Chapter 142: Whose Good Man Has A Beard On His Face
The Federation’s headquarters, the entire third floor is a private area exclusively for the President.
Kalenno was carefully reviewing the reports submitted by various management levels, occasionally writing down notes.
Anse was silently examining the latest intelligence, which included information about the Iron Crown compiled by Quentin.
Illyas sat opposite him, leisurely drinking tea. Her task today was to help Anse familiarize himself with various affairs and quickly get into character.
After a long while, Anse casually tossed it aside and sighed, “It’s too brief.”
Dulag doesn’t have an intelligence organization, nor does he. The so-called intelligence is mostly hearsay. Even if it involves a major event, there is only surface-level information.
“Building an intelligence department is troublesome and time-consuming, and it’s hard to see results in a short period. Why not buy it first? Many Thieves Guilds offer this service,” Kalenno said with a smile, putting down the document he was holding.
“We’ll see. I’ll go to the Iron Crown’s headquarters myself later and find out,” Anse said, standing up and stretching. “Sitting for so long is tiring, it reminds me of my days studying at Fabian’s Mage Tower.”
Unfortunately, that was the former him. He preferred to wander around and couldn’t stand being buried in stacks of scrolls.
Kalenno twitched the corner of his mouth and shook his head with a wry smile, “I can hardly imagine that scene.”
His impression of Anse was that he was never a settled person, a common evaluation he shared with his sister. Thinking of this, his sister’s image reappeared in his mind, and his heart trembled, his expression dimming.
Illyas watched Kalenno with interest. She had seen this Moon Elf before; he was quite strong, and she hadn’t expected him to be so organized in handling mundane affairs. He seemed to come from a good background.
She was increasingly curious about Anse’s otherworld, wondering how many people were in it and what they were like…
Anse patted Kalenno on the shoulder, not saying much. He looked at Illyas, “How much money is left in the account?”
Illyas has always managed Dulag’s finances.
“Over twenty thousand gold coins. Stol hasn’t taken any money this year. What, do you need money?” Illyas asked with a smile. “How much do you want?”
“I’ll take ten thousand gold coins first. Are there any procedures required?” Anse raised one finger, showing no embarrassment. This was also one of his objectives.
“You just need to sign it.” Illyas seemed to read his mind, leaning to the side, resting her elbow on the table, and propping her chin with her hand. “Do you want me to exchange it for supplies for you?”
“That would be best,” Anse said, opening his Dragonhide Pouch and taking out a list. “Get it according to this.”
Illyas glanced at it casually and was somewhat disappointed, “This is only a thousand gold coins.”
“Then double the quantity, and keep the rest of the money for now,” Anse’s goal was to greatly develop Hollewen. Everything depended on need, not on spending money unnecessarily.
“You’re quite good at managing a household,” Illyas chuckled.
“We’ll take it step by step, what’s the rush?” Anse wasn’t too concerned.
Building an island city from scratch is a long and arduous journey. This investment is certainly far from enough, but planning must be done properly and not haphazardly.
These supplies are mainly for land reclamation and daily living, including various tools, fruits, vegetables, grain seeds, draft cattle, furniture, and daily necessities.
*Thump thump thump*, footsteps came from downstairs, followed by a creak as a somewhat warped wooden door was pushed open.
“President, something has happened,” Quentin’s voice rang out before the door was even halfway open.
“What is it?” Anse raised an eyebrow. Did someone resent him and secretly scheme against him?
“Someone is spreading news of the former President’s death, and also saying…” Quentin looked up at Illyas, hesitating to say the latter half.
“Saying what?” Anse asked, curious.
“Saying that the former President was injured while pursuing a Green Dragon, and was assassinated by you and Councillor Illyas, just to… seize Dulag,” Quentin stared intently at Anse, as if fearing he would explode at any moment.
“This plot… it’s a bit familiar,” Anse said, a little annoyed but not immediately reacting. “They didn’t say we were having an affair, that’s not thorough enough.”
