Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

"The Maple Springs family will not tolerate their enemies, but..." "Just the first half of the sentence is enough. Remember your last name, little brother. Your last name is Maple Springs. Your mother is of course also a member of Maple Springs, not the other way around. The Popenos family killed someone from the Maple Springs family, so blood debt must be paid with blood!"

"You, no, grandpa will support me?"

"What are you worried about?" Otto's eyes widened exaggeratedly. "Before you 'die', even my position will be yours!"

"But I still have to advise you: revenge is one thing, but coming back to inherit the position is another, so you'd better--"

"Of course, I understand." Edward lowered his head. "Then, perhaps it would be better if I died?"

Unexpected support was enough to completely change a child's state of mind. Otto simply nodded slightly, and Edward once again became the "Swampthroat": "Perhaps I should also..."

"Let's get out of here," Shimmer walked up and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Xiao Nu, we have plenty of time to settle this account with them. But before that, we need to plan carefully and thoroughly, don't you agree?"

"My youngest brother is a genius. He can have any ending, but he cannot be consumed by the flames of revenge." Watching the five dragonborn quickly disappear into the darkness, Otto slowly smiled and walked towards Reslaufer. "This is what you told me earlier, Mr. Reslaufer?"

"When you're caught in a bloodbath, the closest person is bound to get into trouble."

Chapter 239 The Return of the Patriarch

Reslaufer was sure that was not what he had meant, but since Otto understood it that way, he had no reason to refute it.

"Clan, family, friends, relatives—these are strength, but also shackles. They can help a child who thought he had no ties return to a predictable path of behavior, which is helpful to everyone." Otto peeked into the alley, immediately marveling at his younger brother's violent and imaginative creation. "Of course, your presence, Mr. Reslaufer, has made all this possible."

"If the one painted here isn't the murderer, maybe it will be me someday...tsk tsk tsk."

"You played a role in this, didn't you?" Angelita observed Otto's movements with a cold eye and said slowly, "For yourself."

"I didn't intend to make it so ugly, really. I thought everyone would be happy if only one child died," Otto shrugged. "But it seems the Popenos family doesn't think so."

"If they had an empire, they wouldn't have resorted to such lengths; or if they only had some family businesses, it would be the same. It's a pity they're stuck here, neither moving up nor down."

"Yeah, what a shame," Otto echoed the sigh. "If only I could get involved. I could certainly do much more than my twelve or thirteen-year-old brother."

"Oh, I almost forgot. Since the dragonborn who contributed the most have already left, and my little brother has never appeared here, who should take the credit for taking down all the robbers and thugs?"

Among the people present, there is probably no one more suitable than a noble to rescue others in the upper city of Qingzun City.

An imperial noble.

This incident may add some glory to Angelita's life in the distant future, but in the short term, it is still too heavy a burden for her.

"Uncle Leslaufer, when can we leave here?" A few days later, Angelita walked in listlessly again. "Honestly, I've almost reached my limit - do I have to respond to invitations from those small families next?"

"You're the darling of one of the ten great families, led by the Luwalu and Fengquan families, and the young hero of Qingzun City. What's wrong with expanding your influence?" Reslaufer said absentmindedly. "Anyway, it seems like you're just hosting and attending banquets."

"For the nobles, that's part of the job. Dealing with them is boring as hell. Just avoiding those language traps is annoying enough," Angrita sighed. "I even miss those beasts and monsters in the wilderness now!"

"Really?" Raslaufer turned with a half-smile. "If you want..."

"Forget it!" Angelita ran out quickly, "I was just saying it casually!"

A light laugh escaped from Leslaufer's throat. He turned over his palm and took out the book he had hastily hidden just now - he didn't want Angelita to see this in advance.

As the papers were quickly flipped, the mercenary's eyes flashed with diagrams with precise scales, lines, and circles. This was a book on the detailed explanation of Kolarsund swordsmanship, which he had been busy with recently. However, hard work pays off, and he finally found it.

