Chapter 242: Change

Hey, Zorro is obviously a swordsman, how can he be portrayed as a magician?Lorist muttered unhappily, forgetting that his Zorro had never played a sword at all, but was mistaken for a mysterious magician because he lit the candles in the hall and knocked down all the guards with his bare hands.

At this moment, Lorist is having breakfast, holding the daily newspaper Morrente, which has just been delivered to the Crow Tavern, and the headline on the first page is sensational: The Mystery of the Philippine Winery - The Wizard Reappears as a Mystery!

Six days after the incident, a reporter from the daily Moronte newspaper sent a detailed report from the Kingdom of Trimber, which depicts the magician Zorro lighting all the candles in the hall in an instant, and mysteriously making all the guards lose the ability to resist and fall unconscious, and leaving a strange "Z" mark on all the witnesses of the event.

At the end of the article, we also interviewed a young nobleman who had witnessed this mysterious case, who claimed that every midnight, the Z mark on his chest would ache faintly, and he always seemed to feel that there was a mysterious force calling his soul, and every time he fought against this force with a fearless spirit, so as not to be summoned to the abyss of hell by the scheming magician......

This journalist can go and write long-form fantasy novels, perhaps he is a third-rate novelist himself. Lorist did not know that he had guessed the facts, and the reporter of the daily newspaper Moronte had no contact with the person involved in the case, Viscount Silva, who was hanging from a hanger in the square in front of the palace and drifting in the wind. The reporter passed by and was still speculating about which unlucky man had angered His Majesty.

Due to the news of the disappearance of the glass technician blocked by the Kingdom of Tberlin, the reporter had to ask around in the tavern, and finally came into contact with a noble child who had witnessed the case.

Lorist put down the daily newspaper of Morent and picked up the weekly newspaper of Falli-Hill, this time the report on the mystery of the Philippine winery was much more reliable. Compared to the reporter of the daily Moronte who was good at writing fantasy novels, the reporters sent by the Falcre Weekly were obviously much more qualified, and they interviewed the servants of the winery, the criminal investigators in charge of the investigation, and even the Minister of Security in charge of the case in the Kingdom of Trimber.

The headline of the Mana Hill weekly newspaper was: Zorro, Magician or Magician? After investigation, the reporter found that Zorro was not a so-called magician, but could only be said to be a bold bandit who had mastered some small tricks. Just like he instantly lit all the candles in the hall, the criminal investigators in charge of investigating the case found that it was just a small magic trick, the truth is actually very simple, using a thin rope stained with fire oil to connect the fire cores on all the candles together, and the fire will spread along the fire rope as soon as it is lit, which is why all the candles are instantly lit after the fire net appears in mid-air.

As for all the guards falling to the ground, the reporter believes that this robber named Zorro should be a master of fighting spirit at the golden rank with his bare hands, and it can be concluded from the two silver swordsmen who were crushed in the jaw that all the guards were knocked down, not under a magic attack.

The reporter believes that the original purpose of this small gang of robbers led by Zorro was to rob the Philippine winery, so they would get drunk with all the servants and subordinates of the winery, so that they could search unscrupulously. Coincidentally, Viscount Silva happened to come to the winery with friends and escorts, and unfortunately became a fat sheep delivered to the door.

So the bandit leader Zorro made an idea to the Viscount Silva, as evidenced by the fact that all the nobles who came with him were stripped naked and searched for their belongings. However, what made the reporter feel strange was that on the fourth day after the case, the person involved in the case, Viscount Silva, together with his bodyguard and some friends, was hanged on the hanging rack by King Trimber VII on unknown charges......

Therefore, the reporter believes that there is a big secret hidden behind the mystery of the Feihong Manor, and even if all the insiders do not speak, the reporter is still confident that he will discover the truth of the matter......

Good luck to the brave journalist, Lorist prayed. He knew in his heart that the Kingdom of Trimber had discovered the disappearance of Mancheni's technician family, so Viscount Silva had suffered retribution. Now it seems that the Kingdom of Trimber is preparing to block this news and secretly investigate. Lorist was not too worried about this, and when he had finished his business and returned to the family territory with the Mancheni technicians, he believed that the Kingdom of Trimber would never have dreamed that there would be a glass factory in the Northlands......

Now Mancheni's family was in a room they had rented on the third floor of the Crow Tavern, eating breakfast just like themselves. The spies of the Kingdom of Trimber would not be able to find clues about their family, which Lorist was confident in. It was like entering the city of Morente, and the Mancheni technician and his family entered the city separately, and the guards under Lorist disguised themselves as mother and son, father and son, brother and sister, and entered the city like thousands of servants who went to work in the city of Morente every day, without attracting anyone's attention, and then converged on the Tavern of the Red Raven.

