Cracking down on the smuggling of Sewer gang members to collect the tax revenues that evaded, the Captain of the Night Watchman, Ruif West, submitted a proposal to the City Hall to promote Aldrich Triss to the rank. After a few days of shelf, Councillor Anse Claire got a hint from a big figure to start the discussion process.

In the tumultuous House of Representatives, the elderly legislators in the inner circle are dozing with their eyes closed, deaf to the noise around them, but the assistants and secretaries behind them are actively flipping through the bills and documents piled up on the table, outlining important clauses, and looking for lucrative potential supporters who can bring more money to the members' gold-filled coffers.

They are all 'elders' who have been serving for many consecutive terms, dividing their own territory and network according to the underlying rules, and will never reach out to old friends if they don't have to.

Energetic young legislators in the outer circle are busy getting money for themselves, promising conveniences, and formulating slanted legal provisions, so as to win over the rich to act as the financiers behind them, and strive for a second term of success.

They are surrounded by a large group of inexperienced rookies, but unfortunately there is a lack of experts who are well versed in the letter of the law, and the myriad of complicated affairs has left the newcomers to the council too busy to really establish their own territory.

The veteran councillors sit and watch the newcomers rise and fall, patiently observing, just as the lion king throws his children off a cliff to see who can climb up with his brothers' bones and sit side by side with them, even betting on who will stay and who will leave early.

This vulgar taste, which at first was only a game of pastime for the nobles of the Senate, was later learned by the old men of the House of Deputies. Although the stakes are not much, the future of the detached councillors is set as a prize, and the power changes hands as a reward, and only a handful of spectators can participate, all of whom are the powerful giants of Eastwood City, who control the fate of countless people.

Busy work leads to missed meal time, and many people bury their heads in munching, which is an unpleasant and rude way of eating, and the self-proclaimed cultured parliamentarian will be like attending a dinner party in high society, and he will be strict and persistent in dining etiquette to soothe the hungry stomach. From time to time, people swallow clouds and spitt mist, and the high-quality tobacco from famous families, and the blurry blue smoke rising from the house, lingering in every corner of the house, decorating this place into a sacred place like a pantheon in the depths of the sky.

Councillor Anse Claire, who had been waiting in line for a long time, finally arrived at the round platform in the center of the House, where the sound of the special engineering and architectural design, no matter how small, would be amplified so that everyone present could hear it clearly, on the contrary, if he spoke loudly, the sound quality would be distorted and turned into a pile of meaningless noise.

With a muffled cough, he cleared his throat, and Anse Claire, who was looking forward to re-election, opened a document, turned his head and nodded to the speaker, the iron hammer struck on the copper plate, and the crisp and loud voice calmed the hot atmosphere of the house a little.

"Lord Rufer Vest has asked for consideration of Aldrich Triss's promotion to Vice-Captain of the Night Patrol. ”

"Honourable Members of the Eastwood City House of Representatives. ”

"In order to curb smuggling that harms fair competition in business, encourage more serving knights to actively participate in the fight against tax evasion, tax evasion and other tax-undermining crimes, and promote Eastwood's revenue and expenditure to a surplus rather than a fiscal deficit, it is proposed to promote Aldrich Tris, who has made a significant contribution to the fight against sewer luxury smuggling, to be the vice-captain of the Night Patrol. ”

"The draft has been agreed by Rufu West, the captain of the Night Patrol, and Anse Claire, who seconded it, and is now submitted for consideration. ”

"At noon on the frost, moon, fog day of the three hundred and ninety-first year of the solar calendar. ”

The relevant councillor, who had a headache at the thought of this hateful name, secretly hated Aldrich Triss to death, but on the surface he had to pretend to be indifferent, and looked through his resume with a businesslike attitude, and when he saw that this person had been in the Night Patrol for less than half a year, his heart immediately became ecstatic, and then he did not hesitate to vote no.

While most of the councillors were still weighing, the naysayers sent people to the vicinity of the Roundland, not mentioning the dangers of smuggling, but questioning with vigour how a junior knight with a sword could be promoted to the rank in just a few months.

