After a night of discussion, Hubble and his three companions decided to test Wu Lai's background first. After all, the visitors from Lunvington City only brought a message for everyone to cause trouble for Wu Lai and embarrass him, but they didn't tell them to beat Wu Lai to death. Since that was the case, there was no need to rush.

Shortly after dawn, Hubble and his four companions walked into the official residence together.

As soon as he entered the door, he saw Wu Lai sitting in the yard with a big sword in his hand. When he saw the four people coming in, his face had no expression and he didn't say a word.

The four of them were startled and suddenly became a little nervous.

After being stunned for a moment, Baker forced a smile and said, "Mr. Wu Lai, good morning. You are really diligent to get up so early."

Wu Lai nodded, slowly raised the bronze sword in his hand, and asked, "Everyone, do you recognize this sword?"

The four of them took a closer look and thought that the shape of this bronze sword was very ordinary, and there was no pattern or engraving, and no special decoration. How could anyone tell it apart? "Don't you know it? Henry, you don't know it either?" Wu Lai's eyes fell on Henry.

Henry's heart trembled. For some reason, he always felt that Wu Lai's gaze was terrifying. It was clearly without any emotion, but it was like a sharp blade, piercing your heart.

"Lord Wu Lai, I really can't recognize him." After Henry calmed down, he shook his head firmly. He had discussed with everyone last night that he would be neither lukewarm nor cold to the new lord, neither refuting him nor catering to him.

"How dare you say such a thing?!" Wu Lai's voice suddenly exploded, and the people in the yard were immediately startled. Guru, who had just walked into the yard, was no exception. He couldn't help rolling his eyes and thought to himself, Wu Lai, can you not be so startled? "Keng", the bronze sword drew an arc and fell heavily at Henry's feet.

"I took this sword from the evidence cabinet of you, the tribune." Wu Lai said word by word.

"Lord Wu Lai, I remember now that this sword is the murder weapon used to murder the previous consul." Henry said hurriedly. This was the only thing in his evidence cabinet. After Wu Lai said this, how could he not know what was going on?

"Well, you're not that stupid after all." Wu Lai smiled coldly and asked, "Who is the murderer? Has he been caught?"

Henry was shocked and shook his head quickly.

"What do you mean by shaking your head? Don't you know who the murderer is? No place to catch him? Or, you are unwilling to catch the murderer?" Wu Lai's continuous words made Henry panic and confused. He originally thought that even if Wu Lai wanted to make things difficult for him today, he would start with the ordnance and soldier training. Unexpectedly, Wu Lai actually asked about catching the murderer right from the start.

"This..." Henry didn't know what to say. He had no idea how much this bronze sword was related to the murder case, but he knew that the cause of death of the previous consul was definitely not a burglary - that's what was written in the report to Lovington.

Wu Lai snorted coldly and glanced at everyone in the courtyard: "Everyone, I slept in fear last night. I was really worried that I would be like my predecessor and be stabbed by a petty thief who sneaked in to steal property. After thinking about it all night, I feel that a dignified consul was stabbed to death in his own jurisdiction. It can only mean one thing, that is, the tribune did not fulfill his responsibilities!"

Henry was shocked, and the other three looked at each other, wondering if Wuleglindo was going to take action now?

"However, I am not here to hold you accountable today." Wu Lai's eyes fell on Henry's face, and he suddenly changed the subject, and his tone softened abruptly. "I, Wu Lai Grindo, have come to Salt Marsh Town to work with you all. To be fair, I hope to get along well with you all. Of course, this is just a wish of mine. Whether it can be realized in the end depends on you all. However, I will not compromise or forget my responsibilities and original intentions just because of this wish."

"Everyone, I, Wulai Grindo, have set two tasks for myself and everyone in this executive mansion that must be accomplished at present." Wulai's eyes swept over everyone one by one, "First, clean up Salt Marsh Town, and second, arrest the murderer, because only a peaceful Salt Marsh Town is qualified to grow and develop."

Wu Lai looked at Henry again. "Tribute Henry, you have to be busy during this period. I took a look around yesterday. There are scoundrels and thieves everywhere in the town. Two merchants from other city-states even lost their money bags. The land in Salt Marsh Town is barren and the supplies are scarce. Even the food can't be self-sufficient. If these troublemakers are allowed to run rampant, will the merchants who sell food and cloth to Salt Marsh Town dare to come? So, I give you three days to catch all these guys. Remember, only use slight violence. Don't kill or maim them. Can you do it?"

