Through the gap in the castle's stone staircase, Alan could see his titular cousin, His Excellency Keith, standing restlessly walking back and forth in the lobby on the first floor. Because of the chandelier blocking the view, Alan didn't see his expression, but it wouldn't be very good.

Shaking his head, Alan deliberately aggravated the footsteps, and the dull sound of the leather boots trampling on the stone ladder made Keith on the first floor reflect instantly, and when Alan walked downstairs, he had regained his composure.

It looks like so.

Alan greeted with a smile, "Good afternoon, cousin Keith." ”

Although he was very sure of his guess, when Keith saw the intact Allen appear in front of him, he still couldn't hide the bitterness in his heart, and he barely showed a smile: "Good afternoon, cousin, it's great to see that you're okay." ”

On the surface, he looks flattering, but in his heart he scolds: is it not a shame for a dignified earl's son to use such a subordinate method!

Although he can't read minds, Alan can be sure that the fat man in front of him can't figure out how to arrange himself, but he doesn't care much about this, and it has always been his style to use the simplest and most direct way to achieve his goals.

The two had different thoughts, but they couldn't see it at all on the surface, and after a little politeness, Alan asked, "Is there something wrong with my cousin coming to me?"

Looking at Allen, who was the same as no one else, Keith admired his cousin's cheekiness a little.

Isn't it embarrassing for a man who is considered seriously injured by everyone to show his lies so blatantly?

Taking a deep breath, Keith suppressed the sarcasm in his heart, looked at Allen's eyes seriously, and said: "Because of my personal ability and vision, there are many things that cannot be done properly, I hope my cousin can point out the shortcomings of my work and the areas for improvement." ”

He was ready to compromise with Allen, and being able to say such things proved that he had preliminarily prepared to be instructed by Allen.

This is a significant improvement for those who only reported work before, listened to Allen on the surface, but secretly disagreed.

Keith was frightened.

The golden anomaly in front of him looked embarrassed, but in fact he easily removed Carter from his post, and then was arrested in the dungeon and accused of participating in the assassination of the lord.

This tactic sent chills to Keith.

He now somewhat understood why the young nobleman in front of him was called an anomaly, because he was different from the superficial aristocratic class!

He doesn't care about the ancient etiquette, unspoken rules, and so-called aristocratic face of the empire!

In short, he doesn't play his cards according to common sense.

And it's amazing at doing things!

In Keith's view, even if Carter was sometimes rude and disobedient, it would be nice to remove him from his post, and there was no need to accuse him of involvement in the assassination.

At this time, Keith did not know that Carter was actually involved in the assassination, and he thought that Alan wanted to kill the former city guard.

So when he heard about it, he couldn't wait, or rather, came to Pochi Castle to see Allen.

Then soften.

He was afraid that he would follow in his footsteps, and although it was not likely that he would be in a situation like Carter's because of his slightest blood relationship, it turned out that his cousin obviously could not use common sense.

"Fingering?"

Facing the sincere gaze of the fat Keith, Alan shook his head, he instructed the servant to go upstairs and take down a document, and then threw it to Keith, who was sitting opposite: "I also want to ask your cousin to help see if there is anything missing here." ”

Keith had a bad premonition, and after taking the file, he hesitated for a moment before opening it and checking it.

Then, his face began to turn pale.

"This..."

Flipping through the papers in his hand, Keith's fingers trembled and his mouth open, but he didn't know what to say.

Alan sighed and said, "Your Excellency the city defense officer, I also prepared one, but unfortunately, before I gave it to him, he gave me a surprise first." ”

"You say, if this document is stabbed to my cousin, will he intercede for you, or will he support me in killing you?"

Eren spoke in the same tone as he usually made small talk, but the content contained made Keith slide from his chair to the ground in a flash, he looked at Alan in horror, and muttered, "You, how do you have these things?"

"Ha, I'm not the only one, I also know that many of the restless people I have caught during this time have been quietly let go by Carter. ”

"Do you think you're doing something hidden?"

Alan said with a sneer.

The documents are full of crimes committed by Keith in the light of his duties, including but not limited to harboring tax evaders in the territory.

Not long after Alan came to Bay City, he knew that the fat man in front of him was not very peaceful, but he didn't expect that his lord had already taken office, and he didn't stop!

