What did you do with the dice?

Of course there is no problem in scolding Rusalka. After you feel satisfied with scolding her, you can just reincarnate her in one go. It will be a smooth and satisfying experience.

Crown was afraid that his head and body would have to travel separately, so he immediately followed Allot's instructions and asked Adam, who was currently in charge of external affairs, to lie that he was not there.

Clown pulled the curtains and watched the old hunter's carriage drive out of the factory gates under the escort of guards. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Damn it, we finally got rid of that plague god. How many more days do you want to keep him?"

Adam was a burly man in heavy armor, wearing a knight's helmet and carrying a massive two-handed hammer on his back. He spoke in a dull voice, "Lord Clown, detaining him to buy time is actually the best strategy. I don't think he's coming to you on a whim. His messengers are coming and going in a hurry, apparently on a mission. You should be cautious. Whatever the Lord of Pearl Tears wants from you, I suggest you leave before he returns with the information, and then bring a gift to apologize."

Clown felt that what he said made sense, but when he thought of the killer Rusalka's appearance on the battlefield, and the corpses that Phoenix had hung on the flagpole before, he was also afraid that he would just run away from the accident. If he was caught on the spot, he would probably be hung directly on the flagpole of the Silver City Lord's Mansion as a decoration.

Let's see the situation first. It won't be too late to run away when the snow gets heavier in a couple of days. Even if I get caught then, I can find an excuse to tell Rusalka that I was really not there at the time, and that I only thought of going out to see you when I came back and heard that you sent a messenger to find me.

Chapter 177: Changes in Tester Town (3)

Before going to bed that night, Crown always felt a little uneasy. He tossed and turned in bed but couldn't fall asleep. He didn't dare to think the worst and curse himself, so he suspected that it was because he had been eating and sleeping too much and was too energetic in the past two days. So he got up and opened the door, wanting someone to bring him a cup of hot milk to help him sleep.

By the way, what's that noise at the door? It's gibberish.

He got up to open the door, and was startled when he opened it, for he made eye contact with an elf who was poking a piece of wire into his keyhole.

No, is room service so exciting now? Or is this thief so bold? He actually lost his mind and stole from Master Crown.

Also, hasn’t the industry been declining recently? Such a beautiful elf actually ran out of the forest and became a thief for a living... Is this possible?

Of course not! There's an assassin!

Before Clown could react and shout, his body's crisis instinct made him quickly swallow the cry for help that was about to come out of his throat - a black shadow spike emerged from the shadow under his feet and was already against his throat.

He raised his hands, looking at the white-haired cat that walked out of the black fog with a mixture of laughter and tears, and stammered, "Good evening, Madam Phoenix. Why aren't you sleeping so late? Actually, I can explain. I just came back a few days ago. Let's talk it over. I just prepared a gift for your husband, Lord Pearl Tear..."

Phoenix glanced at Shana, who seemed to have a wire stuck in the keyhole and couldn't pull it out, and was stubbornly fighting with the keyhole, and said lightly: "Let's go."

Alice was responsible for setting up a soundproof barrier around the room, then wandering around causing trouble and attracting fire.

Clown also knew that since even Phoenix had come in person, there was no way he could handle it, and being rescued was even more impossible. He might as well just hope that the guards didn't have a brain short circuit and fight with Phoenix.

He simply gave up resistance and dejectedly allowed the black fog to wrap him up and take him away.

The guards on duty around them naturally saw this scene and quickly sounded the alarm. However, when the guards had just lined up, they heard a sudden explosion in the warehouse area, and could vaguely see several flames rising into the sky.

When Adam arrived at the scene, it was already in chaos. "Sir, it seems an assassin has escaped from Lord Crown's room. Which side should we rescue first?"

"Of course, at the same time. I'll catch the assassin, and you guys will put out the fire. What does the assassin look like?"

"I didn't see it clearly, but it seemed to have a tail, like the Filin tribe."

"......" Adam was stunned for a moment, then turned around and said, "Go put out the fire, don't worry about that assassin."

"She looks like she's holding a sack. It could be Lord Crown inside. She can't get far if she runs like this. Are you really not going to chase her?"

"Do you know who she is? Do you want to chase her? Are you crazy? Even if you catch her, believe it or not, the Lord of Pearl Tears will lead his army to massacre the town in a few days?" Adam slapped the soldier, then nodded at the latter's aggrieved look and ran to organize the firefighting.

