BXBX NOVEL Chapter 140 140: Exposed?
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-Sealed City.
Less than twelve hours had passed since the "Blood Ritual," and the chaos in this city had been completely quelled. After the Empress\'s punch shattered the well, the purification of the goddess "Suthia," and reinforcements sent from various places, including General Long from the Imperial Capital, Sealed City had restored basic order the next day.
However, on the city streets, one could still see many ruins from the explosions. This once bustling city, which could rival the Imperial Capital, was now scarred and marked with devastation. Nobles and merchants were lamenting their losses, as their wealth had evaporated into thin air overnight. The common folk were also suffering, and many homeless wanderers had appeared on the streets. Perhaps the only ones unaffected were the poor and the non-human slaves, as they had nothing to lose to begin with.
-City Hall.
The Empress\'s arrival in Sealed City meant that many officials from the Imperial Capital had to rush over through the night. Charl, as the most important minister, couldn\'t be absent.
In the tea room at this moment, Charl was hosting a guest from Sin City, said to be the personal assistant of the "City Lord." The purpose of the visit was straightforward.
"Miss Caroline, please convey our gratitude to the City Lord on behalf of me and all the people of Sealed City. The donation from Sin City, given to us free of charge, is a favor that our Dragon Nation will surely remember."
Charl expressed his gratitude while discreetly pouring water, but in reality, his eyes were subtly scanning the assistant of the City Lord from head to toe.
Caroline was dressed in a very formal suit, her golden ponytail standing tall behind her head, giving her a competent appearance. The black-framed glasses on her nose added a touch of seriousness, while her tightly fitted black stockings highlighted her shapely legs. Typical of someone from Sin City, leading the whole continent in fashion.
However, no matter how formal her sitting posture and attire were, they couldn\'t hide her succubus identity. Instead, they created a striking contrast, making Charl itch in his heart.
Caroline adjusted her glasses and didn\'t say much. She took a contract from her briefcase and pushed it toward Charl.
Charl, with a puzzled look, took the document and scanned it quickly. His expression of gratitude from earlier diminished considerably.
"Wait a minute? Miss Caroline, does your City Lord want to take temporary control of this city?"
"Yes, because Our City Lord is very concerned about the corruption within the Dragon Nation, and this isn\'t directed at you, Mr. Charl. It\'s just that We don\'t want our disaster relief funds and materials to end up in some people\'s pockets. Of course, we\'re not pointing fingers at you, Mr. Charl. Hence, we made such a request. If the Dragon Nation wishes to accept this donation from Sin City, I must be given full authority to oversee the post-disaster reconstruction project of Sealed City."
Caroline calmly explained, but the minister on the opposite side didn\'t seem pleased and his expression turned somewhat dark.
"Impossible! Dragon Nation\'s cities are not handed over to outsiders for management!"
Anticipating Charl\'s refusal, Caroline continued calmly:
"Firstly, we\'re not here to manage the city, only to aid in the relief efforts. Secondly, I suggest you reconsider carefully. The amount required for post-disaster reconstruction is not a small sum. If you reject our goodwill from Sin City, then Mr. Charl, you might have to pay for it out of your own pocket."
"Anyway, Sealed City is in ruins now, and it\'s almost impossible to collect taxes before reconstruction. So why not let Sin City take care of this mess? We can guarantee that, within a month of the disaster relief ending, all Sin City personnel, including myself, will withdraw from Sealed City."
"You don\'t need to worry about any ulterior motives on our part. Sin City is a beacon for the continent, and our City Lord is benevolent and kind. Everything we do is to make this world a better place."
Charl furrowed his brows and fell into a deep thinking. What Caroline said made sense. With the current chaos in Sealed City and even the Empress\'s personal intervention, he couldn\'t continue his usual practice of embezzling funds from disaster relief.
Even if he didn\'t have such intentions, he knew very well that his subordinates were utterly corrupt. After all, he didn\'t need capable people in positions of power; he needed obedient ones. If the disaster relief in Sealed City turned into a mess, he wouldn\'t be able to explain it to the Empress. Besides, Caroline had assured him that Sin City\'s people would only stay for a month, and in that short time, they probably couldn\'t cause much trouble.
Given these considerations, Charl reluctantly agreed to Caroline\'s proposal and signed the contract. At this point, the succubus across from him finally showed a faint smile.
"A pleasure doing business. The people of the Dragon Nation are fortunate to have such a loyal and patriotic minister like you."
"Oh, the City Lord also mentioned that if you accept, she will provide you with some highly reliable firsthand information from Sin City."
"The Empress your Dragon Nation is frantically searching for is currently in the southern region."
While speaking, Caroline collected the documents on the table, leaving Charl with no chance to respond. She simply turned and walked out.
Left alone, Charl furrowed his brow and his brain began to race, causing him to break into a light sweat.
Assuming Caroline wasn\'t lying to him—and with Sin City\'s formidable intelligence-gathering capabilities, they could indeed have such information—then there was a big problem. Because the Southern Territories were the very place of the non-human races!
\'Why would Her Majesty go there?\'
Charl\'s first thought, in his anxiety, was their "Old Alliance" plan!
Realizing this possibility, the minister felt as if he had fallen into an icy pit, his body trembling. If the Empress indeed uncovered the truth about that cruel plan targeting the demi-humans, no, the entire Dragon Nation, Charl couldn\'t imagine the fury she would unleash.
\'No, no, no! Stay calm!\'
Charl took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. Firstly, all these speculations were based on the assumption that Caroline didn\'t lie to him. It was said that succubi enjoyed playing with people\'s hearts, and maybe her words were just meant to scare him.
Second, and most importantly, given the Empress\'s temperament, if she had indeed discovered something, even a hint, she would have likely come to apprehend him directly. The fact that he was still safely sitting here might mean that the Empress hadn\'t figured it out yet, or perhaps, her visit to the southern region had a different purpose, not the worst-case scenario he feared.
After all, Charl had been with the Empress for many years, and he knew very well that her investigative skills were virtually nonexistent. The Empress\'s approach to solving problems had always been through sheer force.
With a slightly steadier mind, Charl didn\'t dare to linger any longer. He immediately got up from the sofa and left the council chamber, heading towards the secret chamber he had set up in Seal City.
In the secret chamber, Charl rolled up his sleeves, revealing a dagger that seemed to be specially prepared for a certain ritual. The dagger had a twisted and eerie shape, resembling a claw.
As the minister bit his lip and thrust the dagger toward his wrist, the cut blood vessels immediately released a rush of fresh blood. However, the next scene was as if the blood had been guided; it was all devoured by the ritual dagger placed above. After "drinking blood" this dagger revealed its true form.
The dagger seemed to come to life, and its metallic disguise rapidly faded, turning into a fleshy dagger that appeared to be breathing and pulsating. The dagger continued to draw blood from Charl\'s wrist.
Until it was finally satiated, the impure flesh and blood that made up the dagger\'s hilt continued to writhe, and eventually, an evil eye, wrapped in mucus and filled with blood vessels, The eye gradually solidified and finally opened fully on the blade.