The City of Marronligar

Even after more than ten years, the death of Governor Morgis is still full of mist and different opinions, like a cloud of muddy clouds, surrounding the governor's mansion that was burnt to pieces—of course, this mansion was repaired soon A new one, but it just failed to usher in the next master who could die well.

At that time, Marenliga had no time to weave gossip to pass the time: the effect of the cold wave seemed to be gradually diminishing, and at least the spring, which was interrupted by a snowstorm, "returned" after the snow melted, but the rhythm of the city had been overwhelmed. A series of events disrupted, and the temperature in the next few years was much lower than that of the same period in previous years.

No one doubted that this cold wave was part of the catastrophe.

——Miscellaneous Notes of Silver Bay Tower: Gossip and Conspiracy in the Governor's Mansion

"It's really burning."

At dawn, General Lucien, who was in charge of the defense and security of the city of Marenlica, stood in front of the Governor's Mansion, with his hands on his hips, looking up at the glazed tiles outside the window frame that were blackened by the flames.

The black smoke hadn't dissipated, and the smell of burnt cloth and wood products was choking, and the supposedly rich incense was also mixed in. Even the best hounds could not smell it at all.

The fire at the Governor's Mansion was not extinguished until early in the morning, and the resulting chaos also came to an end for the time being.Lucien had already dispatched his soldiers to strictly guard the central area. The temporarily mobilized guards held shields in one hand and swords in the other, and surrounded the governor's mansion expressionlessly, blocking out a warning area that "no one is allowed to enter".

Two officers investigating the scene approached Lucien to report the preliminary findings to him.

The more he listened to this cavalier general who was nearly fifty years old, the more he felt that something was wrong.He frowned and asked in a low voice, "Are you sure that the deceased is the governor?"

The two officers looked at each other and nodded.One of them replied: "Although he was burnt to that appearance... the governor's personal secretary just went to confirm, and said that based on the ring on his hand and his stature, it can be basically concluded that it is the governor of Morgis. As for how he The dead ones have to wait for the coroner to examine them carefully."

Another officer added a few words: "It's strange to say that the governor's wife and daughter disappeared, and we didn't even find their bodies—it seems that the governor died alone."

In addition to the entire third floor, the kitchen and storage rooms on the second floor of the Governor's Palace were also burned, but there were no casualties.When everyone found the fire and ran to fight the fire, the stable in the yard also caught fire for no reason.

The whole thing was odd.

The general rubbed his chin, feeling more headache than when the city defense budget was cut: "Don't forget to ask the governor's mansion to count the property losses, and remember to separate the 'burned' and 'missing'. Who else is missing? No?"

"It is said that a maid on duty has disappeared, and our people are interrogating. It's just that the city was closed late. If someone really set the fire on purpose, the murderer might have left the city."

"Even if it's just for show, we have to finish the closure of the city. What we have to do is to maintain order to avoid chaos." The general sighed helplessly. "I'm afraid there is no point in blocking the news now. The citizens will soon know that it is the governor who died, and they don't know what news they will make up."

The officer could only smile wryly.

"By the way, when searching for these missing persons, there is no need to make a big fuss, and there is no need to mobilize people to delay the normal life of the citizens. During the catastrophe, everyone's strings are tense, and they are particularly sensitive to tolerances and exorbitant taxes. The case led to even more deadly civil uprisings. And to be honest, even I don’t think I’ll be able to find them.”

Lucien looked down at the half-melted snow on the side of the road.

Although the snow was like a dream in the wrong season, it left a definite trace.This spring is colder than usual, and I don't know whether the following summer will continue to be affected by the catastrophe.

The general raised his head again and looked at the cloudy sky with black smoke floating above his head: "For some reason, this spring is so full of disasters that it makes Maren Liga feel uneasy."

There was only one day between the two city hall emergency meetings, and there was a conspicuous Governor Morgis missing from the venue.

When they heard the news of the Governor's death, apart from doubts, bewilderment, and calculations hidden under the formal mourning, everyone's discussions took on an almost fatalistic color.

"Could it be that Ma Lunliga's luck is not going well..."

"If things go on like this, let alone floods and droughts, even if the northerners come here to fight wars, I won't have the energy to be surprised."

Right now, the most urgent task is to find the right person to take control of the overall situation, so as not to allow Ma Lunliga to have a power vacuum during the turbulent and catastrophic period.

And at this moment, Sophia, who hadn't expressed her opinion for a few days, said, "I nominate General Lucien to act as governor temporarily."

