Luke picked up the teacup, blew away the cool air and sipped the tea slowly, giving Agatha time to understand.

After Agatha knew that Mr. Luke was the meteorite, she mobilized all the forces of the Secret Service in the lower city to collect all the information related to Mr. Luke. Luke played an open card in the lower city, and even Jasmine deliberately let the insiders know Dale's identity, so Agatha easily got all the actions of Mr. Luke in the lower city.

It is hard to imagine that Meteorite took such a short time to complete the control of the lower city, and it was during the vacuum period when Princess Daier was attacked. You have to know that the attack on Princess Daier was a completely sudden incident. At another time, he would not have been able to complete such a big move without being noticed. Meteorite once again showed his ability to seize opportunities.

What's more terrifying is that his control over the lower city is such that there is no effective way to deal with it unless the Empire is determined to destroy the slum.

The small commodity production industrial park plan formulated by Meteorite for the Lower City District directly addresses the most basic livelihood of the residents in the Lower City District. The Empire is currently unable to come up with a comparable assistance plan.

The empire at war could not invest a large sum of money in the Lower City, and the noble officials did not care about the lives of the poor. In the entire empire, only the City of Raging Tide could use international trade to bring a steady stream of orders to the Lower City.

If the Empire forcibly blocks this investment, it will inevitably lead to a rampage in the lower city, which will then have to be suppressed.

The whole empire would then be in turmoil.

Therefore, the layout of meteorites in the lower city area is unsolvable.

Agatha, who was sure she couldn't do anything, said helplessly: "I saw the scale of your investment in the downtown area... I have to admit that it is a genius idea.

Taking advantage of the characteristics of the lower city, they were given hope for life. It not only opened up a cheap and concentrated special commodity production area for Nutao City, but also solved the crisis that had been unresolved for Saint Lun City.

If someone else were to do this, I would definitely get him the highest medal in the empire.

But you are the one who did all this!

I remind you that your father has already decided to kill you."

Agatha had very complicated thoughts about Luke at this time. She believed that Meteorite definitely had the ability to lead the empire to a new era of prosperity, but she might also be the gravedigger of the empire.

But no matter what, Meteorite's investment plan in the Lower City is of great benefit to the country. Not only does it solve the employment problem of the huge population in the Lower City, but it also means that once this model is successful, there will be solutions to the new problems caused by the new era.

Isn't the biggest problem facing the empire now the backlog of problems with no good solutions?

Meteorite proved his ability to govern in Raging Waves City, and then proved his ability to govern in the Lower City District.

All Agatha can do is follow her heart. For the sake of this country, what does it matter even if she ends up on the guillotine?

When Luke heard that Emperor Augustine wanted to kill him, he was surprised at first, but then he figured out the reason.

The new era has swept the world with new ideas, including a different understanding of "country".

Although Augustine the Great was an enlightened monarch, his traditional aristocratic thinking made him pay more attention to the "family" in the "country". Therefore, no matter how capable a subject was, as long as he threatened the family's rule over the country, he had to be eliminated.

Agatha, on the other hand, considered issues more from the perspective of national justice, so she could tolerate a person who was good for the country but not good for the family.

Luke understood why Agatha didn't have such a strong desire for the throne.

Luke asked Agatha, "How did you know that?"

Agatha was surprised by Luke's calmness. Now the emperor of the empire wants to kill you.

"I know my father. His sudden change of mind about marrying Dale to you must have caused him to have a major change of heart about you.

The protection measures for Dale's Coming of Age Ceremony Ball are very strict, and many of the locations are arranged in an offensive manner, probably to deal with Miss Qingkong."

Hearing the palace's arrangement, Luke asked, "Your Majesty is determined to kill Miss Clear Sky and me?"

Agatha replied, "Probably not yet. After all, the consequences of killing you are too serious, and the Royal Knights are not sure they can surround and kill Miss Clear Sky. I think Father should observe you closely like he did during this ball, evaluate the risk and benefit ratio of killing you, and then decide whether it is worth the risk."

"What will he do if he decides to kill me?"

"The royal knights and palace guards cannot take action directly. After all, you are an important figure in the empire, and your position is related to the stability of Raging Waves City.

Poisoning!

Or arrange for an outsider to do it.

This way, Miss Qingkong won't have enough reasons to avenge you, and the risk can be reduced to a minimum."

"It seems that Your Majesty does not understand the relationship between me and Miss Qingkong."

"Perhaps in my father's eyes, no matter how strong an individual is, he can never fight against the entire empire. He values ​​​​Raging Waves City more. If you don't want to have a head-on conflict with him, it's best to find a way through this point."

Through the information given by Agatha, Luke had a general idea of ​​how to deal with the situation.

