The City of Marronligar

The official seat of the city hall is not only the premise of participating in the core affairs of Marenlica, but also given considerable symbolic significance.

In principle, as long as they can play a certain role in the daily operation of the city-state, such as representatives of industry associations and community elders who have the right to speak (leaders of underground gangs are not included), they all have the opportunity to participate in city hall meetings. The status of the successor is not permanent and may be handed over to a successor at any time as the case may be.

This is not the case with official seats.In addition to routine meetings, people with this identity are equivalent to standing with the Governor's Mansion, and can intervene in the deployment of the city-state's actual resources in a more direct and long-term manner (this also creates opportunities for them to use the rules to enrich themselves). Really grasped the authority of Ma Lunlijia.

——Miscellaneous Notes of Yinwan Tower · City-state Government and City Hall Meeting

On the second night of the cold wave, the candles in the study room of the Feishi Mansion were not extinguished for a long time.

Sophia was sitting at the table, her fingers were interlocked tightly, her curly black hair was loosely scattered behind her shoulders, and the flickering candlelight cast trembling shadows between her frowning brows.

Adrian stood aside with a worried expression on his face.After hesitating for a long time, he said cautiously, "Ma'am, let's wait patiently for news from the Beacon and Heshan Manor. Everything is still under control."

The acting patriarch of the Torreso family still frowned.Even the meteorological researcher at Silver Bay Pagoda thought it was unnatural. It would take a long time for the news to come back from Logmar, and it would be impossible to know what happened to his brother on the other side of the continent in the short term. It made her uneasy.

She raised her head, her eyes showed inextricable worry and exhaustion: "Adrian, I remember you have a twin sister."

Adrian didn't know why Sophia asked about this, so he had to answer honestly: "Yes, her name is Chloe."

"Is there that...spiritual connection between you? If one party is in danger, does the other party feel it?"

After thinking for a moment, Adrian replied: "There should be, but it's not as magical as people say. We can't share each other's vision, let alone predict what the other party will face. It's just that sometimes we can feel that we don't belong to ourselves. Strong emotional fluctuations. Compared with telepathy, it should be closer to 'tacit understanding'."

Sophia sighed deeply, lowered her head again, and her soft and beautiful voice was slightly hoarse: "I wish those mysterious legends were true. But now, I can only feel uneasy—my brother Samuel may In excruciating pain. Other than that, I don't know anything."

"..."

Aside from Louis, Adrian hadn't succeeded in comforting anyone older than him.Facing Sophia, he couldn't think of more effective words for a while.

Perhaps letting Darren play is a good choice?With her young son, Sophia, as a mother, may be able to put aside her worries for a while; Darren is a gentle and intelligent child, and his childish and undisgusted behavior always brings joy to the Flying Lions Mansion.

However, before Adrian came up with a complete plan, Sophia had forced herself to adjust her expression and mentality, and turned back into the long-sleeved, decisive mansion hostess.

"Anyway, we have to prepare for the worst," she said calmly. "If this is really a part of the catastrophe, the situation in Marenlica is likely to change. My brother is not here, but the Flying Lion Mansion is still supported by us; Judge Sauron is the real local governor of the church in Marenlica. Talking sometimes works better than the rector, and sooner or later his absence is going to be a big problem."

In the face of catastrophe, once the balance of power of all parties is broken, no one knows what will happen.

Sophia took a deep breath: "Although I am very reluctant to say this...Adrian, we must be prepared for 'Samuel is dead'."

It is undoubtedly cruel to let her say such words in person.Sophia is stubbornly supporting her will to face reality by being cruel to herself.

"In the eyes of others, he is still recuperating in the Heshan Manor, but you and I both know the real situation. Facing the people outside the mansion, we just need to bite this to death and put aside his relationship with the religious order. The city hall has come After notification, tomorrow is an emergency meeting, and they will definitely make a big fuss about the current situation."

Adrian nodded—he was ready.

"The identification of the catastrophe is done by the Silver Bay Tower. If they determine that this cold wave is a catastrophe, they will probably mention the matter of disaster relief, but this is not a big problem, and I am afraid that someone will cause trouble." Sophia bit her lip, Finally loosened the interlocking fingers. "As usual, I will settle the matter on the bright side, and I have to trouble you to solve some dark problems."

"I understand." Adrian bowed slightly, just like he did when he first arrived in Malunliga half a year ago, and solemnly took over the task from the owner of the house.

From Samuel to Louis, they have reminded Adrian more than once: the more critical the moment, the more clear their identity and position.

Coming from Heshan Manor, living in Marenlica, a member of the Torresso family, and the deputy of the owner of the Flying Lion Mansion—this is the role that Adrian needs to play.

His intuition told him that the "critical moment" was probably coming soon, and he would have to make certain choices.As for what is on the tray and which is heavier at the two ends of the balance, Adrian does not know for the time being.

