Chapter 1023: Chapter 632, Federation in Turmoil (Please subscribe, please vote…)
“This place is close to Silver Wing City, with military patrols every night. How could we possibly go to assassinate Ms. Li Rong?”
Taking a deep breath, he continued, “Both our teams were stationed in that village; we just saw Ms. Li Rong there and wanted to get acquainted. We didn’t expect this to lead to a misunderstanding and a fight broke out, resulting in the current situation.”
Sword of Chivalry and Honor Guard.
In Silver Wing City, both are well-established mercenary groups.
And the Sword of Chivalry, among these groups, is highly regarded, with superior swordsmanship and a reputation for chivalry.
So when he spoke, some of the council members did believe him.
The two opposing statements offered contrary interpretations regarding the mercenaries’ intentions.
Li Rong called them bandits.
In the city, mercenaries act as soldiers, but outside, they turn into bandits, which is not uncommon.
The explanation from the Sword of Chivalry was that it was merely a dispute between the two parties, amounting at most to a serious brawl.
A severely injured Honor Guard added, “Leader Dordy, distinguished council members, we hold no grudges against Ms. Li Rong. We couldn’t possibly attack her. Perhaps our words were too aggressive, leading Ms. Li Rong to believe we meant her harm.”
The two knew that admitting guilt at this point could lead to severe punishment from the Federation, even death.
Therefore, they insisted it was all a misunderstanding.
Indeed, they hadn’t intended to kill Li Rong, merely to take her away.
Dordy then looked towards Li Rong, his tone serious, “Li Rong, do you agree with their explanation?”
“So, I want to ask these two, with myself as a lone woman accompanied only by a hero, what heated words could possibly lead me, at a disadvantage, to choose to fight, while such polite individuals are forced to counterattack? Do I wish to commit suicide?” Li Rong countered.
“Indeed, it was some verbal disagreements that made Ms. Li Rong angry, resulting in the current situation,” the Sword of Chivalry still insisted stubbornly.
Li Rong wanted to speak, but then Grigorya stood up.
She swept her gaze upwards, her voice stern, “Dordy, use the Church’s ‘Inquisition’ spell, and all will be clear. How long do you intend to drag this out?”
At these words, everyone looked up at Dordy.
Dordy’s brow furrowed even more; recently he had been busy compensating the Blood Clan and strengthening the borders.
But internal problems kept arising.
His gaze turned to the Archbishop.
And the two below started to look uneasy.
Once the Church’s ‘Inquisition’ is used, everything comes to light.
Just as they were worrying, Archbishop Milton finally spoke slowly, “I see no need for such trouble. Since there have been no significant losses on both sides, and it’s not something to be discussed in council, let the Hall of Justice investigate thoroughly.”
The Church, it seemed, was reluctant to get involved.
“Archbishop, that isn’t quite right. Blocking and attempting assassination near Silver Wing City of important council members isn’t just a security issue but also involves mercenary management and the safety of other council members. A superficial investigation might signal to outsiders that anyone can assassinate a council member, and it will just be glossed over afterward.”
A calm voice rose.
All eyes turned to see it was Palmer, the representative from Lyss City, who had been sitting above.
Fuck…
Quite bold, actually confronting the Archbishop in his capacity as a representative.
The council members were stunned.
Are all the officials around Rebecca this assertive? Aren’t they afraid of dying?
But one thing all council members understood clearly:
If you trivialize this matter, could mercenaries in the city then attack council members too?
Which council member doesn’t have a few enemies?
“Palmer, watch your language,” an accompanying bishop said loudly.
Palmer turned around and did not respond but remained silent.
At this moment, Grigorya also spoke up, “What, if it’s not someone from the Church involved, you just ignore it?”
“I only think that since security incidents happen frequently, handing it over to the Hall of Justice for a thorough investigation is sufficient. This is a council, not a place for handling these matters,” Archbishop Milton continued.
This Archbishop had made it clear he would not investigate.
Grigorya scoffed and looked towards Dordy, “What do you say, Dordy?”
Dordy nodded, speaking, “The Archbishop does have a point. I will have someone thoroughly investigate this matter and provide an explanation to Mage Li Rong.”
“Hmph! Called upon when needed, but unable to even ensure safety when not needed, you really think the Mages’ Association is easy to bully,” the magic wand slammed down hard, “What kind of leader are you, Dordy?”
The hall fell silent…
Everyone realized then that the old lady was angry.
The Mages’ Association rarely comments on council matters.
But that doesn’t mean Grigorya is easy to talk to. On the contrary, when this old lady gets angry,
It is devastating.
The wrath of an orange mage, who would dare to endure it.
“Grigorya, this is not a place for you to throw a tantrum,” Dordy too was angry, and he raised his voice as he spoke.
“Mage Li Rong was almost killed last night, it’s normal for President Grigorya to be angry,” Palmer chimed in again.
“Palmer, what do you mean?”
As the chaos in the hall escalated, and the objectives of the two men had not been discerned, the council began to feud first.
Li Rong had to intervene.
“The Church’s help is not needed.”
Everyone looked at her again.
