I will be crowned king

"Know? But he only recently returned to Clovis City. He had been in an unknown country church in the south for a long time."

Teacher Erich was quite surprised: "And you haven't always known each other in Beluga Port in the New World, is it impossible?"

"The world we live in is very magical. Nothing is impossible." Anson waved his hand:

"Let's put it this way, is he wearing a black novice priest's robe, and his whole person is so mysterious that you have no idea where he is or what he is doing?"

"Uh... I haven't paid much attention to this..." Erich scratched his head: "But from what you said, it seems like it is indeed the case!"

"That's right." Anson showed a natural smile:

"Can I ask why you are looking for him? Of course, if it is not convenient to tell you, then there is no need."

"No, no, no...there's nothing I can't say."

Teacher Erich waved his hands repeatedly: "It's not because of anything special, it's just that I had entrusted him to deal with a batch of contraband before, and he gave me a very happy down payment, but then there was no news..."

"Are you asking for the balance? Don't worry, I promise..."

"It has nothing to do with that!"

Seeing Anson who was about to go out to collect debts without saying a word, Erich quickly stopped him again:

"The price offered by the other party was quite generous. To be honest, even the down payment was more than twice the price I expected!"

"That batch of... contraband was from when the Guards were officially disbanded. A batch of real estate was transferred to the name of the college. The police on Whitehall Street cleared the inventory but failed to clean up the remaining parts." Eli tried his best to lower his voice. Xi looked a little embarrassed:

"You also know that maintaining a large organization like the Shotgun Club requires a lot of money, and everyone is basically an unpopular skirmisher officer, so I..."

"understand."

Anson nodded slightly, although he could probably guess that the matter was definitely not as simple as what the other party said: "Speaking of this, it seems that you haven't mentioned the club dues to me yet."

"Ah... this... seems to have been forgotten indeed." Erich smiled bitterly and scratched his head:

"The general situation is this. Every new member of the club must be invited by at least one old member of more than three years. From 3 pm to 8 pm every day, there is unlimited black beer and coffee. Of course, if you want to eat, you have to pay extra. It’s money, but our kitchen has supplies from the Military Academy, so it’s a lot more cost-effective.”

"As for membership fees... The Shotgun Club is different from those large clubs with 2 assets. We adopt a military rank membership dues system. Simply put, the higher the military rank and the more lucrative the position, the more fees you have to pay - but There is no difference in the treatment you enjoy.”

"A very reasonable system." Anson nodded in agreement: "The club should be a place where everyone is equal. The proportion of contributions is distributed according to the position, and the pressure on everyone can be basically the same."

"Yes, but the fair upshot is that the shotgun club has a hard time recruiting higher-ranking members."

Erich smiled bitterly: "Even officers from the skirmisher department will not be willing to join us as long as they successfully obtain the rank of lieutenant colonel or above or a lucrative job."

"This is also a very real problem. If people who pay more can only enjoy the same benefits as others, they will feel that they are at a disadvantage."

Anson nodded: "Fairness and equality are really contradictory issues that will never come to an end."

"Yes, no matter how you hope to achieve a certain balance between the two, the final result can only be to choose one of the two." Erich said with emotion:

"Most of the officers who come from the Skirmishers Division can't get any good positions, and they always sit at the bottom of the ranks when they get promoted every year, so they can only strive for equality first."

"...So, if I want to join, how much membership fee do I need to pay?"

"This... our membership dues are calculated based on the lieutenant's allowance standard, which is five silver coins per month. Each level is calculated according to the increase rate of the allowance. For example, although I am only a major, because I still have the position of college teacher, so every The monthly membership fee is fifty silver coins, which is exactly ten times the minimum standard.”

Teacher Erich introduced: "But it is up to you to decide how much you are prepared to pay - after all, you are our club, and even the first general of the entire Skirmisher Division. Your value is extraordinary. Even if you don't pay, everyone will not do it easily." I’ll let you go; but if you insist on paying, of course we will be embarrassed to refuse.”