Henry hesitated for a moment, nodded and cursed the three guys beside him, thinking, why are you just watching and not saying anything? "Henry, go and do your work." Wu Lai waved his hand, his eyes paused on Baker's face for a moment, then turned around and nodded to Guru.

"Treasurer Baker, please move over," Gulu said with a smile, "and accept the payment."

"Okay." Baker narrowed his eyes and smiled, nodded at Wu Lai, and without saying much, he ran straight to Guru.

Henry left helplessly, Baker went to count the money happily, and the remaining Hubble and Tours looked at each other and frowned slightly.

This routine is not right - the two of them thought so at the same time, but they couldn't figure out what was wrong for a while.

Just as he was thinking, Wu Lai stood up and walked in front of the two men. He suddenly smiled and said to Turles, "Turles, salt production is the lifeblood of Yanmarsh Town. You see, there are large areas of saline-alkali land and rocky mountains around this town, and it can't grow decent crops. If the salt production is low, the townspeople will have a hard time. We are not here to make everyone hungry and cold. You, the salt official, have to put in more effort."

Turles was stunned, thinking, are you teaching me a lesson? But just as this thought came to his mind, Wu Lai's next words made him change his mind: "I don't understand the salt production, and I don't want to ask too much. From now on, I will rely on you for all matters in this regard. But I want to go to the salt field tomorrow, so please lead the way."

Hearing Wu Lai's polite words, Turles felt it was difficult to refuse. He thought that it must be his cousin Job who had an effect, and nodded in response: "That's no problem."

"It's a deal then." Woolley smiled and turned to Hubble.

Hubble subconsciously held his breath and waited.

Unexpectedly, Wu Lai showed a surprised expression: "Hubble, what do you mean by sticking out your chest and sucking in your stomach? Are you on guard against me?"

Hubble was stunned and confused. He thought to himself, this change is too fast. He was chatting happily with Tours just a moment ago?

"Enough, stop standing here and getting in the way. Just go about your business." Wu Lai glanced at Hubble with an impatient look on his face, then turned and waved at Lauren, who was sweeping the floor in the side corridor and glancing over at him.

"Go, call all the followers and servants here to gather in the yard. When they are gathered, call me. I want to give them a lecture." Wu Lai gave the order as he walked into the building.

"Okay, Master Wu Lai." Lauren nodded quickly.

Hubble was scolded by Wu Lai for no reason. He was a little embarrassed. He wanted to get angry, but he felt it was inappropriate. If he didn't show some attitude, he was afraid that Wu Lai would get worse. He was struggling with it when Turles patted him on the shoulder and said in a low voice, "Don't take it to heart. It's no big deal."

Hubble forced a smile, but a hint of coldness flashed across his eyes.

Woolelindo, you humiliated me, and sooner or later I will repay you for what you have humiliated me.

At the same time, in a room of the official residence, the guru was sitting with a smile on his face. At his feet were eight open sheepskin bags with their mouths open, revealing gold coins shining with golden light.

Baker was sitting on another chair, facing Guru, but he was not as calm as Guru. With his personality, he was greedy for money and loved money like his life. He felt uneasy when he was near money and would not feel happy until he grabbed a handful. It happened that he had been here for a while and Guru did not ask him to start counting, which made this "money-obsessed" person feel like he was being scratched by a cat.

Guru saw that it was almost done, so he spoke slowly: "Treasurer Baker, Governor Wu Lei said something that I personally think makes a lot of sense. He said that people become officials only for money. Treasurer Baker, what do you think of this statement?"

Traveling thousands of miles to be an official just for money? Yes, that's right. If it weren't for money, who would want to come to this remote place to suffer? Baker thought about this and suddenly tasted a hint of something.

"I think that makes sense," Baker replied quickly.

“That’s good. By the way, can you control your mouth and not talk nonsense?” Guru asked with a smile.

