Mystery: Mr. Witch and Ms. Hunter

Chapter 406 Speech in the Rain
(I just came back from the hospital. I didn’t have time to revise yesterday’s chapter. I asked the editor and he said it can be revised within a week. I’ll change it into a fan fiction chapter later.)
Feysac, Indo Port.

The weather today is a bit gloomy. In Feysac, where the four seasons are distinct, it is now early spring, the time for the first rain.

Although it was still early, the Queen Island Shipping Company's headquarters building was already brightly lit, and everyone was busy preparing for the upcoming event.

Azik Eggers stood at the door of Venata's room and knocked gently.

"Give me five more minutes."

Vinata's muffled voice could be heard in the room, as well as the rustling of objects being knocked over and clothes rubbing against each other.

"The civilians in the square won't wait long. We don't have much time to waste."

Azik urged gently, without any compulsion in his tone. According to his schedule, there was still enough time to reach Kalinin Square at the dock, but if he hadn't said so, Vinata might have to worry about her dress for a long time.

"What the hell..."

Vinata complained in dissatisfaction, but still walked out of the room obediently.

She was wearing a thick dress with velvet lining, which was common in Feysac. Her blonde hair was simply tied into a braid at the back of her head, and a bright red tie was hanging in front of her chest, instead of the bow tie that noble ladies often wore.

"This doesn't seem to be the set that Annie picked out yesterday."

Azk showed a little surprise on his face, but it seemed that he had foreseen this result, so he just mentioned it lightly and did not ask Vinata to change back into women's clothes.

"The culture in Feysac favors men over women. Even if a lady wears men's clothes here, she will not be criticized."

Vinata's tone was a little irritable, but out of respect for Mr. Azik, she patiently explained, "Besides, we are going to meet the workers' representatives here, not the princes and nobles. Wearing men's clothes like this will make them feel closer."

This was the first public response made by the nearly paralyzed government agencies of Indo Port after it was separated from Feysac's jurisdiction, under the efforts of Vinata and others to maintain it, as a clear response to the previous trends against the church and the empire's rule.

Similar demonstrations have occurred dozens of times in the city of Feysac, but most of them were gently suppressed by the church and the government through means that only dealt with the symptoms but not the root cause.

But now, Vinata clearly knows that the seriousness of the situation can no longer be dealt with by the usual means.

Perhaps the people of the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom themselves could not have imagined how serious the impact of the anti-church and anti-imperial rule trend they had set off in Feysac in order to shake the anchor of other gods would be.

Workers gathered in the square in groups, and the functions of the entire city were almost at a standstill. Although the Queen Island Company actually controlled the police department, under Vinata's strict prohibition, it only maintained order and did not take any measures to stop it.

"The current situation can no longer be solved by simply issuing empty promises. We must give them a practical answer. They need bread, jobs, and a stable order, and for now, they can only rely on financial support from Loen."

Vinata adjusted her tie. Due to her outstanding figure, the bright red tie did not look so appropriate, and was stuck in the middle a little aggrievedly.

“… Never mind.”

Venata fiddled with it for a few times, then gave up the futile attempt. "Is the carriage ready? Let's go now."

Azik nodded, "The motorcade, including the entourage, has been arranged, and the mounted police have also assembled downstairs."

"That's good."

Vinata put the Rose Heart necklace into her pocket. It would be awkward to wear a necklace with a tie.

For some reason, Vinata's spiritual intuition always felt that the atmosphere today was particularly depressing and there was a high possibility of an accident.

She, who always relied on her intuition, did not ignore this tiny information, but did her best to make all preparations for the unexpected, including Azik's mounted police team and a group of company members who were on standby at any time. However, even so, the uneasiness in her heart still did not disappear, and she could only comfort herself to relieve her stress.

While discussing matters related to the parade, the two came downstairs and saw a carriage with the honeysuckle emblem parked at the gate. Vinata and Azik got on the same carriage.

Ever since Azik revealed that he was a Sequence 7 Beyonder, Venata didn't show much surprise, but she quietly raised his treatment to the corresponding level. As for his previous statement that he had no money and couldn't settle in the north, the two of them tacitly didn't mention it again.

When Adele returns with the fleet, I will ask her to take Mr. Azik there...

Vinata thought to herself, with the corners of her mouth slightly raised.

She had always respected Mr. Azik, even before she knew his Beyonder identity. This was because his bookish aura always reminded Venata of her university tutor, so she was particularly kind to him.

Moreover, since he took office as the captain of the RCMP, he has indeed taken on a lot of work beyond his duties, and he has handled it quite well, as if he had done similar things before.

In response to this, Azik said, "There is a student who has done similar work before and he likes to write to me."

"Ms. Sevens, when these things are over, can you let the Spirituality take me to the northern part of Feysac?"

Azik's gentle voice interrupted Venata's thoughts, "I think my salary during this period should have made up the difference."

"Of course, no problem. You can leave at any time if you want. You don't need to pay any money."

Venata woke up from her reverie and quickly replied, "The previous ship was not able to move, and now the fleet is in a ban period anyway. According to your contribution, it's just a trip, which is nothing."

“But isn’t the company now solving the financial problems of the entire Indo Port?”

Azik hesitated for a moment, "At a time like this, there's no need to add unnecessary burden to me alone."

"It doesn't matter. I've already spent a lot of money, so I don't care about this little bit of money."

Vinata said casually, "Miss Hall has diverted part of her fund to temporarily deal with it for a few days. As for the subsequent plan advancement, she will use her position as the general person in charge of the Jianhai Economic Revitalization Plan to solve it as reasonably as possible."

