Luke returned to 236 Copper Mulberry Avenue in a horse-drawn carriage.

At night, there were not many people on the roads of the imperial capital, the smooth bluestone ground illuminated by street lamps, the occasional night bus, and the sheriff patrolling the roadside with a sword on his shoulder. After a while, the sky was drizzling, and the north wind blew the raindrops on the glass of the carriage.

Luke reached out, and a fire came out of his palm, the heat dissipating the cool air that came in.

His mind thought back to what had happened after he arrived in the imperial capital today.

Empress Christina is capable and talented in handling government affairs, but she knows too little about the inside of the court, and she doesn't know how much power the Cross has in the imperial court, nor how deeply the two princes are tied to them.

In the matter of the sky-high purchase order, except for Augustine the Great, no one has the strength to find out the situation inside.

And what was Augustine doing?

According to his own understanding of the emperor, as long as his mind can still think, he will never easily give up power to others. This time he retreated behind closed doors, and gave all the power to the queen, there must be something important that made him have to do this.

Is he really overworked and sick?

Or is it for some other reason?

Without clues and intelligence, accurate judgments cannot be made.

So Luke thought of asking the eldest prince Fania to be a stepping stone. Efania's personality is more impatient the more he is at the door. And the last attack on Dai'er proved his gambler mentality, and at the same time, family affection has long been worthless in his heart.

Therefore, Luke judged that Fania would not go to the Cross to discuss countermeasures after knowing the sky-high purchase order. And when the queen goes to the north, she will definitely take a group of royal knights and palace guards with her.

The palace guards have been greatly reduced, and Fania is likely to take the risk.

What Augustine is hiding for, let Fania test it.

Luke clenched his fist and snuffed out his head, and then knocked on the carriage: "Go to the Adrien Alchemy Factory in Downtown." ”

The carriage turned around at the next junction and headed down the city.

A large amount of money has been invested in the lower city of St. Lun City, and it has begun to bear fruit.

Once a person has hope, a positive side will burst out. The previously dirty streets were spontaneously cleaned up by the residents who lived nearby, and the potholes were filled in.

The gang members organized patrols according to their respective territories, and even on rainy nights, they patrolled in raincoats and weapons in a decent manner, no less dutifully than the sheriffs of the upper town.

So not long after Luke's carriage entered the lower town, it was stopped by a patrol.

The rain fell even more.

The gang surrounded the carriage in the middle, and the rain washed over their raincoats, and everyone was on guard with their weapons in hand.

The carriage is very luxurious, which means that the people in the carriage are noble.

According to common sense, people of this status will not come to Xiacheng on a rainy night, but since they come, there must be something important.

A leader stepped forward and knocked lightly on the door.

"This is the lower town of Saint-Lun and it is very unsafe at night. Who are you? What are you doing in Downtown so late? ”

The leader examined the decoration of the carriage and the dress of the coachman, wondering if he could extort a sum of money from the other party.

At this time, the window of the carriage opened a small gap.

"Raging Waves, Luke! Come to old Adrian. ”

The leader saw the side face of the person sitting inside through the gap in the window, and immediately bowed back after hearing the person inside say his identity.

"Good evening, Mr. Luke, I beg your pardon for the offense."

When the gang heard that it was Mr. Luke in the car, they immediately put away their weapons and saluted together.

"Good evening, Mr. Luke!"

Luke said vigorously: "It is your duty to maintain law and order in the lower city at night, you have not offended me, and I naturally do not need to forgive you."

Take me to Adrian's alchemy factory, I don't want to stop every time I see a patrol. ”

"It was our pleasure to lead the way for Mr. Luke!"

The leader dragged one of his quick-legged men and told him to report to Adrian's alchemy factory that Mr. Luke was coming.

Then he led the rest of the gang to step on the rain and trot along with the wagon.

As the number of patrols encountered on the road increased, so did the number of people escorting the wagon. At the same time, the news of Luke's arrival in the lower city quickly spread to the streets of the lower city. Those who had already fallen asleep hurried up and waited for news from the Adrian alchemy factory.

When the carriage arrived at the alchemy factory, the elder Adrien was already greeted outside the door with his son and the leaders. Lightning pierced the sky, rain poured down, and everyone stood in the rain, speculating in their hearts...... Mr. Luke came to Downtown in such bad weather, there must have been something important.