"Thank you for your reminder, Your Highness. I came here this time to explain an important matter to you. Raging Wave City will form a city militia in the near future."

Hearing such explosive news, Agatha frowned.

She knew that the Secret Service Bureau of Nutao City had a large special forces, and some of them were equivalent to Meteorite's private soldiers. But after all, they were still under the banner of the Secret Service Bureau, and they helped to cover it up, so they could be accepted by all parties.

But establishing a city militia is equivalent to making this private army public.

"This will increase the risk for you to attend this ball. You are angering my father, and he will definitely try his best to kill you at the ball!"

Luke certainly knows the risks, and he told Agatha: "I have a worst-case scenario, and I am confident I can handle this crisis.

Your Highness, the intelligence from the Secret Service should reveal that the liberals have been very active recently, and some of them are receiving funding from the Art County Alliance. In the near future, the Empire will need a legion that can be deployed to the North to fight at any time."

As he spoke, Luke pulled out a map from the briefcase he carried with him and spread it on the table between him and Agatha.

Luke pointed at the symbols and arrows and continued, "Now all the shipyards in Raging Waves City are assisting in the construction of Unit-01, a full-metal battleship. It is estimated that in three months, the Cape District Anti-Smuggling Fleet and the Raging Waves City Fleet will have the strength to fight a decisive battle at sea with the Rio Fleet.

At that time, as long as the At County Alliance made any unusual moves in the north, this fleet with Unit-01 as its main force could go north to compete with the County Alliance fleet for control of the sea. The Fury City militia would then board transport ships and conduct landing operations on the flank of the At County Alliance army, which would greatly reduce the pressure on the Northern Legion. "

Agatha looked at the map, thinking about the recent intelligence about the northern neighbors and the liberals.

Just as Meteor said, after the Empire entered the civil war, the Ater Confederation became more active in their domestic military movements. Border frictions became more frequent, which was the other side testing the strength of the Empire's northern border defense line.

The liberals, who had always been severely attacked by the Empire, had recently gained momentum. Their propaganda in some areas was almost semi-public, and it was obvious that some of the local rulers were on the same side with them.

In addition, the intelligence agencies of the At Confederation have also stepped up their infiltration into the Empire, and they have provided a lot of money and weapons to the liberals.

The northern army of the empire had withdrawn a large number of elite soldiers to the southern frontier, causing the combat effectiveness of the entire northern garrison to decline severely. Although the empire transferred troops from all over the country to supplement the northern border, it would take time for the northern border to recover its strength.

When the North was attacked, the only ones who could support it were the Western Front Bandit Suppression Corps and the Imperial Capital's City Garrison Corps.

The Western Front Bandit Suppression Corps must not be moved, and the Crown Prince will not allow Alex to have any chance to get involved in the northern border. The Saint Lun City Garrison Army guards the imperial capital and must not be mobilized unless it is absolutely necessary.

Looking across the entire empire at this time, there was no army that could mobilize and reach the elite troops on the front line in the first time.

Let’s look at Meteor’s strategic deployment.

As long as they gain control of the sea, the militia of the City of Raging Waves can land anywhere on the coastline of the Art County Alliance, forcing the other side to deploy heavy troops in the coastal city. The number of militias in the City of Raging Waves does not need to be too large to contain a large number of troops from the Art County Alliance.

Even if we cannot gain complete control of the sea, having such a mobile and elite army can change the course of the war at a critical moment.

"What support do you need from me?"

“You don’t need to give me any support, you can also show opposition and rejection. I tell you this just to increase the mutual trust between us.

Next, I will visit Fania and ask him to provide a group of instructors for the Fury City Militia to help me train this army."

Agatha understood what Luke meant. She nodded and said, "There are many excellent officers in Fania. He can help you much more than I can in training the army."

In the battle against the hidden Abyss Mages in Saint Lun City, Luke had fully witnessed the combat effectiveness of the Fourth Division of the Garrison Army. Although the Secret Service Rangers of Raging Waves City had also undergone military training, they were only good enough for public security battles, but they were still far from being able to fight the regular army on the battlefield.

Xuelai is a good instructor and commander. She is very impressive that she can train the Rangers to this level by herself. But as the militia grows in size, it will need more professional military instructors and many officers at all levels.

For officers of all levels, Luke can recruit outstanding retired personnel from all over the world according to the corresponding strategies in his mobile phone. Before they arrive, the city militia of Nutao City needs a qualified instructor group to train them, preferably an instructor group composed of officers with combat experience in the North.

This problem can only be solved by asking the eldest prince Fania.

After Luke and Agatha talked about some other things, they were about to leave. Agatha said, "Before the ball, if you have time, come to my place. You can't be as casual as you are here in the palace. As everyone's opponent, you need to learn standard etiquette and practice court dance steps."

Luke spread his hands: "I don't care about these. I have never thought about marrying Dale."

Agatha smiled and said, "I care! You are my subordinate. If you embarrass yourself at the court ball, it means I am embarrassed."

"Okay..." Luke said helplessly, "I'll come when I have time."

Having achieved his goal, Luke secretly left Tulip Manor, then returned to Copper Mulberry Avenue to show his face around, and summoned Yomington to arrange a meeting between him and the Prime Minister of the Cabinet.

Finally, in the evening, Luke led his men straight to the Silver Manor.

By this time, the return of Governor Meteorite to Raging Waves City was already an open secret in the imperial capital. After all, he had summoned many officials and nobles to the Xixisai Palace, so the news naturally spread.

The eldest prince Fania was very happy that the Governor of Meteorite chose him as his first stop after returning. The Silver Manor prepared a grand dinner, and only Luke and Fania sat on the table full of dishes.

Fania's most trusted servants and butlers were in charge of serving the table, and no one else, including Sinclair, was allowed to disturb.

There was bright red wine in the wine glass, large pieces of caviar on the plate, the air was filled with the aroma of food, and the phonograph was filled with beautiful music.

Fania raised his glass and invited: "Cheers to the great emperor! Cheers to the great empire!"

Luke raised his glass and chanted: "To the great Emperor! To the great Empire!"

After the table etiquette process was completed, Fania asked Luke: "The Governor returned to Raging Waves City quietly this time. He must have done a lot of big things."

"I knew I couldn't hide it from the eyes and ears of the Crown Prince." Luke patted Fania's horse, and then recounted some of the things he did when he returned to Raging Waves City this time: "...I can only feel relieved when I see the fully metal battleship Unit-01 under construction launched. The Unit-01 that has been completed is now undergoing sea trials, and after the sea trials, it can be delivered to the Raging Waves City Fleet and the Cape District Anti-smuggling Fleet.

Next, the Nutao City Fleet and the Anti-Smuggling Fleet will jointly crack down on pirates and threatening maritime targets, and firmly control this sea area in the hands of the empire.

Safe shipping routes will attract more merchant ships; a strong fleet can open up more overseas territories for the empire and protect our maritime allies."

Fania is deeply tied to the imperial military because he is very interested in military affairs.

In addition to the mainland territory, the Golden Shield Empire also has many scattered colonies overseas. A strong navy can strengthen control over the colonies and support their expansion.

This was a strong temptation for Fania, who was determined to become the greatest emperor of all time.

“Although I have never seen the Unit-01-class battleship with my own eyes, I know that it is a new type of battleship that is a generation ahead of the navies of other regions in the world. I believe that the Unit-01-class battleship can bring about a large-scale overseas expansion for the Empire.

If you need any help from me, please tell me. I will do my best to help you as long as it is within my ability. "

Luke then proposed to form a militia in Raging Waves City and asked Fania to provide an officer training corps.

This was a little beyond Fania's expectations.

"Establish a city militia? Why do you have this idea? Can't the Fury City Marines protect the safety of the city?"

Luke told Fania about his concerns about the North: “The war on the southern front of the empire is difficult to resolve in a short period of time, and it cannot be resolved in a short period of time, and the situation in the North is already very serious.

If the northern defense line is breached by the Art County Alliance, the hinterland of the empire will be completely exposed, and at that time the Saint Lun City Garrison Corps will definitely be mobilized to the north..."

Fania asked, "Is the situation in the North really that serious?"

“The Secret Service has more detailed intelligence. If Your Highness asks Her Royal Highness the Princess for it, she will not hide such a big thing from you.

In fact, after a while, the North will also discover the clues."

Fania considered it seriously.

His biggest reliance in the imperial capital was that he had an army directly under his command within the city garrison. Once there was a change in the palace, he could directly lead his army into the palace, forcibly take over the Royal Knights and the Palace Guards, and declare himself the legitimate successor to the throne.

Once the North was in danger, the only troops that could go north to fight the Art County Alliance were the Saint Lun City Garrison. When the war was at a stalemate, Agatha was the most powerful in the imperial capital.

Looking at the entire empire now, the only place that has the ability and financial resources to train an elite army in a short period of time is Nutao City.

The important thing is that Meteorite is ultimately loyal to him and wants to have the Saint Lun City Garrison Army stationed here firmly.

As for the hidden dangers of forming a militia in Raging Waves City, Fania felt that the benefits outweighed the disadvantages. As long as he firmly sat in the imperial capital and seized the orthodoxy, both Meteorite and Raging Waves City would be in his pocket.

“I will organize a group of officers to go to Raging Waves City as soon as possible, and when the city militia is established, they will immediately begin training.

But the size of the city militia must be limited to 5,000 men."