"It's really an honor for me, but since there are rules and standards, it's better not to break them because of my personal factors." Anson smiled. This kind of words are just polite. He and the officers of the Skirmisher Division are indeed in the same boat. , but not good enough to treat each other as one of our own - at least not yet.

Having said that, the opportunity to bargain should not be missed: "Since the major's dues are ten times that of a lieutenant, then as a brigadier general, I must at least be ten times that of a major, that is..."

"Five gold coins, every month."

"...Isn't it a bit expensive?"

"It's not expensive, not expensive at all." Erich's eyes were glaring: "It's more than enough for a brigadier general's allowance."

"But you also know that I am still the subject of accusations by the Ministry of War. Not to mention myself, the entire Storm Legion does not receive even a copper plate allowance." Anson took the initiative to meet the other party's gaze:

"What's more, given the economic situation of the Shotgun Club, a mere five gold coins doesn't seem to be able to solve any problem."

At some point, the entire hall had fallen silent. They looked out of the corner of their eyes without saying a word, and "eavesdropped" on the conversation between the two people in front of the bar.

"Then what good idea do you have?" Erich vaguely sensed the meaning of Anson's words: "Let me state in advance that we are all officers with established personnel. According to military regulations, we are not allowed to run side businesses."

"Officers can't have side jobs, doesn't that mean clubs can't accept investment, right? As far as I know, most upper-class clubs in Clovis City have more than one company and chamber of commerce sponsoring them."

Anson shook his head slightly: "I think the shotgun club's potential, qualifications, and level, especially its tradition of emphasizing equality for everyone, are fully qualified to be sponsored by one or even multiple companies!"

"Then I'll lend you some good advice, but who would be willing to invest?"

"In matters like attracting investment, it is often difficult to go from zero to one, but as long as there is a company willing to provide sponsorship, it will be much easier once it becomes famous."

"Indeed...but who would want to be the...one?"

Facing the other party's gaze where the answer had already appeared in front of him, Anson silently put down the wine glass in his hand and said in a small voice that could be heard clearly by the entire club:

"Excuse me, do you know New World Company?"

…………………………………………

An inconspicuous little church in the outer city.

The young man in thin clothes kept shivering and pushed open the church door. It was already December. Although winter seemed to come unusually late this year, the single layer of linen coat was not enough to protect him from the cold wind and cold weather. Maintain body temperature in cold rain.

Entering the hall, the first thing that catches your eye is the dilapidated statue of the Ring of Order at the end of the corridor. Not to mention the candles on the main altar covered with dust and cobwebs, even the candlesticks have disappeared. There is no trace of the benches where the prayers rested - it is said to be a small church, but in fact it is no different than a ruin.

But the young man has no choice. No matter how dilapidated the ruins are, they still have walls that can block the wind, roofs that can protect them from the rain, and they can pray to the statue of the Ring of Order in exchange for some comfort that is better than nothing.

After closing the creaking door with difficulty, the young man hugged his shoulders and trotted all the way to hide under the main altar, rubbing his shivering body desperately to warm himself up as quickly as possible.

Then, he heard a "dong dong dong!" sound of banging on the door.

Like a cub being hunted by a hunter, the young man's face immediately showed a panicked expression, and his trembling body stopped shaking. Only the heart in his chest was still making a slight sound.

"Dong-dong-dong! Dong-dong-dong! Dong-dong-dong..."

The heavy banging on the door did not stop. The young man, whose face was full of fear, covered his mouth with his right hand. His wide eyes did not dare to close for a moment, and even his heartbeat seemed to be much weaker.

Boom——

Accompanied by the loud sound of the door being smashed open, the strong wind carried cold rain and poured into the ruins. The biting cold still failed to move the young man even a little bit, and he hid behind the main altar like a sculpture.