The doors open.

The elder Adrien stepped forward and held up an umbrella to shield Luke from the rain as he got out of the car.

"Mr. Luke, is something big going on?"

Luke stepped forward in stagnant water, and while waving to the person who greeted him, he said to old Adrian: "There is a big matter, notify the major shareholders of Polaris to come to a meeting, and we will talk at the meeting." Is Ed here? ”

Old Adrien thought that Mr. Luke blamed Ed for not coming to greet him, and immediately explained: "Ed is in the alchemy laboratory. Ever since you taught him the recipe for the mystical substance mixture, he has been obsessed with studying more advanced mixtures. Due to the danger of the mysterious substance, I did not send anyone to inform him.

I beg your pardon, sir. ”

"It's good to like working on new mixtures." Luke took the umbrella from Old Adrian: "You go to prepare for the meeting, I'll go see Ed." ”

"Yes, Mr. Luke."

Old Adrien sent someone to the alchemy laboratory first, so that the guards there would let Mr. Luke go as soon as they saw him.

Luke skillfully found the factory's alchemy laboratory.

The alchemy laboratory in the factory is much better than the alchemy house in the workshop next to the sewage reservoir. The old Adrian, who had money in his hands, purchased a batch of second-hand alchemy equipment, which filled the entire alchemy laboratory with a sense of luxury.

The first generation of mystical mixtures were prepared in a special workshop and guarded 24 hours a day.

When Luke met Ed, he was on a crafting table full of various experimental utensils, carefully mixing a mixture of mysterious species experimental reagents. He wears a protective mask, his expression is calm, his wrists are steady, and he already has a strong sense of confidence and experience.

Luke didn't bother Eddard, just watched quietly.

Ed didn't notice Luke's arrival either, and was fully focused on the mixture reagent in his hand.

I don't know how long it took, but the reagent that was originally stable suddenly became unstable. The liquid transpires, and the mysterious species turns into a seven-colored gas that spews out of the test tube.

Ed skillfully used a special inhalation machine to suck out all the mysterious substances, and then couldn't help but let out a sigh.

"Failed again!"

"But one step closer to success."

Lu ...... Mr. Luke! ”

When Ed saw Luke, he immediately put down the test tube in his hand in a panic.

Eddard, who uses a mixture of first-generation mysterious species, is very strong, but he is still shy when he first sees Luke.

Luke walked over, picked up the lab notes from the table, and pointed to a few of them, saying, "Adjust the dosage here to 12 milliliters, heat it to 60 degrees Celsius, then lower it by 5 degrees every ten minutes, and then keep it at a constant temperature for 20 minutes after reaching 40 degrees."

Purple light is required here; Here you want to add stable quartz powder......"

Ed took notes carefully, and after Luke finished speaking, he not only asked, "Mr. Luke, this is the advanced potion I came up with based on the first-generation mystical substance mixture, how do you know the correct recipe and production process?" ”

Luke put down his lab notes and said with a smile, "I know a lot more about the recipe for the mysterious substance mixture. I'm telling you to keep an eye out for the mysterious substance you're collecting. ”

"It's all in the vault of the mysterious substance, please follow me." Ed led Luke deeper into the studio and said, "Ever since my husband kept my eye on the mysterious substance produced in the cesspool, I've sent people to patrol the area of the cesspool every day. As soon as I found out, I immediately collected it, and now I have a lot of stockpiles.

It's all here. ”

Ed opened the vault and pulled out a large storage box. The box was filled with glass test tubes, one empty and the other containing a mysterious substance of different colors.

Luke took out the test tubes one by one to observe the color and changes of the mysterious substances inside, and handed over the ones he needed to Ed, and after a while, he selected seven special mysterious materials.

Luke then took some of the usual mystery materials and left the vault with Eddard.

"The number and type of special mysterious substances collected are not bad, and I will continue to pay attention to the collection in the future, I will be useful."

"Yes, Mr. Luke."