Adam immediately turned around and went into the dormitory. He saw the wire still stuck in the door lock. He tried to open the door, but found that the door seemed to be closed.

Is this wire lonely?

He had no choice but to smash the door with his warhammer. After about four hits, the door collapsed. He began to rummage through the items in Clown's room and finally found a communication rune stone in the closet. Regardless of the late hour, he immediately inputted magic power into it, making the stone glow.

A few minutes later, Arlot's sleepy voice emerged from the stone: "Crown, why are you looking for me so late at night? Is there something wrong with the factory again?"

Adam whispered, "I'm sorry, President Arlot, Lord Klauen has been taken away by Lord Pearltear's men."

The voice on the other end suddenly became clearer, speaking at a faster pace. "Didn't we tell him to leave town immediately? How did he get taken away? How did they know where Clown lived? With so many people here, are you just stupid enough to let them in and search every room? Can't you find an excuse to buy time?!"

Adam: "It was the Filin assassin who came in person. By the time we discovered her, she had already succeeded. We didn't dare to stop her, so we were really powerless."

There was a long silence on Arlot's side, followed by a sigh: "Alas, there's nothing we can do. Since she came in person, it means that Lord Pearl Tear must have heard the news from somewhere, but he didn't know the whole story, so he wanted to take Clown away to ask him about it.

You can't expect Clown to keep his mouth shut. You must dispose of all evidence related to us overnight before he finishes collecting all the information. Do you understand? Now it's a race against time. I'll notify the branch office to send you another group of people to maintain order. If all else fails, we'll just deal with those street rats directly."

Adam: “I see.”

After saying that, Allot hung up the communication, and the rune stone became dim and cracked, and could no longer be used.

Soon, the guards witnessed an elf in the warehouse area. His body was covered with scorch marks and his clothes were torn, but for some reason his face was filled with excitement that was a little scary.

Although the opponent looked injured, he moved very quickly. With transparent emerald green runes surrounding his body, he glided through the air and escaped from the scene. The archers were about to shoot him, but were stopped by Adam who arrived in time.

Looking at the warehouse area again, I found that there was no fire inside. What was on fire was only the unprocessed wood materials in the waste storage area nearby. Moreover, the way of starting the fire was very... crude. You can tell from the fact that the other party blew himself up like this. It felt like he had crushed a piece of exploding crystal directly in his hand.

It's probably some kind of alchemical tool. We need to check if there are any other residual risks.

Adam quickly gathered people, as tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.

----

In the mayor's bedroom, Shapaelo looked at the extra letter and a communication stone on the table with trembling eyes. When he opened the letter, he felt a tightness in his chest and his eyes were spinning.

There was only one sentence on it: This is a communication stone that can only last for 2 minutes. If you are ready, dial it. This is your last chance to communicate before we come to your door - Sani Iron Tower.

He turned his back to the window and hid the letter and the stone inside his clothes without leaving any trace. Then he pretended to pick up the cup on the table and drink some water. Then he turned around and lay back on the bed. He took out the stone and the letter and hid them in the middle of the quilt.

----

The next afternoon, Phoenix rode the Chocobo that was tied nearby by the coachman and rushed back to the city lord's mansion. She removed the black mist ball that she had been holding like a balloon, and Klauen inside was thrown to the ground.

A group of people who had been waiting in the conference room began to surround him aggressively.

It was the first time for the two elves to see Clown. They had heard that he was the first merchant to establish trade relations with Rusalka. Seeing him being thrown out in such a miserable state, they immediately felt that Rusalka was very mean. He threw his own partner away so casually. Couldn't he just treat him with care?

Rusalka reacted quickly and asked before her brother could, "What does it feel like to be enveloped by Phoenix's black mist?"

Alice next to her answered quickly, "It's like being in a sleeping bag. It's pitch black and you can't see a thing."

Shana nodded. "But the black thing feels soft and warm to the touch, but I can't sense any magic inside, and I can't move my hands or feet."

Rusalka: Oh, I almost forgot that you two elves are the first to experience it.

Next time, I can ask Phoenix to play this kind of close play with him. It sounds very sexy.

