==================

"Sister likes other people's kneeling ceremony." said the boy.

Cade: ...

"I'm really sorry that my brother spoke too bluntly." Lian Yun suppressed his smile.

Cade, who had received a bag of gold coins, couldn't get angry. The smile on his face almost collapsed: "Your brother is really naughty."

Fang Suo stood between the two of them at the right time and asked, "When will the city lord arrive?"

Cade took advantage of the situation and said, "They should be here soon. You know, big shots have no sense of time. Well, I'll go down and meet them."

He left the room, and several people sat at the conference table. Lian Yun was a little nervous: "What should we talk about later?"

Lanna soothed him, "You can keep your persona."

Lian Yun: "??? What kind of personality do I have?"

Lina replied with a grin, "A wealthy, arrogant, and headstrong noble lady wants to accomplish something earth-shattering in order to complete the training mission assigned by her family."

"This way, we won't be suspected, and we won't be neglected."

Buck nodded immediately. "They'll make money if they can. We need to make our cooperation as public as possible so the city lord can't deny it."

Lian Yun nodded seriously: "I understand, I will..."

After waiting for more than ten minutes, the legendary "city lord" finally arrived.

According to people in the city, the city lord and the person in charge of the mission hall are about the same age, but as soon as they showed up, several people realized that the two were not on the same level at all.

As soon as you enter the door, you can feel his gentlemanly demeanor.

The city lord had beautiful naturally curly hair, and his clothes revealed aristocratic details everywhere. He had a perfect smile on his face, neither distant nor friendly.

The most dazzling thing is the quail egg-sized emerald on his thumb, which is of great value to any layman.

"Sorry I'm late."

A deep and magnetic voice, and the presence of a voice actor like an uncle.

But why did Lian Yun inexplicably hear something...deliberate?

Behind him was a quiet-looking woman with long, smooth hair, who followed him silently.

Lian Yun looked him over, but before she could formulate her words, she saw the City Lord staring directly at Fang Suo, his smile unchanged: "I've seen you before."

Fang Suo remained silent, only to hear the City Lord continue, "You were the one who led the team to take on that previous mission, right?"

Fang Suo wasn't sure what he meant, but to avoid suspicion, he nodded.

The city lord smiled and said, "Well done. I think you are a promising young man."

Fang Suo said expressionlessly: "Thank you, you too."

…

The city lord's smile froze, a look of displeasure flashing across his eyes before he quickly turned to Lian Yun: "This must be Miss Yun, right? I don't think I've heard of this noble surname when I was in the main city."

Lian Yun glanced at him coldly and said nothing.

The city lord’s smile froze again:…What’s wrong with these people?

Wasn't he invited to collaborate?

"I'm sorry, our young lady has been suspected twice in just half a day. She is in a bad mood now. Please bear with what she says to you." Lana "apologized" gently.

Lanna held the sword in his hand. Although he said "I'm sorry", his actions said - "Would you like to try it?"

The city lord was a knowledgeable man after all. He could tell at a glance that Lana was not someone to be underestimated and did not want to cause trouble by confronting him head-on.

"I don't think you guys are willing to cooperate, sister. Let's go to another city." The pretty boy next to the girl fanned the flames with a cold expression. "Can't we find a place where the city has problems but the people are fine?"

What are you talking about?

Just because you're pretty, you can talk nonsense!?

The city lord gritted his teeth and was about to speak when another girl jumped out with her hands on her hips, pouting, "That's right! Sister, let's go. We've never been wronged like this before! If it weren't for the sheer amount of gold coins, who would stop in this city?"

...Can’t lift it?

He looked in the direction the girl pointed and saw a bulging bag half a person's height lying on the ground.

The city lord recalled the person in charge saying they'd paid a bag full of gold coins just for the referral fee; and the recent rumors he'd heard about a nearby clothing store being completely sold out...

"I am guilty of the offense, Miss Yun." As if nothing had happened, the city lord's expression returned to normal and he walked to the end of the long table. Opposite him was Lian Yun, who looked dignified.

The city lord nodded slightly: "Let's talk about cooperation."

Everyone: ...As expected of a big shot, he is able to bend and stretch himself.

Now it was Lian Yun's turn to speak slowly: "Kuge City has been in turmoil lately. As the city lord, you should know much more about this than I do."

"I want to find out the cause and get a result so I can bring it home to my parents. Do you understand me?"

"Is that so..." The city lord rubbed his chin, seeming a little embarrassed. "Actually, I've heard a little bit about it, but it didn't cause much unrest, and I had no idea what to do, so I didn't plan to intervene. You know, the city lord has a lot to do."

