Chapter 149: Westram's Dark Cloud
Master Parker Chapman Odysseus, holding a blue and white enamel... well, it's called enamel here, a blue and white enamel teacup, sat upright with a smile on his face.
Master Parker's friend, Master Gray, who also came from a good family, was sitting on Master Parker's left, wearing the same smile and holding the same enamel teacup.
The family knight of the Odysseus family, with his hand on the sword at his waist, sat on the right side of Master Parker with a stern face.
The three of them had been "resting" in the town hall for more than an hour. Regardless of whether they were used to it or not, at least they were not so surprised by the undead who would appear unexpectedly - being startled all the time was very stressful, and they really couldn't be startled enough; and now, there were a few rude undead standing in the courtyard, pointing at them through the window of the reception room.
Master Parker and his good friend Gray both focused their attention on a man sitting in the chair in front of them.
This man looked older than Master Parker, with a slightly plump figure and dark skin, but not rough, at least not like an inferior person who had been doing outdoor work for a long time.
However, it is hard to believe how noble this person's identity is... From the moment he entered the door, he had a fawning smile on his face that was not presentable.
The weird thing is, this man's facial features and eyes are very similar to Master Parker's... If you cover the lower half of his face, this man's eyes are exactly the same as Master Parker's.
Especially the hair - this person also has the signature light golden curls of the Odysseus family, but not as long as Master Parker's, but as short as a manual worker.
"Parker? Don't you recognize me? I'm Dart. We just met half a year ago on my uncle's birthday." In the awkward silence, the man who called himself Dart Odysseus could no longer sit still and eagerly revealed his identity. "My father asked me to bring a batch of high-quality lizard horses produced in the manor as gifts. You also picked one. Do you remember?"
Master Parker, with a stiff smile on his face, once again looked the man in front of him from head to toe, then slowly turned his head and looked at his friend Gray.
In Gray's eyes, Master Parker saw confusion and alertness... just as he felt at the moment.
"You are Gray from the McCarthy family, right? Gray Medi McCarthy. Your middle name comes from your godmother." Dart Odysseus tried hard to recall. "Last year... No, the year before last, you came to our horse ranch to play. Your riding clothes got damaged. I remember it scratched the newly repaired fence. Is that right?"
Gray let out an "ah" and the confusion and vigilance on his face turned into disbelief.
"Are you really Dart?" Master Parker said in horror.
"Of course it's me!" Dart Odysseus was heartbroken. "Didn't I ask Lord Rex to send back my family crest and glasses? Who else could it be except me?"
Master Parker & Master Grey: "... (° △° (° △° )"
"How did you manage to lose so much weight?" Master Parker was amazed.
Dart was so fat before that he couldn't even sit on a regular double sofa.
Not to mention moving freely, it’s tiring to sit for a long time and I need someone to support me wherever I go.
The man in front of him not only walked into the reception room by himself, but also pulled a single high-back chair and sat down... It would be strange if Master Parker could connect this man to that useless fat guy Bretton!
As soon as Master Parker finished speaking, Dart Odysseus burst into tears...
Dart Odis, who had been eating boiled potatoes in salt water for almost two months and could no longer bear the harsh diet, had to work hard to earn extra meals. He cried like a child: "Don't mention it... Bring the money, redeem me quickly."
Master Parker: "..."
He was sure that the man in front of him was indeed their good-for-nothing cousin.
Rex, who had been watching the family reunion drama, stepped forward at the right time and showed the bill.
That’s right… Kanade is the bill.
Count Odysseus's nephew Dart Odysseus went out of town to look for prostitutes and ended up being kidnapped. The Odysseus family would not admit it for the sake of face. Rex, the "criminal"... no, the accomplice, would certainly not admit it either.
Therefore, there would never be any ransom exchange between them. What Master Parker needed to pay was the living expenses owed by Dart Odysseus for the three months he "borrowed" to live in Westham after his belongings were lost (all robbed).
Master Parker paid the money readily and was about to leave.
"etc!"
"Wait a minute Parker!"
The first one came from Rex, and the second one came from Dart.
Master Parker remained polite and nodded slightly to Rex: "Lord Rex, I need to bring my cousin back as soon as possible. My aunt has not seen her son for more than three months."
When he looked at Dart again, Master Parker's eyes widened slightly - you idiot, you shouldn't have done such a stupid thing as delaying my departure even if you looked out the window for a second longer!
Dart was completely unaware of the pressure the frequent activities of the undead in the yard brought to his cousin, and said to himself: "Don't be in a hurry to leave, Parker. Although this place makes me sad, there are still some good things worth taking back."
Parker took a deep breath.
"Indeed." Rex smiled and tried to persuade him. "As Mr. Dart said, Westham does have some specialties worth purchasing. Mr. Parker and Mr. Gray, you have come from afar. It would be a pity if you return empty-handed."
Parker could only choose to maintain his dignity, smiling and nodding reservedly...
He would never show even a little fear in front of this bastard! Never!
Rex knew very well that this young man would definitely bring enough extra gold coins when he went out, so he immediately and enthusiastically led this group of wealthy customers (after Dart paid the ransom... uh, owed debts, they were automatically classified into the customer list) to see the goods.
