Chapter 376: Command
Lionel Money still took away an heir, but it was not Ethan Money, the young man that the ghost had specifically asked to be protected. He cried terribly when he was dragged away. Roland couldn't even remember his name, but of course he didn't care.
After Lionel left, he stroked his swollen face, his expression gloomy and silent. This was the first time his father had embarrassed him in public. He wanted to vent his grievance and anger on the culprit, the ghost, but he couldn't find him. He didn't understand why the ghost had come all this way to do this. It couldn't be to make a threat.
But Roland Mooney soon understood.
In the secret meeting room of the "Protector" company, he slammed a stack of newspapers on the table and kicked over a chair in anger.
"Is the Limin Party planning to turn on each other?!" Roland paced around the conference room in frustration. "How dare they? The army's jet weapons, the most advanced magic tools and formations, the comforts of the upper class... every single one of them, how could it not be related to jet?!"
"They're even calling for the closure of coal mines nationwide—what a boast! Who do they think they are?!" His face darkened. "If the miners die, we can just hire new ones. Shut down the mines? Who's going to bear the resulting losses? The company? Or the royal family?"
"I'm just afraid the Kuomintang can actually pull it off," a company executive nearby said gravely. "The miners at the Silver Flower Mine are happy to follow the union's lead. The rumors we spread earlier didn't achieve our intended effect, and the Black County Coal Union is practically a Kuomintang stronghold... Director Moni, do you have any instructions on this?"
"Father is in a critical stage of treatment and currently has no time to handle company matters. There's no need to trouble him." Roland glanced at him coldly. "Doesn't the Liberal Democratic Party rely on those peasant miners? Find a few people, give them some money, or scare them into making a fuss. Then they'll say the Liberal Democratic Party isn't letting them work and is planning to starve their entire family to death."
He sneered and said, "I want to see whether these miners are afraid of some disease they may get in the future, or they are afraid of not having enough food to eat now!"
But the situation wasn't as simple as Roland Mooney had imagined. Clearly, the Ghost wasn't acting on a whim. There were indeed some scabs causing trouble, but they were quickly suppressed. With safeguards in place, and with the long-standing rumors of a "curse" among frontline workers and the fear of deformed children scaring many, the vast majority, especially the frontline miners in the Ming District, were willing to trust the Limin Party, which had always enjoyed a good reputation among the poor, and Mr. Ghost.
All of a sudden, the coal ore production of the "Shelter" company was greatly reduced, the stock price plummeted, the company's market value evaporated rapidly, and it was caught in an unprecedented terrible storm at a speed that was quite shocking even in history. The terrifying steep curve was called the "Money Cliff" by later economists.
During this period, the shady dealings between Osiris City officials and the "Guardian" company were exposed to the public, spreading widely throughout the Ming District and even beyond. The evaluation of greed, corruption, and inhumanity was a heavy blow to the company, which had always presented itself as a "Guardian" to the public.
Even Lionel Money couldn't stop the plummeting stock price. All the family's political connections and reserve funds were wasted, and they were losing ground in the public opinion battlefield where the Democratic Party excelled. New scandals were exposed in the newspapers every day, and demonstrations organized by trade unions in major mining areas continued one after another.
He even had to go to the royal city despite his sick body to accept the queen's severe accountability. At first, Lionel tried to defend himself and blamed everything on the malicious instigation of the People's Party and the ghost's conspiracy.
"Conspiracy?" Queen Esmery sneered and interrupted him, "I think it's greed and stupidity! The 'Shelter' Company isn't your Moni family's private money bag. I could have turned a blind eye to the affairs of Osiris City, but if you hadn't handed the knife handle to Ghost, why would he target the 'Shelter' Company?!"
You'd better stabilize the situation as soon as possible, the queen warned him in a cold tone, otherwise the royal family would not mind replacing him with a more "clean" collaborator.
As soon as he left the Kite Heart Palace, Lionel stumbled and fell, looking ten years older. He had ultimately underestimated the Phantom. The Queen's fear of the People's Party and the Phantom seemed far greater than he had imagined. This meant that if the Moni family couldn't salvage this mess, they would be the victims thrown out to appease public anger and fill the deficit.
The storm has turned into a life-and-death political and economic war, but his foolish son thought it was just a trouble that could be settled with money and intimidation - the "Protector" company was just an insignificant stone in the face of this devastating storm.
The mess of the gods had also made progress. Driven by DDL, Magnus showed amazing action - he directly kidnapped Victoria Moni.