"I'm going to concoct a mixture of mysterious substances, and you'll be my assistant. Old Adrien: They're still waiting for me to have a meeting, so let's hurry. ”

Hearing that Luke was going to concoct a new mixture of mysterious substances and allowed himself to be his assistant, Ed happily said, "Thank you, Mr. Luke! ”

Luke placed the mystical substances on the apothecary rack on the test bench, labeled them one by one, and took out the beaker and alcohol lamp to begin the mixture.

"I'll only do it once, it's up to you whether you can learn it or not."

"I'll learn by heart, Mr. Luke."

"Go, mix the No. 4 and No. 5 mixtures in a ratio of 1:3 and melt them into a 60-degree wine and put it in a zero-degree incubator."

"Yes, Mr. Luke."

Ed complied with the instructions and began to make the ingredients for the mystical substance mixture, and Luke picked up Mystic Substance No. 1 and poured it into a beaker, then lit the alcohol stove to heat the flask.

The two were busy in the laboratory, and apart from a brief experimental exchange, the only thing in the room was the sound of bottles and cans colliding.

At the same time, news of Mr. Luke's meeting of Polaris' major shareholders spread from the Adrien Alchemy to the entire Downtown. The gang elders who received the notice immediately set off, although the water outside was already serious due to the heavy rain, but they did not dare to delay anything.

The north wind blew even harder, carrying the cold rain over the city.

In the lab, Luke worked quickly, and with Ed's assistance, the entire process of making the mixture was greatly shortened.

Eight mysterious species were refined, condensed, mixed, and concocted into a small square crystal. Each side of the crystal takes on a different color, and the internal lines of the crystal form countless sections vertically and horizontally, with a burning fire point in the middle.

The light emitted by the fire point is refracted through the profile, giving off a brilliance that is even brighter than that of a diamond.

"Bring me the refrigerated wine."

"Yes, Mr. Luke."

Ed took the liquor he had been brewing from the incubator and placed it on the table in front of Luke.

Luke uses tweezers to pick up the square crystals and place them on top of the glass.

"At this point, you need to pay attention to adjusting the height of the crystals, so that the light inside the crystals will focus on the surface of the wine. When the wine is ignited, the crystals can be thrown into the glass. ”

As he spoke, Luke adjusted the height of the crystal, and a fire appeared on the surface of the wine. The liquor concocted by the mysterious substance is ignited, and a blue fire rises upwards. Luke releases the tweezers, and the crystals fall into the wine, melting the moment it touches it.

Then the upward flame turns downward, and the inside of the whole glass is filled with blue fire.

Luke raised his glass and said to Ed, "This is a second-generation mixture of mysterious substances, called 'Burning Spirit'. Not everyone is suitable for this mystical substance mixture, it only has a positive effect on the body with a fire affinity, and people with other constitutions will suffer from it when they use it.

How to use it is ......"

Luke threw his head up and drank the entire glass of soju, the burning wine shining down his throat. Immediately afterward, the pores of Luke's body overflowed with burning liquor, forming an explosive air pressure.

At this moment, Luke felt that he was bathed in flames both inside and out, and the bloodline of the Lava Rock Demon was revealed by the intense fire attribute ability. Stronger flames erupted outward, mingled with flashing lightning.

Sensing that the energy in his body was about to get out of control, Luke immediately activated the Thunder Descending Fire Boy. The flurry of electricity was controlled and concentrated in one place, turning into a chain of electricity that circled around Luke, and then faded into obscurity. The fire that broke out was also forcibly suppressed and retracted into the body.

The Thunder Boy burst out with a strong light, and his entire right eye was filled with compressed energy.

As Luke gradually gained control of the rampage's energy, the vision quickly faded and his right eye returned to its normal state.

Ed, who was stunned, dared to ask, "Mr. Luke, are you alright?" ”

"No ......" Luke opened his mouth, and a puff of fire erupted that almost burned Eddie. Luke immediately shut his mouth, and after regaining control of his energy, he tried again before saying, "I'm fine, this 'Burning Passion Drink' has increased me so much that it almost gets out of control.

Looks like you're going to have to redecorate it here. ”

Luke looked around, his short-term energy overflowed, and the laboratory was in shambles. The instrument rack twisted and fell, and broken glass was scattered all over the floor.