Corazonde's swordplay was renowned and easy to find at the market, but obtaining a genuine copy was harder than climbing to heaven. Swordplay, geometry, and physics were all incredibly difficult for the average person, and sifting through the correct version without a knack was nearly impossible. Luckily, however, Raslaufer was no ordinary person; he had been to Corazonde and had learned a bit of the basics.

Those cloak tricks are one part of it, but the other part is mainly about identifying true Corazonde swordsmanship.

However… the mercenary flipped through the book once more and put it away, his brow slowly furrowing once more. While exchanging this swordsmanship book, certain influences seemed to be spreading throughout the upper and lower districts of Qingzun City. These changes were mostly invisible to the nobles and commoners, but mercenaries like Reslaufer had special access, and they knew and could speculate more.

"The gangs in the lower city of Qingzun City were modeled after the families of the lords in the upper city, but now they're starting to consolidate. Several major gangs are starting to recruit members separately - is this some kind of competition? But why now?" Leslaufer murmured. "If this is seen as a follow-up effect of the fire, then the impact is too great."

"Or maybe they are opposites, and it just happens..."

"Uncle Leslaufer!" Angelita's head reappeared at the door. "Just now, Governor Alfonso sent us an invitation, asking if we would like to attend a new banquet for the tenth-ranked Curry family."

"You just said you didn't like parties."

"But work is work, right?" the girl blinked innocently. "The Curry family patriarch has been away working for five years and hasn't returned. His youngest son seems to be three years old now. Many people are waiting to see what changes his return will bring. I think we shouldn't miss this opportunity."

"Okay, if you say so, then so be it," Leslaufer thought for a moment and nodded. "I've been in the Lower Town for so long these days that I almost forgot about these 'big shots'. I'll go with you. You can also ask other people. It would be best if we could all come together."

"Okay... Uh, Uncle, did you hear something?" Angelita was about to leave when she suddenly felt something was wrong. "They get tired of this kind of thing much faster than I do. Once the novelty wears off, they find it boring."

Under these circumstances, dragging them to participate in various activities was obviously not a good idea. Angarita hadn't forced them to do anything in the past few days, so why...

"I didn't hear any news, just in case." Leslaufer paused, "precisely because I didn't hear any news."

The tenth-ranked family was also one of the top ten families in Qingzun City, distinguishing themselves from the others. However, news of their patriarch's impending return should have spread long ago. How could those gangs and several mercenary gathering points not have received any advance notice? The Curry family was in the wine business, not just those leafy leaves, so there was no need to suppress the news.

If it was the latter, people like them should have heard the news long ago! There must be something wrong here, but because there was no news, Reslaufer couldn't confirm what the problem was.

I hope they are not targeting Angelita. The patriarch of the Curry family should not have the qualifications to collude with the Empire, right?

Chapter 240 Assassination

The return of the Curry family patriarch was undoubtedly a major event in Qingzun City. In the face of this, even the fire that occurred not long ago seemed dim.

From the upper and lower towns, people flocked to the massive caravan. It was rumored that their trade in Corazonde was a resounding success, even establishing a long-term, stable trade relationship with the local king and church. The Curry family's reaction essentially acknowledged this. Vast quantities of wine were poured into the river blessed by the god of wine, and all manner of delicacies floated to the surface, accompanied by the aroma of the wine, bringing a revelry beyond the city's festive spirit.

However, among this crowd, there were two people who wrapped their whole bodies in cloaks and did not even look at the delicious food and wine. They just kept pushing through the crowd in front of them and kept getting closer to the caravan.

Leslaufer noticed this scene and nudged Angarita beside him: "Look over there."

"Assassin?" Angelita was stunned. "Should we warn him?"

"It's too far, too late," Leslaufer compared the distances between the three parties. "But there's no need to worry. The Curry family just returned from Corazonde, where things are even more chaotic than Inassus. Their guards will definitely be able to—"

Before the mercenary finished speaking, he saw that several guards had noticed the unusual movements of the two men. However, before they stopped the attackers, one of them suddenly lifted up his cloak, and underneath the cloth was a metallic luster that reflected the sunlight!

