Free Web NovelChapter 834: Chapter 363: Killer in the Mist
As Julie finished speaking, everyone present fell silent simultaneously.
Often, the methods to solve problems are unrelated to the right or wrong of the problems themselves.
Using the flesh and blood of hundreds of living people to exchange for money, and to cover up the truth, going so far as to deliberately create a mining explosion to kill hundreds of miners.
According to the normal process, those responsible for such a serious crime should all be sent to the gallows, and the shareholders of the mine would have to pay sky-high compensations, potentially ruining their reputation.
But that’s not possible now.
The whole of Grimland, or rather, the entire Stilan Empire, is currently in a delicate balance.
Industrialization is gradually becoming the core pillar of Stilan, with the new aristocracy and the Liberal Party holding the upper hand on the surface. But with just five years of industrial rise, the old aristocracy, with their deep foundations, hasn’t been left too far behind for now.
Moreover, Prime Minister Ron, as the leader of the Conservative Party, initially led a portion of the old aristocracy’s industries to transform toward industrialization, so the Conservative Party is not without the strength to fight.
If the Liberal Party were to expose such a scandal at this moment, the political balance would surely be disrupted.
Especially since the issue arose at Pine Tree Coal Mine, one of the symbols of Stilan’s industry.
The old aristocracy would never let go of this opportunity and would definitely seize the chance to demonize the industrial sector, which would potentially affect both the future of Stilan and the upcoming World Industrial Exposition.
Wu Chang, whether from the Queen’s perspective or the Player’s perspective, must suppress this matter for now.
The best way to solve this is naturally to wait until the World Industrial Exposition ends, and the prime minister election officially concludes, then use this matter as leverage to make the Liberal Party compromise and have some people take responsibility for it.
The actual operation is too troublesome, and Wu Chang does not want to involve himself in it; he said:
"I am referring to being a Secret Magic Knight; such significant matters for the Empire should be decided by you and Her Majesty Olivia."
"I can help you temporarily cover up the truth, but there are two conditions."
Julie forced a smile and said, "Tell me."
Wu Chang said expressionlessly:
"First, the mine owner of Pine Tree Coal Mine must be handed over to us, the Secret Magic Knight Order, for handling. The setup of mysticism in Pine Tree Coal Mine is very clever, and behind him, there is surely a powerful Transcendent supporting his actions."
"The matters of the nobles are decided by the Queen and yourselves, but the Domain of the Transcendent has always been handled by the Secret Magic Knight Order."
If they can’t move those deeply rooted background aristocrats, can they not deal with a few hiding Transcendents?
First, solve the prime minister assassination case, leverage the investigation to cleanse Grimland.
Then support Randy to ascend, grasp both politics and the Extraordinary Realm. At that time, have him acknowledge Olivia as the Queen; without his acknowledgment, she would just be a mascot.
Julie did not hesitate and immediately said:
"Alright, as long as the commotion isn’t too big, in Grimland, no one can defy the Secret Magic Knight Order."
Wu Chang was pleased with Julie’s attitude, and continued:
"As for the second thing, you remember you once said that as long as I could capture a Grimland anomaly’s mastermind, the Queen would officially announce the rebuilding of the Secret Magic Knight Order and my news."
"Now, is the condition sufficient?"
The gathering of the Extraordinary Realm is about to be held, and he needs a visible identity to recruit henchmen and simultaneously build his reputation.
Hundreds of years ago, the Secret Magic Knight Order was at the pinnacle of the Extraordinary Realm, and it’s surely not possible to continue needing to save a few people from the slums while being surrounded and monitored by a bunch of Secret Police.
Julie hesitated for a moment, then said:
"I need to confirm this with Her Majesty the Queen first, but I think the leverage you’ve found is enough to make the Liberal Party acknowledge your presence."
The obstacle to the rebuilding of the Secret Magic Knight Order is not the Queen, but the other forces in Grimland.
The cake is only so big, and if the Secret Magic Knight Order suddenly appears at the table, wanting to take a slice, someone is bound to end up with less.
At the same time, the Secret Magic Knight Order is an organization that pledges loyalty only to the Queen and does not take orders from the Prime Minister or Congress.
With such an organization in Olivia’s hands, they fear Olivia’s resurgence, from mascot back to true queen.
But by using the truth of Pine Tree Coal Mine to negotiate, Wu Chang’s position at the table with a slice of the cake would lower resistance.
Julie’s answer was enough for Wu Chang; he never thought Julie alone could make the decision on these matters anyway.
"In that case, I’ll leave this to you; I need to rush back to the city. Any later, and I’ll probably only return to collect the bodies."
He pointed to Thomas standing by Erin in the distance and said, "Have someone send him home while you’re at it."
Seeing Wu Chang’s urgency, Julie asked, "Do you need me to find you a few fast horses?"
By this time, steam cars had been invented in Grimland, but they hadn’t been popular for long and were still a tool for the upper class to flaunt their identity, much slower than fast horses.
Especially the road from Pine Tree Coal Mine to the city is mostly unpaved, and for fast travel, horses are still needed.
Wu Chang shook his head and said, "No need, I have a faster method."
He called over Thomas, told him that Julie would send him home, and to stay at home for now, they would come to find him in a couple of days.
Then he gave Raventon a look and walked toward the mine owner’s office with him.
Raventon followed Wu Chang and Erin, whispering, "What rapid method are you going to use to return to Grimland?"
Wu Chang opened the mine owner office’s door, stood at the entrance, and turned to ask:
