Translator:Â 549690339
Fallen Eagle City.
Count Umanâs study, currently occupied by another man.
He sat in the countâs exclusive seat, engrossed in reading documents, appearing to be the new master of this place.
With a creak, the door opened, and Countâs lover, Penny, walked in.
The man lifted his head from an abundance of documents, and it was none other than Mr. Ji.
âAll set?â Mr. Ji looked at Penny and smiled gently.
âYes.â Penny nodded, walking behind Mr. Ji and started massaging his shoulders, âThe key assets of the chamber of commerce have mostly been transferred, and the key personnel will also withdraw tonight.â
Mr. Ji enjoyed Pennyâs massage, comfortably closed his eyes, and reminded, âDonât transfer too many personnel, it may draw attention.â
âYes. I only notified a few stewards and some managers with potential in the city, and they are now under strict control and will not have any contact with the outside world.â
âGood.â Mr. Ji smiled with satisfaction, âYou donât want to take one last look at this castle? After this, you can only remember it.â
Penny scoffed, âWhatâs there to reminisce about such a simple and shabby place? Iâve endured the stinginess of the Uman Clan for too long!â
âHaha, what about Lion Roar Castle in Winterfell City?â
âToo monotonous, and no taste as well.â
Mr. Ji laughed and asked again: âWhat about the Phoenix Palace?â
âPhoenix Palace is  bearableâ Penny forced out a response.
Mr. Ji chuckled at the boundless ambition of his sister.
He pointed to a document on the desk and said, âGet someone to wrap this up and send it to Ice Rock City as my wedding gift to Viscount Angler.â
âOkay.â Penny nodded and was immediately surprised, âIf I remember correctly, Viscount Anglerâs wedding should be tomorrow, right?â
âYes. Late is late, better than not having one. We canât let it seem that our St. Sean family doesnât understand etiquette.â
âAll right.â Penny picked up the document on the desk and glanced at it, then laughed, âYouâre not afraid to completely enrage Viscount Angler by sending such a gift?â
Mr. Ji also laughed: âNo, after tomorrow, he will thank me.â
âHa, thatâs true. Iâll arrange for someone to send this grand gift to Ice Rock City right now.â
âBy the way,â Mr. Ji called to Penny, who was about to leave, and asked, âIsnât Viscount Anglerâs sister in Fallen Eagle City anymore?â
âNo, she hurriedly rushed to Ice Rock City immediately after receiving the news of Viscount Anglerâs wedding. However, with such urgency, she probably wonât make it in time to attend the wedding.â
âHmm, she is still useful to us. Have you arranged for someone to follow her?â
âOf course.â Penny nodded, then left the study room with a smile.
Just as she stepped out, the butler hurriedly approached and reported, âMadam, Sir Walra, the knight, has just returned.â
âWalra?â Penny frowned, âWasnât he at the Ben Liu River frontline? What is he doing back here at this time?â
âSir Walra was seriously injured in the fight and was sent back here for treatment by Count Uman,â the butler replied.
âOkay, I see.â Penny responded casually.
As âmotherâ of Knight Walra, she didnât even bother to inquire about Walraâs injuries, and it seemed that she had no plans to visit him.
At the gate of the castle, Knight Walra, with the aid of his attendant, had difficulty getting off the horse-drawn carriage.
âKnight Walra? Is that really you? What happened to you?â
Just a few steps away, Knight Walra heard a shout behind him.
As he turned around, he saw a fat man running towards him.
Walra recognized him as Oliver, a steward from the Tulip Chamber of Commerce.
Panting, Oliver ran to Walraâs side and greeted him with exaggerated concern: âKnight, youâre injured? Oh, this is terrible! Allow me to escort you back to your room to rest.â
With that, the fat merchant approached Walra, placing his hand on his shoulder and wrapping his own chunky arm around Walraâs waist.
Despite Oliverâs overly enthusiastic aid, Walra made no move to stop him.
Even though he wasnât familiar with this steward from the Tulip Chamber of Commerce, he knew that Oliverâs brother was in Ice Rock City and had already been turned against their cause by Colin.
Therefore, Walra thought Oliver must have been sent by Colin to make contact with him.
âMr. Oliver, you are too kind.â
After a few polite remarks, Walra signaled his entourage to leave, and with Oliverâs assistance, he walked into the castle.
Once inside the room and the door was closed, Walra sat on the edge of the bed, preparing to probe whether Oliver was really sent by Colin.
But before he could speak, Oliver took the initiative and said: âKnight Walra, I fear something big is about to happen at Fallen Eagle City!â
Walra became visibly alert, unprepared for such a statement from the other party. But seeing Oliverâs anxious eyes, he patiently asked, âWhat did you find out?â
Oliver hurriedly lowered his voice, saying, âKnight, after you and the Count left on campaign, Lady Penny started surreptitiously moving the Tulip Chamber of Commerce assets. And not only that, all the stewards including myself have been under strict surveillance!
Just now, Lady Penny summoned us and declared we must evacuate Fallen Eagle City tonight! Moreover, weâre not allowed to go home or inform anyone about this!
Therefore, I suspect, something big is about to happen here!â
Walra frowned, also sensing something amiss. After a momentâs thought, he asked again, âWhat unusual activities did Penny undertake during this period?â
Oliver nodded furiously, lowering his voice even more, âKnight, as you should be aware, Lady Penny started overseeing the renovation of Fallen Eagle City since earlier this year, right?
Most building materials used for the renovation were procured through the Tulip Chamber of Commerce. However, I noticed something exceedingly strange in the procurement prices of these materials!â
âWhatâs strange?â
âThereâs a material, labeled as blue stone gravel, but the price is five copper coins per pound!â
Seeing Walraâs blank face, Oliver quickly explained: âKnight, thatâs over thirty times the normal price of blue stone gravel!â
Walra finally understood. His first reaction was, was somebody using this opportunity to make money?
However, he quickly dismissed this guess. If it was for money, it wouldnât be so obvious only raising the price of blue stone gravel, and only so steeply at that, it could be seen through straight away.
âWhat do you think is going on?â asked Walra humbly.
Rubbing his hands nervously, Oliver said in a small voice, âI suspect itâs not even blue stone gravel at all!â
âThen what is it?â
Oliverâs voice trembled a bit, âIâve been to the construction site and I saw all the laborerâs palms were pitch black. Hence, I suspect what is being used to fill the gaps between the rocks, isnât blue stone gravel, but
Coal stone!â
âCoal stone?â Walra furrowed his brows even more, âIsnât coal used for fueling fires and forging weapons? Why would so much coal be bought to renovate Fallen Eagle City â
At this, he suddenly froze.
Because, a terrifying thought flashed across his mind like lightning, causing him to shudder involuntarily.