One of the councillors, who had suffered the most from the involvement of his backers in smuggling, even came to Anse Claire in person, pointed at his nose and scolded him, asking him why Aldrich Triss had used money to clear the way, or if he had a big man behind him, otherwise why he was in a hurry to submit a proposal for promotion.

'Fool!' Ansai Claire cursed in his heart, and gently supported the tortoiseshell frame with the back of his hand, "Following the will of the High Lord Earl Eastwood, according to the rules of merit and reward, promotion does not take into account seniority, you can tell me if you have any objections, but I suggest you go and talk to Lord Earl." ”

"The Earl of Eastwood is a! no...... I mean he said it doesn't count, no, no...... I would like to say that it is up to us parliamentarians to have the final say in the consideration of this draft. ”

The angry parliamentarian knew that he had said the wrong thing, but no matter how he tried to get around, he could not save his lost face and future.

The veteran legislators in the inner circle woke up in unison, narrowed their eyes into a slit, looked at a rookie who was doomed to be out early with pity, and Sparcy Wayne, who had not been optimistic about him from the beginning, raised the index finger of his right hand and signaled that he had won the first hand in the bet he had made a year ago.

"The fisherman of the lucky fortune. "A good hunter with a discerning eye. "A sharp eye that knows people. "A visionary prophet. And so on, and so on, and so on, were given to the winner by the old fellow who had known him for many years, and even though the bet was only one gold ouma, the meaning was extraordinary.

"I'm in for a treat tonight, and the theme is a dinner party where rookies are out. Sparcy Wayne generously offered the goodwill of the reconciliation, which drew a laughing joke.

Inadvertently killing a competitor, several spokesmen standing opposite Anse Claire received a hint and retreated to their positions, alone in front of the round stage.

The dejected councillor kept his composure and turned to leave, but his feet seemed to be heavy as lead, and he did not step up the stairs several times, and finally the councillor's assistant could not see it, and went down to help the employer to his place.

He could no longer afford to oppose Aldrich Triss's proposed promotion, and he had to hurry up to save himself from offending the majesty of the lord by a momentary mistake, which would lead to his quick expulsion from the House and his unemployment.

There are some underlying rules that everyone knows, but no one has ever dared to break them. Although the town hall has a strong autonomy, the election of councillors is not the one who the lord wants to appoint, and the senate composed of all nobles sternly refuses to interfere with their feudal lords, but as long as the Earl of Eastwood is willing, he can bring down any councillor with a push, even the veteran councillors who have served many consecutive terms cannot be exempted.

Of the 52 'civilian' legislators, four were absent due to illness, one was absent to preside over the family funeral, and 10 were absent from fundraising campaigns, representing more than a two-thirds majority present. After a secret ballot, 12 opposers, 24 in favor and 1 abstention, passed the decision to promote Aldrich Triss to Vice-Captain of the Night Patrol.

The bill was then sent to the Senate for the sake of the armbands of the sword and shield of the Triss family, and although some of the senators were still wary of the return of the 'Eye of Watch', the nobles passed it unanimously and delivered it to the Earl of Eastwood before the afternoon tea began.

The Earl, who had some impression of the name Aldrich Triss, signed and sent it back to the town hall, and according to the relevant regulations, Aldrich Tris's promotion to the rank was truly completed, because the Night Patrol Knight was under the city security management, and a small internal ceremony was held.

Aldrich changed from an ordinary night watchman, seizing the opportunity to a special member of the roster who acted on his own, accumulating merits and being promoted to vice-captain, completing the first leap in his life. If it weren't for his wide range of people, he would have made friends with most of the night watchmen through training beforehand, otherwise there would have been many changes in the confrontation between the open and the covert.

When he changed into the epaulettes and badge of the vice-captain, walked out of the wall of the Night Watchman's station, announced that he was in for a treat, and let everyone feast, he immediately set off a wild cheer, and the deafening sound was more powerful than his loud voice.