"It's a construct!" Leslaufer and others who were watching not far away heard the guards' shouts, but it was too late. Before a close guard could knock down the patriarch of the Curry family, a large cloud of black and smelly smoke spewed out from the black hole in the chest of the "man", and a little flame quickly ignited it in the air!

"Smoke powder! Get down, everyone get down!" Vondar's shouts were faintly heard between the ringing in his ears, mixed with the dwarf's curses and angry roars, "That's not how you use smoke powder! How can you use smoke powder like this—"

But the dwarf was soon speechless. The exploding cloud of smoke and powder was merely a deception; the real killer was another cloaked, equally constructed monstrosity. Just as the cloud of smoke and powder completely captured the attention of the surrounding spellcasters and guards, drawing them to cast "dispel magic" spells (as a magical explosive, smoke powder could be dispelled, rendering it permanently ineffective), the other construct raised its arm. From the equally deep, flared barrel of the gun, a vortex of thunder and lightning erupted, instantly enveloping every living thing in the surrounding area!

After a while, another violent explosion sounded from the thunder and lightning storm that obscured the view. When everything dissipated, only broken limbs and fragments were left around the carriage of the Curry family patriarch, and not even a trace of the two constructs was left!

"This is definitely not human technology! I've only seen it in the manuscripts left behind by the former Dwarven Empire!" Vondar Banqiu stared at everything in front of him with his mouth wide open. The thunderstorm and explosion just now couldn't even make him blink, but even so, he could only barely make out the Construct Assassins' techniques. "I have to write them down quickly before I forget - this is very important!"

"Old Feng, wake up! Someone just assassinated Archduke Ferdinand here, and it worked in one try!" Daisy raised her hand and grabbed the dwarf's collar tightly. "Everyone's running around. Where are you going?"

Daisy's legs and feet were a little weak at this moment, but the companions around her gave her enough sense of security, not to mention that she herself was also a spellcaster.

"Maintain order! Don't trample!" Bella had already started trying to help, but the druid's figure was like a small boat in the ocean among the chaotic and frightened crowd. Not only was she unable to sort out the turbulence around her, she herself was in danger of being overturned several times.

"Get out of the way! I don't want to die!" A guy wearing a low-brimmed hat pushed Bella roughly, almost dragging her under thousands of boots. However, before he could continue to escape, a big hand grabbed his neck and lifted him into the air.

"Everyone, stand still!" Leslaufer's roar was like a thunderclap. But this was obviously not enough. The crowd around him only paused for a moment before the commotion spread again.

"What are you doing? Put me down, put me down--" The man held up by Reslaufer was still struggling, but the sky above him suddenly darkened. In his last sight, a curved and thick claw darted into his throat, and then under the action of gravity, it cut down along his flesh.

The sight of warm blood and visceral fragments instantly sent the crowd into a state of panic. However, as more bodies lay strewn across the streets, the peak of panic could no longer move the people. With another roar from Reslaufer, the chaotic scene strangely came to a near standstill. Even the guards from the various families were paralyzed, daring not to move a muscle.

Of course, among such a huge number of people, there were naturally some people far away who did not understand the situation. However, as the three-meter-long Deinonychus leaped into the air with blood and flesh in front of those who were still hoping for luck, no matter who they were, they could only fall to the ground with their buttocks, and no longer had the desire to resist.

"Restlover, they are—"

Bella was stunned by such a violent act. She couldn't help but rush to the mercenary, but the latter just waved his hand at her:

"What do you think I've been doing in the downtown area these days? They're all members of those gangs. They're the rats in the gutter, so it's not a pity they're dead. Maybe this assassination was also their work."

"Guards, maintain order! Everyone must be inspected, no exceptions!" Alphonse Loire's voice rang out in time, and soon the crowd began to move again, but this time under guidance. The Archon, his body now a mess, took the opportunity to hurried towards Reslaufer.

"It seems our Lord Archon was very close to the explosion just now," Leslaufer observed, observing the old man's disheveled and tattered clothes. "It seems the attacker might have been planning to kill two birds with one stone."

"I'm just an old man who was elected. Killing one more of me is meaningless." Alfonso stared at Leslough. "But you, I need an explanation."

"I used to think you were a chivalrous figure like Patrick, but now it seems that's not the case, is it?"

Chapter 241 Some are happy and some are sad

"The gangs in downtown are fanning the flames and trying to muddy the waters," Leslaufer responded calmly. "You can send someone to check this guy's identity. He's from the Night Owl Gang."

Alfonso stopped and frowned as he looked at the corpse that had been ripped open by Black Claw.

"Your Excellency, the investigation has begun successfully," a personal attendant trotted over to his side, glancing timidly at the mercenary, "This way..."

"Go check this man's identity," Alfonso pointed to the body on the ground, "and confirm which gang he belongs to in downtown."

"I understand! What about the others..." "Check this one first."

The henchman quickly left the scene, while Leslaufer and the others had to stay where they were - they were almost not suspected, but the rules were the rules, especially when a mercenary and his monster partner killed seven people in public.

Vondar asked Alfonso for a pen and paper. The dwarf didn't care about anything that happened in front of him at the moment. He only had one thing to do, which was to reconstruct every detail he had just seen as accurately as possible. This was very important to him.

"Uncle Reslaufer, are they really..." Angelita glanced at Alfonso and his men who were deliberately keeping a distance from them, and leaned close to Reslaufer and asked in a low voice, "Is what you said true?"

"I saw this man at the door of the Night Cat Gang, I'm very sure." Lesloff nodded, and his voice was deliberately heard by his companions and Alfonso.

"Then what about the others..." Angelita trailed off. She was a smart girl. Leslaufer was neither a priest nor a paladin, so it was impossible for him to accurately identify evildoers in a crowd.

But or, should we just let the panic spread and the chaos continue?

"Sir Reslaufer, I'm sorry. It seems I misunderstood you." A moment later, as the attendant who had just left returned, Alfonso's originally gloomy expression brightened up again. "If you hadn't acted decisively, we might have suffered even greater casualties."

Bella, standing by, finally breathed a sigh of relief. If she had to choose between herself and the seven civilians, the druid would rather give up the former. But if the other party was the instigator, then they deserved it.

"It's just a piece of cake," Leslaufer nodded. "I hope you can find the murderer quickly. But it seems obvious to me, isn't it?"

"You mean the Wheat Harvesting Society?" Alfonso raised an eyebrow. "Yes, but the problem now is that it's difficult for us to find the exact location of that Wood. The priests of Dionysus are not good at this, and even more strangely, several arcane masters have found nothing. But that Wood was just a farmer for the first half of his life. How could he have reached this point..."

Of course, Wood alone couldn't do it, but if he added the existence that gave him everything, the effect would be completely different.

"Oh, I thought you were making a big deal out of nothing, but now it seems that if it weren't for this caution, we might not have succeeded." In the secret room, Wood's ears once again heard the familiar whisper. "But this way, you've wasted another chance. Do you remember the contract we signed?"

"When the number of times is exhausted, my soul will belong to you, regardless of whether I have completed my own work or not," said Wood, who was short but nicknamed "Big Man", with his eyes closed. "Of course I remember."

"But I haven't seen any signs of the collapse of Qingzun City yet. Forgive me for stating my opinion, but Mr. Wood, who once aspired to bring all the nobles of Qingzun City to the dust along with the large wine glass above, now seems keen to serve as a pawn for the nobles."

"Do you really think that after Liszt gets what he wants, he will still be willing to continue to act according to your ideas?"

Wood's mouth curled up: "He will. After all, after this, Lister will only be the tenth family."

"If he doesn't want to be forced to expand abroad like the Curry family, and then die in an explosion after finally returning home in glory, then he can only follow my ideas. After all, people in this city who are more reliable than me may not give him advice."

"Yes, for example, his daughter. I think she is very likely to ruin your plan." The voice laughed out loud and disappeared without a trace. "But those are issues you need to consider. I won't ask too much. Hahahaha——"

"Margaret..." Wood's owner's cold snort echoed in his secret room. "She's just a young girl. And most importantly, she can't influence Rody because he's her father."