This unfortunate girl seemed to have been tortured by her biological father to the point of being a little stupid. When she saw the ghost, she just lowered her head quietly and numbly, telling him that he could do anything to her.
"It's just that my father doesn't really value me, or rather, he doesn't value any of his children." She said softly and gently, "If you want to take revenge on him, you've found the wrong person."
"No, no, no, dear Miss Moni, you are more important than you think." The bard beside him maintained his exaggerated aria-like tone, and the professor also looked at the young girl involved. According to Magnus, she was the suitable carrier chosen by Lionel and the experimental subject of the gods.
Samuel, the god of night and death, is dead, and Utoska, the god of storms, is missing. The other side's "Chosen One" and the goddess of love, Analene's "Chosen One" have become the nightmare of the gods. Currently, the only Chosen One who possesses the seal of God is Maxline, and Orel is half-chosen. After all, without the restraint of the seal of God, it would be too dangerous if they rebelled.
Analene, the goddess of love, and Zephir, the god of light and glory, would never watch Odile, the god of the sea, become the only god to return to the world. They tried to find other ways to resurrect. Lionel Moni, who had an extremely strong desire to survive, became a very efficient and useful tool. The jet spirit that could replace the warlock also became a must-have for various human experiments.
"You hate your father," Nova stated calmly.
At this moment, the black-haired young man was enveloped in the warm yellow light of kerosene lamp, with a fluffy blanket covering his legs. His glasses were placed on the table, and his sharp and handsome facial lines seemed to be softened. He looked like a young and thin scholar. Victoria even doubted for a moment whether the terrifying chess player she saw at Dusk Star Manor was just her illusion.
However, when she saw those smoky gray eyes, the girl couldn't help but tremble and lowered her head in panic - but the other party did not continue to question, and waited patiently.
After a long pause, Victoria bit her lip and whispered, "He controls my mother's life."
...an opportunity, perhaps even a unique opportunity. After all, the ghost gentleman in the rumors was willing to work hard for the fate of a group of poor people who had nothing to do with him, and he did not seem to be a cold-blooded, cruel and tyrannical tyrant.
"Mr. Ghost, if you can really save her, I'm willing to do anything..."
Tears streamed down the girl's pale cheeks. She curled up in the chair, covering her face and sobbing softly.
She tilted her head slightly, deliberately exposing her dove-like white and slender neck, making sure that this angle would make her look particularly weak and pitiful - Lionel looked down on women, but his flattery mixed with timidity and scheming was very suitable for his daughter. Victoria was used to maintaining this fragile and helpless appearance in front of adult men to protect herself.
The ghost looked at her silently, with no pity or disgust in its gray eyes, so much so that Victoria could no longer cry after a while, and a hint of embarrassment flashed in her eyes.
"As for your mother, we can do our best to rescue her." The black-haired young man asked calmly, "But Miss Victoria, what can you give me?"
This time he didn't call her Miss "Money".
Victoria was stunned, tears still hanging on her long eyelashes. She was used to being "asked for", being a pretty and obedient doll, waiting for those critical or playful eyes to fall on her - this was the first time she was asked "what she had".
"I... I know some things about my father." She heard her voice was particularly dry: "Including some details of the experiment, the specific location, the names of the collaborators... and..."
She struggled to prove her worth, her words incoherent, fearing she would become worthless in the eyes of the man before her. But the ghost listened intently, and only after she paused did he reply calmly, "Yes, tell Magnus what you know, and he will make the judgment."
"As for your mother, the Limin Party will send people to investigate her specific location and security. But I can't guarantee anything. You might end up gaining nothing and even losing yourself." His voice remained calm, without a trace of false comfort or sympathy. He simply threw the choice to her: "Even if this is the case, are you willing to continue the deal?"
Victoria stared blankly into those gray eyes, her heart pounding with fear deep in her chest. But she took a deep breath, wiped the tears from her face, and slowly straightened her slightly hunched back.
"I do," the girl said in a trembling voice. "It won't get any worse—thank you so much for your kindness, Mr. Ghost."
The black-haired young man lowered his eyes noncommittally and continued writing on the paper, as if this was just a minor incident. "Then I'll leave it to you, Magnus - verify the information and give it to Azuka for evaluation."
"Oh, you really are bossing people around." The bard sighed exaggeratedly, as if complaining, but he still stood up and looked at the girl who had obviously regained some vitality. "Come, my poor pretty little bird, let's find a comfortable place and talk about your dear father. Perhaps the generous Mr. Ghost will be willing to reimburse us for some sweet wine, which may make you feel better."
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