Early in the morning, Earl Hall woke up at his most accustomed time and took a walk in his garden and lawn.
By the time he had finished looking at his favorite thoroughbred horses and returned to the third floor of the villa and changed into his going-out clothes, his wife Caitlin had already gotten up and was instructing her personal maid to convey the arrangements she had just thought of.
"It's time for breakfast." Earl Hall stood beside the coat rack and said to his wife with a smile.
Just then, he heard a commotion outside, which was getting closer and closer without dying down.
Earl Hall frowned slightly and glanced sideways at his valet.
Without the nobleman having to speak, the valet immediately walked to the window and pulled aside the remaining layer of tulle curtain.
After a swish sound, more light shone into the bedroom, making it clear and bright.
The valet then turned his gaze to the window, glanced left and right, and his expression suddenly became solemn.
He turned around, glanced at the Countess who was still talking to the maid, walked quickly to Earl Hall's side, and said in a low voice:
"Parade! Lots of people are marching!"
Parade? Count Hall was not unfamiliar with this term. As a great noble of Loen and the second largest shareholder of the Constant Coal and Steel Consortium, he had seen many workers gather and march to demand higher weekly wages and set maximum working hours. In the past one or two months, Backlund had also had several protests due to various issues, but they were quickly quelled and did not cause any impact.
After moving his eyes back and forth on the face of his valet for a few seconds, Earl Hall narrowed his eyes slightly, keenly realizing that today's parade might not be the same as he had imagined.
He walked forward calmly and came to the window.
At first glance, Earl Hall's eyes suddenly froze.
Taking advantage of being on the third floor, he saw that the road in the distance was filled with people. They gathered together and rushed in this direction, like a huge dark cloud that was about to cover Backlund.
"bread!"
"We want bread!"
The shouts of thousands, tens of thousands, or even more people came together, gradually becoming louder and clearer, causing Earl Hall's scalp to tingle slightly.
It’s not like he hadn’t seen so many people and heard so many overlapping voices when he participated in the High Mass and other activities at the Memorial Square, but at that time, he could barely be considered to be in the crowd and a part of the whole, but today, he was one of the targets of the surging “tide”.
Earl Hall couldn't help but look at the back of the parade and found that there was no end at all. However, with his rich experience in affairs, he was able to make a judgment based on some details he observed.
The number of policemen and soldiers he could see on both sides of the parade was very small. Compared with the huge crowd, they were as tiny as the waves stirred up by the sea.
Earl Hall believed that the march to Queens would definitely be under the strongest control, and a large number of soldiers and police would be sent over. The current situation could only indicate one thing:
There were so many people participating in the parade!
So much so that the soldiers and police were spread too thin!
A parade of more than 100,000 people? Maybe even more... A parade caused by food shortages could turn into riots and looting at any time... It looks very orderly now... Is it because there are so many organizers and leaders? Damn it, didn't MI9 and the major churches find any signs? How could a parade of this scale be organized overnight? Even if Backlund has become a powder keg, it would take a lot of matches to ignite it! One thought after another flashed through Earl Hall's mind, and his expression became more and more solemn.
"bread!"
"We want bread!"
The shouts became more and more uniform and louder and louder, as if a tsunami had occurred in the city.
At this time, the male and female servants in Earl Hall's mansion all noticed the movement and came to the window and looked outside the door.
Their faces immediately turned pale, as if they had encountered a flood that broke through the dam and were unable to avoid it.
"bread!"
"We want bread!"
Countless voices merged together, and the dark sea of heads brought a strong sense of oppression.
Earl Hall woke up suddenly, and subconsciously asked someone to send a telegram to the royal family, asking them to organize an army to suppress the rebellion.
But when he looked closer, he found that many people in the parade were wearing military uniforms and had physical disabilities.
"bread!"
"We want bread!"
The soldiers maintaining order watched the parade with sympathy, their guns pointed at the sky.
Among those people were their former comrades-in-arms, their parents, wives and children, their friends, neighbors, and a large number of living people who, like them, just wanted not to starve to death. How could they not feel pity and sympathy?
Such sentiment may have initially arisen in the hearts of only five or six soldiers and policemen, but it soon spread to almost everyone.
In the past, under the supervision of the officers' pistols, they would definitely accept all orders numbly, but now, many people are thinking:
If any son of a bitch dares to ask me to shoot, I will shoot him to death!
"bread!"
"We want bread!"
Amid the shouts and the impact of the large crowds gathering, Earl Hall's face turned a little paler.
He couldn't help but look away, looking at the guards and bodyguards gathered outside the house, and at the extraordinary people of the Church of Evernight who were responsible for protecting his family, and found that their reactions were different.
