Merlin's ears twitched, as if he had just heard something. He suddenly turned around and quickly came to his side. He took the gold note from his hand in the blink of an eye, and smiled again: "Oh, of course, our two families are old friends. Come on, come on, my nephew will take you there right away!"
When the old nobles caught up, Merlin's mouth curled down slightly and he snorted in his heart: My dear nephew, I won't bother with you now for the sake of the gold note, but when the Leo family was down and out, what were you so-called family friends doing? You all stay away from me. Now that you have no money, why do you want to get involved with me? Don't be so funny.
Merlin, smiling widely, led this group of nobles who had just "contributed their part" to the New Arcane City, and headed towards where Alex was.
Along the way, Merlin chatted and laughed with the nobles, as if the money transaction just now had never happened and it was just an unspoken interaction of tacit understanding.
At this time, Alex was sitting behind his desk, facing a nobleman with a serious expression who came to handle the procedures and pay fines and rent.
The nobleman was a little bloated, with a flattering smile on his face. He glanced around from time to time. After confirming that no one was paying attention, he quickly took out an exquisite brocade box from his arms and gently placed it on Alex's desk. He smiled and whispered, "Lord Alex, you see that this new arcane capital is so prosperous. I am very happy in my heart! It's just a small gift for you. You work hard every day, just treat it as a supplement to your body."
As he spoke, he gently pushed the brocade box with his hand, revealing a warm and shiny jade bracelet inside, which was obviously worth a fortune.
Without even raising his eyelids, Electrolux spoke in a cold and hard voice: "Put away your things. The City Hall only follows the rules, not these nonsense."
Seeing that Alex was unmoved, the nobleman felt a little flustered, but he still did not give up. He took out a thick red envelope from his sleeve, handed it over with both hands, leaned forward, almost lying on the table, and said in a low voice: "Sir, please be flexible. Can I pay less fine and give me a discount on the rent? If possible, please give me a few more opportunities to choose good locations for this property in the future. I will definitely remember your kindness. I also heard that some lords will give us convenience when they are short of money. You see..."
Ilex slammed the table, stood up, and glared at him: "What do you think this is the City Hall? Don't talk nonsense here and ruin the atmosphere of our Arcane City!"
Just when the atmosphere was tense, Merlin walked in with the group of nobles.
When the noble saw this, a trace of panic flashed in his eyes, and he tried frantically to hide the red envelope and brocade box.
Alex caught a glimpse of Merlin from the corner of his eye, and his face became increasingly gloomy. He pointed at the noble who tried to bribe him and said loudly, "I'm going to make this clear today. No matter who it is, don't think you can get away with these crooked means here. The City Hall of the Arcane City will be the most honest place in the future, and all bribery will be eliminated. If you dare to do this again, don't blame me for being impartial. I'll kick you out, and don't even think about doing anything here in the future!"
After Alex righteously said that he refused to accept bribes, he secretly thought that President Merlin would surely praise him greatly when he saw how upright he was, and he might even praise him in public. This would make him even more prestigious in this new arcane capital.
Thinking of this, he straightened his back unconsciously and looked firmly in the direction where Merlin was coming.
However, after hearing what Alex said, Merlin's face suddenly became extremely gloomy. Without stopping, he rushed forward and kicked Alex, who was still in admiration, off the main seat.
Electrolux was completely stunned, and his body rolled uncontrollably on the ground twice. When he managed to steady himself, he looked up at Merlin, his eyes full of astonishment and confusion. The familiar feeling of being kicked came again, and he couldn't figure out what was wrong with his boss.
Merlin pointed his finger at him viciously and shouted, "Elex, I appointed you as the mayor of the New Arcane City, and this is how you do your job?"
Electrolux got up from the ground, brushed off the dust on his body, still confused. He had no idea what was going on. He had just refused the bribe and maintained the integrity of the city hall, so why was he beaten and scolded like this? "Boss, I...this?" He stammered, feeling aggrieved.
The group of nobles who followed Merlin were so frightened by how ruthlessly Merlin attacked Alex that they were silent, yet they could not help but whisper to each other, their eyes full of fear, fearing that they would be the next to suffer.
Merlin snorted angrily upon seeing this, turned around, walked quickly to the table, stretched out his hand and slammed the brocade box and red envelope on the table.
The noble who had given the gift was already feeling guilty and was just about to quietly take the gift back, but when he saw Merlin's action, he suddenly felt hopeless and his face turned as pale as paper.
But then, something unexpected happened. Merlin grabbed the red envelope in front of everyone and threw it at Alex, cursing, "Does the nobleman need your little money? Can't you just accept some local specialties from your hometown? Do you understand the etiquette of the world?"
As he spoke, Merlin opened the brocade box again. In an instant, a faint light flashed, and inside was an extremely rare magic core of a sixth-level magical beast. Everyone couldn't help but gasp, as this was a good thing that even high-level magicians coveted.
Electrolux was completely dumbfounded. With his mouth slightly open, he stared blankly at the red envelope in his arms, his heart in turmoil, full of confusion: Is the boss asking him to accept a bribe? Blatantly violating the principles you just upheld?
"You are very good and very considerate. Alex is still young and does not understand things. Don't take it to heart." Merlin changed his expression instantly and said with a smile to the noble who gave him the gift.
The noble dared not say a word and could only nod submissively.
Electrolux rolled his eyes and thought to himself: I am much older than Merlin, why am I pretending to be so ignorant?
"What are you still doing lying on the ground? Hurry up and do something for this boss!" Merlin shouted again, making everyone's ears buzz.
Electrolux didn't dare to delay, he crawled to his feet and quickly sat back in the chair.
Merlin strode to the side, pointed at the map on the wall, and roared again: "If you take the money, you should do your job well. Don't you see that there are many people waiting behind you!?"
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