Volume 1: Raging Waves City Chapter 214 Tendency
After reading Agatha's letter, Luke decided to accept the invitation to the imperial capital after much consideration, but he did not respond immediately.
Even the routine correspondence between the two was interrupted.
A letter fell into oblivion, and Agatha in the imperial capital was very anxious. She repeatedly confirmed with the messenger whether the letter was delivered to the Meteorite Inspector personally.
The answers were all positive.
Moreover, the fact that Meteorite stopped the correspondence also proved that he had seen the letter.
So what decision did he make?
Agatha felt a little regretful.
Her letter was a little too abrupt, and even seemed to be a bit pretentious , like a princess . She thought that by pardoning crimes and promising benefits, Meteorite would be grateful and come.
But looking at what Meteorite did in Nutao City, we know that the Empire has no control over him, not to mention that he is just a princess. He did whatever he wanted in Nutao City under his own banner, playing with all parties in his hands...
Would such a person consider himself guilty?
Could the benefits I could give him exceed what he had gained in Raging Waves City?
Why would he take the risk and come to the capital to wade into this life-threatening muddy water?
The tacit understanding was broken, and he lost the only direct communication line with the meteorite.
But looking at the entire empire now, the only person who has the strength and ability to assist him in rebuilding the system is Meteor from Fury City. His reputation has spread throughout the empire, and the Cross and the Blade Brotherhood are talking about Meteor, and they are extremely wary of the rapidly rising Innovation Society.
For the sake of the empire, Princess Agatha lowered her posture and wrote another letter to Luke.
This time it’s not one page.
It also gave a detailed account of the internal and external troubles that the empire was currently facing.
“…
The stability of the empire is now built on the supreme majesty of His Majesty, but His Majesty's health is getting worse and worse. Now in the palace, those who are willing to contribute to the empire have become aliens and are excluded. From top to bottom, there are termites that are sucking blood from the body of the country.
His Majesty hopes that I will become the eldest princess who can assist the new emperor and continue the prosperity of the empire, but how can I, alone, be a match for those people?
From your correspondence, I can see that you are not a vicious person. Your actions in the Cape show that you like prosperity and stability. The thoughts you reveal make me, as a member of the royal family, feel uneasy and fascinated.
I have seen that the Yanyang Night School you opened is bringing hope to the poor at the bottom of society to change their destiny.
I saw that Councillor Ibr's factory shortened working hours and increased wages under your suggestion, which not only did not increase costs, but greatly improved production efficiency. Factory owners in Raging Waves City all felt the pressure and followed suit... Workers had time and money to do what they liked, and Raging Waves City's tax revenue and employment increased.
So amazing!
And for the Reform Society you founded, the stage of Raging Waves City is too small.
The empire needs you to bring about an innovation. Together, you and I will build a new and vibrant empire.
—Agatha Augustine
The second letter was sent to Nutao City, but still received no reply.
Luke felt that he should give Agatha a little more suspense. He agreed to go to the capital after only two letters, which made him look too shameless. Zhuge Liang asked Liu Bei to visit him three times, so it is not too much for the Chief Inspector to ask you, Agatha, to write a few more letters.
And you should wait until the naval battle is over before writing the reply, so that you can get all the necessary buffs.
No rush, no rush...
Luke focused all his energy on this naval battle with the Saxon engineering fleet.
Mrs. Tasia of Fishbone Island has been prepared to attack at any time. In the port, twelve steam-powered ships, with four seized Adonis-class steam warships as the core, formed the Cape District Anti-Smuggling Fleet, with the Coral Reef as the flagship of the entire fleet.
In addition, a total of 24 armed merchant ships and other civilian ships were requisitioned to form an auxiliary fleet, with the Princess of Fortune as the flagship.
There were also four steam-powered airships used for aerial reconnaissance of the fleet.
The total combat personnel available to the Cape District Anti-Smuggling Fleet are 12,450. Lady Tashiya mobilized the entire Naga tribe and brought out nearly two thousand Naga warriors.
The entire Fishbone Island fleet is fully manned and ready for battle, with all supplies and weapons fully stockpiled, just waiting for the order from the Meteorite Chief Inspector.
Meteorite is waiting for news that the construction of "Unit-01" has been completed.
