Mystery: The arrival of the new Black Emperor

Hobert ignored Donna's joke: "We have all the materials, how is the progress on the construction site in the town?"

Roy replied: "I started laying the foundation yesterday morning, but I gave everyone a half-day holiday in the afternoon. I plan to start work this afternoon."

Hobert nodded: "We can put the construction aside for now. We need to renovate first. I bought so many houses before and turned them into hotels, inns and restaurants!

"You have to be fast! Otherwise, you won't be able to catch up!"

Roy was stunned: "What are you rushing for?"

"Hurry up for the wedding date!" When Hobert had just agreed to the wedding date mentioned by his mother, he had planned to let the wedding attendees live in tents. However, he had estimated in the past two days that if he seizes the time, he could do more.

Hobert said: "The wedding date for Miss Fors and I has been confirmed, it is January 28th.

"With my father's influence, many people will come to attend the wedding, and we must provide them with enough accommodation!"

Roy was stunned for a moment, then said happily: "I will do my best to transform the town, but that will require a lot of decoration materials..."

"Make a list." Hobert said: "Wayne should be back soon, let him do the shopping."

"yes."

Hobert looked at Scola: "The action of equalizing the land will start today. I have already told Conrad to divide the land on the mountain first.

"The land acquisition problem has been solved. Can the railway be built before the 28th?"

Hobert's approach is also very simple. It is enough to take back the ownership of all the land first, and then use the land outside the railways and roads to share it with everyone.

This completely eliminates the need for land acquisition.

Scola shook his head helplessly: "Sir, it is unexpected that the land acquisition can be completed so quickly, but this is only the beginning of railway construction.

“Next, it takes a lot of time to transport the materials along the railway line and then lay the tracks.

"Although the total mileage of the Jeffrey Land Railway is not very long, according to my experience, if there are mountains, it may not be possible to deliver materials along the line in 28 days."

Hobert thought for a while: "What if the materials can be used quickly, for example, a batch of them can be delivered to the railway line before tomorrow morning?"

Scola smiled and shook his head, but still replied: "In that case, I am sure that the railway will be laid before the 28th. But we don't have enough manpower, and there is no way we can deliver all the materials in a day and a night. Go along the line.”

Hobert nodded: "Take me for a walk along the railway line."

The group of people followed the railway line and came to the mountain.

When they went up the mountain, as Hobert said, under the protection of Schier and other guards of the Lord's Mansion, Conrad had already begun to redistribute the land.

Naturally, the bullies in the village began to argue with Conrad, and the bully's family also began to cry for father and mother.

But under the guns of Schier and others, all the wrangling has no effect.

Only then did the villagers understand that the prince was serious this time. The whole village was in chaos for a while. Everyone came to see the land allocation and asked how much land they could get.

It turns out that the prestige people in the village are not as prestigious as the guns of Schier and others, and the threats from the village bully are not so scary anymore.

Everyone was excited but also a little confused. This feeling was like carrying a huge boulder on their backs since birth.

Now that I have suddenly put down this stone, I am still a little top-heavy, and I don’t even know how to move my legs.

It is not an exaggeration to say that Hobert launched a "great change that has never happened in a thousand years". The entire northern and southern continents have never had the concept of "equalizing land without paying taxes". They have always used force to compete for land. Whoever has the bigger fist will win. You can get more fields.

Hobert used a violent institution like the lord's house to force the fields of each village to be divided equally and return the ownership to the lord's house.

He knows very well that only by using more violent means can the interests of ordinary people and vulnerable groups be safeguarded.

After passing through the excited and confused villagers, the group arrived at the top of the mountain.

Hobert asked Valcke: "It shouldn't take long for the materials used to build a hardened road to be transported along the route, right?"

"Yes." Valk said: "The speed of building roads is definitely faster than that of railways."

"What about the time to build the villa?" Hobert asked again: "Can the auction center and about five villas be built within a month?"

Valk smiled helplessly: "Sir, this is an unattainable goal.

"If you just build the wall, it really won't take much time, but because it is built on a mountain, a large area of ​​flat land needs to be dug out, and the later decoration will also take a lot of time."

Hobert said: "Tell me, where should I level it?"

After learning about the specific difficulties and the approximate construction progress, Hobert returned to the Lord's Mansion, and Roy and others began to go about their own business.

Back in the study, Hobert replied to Jessica and Selina, who had sent greeting letters and cards.

In the letter, he also sent greetings to them, and asked Jessica how the place where the new extraordinary weapons were manufactured was going.

In another letter, he told Selena that he would take time to talk to her recently.