“This…” Quentin hesitated for a moment, then gave a dry laugh. “There actually is.”
“Who’s having an affair with you!” Illyas’s eyebrows shot up, her face chilling.
Anse smiled helplessly, “That’s not the point, is it? The key now is to find the person behind this and deal with it quickly so it doesn’t escalate.”
Gossip can be more damaging than swords. Even a Paladin’s golden body might not be enough, and breaking oaths is common. They say rumors stop with the wise, but how many wise people are there? Most people in the world are mediocre.
“Whoever benefits from it is the one who did it,” Illyas calmed down, her face like still water.
She was truly angry. She hated these underhanded schemes and conspiracies, especially when they targeted two people he cared about.
“It’s hard to say. Only about a dozen people knew about it. Councillor Graham is the most likely candidate, but what would be the point? Without Anse, he wouldn’t have been elected President.
And it’s too obvious; others could easily guess it was him,” Kalenno analyzed.
“Most likely Amn people,” Quentin speculated. “To stir up trouble, alienate the Federation, and try to force President Anse to leave. If successful, the Amn people would benefit the most.”
He always suspected the Amn people when something happened, clearly harboring deep resentment.
“There’s another possibility.” Anse recalled the hideous octopus-like face of the Mind Flayer and his heart skipped a beat. He grabbed the Scepter of Sanctuary and walked out. “I’ll go to the Iron Crown’s headquarters to see. You gather a squad of guards and wait for my news.”
“You’re going alone?” Quentin felt a bit weary. This new President’s style of handling things was exactly the same as Stol’s.
“Otherwise, should I arrest a Councillor directly?” Anse waved his hand and disappeared at the top of the stairs.
They had no evidence. Arresting a Councillor right after taking office would only make other high-ranking officials feel insecure and make the public opinion even harder to control.
The forces behind each Councillor are important pillars of Dulag. Forcing out or driving away a few would be akin to cutting off one’s own arm and would also make outsiders look down on them.
By the time Anse left the headquarters, he had transformed into a completely unremarkable ordinary person, wearing a tattered sun hat, hunched over, and ambling down the street towards the west.
The South City of Dulag was the most prosperous, but it was mostly populated by commoners and newly arrived adventurers. West City bordered the Toothed Forest, with a large number of adventurers entering and exiting daily. Many guilds and merchant guilds were located here.
Anse kept his head down the entire way, but in reality, he was using Detect Evil and Good, and the conditions of creatures within a dozen meters around him entered his mind.
As he approached West City, the crowd became denser.
He walked all the way to the city gate, but his attention was focused on a grand wooden building next to it. A plaque hung above the door, bearing the words “Iron Crown.”
‘Nothing unusual.’ He casually walked into the dark alley beside it, crouched on the ground, and closed his eyes, pretending to rest.
“
Arcane Eye!
Accompanied by an inaudible Dragon Speech, an invisible eye, perceptible only to him, floated into the air, then gently drifted out of the alley and into the wooden building.
‘I’m scouting the enemy,’ he consoled himself, but still felt a bit awkward.
Unlike normal eyes, an Arcane Eye could observe any direction simultaneously, like an “God’s eye view.” These images were transmitted to his mind through a mental link, and every detail was perfectly clear and vivid.
Unfortunately, it could only see, not hear.
Although the Arcane Eye was invisible, Anse still tried to have it float along the corners, searching room by room, floor by floor.
But until the Arcane Eye had traversed all the rooms and the courtyard, there were still no special findings. Ordinary people, ordinary goods, and no secret meetings.
‘Check again. If that doesn’t work, I’ll go into the first floor with Detect Evil and Good and take a look.’
He manipulated the Arcane Eye to slip through any gap, especially walls and underground areas, and then inexplicably entered a dark, enclosed space from the first-floor warehouse.
‘Secret vault?’
But before he could examine it, a flash of light streaked past, the Arcane Eye was destroyed, and it instantly disintegrated.
In the last instant before his vision faded, an ugly face covered in tentacles entered Anse’s mind.
‘Holy crap…’