"My daughter is very smart, but definitely not as smart as me...very good, very good."

That night, laughter occasionally echoed through the Lister family's courtyard. Meanwhile, across town, within the Curry family, mourning reigned. This wasn't simply due to the murder of the patriarch, but rather the myriad reactions it triggered. With the murder of the former Curry patriarch, the entire family's closely connected businesses were in jeopardy.

Trade isn't just a money-eating beast; the flow of capital involves not only profit but also a significant portion of borrowing and debt. When a capable leader is in office, their charisma can make people feel comfortable placing gold under their wing, maximizing profits. But now that this leader is dead, how can the new leader prove that he possesses the same competence and charisma as his predecessor?

For investors, this will take time to test, and it is a very reasonable move to reduce losses before the test is completed. As for the problems caused by this, that is the Curry family's problem, not theirs.

During this period, it would undoubtedly be a good idea to find a new family with sufficient potential, such as... the Lister family.

"The Lister family has become the new tenth family?" Daisy was completely stunned when she returned from the tavern with this news. "Didn't Edward say the Lister family was only ranked nineteenth? This speed of rise is even more outrageous than using a jumping technique!"

"There's nothing surprising about success and failure," said Angelita, who remained unfazed. "The Matt family wasn't the most promising one back then. Look at the empire now."

"Besides, I've looked into the so-called rankings before. Influence is a truly mysterious concept. Starting from the fourth place, the rest are probably just the candidates finalized by the first three families. If you don't believe me, go check the rankings of Qingzun City in various periods of time. The Luwalu and Fengquan families have almost never fallen out of third place."

Unlike Reslaufer, the mercenaries preferred to roam the streets of the Lower City, while Angarita used this time to search the Upper City for information she might find useful. This information might not necessarily be of any real significance to her, but that was the nature of her education. Seeing and hearing were relegated to the background, while sifting through the ambiguous rhetoric of the civil servants became a more crucial skill.

Chapter 242 Golden Fire Gun

"If you say so, then so be it. I don't understand it either," Daisy spread her hands. She was only responsible for listening to these rumors in the tavern where she often performed. As for whether they were useful or not, she had no control over them. "By the way, Old Feng even locked himself in the house?"

She looked around and saw that the door to Vondar's room was still closed. Over the past two days, the dwarf had still locked himself in there, and the only time he came out was to empty the full wastebasket.

Daisy had taken a few glances at it. It was probably the design drawings of some kind of firearms. For this bard who couldn't even remember the ratio of black powder, these things were really too advanced.

"Not yet," Angrita said helplessly, "I just hope Vondar can finish this job before the day after tomorrow. After all, the day after tomorrow is..."

"Oh, of course. You'll be an adult the day after tomorrow, right?" Daisy grinned. "Don't worry, I've prepared several songs, from elegant to low-brow—okay, okay, to folk, folk. In short, I'm sure you won't be bored!"

"But speaking of which, it seems the Lister family's banquet has been moved to the Day of Fire. That's a shame. The patriarch of that family stopped us at the city gate. I really want to see what his expression is like now."

"Then you probably won't be able to see it," Angelita said with a smile as she handed Daisy a list. "Alfonso showed me the guest list. The Lister family only sent their daughter, probably to avoid this kind of embarrassment."

Daisy rolled her eyes at that. She took the list and glanced at it casually. "That's boring! Boring! I thought—Hey, Annie, isn't Alfonso's name on this list either? What's he up to? Is there an explanation?"

"No, he just had some things to attend to that day," Angelita said without a doubt. "Even nobles have more important things to do than hosting a banquet. Besides, this is just a coming-of-age ceremony for a foreigner."

"If he doesn't attend, there are plenty of others who will!" With a bang, the dwarf's door was kicked open from the other side. His burnt yellow beard fluttered like a whirlwind, and he rushed in front of the two people with a strong smell of cigarette powder. "Come and see the little gadgets I prepared for you!"