When he summoned the messenger, he did not avoid Freya, but he also did not take the initiative to teach her.

After replying to the letter, Hobert dictated a few words to Freya. Seeing that she mastered them well, he taught her twenty more words.

After finishing studying, Freya suddenly asked: "Teacher, I have a question I want to ask you?"

Hobert sat on his chair: "What's the problem?"

"Why is it so difficult for me to integrate into the surrounding environment?" Freya clenched her fists and said nervously: "I tried to make friends with Mary and Marcy, but they always kept a distance from me.

"I want to make friends with Miss Donna and Miss Fors, but I feel that I am not as good as them and it is always difficult to integrate into their conversations."

Hobert smiled and said: "This is because you are not clear about your position. In this complex society, you must first find a good position for yourself, otherwise your actions and words will make others feel awkward.

"Because of your previous experience in the East District, you feel close to Marcy and Mary, but they think that you are the lord's student and master, so they are alienated from you.

"At the same time, because you are my student, you are a junior in the eyes of Forsi and Donna, so they will not accommodate your feelings. When chatting, they will naturally not consider whether you can join the conversation."

Freya thought for a while: "I understand, thank you, teacher. I, I think I should put myself in the same position as Mr. Schier and Mr. Conrad. No, I am not as good as them, I am, I am Said that I and them are one, one..."

"level."

"Yes, a person of the same level!"

Hobert nodded: "I'll call you one more word today. The spelling of 'level' is..."

This word is relatively long, so Freya memorized it carefully and understood it carefully.

Generally speaking, Freya is quite clever, but she had to work non-stop before and had no time to think.

Hobert asked again: "Did you go around the territory yesterday?"

"No, no!"

"Go out with Conrad this afternoon and tell me what you think tomorrow morning."

Freya quickly said: "Yes!"

In the busyness, it soon came to lunch time.

Before eating, Hobert went back to his room and took a small wooden box to the restaurant.

Before eating, Hobert pushed the wooden box to Forsi: "This is a New Year's gift for you!"

Forsi was slightly startled, and opened the wooden box amidst Donna's hesitations. There were several pieces of blood-red crystals, as beautiful as rubies. She blurted out: "The blood crystals of the Lava octopus!"

This is one of the main materials for the "astrologer" she has been searching for recently.

But Donna sat back on her chair: "Tsk, I thought it was a diamond ring."

Forsi said: "Hobert, I can't have it. This, this is too precious."

The basic price of Sequence 7-level extraordinary materials is 600 pounds, but the main materials at this level basically start to cost a premium. It is normal to sell them for 700 to 800 pounds.

At this week's Tarot meeting, Fors sold the materials to Miss Justice and the deal was completed for 1,000 pounds.

"Sister-in-law, you are so easily satisfied." Donna smiled: "It's just such a small thing, you should say: three more!"

Everyone laughed at Donna's joke, and Hobert said to Forsi: "Take it, you have to work recently, and you have to accompany your mother to see the scenery in the territory. You are quite tired, so take it as a reward." is you."

The so-called work is that Hobert requires Forsi's new book to be completed before the 15th. On the wedding day, a batch of books must be printed and placed at the wedding venue.

So in the past few nights, Forsi could be seen writing furiously.

Monlisa also smiled and asked Forsi to put it away. Forsi then put it away. She suddenly felt that she could write one more chapter tonight.

At the end of lunch, Monlisa told everyone that she planned to leave tomorrow.

After Hobert failed to persuade him to stay, he asked Philip to prepare some local specialties, and asked Allen to take people to pack up the rented boat.

In the afternoon, Hobert received the reward from Alger. The Church of Stormwind gave Hobert 1,500 pounds for the information he provided. After Alger withheld 150 pounds, Hobert received 1,350 pounds.

While Hobert lamented the stinginess of the Church of Storm Wind, he became more and more certain that the Church of Storm Wind knew more information about the battle in the Southern Continent, otherwise it would not have given them only 1,500 pounds.

…

Opposite Full Moon Lake is the residence of the Teutonic Viscount.

Viscount Teutonic saw Jeffrey Town, which had been busy since the afternoon of the 1st, and frowned: "Hobert is planning to expand that town into a small city?"

He put down the telescope: "Also, where did he get so much money?"

Of course the Teutonic Viscount knew the cost of construction. Even with the accumulation of so many generations of viscounts, he would not dare to open such a large stall.

"We can report all this, including Hobert's ambition, to the king!" Grove said.

Viscount Teutonic thought for a moment: "This is a good idea."

