Although Qi Yuan scolded him as soon as he came, Wu Lai was not afraid. Not only did the smile on his face not diminish, but it even grew a little bit: "Your Excellency Chief Qi Yuan, I don't understand what you mean at all."

"Hmph!" Qi Yuan snorted again, and after sitting down, he pointed his finger at Wu Lai, "Wu Lai Gelindo, those tricks of yours may have been used to deceive others, but do you think they can deceive me? Come on, take down Wu Lai Gelindo!"

"Yes!" The two burly guards who followed Qi Yuan in immediately responded loudly, spread their arms, and surrounded him.

"Wait a minute!" Wu Lai took a step back, still smiling, and said, "Sir Qi Yuan, even if you are dissatisfied with me, don't rush to arrest me. This is your territory. It's up to you to decide how to deal with me, Wu Lai Gelin."

"Stop!" Qi Yuan's eyes flashed with surprise, and he immediately stopped the two guards. He glanced at Wu Lai again and said, "Okay, Wu Lai Grindo, I'll ask you a few questions first. If you dare to hide anything from me, I'll kill you."

You are really a mountain king in a tiger skin. Wu Lai thought to himself, then slowly walked to the opposite side of Qi Yuan and sat down, explaining: "I'm sorry, I've been walking all day today, I'm tired, I need to sit for a while."

Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes and said, "Wulinglindo, you came back the night before last?"

Woolley nodded.

"Did you go to Monte Mansion early yesterday morning?" Qi Yuan asked again.

Wu Lai nodded again. It was not surprising that Qi Yuan knew his whereabouts. As the chief of the Senate, it would be strange if there were not many of his own people at the city gate to inquire and report.

"Why do we have to go to Monte Mansion?" Qi Yuan frowned.

"Qiyuan's men should know that Rinimont was my mentor. It's understandable that I, as his student, failed to attend the funeral in time after my mentor passed away, but it's not right for me to return to Assyria and not visit his relatives." Wu Lai replied.

"But, others didn't even let you in." Qi Yuan smiled coldly, his eyes full of disdain.

"That's because the current head of the Monte family is short-sighted." Wu Lai said casually.

"No!" Qi Yuan shook his head and said, "That's because the Monte family has become a vassal of the Duncan family, and you are recognized as a follower of Connor."

Wu Lai was startled and suddenly felt sad, he didn't expect that before Reeny's body was cold, the successor of the Monte family sold the entire family's fortune at a low price. Over the years, although Qiyuan Duncan was very powerful and popular, he didn't dare to show any intention of recruiting Reeny, because everyone knew that Reeny never did anything for personal gain.

"Let me ask you again." Qi Yuan glanced at Wu Lai and said, "Yesterday at noon, did you go to Connor's mansion?"

"Yes." Wu Lai nodded. There was nothing to deny.

"Today, you also went to the temple and the Supreme Conference headquarters?" Qi Yuan's brows suddenly frowned, and the scrutiny in his eyes became more intense.

"Yes, I adopted a son and enrolled him in the Grindo family. Naturally, I needed to go to the temple to handle it, and go to the Supreme Council's residence to submit an application." Wu Lai replied. To be honest, he really didn't believe that Qi Yuan didn't know what he was doing in these two places.

"Application? What's the content?" Qi Yuan's expression eased slightly.

"Of course..." Wu Lai paused, glanced at the two guards, and said nothing more.

Qi Yuan knew what he meant, so he waved his hand and the two guards immediately bowed and stepped back.

This kind of conversation attitude is interesting. Wu Lai was happy, and after watching the two guards leave, he said, "Apply to upgrade Salt Marsh Town and change it from a town to a city."

"Hmph! Changing a town into a city?! Wuleglindo! What are your intentions?!" Qi Yuan slammed the armrest of the chair and asked loudly.

"Chief Qiyuan, I do this for your own good." Wu Lai replied with a smile.

"For my own good?! Humph, why do I feel like you want Saltmarsh Town to be separated from me?!" Qi Yuan asked. If Saltmarsh Town was really upgraded to a city, then it would be separated from Lunvington in terms of its structure, and Wu Lai, the town governor, would also be upgraded to the city-state governor. From then on, only the Supreme Council would be able to hold him accountable and remove him from office. If he wanted to control Wu Lai again, it would really depend on whether this kid would cooperate or not.

"Chief Qiyuan, if you say that, there is a huge misunderstanding here." Wu Lai smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, "The Duncan family has controlled the salt industry for so long, and everyone has seen it. Otherwise, Chief Connor of the Supreme Council would not have allowed me to go to Salt Marsh Town. Suppressing salt prices and increasing salt production are the tasks assigned to me by Chief Connor. Chief Qiyuan, you should know that I have only done half of it."

Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes and nodded slightly, because Wu Lai did not interfere in the production of the salt field, and it was not wrong for him to say that he only did half of it.

"It was my initiative to propose upgrading Saltmarsh Town. If this is accomplished, it will not only dispel the wariness of the Supreme Council, but also give the Duncan family an extra city. What the town cannot do, the city can do. Think about it, the city needs garrisons, and we can use this as a pretext to recruit troops and strengthen our strength in the Lunvington area. Only by doing this can the Duncan family be called 'impregnable' in Lunvington." Wu Lai said.

Qi Yuan's heart moved, and his brows furrowed again: "Wu Lai, let's talk about the upgrade later. Let me ask you, why did you instigate the Supreme Council to form a civilian assembly?"

"Respected Chief Qiyuan, with your wisdom, can you still not see that this is a trap we set for Connor?" Wu Lai laughed. "Don't test me. I'll tell you the truth. Niels and I discussed the matter of the Civilian Assembly. Connor took the lead, and the civilians were pleased, but what about the citizens? In the end, all the benefits will belong to you, Chief Qiyuan."

Although Wu Lai said this, he didn't really think so. He did consult Nils about the Civilian Assembly, but it was not out of respect, but to lay a foreshadowing for today. In case Qi Yuan did something complicated, he at least had someone to take the blame.

As for the pros and cons of the Common People's Assembly, from the current perspective, it is really the situation Woolley said - Connor pleases the common people but offends the citizens, but the degree of flattery is far greater than the degree of offense. Connor himself is a member of the great nobles, with great power and many followers, so even if he offends some citizens, it will not be a big deal.

Of course, Qi Yuan also saw what Connor meant by forming the Civilian Assembly, and knew that the expected benefits would not be as great as expected. However, if he made some more noise to add fuel to the flames, that would be another matter. Therefore, the Senate agreed to sign and seal the announcement of the Supreme Conference.

"You are quite good at talking. You keep saying that you are thinking about the Duncan family, but you are busy amassing wealth and power in private." Qi Yuan smiled coldly and said, "Wuliglindo, your loyalty to the Duncan family cannot be represented by one or two drawings, nor can it be proved by paying a few gold coins every year. I can believe that your heart is with the Duncan family."

Qi Yuan has made it clear what he has said - you, Wuleglindo, need to show more sincerity.

"Wu Lai, please follow Chief Qi Yuan's instructions. As long as it is within my ability, I will do it." Wu Lai had expected Qi Yuan to say this, so he naturally made his attitude clear immediately.

"Are you on vacation or on business this time?" Qi Yuan asked.

"On vacation, I guess I'll have to stay in Assyrian City for about half a month." Wu Lai replied.

Qi Yuan nodded and said, "Then I'll come back to you in a few days."

"I'm always at your service." Wu Lai said with a smile.

"Since you are here, you can stay here tonight. Food, drinks and entertainment have been arranged. Just take it as an opportunity to get to know everyone. Someone will come to take you around in a while." After Qi Yuan said this, he stood up and left. Wu Lai waited for a long time, and a housekeeper came and took him through the corridors, up and down the stairs, and through twists and turns for a long time before they arrived at an underground hall.

The banquet had already been set, but Wu Lai knew that if his conversation with Qi Yuan had not gone as he wished, he would not have come here, because this was obviously one of the private places in Duncan's mansion, although on the surface it was just a restaurant.

The entrance of the gate was inlaid with the image of the gatedog of the underworld. After walking through the door, Wu Lai saw three wooden couches arranged in a horseshoe shape, half surrounding a marble round table. The couches were very large, each of which could accommodate three to four people, and there was an ivory backrest at one end of the couch.

This is a banquet custom that has recently become popular among Assyrian high-ranking nobles - when dining, they should lie on the couch, rest their left elbow on the cushion, and take food from the table with their right hand, because everyone thinks that only in this way can they show their nobility and elegance.

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There were people sitting on each couch, a total of two men and six girls. Judging from their sitting posture and distribution, these six girls, whose clothes were so thin that they could be seen as revealing, were to be the hostess for tonight's banquet, while the couch where only two girls were sitting and waiting was prepared for Wu Lai.

Seeing Wu Lai coming in, the man in front of him waved at Wu Lai with a smile: "Wu Lai, you are finally here."

Wu Lai smiled slightly, bowed slightly as a greeting, and said, "It turns out to be Lieutenant General Hodge."

