Sir! Don't close the net!

"Really? You should have said so earlier, you made me nervous... Huh? What did you say?"

“I’ll be leaving the day after tomorrow or the day after that. I’ll do some preparations in the next few days,” Li Yili said, putting her left hand under Valhou Rai’s legs and her right hand around Valhou Rai’s neck. She picked Valhou Rai up in a princess carry and then tossed her onto the sofa.

"Wait a minute! Are you crazy?! You...you don't understand what I mean?!"

"Of course I understand, the sooner we leave, the better."

Li Yili gave a thumbs up.

Chapter 51 Beware of Li Yili Playing the Mother Card

Li Yili understood what Valhou Lei meant. Thorns had become a city of thorns, and the establishment of the Fallen Forest of Aipo was definitely not as simple as a usurpation. The whole thing never mentioned Bishop Azawi, but Bishop Azawi's shadow was evident everywhere.

The destruction of one capital city and the establishment of another capital city happened so smoothly. Who would believe that there was no Bishop Azaveta manipulating things behind the scenes?

The only officials in Eden who could convince everyone that the Thorns were destroyed by a natural disaster were Bishop Azawi and the Crusades.

In other words, Stranglethorn City itself is a huge piece of evidence that could overthrow the current Eden. Either the Crusades are keeping an eye on Stranglethorn City, or Stranglethorn City is so dangerous that it doesn't need anyone to keep an eye on it. Either way, going to Stranglethorn City is an extremely dangerous thing.

But if we think about it from the opposite perspective, those who realize the truth about the destruction of Eden's capital are either unwilling to offend Bishop Azawi or, like Valhae Rae, pretend not to know because of their status. In the end, Eden's capital is the capital of Eden, and the fact that everyone in Thorn City is dead in the eyes of the public is an unchangeable fact. Revealing the truth about Thorn City may not even bring chaos.

It won't affect the current situation, and it will completely oppose Bishop Azazel. This is a losing proposition. [Everyone knows] it's an incredibly perfect yet illusory defensive line.

After all, the matter of thorns is not pleasant to talk about, and Bishop Azawi is too proud to mention it. He would rather no one mention it. If he keeps sending people to keep an eye on it, it will definitely not be hidden from Galar Horn and others. It will most likely be brought up again and again. Since everyone understands, why bother to send people to keep an eye on it?

Of course, the idea that Bishop Azawi was not being watched was purely Li Yili's speculation. If Bishop Azawi was being watched... then he could just pack up and leave. If he got caught, he could say that the editor-in-chief of a certain newspaper felt there wasn't any big news lately and asked him to come to the former capital of Eden, Thorns, to see if there was anything he could talk about.

As long as the real truth is not touched, Bishop Azavet is still very careful about his image.

However, Li Yili did not immediately set off for Thorn City. Instead, she first visited the Fire Elf Steelworks. Naturally, as the minister of the Black Goat's cubs, Li Yili was discovered by the members of the Fire Elves as soon as she appeared. They escorted her all the way to the factory manager's office at the Fire Elf Steelworks, where she was offered hot tea and snacks. Under the guise of hospitality, they were actually monitoring her.

Having missed the opportunity to investigate the steel plant's wastewater discharge, Li Yili simply sat on the sofa and started eating snacks. Soon after, Joey, the vice minister of the Flame Elf, pushed open the door and entered.

"Isn't this Minister Li Yili? Since you were coming, why didn't you have Alma inform me first?" Joey smiled and shook hands with Li Yili. "I would have been able to prepare to welcome you earlier. Alma is really something, I'll give her a piece of my mind later!"

“Don’t worry about it, I just had a sudden thought. Secretary Alma is currently faithfully carrying out the task given to her by the fire elf, and for the time being—” Li Yili’s lips curled up slightly as she released Joey’s hand, “she can’t get away.”

Joyhu

He gasped for breath, and a few beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Has it been discovered that we wanted to pin all the blame for the temple's construction failure on the black goat's calf?

“It seems I misunderstood Secretary Alma. She is indeed doing her best to assist the Black Goat’s cub in fulfilling the headquarters’ requirements,” Joey smiled slightly, took a few steps back and sat down on another chair, crossing her index fingers in front of her knees. “So, Minister Li Yili, what is this sudden idea you’ve come up with?”

We must seize the initiative!

“Speaking of which, where is Minister Josephine?” Li Yili picked up her hot tea and swirled it around. “Did she go to see someone? Judging from Minister Joey’s appearance, she must have rushed back.”