After the waterway is opened, the power of the royal family will radiate back to South Colson. Of course, the strength of a certain noble will not be dominated by one family.

The Teutonic Viscount, who has been secretly loyal to the royal family, must be the royal family's first choice for support.

"In addition, we can also get Hobert into trouble." Grove suggested.

Viscount Teutonic shook his head: "As far as I know, Hobert is a Sequence 6. It is difficult for me to shake his rule with my strength."

Grove smiled and said: "Aren't there some powerful people in your territory?"

A trace of fear flashed in Viscount Teutonic's eyes: "You don't know the terror of these people! Don't provoke them, and don't try to betray them."

"Of course it's not to provoke them, nor to betray them." Grove said with a smile: "Since Hobert has chosen to cooperate with the Gnosis Society, we can let Hobert see their existence and let the Gnosis Will know their truth and falsehood.

"These are all things Hobert saw and investigated by himself. What does it have to do with us?"

Viscount Teutonic looked across the Full Moon Lake and felt a little moved.

Grove added: "The New Year is over. As the only viscount nearby, shouldn't you invite the baron opposite to the banquet? To express your welcome to the new baron!"

Viscount Teutonic thought for a moment, then smiled and said: "Don't try to take revenge at the banquet, you are not strong enough!"

"Of course not!" A trace of resentment flashed across Grove's face: "I know, now is not the time."

Viscount Teutonic nodded: "Go and have someone write the invitation, and let the Knight of Keton deliver it in person."

"yes!"

"Oh, by the way." Viscount Teutonic smiled: "Just over a year after the death of old Knight Conor, his family fortune was almost completely squandered by his two idiot sons.

"They no longer have the sense of honor as a knight. I will take away their title of knight and give you that territory!"

Grove said excitedly: "Thank you Sir for the reward!"

…

Hobert received an invitation from the Teutonic Viscount in the evening. He was a little surprised. Why did the Teutonic Viscount suddenly treat him to a banquet?

He was stunned for a moment and said to Allen: "Treat this knight well."

Then Hobert called Philip, Conrad, Roy, Seale, Kerwin and others to discuss the matter.

Corwin said: "This matter is by no means that simple. Everyone, the defecting Grove is now in the Teutonic Viscount's mansion. This may be a trap."

Philip said: "The current situation is not chaotic, and it is impossible for a viscount to set up a trap in his own mansion to harm a famous baron.

"The Teutonic Viscount would only send assassins to assassinate us under Grove's deception, or simply send his guards across the river to conquer us, but he did not do this, which shows that he was not deceived by Grove."

Hobert nodded: "I can't easily refuse this invitation. Syl and Kerwin will go with me tomorrow. Others should do whatever they want and don't be affected."

"yes!"

They were all people who had seen Sir Alex defeat the ancient Azure Dragon Beast, so they had nothing to worry about for Sir Alex's safety.

In the evening, when Hobert was about to "go out", Helen suddenly came to him: "I heard that you are going to the Teutonic Viscount's mansion for a banquet tomorrow?"

"That's right." Hobert was stunned.

"I haven't been to the other side of Full Moon Lake yet. Please take me to see it together." Helen said with a smile.

In fact, there was no news from her previous informant. She planned to go to the Teutonic Viscount's territory to see if she could get in touch with him again.

Hobert smiled: "Tell the truth."

"Okay, I want to see if it's suitable to develop the power of the Gnosis Society there."

Hobert knew that she still didn't tell the truth, but he didn't ask again: "No problem, but you have to dress up as a maid."

Helen was slightly startled: "Can't I pretend to be your assistant or something?"

"I don't plan to bring my assistant to this kind of private banquet."

"All right."

After sending Helen away, Hobert locked the door and used "travel" to reach the warehouse containing building materials.

Roy had sent people to transport all the construction materials to the warehouse, or simply started to pile them on the construction site.

Finding the warehouse containing the materials for laying the railway, Hobert once again sacrificed the materials to the "Land of Disorder".

Then use the best method to sprinkle it as evenly as possible along the road where the railway is to be laid.

First, there is a roadbed that requires a lot of stones, and then there are sleepers and rails. These are relatively heavy materials. In the contemporary era without large equipment, they can only be transported bit by bit along the railway manually.

If someone else owned the "Nation of Disorder", they would never do such a thing that only railway workers would do.

But Hobert is different. He doesn't have the reserve of the aristocrats, and he also thinks the respectability of the middle class is ridiculous. For him, when it comes to such things, there is only one principle: just be practical.

Since you have extraordinary power, you should use extraordinary power to construct. If you delay your career because of your own identity and dignity, Hobert thinks that would be ridiculous.