The only glitch that arose was that El and the well-behaved daughter of the Mancheni technician seemed to have a little trouble going into town while playing brother and sister, and the two of them were constantly eye-to-eye, which could not be hidden from Lorlist's eyes. Although Elle was sixteen years older than the girl, that didn't stop the two from looking at each other. Lorist can only wish El, the old brother, his wish come true.

That was the end of it, and Lorist put aside what had happened in the Kingdom of Trimber and continued to read the rest of the newspaper while enjoying a hearty and delicious breakfast.

Alas, he is still more accustomed to living in the city of Molde, compared with the family territory, Lorist feels that the biggest difference between the two is the reception of information, in the city of Moldente, you can know the big and small things that happen in Gelintea without leaving home, although they will be a few days late, or even a month, but it is better to know than not to know. Thanks to the expansion of the Forde Business Alliance's sphere of influence, journalists from the city of Morent can travel around gathering news and information without worrying about their lives.

Although the family territory seems to be thriving after several years of development and construction, the circulation of information is relatively closed. Lorist remembered that a few years ago, he was sitting in the Northlands, and he was blind to the situation outside, and he didn't know anything, and the source of information to the outside world was Earl Kenmeth, who occasionally came to the door. However, what Count Kenmez knew best was the intrigue between the court and the nobility, and the news outside the Iberian Kingdom was more hearsay.

It's not that Lorist doesn't know the importance of intelligence news, he also wants to form an intelligence network so that the family can grasp the information and changes in the outside world. But the biggest difficulty at the moment is that without leaving the family territory, Lorist cannot guarantee the safety of the intelligence officers who are sent abroad. Thinking that a few years ago, even the family messengers were captured as slaves by those lords, and Lorist really couldn't afford to lose so many spies.

However, now that the family has the territory of Hilovas Island and has sea communication, it has finally opened an opening for communication with the outside world. After going back this time, it's time to turn on the Lenmerd who was left at home by himself and worked hard for his wife and children all day. This guy was forced to marry seven wives by himself, and he has had more than a dozen children in the past three years.

I heard that this guy is making cattle and horses for his wife and children every day, and it is said that he now has the reputation of a holy hand in the treatment of diseases such as gynecology, obstetrics and pediatrics.

Once I drank too much and cried at a party with old students, feeling that I shouldn't be able to control my lower body, so that now I am living in dire straits...... Before he finished speaking, he was pulled home by his two wives to reflect on his ears, and the old students present at that time bowed their heads and mourned for him......

Anyway, this guy is also a knight of the family, he can't waste his time in vain, and his seven wives have awakened their fighting spirit, and they used to be the key training objects of the women's camp, and their quality and talent are very good. Lorist plans to go back and ask Lenmed to take a few wives to Morente City to open a pharmacist treatment center, as a family office in Morente City, usually collect some information about the changes in the situation in the continent of Guelintea, and can also recruit talents urgently needed by the family here, learn about the latest academic discoveries or something......

Lorist sighed deeply, when will the family territory be built as prosperous as the city of Morent? Compared to other realm nobles, the Norton family's realm is ever-changing and rich. Earl Kenmeth, Baron Philim and Baron Saheen, who knew more about the Norton family's territory, were very envious, and they also admired how Lorist was willing to devote millions of goldfords to the development of the territory and the improvement of the lives of the people.

But in Lorist's heart, the prosperity of the family's territory is only a superficial phenomenon, and if he doesn't persevere, then everything will still return to the same after two or three generations in another hundred years. He had many plans, such as running basic education, improving the overall quality of the people and strengthening their centripetal force towards the family. There is also a tax cut, the family does not need to desperately scavenge that little bit of family wealth from the heads of the lords like other territorial nobles, there is a way to get rich, Lorist can come up with countless ideas to increase the family wealth from the experience of his previous life at any time, but to achieve this goal, more efforts are needed.

Lorist smiled bitterly. Many plans cannot be realized because the actual conditions do not allow it, just like basic education, if papermaking cannot be broken through, with the high cost price of animal skin paper, the family will not be able to realize this wish. If there is cheap paper like in the previous life, then the family can not only run a large education, but also set up a newspaper, grasp the initiative of public opinion, brainwash the people, and make them proud to be members of the Norton family......