At the city hall meeting, as Sophia expected, in order to clarify the nature of the climate change, the Governor's Mansion specially invited people from the Silver Bay Tower.

Scholars at Silver Bay Tower usually stay out of politics, and only appear before the public when discussing professional issues such as urban planning, law revisions, cultural projects, etc., and their esoteric diction seems to come from another world.Compared with the exquisite and fashionable brocade robes of others, the plain dress of the scholars (especially the dull gray blue robes) is also quite eye-catching.

In front of everyone, the gray-bearded scholar walked to the temporary map stand and unfolded a large piece of parchment full of words.The ink is still new, and the flexible paper has a faint ink smell, obviously it has just been finished.

"This is the meteorological data of the Marenliga area for nearly 40 years. We extracted the time of winter-spring transition and the part involving cold waves. This is a lot of work..." the scholar complained softly, stroking his beard. "A rough introduction is not dignified, and if it is too detailed, I am afraid that you will not understand."

Perhaps because these speeches were suspected of contempt for their own knowledge, some nobles and businessmen present were slightly displeased, the corners of their mouths curled down inadvertently, and some coughed deliberately.

The scholar didn't know whether he didn't see it, or pretended not to see it, and was persistently pressing the raised corner of the parchment flat with a thumbtack.

The governor's secretary presiding over the meeting cleared his throat and reminded the scholars that it was time to get down to business.

"Let's talk about the conclusion first, yes, we can only think that this phenomenon can be included in the category of catastrophe."

There was an uproar at the banquet.

"Although other regions have been continuously affected by catastrophes since the last century, whether it's earthquakes, droughts, floods, or plagues, Marunliga has been enjoying smooth weather for the past ten years. The only ones that can be considered catastrophes are those without light!"

"Yeah, and haven't the Lightless Ones disappeared during this time?"

"If you insist, don't the countries in the north who are at war all day long deserve this disaster?"

Scholars just find these laymen noisy.He blocked everyone's debate directly: "It means that our generation is lucky, and we haven't encountered a freezing tide on the peninsula. It is because of the abnormality that we count this cold wave as a catastrophe. This year's spring The timing is broadly consistent with the past five years, after which there should have been a steady rise in temperature, if not a small cooldown."

He pointed to a line of writing on the paper, regardless of whether the audience would really read it carefully: "You have been staying in a small place like Marenliga, and you don't bother to leave the gentle hometown of your hometown to learn about the style and style of other regions. Understand how bizarre this cold snap is."

"Why do we have to go out and suffer..." someone muttered softly.

"The news has come from several cities closest to us: a similar phenomenon has occurred there. In other words, the peninsula suddenly ushered in a cold wave on the same night. I just don't know about other areas of the Kuno continent, such as Is the Southwest and the North facing the same situation."

Adrian watched Sophia's expression from the corner of his eye.There were no emotional fluctuations on her delicately made-up face, only a hint of worry in the depths of her pupils.

In the end, the scholar made a heavy conclusion to everyone: "There is no doubt that the snow two days ago, the second 'winter' we ushered in in the warm spring is part of the catastrophe - let us pray that it becomes a tragedy Land freezing, drought, reduced food production... We have to be prepared to deal with any disaster."

The people sitting at the conference table had a premonition of this conclusion, but the "authoritative certification" of the Silver Bay Tower was still like a heavy hammer, knocking on their hearts that had long been domesticated by a comfortable life.That being the case, other disasters in the future may be unavoidable.

But just when the meeting was about to enter the next topic, Chu De's controversial speech attracted everyone's attention: "Everyone will think I am abrupt, but before discussing how to deal with the catastrophe, we can consider the issue of 'responsibility' in advance." Question. This catastrophe is very special, behind it... there are shadows of people."

"How, how is it possible?!"

"Do you mean who caused the cold snap?"

The venue was in an uproar again, and everyone's eyes immediately focused on Chu De, and Chu De himself just enjoyed the feeling of being in the center of sight.Regardless of whether these gazes are friendly, adoring, hostile, or contemptuous, he is simply obsessed with using his words and deeds to attract the attention of others.

Compared with the "shady" side, Chu De's desire to express himself in front of people is quite ironic, which can be called Maren Liga's unique black humor.With confidence in his mind, he exchanged a glance with Governor Morgis, who was sitting in the chief seat, from afar.

Of course, the Governor does not intend to make any unsafe speeches, but he can acquiesce in others saying what he wants to say but is inconvenient to say.Just like at this time, he just needs to push the progress of the meeting quietly and let the power-hungry bounty hunter continue his performance- anyway Chu De likes to do so.

As the two had agreed in advance, Chu De directed his spearhead at the church: "Whether you are a devout believer or not, I believe everyone here has heard the legend of the saint Roland and the sacred vessel. But I don't know if you know, just a few days ago Months ago, the Order sent an expedition to find the Hallows, without the knowledge of the City Hall, the Governor's Palace, and all the citizens of Marenliga."

