Chapter 339 Ming District
Of course Mr. Ghost is not dead.
Even though at the height of his death, news of his death appeared in the empire's controlled newspapers at an average frequency of twice a month, with a mixture of truth and falsehood, bizarre and bizarre. One side said that he was caught enjoying himself in a noble mansion, while another side said that he was forced to hide in the mountains and forests after fleeing everywhere. If those newspapers were stacked up, their thickness would grow almost faster than wheat seedlings in early spring.
However, in the "Ming District"—the areas effectively controlled by the Limin Party—everyone could easily access news from the Limin Party's official newspaper through various channels. In particular, that gentleman continued to write and publish regularly with astonishing energy and perseverance. For example, during the Batalia Highlands Revolution, which began in the spring of 1850, he directed the revolution while simultaneously publishing over a hundred articles, an average of one every three days, making one question whether he was truly human. This uprising completely destroyed the survival space of the Imperial officials, high-ranking clergy, nobles, and large landowners in the Batalia region. The Ming District expanded its territory again, controlling one of the Empire's most important, truly important industrial and agricultural centers. Excluding the northern border controlled by Fellowes, it now occupied the remaining third of the Silver Iris Empire.
No one dared to underestimate this political party anymore. In July 1851, throughout the Empire of the Silver Iris, all groups that opposed the privileges of the royal family, the nobility, and the clergy and hoped to establish a citizen's assembly as the core of national politics, under the call and leadership of the People's Party, established a broad political alliance with the proletariat as its cornerstone.
In the vast western border of the Silver Iris Empire, the bright areas are like stars in a sea of fire that spreads wildly towards the central area, calling on everyone who yearns for "the place where the dawn is."
…
In Eagle's Nest Town, about two days' carriage ride from the nearest "bright area" Shixi Village, the local military had obviously learned the bitter lesson from the Batalia Highlands and began setting up checkpoints several miles away from the sentry posts. Rough wooden chevaux de frise and roadblocks wrapped with rusty barbed wire lay across the road, leaving only a gap barely wide enough for a carriage to pass through.
The bloodshot eyes of the soldiers in faded uniforms revealed unconcealable fatigue and neurotic vigilance. They rudely checked everyone who tried to enter Eagle's Nest Town one by one. People's bags were turned upside down one by one. Any paper with words printed on it, whether it was an account book, newspaper, book or even a child's literacy card, would be checked extra carefully, for fear that it might be related to "that side". Anything suspicious would be confiscated and torn up with extreme rudeness.
Anyone who dared to protest was immediately pulled to the side of the road, forced to kneel on the ground with a gun pointed at their head, and subjected to a harsh interrogation. Those who wore tattered clothes and appeared to have no means of making money were particularly targeted by the soldiers, as they were afraid they might try to escape to the "other side" through Eagle's Nest.
The air was filled with a tense atmosphere. Although it was already autumn, the sweat of passers-by, the stench of livestock, and the fishy smell of mud were still steaming hotly at the suffocating town entrance.
A carriage with a noble family crest hanging on it stopped quietly in the team entering the town. The people in front and behind it all kept a distance from it in tacit understanding, which made it stand out particularly.
Inside the carriage, a tall warrior carrying a sword was warily watching the soldiers coming and going outside the carriage, while another petite female sorcerer was sitting in place, chanting something in a low voice.
After a long moment, she opened her eyes and whispered to her employer, "Miss Carleton, this area is full of people of all kinds and very dangerous. You must follow our instructions once we enter the town."
The noble girl in a black dress nodded slightly. Her long brown curly hair was all tied up behind her head, revealing a pointed, pale chin.
Soon, it was their turn to be searched. Several soldiers surrounded them. When they saw the noble family crest on the carriage, their expressions softened slightly. "Who are you? What are you doing in Eagle's Nest?"
Warrior Ethan jumped off the carriage first. Seeing his tall stature, the soldiers immediately took a step back, showing their instinctive nervousness. Then, the warlock Charlotte helped Miss Caledon step onto the ground. The latter gracefully lifted the hem of her skirt slightly to avoid getting it stained with mud.
"Good day, everyone." Miss Caledon nodded casually. "I'm Emilia Caledon from the Caledon family. I'm going through Eagle's Nest Town and heading north to White Moss Slope to inspect the family's herbal medicine business."
The soldiers looked at each other, clearly not expecting to encounter a delicate, noble lady in such a haunted place. A man who looked like a steward coughed dryly, his cloudy eyes revealing an unusually sharp look of vigilance and suspicion.
"This isn't the place for a respectable young lady like you," he said gruffly, a touch of impatience mingling with the topic. "The situation has been tense lately. The gangsters from the Bright District could pounce on us at any moment. We can't bear the responsibility if anything happens to you in Eagle's Nest Town—please return."
However, the other party had no intention of accepting this kindness. Instead, he frowned slightly and responded in a slightly dissatisfied and arrogant tone, "Please send your superior and tell him that Countess Caledon requests to speak with him."
