The mayor looked at the young man in front of him and said, "Can you contact the leader of the parade?" ”

The young man said stiffly, "That, that...... I ............"

“………… No. ”

The captain of the gendarmerie desperately suppressed the urge to pull out his gun, and said angrily: "Then what are you doing here?!" Funny is still here to play people! ”

After hearing this, the young man hurriedly waved his hand and said, "No, no, no, my ...... I can't talk to Uncle Paul, but I have something very important to talk to him! So I wondered if I could use the broadcasting equipment at the city hall...... What ......"

The mayor raised an eyebrow and said, "Yes, but I need to hear what you're going to say." ”

The young man told him the truth, what the boss had told him.

The mayor and the captain of the gendarmerie looked at each other and immediately decided: "Take him to the broadcast studio!" Fast! ”

And on the parade, Paul, who had recovered from the pie of the senior technical director, began to notice that things were gradually getting a little worse. He was in the middle of the procession, but at this time he was pushed to the front by the crowd, which is the saying goes.

Not only that, but the other marchers looked at him strangely. There was a hint of reverence in those eyes......... But the greatest thing he's ever done in his life is to agree that his boss will continue to owe him wages.

Coupled with the fact that the young man who claimed to be the secret police of the imperial capital did not come up with anything to prove his identity, Paul, who was almost awake from the wine, began to retreat in his heart. He wanted to walk, and as soon as he moved, the crowd would spontaneously give way to him...... Then he swarmed up and pushed him to the forefront.

For the first time in his life, Paul felt like he couldn't help himself. Even in difficult days, at least this body is still his.

Just as he was in a dilemma, a loud voice suddenly sounded in the city square of Axterme.

"Uncle Paul!"

Paul was stunned, was there anyone else named Paul at the scene besides himself?

"Uncle Paul! The boss couldn't bear the pain of bankruptcy, and he ...... He's killing himself! ”

Paul was stunned again, the person with the same name as himself was really fateful and pitiful, the same boss went bankrupt, but the boss of his family committed suicide.

"Uncle Paul! Now that the boss is dead, everyone has no job, and we are all waiting for you to come up with an idea............"

Paul began to feel sorry for the man with the same name as him, and the worker's boss died, so why should he let him have an idea?

"Oh, yes. I forgot to mention Uncle Paul, the boss has no children, and the suicide note left after his death named you to inherit the phlogiston refinery......"

"Are you telling the truth?! Boss he's dead?!! ”

Paul was surprised to know who he was talking to. If the boss really can't bear the pressure and commits suicide, it is indeed most likely to leave the refinery to his oldest employee. Although the phlogiston business is not easy to do now, the refining machine is not only capable of phlogiston refining. If you go to the business of smelting iron and copper, how can you say that you will not starve to death for the rest of your life............

After thinking about it for a long time, Paul suddenly realized something.

(Strange, the boss who is so good is dead...... I'm ............ now It's right to be sad.................. ）

In any case, as if the employees who had come to him on purpose, the whole refinery was now waiting for him to come up with an idea—because he was the new boss.

"Well, let me go, let me out......"

Paul tried to squeeze his way back through the crowd to the refinery, but his large, burly body was pushed back as he advanced.

In the procession, the crowd watched him silently. They all had the same look on their faces—expressions of betrayal.

Only then did Paul know that something was wrong.

The mayor and the captain of the gendarmerie, who had seen all this from afar, breathed a sigh of relief and high-fived each other in celebration. The mayor said: "It has finally been resolved, and those disgruntled workers will not be gathering to make trouble after they get a vent, as long as we are strict in our care, this matter will be over." ”

"That's right." The captain of the gendarmerie said proudly: "The perfect solution, no one will be harmed." Our lovely citizens of the Empire will enjoy a day like no other. ”

Just when the two of them were triumphant, a gendarme suddenly rushed in in a panic, ran to the captain's ear and whispered a few words.

The face of the captain of the gendarmerie changed greatly!

"What's going on?"

"Something is wrong! The spy of the Kingdom of Ryan escaped from prison with that Britz! ”

☆☆☆☆☆

Today, Paul experienced many things that he had not experienced before. But there has never been a time when I was beaten half to death.

The workers, who thought they had been betrayed, viciously ravaged him, beat him to death, and after beating him half to death, they found a random stinking ditch and threw him down, and then went back to protest.

Lying in the stinky ditch, Paul only felt inexplicably aggrieved.

“TMD！”

He spat out thick phlegm in hatred and cursed in a low voice: "A bunch of crazy people! ”

Somewhat struggling to get up from the ground, Paul limped to the refinery, where he was to take over his possessions.

The refinery left behind after the boss's death can be said to support his hope that he will not pass out now.

However, at this moment, two unexpected people appeared in front of him.

"Hey! Paul! ”

A young man claiming to be a secret police man suddenly emerged from around the corner with Mr. Blitz in tow.