“Leader Dordy, the Church’s help is not needed. I can verify it myself and it won’t take much time; I just need to use a spell scroll,” Li Rong said.
Entering the venue required a frisking, with most items not allowed in.
Dordy nodded, “Agreed.”
Li Rong looked towards the entrance and said, “Bring me my backpack.”
The waiting Lionheart Knight brought the backpack inside.
Then, she opened the backpack and began taking out several spell scrolls.
Finally, she pulled out a white scroll.
It was the Church’s ‘Inquisition Spell Scroll.’
“Teacher Grigorya, I have an ‘Inquisition Spell Scroll’; the Church isn’t needed,” Li Rong stated.
Grigorya nodded, “Use it!”
Ms. Li Rong no longer asked others, she approached the Sword of Chivalry directly and opened the scroll.
Instantly, a white light enveloped the Sword of Chivalry.
The tense Sword of Chivalry gradually became devout, and its eyes lost their original sparkle.
“What was your purpose in looking for me last night?” Ms. Li Rong asked.
“To capture Ms. Li Rong, and eliminate everyone else.”
As these words were spoken, voices of discussion erupted amongst the crowd, truly as if they were murderous robbers.
“Who instructed you to capture Ms. Li Rong, and how were you going to deal with her?” Ms. Li Rong continued.
Fearing the other might not understand, she didn’t use “I” but “Ms. Li Rong.”
The Sword of Chivalry continued to reply, “It was ‘Groot,’ we took his commission. As for how to handle the capture, I am not clear.”
Groot?
The scene became tumultuous again, why was it Groot again.
“Which Groot?” Ms. Li Rong asked further.
“Groot Marshal.”
As soon as these words fell, the light from the scroll completely faded away.
“Wow…” The crowd instantly burst into whispers.
The Sword of Chivalry and the loyal guards turned pale as if they had lost all their strength.
Limping, they knelt down on the ground.
It truly was a targeted kidnapping and assassination of key parliamentary members.
The elimination of the other attendants also implied that there was never any intention of letting Ms. Li Rong come back alive.
“Dordy leader, the true culprit is Groot; he needs to be apprehended for interrogation immediately,” a councilmember stood up and said loudly.
It was too audacious, daring to do such a thing in the Silver Wing City.
“Dordy leader, I propose stripping ‘Rolf’ of his mercenary councilmember status, and also to re-register and investigate all mercenaries within our territory, to distinguish if they are soldiers or bandits, as now it remains unclear,” another voice rose among the council seats.
No matter the faction, everyone stood united at this moment.
As Palmer had said, if this incident were to pass over, then the assassination of councilmembers would become the norm.
Who would dare gamble whether they might be next.
“Dordy leader…” Grigorya spoke, and the surroundings fell silent again.
All eyes turned towards her.
Dordy nodded, “I understand, someone, arrest Groot immediately.”
“Yes…” the guards took the command and departed from the hall.
But Grigorya’s words were not on this matter, but she asked, “Wasn’t Groot in the dungeon?”
Everyone was shocked, right, wasn’t he put into the dungeon a few days ago?
The issue just got more complicated.
Someone released him to kill Ms. Li Rong.
It’s a connected series of cases…
Dordy’s frown deepened, sensing the gravity of the situation.
“Someone, go find out how Groot was let out,” Dordy spoke coldly.
…
Time ticked by, second after second.
Finally, the guard who had left returned.
He saluted and said, “Dordy leader, Groot died of poisoning, it appears to be a suicide at the scene.”
Groot died, at this time.
There certainly was a conspiracy.
Then a second guard ran in and said, “The guards of the dungeon said, it was the church’s temple attendant who took him away.”
Archbishop Milton suddenly opened his eyes wide and slammed the desk, “Nonsense.”
The whole room fell silent.
No one responded to the Archbishop’s roar.
Grigorya suddenly laughed, saying, “Dordy, leave these two to me. If they are kept in your Hall of Justice, they won’t survive the night.”
Dordy’s face turned pale.
She was implying his Hall of Justice could not be trusted.
“Since this matter involves the Mage Association, let them handle it, but the results need to be informed to the Hall of Justice,” Dordy said.
“Agreed, take them away,” someone commanded.
Grigorya turned and walked towards the door, and just before exiting she said, “Dordy, since you became leader, there has been constant warfare around, and everything inside is a mess. I will write to the General Association and report the situation here to see if the Hall of Justice truly has no one left.”
After speaking, she left with Ms. Li Rong and the two escorts.
The council hall was utterly silent.
With the outside not properly managed and the interior in disarray,
this Federation of Hundred Cities is doomed.
Dordy and Archbishop Milton sat with extremely grim expressions.
…
Main City
“No, no, no…” Fang Hao shouted, spreading his arms towards the sky.
The next second, Rolana fell from the sky, directly into Fang Hao’s arms.
Luckily Rolana had held back her strength, or else Fang Hao, not as sturdy as before, might have fractured his bones.
He held her waist and spun around in the air, asking, “Missed me, huh?”
Their relationship had progressed and become even more intimate.
“Miss my foot, where’s the novel? I finished mine…”