Chapter 551 The Fourth Calamity
Chapter 551 The Fourth Calamity
Upon hearing Chloe's question, Ronia's expression immediately tightened:
Why do you want to know this?!
"I want to be the village head," Chloe said without any hesitation. "Can you give me some practical advice?"
Ronia blurted out instinctively:
"Impossible! You can't become a village head! Only by joining the village system and being recognized by Lanqiao can you become a village head."
Chloe's lips curled up:
"Yes, it is me, Chief Bao. Didn't my headman, Xin, already complete my formalities yesterday or the day before?"
Upon hearing this news, Ronia's eyes widened:
"You? It's you?"
Immediately afterwards, he took a bite:
"My goodness, how dare he— So you're Miss Chloe! Sean told me you're a relative from out of town who came to live with him... He registered you as almost 50 years old!"
"So that's what he was planning behind my back. Ha, I believe he got the punishment he deserved—Isn't that right, Miss Chloe?"
As a village head, Ronia knew a little about things related to the supernatural.
The person who could empty the "egg box" in a few seconds was definitely not an ordinary person.
Captain Sean's plan was obvious—when faced with such a beautiful, young girl, two men of similar status would always think of the same thing.
Ronia, however, cursed inwardly, resenting that his captain, Sean, hadn't shielded him from the disaster.
Revenge—once I escape, I must take revenge.
Coming to her senses, Ronia forced a smile and continued answering Chloe's question, saying:
"Our village head is responsible to the Dusk Shadow District Tax Company. As long as you get their approval and register with Lord Nash, you can become a village head."
"However, there are three requirements for being recognized."
"The first requirement is that you must own real estate and be a genuine resident of this area."
"Secondly, you have the ability to earn money and pay your taxes on time."
"Thirdly, you must have your own armed forces—whether bodyguards or mercenaries. Only after your armed forces are registered under the headman's name and pass the test of the tax-collecting company can you be given jurisdiction over the entire area."
"If there's a lack of governance and it leads to the Nash family's personal guards taking action, then there will be fines!"
After hearing this, Chloe was speechless for a moment.
Money, money, money—everything costs money. If you pay enough, you can do whatever you want; if you don't pay enough, you'll be struck by lightning. —This is a country in the Southern Continent, a city-state outside the colonial system, yet the entire society revolves around "money."
The status of the people controlled by the Baojia system was no better than that of slaves. The entire Lanqiao was busy chasing after copper coins, silver coins, and gold coins, and was so disgusted by the smell of money that it was even worse than those northern continent countries that colonized for profit.
Then let's start by becoming a village head. Being allowed to have our own armed forces is the absolute foundation for whatever we do.
Chloe leaned forward, her small frame overwhelming the frail man with her imposing presence.
"How about you give me your position as village head?"
"What?" Ronia gasped. "This won't do, this—"
"No, wait."
Just as Ronia was racking her brains trying to dissuade Chloe from her outrageous idea, Chloe suddenly frowned and realized that she had overlooked a detail.
She looked up at Ronia:
Do you know about the "Aurora Club" and the "True Creator"?
Ronia paused for two seconds before speaking softly:
Why are you asking this?
It seems they know.
Chloe frowned, sensing that something was off about Ronia's condition.
But she continued to ask with a calm expression:
"I just heard you say that the village headman needs to maintain an armed force to keep control of the area, otherwise the personal guard will take action."
"But when I first arrived in Lanqiao, I went to the ferry area, where many people had already come to believe in the 'true Creator.' How should the village head there address this issue?"
"Why hasn't the Royal Guard intervened to resolve the crisis of faith in the ferry district at this point?"
Ronia's face turned ashen, and he shook his head.
"You don't understand, you don't understand—"
"What don't I understand?"
Ronia could only sigh and shake her head, her mood becoming extremely dejected, accompanied by an atmosphere of fear and anxiety.
He definitely knows something.