But this did not stop the people outside the house from taking action. Steady and powerful footsteps entered the chapel. Every time the boots collided with the floor tiles, it was like hitting his chest directly, constantly increasing the pressure.

The footsteps were getting closer and closer, and the sounds were getting louder and louder. The panicked young man simply held his breath completely, and his wide eyes turned to the ring of order in front of him, as if praying silently.

Perhaps his piety was truly responded to, as the footsteps behind him finally stopped, and after a moment of hesitant silence, they gradually faded away.

Even so, the young man still did not dare to let go of the palms covering his mouth and nose, enduring the howling cold wind and the pain of suffocation and remained motionless.

It wasn't until he heard the sound of the door closing again that he finally relaxed a little after almost suffocating and passing out. He slumped down behind the main altar and let out a long sigh of relief.

However, just as he relaxed, a pair of hands suddenly covered his mouth from behind and forcibly dragged the young man behind the pillar in the hall.

"Be honest, don't move if you don't want to die!"

The cold words made the frightened young man give up resistance in an instant - not just the words, of course, but also the heavy rain of gunshots coming from outside the ruins of the chapel.

"Bang-!!!! Bang-!!!! Bang-!!!!"

Fired by random gunshots, the door of the ruined chapel and the statue of the Ring of Order were torn apart. Hundreds of lead bullets continued to make screams tearing the air, exploding sparks on the floor tiles, walls and columns.

The gunfire lasted for a full two minutes before the hand that was covering the young man's face was finally released, and the young man finally saw clearly the appearance of the person in front of him - messy hair, eyes filled with fear, and a suit of clothing. An old and worn black priest's uniform.

"You, you are..."

"Don't ask anything, answer my question first." Karin Jacques, covered in cold sweat, raised his hand to interrupt the young man: "That thing...is it still on you?"

The young man seemed to have no reaction at all, and still looked at the person in front of him blankly: "Are you a priest of the church?!"

"Trainee priest." Karin Jacques raised his eyebrows: "Now answer my question, do you still have that thing on you?"

"You said... that thing." The young man opened his eyes wide:

"which one?"

"...It's the one you took away from home when you escaped!" Karin Jacques, who couldn't help but roll his eyes, was already beginning to itch with hatred:

"Don't try to challenge my patience, because I may hand you over to the army soldiers outside at any time and tell them that you are the remnant of the gang they have been looking for, you know?!"

The trainee priest looked furious. The pressing situation meant that he had no time to waste and must get an answer immediately.

But the young man seemed to see through his false threat. After a moment of consideration, he shook his head silently: "No, you are as afraid of the soldiers outside as I am, and you will not hand me over on your own initiative."

"Although I don't know the reason, since we have never met, you seem to know who I am and what I have in my hand. It means that I am very important to you, important enough to take the risk of being discovered and shot to death by soldiers. Protect me too.”

"You..." The corners of the trainee priest's mouth twitched crazily:

"Who taught you these?!"

"My father." The young man took courage and puffed out his chest:

"He told me that when I have to ask for help from others, I can be humble, but I can never hand over my trump card. That thing is my trump card..."

The young man who had not yet finished speaking opened his eyes wide and looked at the trainee priest who was angry just now with a look of panic and raised the corners of his mouth.

"Ah...so that thing is indeed on your body...he really gave it to you before he died." Karin Jacques looked proud: "I asked why 'Whisper' must kill him, it turns out It’s just to vent your anger.”

"No, I don't have the thing on me!" The young man took two steps back in panic: "I, I hid it!"

"Hide it, where can you hide it?" Karin Jacques's smile became more vicious: "That is your only trump card. Without it, you are worthless - if you don't take such a valuable thing with you, you risk Hide at the risk of being stolen, eh?”

"I..." The young man's throat twitched: "Who, who are you?!"

"I am your father's friend and a member of the Truth Society." The trainee priest pressed the young man's head and said:

"Meet your savior uncle, Little John!"