At night, the gentle sea breeze rolls up the curtains and then drops them again. Through the windows as tall as a person, you can see the lights of thousands of homes in Hopeland, twinkling like stars. From time to time, the chirping of insects in the courtyard can be heard from outside the window.

Loran Hill sat at his desk, reading some letters from the branch by the bright candlelight.

The papyrus felt a bit rough and thick, and the black writing was very clear under the orange candlelight.

Dear Miss Lacy,

I'm Lucas from the North West Wind Chapter, and I'm here to report something. In recent months, a large-scale uprising of miners and farmers has erupted in northern Need County. These miners have refused to pay heavy taxes and ore, and have raided numerous county warehouses, seizing vast quantities of steel and other metals. Organized by some individuals, they are forging weapons and armor to arm themselves.

One thing I want to emphasize is that they are very organized, or in other words, very disciplined. This must be led by a group of well-educated people. This group of people immediately maintained good order in the local area after independence, and many of our shops in the county were not looted or damaged.

After the incident, the Duke of Rockwall in the north began gathering his vassals and other nobles in his castle, eventually forming a coalition force of nearly 120,000 to suppress the rebellion. As I write this, the two sides had already engaged in a decisive battle in the Red Desert three days prior. The independent army did not shy away from the battle; they defeated the coalition led by the Duke of Rockwall on the front lines, annihilating the elite [Orichalcum Sheep] army. The Duke of Rockwall fled after the battle, disguising himself as a peasant. He was captured yesterday. Because his skin is so pale and his hands lack calluses from labor, perhaps he would have been better off disguising himself as a merchant.

The Independence Army is now preparing to seal off the city for an investigation. It's said they're seeking to settle accounts with the nobles and wealthy merchants for their crimes. Although our branch hasn't violated West Wind's laws, it's under close surveillance. I wrote this letter in the middle of the night, delivered by the Chamber of Commerce's messenger bird. I can't predict what will happen next. If anything happens to me, I beg you, young lady, to take care of my family. They live in Redwood County, Verga.

Finally, from the occasional conversations of those independence armies, it was mentioned that their leader was named Pullman. He claimed to have received teachings and inspiration from a great sage and would build an ideal country on the continent. Before, I would have just laughed at their wild ideas, but through my observations over the past few days, my views have been shaken. They really may replace Xifeng in a few years. I hope that the top leaders of the Chamber of Commerce can pay attention to this matter and make preparations early.

On the night of August 24, 1684

Lucas, in Gravel City

The corners of the letter were a little wet, apparently the carrier bird had been caught in the rain on the way. In addition, there were a few words hastily written on the back of the letter.

"The great sage's name is Loran Hill, and no one has ever seen his appearance."

The girl watched it over and over again, feeling complicated, with surprise, exclamation, joy, worry, uneasiness and other emotions swirling in her heart.

Who would have thought that a small branch that was casually inserted back then would now grow into a towering tree, the kind that shocked the world.

The hawk that delivered the message stood motionless on a special stand on the desk, its eyes fixed on the girl. This creature possessed the strength of a Sequence 1. Each branch of the Charites clan had one, and they were usually only used to deliver messages in emergencies. They flew so high that ordinary humans could not stop them.

The girl slowly stroked the letter paper with her hand. After a long time, her mood slowly calmed down. She looked up at the hooded hawk that had not yet flown away, and then she remembered that she had not yet given it a "reward". She rang the bell and asked the maid outside the door to prepare a delicious meal for the little guy.

Now that Pullman has come to this point, there is no way he can turn back. Should we help him or not?

Since she was the one who taught Pullman this knowledge, she naturally couldn't just sit back and do nothing, she had to help.

To what extent should we help? Is it just some verbal advice, or helping them to plan, or devoting ourselves to this great cause?

The girl felt irresponsible if it was just a verbal suggestion. She was not ready to devote herself wholeheartedly to it, to participate in the huge vortex of this era, this fierce eye of the storm.

She thinks that she is not that strong and firm yet. The strong here includes strength, character, awareness, etc.

Let's not meet Pullman for the time being. Thinking back to this young boy, Loran Hill maliciously speculated that this guy would probably hug her and not let her leave as soon as they met, and it would be difficult to refuse then.

However, she would still give Pullman some help secretly, and when necessary, she would write to him to solve and answer some of his questions.

As the girl thought, her hair twirled in her hands, twisting and spinning.

Oh, this is a bit annoying. Loran Hill put his chin on his arm and tilted his head to look at his hair.

She had originally thought that after the matter of Verga was resolved, she would continue to live in seclusion in the forest. She was a person who was afraid of trouble and preferred to be alone. However, her education and personality gave her a strong sense of responsibility.

She was forced to avoid some things heartlessly, but she couldn't let them go, so she had to keep her promise and do some things. Although she didn't hate them, she still preferred a freer life.

It seems that I need to speed up the process. She buried her head in her arms and muttered to herself, and her silky hair loosened from her fingertips and scattered on her shoulders.

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Three days later, the headquarters of the Carites Chamber of Commerce sent out various letters, instructing the branches of West Wind to begin to withdraw, leaving behind a small number of necessary personnel, and the rest to begin withdrawing from West Wind and returning to Wilga to prevent being affected by the war.

The Chamber of Commerce's three major fleets, "Swordfish", "Trade Wind" and "White Bird", were all recalled, and branch presidents from all over the country were summoned to participate in a discussion meeting in Hopeland.

The Carites Chamber of Commerce organized personnel to establish an intelligence analysis department in order to adjust trade strategies in the future.

No longer rejecting invitations from other families in Hopeland, Loran Hill will attend some recent banquets and meet with representatives and heads of other chambers of commerce.

Finally, Loran Hill instructed the various managers below to select and recommend outstanding young people to impart supernatural knowledge and organize training. She would provide them with advanced information on supernatural positions based on their strengths and qualifications.

The girl sat at the desk, holding a pen and carefully writing down various plans, her long golden hair draped over her red dress.

She began to plan various things and then prepared several tables for sorting and analysis.

The burning candle swayed in the evening breeze, and the shadow on the desk was stretched out.