"But since Miss Yun is bringing people to help me, I'm naturally very happy. However..." The city lord chuckled and frowned slightly, "Our city has enough manpower, but our financial resources are really not satisfactory."

That is the subject of this conversation.

One thing for another.

Lian Yun got straight to the point: "That's easy. I just want to know how many more manpower you can provide me."

The city lord was really surprised. Didn’t she even ask about the price?

"So how much do you want?"

"I don't have any excessive demands, just good value for money. Of course, if possible, I also hope that all the guards in the city will obey my orders."

Good guy, you’re welcome.

The city lord curled his lips.

But that’s okay, he has no bottom line anyway.

He will benefit from it anyway, so why not do it?

He thought about it and made the biggest concession: "I can't give you the whole city. After all, I still have to maintain my dignity as the city lord. But I can give you half a city."

"Then it's happily settled. What proof do I need to give them to make them listen to me?"

The city lord leaned back, looking smug. "That's right. I'll write a letter when I get back..."

Lian Yun interrupted him with a "pa".

The city lord looked at the paper and pen she had placed on the table: ...

"I like to receive goods in exchange for money. You write now and I will take action in the afternoon." Lian Yun was concise and clear.

The longer the night, the more dreams you may have. It is better to make a quick decision.

The city lord paused, reluctantly saying, "Why are you in such a hurry? There are still many places in Kuoge City that you haven't visited..."

"Sober" Buck interrupted again, "What's the point of going? Not only is your city smaller than my backyard, but it can't even guarantee safety."

The city lord was choked back, and seemed to realize that his chances of winning in a verbal battle with this group of people were slim, so he could only silently take the pen and paper.

The paper with the transfer order was quickly handed back. Lian Yun read it carefully and made sure there were no loopholes. He left the bag of gold coins and left the mission hall with his men.

They did not take Jamie with them on this operation, but sent him to another place.

When Lian Yun and the others returned to the hotel downstairs, they happened to meet him coming back.

"How about it?"

Jamie said seriously, "When I left, there were already people milling around. What about you?"

Looks like my lunch break is ruined.

Lian Yun nodded: "It's done. I'll go and mobilize the guards first, you go back and continue to stake out."

Lian Yun turned around and went to look for the group of guards who had come with him when he entered the city, the same guards who were related to Sel's death.

When they saw the city lord's order and heard Lian Yun's intentions, they all expressed their willingness to cooperate.

They have been quite troubled by this matter these days. They are being suspected even though they clearly did not do it.

"In order to avoid alerting the enemy, I just want a few people with good skills to follow me first." Lian Yun said.

The leader of the guards quickly pointed out seven or eight people.

"Okay, that's enough. But the guards' uniforms are too obvious, so you should change into these clothes first." Lian Yun took out a few pieces of clothes. These were clothes for ordinary residents that she had ordered from the owner of the clothing store, but they had enough defensive power.

Soon, Lian Yun led a small group of people towards the Sel family.

They found Jamie, who had been hiding for a long time, not far from the street where the yard was located.

Lian Yun gave Lana a wink, and the latter understood and left with a group of people.

Lian Yun came over alone and asked, "You haven't been discovered, have you?"

Jamie shook his head solemnly and pointed at several figures on the street. "This one, this one, and the one pretending to hang out clothes. They all appeared suddenly."

Lian Yun nodded: "What are they waiting for..."

Before he finished speaking, he saw those people taking action.

They turned around and gathered together at the same time, discussed a few words, and walked towards the Sel family's courtyard.

Lian Yun and Jamie looked at each other and followed quietly.

I only heard the conversation between the woman and those people coming from the half-open door.

"Ahem, I don't know you... Ahem."

"...Have you forgotten? We were the ones who sent you the medicine last time."

"Now we are taking you to get treatment. This is the benefit your son has given you. Aren't you happy?"

"...Get out! I don't need it!...Go away!"

There was a sound of something heavy falling in the house. Lian Yun and Jamie looked at each other and rushed over together.

"Don't move!"

Lian Yun pushed open the door and saw a man holding Sel's mother's arms. The woman's upper body was pulled out of the quilt, and the other two were preparing to carry the woman away.

When they heard the shout, they were stunned and stopped what they were doing when they looked up.

Jamie took the opportunity to push the man away, caught Sel's mother, and put her back on the bed.

A few people reacted and ran away.

--------------------

The author has something to say:

Ugh, it's such a hot day. It's so hot that my collection has melted. Damn it!

Upward!