Mystery: A Spark

This is because the Umbrella Corporation's development is still limited to the Kingdom of Rune and it cannot yet cross national boundaries to reach the whole world.

At this point, a crucial element is usually needed.

That's war.

A war would break this constraint and spread the Umbrella Corporation's influence far and wide.

Meanwhile, the digestion of Arthur's "Iron Knight" potion also requires the war.

However, not all wars are the same.

In Arthur's plan, this war will be kept within a certain intensity and will not cause too much damage.

Because in present-day Rune, the Steam Church has partnered with the Earth Church, and the two are exerting subtle pressure on the Night Church, which can only "helplessly" maintain a yielding posture.

Under such circumstances, even if the Church of War and the Church of Night went to war as in the original story, the scope of the conflict would be very limited, and it would never develop into a super-large war between countries, or even between multiple countries.

If there is no accident.

……

Inside a luxurious villa in Backlund.

At this moment, a number of well-dressed and elegantly dressed gentlemen had gathered here.

However, the gentlemen's faces did not display the usual relaxed and joyful demeanor of gatherings; instead, they were filled with seriousness and heaviness.

"Have you heard? That person's injuries have healed, and he's about to return to Backlund," a slightly overweight man wearing a silk top hat and a black vest said in a deep voice.

“Our cooperation with Umbrella Corporation is going very well right now, but once that person returns, the situation here will become confusing and unclear again,” said another slender man, also dressed in formal attire.

“We have to do something,” another gentleman said.

"Heh~ Come on? What do you want to do? What can you do? Do you want the same thing to happen again?" The slightly chubby man who spoke first sneered.

"So, are we just supposed to tie our hands and wait for death, like Emperor Roselle suggested?" the gentleman retorted. "We must find a way to prevent that man's return."

"Are you out of your mind?!" The slightly overweight man's expression suddenly turned fierce. He glared at the person who had just spoken and growled:

"Do you think that person couldn't control the situation here when he left Backlund to recuperate from his injuries?"

"Do you think that the development of the Umbrella Corporation during this period, our cooperation with it, and even the involvement of those old party members, are all out of that person's control?"

"Use your pig brain! Do you think the noble Miss Hall would waste even a second on you without that person's permission?"

The slightly overweight man took a breath and said in a calmer tone:

"You still haven't figured it out? That person doesn't want to wipe us all out at all, but rather to bring us under his control and use us for his own purposes."

"So I have gathered you here today not to ask you to say anything about preventing his return, but to tell you that we should welcome his arrival with great ceremony."

"Do you understand? A grand welcome! If you don't understand the meaning of these two words, then you can leave now!"

The slightly overweight man pointed menacingly at the main entrance, but the room remained silent; no one showed any intention of leaving.

Because they knew very well that once they stepped out of that door, it would mean being kicked off the rapidly moving Umbrella Corporation.

This means that countless glittering, alluring gold pounds have passed them by.

This feeling was like being cut into their flesh and bled dry with a knife; they might as well just kill them.

At least this way they don't have to suffer such painful torment.

Seeing that no one moved, the slightly overweight man lowered his hand and said:

"In that case, let's talk about the specific rules."

……

7 Backlund Townsend Street.

In the living room, Hugh slowly blew on the teacup in his hand and said:

"Your return has stirred up the whole of Backlund."

"Hehe, so what if you're restless?" Arthur looked at Hugh, who had become much more imposing and had dark circles under his eyes, and laughed. "On the contrary, you've changed quite a bit lately."

"You have the nerve to say that? If you hadn't dumped everything on me and gone off to have fun, I wouldn't be so exhausted," Hugh said with a resentful look.

These past few months have been more than just exhausting for her; they've been unbearable for her.

In the past, Hugh always saw Arthur looking carefree, as if any trouble was no problem for him and he could easily solve it.

But after she actually took power, she realized how heavy a burden it was to carry the hopes of so many people.

Being cautious and walking on thin ice—that's a true reflection of my life during these past few months.

Whether day or night, even in his dreams after falling asleep, Hugh is always worried that the decisions he makes will be wrong and lead the Workers' Mutual Aid Association astray.

Although she could contact Arthur anytime via messenger, there wasn't enough time for her to seek outside support; she had to make decisions promptly.

Therefore, over the past few months, Hugh's hair has been falling out in clumps.

If Arthur doesn't come back soon, Hugh might face the crisis of going bald at a young age.

But now things are alright, Arthur is back, and Hugh, with his pillar of support, suddenly felt incredibly relaxed.