Obey on the surface, but keep making small movements in secret.

"Tell me, how much tax revenue did you monopolize a while ago?" Allen's seemingly casual words were accompanied by a magical fluctuation that ordinary people could not detect,

Keith's heart was even more desperate, he unconsciously thought of a string of numbers, and then thought of the difficulty of the document in his hand being perceived, and finally surfaced the "consequences" he had gained from it

It could be death, or it could be something more terrible than death.

Thinking that he would face this situation in the near future, Keith gritted his teeth. But instead of completely collapsing as Alan thought, he took a deep breath and sat back with his fat body.

He said: "I have been a financial officer in Bay City for many years, I know all the twists and turns in Bay City, I also know many thieves at sea, some are even my people, and I also know who is in the way of your control of Bay City, cousin. ”

"I can tell you all this, I just ask my cousin to let me go!"

At the end, Keith couldn't hide his pleading.

Alan naturally couldn't see Keith's inner fluctuations, and he was a little depressed at this time why his suggestion technique made Keith look a lot calmer, but it was not suitable to think about these things now, he thought about the words in Keith's mouth for a while, and then turned around and greeted: "Nina, please help me and the guest make two cups of coffee, thank you!"

"Okay, Master Ellen. ”

The response from a distance made Keith a little dazed, and then Allen's words made him breathe a sigh of relief.

"You're smart, cousin, and I've decided to take back that sentence. ”

Alan smiled slightly, and said, "Not only that, for Uncle Fisher's sake, I can also give you a chance to mend your ways." ”

"What, what chance?"

Keith's newly lowered heart was lifted up again.

Alan took the coffee handed over by the maid, thanked him, and then said with a smile: "Since you know everything about Bay City, then I don't need to say more, you should know the problems that Bay City is facing now." Or rather, the dilemma I faced. ”

"You mean, pirate?" Keith replied cautiously, unconsciously using an honorific.

"Wrong"

Alan chuckled, "I've never taken pirates seriously, though they don't take me seriously now. ”

"And you're talking about, Fish-Man?"

"Barely so, but that's not the main thing. ”

Alan shook his head, then looked at the fat Keith and sighed: "I thought you were very smart, but I didn't expect you to be so short-sighted." ”

Keith laughed alongside, not daring to refute, but wondering in his heart what Eren was talking about.

Bay City is not big, it is not small, he has been the financial officer for five years, not to mention that he knows everything about it, at least Keith understands the basic situation here.

Baytown is complicated, simple and simple, and at the end of the day, it's just a small city in the middle of the Gold Coast in the south.

In addition to the fact that there are too many pirate forces stationed in the city and do not obey discipline, that is, the fishmen will come ashore in a month's time.

But both of these points were denied by Allen, so what is the problem he is talking about?

Despite the numerous attempts, Alan was disappointed with the natives' forward-lookingness.

He gave up his good son and didn't come here, maybe he was only willing to be a little lord?

The challenge, of course, is how to develop the city.

"They are always immersed in their current form, going with the flow, waiting for the change to come. ”

Eren let out a rare sigh, then laughed to himself under Keith's incomprehensible gaze.

Shaking his head to dispel the inexplicable sigh in his mind, Alan put down the coffee in his hand and asked, "I heard that you were in the Free Federation in your early years?"

"Yes," Keith replied, "it was an unforgettable time, and I almost died in that damn place." ”

"Good. Alan nodded, "I need you to go to the Free Federation again and contact the goblins who are interested in the business of the Star Empire." ”

"Let's just say that the stars have a city, they can treat them equally, they can trade freely here, and the taxes will be the same as the natives of the stars!"

Keith's eyes glazed over.

Alan added: "Of course, I ask you more than that, if you want to atone for your sins, you also need to give half of all your property, and I will use this money to hire the mercenaries of Reef City to resist the fish-man invasion in the near future, which is considered some compensation for you to the city." ”

"Don't try to lie about the numbers, you should know this document that I know how much money you have. ”

Under normal circumstances, Keith would definitely jump to his feet in pain when he heard this, but now, he was shocked by Allen's previous words, and he hadn't reacted yet.

Let those greedy goblins come here to do business, and the taxes are the same as those of the stars?

Is my cousin crazy?