"I don't know. The envoy didn't say. He only said that there was an urgent matter in Jinling City and that you should go back quickly."
The city lord of Jinling asked in confusion.
"Is there an emergency in Jinling City? What emergency could there be in Jinling City? It must be a problem at Qiongfeng Pass."
The city lord slapped his forehead.
"Damn it, I just realized now that I forgot to send the energy crystal to Qiongfeng Pass. Oh dear, my memory is terrible."
The city lord waved to his personal guards.
"Quickly, quickly, help me pick up the energy crystals on the ground, and then we'll hurry back to Jinling City."
The airship dock in Jinling City was the tallest building in the city besides the Cathedral. As the airship approached, the people coming and going could be clearly seen. The city lord of Jinling City was delighted.
“After you brothers go back, have something to eat and get a good night’s sleep. Once this is over, I will reward you all for your contributions.”
The guards relaxed their tense expressions and all breathed a sigh of relief.
The airship docked beside the pier, and just as the group was about to disembark, dozens of guards in black armor suddenly rushed over from the west side of the airship dock.
The city lord of Jinling narrowed his eyes, and the faces of his personal guards instantly turned extremely ugly.
"Enforcement team!"
One of the guards exclaimed in surprise.
Dozens of law enforcement officers rushed to Jiang Hao and his group, pointing their broadswords and spears at them.
Eight guards immediately stepped forward, drawing their swords in unison, and shielded the city lord and Jiang Hao behind them.
"How dare you! Don't you see the City Lord is here?"
"By order of the Elder of the Council of Elders, please go to the Cathedral of the Priests."
The captain of the enforcement team stepped out of the ranks, not even bowing to the city lord, and his tone showed no respect whatsoever.
Although Jiang Hao didn't know what the law enforcement team did, how was treating the city lord like this any different from rebellion?
"How dare you! The City Lord is extremely busy..."
Before the guard could finish speaking, the city lord of Jinling waved his hand to interrupt him.
"Let's go, take me to see Hongyu."
The cathedral today is completely different from the one Jiang Hao visited last time. None of the players who used to wander around the square are to be seen. Instead, there are rows of guards in black armor, who are clearly members of the enforcement team.
Following the city lord of Jinling into the pastor's cathedral, Jiang Hao saw three distinguished guests already standing in the hall.
The man on the left is a middle-aged military general, his golden armor gleaming, like a guardian general in a TV series.
Upon seeing him, the eight bodyguards hesitated for a moment before stepping forward, kneeling on one knee, and saying in unison.
"Greetings, Commander."
The man's expression was not good; he simply nodded and hummed in agreement. He neither gestured for his guards to rise nor said anything else.
The eight guards had no choice but to remain kneeling.
Jiang Hao guessed that this person must be the commander of the personal guards.
The man on the right was quite old, with completely white hair. He was dressed in a simple blue mage's robe, and Jiang Hao couldn't discern his identity.
The man in the very center was a short, stout middle-aged man with a fair complexion. His clothes were rather peculiar; Jiang Hao noticed a four-clawed dragon embroidered in gold thread on his chest, resembling the python robes worn by opera singers. However, this robe was made of luxurious material, fitting him perfectly and making him appear incredibly noble, clearly meticulously tailored by a skilled craftsman. An ancient-looking longsword hung at his waist, adding a touch of sharpness to his noble bearing.
Upon seeing him arrive, the city lord of Jinling City turned extremely pale and questioned him.
"Hongyu, did you appoint the special envoy to the energy crystal mine?"
The three men showed no intention of bowing to the city lord of Jinling.
"Hmph, if we hadn't sent a special envoy to invite him, I'm afraid the city lord might not have returned to Jinling City so quickly, right?"
Upon hearing this, the city lord of Jinling City looked even more displeased.
"Could it be that Jinling City has been attacked? Or is there a new development in the battle at Qiongfeng Pass?"
Promote the spirit of flicking one's sleeves.
"What? You can't send a special envoy if there's no war going on? Isn't it a huge deal that the city lord of Jinling abandoned his post and left behind thousands of people in the city?"
"you......"
The city lord of Jinling City pointed at Hongyu with trembling fingers for a long time before finally uttering a single sentence.
"You're absolutely ridiculous!"
"Who's making a scene? I ask you, what have you been doing for the past day and night? How could you, a city lord, not know how critical the battle at Qiongfeng Pass is? If you don't have a reasonable explanation, the elders' council will surely remove you from your position as city lord today!"
"I went to the energy crystal mine to obtain energy crystals, of course. Do I have to report this to the elders?"
Hongyu burst into laughter.
"That's utter nonsense! Even if you had 80 guards, let alone 8, how many energy crystals could you possibly obtain? Jinling City is on the verge of collapse, yet you're still making excuses for your dereliction of duty. Do you think we three elders of the council are all blind?"
Seeing that the city lord remained silent, Hongyu spoke again.
"I thought you knew what was important when faced with matters of principle. Now that the Skeleton Legion is approaching Qiongfeng Pass, instead of thinking about how to mobilize troops and raise supplies, you, the city lord of Jinling, are taking a mere eight personal guards to fight for some kind of energy crystal?"
"What? Do you intend to abandon the city and flee, planning to collect a few energy crystal fragments as travel expenses?"
"If you can't give a reasonable explanation today, your position as city lord is over!"
The city lord of Jinling City was so angry that he laughed instead.
"Hahaha!"
"Abandon the city and flee?"
The city lord of Jinling City took out a blue cloth bag from his bosom, pulled the red rope on it, and a large handful of energy crystal fragments were revealed. The soft white light made Hongyu's head spin a little.
"Energy crystal fragments?"
"Why are there so many?"
Hongyu suddenly realized that he had lost his composure, straightened up, and pointed at the city lord of Jinling City with one finger.
"How dare you steal the energy crystals stored in Jinling City and even tried to escape! If I hadn't sent a special envoy to bring you back, these energy crystals would probably still be in your pocket!"
"Where is the enforcement team? Seize this heinous traitor from Nanjing!"
As soon as Hongyu finished speaking, dozens of law enforcement soldiers rushed in, their swords and spears aimed at the city lord of Jinling. Eight personal guards had already risen to their feet and positioned themselves around the city lord and Jiang Hao as the law enforcement team stormed in.
"The law enforcement team is making arrests. Anyone who dares to resist will be killed without mercy!"
Hongyu jumped up and down and shouted loudly.
Just as the enforcement team and the eight guards were about to clash, the city lord of Jinling City burst into laughter again.
"Stealing from the Nanjing city's inventory?"
"As the elders who manage the allocation of energy crystals, I, the city lord, would like to ask: how much energy crystal inventory does Jinling City have left? Don't the three of you know the answer?"
Upon hearing this, the commander of the royal guards in yellow armor and the elderly man in blue mage robes both turned their faces away, not daring to look the city lord in the eye.
Upon seeing their reactions, Hongyu's sneer deepened.
"The amount of inventory is none of the Lord's business. If I, this elder, say you stole it, then you stole it!"
Jiang Hao: WTF!
How shameless!
No one's installing anymore?
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