily through ordinary people's channels."

"Of course, so the newspaper is not for you." Edward shrugged, "You still don't understand the meaning. The newspaper is just to provide some shocking news to people in the northern continent. After all, these things belong to your southern continent. A common meal.”

Now Bailang can be considered a big business, and he has received secret support from the Fusac Empire, so he can do a lot of things. The senior leaders of the Death Church discussed for a moment and agreed to this course of action.

After all, when it comes to destroying the order of ordinary people's world and causing chaos and large-scale vicious events, demons know better.

Richard rubbed his hands and said: "Teacher, when will our highland..."

Edward rolled his eyes: "Just wait. If you had committed suicide at the end of the year, at the beginning of May, I would have led your Highland Resistance Army to the Northern Continent to happily burn, kill, loot and engage in guerrilla warfare."

"It is impossible to commit suicide unless I fulfill my wish."

Richard refused, and then began to rub his hands: "So... when will Siua plan to announce the restoration of the Highland Kingdom? Since he claimed to have found a balance between the two roles, and also revealed the corresponding intention, then I I am also very willing to fight in future wars as a member of the resistance in my personal capacity. As long as He (emphasis added) doesn’t mind.”

Edward snorted and began to draw a round and big cake:

"I think Si'a won't mind. The more fighting power the better, and if you join as an individual, some members of the fleeing Temperance Faction will also be willing to fight against Renette Tinichole if she dies. You defected. The benefits of joining the Rose School of Thought are simply too great. Of course, you will not let go of your subordinates in the Northern Continent casually."

Hearing this, Richard fell into silence thoughtfully and began to think about this matter seriously.

TBC

——————

Weekly salary of 1 pound 5 sole ≈ monthly salary of 4760.

Adam: This declaration of war is very precious. Fusak should come first.

Regarding double updates, ah, there is an exam at the end of the month. After the exam, I will make double updates on the 30th...

Small-time tipster Ian Wright is believed to be a descendant of Trunsoest. Because he has red eyes and obsessive-compulsive disorder that symbolize his bloodline, and is controlled by the Loen military, he is an orphan who has completely lost contact with his parents' family.