Seeing that Clown was lying on the ground, not daring to move, Rusalka poured a cup of tea on the empty seat next to him and said to him, "Mr. Clown, what's the relationship between us? Why are you so scared? Just sit down."

Clown didn't dare stand up, but instead prostrated himself and said, "Lord Pearl Tear, you must believe me, I am truly innocent in this matter. I was really out the other day."

Rusalka turned to Sanita and asked, "Do you believe it?"

Sanita played the bad guy very cooperatively: "I don't believe it."

Crown on the ground trembled even more violently.

Rusalka: "Do you keep a diary, Clown? A diary can be used as evidence in special circumstances."

Clown was stunned for a moment before replying, "My Lord, I really don't have the habit of keeping a diary, but many people can vouch for me that day. You can go find Rom, the timber merchant from our Chamber of Commerce. I left with him that day!"

Rusalka walked over, picked him up, and slid him to a chair. Then she sat down herself, ate a piece of cake, picked up her fork, pointed at Crown, who was looking down at the table, and said in a strange tone: "There is an old saying in Pearl Tears, that a man who knows the times is a hero. If you cooperate with us well, we will not treat you unfairly. Otherwise..."

He pulled out a few small weapons from his clothes and slammed them on the table. "I think the various torture instruments I have now will be able to pry open your mouth."

"If I explain everything, will you let me off the hook?" Clown didn't even dare look at the cold, gleaming gadgets on the table. He spoke in a trembling voice, almost tearful, "You know me. I'm afraid of even going to the battlefield. How could I have the guts to do such a thing? The tax collector's death in the firefight really had nothing to do with me."

Before anyone asked, this guy had already "consciously" explained what happened. He is indeed Crown.

Rushakana was bored: (They dared to kill the director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau? You want to play Nine Clans Elimination Game, right?)

Sanitieta: (I think they killed Heshen, but no matter what, he was a local official sent in our name. If we allow them to kill at will, there will be nothing they dare not do, and the only option left is rebellion.)

Rusalka was furious when she heard that: (Damn it! Call the army over, fire the magic cannons, and blow this town to the ground!)

Sanita: (No, brother, wake up, this is our own territory, I am hitting myself?)

There is no need for my brother to remind me again. Although I can talk big, Rusalka also knows how to deal with this kind of problem. It is like playing a script-killing game or running a Cthulhu group. A qualified investigator cannot just think about carrying a shotgun and a Desert Eagle to beat the boss at the end of the level. He still has to respect the background of the script. For example, he should start by asking the key character Klauen, understand the general content of the event, and then make a decision - for example, whether to bring an extra RPG to prevent insufficient firepower.

So he propped his chin up with his hand and looked at Crown, who was shaking like a sieve with nervousness: "Tell me in detail. If it really has nothing to do with you, then I will definitely not punish you. We never wrongly accuse innocent people.

But if it has anything to do with you, you have to accept the punishment. Turning yourself in can only reduce the severity of the punishment. Don't worry, as long as you explain everything clearly today, there will be no place for you on the flagpoles at the city gate."

Of course, Rusalka didn't think he had the ability to do such evil. He had seen this guy's courage and strength before. He was just a little greedy. How bad could he be? The worst thing he could do was probably to let his subordinates forcibly abduct women. That wouldn't kill him. He could just be physically castrated and that would be it.

Crown then told the story he had heard.

First, he introduced the two evil forces currently in Test Town, namely the Ward Group and the Pitco Brotherhood. The former is backed by the Maosi Chamber of Commerce and has many capable people under its command.

When they first entered the town, things were quite harmonious, and they just did some small business. However, they soon secretly used various means to win over a group of traveling merchants, as well as the town's tax officials and mayor, and gradually took over all the nearby forest farms. By the time Doug Chamber of Commerce reacted, they had monopolized nearly 80% of the surrounding timber business and began to raise prices.

If you want to import timber, you have to travel far to mine it, which will increase transportation costs.

Moreover, they also have private armed forces. Although there are indeed ranger patrols under Rusalka nearby, small merchants are unwilling to make enemies with them and can only obey them and make concessions.

The end result is that the price of nearby timber rises, the cost of living for residents increases, job opportunities are monopolized, and they are forced to work for them, thereby squeezing the price of labor. The extra output is used to increase the market share of other industrial chains, forming a very virtuous output cycle for them.

