Chapter 54

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explode? !

Lian Yun didn't have time to think about it.

At the critical moment, she subconsciously turned around, raised her cloak with both hands, and turned her back to block everyone.

——She has maxed out defense, so she'll be fine.

But the people behind her didn't.

Even though a sudden thought urged her to act quickly, she couldn't help but close her eyes, waiting for unknown danger.

Just as she closed her eyes, a figure came running from behind her, passed Lian Yun with something in his hand, and stood between the open door.

Lian Yun felt her breath.

Waves of heat surged past, and Lian Yun slowly opened his eyes.

Turning around, Lian Yun saw Pei Si kneeling on the ground facing the gate. He cried out in his heart and quickly asked someone to help her up.

"Peth..."

Lian Yun squatted down to check her injuries, but found that she was holding black fragments in her hands, and some were scattered on the ground.

Lian Yun looked carefully, then suddenly raised his head and looked into the hall, and found that the scepter in the center of the hall was empty.

And what Pace held in his hand was the black gem.

Lian Yun took out a few bottles of medicine and asked them to feed Pei Si. He asked everyone to stay where they were and stood up alone and walked towards the door with a serious expression.

She walked around the hall but didn't find any clues, and she didn't know where the green light came from.

City lord?

Naturally, it disappeared without a trace.

When she returned to Pei Si, Pei Si had already woken up.

It looked like he only suffered some minor injuries.

"Where is the city lord?" Lian Yun asked her.

Pei Si shook his head, a bitter smile on his face: "He's gone, there's no need to look for him anymore."

Lian Yun frowned slightly: "Gone, when did he leave?"

It was obvious that Peth was very clear about the ins and outs of this matter.

"As soon as you left yesterday, he started packing his luggage. He left with the packages in the early hours of this morning... You can't catch up with him."

The scene fell silent.

"Which city gate?" Lian Yun asked again.

Pei Si slowly lowered his head and said in a lower voice, "South Gate."

Lian Yun gave a wink, and Lana immediately took the order and led the team away.

Lian Yun watched him go away, then turned to look at Pei Si: "Why don't you leave?"

Not only did he not leave, he stayed and saved their lives.

"Me?" Peth smiled weakly. "I won't leave. I'm from Quoge City. I've been from Quoge City since the day I was born, and that will never change. I won't leave my hometown with him, even if he needs me."

"He needs you? Are you talking about the city lord who can't even look at you?" Buck sneered.

Just yesterday, she was still talking about the city lord's dedication to his duties.

"Yes." Pei Si looked dazed. "The city lord I know is a perfect person!"

Lian Yun sighed. "Even though he can't even guarantee medical care in Kuoge City and can't even solve the problem of children going to school, do you still think he's perfect?"

Pei Si seemed to be stumped by this question.

She frowned slightly, as if recalling old memories.

"He said... he was raising funds. Raising funds for the continued development of Quoge City."

"He said it was just a little bit closer. Once the funds were fully raised, he could open the school to all the children in Quoge City. Medical care would no longer be a problem. That's what he promised me the day he hired me. I've always kept it in mind. I always felt he wouldn't lie to me."

"Even if he doesn't do anything and pushes all government affairs onto you, you still think he's busy with government affairs every day and isn't lying to you?" Lian Yun couldn't help but complain, "Also, he's almost digging for gold, and he still dares to say he has no money?"

"I don't know about Jinshan," Pesce shook his head. "He's in charge of the finances. He said the city's funds have always been short in recent years, and he's always using his own money to subsidize the city's expenses."

Peth suddenly stopped talking.

She seemed to suddenly realize the self-deception she had been leading for years.

At this moment, she seemed to have figured everything out and suddenly lost all her strength.

The light in his eyes gradually dimmed.

"I know I'm wrong. Some people have said I'm not fit to be a leader. I have no opinions or strategies. I'm only suited to working under a leader and focusing on my own affairs. That's enough."

"I never thought of being a leader." Peisi slowly closed his eyes and leaned against the stone pillar. "So I try my best to do my job. I just want to take good care of Quoge City. I love this city, so I just want to do my best to maintain its development."

Has she never realized the city lord's shortcomings that are difficult to conceal?

Maybe she was aware of it.

But she had no choice.

Lian Yun probably understood her thoughts.

It is easy to find thousands of soldiers, but it is difficult to find a good general.

A city needs a leader.

Although he is not perfect, he is the only master of Quoge City.

Without him, Quoge City would be in chaos in less than a day. What would happen then? Pei Si didn't dare to think about it.

"I was too stupid to realize it. He took everything away, not even a gold coin left."

