Jones took Dora and hurried into his living room: "Hello. I'm sorry to keep you waiting. ”

It was a small parlor. The location was on the tower where Jones lived, and it couldn't have been any bigger.

The walls on all four sides are made of exposed stone bricks, which look very rough. A leather sofa, a wooden coffee table made by the dwarves, a cabinet for storing drinks and food, a small bar, and in addition to some armor and weapons. Ordinary.

The scenery is particularly good, and the balcony here can overlook the entire Giant Snake City. You can see it even if you sit on the couch.

Of course, as a meeting room for a powerful blood lord, it seems a little shabby. After all, Hildeadair's parlors are a hundred times more luxurious than here.

After a brief moment of stunned stunned sighting, the envoy of the Senate quickly stood up and said respectfully, "Dear Lord of Giant Snake City, it's a pleasure to meet you. ”

"I'm glad to meet you too. You may be seated, sir. Jones reached out and made a "please" gesture, then sat down on the couch on the other side.

"Good...... Good. The envoy smiled faintly and sat down apprehensively. A pair of eyes stared Jones up and down.

Jones was dressed in overalls and sleeves on his hands, but he was still covered in oil and debris. Even his cheeks were stained with a drop of red that he didn't know what it was, and he looked like a child from a poor family running out to do odd jobs. Not at all like the legendary Serpent Lord.

In contrast, the envoy wore a solemn black gown, delicate pins, and an ornate bow tie......

These two people are put together, and that's really incongruous.

"Dora, can you make us a cup of tea? ”

"Okay. ”

Following Jones's gaze, the envoy looked at Dora not far away. She was busy making black tea at the counter. The clothes were similar to Jones's, and there was no appearance of a noble blood clan at all.

"Speaker Benedict is ......"

"Oh, Speaker of the Southern Federation, we are friends. He gave me some black tea, but I don't usually drink tea, so I don't know if it's good or not. If it doesn't taste good, don't be surprised. ”

"That Benedict II, who commanded the Human Southern Army?"

"Yes. ”

"Oh. The envoy nodded slowly, and it took a moment to come to his senses. After thinking about it, he felt that something was wrong, so he raised his head and asked, "Human tea...... Can we drink it?"

"Yes, but I have to add something, it was given to me by Adair. Actually, I haven't used it either. He's been sending me off for two years. ”

"Adele is?"

"The Sambo family's child. ”

"Oh. "To be honest, the envoy's mind is a little confused right now, and he doesn't even know what to say. A pair of eyes, looking at Jones from time to time, looking around from time to time, and looking into the distance through the balcony from time to time.

At night, the scenery of Giant Snake City looks extraordinarily magnificent. It was too far from the Blood City-State he knew. Both in style and inside, even the lords here are so different.

Soon, two cups of brewed tea were delivered to them.

"Please. As he spoke, Jones had already picked up his own cup and sniffed it, and took a sip: "Well, it seems to be pretty good." You can taste it. ”

"Okay, thanks. The envoy took a sip from his teacup, then fell silent again.

"Mr. Envoy, you already know my name, but I don't know your name yet. Jones was the first to break the silence and said, "What shall I call you?"

"Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. The envoy hurriedly said, "My name is Donn Morris. You...... You can call me Donne. ”

"Mr. Donn, I'm a small place here, please don't mind. ”

"No, you're not a small place, it's already the largest city-state I've ever seen. Looking at the scenery in the distance, the envoy's eyes lit up.

"I mean the living room. Jones explained.

"Oh, yes......? It's a little smaller. ”

"Yes, but I only have this parlor, because I'm usually too busy to take care of it, so please don't mind. ”

"No, how could it be, no one would look down on you because of this parlor after seeing your territory. ”

"I don't mean that, I'm worried that you think I have a better place, but you choose to host you here, thinking that I don't value your coming. ”

"No, of course not. How so?" Don smiled awkwardly and lowered his head slightly.

He couldn't remember the first awkward smile he'd had since he walked through the door.

Probably because Tang En came to Giant Snake City for the first time, he was still a little frightened. What Jones said was also a bit of a bull's head, and he couldn't react.

After another moment of silence, Don looked at Jones and said awkwardly: "Before I came, I thought I was mentally prepared, but to be honest, when I actually saw it, the feeling was still different. It's amazing. And the most amazing place is the city lord himself. ”

Jones looked at Donn with a smile.

After a pause, Don continued, "They told me you were only 76 years old, but I didn't believe it, really. Until I actually met you in person. Oh, my God...... To be honest, I haven't really been able to accept it yet. At 76 years old, I'm over 1,300 years old, and looking back, what have I done in the past 1,300 years?"

"Thank you for the compliment. ”

"It's not flattery, really. You're a kid of the Dracula family, aren't you? ”

"Yes, he is my father. ”

"I met him once, and it felt very ordinary at the time, but I didn't expect it...... He can educate a child like you. It's remarkable. To be honest, I already kind of regret that I didn't make an agreement with him to let my daughter marry you. Of course, I know it's not possible anymore. You can't praise you enough. No other lord in the entire Bloodline has ever been so young and so successful. I'm afraid there won't be any in the future. ”

Jones was so embarrassed by the praise that he could only laugh hard and awkwardly: "So...... Uncle Donne, hmm...... You know my father, and I'm not sure if I should call you Uncle Donn. ”

"It's my pleasure. ”

"Okay, Uncle Donne, you came here on behalf of the Senate, is there something wrong?"

"Uh...... Sorry, I almost forgot. There were so many shocks from coming here that I forgot what really mattered. I'm sorry. Tang En suddenly came to his senses, and hurriedly took out a stamped document from the leather bag beside him and handed it over: "This is the notice that the patriarch will give you." ”

Jones took it with both hands and looked down at it.