The sky is blue and the water is green; she can finally escape from her busy schedule.

"Any new moves coming up?" Hugh asked curiously.

She knew that since Arthur had returned at this time, he would definitely be up to something big and would not let things develop freely.

"Look at what you're saying, it's like I'm someone who thrives on chaos. You guys have been doing such a good job lately, I haven't had much to do," Arthur said helplessly, spreading his hands.

"Heh." Hugh's face had a "you're kidding me" look on it. "If you don't do anything after you come back, I'll have Fors copy the New Labor Act ten times."

“There’s no need for that. Fors doesn’t deserve to be accused of such a crime.” Arthur waved his hand. “Alright, speaking of which, I do have an idea, which is to establish a fund to protect the unemployed and bankrupt.”

"The Unemployment and Bankruptcy Protection Fund?" Hugh asked, somewhat surprised. "What's that for?"

"As the name suggests, it is to give those in Rune who have lost their jobs or gone bankrupt for various reasons a chance to get back on their feet.

"It could be an investment, or it could be technical training. In short, it allows many people to have a second chance, preventing them from suffering a complete defeat and having no chance to rise again," Arthur said calmly.

After hearing his words, Hugh couldn't help but swallow hard and said:

"Do you know... how many people like this are there in the entire Loen?"

“I know, there must be quite a few, but that doesn’t matter, because we’re not entirely doing charity.” Arthur tapped the table lightly and said.

"If they want to borrow funds from us to start over, then when they rise again, we will receive a certain percentage of their assets as a reward."

"If they have received our technical training, then once they have settled down, they will need to act as our instructors to help us train the next generation of talent."

"Should we start with... Backlund?" Hugh asked uncertainly.

"Why limit it to Backlund?" Arthur countered.

“Because with our current resources, we probably don’t have enough to provide this kind of treatment for everyone in Rune, so the best way is…” Hugh replied.

“Hugh,” Arthur interrupted Hugh, “we certainly don’t have enough resources to get everyone back on their feet, but we can give them hope.”

He chuckled and said:

"For someone who is bankrupt and desperate, we can use the power of the workers' association to postpone their debts and then give them a chance to start over by providing a certain amount of investment."

"As for technical training, it's even simpler. In the early stages, we can use a one-to-many approach. Anyone who is willing to learn will naturally stand out from the crowd."

Xiu seemed to be deep in thought and said:

"Moreover, doing this will allow us to quickly discover a large number of talented individuals, and these individuals will likely be on the same side as us."

“That’s right, Hugh. Politics and economics have always been inseparable. They complement each other and can create a powerful force,” Arthur said in a deep voice.

……

Hugh left.

Arthur first unfurled a curtain of shadow and performed a ritual to pray to the goddess of night.

As expected, there was no response.

Arthur didn't care; this was exactly what he expected.

Then he took out a piece of paper and wrote a letter to Klein, which mainly consisted of small talk and reminiscing.

After finishing the letter, Arthur took out a gold pound and performed a ceremony to summon the messenger, Gehrman Sparrow.

A figure dressed in an elaborate long dress, carrying six heads in her hands, emerged from the candlelight.

The moment they appeared before Arthur, the four heads in Renette Tinicol's hands turned simultaneously, all their gazes fixed on Arthur.

"Hello, ma'am, could you please deliver a letter to Gehrman for me?" Arthur handed over the letter and the gold pound in his hand.

After a two-second silence, one of Renette Tinicol's heads stepped forward and bit the letter and gold pound in Arthur's hand.

The other two heads spoke in turn:

"Okay." "No problem."

Then, the headless figure disappeared.

Arthur stared intently at the candlelight where the messenger had entered, his gaze deep and unreadable.

Behind him, Arthas's nose twitched slightly before he turned and entered the spirit world.

……

Inside a solemn ancient castle in the spirit world.

The blond, red-eyed middle-aged man looked at the puppy in front of him and asked helplessly:

"Little one, what are you doing here again?"

"Don't you know why I'm here?" Arthas retorted.

"I can't read minds, how would I know what you're thinking?" the middle-aged man chuckled.

Arthas looked the blond, red-eyed middle-aged man in front of him up and down, and said:

“Mr. Nalzdo, I guess your current appearance isn’t your original look, is it?”

"Oh? What makes you say that?" the middle-aged man asked in return.

Arthas smiled and said:

"I guess you gave up a lot to get away back then, and then changed your appearance and name to cover up your existence."