In the Ibul Shipyard, the closed dock was still brightly lit even late at night. Hundreds of workers worked in three shifts, working overtime around the clock to build this steel battleship.
Imperial spies established a cordon outside the dock, and all personnel involved in the construction of "Unit-01" were confined within the cordon during this period.
Strict confidentiality measures can effectively prevent the outflow of information, but because of the strictness, many people naturally noticed this closed dock. Especially when some ironclad ship rumors spread through some unknown channels, more and more thieves came to the dock.
Some say that the Ibel Shipyard is building an all-metal steam battleship with a displacement of more than 5,000 tons.
It was public news that the Ibur Shipyard was developing an all-metal steam battleship, but building a 5,000-ton all-metal steam battleship was simply a fantasy.
The world's major shipyards have not even built a 2,000-ton all-metal warship. With the strength of the Ibul Shipyard, it can only develop a few hundred tons of all-metal warships.
What can be confirmed is that a warship is indeed being built inside the closed dock of the Ibul Shipyard. According to the importance that the Secret Affairs Bureau of the City of Raging Tide attaches to it, even if this ship is not a full-metal steam battleship, it is also a very advanced wooden dome-shaped armored ship.
It is the trump card of the Cape District Anti-Smuggling Fleet.
The city government hired many thieves to investigate the Ibul Shipyard, but they just couldn't get into the blockade. Agatha assigned a group of professional spies to the Secret Affairs Bureau of the City of Fury. Professionals are professionals.
Furthermore, the Assassin's Lodge controlled by Viscount Iscolan has been assassinating all thieves who want to spy on the Ibel Shipyard, making the Government Office's investigation into this mysterious warship even more difficult.
This difficult problem was placed on Speaker Grover's desk.
Grover, the technical speaker and president of the City Alchemist Association, also did not believe that the Ibel Shipyard had the ability to build a large all-metal steam battleship.
No matter how advanced a wooden frigate is, it cannot change the difference in strength between the Saxon Engineering Fleet and the Cape District Anti-Smuggling Fleet.
It would be better to know what ship is in that dock, but not knowing it won’t change the overall situation.
But it is a good starting point to investigate and win over the clear sky.
Speaker Grover immediately set off for Oulu College and soon met Qingkong.
After taking his seat, Speaker Grover got straight to the point and said, "I have a commission for Miss Qingkong. This is half of the reward... The other half will be paid after I get the news."
A check floated into the clear sky from Speaker Grover's hand.
Qingkong reached out and took the check for 1 million Reichsmarks.
"It's quite a big deal. I wonder what the Speaker wants me to do?"
"It's very simple." Speaker Grover smiled kindly and said, "It would be even simpler if Miss Qingkong knew the answer now.
There is a rumor in the shipbuilding industry of Raging Waves City that Senator Ibr's shipyard is building an all-metal steam battleship. If it is true, it will be a huge impact on the shipbuilding industry of Raging Waves City and even the shipbuilding industry of the entire world.
If Miss Qingkong can help us confirm this, the City Alchemist Association is willing to provide technical support to the Ibul Shipyard to assist them in building this epoch-making battleship as soon as possible.
I wonder if Miss Qingkong can provide me with accurate information?"
Qingkong looked at the check in his hand and then put it on the table.
“This is Councillor Ibel’s business secret and I cannot disclose it to anyone.”
Speaker Grover immediately judged: Clear Sky knows.
"Ms. Qingkong, through our interactions over this period of time, you should be able to clearly realize that we are like-minded people. Councillor Ibul was originally one of us, but greed and cowardice made him abandon us and join the conservatives.
Now, the City Government Office, which represents the advancement of the times, is making the final effort for the free Raging City. We are eagerly looking forward to your joining, Miss Qingkong."
Speaker Grover waited expectantly for Clear Sky's answer.
The answer doesn't matter.
What’s important is that Qingkong took the money and gave an answer.
Once you take the first step, the rest of the way will be easier.
Qingkong looked at the check on the table and said after a while: "I just want to be a bystander. Interfering with the process will only disrupt my academic research. I know what you are doing to the Cape District and Chief Inspector of Meteorite. Your chances of winning are very high, and it seems that you don't need my help."
Another important piece of information!
This shows that Qingkong also believes that the mysterious warship is not powerful enough to affect the war situation.