The person who could be called Lieutenant General Hodge by Wu Lai was naturally Hodge Duncan of the First Legion’s Lunvington garrison. However, Wu Lai did not expect that Qi Yuan would arrange for Hodge to entertain him.

"To be honest, I arrived in Assyria only two days earlier than you, and I have to go back to Lovington the day after tomorrow." Hodge stood up with a smile and pointed at the man who was entertaining the maid on another couch. "Wooleglindore, let me introduce you. This is Bilis from the Monte family. His father, Jair, is the current head of the Monte family."

"Nice to meet you." Wu Lai smiled faintly at Bilis and nodded. Bilis looked to be only in his twenties and was quite handsome.

"Nice to meet you." Bilis waved his hand without even looking at Wu Lai, because although it was only the first time he met Wu Lai, he had heard a lot about Wu Lai's deeds. However, Bilis felt that Wu Lai was just a little clever and good at scheming, and the reason he was able to become a special attendee was because of Rini's strong recommendation. If it weren't for Rini's support, Wu Lai would at best have some spare money, and there was no way he could be in the limelight again and again.

It was normal for Bilis to feel jealous of Wu Lai. Lini was very strict with his juniors. Although Bilis was praised as a child prodigy by his father Jer, he was not in Lini's eyes. Even when he joined the army a few years ago, it was because Jer strongly recommended him to Lini, and many people in the family also spoke up for him. However, it was not all smooth sailing, because Lini dragged it out for more than half a year before agreeing to let him join the Fourth Legion, and he still let Bilis start from the grassroots level - as the captain of a team of 20 people.

Bilis didn't understand Rini's arrangement at all, because with Rini's prestige and connections, it would not be a problem to arrange a deputy general of staff for himself. In that case, he could interact more with senior officers in the legion and get to know more people who could help his future, instead of hanging out with twenty soldiers of civilian origin all day long.

In Bilis's mind, Lini was a person who didn't trust his own people but valued outsiders very much. This understanding made Bilis secretly hate Lini in his heart, and also hated Wu Lai and David. However, David had been expelled from the Monte family at this time, and as for Wu Lai...

Just wait and see, I will replace you soon, Bilis said to Wu Lai in his heart.

After Wu Lai finished his polite exchanges, he sat down and couldn't help thinking to himself that, logically, it would be most appropriate for Hodge to entertain him, as it would show the Duncan family's regard for him and maintain the proper distance between the two parties in terms of etiquette. After all, Wu Lai's current identity was a follower, and if the Duncan family arranged too attentively, it would inevitably be suspected of condescending.

But why did Bilis appear here? This was what Wu Lai was worried about. The Monte family's followers would undoubtedly be icing on the cake for the Duncan family, and it could also give Connor a slight blow. But the point was that even if Bilis could become the head of the Monte family in the future, he couldn't represent the Monte family now. Now he was having a feast with a man wearing a black flag badge. Could it be that Qiyuan Duncan was planning to make the secret that he was a core figure of Duncan public?

"Wu Lai, let's eat and talk at the same time." Hodge laughed and waved his hand. In just a moment, the round table was filled with cups and plates. Vegetables, olives, cheese, eagles, and wild boar tenderloin covered most of the table, and finally a roasted goat was even served.

"Try it. I bought the seasoning from you." Hodge smiled and made a gesture of invitation.

Wu Lai smiled and nodded. A young girl serving him quickly handed him a silver dagger, while another girl smiled charmingly at him and brought him a plate.

"Billis will soon take up his post as deputy salt officer in Lovington." Hodge paused and added, "Financial Officer Job is very busy with official duties and cannot handle it all by himself, so we will let Billis share the burden for him."

So they were planning to reduce their power. Wu Lai nodded.

"We will see each other more often in the future, and cooperation is inevitable. It's always a good thing for us to get to know each other first." Hodge glanced at Wu Lai, then at Bilis, "Don't be so reserved, this is Duncan's house."

"That's right." Bilis's eyes rolled and a smile suddenly covered his face. "Lieutenant General Hodge, it is my honor to drink with you. Oh, and Governor Wooleglind, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"My mood is the same as yours." Wu Lai replied to Bilis. He never liked to see faces that were not smiling from the inside, and the Bilis in front of him was undoubtedly one of them.

"Sir, please allow me to pour wine for you." A young girl servant asked Wu Lai.

"They were all civilians, and they were all virgins." Hodge grinned, stretched out his two bear arms, and hugged the two girls who were accompanying him tightly in his arms, "Tonight, they are yours. If you like, let them serve you better. It's no problem if you want to take them away."

"Deputy General Hodge, please allow me to toast you on behalf of my father." Bilis stood up with a smile...