Alien paradise

This time the place where the two met was changed to a hotel conference room.

In addition to the young Mr. Chao, there were several other middle-aged people sitting at the long table - no matter in terms of age or demeanor, they were more like leaders than the leader.

On the other side of the long table, those sitting around were all Lan Qi's old acquaintances. For example, Kashgar, the owner of Qianlin Sawmill, Sergey, the manager of Baiye Freight Company, etc... They all have their own homes and have not been affected by the war, so it is unlikely that they need to take refuge. In other words, they must have been "invited" by the Paradise Cult.

Seeing the Earl's appearance, several other people's eyes flashed with surprise.

"Sit down." Xue Quan patted his shoulder, then walked to Chaoyang and sat down, "Everyone is here."

Chaoyang nodded, looked at Lan Qi and said, "Good evening, we meet again."

"I don't know...why did you call me here?"

"We did a simple public opinion survey and found that you have not done anything obviously harmful to the world since you became the lord. Of course, some people pointed out that you were not good at government affairs and missed the laws of the kingdom, but those were minor problems." Chaoyang said relaxedly. Said, "The most severe criticism in the investigation focused on the fact that after Elko Camp took charge of Qianlimbao, it was believed that you released a group of greedy and bloodthirsty jackals, but we all know that you are also one of the victims."

After hearing this, Lan Qi couldn't help but feel relaxed.

But he soon came to his senses.

What's wrong with you?

He was an earl, and the only one who could judge him was His Majesty the King, but for a moment he recognized the other party's right to judge.

Lan Qi took a deep breath and straightened his waist as much as possible, "So?"

"You're free, and it's up to you to decide where you want to go from now on." Chaoyang said and took a sip of tea. "But I have to ask you a few questions first. Are you responsible for managing the granary in Qianlimbao?"

"...Are you asking about inventory records? This is usually the responsibility of the administrative officer, but I occasionally look at it..."

A bad premonition suddenly flashed through Lan Qi's heart.

"Is there... something wrong with the food?"

"The granary is empty." It was Xue Quan who answered him, "We must know whether it was empty before or whether it became empty after the army rebelled."

"It was plentiful before!" Lan Qi said immediately, "I will always ensure that there are about three months' worth of food stored in the warehouse! There is no food company in Qianlimbao, and there are no conditions for farming, so all this food comes from taxes. The ones bought from the west are replenished every week! Sergey, you know all these things!"

"Uh... yes." Sergey wiped the sweat from his forehead, "Five train skins at a time, as of two weeks ago. According to the contract, new goods must be accepted, but now Duke Longjiu has launched an army against the royal city. Well, the price of food has soared, and the goods there suddenly stopped being shipped. I wanted to discuss this matter with you, but Korchi wouldn't let me see you at all."

"So, Elko rented thirty carriages from me. Wasn't it just for carrying food?" Kashgar said bitterly, "I haven't received the rental fee yet!"

Everyone looked at each other for a moment.

This undoubtedly means that the Korchi Battalion took advantage of the time they were in control of Thousand Limburg to secretly take away the food reserves in the city. The problem is that the army also needs to eat. Where can they drag the food?

In fact, it wasn't just food. According to reports from Xue Quan and others, ironware, copper ingots, cloth... many things had been looted, and these resources were not found in the military camp. In other words, this kingdom's frontier army has been secretly evacuating Qianlimbao. Their intention from the beginning was not to seize the mountain and become king.

"I originally thought that Elko wanted to be the leader of the warlord, but it seems that he was underestimated." Chaoyang said silently to Xue Quan, "His rebellion was not accidental, but he was under some kind of instruction."

Xue Quan agreed, "He didn't move the lumberyard, which shows that he doesn't want everything. He attacked the businessmen to raise funds, and the time was quite tight, so tight that he no longer had the energy to do some superficial work. But this gave us Some reminders that such a large amount of material transportation must rely on railways or roads. We may be able to find the backers of Elko Camp through this information."

"Third-party forces..." Chaoyang said thoughtfully. There is no doubt that this force is neither loyal to the Laurel family nor takes orders from Duke Longjiu. After the outbreak of the civil war, this force seemed to be ready to become independent.

"If we are included, we are the fourth party." Xue Quan smiled, "But this is all for later. When I went to the grain depot to check today, some locals also noticed it. In a few days, this The news will spread throughout the city.”

"This news will definitely spread! What will happen then?" Sergey shouted, "We must think of a way, either to prepare in advance to suppress the riots, or to expel the people from the inner city! Earl! Your Excellency, Mr. Chao, no matter which method is used, we have to form a temporary armed force!"

"Oh, I forgot to explain to you that Ranch Brinton is no longer the lord of Thousand Limburg." Chaoyang interrupted the other party at this time, and his tone was as calm as if he was introducing home-cooked food to the guests, "From today on Starting from now, this city will be managed by the Paradise Cult. Of course, this does not mean that we will completely reshuffle the top management. As long as you are willing to abide by the laws promulgated by the Paradise Cult, your property, rights and personal safety will be protected by us."

The others looked at Lan Qi in surprise, even more surprised than when he appeared again after missing for so long.

For some reason, Lan Qi suddenly felt a surge of courage. He looked directly at Chaoyang and said, "I must remind you that only the king of a country can divide the lords or decide whether the lord will stay or go. You can easily defeat Elko. Camp, but it does not mean that it can fight against the entire kingdom. If the Paradise Cult insists on this, it will inevitably attract the hostility of all nobles!"

"I received your reminder, thank you." Chaoyang smiled at him.

These heartfelt words were like hitting cotton, making the hot blood in Lan Qi's heart suddenly cool down a bit.

If this person wasn't backed by super strength, he must be a complete lunatic!

"Actually... Qianlin Castle is not our purpose. The Paradise Sect is here to liberate the Acropolis." The other party added calmly.

And this sentence completely exploded among everyone!

"W-Acropolis?"

"That city swallowed by fog!?"

"No...Mr. Chao, do you know what you are talking about? The place has been polluted by the evil god! How do you plan to liberate the city that no longer belongs to the human world?"

This man is a lunatic! Absolute madness!

Lan Qi shouted in his heart.

No...it's very possible that the Paradise Cult is a newly rising cult, and cults will attract each other! Thousand Limburg is doomed!

"It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not. I just explained my purpose of coming in advance." Chaoyang pressed his palms down to signal everyone to be quiet, "Qianlin Castle is the last pass to the Acropolis, so we came to visit this place. Let's get down to business. , regarding the food problem, it is undoubtedly the biggest problem in the city at present. I called you here just to solve this crisis. Suppressing famine is an impossible idea to adopt, because once Thousand Limburg is abandoned, the Acropolis will become a desperate situation. .”

“So we have to attack this dilemma head-on, in other words, fill the silos before panic spreads.”