Joey's cheek twitched.

The initiative has been lost.

“Minister Li Yili, as a mere cub of the Black Goat, it seems you are not qualified to interfere with who Minister Yan Elf meets or who she wants to meet.”

Joey regretted his words as soon as he finished speaking. It was tantamount to admitting who Josephine was currently meeting, and this kind of confrontational tone would make the atmosphere very tense. A tense atmosphere means that everyone will stop pretending and start to show their cards. Li Yili had two trump cards in her hand: Black Goat and Dela Pal.

he?

He had nothing in his hands. When he came back, Josephine had told him that no matter what Li Yili said, he must stay calm.

“Yes, that’s true. Even if it’s Minister Josephine, who is of the same rank, there’s no reason for me to inform him of his schedule,” Li Yili shrugged. “I’m sorry, please convey my apologies to Minister Josephine when he returns.”

Joey was stunned for a moment, and after pondering Li Yili's words and tone, she stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

There was no sarcastic tone, but rather a very sincere apology?

What kind of move is this?

Joey coughed loudly and adjusted his posture. "Minister Li Yili, you flatter me. The black goat's cubs now bear the heavy responsibility of completing the department's project. The Flame Elf should naturally do everything in its power to help the black goat's cubs and meet all their needs. As long as you need it, Minister Li Yili—"

Joey hesitated for a moment, then patted his chest and made a promise.

"I'll drag the minister back right now!"

Although he didn't know what Li Yili was up to, he had to be wary of her playing the mother card.

“Ah~ that’s an exaggeration,” Li Yili waved her hand. “But you’ve hit the nail on the head. I wanted to ask the Fire Elf Steelworks for help, but the terms were too far-fetched, so I thought I’d go there in person to show my sincerity. But since you’ve already said that, it would seem pretentious if I said anything more.”

Joey's lips twitched violently. If he could turn back time, he would definitely travel back to a few minutes ago and slap himself for ensuring that all the needs of the black goat's offspring were met.

Why make such a big deal out of it!

He believed in the Fire Elves' resources at the steel mill, but their resources weren't easily acquired; every little bit saved counted. Judging from Li Yili's tone, this was clearly a huge, outrageous offer, so big that she was even prepared to be rejected and then play the "mother card." And he readily agreed.

“That’s true, but we’re all colleagues, working for headquarters,” Li Yili stood up and clapped her hands. “So I’d like to ask Vice Minister Joey to first show me around the basic procedures of the Fire Spirits, after all—”

"If you can't do something, you can't do it. Forcing it on others, especially your colleagues, is really unethical."

Under Li Yili's gaze, Qiao Yi subconsciously swallowed, turned her gaze away, got up and quickly walked to the door of the minister's office, opened the door and grinned at Li Yili.

"Minister Li Yili, please walk this way."

Chapter 52 This is the Nibelungen harbor.

“Mr. Josephine, I invited you here for no other reason than this.”

Austin swirled the wine in his glass, glancing sideways at Josephine, who sat on the sofa with her legs crossed, not touching the pastries or tea on the table the entire time.

"You instructed us to hire fifty Jacobs to be delivered to the sheep village logistics, didn't you?"

Josephine tilted her head, glanced at the shadow behind Austin, and smiled disdainfully. "Austin, you don't think you can talk to me like that just because that guy is behind you, do you?"

Austin's lips twitched slightly. Indeed, Josephine, as a chosen one of the gods, was far superior to him, an ordinary person, in terms of the level of life. Josephine could crush him as easily as crushing an ant with her fingers. If he hadn't spent a lot of money to hire the person behind her, he wouldn't even have dared to meet Josephine.

Of course, we absolutely cannot lose in terms of momentum!

“The man sitting before you is a nobleman from Hagen, Mr. Josephine. You are showing contempt for the nobles of Hagen. Before Hagen, even the chosen ones are nothing more than charioteers,” Austin sneered.

“It’s a collateral branch,” Josephine said with a cold laugh, arms crossed. “Why can you so easily use privileges that don’t belong to you to threaten others?”

The best course of action in life is to be low-key, even more low-key, like tree roots spreading across the earth to draw nourishment and stabilize oneself. Although Austin's so-called Hagen aristocratic lineage may be weak and just a rumor, Austin's constant flaunting of Hagen aristocratic status makes even the false seem true.

Josephine didn't care about Austen, but she didn't want Austen to do something impulsive that would disgust her, so she always...