Don added, "The Senate wants you to attend the next hearing. ”

"What do you want to hear?" Jones flipped to the second page.

"On the trade side. Your accomplishments are undoubtedly impressive, but you know the trade. If you earn a hundred gold coins, then this hundred gold coins, without a doubt, are taken out of another person's pocket. Normally, there may be two people who are not satisfied, one is the one who paid the hundred gold coins, and the other is the one who should have received the hundred gold coins. Some people have an opinion about you, and ...... Probably quite a few. ”

Jones's eyebrows furrowed slowly, and he looked meaningfully at Donn.

That's to be expected. Of course, it's a little early, although it may be too late for some.

"Can I not go?" Jones asked softly.

"It's better not to. Don coughed dryly twice and said, "Before I came, I learned a little about you. You are the adopted son of the Lich King Gray, and you have a large group of Lichs to support you. However, the Colin Peninsula is the territory of the Blood Clan after all, and the Giant Snake City is on the Colin Peninsula. Moreover, the Bloodlines support free competition, and the accusations against you are unfounded and untenable. It's just a small problem, you don't have to let it develop into a big problem. If you refuse to attend, the nature changes. ”

Jones looked at Donn silently.

After a pause, Don continued, "I'm sure you have the ability to deal with whatever the Patriarch will do as a result, but it's not necessary, right?"

As he spoke, Donn looked at Jones and smiled.

Just looked at Don quietly for a while, and then Jones laughed slowly: "Okay, I understand." When?"

"There's on it. Donn gestured to the document in Jones' hand.

"I'll be there, don't worry. ”

......

A bat formed by the Bloodclan flew through the sky.

The blue moonlight shone on the Great Serpent City, as well as on the tower where Jones lived.

"Master Jones, I really don't think you need to pay attention to them. Dora pouted angrily and said, "It's so shameless, we are doing exactly according to the rules they have set, even more seriously and better than they do." How can they falsely accuse us because we won? I don't think they can beat us. ”

"Dora, we can't always think about war. If war could solve everything, we should be with Richie in the Northland now, shouldn't we?" Looking down at the papers in his hand, Jones whispered, "The pursuit of justice is to make everyone happy and happy, not to make them die in the pursuit of justice." That's not what we want. As the lord of the city, it is my duty to avoid war and the death of every inhabitant that may occur. And, if it does get to that point, we're going to have a lot of problems. ”

"What's the problem?"

Closing the document in his hand, Jones said, "One-third of our trade is with the Bloodline, and the other one-third is through the Bloodline. Fifty percent of the funds invested in Giant Snake City came from the Blood Clan, and the other thirty percent of the funds did not come from the Blood Clan, but from some merchants who were inextricably linked to the Blood Clan. In fact, I and the real residents of Mega Snake City only own twenty percent of the total assets of Mega Snake City. If we fall out with the Senate, we will immediately lose two-thirds of our trade routes and eighty percent of our funds. This is exactly what those who oppose us want to see. ”

Dora was stunned and slowly opened her eyes wide.

Jones looked at Adair, who was leaning crookedly on the couch in a formal suit.

Adair shrugged his shoulders and said, "Our Sambo family will definitely support you. But if you tear the skin across the face...... I'm not sure. You know, after all, the other party is the Senate. My grandfather, great-grandfather were in the Senate. No Bloodline can escape the grasp of the Senate, with the possible exception of you. ”

Jones nodded and replied softly, "Understood." ”

"Also, I know that the main opposition to you this time is the Gangaro family, and I heard that you rejected their request to enter Megasnake City. Maybe you should take it. ”

"But then the Sambo family will be less supportive of me. Right?"

"Yes. ”

"So there's no difference. Turning his face sideways, Jones looked at Dora on the side: "We have to admit that we are robbing everyone of their business." The whole cake is so big that it is impossible to feed everyone if we want to eat it ourselves. Those who do not have enough to eat will become our opponents. This is something we have to face, perhaps for a long time. Seeking a balance between cooperation and competition and striving for development is the path we have chosen. ”

As he was talking, Gu Ya, who was dressed in civilian clothes, pushed the door and walked in, and was stunned for a moment when he saw Jones, Dora, and Adair.

Who is Gu Ya? Do you remember the werewolf? Yes, it's her.

"Is there something wrong?" asked Jones.

"Mr. Barrel. Gu Ya said with difficulty: "Hope, I hope you can confirm the output and make arrangements." ”

"Put it here, I'll see it later. Jones gestured to the corner of the table.

"Good...... Good. Quaya nodded to Adair and Dora, smiled awkwardly, and placed the thick stack of papers in her hand in the corner of Jones's desk. Then he exited the door under the watchful eyes of Dora and Adair, and closed the door by the way.

"She can already speak the lingua franca?" asked Adair.

"Yes, it's not very good, but at least we can understand her. Jones replied.

"Hmm...... This is a werewolf, you actually let her do a clerical job. It's a bit of a waste. But you also have the right to waste, that is, if you can also waste extravagantly in other areas, it is even better. Smiling, Adair sat down across from Jones's desk with a glass of wine and asked, "What are you going to do?" ”

"Deal with it head-on. Jones took a deep breath and replied, "We didn't break any rules, that's our advantage." There's no way they're going to bring us down with the rules they already have. Unless, they have a specific rule for us. ”

"It's possible, but it's unlikely. Adair raised his glass of wine and said, "If they are really so shameless, I support you to declare war directly." I don't want the surname Sambo, support you. ”

After that, drink the red wine in one gulp.

"Thank you. Jones replied with a smile.

n.