But Grover just wanted Qingkong to give him a positive and accurate answer.
"Ms. Qingkong, if you think our chances of winning are high, you will not be affected at Oulu College, but your good friend Mrs. Michelle will...
I don't mean to threaten you, but I am not the only one who has the final say in the Government Affairs Office and the Parliament of Raging Wave City. We all admire your knowledge and your unique ideas on republican thought. If you can join us, we will definitely not pursue the wrongdoings of Mrs. Michelle. "
When talking about Mrs. Michelle, Qingkong looked troubled.
“I have benefited a lot from discussing philosophy with the Speaker. However, our frequent academic meetings have caused Mrs. Michel to be very emotional.
When I first came to Raging Waves City, Madam Michel helped me a lot. If she hadn't tried her best to clear the matter for me, I would probably still be a wanted criminal with a bounty on my head.
I don’t want to jeopardize the friendship.”
Speaker Grover immediately said: "If you want to take care of this friendship, you should stand on the winning side, so that Madam Michelle can keep her position in Raging Wave City."
As he spoke, Chancellor Grover took out another check and pushed it into the clear sky along with the other one.
"Your Excellency does have some truth in what you said." Qingkong glanced at the amount on the check: "But I don't want to make a choice... Regarding your commission, let me give you some information.
The ship under construction was an all-metal battleship with a displacement of 3,000 tons. Its armament was the best in the world, but it also faced the same problems as all all-metal battleships under development.
The ship's hull space cannot accommodate a steam engine of sufficient power, and the steam engine that can be installed is not powerful enough. Michelle Alchemy Machinery Studio hopes to use alchemy technology to provide additional power for the warship, allowing this warship to play a role in future naval battles. "
Qingkong didn't know how much information Grover knew about Unit-01, so he just announced Unit-01. As for the steam engine, it was indeed slightly underpowered, but the structure and shape of the hull improved the utilization rate of the power, ensuring that Unit-01 could reach a qualified combat speed.
Speaker Grover didn't expect that the Ibel Shipyard was actually building an all-metal steam battleship.
However, the power increase brought by alchemical technology not only increases the cost, but also greatly prolongs the shipbuilding cycle. If the Ibur Shipyard wants to use alchemical technology to completely solve the problem of insufficient power, it will take three to five years to build it; if it wants to launch it in the near future, what threat can a steel battleship that cannot be driven pose?
Speaker Grover couldn't understand why Meteorite asked Ibel Shipyard to build such a battleship.
"Ms. Qingkong, this battleship doesn't seem to be able to solve the blockade facing Cape Port."
Qingkong said, "I don't know the purpose of building this battleship. Meteorite and I are not close enough to discuss such secrets. I will tell you what I know, and it is up to you how to use this information."
"Thank you, Miss Qingkong." Grover bowed slightly to thank Qingkong. The purpose of Meteorite building this ship can be analyzed together when we go back. The important thing is that Qingkong said this information.
She said she didn't make a choice, but in fact she had already made a choice.
The next step is to pull her into his camp step by step. By then, not only can the meteorite be sealed at sea, but the sanctions imposed by the Oulu Academy on the City Alchemist Association can also be reduced or even lifted.
Moreover, Qingkong is the successor favored by Dean Wilred.
After taking control of Oulu College, he would be the emperor of Raging Waves City. Even the Prime Minister Gabriel would have to be polite to him.
Grover suddenly felt refreshed, as if all the humiliation he had suffered from the meteorite had been swept away.
Victory is within our grasp.
Qingkong glanced at Grover and could guess from his expression what made him happy.
Putting away the two checks on the table, Qingkong said to Grover, "The investigation into Meteorite has allowed me to find many clues related to him and the Magic Botanical Garden Ruins Incident. Although there is not enough evidence to prove anything, I think we should convince the Academy Committee to relax the sanctions on some city alchemist associations to a certain extent."
Speaker Grover finally understood why Qingkong was inclined towards him.
"Ms. Qingkong, I have long said that the Magic Botanical Garden Ruins incident must have been caused by a meteorite. I look forward to the moment when you find the key evidence and clear my name."
"You have no grievances."
"Yes, yes, I have no grievances."
Speaker Grover took out another check and handed it to Qingkong with both hands.