Eddie immediately said, "Compared to the potion recipes you taught me, sir, these are not worth mentioning. Once again, I have learned how to make a mixture of precious and mysterious substances. ”

"You can learn to show that you are talented. I'll leave it to you, I'm going to preside over the Polaris shareholder meeting.

In the future, the use of the first-generation mystical substance mixture will increase, and you will need to make more reserves. ”

"Don't worry, Mr. Luke."

Luke said goodbye to Eddie and left the alchemy lab, and the guards outside told him that all the major shareholders of Polaris had arrived and were waiting for Mr. Luke in the conference room.

Luke pulled out his pocket watch and found that the potion had taken three hours to make.

……

As the night deepened, the wind shook the windows of the conference room frantically, and the rain crashed against the glass with a heavy crashing sound.

The long conference table was flanked by gang elders who had come to the meeting, and the chandeliers on the ceiling were swayed by the air currents, and the swaying light illuminated the different faces.

No one spoke, but everyone waited quietly for the arrival of the One on the throne.

The door to the conference room was pushed open, and the gang elders all stood up at the sight of the people who had entered.

"Hello Mr. Luke!"

"Everyone, sit down!" Luke strode over to the main seat and sat down, and then asked Old Adrian beside him, "It's been a while since the Polaris Small Commodities Production Company was established. I haven't been paying attention to some things here lately, so I'll report back to me on your current business situation. ”

"Yes, Mr. Luke!"

The prepared old Adrien took out a book of materials and read according to the notes recorded on it......

Everyone listened quietly.

The production of small goods does not require large equipment, and small production tools such as sewing machines can be produced and imported in large quantities, and then transported by rail to the city of Saint-Lun, and then distributed to the family production units in the lower city.

It can be produced after simple training.

As long as the supply of raw materials and the sale of finished products are guaranteed, the return on investment can be seen soon.

Raging Waves is a large market that connects both the empire and the world, and in the era of the world's rapid economic upturn, demand is something that has no upper limit. As long as there are channels, the goods produced will not be able to be sold.

Therefore, with the continuous supply of equipment and endless orders in Angry Waves City, family-based production has been rapidly rolled out in Xiacheng District. Although the profit is very thin, it is too valuable to have a stable income compared to the previous life of eating the last meal and not the next.

In Downtown, everyone knows who gave the meal, and everyone respects Mr. Luke.

Xiacheng, which now has some rich money in hand, is preparing to raise funds to rebuild the city's roads and dig drainage pipes. In bad weather like today's, it is difficult for people to get in and out, let alone the vehicles transporting goods.

If you want to be rich, you must first build a road.

The elder Adrien also wanted to lay a set of electrification lines and purchase some large steam engines. If the energy supply in the lower city is abundant, the speed of production can also be increased.

After listening to the old Adrian's report, Luke asked Alice about the use of the investment and the revenue of Polaris.

Then he talked to Malken about how extraordinary pets are sought after by the upper class in Raging Waves.

Finally, he made a concluding remarks: "In fact, from your attitude and expressions, I can see that the current development momentum of the lower city is very good, and everyone can feel that it will be even better in the future."

Today you are thinking about building roads and laying power grids; In a few days you may consider tearing down all the low-rise houses and building high-rise buildings or opera houses. ”

Luke's words elicited a lighthearted laugh.

The future is really bright!

"But...... Have you ever thought about how to keep the wealth you have now and will have in the future? ”

Luke's next words brought the laughter to an abrupt end, and everyone's faces changed from amiable to fierce, as if they were going to fight for their fortune.

The true nature of the villain is revealed.

Old Adrien whispered to Luke, "Sir, is it that your investment income in Downtown has attracted the coveted of the imperial officials?" ”

"Did the Imperial officials trouble you?"

Old Adrien replied without consideration: "No." ”

Malken was puzzled and said, "This is very strange! In the past, there was no oil and water in the lower city, and those imperial officials didn't care about it at all. Now that so many goods are coming in and out of the lower city through the railway station of the city of Saint-Lun, the imperial officials did not make it difficult for us, and we were allowed to pass through after paying the taxes.

This doesn't make sense. ”

Malken had worked at the Imperial Transcendent Creature Cultivation Center and knew what it was like to be an Imperial official. When they saw the big merchants of Angry Waves City in Xiacheng District, they should pounce on it to reap some benefits.