In the open-air cafeteria, two rows of long tables are lined with plates of fish cutlets, wrapped in egg wash and covered with breadcrumbs, fried in boiling oil pans, charred and tender, and with the addition of fishy pepper, the taste is better than that of ordinary goods sold in low-end taverns. Aldrich personally instructed the best beef to be beaten and kneaded, a little flour and ale wine were added, stirred evenly and then kneaded out balls, which were wrapped in shrimp paste and frozen, and after cooking, a plate was served in front of each person. Those who have never eaten it squeezed out the hot oil juice after taking a bite, not only themselves, but also the people next to them jumped to their feet in fright, causing a lot of laughter. The routine minced meat mash also has a new twist, the huge potato slices, fried in the oil pan and then picked up and cooled, the taste is crunchy, just a little light, but it can be dipped in sweet and sour tomato sauce, fresh and salty red oil beef sauce to eat. Of course, there is also a vegetable salad, fresh diced fruits, roasted chestnuts and sautéed pine nuts with a unique flavor.

It was the first time that Rufer West had seen so many new dishes, he and the vice-captain Aldrich Triss sat face to face, no one around them came to disturb them, the two gossiped and most of the time Captain West was listening, muttering that he didn't even notice that the beef balls on the fork were cold.

It wasn't until Aldrich said that he came back to his senses, ate the meatballs in two or three bites, and put down the knife and fork: "You haven't been outside for long, and you have run such a big business, you have to be admired." ”

Seeing his insincere expression, how could he not understand Captain West's thoughts: "Rufer, my friend, my brother, I must tell you the truth, I will be at ease with running the scavenger guild in the near future, the Night Watchman is still the same, I will continue to support you in return." ”

Knowing that Aldrich would not lie, and that Rufer West was satisfied with this assurance, he put his mind at ease and turned his head to care about the newly formed Adventurers' Guild.

However, someone came over to interrupt their long-term recollection, and Bergta, who was also a special member of the staff, sat next to Captain West with a plate of hot meatballs that had not yet dissipated, and gently put down the tin plate: "Vice Captain Tris, is your union still short of people? Count me in, okay?"

Finding out the true identity of this person from his own channels, Aldrich's career had just started, but he didn't dare to sit back and watch the dove occupy the magpie's nest happen, thought about it carefully, and after finishing the draft, he refused to join Burgetta in a tactful tone.

"The sewers are overflowing, and the stench of filth is everywhere, and there is no need for a person of noble birth like you to suffer. Besides, the smugglers we deal with, the killers of the thieves' union, and the vicious evil people will not give your father face. ”

"That's right. Another man interjected, and Tim Pol, the crow who had made a deal to fight smuggling, boasted of having done a great job, having a face in front of him and someone behind him, and he was very proud to participate in the topic: "You should be wrapped in silver silk and ribbons, and your hair coated with a thick layer of rose-scented anointing oil, and wrapped in a gift for some widowed lady, or a marriage bond between two families, rather than mingling with us." I'm not mistaken, my lord. ”

Annoyed and angry, Burgetta cursed, and under Aldrich's curious gaze, his face returned to his usual face: "You should wash your teeth with clean crystal salt powder, so that the words that have not been blurted out by your brain will become beautiful." The Ball family has always been known for producing polite scholars in high society, but you seem to be out of step with the family ethos, even if you don't have the right to inherit, you don't have to give up on yourself, you are willing to be in the company of stinky horses, you wrap your clothes tightly in the streets at night, you warm your body with a shiver and a cold wind, you linger in the tavern haunted by wild warblers, drink sour ale in your mouth, and no one cares if you insult yourself, but it is a sin to disgrace the prestige of your family. ”

The corners of Tim Ball's mouth instantly hung down: "I advise you not to embarrass yourself, I really think that the martial arts combat power surpasses us, and I may be able to surprise you with the guidance of the knights." ”

The cautious crow did not boast complacently, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the unangry face of Vice Captain Tris, and his mood immediately became relaxed.

Burgta, who had lost his savings for many years after the failure of his business investment, had nowhere to vent his anger and was trying to find someone to fight the fire, but who knew that Tim Ball hit the muzzle of the gun, he clenched his fists, and his knuckles crackled.

"Aren't you going to stop it?" Rufer West gave his lieutenant Aldrich Tris a problem, two subordinates who were very hard in the background would start fighting after two or three disagreements, especially in front of them, it was really too bad to give face to the new vice-captain.

"Here at the Night Watch, you only count. With a pun on himself, he kicked the ball back to Captain West, and now it was his turn to have a headache.