Cumberland and Emerson did not fully understand Todd's decision, but that did not stop them from carrying out the king's orders.

With the aid to St. Victory as a premise, Emerson began to consider a series of preparatory measures: "Since it has been decided to provide food aid to St. Victory, the first thing to do is to determine the quantity and timing of the first batch of food supplies."

Cumberland added: "The first batch of grain should not be large, but it must be done as quickly as possible. The convoy should ideally reach Watchtower, which is under the jurisdiction of St. Defence, before the first snowfall."

Emerson nodded and said, "I agree. I have a feeling that this matter may not be as simple as it seems."

Todd had his guards summon the monks in charge of agricultural development and also convened the heads of the post stations to inquire about the grain reserves and transportation capacity of Twilight City. Finally, by integrating multiple departments, they finalized the first batch of grain shipments and the departure time of the convoy.

After finalizing the aid scale and itinerary, Cumberland added, "There's another issue: the head of the accompanying mission. If we can establish an embassy in St. Guard, it will facilitate negotiations with the locals and allow us to gather intelligence promptly. However, choosing the right person to lead the mission is a problem..."

Following the old knight's train of thought, Todd continued, "The person in charge of this mission to Holy Guard City will not only be responsible for transporting the grain, but also for future diplomacy with Holy Guard City. This person should be outstanding in etiquette, adept at handling complex international relations, and must possess the ability to adapt to changing circumstances. Such a person is rare in the entire city of Twilight..."

Seeing Todd's hesitant expression, Emerson volunteered, "Your Majesty, I'll go."

The latter frowned as he glanced at the kingdom's chief privy councilor, neither agreeing nor refusing.

Cumberland looked Emerson up and down, then shook his head in disapproval: "You're not suitable."

Seeing Emerson's eyes widen, ready to attack, Cumberland crossed his arms and looked at the man with a leisurely air: "Those people in Holy Guard City are a bunch of madmen who worship force. If you, old tortoise, insist on going there, with your physique and those few punches and kicks, your shell will probably be torn off!"

Seeing the two elderly people, whose combined age was nearly a hundred, arguing heatedly in the council hall, Todd, whose head was throbbing, reached out to stop their debate and made his decision: "Emerson, you should stay. The kingdom has many political affairs that need your coordination."

Cumberland scratched the back of his head: "Then what about the selection of the delegation?"

Todd looked up at the ceiling and sighed, "Let me think about it some more."

As each official matter was resolved, the officials who had come to discuss matters gradually dispersed, leaving only Todd and Huggins in the large hall, apart from the guards.

Turning his body to Todd, Huggins said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, it's time for lunch."

Todd looked at the portico at the end of the hall and asked softly, "Have you made any progress on the matter I asked you to investigate on the way back from the banquet?"

Huggins' body trembled slightly, and he pursed his lips, saying, "It's been investigated. The report is on your desk. Those two people have been taken into custody."

"Is everything confirmed?"

"They have already admitted it themselves."

Rising from his throne, Todd slowly walked towards the door of the hall.

Harkins rubbed his thigh, which had gone numb from standing for too long, and limped after Todd: "Your Majesty, where are you going?"

Todd glanced back at Huggins, deliberately slowed his pace, and said, "Bring them over."

Sitting at the desk in the audience room, Todd ate a simple lunch while flipping through the investigation report recently submitted by the entire Muxi Bureau. He had only read half of it when he pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers and closed his eyes in frustration.

A soft knock came at the door, and Huggins' voice came through: "Your Majesty, the person has been brought."

"Let them in."

Huggins led the two men into the room, gesturing for them to come forward, while he stood guard at the door.

The Ragren couple stood not far from the desk, their eyes fixed on the carpet beneath their feet, their expressions filled with fear.

Todd continued munching on his honey bread while flipping through the pages of his report, seemingly oblivious to the arrival of the two men.

Compared to her husband, who was covered in sweat and swaying precariously, Ragrenfell appeared somewhat calmer. Her face was pale, and she said anxiously, "Your Majesty..."

Looking at the data in the report, Todd smiled and said, "You've only been in office for five months, and your royal businesses have already earned 670,000 gold coins just from perfume alone. What an amazing achievement!"

The words, which sounded like praise, made the Raglan couple tremble with fear.

"Let me see: a Silver Moon seaside mansion by the Twilight Harbor; clothing worth 7,600 Silver Moons in the 'Liliel' clothing store; investments in nearly ten shops in Twilight City..." Todd flipped through the papers faster and faster, finally throwing the report on the table: "Even the beggars in Twilight City know this rumor: the swimming pool that the Ragren couple built in their home isn't filled with water, but with a pool full of Silver Moons!"

"In order to earn commissions, you oversold perfume products despite insufficient production capacity! Because the factory simply couldn't fulfill the orders, you bribed the head of the gunpowder production line to smuggle raw materials from the factory to increase perfume production."

"Not only that, you two also recruited people to add beans to the guests' food under the guise of free meals; you even went to the irrigation canals in the immigrant area at night and poisoned them!" Todd rubbed his temples hard with his fingers and growled angrily, "What you've done has far exceeded the authority I gave you!"

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