Just as Chloe was about to press for more information, she suddenly had a flash of inspiration. Following her spiritual guidance, she went to the window and drew back the curtains.
Gaa!
With a piercing scream, a half-rotten crow plummeted from mid-air, flew past Chloe, and crashed heavily to the ground.
quack!
Ah! Dumb! Ah!
A cawing chorus of crows drifted in, and Chloe looked out the window to see a dense, dark mass of birds circling above the city, seemingly guided by an unknown force.
They are tireless, working until death—from time to time, exhausted crows fall from the flock, crashing to the ground and turning into a bloody mess with feathers flying everywhere.
Chloe frowned, completely baffled by the scene before her.
"The Fourth Calamity—."
Ronia, with unsteady steps, had somehow arrived beside Chloe.
He, too, stared solemnly at the scene unfolding above the city.
As he watched, he suddenly raised his hand, made an inverted cross on his chest, and prostrated himself on the ground.
"Lord, forgive my sins." Praise be to you, though the shadows remain.
"Praise be to you, the fallen nature of all living beings:"
"Praise be to you, the great and true Creator—"
Amidst the constant praise, Chloe slowly stared at him and backed into the room.
The carcasses of crows kept falling outside the window, and Ronia leaned against the window, praising them devoutly.
Chloe watched this scene without uttering a sound for a long time.
Perhaps, starting with the village head, it was already too slow. "The true Creator—yes, although I do not believe in this god, I must praise him and ask him to forgive our sins."
When all the crows' corpses fell to the ground, Ronia finally ended her prayers and resumed her usual demeanor: "However, one thing is certain: a true god has sent a messenger to tell the world that as long as this city does not have faith in him, disaster will befall it. This is the fourth disaster, but this is only a warning."
"I know it's not a very friendly god—but we all have to be this way, don't we? We know Lanqiao is going to suffer, but we can't escape. So just offering a few words of praise shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Stopped
Chapter 552 If you're in trouble, go to the embassy.
Chapter 552 If you're in trouble, go to the embassy.
Chloe looked at him silently for a while, then finally sighed and said, "No problem."
When Ronia praised the "true creator," although he seemed to have uttered His true name, he used Tutanese, a language that could not influence the forces of nature.
She wasn't worried that Ronia was already a devout believer whose mind had been corrupted by the true creator, but if most of the people in a city were frivolous believers in the true creator—that would be astonishing enough.
Chloe instinctively felt that what he said was true.
The Baojia system restricted the personal freedom of the people of Lanqiao, but the "True Creator" bluntly stated that he would bring disaster upon the city and its ordinary people, including the Baozhang (village heads) who were in the management of the Baojia system. This was exactly what Emperor Roselle had said:
One-track mind becomes a double-edged sword.
If one must both abide by the Baojia system and protect oneself from disaster, then only one choice remains:
As required by the Aurora Society, praise, then faith.
This is why the belief in a true Creator has taken root so quickly here—the fear of losing their lives has made them submit.
Chloe glanced at the still disheveled village chief Ronia with a complicated expression and said:
"Alright, things are a bit more complicated than I thought—so I'm not seeking your position as head of the division. Now tell me, how can I meet with the person in charge of Lanqiao, Nash?"
"The one in power, Nash—" Ronia raised her head, then timidly lowered her eyelids again, "They're in the old castle in the center of the cemetery—if you want to see them, you'll have to give them a good reason."
"There's no reason, I am the reason—just like the reason I came to see you today."
Chloe stood up, stretched her limbs, and placed her hand on the doorknob.
As she was about to leave, she sniffed and frowned.
She glanced back at the obviously tired and weak Baozhang Ronia, and said:
"I smelled the signs of an epidemic—if we don't want widespread deaths, we'd better fulfill our duties as village chiefs and order them to reduce their activities recently."
Click.
After leaving those words, Chloe turned the doorknob, leaving only Ronia and the girl on the bed, just as when she first stepped into this place.