It is not practical to sell curtain fabrics to the young master of an earl's family. These nobles are so particular about clothing that it has reached an abnormal level. Most of them have their own farms for raising silkworms and growing cotton, their own weavers, and their own embroiderers and tailors. Their outfits from top to and from inside to outside are all "custom-made", and they refuse to wear any "same style" circulating on the market.
Among Westram's consumer products , the only thing that could make Master Parker pay for it was spices.
Among the family members of the operators, those who were better at cooking were invited to come over and performed Lao Gan Ma fried potato chips and tart bread slices for Master Parker on the spot...
Lao Gan Ma chili sauce, which had not been able to find a market due to its high unit price, sold out half a container in one go.
Rex, who collected the money, smiled so hard that his teeth were exposed and his eyes were not. He quickly asked someone to bring out the hot pot base samples...
Given the local people's economic conditions, Lao Gan Ma is difficult to sell, so hot pot base must be even less marketable. The batch of hot pot base that Yang Qiu bought from the supermarket early in the morning was about to expire and had been left in the cold storage of the canteen of the Chamber of Commerce in Liufang Town.
Master Parker took out a sample of expired (……) hot pot base, and ordered two stir-fries and two stews. He readily paid for it - this easy-to-carry compound spice that can be cut into pieces and thrown into the pot is really convenient for people who are away from home!
While Master Parker was temporarily immersed in the pleasure of shopping, a villager carrying a load on his shoulder mixed in with the crowd of vegetable vendors and slowly entered the bustling Martin Street Market.
This countryman was wearing a homespun linen pullover and brown cotton and linen trousers, which were commonly worn by local farmers. He also wore a straw hat woven from wheat straw and wooden shoes tied with straw ropes. In every way, he was no different from the farmers and vendors in the market.
After finding a quiet spot that seemed to be left over by others and setting up his stall, the villager suddenly slipped into the alley.
The moment this man entered the alley, another man, also dressed as a villager, came out of the alley and squatted behind the vegetable stall as if nothing had happened.
The original "villager" who entered the alley did not look back at all, but went straight into the depths of the alley. He stopped in front of an inconspicuous house, looked around to see that there was no one, and quickly pushed open the half-open door and entered.
Inside the house, several spies who had sneaked into Westham Town for many days seemed to have been waiting for this person. They all stood up and saluted respectfully: "Captain."
The "villager" raised his hand and pressed it, took off his straw hat and hung it casually on the coat rack behind the door.
The man who entered the town disguised as a villager... turned out to be Walton, the leader of the Knights of the Blazing Sun Church!
Walton pulled up a chair and sat down, looking seriously at the elite scouts who had been carrying out the mission for many days: "How is it, how much do you know?"
"Captain, as you predicted before, the situation here is indeed quite serious." A short, plain-looking middle-aged man said solemnly, "A large number of young people in Westerham have returned home . At least 40% to 50% of the young men and women who originally worked in Innadri have returned to Westerham."
"What's worse is that these young people who returned home originally had very different occupations." Another female scout who looked like an ordinary housewife said with a heavy expression, "There are waiters who used to work in mid-range restaurants, laundry workers in hotels, apprentices in workshops, and even workers in large factories."
Walton 's breathing suddenly became a little heavier...
He had expected the situation to be serious, but he never thought it would be this serious - the disaster was contagious! The more people the related person came into contact with, the more terrible the impact and harm would be!
"Have you tried to contact these returning young people?" Walton asked in a deep voice.
The female scout nodded and said, "I have come into contact with several of them. They have similar characteristics to the original city defense soldiers. On the surface, they seem to be conscious and clear-minded, and do not seem to have any signs of being polluted. However, when I asked them indirectly whether they would leave Westram again to seek jobs in Innadri... they all claimed that there were better job opportunities in Westram, so there was no need to go far away."
After a pause, the female scout said with a more serious expression, "When we further asked Westram if there was any job that was better than Innadri, these people were vague and could not come up with any credible explanations. They just stubbornly believed that Lord Rex would prepare job opportunities for them that were better than Innadri."
The plain-looking male scout added, "But according to our investigation, there are not so many jobs in Westram. So far, only the town's main road, which is undergoing a comprehensive renovation, needs temporary workers, but the salary there is only 30 copper coins per day, and once the renovation is completed, they will stop recruiting."
Walton couldn't help shaking his head.
It doesn't make sense that a monthly income of less than nine silver coins, especially as an unstable temporary job, could make a worker with a stable monthly salary give up his original job.
Walton calmed down the throbbing nerves on his forehead and said solemnly, "What is the current situation of the soldiers from the original city defense army?"
"I was just about to report this to you." The female scout said in a cold sweat, not without fear, "Half of these soldiers... are missing."
"What?!"
"These people were originally working as temporary workers at the construction site on the main road in the town, but they disappeared three days ago." The female scout said with cold sweat, "I took the risk to contact those who could still be found... The surviving soldiers were not troubled by the disappearance of their companions at all. Instead... they showed envy for the current situation of the missing people."
Walton's breathing became heavy again...