As for the Pitko Brotherhood, they were originally a small armed force composed of defeated mercenary groups and stragglers on the battlefield. In the beginning, they were earning money by taking on some small commissions in the rapidly developing town of Test.

However, rapid development is often accompanied by some derivative class contradictions. In addition, the forces of the Maus Chamber of Commerce and the Doug Chamber of Commerce are competing with each other and engaging in commercial struggles, which has led to an increasingly obvious gap between the rich and the poor in the town of Test. Some people have no choice but to be driven to the edge of the town, gradually forming the "Black Street", a lawless place similar to a slum, but far worse than a slum.

This group of armed forces was also a group of desperate criminals. The boss decided to take a gamble to become bigger and stronger, so he swallowed up the black streets and absorbed a large number of vagrants and criminals.

Of course, the vested interests in the town would certainly not allow such a dangerous-sounding group to take root near them. Even if they were not afraid of them, it would not be good if they accidentally alarmed Rusalka. Therefore, due to the disorderly expansion and the joint suppression by the two chambers of commerce and the mayor, the leader of this armed force died and changed several times, and many split incidents occurred.

But in the end, everyone felt that the "Black Street" was also an "indispensable" part of the town of Test. After all, some shameful activities such as smuggling and money laundering had to be transferred through the Black Street.

In addition, there are always people who can't make a living and have to be driven to the black streets, which provides them with fresh blood. As a result, this place is like leeks. When they grow ripe, they are cut, but they grow again soon, and the cycle continues.

It was not until an exiled knight integrated this armed force of the Black Street and changed its name to "Pitko Brotherhood" that he attracted a large number of lower-class people with very inflammatory slogans, such as "Since we will die anyway, it is better to die fighting these vampires than to starve to death painfully" and "I would rather eat bread stained with blood than eat the buns given by noble lords."

The black street forces with advanced combat capabilities and centralized authority suddenly stood up.

Facts have proved that those who are not afraid of the strong are afraid of those who are not afraid of their lives. The Brotherhood and the two major forces have had several direct armed conflicts. They have set fire to the timber of the timber transport team and kidnapped workers in the processing plant. They have an attitude of "we are barefoot and not afraid of those who wear shoes. If you push us into a corner, you won't have an easy time either." The Brotherhood, which has caused great damage to the two major chambers of commerce, began to be feared by the two groups. No one was willing to go to great lengths to wipe it out, allowing the opponent to reap the benefits.

What's more, after the development of the Black Street, it became a black economic zone in the town of Test. Brothels, underground casinos, black markets and other industries that are openly banned for making gold coins are all gathered there. They are repeatedly cracked down on but cannot be eradicated. Everyone says that they want to get rid of the Black Street, but they always want to enjoy the "taxes" from the Brotherhood, so in the end they failed to get rid of this place.

In addition, the terrain of the Black Street itself means that if you really have a sense of justice and want to get rid of it, you can only engage in dangerous street fighting with a group of worthless trash in your eyes.

To put it bluntly, the Chamber of Commerce guards are also human beings. They have worked hard for so long to become guards of the Chamber of Commerce who receive salaries on time. They do this to avoid becoming such bad and desperate people, and they are unwilling to fight with this group of people and lose their lives in vain.

What's more, the people in the Chamber of Commerce are not fools. The "Black Street" is not a tourist attraction that will disappear if it is demolished. It is just a set of dark and narrow alleys. The core essence of it becoming a "Black Street" lies in those who have fallen to the bottom of society. As long as Test Town is not a place where everyone lives in peace like Silver City, the Black Street will always exist. If you destroy it, it will just be rebuilt somewhere else.

But asking them to spend money on charity and solve public welfare problems? That would be worse than a fight.

In addition, the top leaders of the two chambers of commerce were still worried about how to falsify the accounts for the bribes used to maintain relationships and the embezzlement of output to enrich themselves. With the help of the black market, it was very convenient. They could just blame it all on them, and the account books would be right in no time.

This Grand Commander Pearl Tears' goods are always robbed by bandits! We must suppress the bandits, we must suppress the bandits.

So where does the money come from to fight the bandits? Raise funds, increase taxes! It doesn't matter if residents don't get any. Just ask the bandits for protection money. "Every day you pay, we won't fight the bandits."

Therefore, the Pitco Brotherhood officially became the third largest force in the town of Test.