Chu De deliberately paused for a few seconds, and waited for the listener to finish chewing the information, before continuing: "They plan to take the holy vessel back to Marunliga, so that the temple can once again become the center of belief in the peninsula, reappearing for several centuries. The glory of the past. Now, we have also witnessed the consequences of these priests' unauthorized access to the sacred artifact."

Now, the eyes that were originally focused on Chu De shifted to the rector.

Facing the sudden accusation, the old man in a teaching robe was stunned, and he couldn't even utter the simplest protest for a while.He has never been good at refuting, and he never thought that the church that had faded out of the core of the city-state's power would suddenly become the target of public criticism.

The chairman of the chamber of commerce, who has always been eloquent, stammered: "Really, is there such a thing?" Among the merchants in Marunliga, he is one of the few believers who insist on going to the temple to pray every month. "President Chu De, why do you know about the sect's secret operations? How can you be sure that they are responsible for the current catastrophe?"

"How to obtain this information is not the point." Chu De was prepared for such a question. "I think it's better for His Excellency the Rector to explain it himself, such as proving that the religious order did not send anyone to find the holy artifact, or... telling where Judge Sauron is now?"

He was sure that the rector had nothing to say.If there is no other resistance, the religious order will be forced to accept Chu De's accusation and take part of the responsibility for the catastrophe - through huge compensation or more extreme methods.

Adrian's expression changed.

Sensing her nephew's reaction, Sophia stopped him before he acted out of his will.

"Adrian, hold your breath." She pressed Adrian's shoulder, her voice so soft that he could only hear him.

——The situation is not good for our own side. Right now, we must clear up the relationship between the Feishi mansion and the religious order, and we must not leave any excuses for Chu De and the governor.

Adrian immediately understood Sophia's implication.However, it was also a torment for Adrian to witness the rector being pressed by Chu De every step of the way, with no power to parry.

Town hall meetings run from early morning into the afternoon.At dusk, Louis invited Adrian to the outskirts of the city.They rode on and stopped by a deserted watchtower.

The watchtower was abandoned for almost a hundred years.The once bright red bricks have faded to earthy color, and there are several layers of vines on the outer wall.The innermost "aboriginal people" withered and died due to lack of sunlight and nutrients, and their remains could not fall out of the densely packed new vines, so they could only be caught between the brick wall and the ivy.

The wild trees beside the watchtower used to be luxuriant, but they were shriveled by the cold wave.The two tied their horses to the leeward side, pushed open the wooden door under the tower, and climbed up to the top floor along the winding narrow stone steps.

Lewis said the abandoned watchtower was another of his "secret bases".

It hasn't snowed for a day and a half, and the evening wind blowing over the watchtower still carries a strong chill.Through the square windows on the four walls, they can appreciate the scenery that is difficult to see in the city of Marenliga.

To the east, the distant city wall seems to be lower than the bushes where the horses are tied; to the south, the farms by the river are filled with smoke; to the west, the setting sun is sinking into the dark mountains; .

Adrian stood at the window and watched the half-round sunset.Compared with half a year ago, he was much more mature and stable, but there was still a trace of subtle anxiety hidden in his plain expression.He obviously hadn't fully recovered from the cold, and was wearing a heavy robe, but despite Louis' dissuasion, he insisted on coming here.

On the watchtower, Adrian tells Louis about the dispute at the town hall meeting.

"He asked the religious order to compensate Maren Liga for this matter." Adrian coughed lightly. "The vicar wants to change the huge compensation to 'public relief', saying that this is the practice of the temple during the plague period, but Chu De insists that the Governor's Palace dispose of this asset."

Louis frowned, and immediately asked, "What's the governor's reaction?"

"The governor didn't say anything. In the end, the old gentleman from Silver Bay Tower raised an objection, thinking that the mission's expeditionary actions could not be linked to the catastrophe - he felt that the sacred artifacts were purely non-existent, and those legends were not true. Because the controversy was too great, This accusation has been temporarily shelved." Adrian shook his head with a wry smile.

Chu De and the governor are trying to embezzle the assets of the church.But what is the reason, is it just that they are greedy for money, and they happened to encounter the excuse of catastrophe?

Adrian turned and walked to the east-facing window.The afterglow is turning the city walls of Marunliga golden.

He stared at the stunning golden wall, and said softly: "The sunset here is as magnificent as the first snow in Heshan Manor."

When he had a panoramic view of this magnificent scene, those intrigues and verbal battles were also temporarily far away from Adrian's mind.

Louis took two steps forward and hugged Adrian from behind.

"Every sunset is like this. Countless identical dusks are reflected in the eyes of human beings, and they become sacred 'eternity'."

So said the bounty hunter.

The author has something to say: Horns of Hattin and the Aftermath - Andreas Waldetoft