Vinata had a uniquely vague concept of money. As long as it was necessary expenditure, she didn't care much, no matter if it was just a few pennies or the cash flow of thousands of pounds as the company had grown to its current state. However, she was extremely frugal with some dispensable things, just like when she was a woman, all her belongings could only be covered by a carpet.

Perhaps this careless character is not conducive to the development of the company, but now, the lower-class people in Feysac definitely hope that she will be more generous.

"You can leave anytime you want... Of course, I believe the company's mounted police would be very happy if you could stay here."

Vinata said sincerely.

"Don't worry. At this critical moment, I will definitely not go on vacation alone. Sophie still has a lot of classes to finish."

Azik smiled with complicated meaning and stopped talking about this topic. Instead, he looked out the window where the drizzle was falling.

By this time, the carriage had arrived at the street outside Kalinin Square. The ground, which had not yet been paved with stones, was extremely muddy, making it difficult to walk.

There was a faint sound of spring thunder outside the window and the clouds were rolling in the sky, making people feel depressed from the bottom of their hearts.

"It has started to rain. I wonder how many people will stay to listen to the government's official documents."

Azik said with some concern, "The weather is still very cold, and the late spring cold is also very severe. Should the speech be postponed?"

The temperature in early spring in Feysac is generally low. After just ending a tormenting winter, the immunity of residents has not yet fully recovered. Once they get sick from being caught in the rain, it is easy for them to be drawn into a deeper vortex because they have no money to see a doctor, and eventually be completely crushed by life.

"If the rain continues, we should change the time."

Vinata nodded slightly, "But let's take a look at the venue first..."

When she said this, she glanced out the window and was immediately stunned, with the second half of the sentence stuck in her mouth.

The carriage was slowly stopping outside Kalinin Square, with its windows facing the entrance to the square.

The huge square was now full of people. Judging from the number, there were more than two or three thousand people.

Some of them brought umbrellas, while others just huddled in the rain, crowded around the edges of other people's umbrellas. The fine spring rain gradually soaked their tattered coats, and the square was filled with the smell of plant fibers soaked in water and rags of cotton wool.

However, despite the cold rain falling on them, these Feysac people remained eerily silent, without any trace of the shouting and yelling they had in the bar.

Some of them may have serious diseases such as rheumatism or arthritis, but they still walked out of their not-so-warm homes on this rainy day and came to this square, just to wait for an answer, an answer that will determine whether they have a chance to live beyond the age of fifty.

Vinata's vision gradually became blurred, and the faces of those people gradually distorted in her eyes. They turned into the grandmother who raised her, the mountain villager who was forced to rob on the road because of hunger, and even the ordinary staff responsible for relocating the mountain villagers.

“…Do you want to continue?”

Azik also noticed the scene outside the window, noticed the change in Venata's expression, and asked with some concern.

"Go on, of course you have to go on."

Venata raised her head slightly and exhaled silently, "They came here for an answer, and I am here to give them an answer today."

After saying that, she suddenly opened the door, refused the umbrella offered by Mr. Azik, and jumped out of the carriage nimbly.

Her clean leather shoes stepped on the muddy ground, splashing mud and water that wet her trouser legs. However, she didn't care and walked towards the silent crowd under everyone's gaze. At the end of the crowd was an open-air podium that had been set up long ago.

A commotion broke out in the crowd, instantly drowning out the sound of raindrops hitting the umbrellas. It started as a whisper between two people, then turned into a conversation among many people, and finally the shouts of hundreds of people.

"It's the head of the company. She's really here!"

Then, the crowd parted to both sides like a tide, leaving a wide enough path for Venata to reach the platform unhindered.

Venata strode across the square, passing among all kinds of people, but in her mind it still seemed as if it took a whole epoch to reach the platform.

Her coat had been thoroughly soaked by the rain, and her tie was tightly wrapped around her neck like a sail soaked in sea water, making her feel a little breathless.

Now, everyone in the square saw this strange executive officer who looked very much like Feysac. They saw that she was soaking wet and her shoes were covered with mud and water.

Awkward, indecent, and disgraceful, just like everyone else here.

Vinata cleared her throat, reached out and pulled the luxurious silk tie around her neck, pulled it off and threw it into the mud. Now she was completely the same as the people in the audience.

"I'm Vinata Sersi, a hunter and soldier from the Evernight Plains, and an executive of the Queen Island Company."

Vinata's voice was transmitted far to every corner of the square through the loudspeaker equipment made by Wendy under the stage. Just this one sentence triggered warm cheers from the audience, one wave higher than the other, even drowning out the rain and the thunder.

During the previous marches, the actions of Queen Island Company were seen by all the residents of Indo Port. Whether it was the free dinners provided or the medical services provided to citizens injured in the armed demonstrations, the residents here kept them in mind, and now, they gave Vinata the warmest response.

"I know you all come here with many questions and expectations."

Vinata said, groping in her pocket, "You want to have a job to support yourself, you want to not have to worry about your next meal, you want your children to get an education, you want to be able to freely choose your own beliefs..."

"I have prepared many responses and thought of countless arguments, but you have made me realize that these are meaningless."

Having said this, she paused, took out the speech she had prepared all night from her pocket, and tore it to pieces under the gaze of more than two thousand pairs of eyes.

Then, she shouted to everyone in the audience: "The only thing I want to say to you today is that these demands will be met, your sacrifices will be rewarded, and Indoport will soon become what you expect!"

(End of this chapter)