The Knights of Twilight and the Knights of the North Island, following their pre-arranged plans, left Twilight City one after the other. The former, led by Haskins, marched towards Northstone Fortress as a target to draw enemy fire; the latter, led by Brunhilde and Cumberland, entered the plank road of the Falling Star Mountains to launch a surprise attack on Silver Ring City.

This insane battle plan was known only to the king and a handful of commanders; everyone else simply thought it was a routine troop redeployment and training exercise.

Looking at the 'Umbrella' flag on the wall, Todd left the window, returned to the throne, and stared into thought at the documents on the table.

A knock sounded at the door, and Mary and Brother Joe entered shortly after.

A blank sheet of paper with the compiled data was placed in front of the king.

Mary began by saying, “Since its establishment, the ‘Twilight Cooperative’ has issued 1,000 Holy Bones, with a total cash balance of 1,159 Silver Moons and 26 Bronze Stars. The asset valuation is approximately 4,770 Silver Moons, and the total value of the two is approximately 5,900 Silver Moons.”

“Very good.” Todd nodded, then looked at Joe: “Have all the invitations been sent out?”

The monk rubbed his bald head: "There are a total of 75 holders of the Holy Bone. Except for a very few who are out on business or cannot be contacted, everyone else has been notified. The meeting venue is tentatively set at the Royal Grand Theatre, to be held in a week. The city's most famous theatre company, 'Golden Lark,' has been invited to be the guest performers for the opening show. Oh, by the way, here is the host's speech. Please take a look."

Todd took the manuscript and glanced at it a few times before placing it on the table. He looked up and said, "Some parts need revision; leave it with me for now. By the way, have you made any progress on the textile factory site I asked you to find?"

Before answering, Brother Joe glanced quickly at Mary: "Near the Fourth Aqueduct in the North Industrial Zone, there is a stone workshop that is for sale. I've been there. The factory and warehouse are made of cement, and the daily maintenance is quite meticulous. It can be used directly with a little modification."

Todd immediately made the decision: "Let's finalize it then. Also, proceed with the equipment procurement and worker recruitment as soon as possible."

Mary suddenly spoke up: "Your Majesty, the textile mill and shops are royal property, and I hope to sign a lease agreement with the royal family."

Todd looked at her, somewhat puzzled as to why she would bring this up at this time. Then, seeing Brother Joe's gossipy expression, the king instantly understood the meaning behind the woman's words.

"Just as you said, the royal family will rent you the textile mill and shops based on market prices. In addition, a loan will be allocated to you for business operations. As for the agreement, Joe, you can draft it."

The monk was startled when he suddenly heard the king call his name, and he hurriedly nodded in response.

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Venus Avenue, a street only a hundred meters from the port area, is also known as the "Love River" by the city's residents.

Here, hundreds of prostitutes and courtesans rely on their sex work to make a living for themselves and their families in the city of Twilight.

The streets at night are devoid of the daytime hustle and bustle, and the candlelight of the night. The only sounds are the snoring of the men who spend the night in brothels, and occasionally the suppressed sobs of the women.

The moonlight was shrouded in dark clouds. Two figures slid down the roof tiles to the second floor of the building, gently pried open a window, and carefully entered the building.

Sabrina's voice was particularly jarring in the empty and silent space: "Go straight down the corridor, turn right at the first corner, and the room at the very back is it."

Clarence followed the route to the designated room, looked at the lock cylinder on the door, and slowly inserted his finger into the keyhole. The skin and flesh on his hand began to deform and twist, his fingertip like a piece of automatically molded clay, filling the entire keyhole.

With a gentle twist of the wrist, the door lock opened.

The two walked around the screen in the room and went to the large bed in the bedroom. They saw a naked man and woman sleeping soundly in each other's arms.

Sabrina leaned closer and examined the man's face carefully. Then she nodded to Clarence and said, "That's right, it's Sidney, the manager of the biochemical plant."

Clarence first took out a round wooden box, opened the lid, and placed it below the woman's nose. Then, he extended the index and middle fingers of both hands and pressed them onto Supervisor Sidney's temples.

The fingers transformed into sharp spikes and slowly pierced the other person's brain.

The pain jolted Sidney awake. In the pitch-black house, he found himself in front of a strange man and woman. Realizing something was wrong, he tried to scream, but found he couldn't make a sound.

Clarence looked at the man and chuckled softly, "Mr. Sidney, don't be nervous. I need to ask you about the 'Successor.' Our minds are already aligned."

To Clarence's surprise, Sidney's first action was not to kneel down and beg for mercy, but to try to turn the ring on his ring finger.

He gestured for Sabrina to take off Sidney's ring and place it under his nose. Clarence examined it carefully and discovered that there was a hidden spike on the back of the ring. If a switch was pressed, the liquid inside the ring could enter a person's body through the spike.

"The taste of this venom is...belladonna? It seems that Rachel has put his 'Elders' methods to good use, applying them to you guys." Clarence gently twirled the sharp needle on his finger and said to Sidney, "Let me repeat, the 'Soul Link' ability can connect the minds of two people. The one with the stronger will can control the actions of the other, and even explore their memories and cognition. So, Mr. Sidney, I advise you to give up resisting. Struggling too much may cause permanent brain damage."

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