Section 25 Planning

Of course, I don't really need to introduce this fact. Anyone with a modicum of sanity and curiosity would be cautious in their search for answers, wouldn't they? ”

Essien looked at each other with a smile, and Ashrufat nodded silently.

"Ah, so we have a common topic. The answer must already be in your mind, so I don't need to go into details. I have a question now, Ashrufat, what do you know about the current situation in Eagle City?"

"You can say you know a lot, or you can say you don't know anything. Ashrufat replied. "The overall situation is clear at a glance, but I don't know anything about the specifics. ”

"Since we're colleagues, and since we've had similar experiences – I've actually been a mercenary for a while, I'm going to have something to say about it. Ashrufat, the current royal family is weakened, and there is only a little queen who is not yet an adult and is destined to do nothing in the future. The future of this country can only be sustained by the strong hands of one person. I say this because he has proven himself to be capable of doing so. ”

"What do you mean...... Duke Byron?" replied Aerufat, still fiddling with the glass filled with the golden liquid in his hand as he spoke. "But I have heard that General Rafa is not on par with him now?, though the Duke of Byron is the regent, but what about ...... He doesn't have military power in his hands. And in the foreseeable future, he will not have the opportunity to insert his hand into the army. To be honest, I don't see the inevitability of what you're talking about. ”

"Isn't that better for us?" replied Essin deftly. "Under normal circumstances, it is also very difficult to get promoted in the military. Either you have to fight with your life, or you have to slowly work on your qualifications. But now...... But there's a great opportunity in front of you. ”

"A great chance?"

"As you just said, General Rafa is very strict, and it is really difficult to meddle in the army under his nose. That's why it's ...... The Duke will start a new ......"

"Forming a new army?" said Ashrufat, uncontrollably. As soon as he said this, Essien glanced nervously left and right, and did not calm down until he made sure that no one was paying attention to them.

"That's right, the newly built army...... There is a huge gap in the middle and high-rise. As long as you can grasp this opportunity, it is not a dream to be at the top. ”

Is this the real reason for the so-called financial shortfall......

While Ashing was still thinking about it, Essien suddenly took out a folded document from his pocket and sent it to Ashrufat.

"What is this?" asked Ashrufat.

"A gift from the Duke. Essien replied, gesturing with an expression for Ashrufat to open it himself.

Ashrufat opened the document, which was a deed of ownership of the house. Specifically, it is a small villa located in the aristocratic district. Although the area is not particularly large, it is a very delicate building. Ashrufat already knew that the mansions in the aristocratic district of the Dao were expensive and scarce, and most importantly, they were priceless. Because no one wants to sell a house in the royal city unless they have to.

The name column on the deed is vacant. As soon as Ashrufat filled in his name, he became the owner of the cottage according to the deed.

Essien stared carefully at every detail of Ashrufat. Ashrufat read the entire document once, then folded it again and placed it on the edge of the table.

"Ashrufat, this house...... To put it mildly, it can be worth 50,000 gold Oli. Essien reminded. "It's true that such a small house doesn't look very impressive, but the key depends on where it's located. If you change places in Eagle Falcon City, then 20,000 gold ori will be enough to buy a luxurious mansion. ”

"I'm just emotional. Ashrufat replied with a smile. "Do I really have this value, and do I deserve such a high price from our duke?"

His casual tone makes it impossible for others to mishear.

Essien was stunned, then laughed. "Ashrufat, I didn't expect you to be so greedy. ”

"I have a friend who is a businessman. He always told me that under no circumstances should I sell my goods at a low price. ”

"Oh, so what if you can't sell it?"

"Oh, so there's a second point, which is to try to find someone who knows the goods. The former is the foundation, the latter is the key. ”

"Hehe, that's funny. Essien was still smiling. "But Ashrufat, a wise person should not be mistaken about the situation...... After all, you are just a personal bodyguard by the queen's side, not a festival envoy with a heavy arm. ”

"So, what virtue can I have as a mere guard and deserve so much attention from the Duke?"

"Ashrufat, you should know that the three hundred Praetorian Guards in the palace are actually divided into three teams. Essien said. "As far as I know, at least two of these Praetorian Guards are willing to follow the Duke's lead. We guards are important, but not irreplaceable. His smile faded little by little as he spoke.

"I have no doubt about that. Ashrufat replied calmly.