The guards and bodyguards were filled with fear, and the expressions of some of the Beyonders he hired hiding inside had become quite serious, while the protectors of the Church of Evernight had emotions of sympathy and compassion in their eyes.
To the church, I may be equivalent to a thousand believers here, while there are tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even more outside... Earl Hall suddenly had such an epiphany, and had a clear understanding of the consequences of what he was about to do:
Even if they were armed to the teeth, they could not fight against so many marchers with just a small number of guards. Once a conflict broke out, the Extraordinary people of the Church of Evernight could not be relied upon. It would be a blessing from the Goddess if his family could escape from Queens with the hired bodyguards!
For the first time, Earl Hall experienced the power of numbers and the horror of so many people gathered together.
As soon as his thoughts raced, he turned around and told his personal servant:
“Send a telegram to the Prime Minister, send a telegram to other nobles, and tell them that I am willing to take the lead and donate most of the food!
"Please ask them to stay calm!"
As the radio waves flew and were exchanged, the nobles living in Queens knew Earl Hall's attitude.
The current Duke Negan looked out the window with a serious expression, was silent for a while, exhaled, and said to the male secretary beside him:
“Protect the mansion, give up your tough stance, and follow Earl Hall’s lead.
"Also, let's take those merchants who hoarded food as an example first!"
By the time the upper class reached a preliminary consensus and had a plan to deal with the situation, Earl Hall's heart finally settled down and he had enough energy to go to the restaurant and reunite with his family.
As he passed through the door of the restaurant, he subconsciously glanced at the situation inside.
The wife stood by the window, looking outside anxiously; the eldest son kept pacing back and forth, looking very angry and anxious; the daughter stood beside his wife, watching the parade moving forward like a tide in great silence.
…………
Misty sea, "Future".
Cattleya walked on the long bridge of starlight and returned to the deck.
"Captain, you must take care of Frank this time!" The boatswain Nina rushed over first and shouted loudly.
Cattleya's melancholy and sadness were suddenly broken, and she frowned slightly and said:
"What did he do again?"
Nina said angrily:
"He asked me if I could have children. He wanted to study how life is conceived and how the soul is produced!"
"...Did you hit him?" Cattleya said after a second of silence.
"I hit him!" Nina didn't hide it at all.
Cattleya then turned her gaze towards Frank who was not far away, ignoring his bruised face.
"You should study the reproduction of fish first."
"Okay." Frank scratched his head and obeyed the captain's order.
Cattleya then nodded to the pale-faced Bloodless Heath Doyle who emerged from the shadows of the cabin.
"It's all right."
Heath Doyle obviously relaxed:
"Yes, Captain."
After being disturbed by the crew, Cattleya finally returned to the real world. While they were not paying attention, she rubbed her forehead and flew into the captain's room.
Then, she used magic to seal this place and took out the "Wishing Lamp", which was also ranked among the top "0" level seals.
After finishing her preparations, Cattleya sat behind the desk, lowered her head, and recited Mr. Fool’s name in Giant language, reporting to Him about the Mysterious Queen.
Klein, who was surveying the terrain around the ruins of the northern city-state with a lantern, tilted his head slightly, listened for a few seconds, and then followed the procedure and entered the gray fog.
He immediately sat down on the high-backed chair belonging to The Fool at the top of the mottled long table, and extended his spirituality to the deep red star representing The Hermit.
"The 'Mysterious Queen' has a preliminary clue about the original island and plans to leave the safe channel and conduct a large-scale and long-term search...
"That original island was discovered by Emperor Roselle by accident. It is very likely that one of his nine secret tombs is hidden on it... This is the only one that has not been discovered or destroyed so far. It is the hope for the Emperor's resurrection...
"However, the creatures on that primitive island seem to be worshipping an unknown force from the starry sky. The starry sky will be polluted if you just learn about it... I have to remind Ms. Hermit and ask her to write a letter to warn the Mysterious Queen...
"'Wishing Magic Lamp'... 'Wishing Magic Lamp'? It turns out that this '0' level sealed object is in the hands of the 'Mysterious Queen'... It is a combination of the extraordinary characteristics of the 'Miracle Master' and the characteristics of a mysterious origin. Even the true God cannot break it..." As soon as Klein finished listening to the "0-05" incident, he immediately adjusted his perspective and zoomed in on the image of the kettle-shaped golden "magic lamp".
Suddenly, the wick at the mouth of the "Wishing Lamp" caught fire on its own!
PS: On the first day of the first lunar month, I wish you all good luck in the Year of the Rat!