So why did the originally balanced forces suddenly erupt into such a violent conflict recently? This has to do with the arms smuggling case that occurred last month and led to production shortages.

Just when the story was getting exciting, Rusalka called a timeout.

Same old rules, some snacks.

Chapter 178: Changes in Tester Town (4)

After serving snacks to Clown, he felt as if he had escaped the critical point of being killed. His courage returned to him like a puppy running back to its owner after eating sausages given by a stranger. He no longer trembled when speaking, his voice no longer trembled, his waist straightened, his hands placed on the table, and even his story became much smoother, with some embellishments added to it.

Clown ate a cookie to calm his nerves. He had to admit that the cookies from Pearl Tear Territory were truly the best snack he had ever tasted. He had also walked around a lot near Snidy, but no matter where he went, he couldn't find such delicacies. Either the ingredients were streamlined to reduce costs, resulting in a lack of taste and sweetness, or the temperature control was not good, resulting in a lack of fragrance. "Actually, the shortage of this batch of goods is indeed due to improper personnel on our side, but if we put aside the process and look at the conclusion, it is actually the Brotherhood and the Ward Group that broke the rules."

Rusalka knocked on the table and said, "I will decide what is right and wrong. Just tell me what you want to say."

"No problem, Lord," Clown said hurriedly. "Here's what's going on. We heard the Lott Processing Plant has issued a notice of intent to expand into a second plant, so they're hiring for winter workers this summer. I reported this to you twice, and you approved both of them. You should remember that, right?"

Of course, the notice was written by Sanita. How could Rusalka have any recollection of it? He only knew about his brother's idea during their regular conversations. As for the progress, he had no idea at all. So he immediately used the PL channel, not bothering to look through the message logs. It was faster to speak directly: (Brother Fei, is this true?)

Sanita: (Yes, for the documents I classified as approved, although I know you never read the contents of the document before stamping it, it was indeed you who stamped it after signing it.)

Rushaka boasted: (Okay, my external SUPER AI Xiaofei.)

After confirming this information from her brother, Rusalka frowned on the spot: "Of course I know this. Are you doubting my memory?"

"No, I'm just stating the premise. Recruitment is going smoothly. We actually wanted to contact you to discuss budget, expansion plans, and work schedules, but you happened to be away on the front lines, so we put that on hold. The president of Arlot suggested we recruit first, and if you're late, our Chamber of Commerce can at most cover some of the costs."

Recruitment in this world is like this. Since there are no large-scale construction companies or similar groups, technical personnel often serve the chamber of commerce, and most workers are contract laborers or small labor groups composed of fellow villagers. Except for emergencies, large-scale construction projects require a lot of people, and generally require recruiting people several months in advance. During this period, their construction qualifications (physical fitness) are checked, and they are divided into groups according to the number of people, arranged for different management, and formulated division of labor and construction plans.

Once everything is arranged, it is almost time to start construction.

Of course, this kind of engineering contract definitely has unfair terms. The workers cannot simply break the contract and say they don't want to work, otherwise they will be banned in the industry. But these chambers of commerce or nobles can break the contract at any time and say they don't want your work. Anyway, you can't do anything about them. If the mud doesn't work, you have to make people work.

The manpower here was gathered at the end of summer. Winter construction is generally a good season. We only need to lay the foundation before the snow falls, and then high-rise buildings and the like can be built by manpower. Everyone is happy to have work to do in winter, a season with no production.

Are you asking about the safety risks of working in heavy snow? Sorry, the employer is only responsible for paying wages and urging progress. As for if you slip and fall during construction, the worst-case scenario is death, with only a small compensation package. It all depends on whether you, as a worker, have a team. If you're a bonded laborer with no one to rely on, chances are you'll be out of luck.

This kind of thing is better handled in the Pearl Tears Territory. Although it seems that the security system will temporarily increase expenses, Sani Tieta is a time traveler after all. His thoughts and vision are far ahead of the systems of this world. He can directly determine the positive feedback that "once people are given job security, their willingness to work will increase, and ultimately the employment rate and tax revenue will increase", so he promulgated some content related to the work injury bill.

Facts have proved that this thing is indeed useful. The reason why the construction of Test Town has developed so quickly is that a large number of residents or refugees are willing to work as workers after hearing about this risk compensation bill.