"It's a common clever thing to sell at a price, but you have to understand that General Rafa can't afford to pay for it. ”

"Then I can only wait patiently for the person who knows the goods. Ashrufat said with a smile. "I'd like to be honest, though. ”

"Oh, I'm listening. ”

"Actually, I really don't want to get involved in anything, I just want to stay here for a year, get the knighthood and go home. Other than that, I really don't want to ask for anything else. ”

"It's a pity. Essien shook his head. "From the perspective of a friend, I would love to believe in your choice. But no one will allow an uncontrolled factor to appear in their plans. He paused. "Ashrufat, if you enter the dye vat, you will not be allowed to keep your true colors. That's just the way it is. Friend or foe, there is no path to neutrality. ”

"Then let me be an outsider. Ashrufat casually picked up the deed worth 50,000 gold Oli. With a flick of his wrist, the contract arced over the table and flew into Essien's arms. After doing this, he put down his glass and stood up and walked towards the main entrance of the hotel.

Behind him, Essien's cold voice was heard. "Ashrufat, I'm sorry you made this choice. ”

The figure of Ashrufat disappeared in front of the hotel. Now Essien was the only one sitting at the edge of the table. He waited a long time before pouring himself another glass of wine. What used to be a delicious and aromatic sake now seems to be less appealing. I thought that the persuasion work was easy to capture, but I didn't expect it to be ineffective at all.

He shook his head, and then began to carefully reflect on the details of Ashrufat. Looks, attitudes, postures, and more. There seems to be a sense of incongruity, though...... What the hell is that?

A well-dressed man appeared at the door of the hotel, all the way to Essien's table.

"Essien. The stranger screamed.

"Ah......h "It's you, Cleo, you're here. He reached out and made a "please be seated" gesture. "Here, drink some golden wine, this thing is a high-end thing. Rest assured, the guy didn't take a sip, so the cup was as clean as it had just been served. ”

The stranger took a large sip of the glass of wine that Ashrufat had served earlier.

"You've failed?" asked the stranger.

"I don't want to admit it, but that's the way it is. Essien leaned back in his chair. "Well, I'm not a qualified lobbyist. And that guy ...... But people can't see through it. ”

"The people that the old man found must have been carefully selected, and they all smelled bad and hard. The stranger said. "So it's normal to fail...... Well, this wine is really good, bring me a little more. ”

Essien picked up the bottle and poured another full glass of wine for the other party.

"Do you have any thoughts on this colleague of yours?"

"Ah, he's completely unmoved. Essien replied. "It's the kind of real untouched, not even a struggle of thoughts. That's something worth 50,000 gold Oli!" he sighed. "In order to avoid his misunderstanding, I also made a point of explaining to him that this thing is worth at least 50,000 gold Oli, but he didn't care at all. Either this person is completely dead and only cares about honor and loyalty, or ...... Fifty thousand gold Oli is nothing to him. ”

"A squire nobleman. The stranger replied dismissively. "Fifty thousand gold Ollie can be regarded as a very affordable price for him. Skadera really has a set of people to find, and the few people he found in front of him are also difficult to buy. ”

"This Ashrufat...... It's not the same as those ones. Essien replied. "Those people still engaged in an ideological struggle to some extent. This Ashrufat was very disdainful. Maybe we should inform the Duke?"

"Don't waste any time, has the Duke already explained everything? If he agrees, then it is easy to say, if not, we will take care of the rest. ”

He smiled and drank the wine from his glass again.

"Well, what means are to be employed? To tell you the truth, it is easy for the Duke to say a word, but we have to face all kinds of practical difficulties in doing things. The stranger named Cleo asked.

"Ah, we should always have some creative spirit. Essien smiled and pulled out a paper bag the size of a fingernail from his pocket. "Uh-huh, isn't it normal for outsiders to come to Eagle Falcon City and encounter some minor ailments such as indigestion?"

"What is this?"

"I got it from a special source. As he spoke, Essien carefully opened the paper packet, which contained some dark green powder, but did not smell any of it.

"What is this?"

"Do you know the Dao Dimensional Stone?" said Essien with a smirk smile. "This is the powder of the dimension stone. ”

"Wait, Dimension Stone, but isn't that thing untouchable?"

"This is the secret ingredient I got from those black-hearted merchants for a lot of money...... Don't underestimate it. Processing dimensional stones is a very dangerous thing, even for dark magicians to be careful. And this powder ...... There is no cure, and very little is needed to have a lethal effect. ”

"In three days' time, you and Ashrufat will accompany the queen in the ceremony of lighting the fire...... It was a half-day ceremony, and maybe it was an opportunity...... If there is a drink that is handed over just right......"