"Paul! My friend, you have succeeded in your mission. ”

His body was covered in blood, but the man patted Paul on the shoulder with a nonchalant look and smiled, "But it's not over yet, if you want to become Mr. Britz's senior technical director, I think you'll have to help us escape." You say yes, right? Mr. Britz? ”

Mr. Britz, who had a hooked nose, nodded reservedly, "That's right, Mr. Paul. This is a once-in-a-waited opportunity! I'm the biggest supplier in Axtaire! As long as you can help me prove the conspiracy of that hypocritical mayor, I promise you............ A company! That's right, the branch of Britz Phlogiston Supply! ”

His conditions were wide, but Paul just looked at them coldly, and pointed to the scars on his body and mocked, "Thank you for your generosity, Mr. Britz. But I don't want to be beaten again. ”

Mr. Britz's smile faded away, and he seemed to want to say something, but the young man tugged at his sleeve.

“………… Well, Mr. Paul. You're missing out on a great opportunity...... We're destined to see you again. ”

The two men passed Paul and hurried away.

But they didn't go far before Blitz suddenly fell. Holding on to Blitz's body, the young man's head tilted and he also fell.

Paul looked at the bodies of the two of them, not knowing what to say.

At this moment, a heavy fog suddenly drifted in the air. Feeling the heat of the mist, Paul's heart sank.

(These are...... Steam! ）

Things began to develop in a strange direction, and Paul did not dare to stay here for a long time, and the bodies of the dead and inexplicably dead Britz and the young man were still at his feet, and he could not say anything if he was seen.

So, he dragged his badly injured body and left.

☆☆☆☆☆

"Da, da, da, da......"

The sound of leather boots tapping on the ground echoed in the deserted alley, and in the steam that filled the alley, a strange man in a leather trench coat and a gas mask appeared next to Blitz's body.

He reached out his hand, also wearing leather gloves, and pulled a translucent glass tube from Blitz's arms. In the glass tube, the dark red phlogiston is burning quietly.

"Da, da, da, da......"

The strange man who had taken the dark red phlogiston flask vanished with the sound of his boots tapping on the ground.

☆☆☆☆☆

"Did you find the escaped Britz?!"

The mayor restlessly walked around his office again.

"Not yet, the other party is very cunning, and when he left, he found a large number of low-level workers of the empire as cannon fodder and cover-up, and we don't know if the other party is still in the city now!"

The captain of the gendarmerie was equally agitated.

“…… What's even more hateful is that those bastards covered in engine oil are still not gone! I can't do my job effectively! Most of the manpower is used to maintain law and order, so how can I have time to find someone! ”

Just when the two of them were unable to do anything about the situation, Paul returned to the city hall square. It's not that he wants to come back, it's that this is the way to go when he walks out of the alley.

He looked at the crowd that had not yet dispersed, and silently walked away.

But he wanted to take a detour, but the others wouldn't let him go. A sharp-eyed boy saw him appear and immediately shouted, "That traitor is back!" ”

So the marching procession, which was shouting in protest, turned its attention to the "traitors" again.

"Beat him!"

"That's right! Hit him! ”

"Why is he the only one who can make a fortune?!"

"Why should we starve!"

"Beat him !!"

Paul looked at the crowd in a circle, and was pushed to the ground by the angry people.

(What am I doing wrong?) ）

He couldn't figure it out.

(If I didn't do anything wrong, who was wrong?) ）

Faces that looked hideous with anger caught his eye.

(Are they the ones who are wrong?) ）

Angry and jealous workers abused him with tears in their eyes, tears falling down Paul's face and making him lick them subconsciously......

(Salty...... It's not them who are at fault...... ）

His eyes swept back to the soldiers with pained expressions, clutching their guns.

(Nor are they at fault...... ）

Numb and in pain, Paul's heart was broken.

(No one is wrong, but who is wrong?) ）

The refinery left to him after the boss's suicide was still waiting for him, but it was impossible for him to have the strength to return to the place where he had worked for several years.

Paul's eyes darkened with the massive loss of blood, but the furious procession did not spare him. In the distance, he could hear the cries of the employees who had come to him to look for him............

It dawned on him who was making the mistake.

(Wrong............ ）

"Bang!"

A shot rang out, and the audience fell silent.

On the roof of a house far from the square, a petite girl looked indifferently at the man in the gas mask beside her.

"Give me a reason to make a difference, Nobel."

"Reason? I want to see fireworks again, does it count? ”

No one noticed them, for the square was completely in chaos after a brief silence. The sound of the gunshot rang out, whether it was the workers or the soldiers. All of them, without exception, fell into a panic.

Paul's body, shot in the forehead, lay unheeded, his empty eyes staring at the sky, silent.

……………………

After the news of the Axtell shooting spread. Imperial Lieutenant General Nicholas shouted in his office God help me, the whole Elven Council of Ambrizet met for three days and three nights, the royal family of the Ryan Kingdom urgently moved around, the emperor's desk, and the tactical plan of the Central Staff was fully prepared.

Wars often start with small things, but no one knows the meaning behind them. An ordinary man kicked off the war with his own death, and his name will be remembered by history.

On April 1, 1677, the Empire declared war on the Kingdom of Ryan for "deliberately inciting the people to kill" and "stealing important secrets of the Empire".

On April 11, the Kingdom of Ryan summoned allies, with the Kingdom of Zam and Ambrizette in the war.

The war began.