After several sacrifices and gifts, the materials were finally scattered for several kilometers, just starting to go up the mountain.

This is the first batch of materials, and a large part of the materials have not been transported from Connacht City. Moreover, because the land acquisition work was only completed today, the work of clearing the roadbed and building culverts and bridges along the way has not yet been completed.

The construction of culverts is for waterproofing and the construction of bridges is to facilitate surrounding residents to cross the railway. These constructions are essential.

Then Hobert came to the mountainside, prayed to himself, and entered the "Land of Disorder". He used the surging "distortion" power to distort the terrain of a small area, making the slope there smooth and smooth.

The flowers, plants and trees that were on the ground before were still on the ground, as if someone was under the ground and kneaded the surrounding terrain again using a technique similar to kneading plasticine.

After finishing all this, Hobert smiled and said: "Today's work is finally over."

So early the next morning, Scola and Valk ran to the Lord's Mansion in a panic: "Sir, Sir! Damn it, your territory was haunted last night!"

Scola said: "The materials stored in the warehouse were scattered along the railway line."

Valcke: "The hillside that we said yesterday would take a lot of effort to level has become smoother!"

"It's haunted! Sir!"

"Nonsense." Hobert didn't like hearing this anymore: "This is obviously the result of me praying to the gods for help. When have you ever seen evil spirits be so kind and help us with construction projects?"

The two designers came to their senses and realized that they had indeed never seen each other before.

But the "gods' help" mentioned by the Duke surprised them even more. During the construction, some bones and ancient tombs would inevitably be dug up. They knew that evil spirits really existed, but they had never seen the gods respond. .

In the end, they all had no choice but to think about the "God's Favored Ones".

Hobert smiled and asked: "If there is help from the gods, do you think you can complete the task I gave you within a month?"

The two people opened their mouths in surprise and said, "Yes!"

Hobert nodded and talked to them about some engineering issues. Then he changed into more formal clothes and sent his mother away with Fors, Donna and others.

Returning to the Lord's Mansion, Hobert changed into a baron's dress again and asked Allen to bring the horse.

Four people, including Helen, Seale, and Kerwin, rode to the pier together and boarded the locally made wooden boat.

The knight Keton who sent the invitation yesterday was already waiting at the pier in the Teutonic realm. Keton couldn't help but glance at Helen a few times, and then smiled and guided everyone to the Teutonic Viscount's mansion, but he would still peek at Helen from time to time.

Hobert noticed that Teutonic Town was larger than Jeffrey Town, but it was lifeless. There were obviously so many residents, and there were many pedestrians on the streets, but they walked like zombies, and their expressions Numb and skinny.

The only place where they feel that they are living people is when they are worshiping some ferocious-looking gods, or kneeling before some abstract symbols.

In the streets and alleys, there are some small statues everywhere. These statues have two thick goat horns on their heads. They either have cold smiles on their faces, or they have ferocious faces, or they have solemn faces, and they hold giant swords.

Many people prostrated themselves before the statues on the street, as if they were possessed by evil spirits, shouting some honorifics in local dialects with all their strength.

There was a bit of madness in the religious atmosphere, and it also gave Hobert a feeling of numbness and ignorance. This feeling reminded Hobert of the depiction of the White Lotus in a movie he saw when he was very young.

Hobert's mind immediately flashed through the intelligence provided by Bishop Simpson. In the already isolated South Colson area, not only was the power of the "Gnostic Society" entrenched, but there were also signs of Blood Worship Cult activities, as well as The power of the Aurora Society exists.

Now, where is the sign? This was the first time that Hobert saw someone making offerings and kneeling down to the devil in the street!

The devil's believers turned a blind eye to the horses of Hobert and his party. Whenever they encountered believers worshiping the devil and were blocked, the Keton knight asked everyone to wait patiently until the whole set of kneeling rituals was completed. Then he led everyone to move forward.

Obviously, the knights of Keton were accustomed to this sight, and as a knight, they had to make way for these believers and dismounted to show a pious look.

In addition to these statues of gods, there are also some abstract symbols painted on the wall. These abstract symbols Hobert had seen before in a notebook.

That notebook came from the room containing the corpse of the ancient Death God, the unlucky guy who had turned into a skeleton. When he was looking for the Skeleton Lord, he encountered the scene of sacrificing to the devil.

During related explorations, he saw and wrote down such symbols in his notebook.

According to the description in the notes, there should not only be symbols, but also a big tree with the body hanging on it.

After leaving the town, Hobert and his party encountered such a big tree.