For Luke, the more militiamen the better, but too many would only arouse suspicion. Anyway, the Secret Service Rangers of Fury City can be recruited, and Fishbone Island can also train soldiers. As long as these 5,000 militiamen are trained well, they can add more people to the army when they want to expand it in the future.

Luke raised his glass and invited Fania: "Thank you for your trust, Your Highness. I will definitely train an elite army for the empire."

The road to forming the city militia of Raging Wave City has been paved, and all we have to do is wait for a cannon shot from Rachel's side.

Then Fania told Luke about Princess Dale's coming-of-age ball.

This celebration is definitely a big event for the imperial capital. It not only dilutes the terrifying atmosphere created by the Abyss Mage in the city, but also promotes the national prestige of the empire.

Now, every day, the children of powerful people from all sides arrive in the imperial capital, including princes of vassal states.

"I don't know what my father was thinking. He changed his mind at the last minute. Maybe he just wanted to use this opportunity to consolidate the centripetal force of the empire and make those hereditary nobles who have not yet expressed their opinions continue to remain silent; or maybe he wanted to gain something from the vassal states, at least to make them behave themselves."

Luke listened to Fania's story while scooping up a spoonful of caviar. The caviar particles were plump, full and round, transparent and clear in color, and slightly shimmered with golden light in the spoon, which was very beautiful.

Put it in your mouth and take a bite, the texture is chewy... and the taste has a light aroma of wine.

It's not as delicious as a piece of grilled steak that's crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

Perhaps sensing that the Governor was not satisfied with the caviar, the waiter immediately bent down and whispered in Luke's ear the correct way to eat caviar.

Luke couldn't help but laugh: "No wonder the princess has been reminding me to learn more about court etiquette. Fortunately, I made a fool of myself here with Your Highness. If I had done such a disrespectful thing at the court ball, I would probably have been laughed at by those noble children and princes.

As for why His Majesty changed his mind, it must be because of the changes in the situation in the empire. The empire needs to show its strength to maintain stability, and it also needs to keep the vassal states confident in the empire.

Your Majesty has his own arrangements, and we just need to follow your Majesty's will."

Luke scooped a little caviar into his mouth again, first gently spread it on his tongue, slowly crushed the caviar grains with the tip of his tongue, and then an elegant and delicate scent floated away.

It's indeed much better than chewing.

“Mm, it tastes great!”

Fania also laughed: “With the Governor’s current status and reputation, anyone who dares to laugh at you is a mediocre person who has accomplished nothing.

I heard from Sinke that you don't have any requirements for food. You eat whatever the CIA cafeteria cooks. Sometimes you have food delivered to your office so you can eat while working. Your current achievements are due to hard work, in addition to luck and ability.

This is also what I admire about you.

If you can successfully marry Dale, I promise to give you more power and honor."

Luke said: "The choice is in Princess Dale's hands."

Fania showed an eagerness to recruit talents and actively introduced the delicacies on the table to Luke, acting like a wise and benevolent ruler.

Now that the second prince Alex has left the imperial capital, and Emperor Augustine seems to have given up the idea of ​​pursuing longevity after what happened last time, the Governor of Meteorite is getting closer and closer to him.

With everyone praising him, Fania is full of energy and ambition, as if he could conquer the world once he ascended the throne.

And Luke knew the date of Augustine the Great's death, so he had time to continue the performance with Fania.

A dinner party lasted late into the night.

Fania sent out his own guards to escort Luke back to the Copper Mulberry Avenue.

Kylena didn’t get off work. When she heard the door next door open, she immediately came out of her office.

Luke drank too much and was already a little drunk. Kylena came in and helped Luke take off his coat, untied his shoulder straps, and poured him a glass of water.

Luke sat in the chair, unbuttoned a few buttons on his shirt, drank a glass of water, and asked Kylena, "It's so late, why haven't you rested yet?"

Kylena replied: "Governor, I have an important matter to report to you."

"What's up?"

“Lord Yomington said that he has arranged a meeting between you and Prime Minister Gabriel.

The Prime Minister will be waiting for you in the Cabinet Office at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning. These are the notes of the Prime Minister's meeting, mainly about expanding the jurisdiction of Nutao City and establishing an economic chain."

Luke took the document, which contained the main content of the meeting given by Gabriel.

Luke once expressed his desire to meet Gabriel through Yominton, but never received a response.

This Prime Minister is extremely arrogant.

Now that it has been brought up again, there has been an immediate response. It seems that the battle to encircle and suppress the Abyss Mages has had a great impact on the cabinet.

Most of the intentions mentioned in the document were what Luke wanted to discuss this time. In particular, the expansion of Fury City was an urgent need, and of course Luke would have to give up some of his interests in exchange.

Then let’s meet and talk!