"You're not worthy to speak to me," a line of words was written on that noble and beautiful face. Some soldiers couldn't help but secretly roll their eyes, but still called for their superiors. This wasn't a public place, and they couldn't afford to offend a noble, even if it was just a ignorant and insincere young woman.
After successfully meeting the principal, Emilia Caledon breathed a sigh of relief. She expertly portrayed the arrogant, naive, and difficult young noblewoman, newly heir to the title, giving the local military commander a headache. However, the Caledon family had recently become a resounding success in the pharmaceutical industry, and the head of the family was a fortunate yet foolish young woman. To secure this lucrative opportunity, many high-ranking nobles were fervently pursuing this venomous beauty, a prospect they couldn't afford to provoke.
So, with Emilia Carleton's constant persuasion and her vow that she would only rest in the town for one day and leave early the next morning and would never stay here to cause them any trouble, they finally succeeded in entering Eagle's Nest Town.
Eagle's Nest Town itself is more like a huge military camp. Makeshift barracks have occupied the original market space, and sandbag bunkers guard every street corner, trying to keep the "plague-like" waves from the Ming District out of Eagle's Nest Town.
Emilia Carleton's steps suddenly paused. She saw countless wanted posters posted on the bulletin board. The largest one at the top had a face she was very familiar with, staring coldly and sharply at the outside of the paper. Below it was an astonishingly huge reward.
"What's wrong?" Her pause startled the sorcerer beside her. She followed her employer's gaze and then, understanding, said, "Ah, another wanted poster for a ghost."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was like dynamite, instantly drawing vigilant glances from several people. Suddenly realizing she'd gotten into trouble, Charlotte shut up immediately. Only after those eyes gradually shifted away did she pat her chest, feeling somewhat guilty, and let out a long sigh.
Her taciturn companion tapped her on the head, neither too hard nor too light.
As the escort mission was about to end, Charlotte became a little too proud of herself and almost forgot this word. Words including the People's Party, Citizens' Assembly, People's Daily, Port Morris and even Dawn were absolutely forbidden words near the Ming District. Any stranger who tried to inquire about anything related to "that side" was very likely to attract unnecessary and very dangerous attention.
But no matter what, the employer comes first. This is the tenet of the Suzuran Mercenary Group. Moreover, this noble lady has not been difficult to please along the way. She speaks softly and gives generously. This made Charlotte ask a few more questions: "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
She suddenly thought of something and lowered her voice to an inaudible level: "Wait, do you know someone up here?"
Emilia Carleton: "..."
There really is one, the one with the highest bounty, her blood cousin, who almost became her "fiancé".
Seeing her silence, Charlotte felt she had guessed what she had learned, and her expression became increasingly subtle. How could this pampered aristocratic lady know a group of revolutionaries, covered in blood and mud, active in the Ming District? Could this be her beloved?
…Speaking of which, are all the noble ladies' views on mate selection so "wild" these days? Although she had to admit, there were indeed some very good-looking people in the upper echelons of the People's Party, and quite a few of them deliberately collected well-illustrated wanted posters, so much so that even the romantic love novels on the market began to popularize this theme.
"Sorry, don't worry about it." Seeing her employer frown, the warlock quickly whispered to comfort her, "I don't have any ill feelings towards 'those people', but I'm afraid it would be very dangerous for you to come here alone..."
"Let's go." Ethan expressionlessly dragged his always talkative companion forward, giving Caledon a wary glance. Charlotte wasn't a bad girl, but she couldn't control her mouth, which made her prone to getting into trouble.
However, as long as tonight passed, the mission would be completed by sending the people to White Moss Slope early tomorrow morning. After receiving the balance of the mercenary payment, the two of them would leave - he did not want to get involved in the conspiracies and disputes between the nobles at all, let alone such a serious crime that could cost him his life.
Even though Fernlos was eyeing the northern border covetously, and had even launched several small and medium-sized local wars in the past two years, annexing more land, it was obvious that the Empire had completely regarded the People's Party as an enemy worthy of attention and to be wiped out. While ensuring the strength of the border troops, it also struggled to allocate a part of the troops to encircle and suppress the People's Army. Although under the command of Mr. Ghost and several of his famous generals, the Empire did not gain any advantage and was forced to retreat step by step.
This harsh and protracted conflict also affected ordinary people. In the areas controlled by the Empire, also known as the "Royal District," anyone who dared to publicly declare support for the People's Party could be thrown into prison or even hanged.
Ethan and Charlotte were quite capable, and well-known in the mercenary world. Living in any area didn't make much difference to them; they weren't ordinary people with nothing left who had to flee to the open air to seek a living. If possible, Ethan didn't want to stir up trouble in a sensitive area like Eagle's Nest. However, among the rewards Miss Caledon had promised him, there was a potion that he was particularly interested in.
——That is a potion that only the Caledon family can make, a potion that does not require magic to make.
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