Pei Si held his head in pain.

He took away all the money in the city, including gold coins, gems, and everything of value.

Without the support of these funds, how long can Kuoge City survive?

"He didn't take everything. At least you stayed." Lian Yun whispered.

“The most valuable thing is never those lifeless objects, but you who can continue to create value and have life and vitality.”

Pei Si raised his head and looked at her, a smile appearing on his slightly frail face. "He really wanted to take me away. He left in a hurry in the early morning and told me to take the black gem, then find a chance to sneak out of the city and meet up not far from the city gate. He would then take me to the main city, where there would be more development opportunities and prospects."

"But you didn't go. And you stayed here and saved our lives."

If Peisi hadn't rushed over and used the black gem to block the dangerous green light at that moment, Lianyun alone would probably not be able to resist and protect everyone.

Pei Si smiled bitterly. "If I leave, what will happen to Quoge City? In fact, it was at that moment that I realized that my loyalty has always been not to him, but to Quoge City."

"As for why I saved you?" Pesce paused, as if asking himself.

The city lord asked her to leave Quoge City and join him.

But she didn't, she chose to stay in Hogcheng.

She sat behind the castle door until dawn.

She waited until Lianyun and the others entered the castle, and until the moment of danger came, she saw Lianyun turning his back without hesitation to resist the danger.

That’s right, it’s a girl in her 20s who uses her petite body to perform such unexpected movements.

However, the city lord, whom he had always regarded as a god, chose to abandon Kuoge City and the entire city's people.

Pei Si did not leave, she knew that the city lord would not wait for her.

She gave up the city lord, and he abandoned Peth.

It was hard for Pace to accept, but he had to accept it.

This city lord, who always thought he was diligent, was actually a selfish, cowardly deserter.

"So what now? What are you going to do?"

Pei Si shook his head, showing no intention of resisting. "I let him go. It's my fault. I am willing to accept any punishment."

Despite saying so, her eyes were still filled with reluctance as she lowered them.

She was only worried about how Kuoge City would continue in the future.

There is no more pretentious city lord, and no more myself to handle government affairs.

The funds that supported the operation of the regime were drained away, and the castle was nothing but an empty shell.

Lian Yun said nothing and looked at Lana who was coming from a distance.

When Lanna approached, she heard his slightly ashamed voice: "I'm sorry, my lord. They left the city gate as early as the early morning."

"Did the guards let them go?"

Lanna nodded. "They didn't know the city lord had already abandoned the city. They dared not disobey the city lord's orders."

It is worth mentioning that he left with a group of people.

Lian Yun didn't want to blame the guards. As long as he was the city lord, he had the power to issue orders. Although this matter was difficult, it was understandable.

But...he brought a group of people with him?

Lanner said with a serious expression: "A group of masked men dressed in black. If I'm not mistaken, they are from that organization."

A thunderclap suddenly sounded in Lian Yun's mind.

Now it all makes sense.

She was puzzled. She had blocked the news immediately and rushed to the hiding place without stopping, so how could they still escape?

How could they get the news so quickly?

And they searched the city all night but couldn't find it.

She should have thought of it earlier. There was only one reason.

——There is an insider who secretly leaked the information.

So every step Lian Yun took was late.

Realizing that he had made more than just one mistake in letting the city lord go, Pei Si's voice trembled: "Are you saying that the city lord has connections with those underground organizations?"

Lian Yun looked towards the city gate with cold eyes. "I'm afraid there's more than just a connection."

He had already reached the position of city lord. He certainly wasn't, and shouldn't be, a mere pawn in the underground organization.

Lian Yun thought for a moment, reached out and took out a bottle of medicine, turned around and asked Pei Si: "Have you seen this kind of bottle?"

Pace was stunned, and his eyes already revealed the answer to the question.

“…I’ve seen him in his room.”

really.

The person who added the last ingredient of the potion was the city lord.

They had been dealing with the leaders of the underground organization for so long without even realizing it.

Buck noticed that Lian Yun was in a bad mood and stepped forward to comfort him, "No one could have predicted this situation. The mayor of a second-tier city is actually the leader of an underground organization. If you didn't see it with your own eyes and experience it firsthand, no one would believe it."

How could Lian Yun not know this truth?

But it is hard to accept that the bad guy was let go right under his nose.

She shook her head slightly, trying to block out her negative emotions.

At the same time, the system sound rang.

Congratulations, Lord! You've completed the hidden side quest! The initial rewards have been distributed, and the following two branches remain to be completed.

1. Establish your own organized church.

【2: Occupy Kuoge City.】