This is indeed the least objectionable option.

Although the garrison army led by Lucien also obeyed the arrangements of the Governor's Palace, because it was not allowed to do business, its operation and maintenance funds needed the support of the Governor's Palace, but it was still a relatively independent organization, basically unaffected by the chamber of commerce and prominent families.At the same time, the garrison remained absolutely loyal to Marenlica, which cannot be doubted.

It will neither shift the balance of interests to anyone, but also ensure the stability of the city-state.Although everyone present couldn't help whispering, no one shouted "dissent", which also proved that Sophia's nomination seemed more reasonable.

The upright Lucien did not refuse: "If it is only to handle part of the work of the Governor-General before the election of the next Governor-General, I will naturally be willing to help. There is no need to set up another office. The documents to be processed are delivered. When the transition period is over, I will return to my original status immediately."

The chairman of the most prestigious chamber of commerce in the business world also nodded: "I agree. Governor Morgis started his business here from scratch, and his other relatives are not in this city. His bank and other assets will be temporarily managed by the shareholders' meeting. Make a decision after discussion, you don't have to worry about it."

Lucien is well aware of the position of the chairman of the chamber of commerce in Marenlica, and it is appropriate to give each other face: "After all, I am a soldier, and I don't know much about the money affairs of the chamber of commerce and banks. If there is any problem, I will ask your Excellency for help." .”

"That's natural, our Chamber of Commerce will cooperate with your work without reservation."

After the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce made his statement, the opinions of the rest of the people were logically unified, and they agreed to arrange Mojis's temporary successor, except for the former Secretary of the Governor and Chu De's faces.

Lucien, who is used to being straightforward, does not intend to delay on this kind of issue.He cleared his throat and pushed the topic to the next step: "As you all know, the death of Governor Morgis is full of doubts. According to the coroner, he was killed before the fire started, and there were also arsonists at various places in the fire." My men are looking for the missing maid and Mrs. Bella's mother and daughter."

Having said that, everyone knows that it is not easy to find these people in the huge Marenliga, not to mention that they may have left the city in the chaos.

Compared with revealing the truth and the real murderer, the efforts made by the city guards are more like "giving an explanation"-bystanders are naturally interested in the truth, but they will not cry for the dead governor, nor can they say they hate the mysterious murderer , they just wanted to make this eerie story of murder and arson complete.

Lucien, who was temporarily entrusted with important tasks, knew this well.

Regarding the cause of the Governor's death, there were two opinions at the meeting: some people believed that Mrs. Bella and the maid murdered the Governor in partnership, and then fled with a small treasure; Governor, and forcibly took away the beautiful Governor's wife and her daughter.

Since the Governor's Mansion was changing guards at the time of the incident, the nearby guards were quickly attracted by the fire, and they had no time to consider whether anyone fled the scene. No matter what kind of statement it is, the most critical evidence is lacking.

Just like the debate on "whether to claim compensation from the religious order", the discussion on the murderer of the governor is also in vain, and everything can only wait for the missing person to reappear, or produce a convincing result.

In short, there are three important tasks before General Lucien: to hold a decent funeral for the governor who died unexpectedly, to guard the panic-stricken city of Marenliga, and to take care of some to-do items left by the governor.The first one is not difficult, the second one is a job of the guard, and the general has long been used to it, but the third one has become a big problem in the future.

After the meeting, Chu De kept gloomy.

Governor Morgis is his most important backer in Marenliga, his business partner who profited from the wars of the northern countries, and his leverage point on the road to power.Chu De has always believed that as long as Governor Morgis is in power (generally, no one will be in a hurry to get Moggis out of power), there is a smooth road ahead of him.

If all goes well, obtaining a considerable amount of assets from the order, indirectly driving the gears of the Northern War, can continue to extract wealth from distant and unrealistic foreign countries.Mojis may not trust Chu De, but the cooperation between the two will only become closer, and Chu De will also get more opportunities from the governor to become the upper reaches.

The morbid longing for power and sense of existence distorted Chu De's growth path prematurely, and also made him have an extraordinary obsession with certain things that can be let go.

Just overnight, the governor's death destroyed Chu De's plan.

And when the former governor's secretary met with him in private with a series of bad news, Chu De couldn't restrain the urge to get angry.

"The general called his confidants in the army, and he is calculating the funds of the governor's mansion for nearly half a year, saying that he wants to escort the large trade left by the former governor. If you ask me about the reason for reducing the city defense expenditure, I am afraid that I will soon take the opportunity to re-submit the proposal withheld by the Governor's Office."