Like nothing is done now, not like their style.

Others also felt that it was abnormal, as if there was some kind of force protecting them.

Luke looked at the venue that was gradually talking, his eyes swept over everyone's faces, and then said, "The eldest princess said that there are people working in the secret intelligence bureau among you, stand up!" ”

Eldest Princess! The CIA!

There was an instant silence in the venue, and everyone didn't expect that there would be the eyes of the secret intelligence bureau here. Everyone looked at the people in the venue vigilantly, thinking in their hearts to find out the inner ghost and then inflict capital punishment.

A man sitting at the end of the conference table stood up.

When everyone was about to slap up and scold the inner ghost, the man showed a helpless expression and said, "It's me...... Governor of the Falling Star. I was working for the CIA, but I didn't know it was you at the time.

Her Royal Highness the Eldest Princess has asked me to fully cooperate with you in your work in the lower city and to keep you safe. ”

Governor of the Falling Star!

Everyone in the venue was stunned. Meteorite, that's the hottest big man in the Empire right now, is that Mr. Luke......

In the face of the stares, Luke said to the informant of the secret bureau, "We all work for the secret bureau, and you are just doing your job dutifully. Now that you know who I am, confirm who I am. ”

"Yes, Lord Governor." The informant first saluted Luke, and then introduced to everyone present: "Mr. Luke, who funded and saved our homeland, is the Viscount of the Empire, the Honorary Royal Knight, the Director of the Special Six Division of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau, the Senator of Angry Waves, and the Meteorite Governor of Angry Waves. ”

With the introduction of the informant, the mouths of everyone in the conference room grew wider and wider, and then one by one they couldn't help but stand up.

The informant breathed a sigh of relief after introducing Luke, the pressure on him to keep the secret was too great.

Old Adrien said excitedly: "...... Your Excellency the Governor. ”

The puzzle has just been solved, and it is Mr. Luke who saves the lower town...... Protecting the lower city is the Governor of Meteorfall.

"Sit down!" Luke pressed his hand: "Don't stand, sit down!" If it weren't for something urgent that compelled me to reveal my identity, I would prefer to communicate with you as Mr. Luke. ”

The crowd sat down again at Luke's command.

Old Adrien said, "Your Excellency, the whole of the lower city is yours, and if there is anything we want to do, please do whatever we want." ”

"Let's start with my new position." Luke paused for a moment, and seeing that everyone was listening intently, he continued: "Now I am the newly appointed Special Cabinet Minister, in charge of the Office of Special Dispatch of Supplies in the North. ”

Seeing that everyone was about to stand up and salute again, Luke immediately stopped them: "It's too late today, I'm going back to Angry Waves City early tomorrow morning, and some etiquette things will be omitted first."

At this meeting, I would like to inform you that the northern frontier of the empire is about to face a full-scale attack by the Artshire Union, and the situation is extremely unfavorable to our side, and even the Empress of the Empire will personally recruit on behalf of Her Majesty to boost the morale of the northern legions.

If the Atshire Legion breaches the Northern Fortress Complex, the entire empire will be thrown into turmoil. ”

Luke's revelation was too explosive for the gang bosses in the conference room.

During the war, the Empire's internal propaganda was to report good news rather than bad news. The attack on the Tedgar Hills on the southern front did not go well, and the people heard that the barbarian army of the Imperial army was crushing the army, as if the capture of the Celtic Duke alive was just around the corner.

Although there is propaganda about the crisis in the north, it is even more heavily exaggerated for the powerful army in the north. only talks about the "brilliant record" of the Northern Legion against the Atlantic Union in the past, and does not mention that the Northern Legion was transferred half of its troops to the Southern Front, nor does it say that the Atlantshire Union came from the nest this time, and the scale of the war is not of the same order of magnitude as the previous border skirmishes.

The crisis in the West is not even publicized.

In short, the population of the empire remained very optimistic about the war, and their daily lives were hardly affected.

Now that Luke said that the north was so dangerous that the queen had to go to the north to supervise the war, these gang elders realized that the war was so close to them.

Old Adrien asked, "What do you need us to do, Lord Governor?"

"I'm going to recruit in Downtown!"