A young girl who has just entered the city wants to meet the city's highest ruler directly—this is definitely not something that can be easily accomplished.
Of course, as an extraordinary being, Chloe would always have ways to attract Nash's attention, but she didn't want to make things too awkward.
Since the highest-ranking village chief Chloe has come into contact with does not have the authority to speak directly with the supreme ruler, she has no choice but to find another way—to abandon the distorted and rigid system of village chiefs and find a way to speak with the Nash family, the rulers of Lanqiao, on behalf of the country.
These are the consulates of various countries.
Since Lanqiao, which guards a vital shipping route, is a product of the political maneuvering among various colonial powers in the Northern Continent, various countries have also established connections here.
It was learned that these church and state contacts all lived in an area unaffected by the Baojia system.
After several inquiries, Chloe finally managed to knock on the door of a large villa before sunset.
The man, dressed as a servant, had a southern continental face hidden behind a thick mask. Upon seeing Chloe, he clearly hesitated.
"Excuse me, the host said that the number of visitors must be strictly controlled recently. May I ask, are you looking for—?"
"Looking for Mr. Kossie." Chloe drew her "Sword of Judgment" from her satchel and handed it to the waiter. "I am Lord Chloe Faucon of Loen. He will understand when he sees this sword."
"Your Excellency," the valet said, taking a half-step back from Chloe's confident demeanor. He did not accept the obviously expensive straight sword but bowed respectfully. "I will go and fetch Mr. Cauchy immediately."
Because of political hostility, Rune's company had little business in Lanqiao, and as a special envoy, Kexi had nothing important to do and spent his days doing nothing.
However, some multinational and local companies that needed to trade with Rune would occasionally send gifts to curry favor with this special envoy. As a result, he maintained the reserved and modest nature of the Rune people, often staying at his residence to fulfill his duties as a liaison.
Upon receiving the servant's report, Cauchy immediately rushed downstairs, his eyes lighting up at the sight of Chloe's face:
"Lord Chloe Faucon? Oh dear, I never imagined that staying at home could have such a day—"
"You know me?" Chloe curiously looked him up and down, searching her memory for when she might have seen him before. "To be honest, I haven't been active in social circles for very long, and I'm not even sure if this title of lord is worth mentioning."
Cauchy chuckled, held the door open for Chloe, and made room for her.
"It's hard to say what will happen by the end of the year, but until the annual noble status assessment results are announced, for now, you are definitely a true lord—"
Besides, you're right, I recognize that sword. It represents the king's trust and is the kingdom's highest honor.
"Please come in. By the way, let me introduce myself. I am Kossi Hoy, a rather unworthy descendant of nobility, haha."
Chloe was somewhat taken aback by Kossie Hoy's enthusiasm. It wasn't until she entered the house and saw the familiar, cozy Ruen-style interior that she caught her breath and, taking advantage of a moment when no one was looking, put the "Sword of Judgment" back into her handbag.
"Mr. Cauchy has noble blood, so why be so polite?" Chloe chuckled, accepting Cauchy's courteous reception and sitting on the sofa. "Were you recently transferred here? You recognized me at a glance. Did we meet at a banquet sometime last year?"
"Then I must mention my leisure time—no, my job is leisure time, haha." Kossi gestured to the waiter to bring tea, preparing afternoon tea. He strode to a display case at one end of the living room and pulled out a thick book. "Anyway, my hobby is collecting newspaper clippings. When I see news that interests me, I collect it. You don't know, a newspaper that costs 2 pence in Backlund goes up to 2 sous here."
He turned to a page in his scrapbook, where a photograph of Chloe winning a shooting competition stood out:
"This was our first meeting. Later, I saw many more 'faces' of you, but they were all one-sided."
"I haven't heard from you for the past six months—so Miss Chloe, there must be something important that needs your help. Is there anything I can do for you?"
Stopped