Chu De clenched his fists, already feeling faintly uneasy.

"I didn't tell him where the diverted funds went - it wouldn't be fit for publicity - but sooner or later the general would know about our business with the northerners. In any case, the next batch of supplies scheduled to go north It seems that it is difficult to guarantee. Also, the general intends to temporarily reduce taxes for civilians, saying that it is to stabilize people's hearts and avoid chaos."

"Where's the official warehouse in Marunliga? Even if we can't get the money directly from the Governor's Mansion, we can at least transfer the grain and grass in the past from there. These few businesses are very important, and I have discussed them with the northern buyers in advance. Yes, the people they sent have already arrived in Shacheng. If something goes wrong, I will be responsible."

"...The general listened to the suggestion of the rector, and prepared to open a warehouse with the church at the right time. The warehouse has probably been taken over by people from the army. How could he tolerate emptying out Maren Liga, mixing Opportunities in other people's wars."

Seeing that Chu De opened his mouth to ask something again, the secretary who was good at observing words and expressions blocked the other party's words first: "To tell you the truth, in the past, those who wanted to be in power would have jumped out to encourage elections, but now Maren Liga is just a No one dares to easily take over the glamorous mess. When the next governor is elected, I am afraid it will be half a year later."

During this period, no one would dare to stand against General Lucien, who held military power.

In other words, the war business that Chu De and Mojis painstakingly planned is likely to run aground.

Chu De gritted his teeth and punched the wall fiercely: "That reckless man who doesn't have the slightest economic sense—"

The secretary glanced at him calmly, and thought to himself: Aren't you also a guy who wants to kill at every turn.

"Forget it. The boat is naturally straight when it reaches the bridge. There is always a solution. It depends on whether it is perfect or simple." Chu De folded his arms and paced back and forth in front of the secretary. "It's a pity that we don't have so much time to prepare, so we can only gamble."

The former governor's secretary had some ominous premonitions, but he didn't dare to point it out directly—in the face of this ruthless bounty hunter, he even began to miss the Governor Morgis who was still lying in a temporary coffin.

So, the secretary only tried one sentence: "...you don't want to take risks, do you?"

"Don't you want to get out of these businesses and run to expose me to that general?" Chu De stared at the secretary sullenly. "Don't forget the banned drug workshop that was burned in the harbor area, you have a part in it."

The secretary smiled resentfully: "Aren't you too, we are each other."

Chu De changed the subject and stopped talking about his business: "I heard that the missing female relatives from the Governor's Mansion have not been found yet."

The secretary shook his head: "I probably won't be able to find it again."

"Who do you think killed the governor?"

"It's hard to say, and it's not convenient to say."

"You stay in the Governor's Mansion all year round, so you should know something inside."

"I'm only in charge of the official duties of Governor Morgis. As for the family affairs between the Governor and his wife, I don't know anything about it." The secretary replied carefully, trying to pick himself out of the riddle of you coming and going.

Chu De rolled his eyes, and confirmed something from the secretary's ambiguous attitude: "How likely is it that Mrs. Bella killed her husband herself? The maid may be her accomplice."

The secretary's expression suddenly became very subtle, and his tone became strange: "Even if this is the case, you can't say that to outsiders. In this way, people will inevitably guess the reason, and it will definitely involve the privacy of Governor Morgis .”

——This really damages the reputation of the governor of Marunliga.

Chu De pulled the corner of his mouth and sneered: Some people are really particular, they like to put on a show when they are alive, and even after death, someone will take care of their dignity.

"That is to say, it is not yet possible to determine who the real culprit is."

The secretary nodded and replied, "That's right. The Governor's Mansion's current statement is that the maid was in collusion with outside thieves, and the wife and the governor's daughter were taken away by gangsters."

A dangerous thought flashed through Chu De's mind.With his hands behind his back, he subconsciously rubbed the ring that symbolized the status of the president of the Bounty Hunter Association: "In other words, anyone can be a murderer...anyone can be a murderer."

Trud was facing an empty wall, and the secretary standing behind him couldn't see the shadowed face clearly.But even if he didn't meet the cold eyes, the secretary felt a chill down his back: "What are you thinking?"

Chu De turned around, with a polite and sincere smile, but there was no smile in the raised eyebrows: "It's nothing, I just said it casually."

The author has something to say: Fleshless-Marvin Kopp