The several-day voyage allowed Todd to enjoy a rare peaceful vacation.
Every day, fishing, reading, chatting with people, and managing his spiritual space became the only things he could do during the day.
As night fell, holding the sleeping Rachel in his arms, listening to the gentle lapping of the waves outside the ship, and feeling the swaying of the hull, Todd always had a strange feeling that this journey would never end, and that his world would continue in this peaceful and tranquil state forever.
However, when the port of Twilight City came into Todd's view, he immediately realized that sooner or later he would have to face reality.
Due to prior special instructions, the king's return was carried out entirely in secrecy.
Among the party that came to greet Todd, apart from the disguised guards, only Huggins was waiting on the harbor pier, unaware of the cabinet members' presence.
Seeing the two-masted sailboat slowly approach the harbor, Huggins, who was limping on one leg, waved excitedly and hopped awkwardly in place.
Looking at the Umbrella Corporation flags fluttering in the wind above the port, Rachel sighed softly: "We've arrived."
Todd, with a forlorn expression, said, "Yes, we've arrived."
“After disembarking, I must return to the Alien Association first.” Rachel straightened her clothes and hair. “I need to find an Alien who understands Ancient Taro and translate all the copied notes. In addition, I also need to arrange some internal affairs within the Alien Association.”
Todd nodded: "I also need to go back to the palace first to find out about the situation in the country and see if anything has changed in the kingdom while I was away."
After the cargo ship docked, Todd watched Rachel leave the deck first, and then he put on his large cloak, stepped off the deck, and came ashore.
Stepping onto the solid stone bricks, Todd looked at the bustling scene in the harbor and couldn't help but marvel.
Hundreds of ships of various sizes, flying various national flags, were moored in the harbor.
Merchants, captains, sailors, tourists, and workers of different skin colors, clothing, and languages crowded the vast port of Muxi.
The huge pulley cranes kept turning, and boxes of goods kept coming and going. The shouts, laughter and arguments of people were endless, making the whole port full of vitality and vigor.
Harkins jogged over to Todd's side, his voice trembling with excitement: "Your Majesty... you're back!"
Todd lifted his hood, glanced at him with a smile, and said softly, "We'll talk about it back at the palace."
Guided by Huggins, Todd arrived at the parking area outside the port area, boarded an inconspicuous carriage, and headed to the palace on the hilltop.
Along the way, Todd lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked at everything around him. The more he looked, the more amazed and gratified he became.
Compared to when I left, Muxi City has completely changed. Houses and decorations have sprung up like mushrooms after rain, and flower beds and shady trees adorn the entire city with breathtaking beauty.
Todd nodded and said with satisfaction, "The city looks much cleaner than it used to be."
Huggins turned around and said, "In the past, the city center was the most crowded and naturally noisy. Now, the population in the city center has been greatly reduced, so it looks much cleaner."
Todd asked curiously, "Where are they?"
"The land prices, rents, and cost of living in the city center are too high, so people without money have moved to the downtown area or the outskirts of the city, leaving only the wealthy behind."
Upon hearing Huggins' words, Todd frowned slightly, but ultimately said nothing.
As the carriage traveled towards the palace, a group of students from Muxi University stood on a wooden platform and spoke loudly to passersby when they passed the main square.
Todd said to Huggins, "Stop the carriage over there, I want to hear what they have to say."
The latter, following the king's orders, stopped the carriage not far from the platform.
"The whole world is asleep in ignorance and narrow-mindedness! Only Muxi City has grasped the truth! We bear the great mission of saving all living beings and awakening the world!"
A tall student with a pigtail shouted to the crowd below the stage: "Look at those kingdoms in the parish! They still believe in the lies of God's salvation, placing all their hopes on a clay idol, and letting the church suck their blood and flesh!"
Another short, chubby student with a face full of freckles raised his arms and shouted, "Science has dispelled superstition and ignorance! There have never been any gods or prophets in this world! Humanity is the master of the world! We are the captains of our destiny! We must save this world that has been deceived and blinded by the church! We must liberate those poor people living in the parishes! We want war!"
Hearing this, Todd, sitting in the carriage, asked Huggins in surprise, "War?"
Huggins explained softly, “There are now two factions in Muxi City: one is the old cabinet led by Lord Emerson, and the other is the reformist faction formed by the Chamber of Commerce Alliance.”
"Lord Emerson advocates using diplomatic and religious means to divide the major powers of the Father's Diocese in order to isolate the Papal States. The Chamber of Commerce Alliance, on the other hand, demands the use of war to completely expel the Father's Church forces from other kingdoms."
Todd pondered for a moment, then immediately grasped the crux of the matter: "The Chamber of Commerce Alliance probably doesn't just want to expel the church's influence, does it?"
Huggins nodded and said, "You guessed right... With the rapid development of commerce in Muxi City, even if the related factories, plantations, workshops, farms and other facilities operate at full speed and supply goods, they cannot meet the consumption of trade and the city. Therefore, the Commercial Alliance has raised the issue of insufficient land supply and difficulty in recruiting personnel with the Cabinet more than once."
"Therefore, when they realized that the cabinet was unable to solve these problems, the Chamber of Commerce Alliance mobilized its various branches and contacted student groups at Muxi University to launch a campaign to declare war on God. Although they claimed to be driving out ignorance and respecting humanity, they actually wanted to launch a war to seize land and people."
Todd followed up with, "What's the public opinion like within the kingdom?"
"Emerson had his cabinet members explain to the people that the war would bring a series of harms, and that it would do more harm than good to Twilight City, but the effect was minimal. After all, the citizens of Twilight City, whether merchants, students or aliens, all had more or less irreconcilable hatreds with the Church of God, and the slogan of declaring war on God just met their hopes."
Before Todd could react, Huggins continued, "Your Majesty, there is one more thing, I don't know if you still remember it?"
"What is it?"
"When you formed your cabinet, there was a rule that the prime minister would be elected every three years, and when the new prime minister took over executive power from the king, he could reorganize or dissolve the existing cabinet as needed."
Todd paused for a moment, then said, "That's right, that's exactly it."
Huggins sighed: "The month after next is the day of the democratic election for the Prime Minister. Lord Emerson and the Business Alliance candidate Rutledge will compete for the position of Prime Minister of the Kingdom."
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