"How many people are needed, we must recruit them for adults."

The gang bosses didn't hesitate at all, whether it was to stop the Atlantshire United from keeping the good life they had just gotten, or to repay the Governor of the Meteor Star, they were willing to give up their lives to fight.

"5,000 people!" Luke stated his prediction of the possible requisition of troops in the Lower Cities: "The soldiers of the Lower Towns went to the Angry Waves City to reorganize in the name of laborers, and received at least three months of military training.

When the situation in the north is in crisis, Raging Waves will send troops to support the north. ”

On the train, Luke receives a lot of news from the city of Fury, including the formation of the city's militia.

Viscount Inscoran has expanded the size of the militia in the city of Angry Waves to 2,000 men. And because the residents of Angry Waves generally have a high level of education, Viscount Yin Skoran suggested that the city militia be equipped with a large number of war machines, alchemy puppets, magic projection cannons, small reconnaissance airships, and armored trucks to form an armored assault division to accompany the war fortress into the northern territory.

At the same time, Viscount Yin Scolan also said his difficulty, because he could not cause panic among the citizens of the city, he could not recruit troops on a large scale within the city. Before the city entered a state of war, the size of the city's militia could only reach 4,000 to 5,000 people.

This is a slight shortage of numbers for a purely armored assault division.

Armored assault divisions are the strongest and most expensive combat force for any country.

The Empire's Northern Legion is strong because it has thirteen armored assault divisions that the Empire has worked hard to build.

Each armored assault division is equipped with: ten offensive and defensive war fortresses; sixteen logistical war bastions; 1,000 to 1,500 war machines; 3,000 alchemy puppets of various functions; 800 campaign-type and strategic magic projection cannons; 20 small reconnaissance airships; 3,000 vehicles of all kinds.

The number of troops is 10,000 to 15,000.

It can be said that the attack of an armored assault division is a torrent of steel, and the garrison is a steel fortress.

The combat effectiveness is amazing, and the cost is amazing.

At the same time, if you want to form an armored assault division, you need a large number of high-quality soldiers. It is precisely because of the special economic status of Angry Waves City that it is decided that there is a source of high-quality soldiers, even the gangsters in the port can play with machinery and drive cars.

Soldiers recruited in Angry Waves can be placed in the technical slots of the Armored Assault Division to build a skeleton, and they will also need to be filled with light infantry to cooperate with the war machinery to attack and protect expensive weapons such as magic projectile cannons.

So Luke thought of Downtown.

The people here, let them drive the war machine must be one step at a time, but sending a knife to make them desperately rush up. With such fierce light infantry looking around, technical soldiers can drive war machines and war fortresses to attack and defend with confidence and boldness.

The elder Adrien interacted with the other gang bosses and felt that there was not much pressure to recruit 5,000 soldiers from the Lower City in a short time. Moreover, the development of the lower urban area and a large number of low-tech work have begun to produce a phenomenon of siphoning in the slums and rural areas of the imperial capital area, and many relatives and friends of the residents have come here with their families.

If you want to settle down in the lower city, then send a man to fight.

Old Adrien whispered to Luke, "My lord, is 5,000 soldiers enough?" ”

Luke asked, "Can there be more?" ”

Old Adrien replied: "I promise that all these 5,000 soldiers will be sent to Angry Waves City to report for duty within half a month." Give me another two months, and I should be able to recruit another 5,000 soldiers. ”

Luke was overjoyed: "Very good! All families with male children should be treated better. Angry Waves City will specially allocate a batch of high-profit orders to military families, and Xiacheng City will also take special care of their lives here, and all benefits will be distributed first. ”

10,000 men is the minimum number of troops for an armored assault division, and if 10,000 soldiers can be recruited from the lower city, the armored assault division of Angry Waves can reach full strength.

Only by pulling such an armored assault division with complete combat capability to the northern border can it play its due role.

The harvest in Downtown was even bigger than expected.

Luke discussed with the gang elders the details of the conscription and how to send it to Fury Waves, and by the time he left the alchemy factory, the rain outside had stopped at some point.

The clouds dispersed, and a full moon hung high in the sky.

Luke looked at the moon in the sky, and the clear sky that was riding a horse in the desert to the west also looked up at the moon.