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"Of course, I'm the most tight-lipped person." Baker was delighted. Under the current circumstances, he was afraid that Wu Lai wanted to bring him into his own group. Although making friends with Wu Lai was obviously against the wishes of the masters in the city of Lunvington, Wu Lai's Greendo was no small figure. In the past few years, he had made a lot of money by coming up with new things every now and then. Even the agents of his goods made a lot of money. If he could get his support, it would definitely be much more beneficial than being a financial officer.

Guru nodded and said, "That's good. Let's be frank. Governor Wu Lai wants to do something big in Salt Marsh Town. To do big things, you have to spend more money. This time, it was not easy to get these 8,500 gold coins from Chief Connor. If you want to get more, you have to find an excuse to spend the money. Governor Wu Lai thinks this..."

Baker nodded repeatedly while listening, sometimes showing joy, sometimes frowning...

…

Lauren quickly gathered the people. Turles was worried about Woolley's visit to the salt field tomorrow, and worried that something might go wrong, so he left the residence to find his confidant. Hubble was in a dilemma because of Woolley. He wanted to leave but was afraid that Woolley would find fault with him. If he didn't leave, he would feel uncomfortable standing there. So he simply slipped back to his office, left the door ajar and closed his eyes to rest.

When more than twenty or thirty attendants, servants, and cooks in the mansion were standing in the yard, Lauren respectfully invited Wu Lai to leave.

Seeing that the formation in the yard was neat and tidy, and that they greeted him in unison when he came over, Wu Lai nodded with satisfaction and praised Lauren: "Not bad for coming back from the legion."

Lauren said she didn't dare, Wu Lai smiled, walked to the steps and stood still, looking at everyone, and raised his voice: "You all came today, what happened yesterday?"

No one dared to say a word. The day before yesterday, the officer in charge of security hastily gave everyone a holiday, saying that everyone should rest for a few days. Last night, he hurriedly sent someone to inform everyone that they must get it today. This release and withdrawal were obviously related to the young consul in front of them, but no one dared to say these things out loud.

"Don't want to talk? I won't ask." Wu Lai said, "I arrived yesterday and had some free time at night, so I read some records related to the official residence. I won't talk about the distant past. The year before last, bandits attacked the official residence twice, and an attendant and a servant were killed. Last year, bandits attacked the official residence three times, and two servants and a cook were killed. At the beginning of this year, the consul was assassinated, and two attendants died with him. Did you hear anything?"

Everyone still didn't dare to say anything, because no one was sure what the new consul meant.

"It doesn't matter if you didn't hear it. Let me tell you, every time bandits attack the mansion, someone dies, either an attendant, a servant, or a cook. Moreover, bandits come every year, which is very strange." Wu Lai narrowed his eyes, his expression becoming more solemn. "So, I feel I have an obligation to remind you that it's not easy to make a living in the mansion. If you're not careful, you may even lose your life."

None of the attendants thought that Wu Lai was exaggerating, because what he had just said was true.

"Who wants to die in the next bandit attack? Raise your hand and show me," Wu Lai said.

Everyone subconsciously thought that Wu Lai was joking, but when they were about to laugh, they found that Wu Lai's expression was still frighteningly serious.

"Okay, since no one wants to die, then you must remember that in Salt Marsh Town, I have the final say. Listen to me and follow me. I will guarantee your safety. Otherwise, the next time the bandits come, I will throw you out first." Wu Lai said coldly, and turned around...

That night, the moonlight was cold and clear. Wu Lai sat by the window looking at the moon, accompanied by Guru.

"Wu Lai, you said on the way that there is a custom in a certain place that a new official should make three big changes when he takes office. I see that you have been making big changes these two days." Guru said with a smile.

"I did such a thing?" Wu Lai asked with a smile.

Guru smiled bitterly and shook his head: "It's useless to deny. According to your usual saying, you hit people in the face as soon as you came, and you also cut several big holes in their little balls. Tell me, what do you want to do?"

"Of course it's for the benefit of Salt Marsh Town. Oh, and for our benefit as well." Wu Lai pointed in the direction of the salt pond with a smile. "Over there, there are astonishing reserves of saltpeter. I want to mine it."

"What use is that thing?" Guru asked curiously.

"I'll let you know later. There's no rush now. What we should do now is to deal with these guys and clean up and green the Salt Marsh Town." Wu Lai said.

"Greening?" Guru widened his eyes and wondered what kind of trick this was.