He refrained from clashing with Austin.

And now Austin actually wants to team up with Li Yili to kick him out of Instas.

Can this be tolerated?

Josephine's smile gradually turned cold.

We need to give Austin a good talking-to, so that this man with nothing but lard in his head will fully understand his methods.

Those favored by the gods are powerful not only in terms of strength.

Austin's lips twitched, then he exhaled. "Josephine, I advise you not to let your divine favor cloud your judgment and prevent you from discerning the situation."

Although Instas is primarily a fishing industry, times are changing. The Church of Steam and Steel has been constantly innovating its technology, and steel will be the cornerstone of the future. As the world's largest seaport, Instas will be the first place to benefit from technological innovation. While the fishing industry will not be affected, its share in the Instas market will decline sharply.

The decline in the proportion of the fishing industry is equivalent to a decline in his status in Instasdas.

The Fire Spirit Steelworks controls Instars Steel.

He was constantly worried that with technological advancements, the fire spirits wielding steel would gradually step over him and even replace him. If the fire spirits hadn't never shown any hostility towards him, he probably wouldn't be able to sleep every night.

But now the fire spirit has revealed its hostility, and not just a little bit, but a naked ambition to overthrow his position in Instas.

As for Li Yili, Yangcun Logistics was an outside help that Josephine found.

“The situation, ah~ speaking of the situation, do you know why my confidant rushed out just now?” Josephine held up a finger, “because the Minister of Logistics of Sheep Village, Levi Ist Richard, visited the Fire Elf and said he had something important to discuss with me.”

Josephine narrowed her eyes slightly.

So what? Your henchman is in my hideout now and needs to discuss something with me! I bet you're not worried!

Austin clenched his fists instinctively.

Damn it! They're actually serious!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

“Minister Li Yili, this is the warehouse. I’m not bragging, but our warehouse has every kind of metal material you can think of in the world,” Joey proudly introduced the Fire Elf’s warehouse while stealing glances at Li Yili’s expression.

Unfortunately, Li Yili not only didn't show any surprise, but even seemed uninterested, which puzzled Joey. However, he still followed the procedure and led Li Yili to the factory where steel was usually cast.

"Wow, it's huge!" Li Yili exclaimed. "Do you usually smelt metals here?"

“This is just one of them,” Joey breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Li Yili’s expression change, then raised his chin with pride. “We have a total of seven factories like this in Instars!”

"I see."

So bland—

Joey's face fell. "So, Minister Li Yili, please feel free to make any requests you have. The Fire Elf Steel Plant can operate at full capacity."

Li Yili crossed her arms and frowned slightly.

With Joey watching over him, his movements were very inconvenient, but judging from the attitude of the fire elf members towards him and Joey's performance, it was clearly impossible for him to move freely.

"Uh—Minister Li Yili, is there something you're unhappy about?" Seeing Li Yili frown, Joey's heart skipped a beat.

“Of course I’m dissatisfied, Vice Minister Joey, I won’t hide it anymore,” Li Yili sneered. “The Flame Elf didn’t play any clean tricks before, which forced me to prepare for several possible moves.”

Joey was taken aback at first, then her expression turned cold. "Minister Li Yili, what do you mean by this? We have already guaranteed that we will meet whatever needs you have."

“Then why would Abel Z. Morningstar, a candidate for the Crusade, appear in Instas, and even in front of me?” Li Yili poked Joey’s shoulder with her finger. “Isn’t it because you guys are dishonest and something went wrong somewhere?”

"What did you say!" Joey's eyes widened.

This reaction...

Li Yili narrowed her eyes slightly and then spread her hands. "I have no reason to lie about this matter. You have informants in Instas, right? You might as well use your informants to investigate. This morning, this candidate deliberately blocked my way, but he probably didn't find any clear evidence, so I came here to take a look."

Li Yili looked around and then hummed in agreement.

"The appearances are well done, I can't find any problems, but I don't know where this candidate found the problem."

"Damn it—" Joey cursed under his breath, glanced at the factory behind him, then at Li Yili, hesitated for a moment, and then bowed his head to Li Yili. "I'm sorry, Minister Li Yili, I have some things to do. Please, go ahead!"

After saying that, Joey turned and rushed toward the factory behind him. There were seven more factories like this that needed to be inspected.

"That's so strange..."

Li Yili followed slowly with her hands behind her back.

"This is the Nibelungen seaport, Deputy Minister Joey, you've got the wrong target."