Thinking too preoccupiedly, Lorist didn't even notice that Schward appeared in front of him.

"Your Excellency, Your Excellency......" Schward called twice.

"Oh, it's you, why didn't you go to the library today?" Lorist came back to his senses.

Schward rolled his eyes: "My lord, we have been in the library for more than ten days, we know everything we should know, you told us yesterday that we don't need to go to the library anymore." ”

Lorist said embarrassedly, "I'm sorry, Schward, I was distracted just now, so I forgot what I said yesterday." What's the matter?"

"My lord, Mr. Mirino, the owner of the shipyard called Waidalae, where you went the day before yesterday, has arrived, and he said that he has something important to ask you to meet. Schward said.

"Oh, is there anything wrong with the boat I ordered, and you invite him to the third floor, and tell El, by the way, that they don't let Mr. Mancini's family be seen by them. Lorist said.

"Yes, sir. Schward withdrew.

The day before yesterday, Lorist went to the Willalai shipyard and reached an agreement with Mr. Mirino to order a large ocean-going merchant ship at a price of 6,500 gold fords, and the construction period was four and a half months, and Lorist made a deposit of 1,000. And promised to pay another 3,000 gold fords after the keel was installed, and the rest would be paid after the completion and acceptance.

Soon, Mr. Mirino appeared in front of Lorliste.

"Welcome, Mr. Mirino, I wonder why you are so anxious to see me?" asked Lorlist.

"I'm very sorry, my lord, but due to irresistible factors, we at the Waitalai shipyard are unable to fulfill the order placed by the adult. This is the deposit for adults, and this is the compensation for the deposit. I beg your pardon, but the agreement really can't be enforced. Mr. Mirino seemed to have something to hide, insisting on tearing up the agreement and then leaving.

On the table were ten gold dollar coupons with a face value of 100 gold fords, which was the deposit paid by Lorist for the shipbuilding, and there was also a bulging money bag with 100 gold fords, which was compensation for the 10 percent deposit. When the shipbuilding agreement is signed, it is stipulated that if the shipyard fails to execute the agreement within 10 days, the deposit must be refunded, and 10% of the deposit will be compensated as interest......

It's only been three days, and he's earned a hundred gold fords, and if it were Lorlist, who was still teaching at Dawn Academy, he would definitely be happy and couldn't sleep. But now Lorist doesn't look down on this huge amount of money in the eyes of ordinary people, he came to Moriente City to spend money, not to make money.

One hundred thousand Kingfords, Lorist is ready to buy or customize twelve large ocean-going merchant ships to form a family merchant fleet. Unexpectedly, a ship that had just made an agreement was gone.

Lorist touched his chin and was thinking about what Mr. Mirino said about the irresistible factor, when he saw Schward knock on the door again and walked in: "My lord, the owners of three more shipyards have arrived......"

In half a day's work, all the orders for the eight large ocean-going merchant ships that Lorist had found in the five or six days since he returned from the Kingdom of Trimber were returned, and the reason was also irresistible, the same deposit of 1,000 goldfords plus 1000 goldfords of compensation interest. Under Lorlist's repeated questioning, the owner of the shipyard, who was the last to come to return the deposit, finally showed a hint of tone: "You have offended a person we can't afford to offend......"

Lorlist's face turned pale, who was behind the scenes, and the people who could open a shipyard in Zangjin Bay were all a little related, and there were hundreds of craftsmen under him, and the people who were good at it, who would be the people who even they didn't dare to offend? And how he and the others offended him Lorist and the others didn't have any impression.

"El, you go to Brother Ledos and ask him to quietly investigate who is working against us, and let him give us a clue. The rest of us are fine, don't go out, it's in the limelight, and we have to be vigilant now. Lorist commanded.

A day later, Ledos arrives at the Crow Tavern. As a result of his investigation, the Chicked Chamber of Commerce coerced the eight private shipyards to refund the shipbuilding deposits placed by Lorlist. As the shipyard owner at the end said, you have offended a man they cannot afford to offend, and the Chikde Chamber of Commerce is a behemoth they cannot afford to offend.

Why did they intervene to stop themselves from customizing a large ocean-going merchant ship? Didn't that President Chickold apologize to himself? Why did he go back on his word and go against him? Know that it was the Peterson Chamber of Commerce standing behind him......

Lorist frowned and thought that something must have happened there that he didn't expect. At this moment, Schward came over: "My lord, President Peterson has just sent a message to invite you to meet with him at the Chamber of Commerce, and there is something important to discuss." ”

...... (To be continued.) )