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Hasta smiled and said: "They are very adaptable to the job of cleaning the house in the castle."
"..."
The face of the Grand Duke of Southwell became much gloomier. The delicate flowers he spent so much effort to cultivate were meant to be kept at the bedside, rather than to do some vulgar chores like cleaning the room.
"They are also good at pruning flowers and branches. After another year or two of training, they should be qualified for the position of gardeners."
The Archduke of South Wales took a deep breath, stopped discussing this topic with Hastur, and took the initiative to mention South Wales' coastal defense issues.
When the Grand Duke of Southwell tentatively asked Hastur what he thought of the coastal defense issue, Hastur suddenly stood up from his seat and then delivered an impassioned speech.
From the rectification of the navy to the offensive tendencies of the Southern Continent, we then talked about the international situation.
This made the Grand Duke of Southwell and many of the accompanying nobles feel stunned for a moment.
"Cough cough."
The Archduke of Southwell cleared his throat and interrupted Hastur's tirade.
His head couldn't remember so much content. He almost fell asleep after listening to it just now. After scanning around, he found that the other nobles were basically the same. Some of them had already closed their eyes slightly and started to doze off.
Archduke Southwell waved his hand and asked Hastur to sit down first, and then said: "What you said is very good. The issue of coastal defense must also be taken seriously. Let's go to Hughes Port to try it first and see the actual results. .”
Port Hughes is one of the eight major ports, but it is located in the northeast of South Wales. It is the northernmost port, and it is also the port with the least developed economy and the least oil and water.
Hastur immediately rejected the arrangement of the Archduke of Southwell, saying that he wanted to unify the coastal defense of the entire Southwell County, and eight important ports were indispensable.
Such a huge appetite made the fat on Grand Duke Southwell's face tremble. This was no longer about giving away a little profit, but cutting his flesh with a knife.
Of course, it was impossible for him to agree to such conditions, and he deliberately said: "You have just come here not long ago, and you are not familiar with the situation here yet. It is better to wait and slowly take over other ports in the future."
The accompanying nobles also echoed what the Archduke of Southwell said.
Hastur glanced around them and spoke calmly: "Port of Hughes is the northernmost port. There are 1500 permanent garrison troops, including 800 in the navy. It has 4 medium-sized warships and 12 small warships."
"Hark Harbor is located below Hughes Harbor. It has a slightly more developed economy and a permanent garrison of 1200 people.
The navy consists of 600 personnel, three medium-sized warships and 10 small warships.
……
"Puning Port, the southernmost large port, is the most important hub connecting South Wales and the southern continent. It has 3200 permanent garrison troops and 1800 naval personnel. It has 1 large warship, 8 medium warships, and 25 small warships. …”
Hastur slowly spoke out the information sent by Caius, which was equivalent to slapping the Archduke of Southwell in public.
The Archduke of Southwell stared at Hastur in astonishment. According to the intelligence sent back, Count Hastur Campbell spent most of his time in the castle. How could he know so much about these ports?
Even so, it was impossible for him to hand over all the coastal defense lines to Hastur.
After a heated and tense debate... and bargaining, Hastur finally slowly relaxed.
First, it dropped from eight ports to six ports, then to four ports, which were equally divided in half. Finally, it took a step back to only three ports.
This is a result that both parties are satisfied with. It seems that Hastur has given the Grand Duke of Southwell a lot of face. He retreated again and again, and even the nobles who acted as lobbyists were embarrassed to say anything.
Sure enough, the windowing theory is applicable in any world.
The Grand Duke of Southwell, who was in a relatively comfortable mood, entertained Hastur for another day in the city. In response, Hastur sighed in distress and reluctantly agreed to his kindness, which made the Grand Duke of Southwell feel even better.
……
Puning Port, the Red Gloves team who followed the traces all the way from Backlund left the depths of the jungle and came to Puning Port where Ince Zangwill first appeared in South Wales County.
According to the memories of several elderly people who got up early to look at the sea, it was early one morning when the sun had just risen.
They found a figure swimming from the sea to the beach. It was wet and in a state of disarray. It looked like it had been drifting on the sea for several days.
That unfortunate guy was Ince Zangwill.
Through the accounts of other witnesses in Puning Port, they gradually recovered the whereabouts of Reason Zangwill here.
Then he followed the clues and found the home of Viscount Sterndam who was killed by Ince Zangwill.
Through investigation of the surrounding people, we learned that there was a natural phenomenon that night, and bolides continued to hit the ground, causing damage to many houses.
Because what happened that night was so abnormal, many people still clearly remember what happened that night.
Ince Zangwill has encountered a series of pursuits since he left Backlund!
This is the conclusion reached by members of the Red Glove Team, including Ms. Illya, who has the title of Eye of the Goddess.
Ince Zangwill was also involved in the last steam train explosion in East Tucker County.
The Black Emperor suddenly appeared offshore and happened to encounter Ince Zangwill's ship.
All of this was just right. Perhaps Ince Zangwill had lost 008 before this, which was why his situation was so difficult.
Illya lamented: "Those who betray their faith will eventually be cast aside by fate."
Leonard sat aside, his mind wandering.
He inquired and found out that Puning Port was not far from Hasta's territory and it would take almost half a day to get there by carriage.
"Leonard, what do you think about this matter?"
Faced with the question suddenly thrown by Ms. Illya, Leonard was embarrassed and said seriously: "I think that the current 008 may be in the hands of a high-sequence expert from the audience, and he arranged it all." S. Zangwill’s various coincidences and fortuitous fates.”
Chapter 297 008 Possible New Master
Leonard finally took the opportunity to express his true views on the matter.
He also didn't want his team to run around like headless flies, and this was also a reminder.
Perhaps everything they did might have been arranged.
After being silent for a while, Ilia tapped her right index finger twice on the table to attract everyone's attention, and then she spoke: "This is a very reasonable conjecture, but it is not the truth."
"??"
Leonard looked confused. Did the old man make a mistake in his judgment?
Or is the Eye of the Goddess just in vain?
Other members of the Red Glove Team also looked puzzled.
Illya saw their reactions, but did not explain the problem. "Continue to follow the clues of Viscount Stein. We are not far from the answer."
If it weren't for the identity of the other party, Leonard would definitely ask more questions.
In the afternoon, they continued to investigate what happened to Stern before his death, why he invited Ince Zangwill home, and for what reason he killed Ince Zangwill. Viscount Stern.
Without sufficient reasons, Ince Zangwill would not kill a nobleman who helped him when he was down.
When the investigation was halfway through, Leonard was shocked to find that Hastur's name was also among the people Viscount Stein came into contact with during his lifetime.
He frowned slightly, having a bad feeling in his heart that this matter might be related to Hastur.
This is an intuition. If we really want to find a reason, it is that extraordinary people will always do extraordinary things.
After the contact list was collected, Ms. Illya assigned personnel to investigate the people on the list.
Leonard stood aside silently, praying in his heart that the investigation into Hastur would not fall on him.
He didn't want to treat his first friend in Backlund the same way he treated a suspect.
"Leonard, do you know this Lord Hastur Campbell?"
Illya's question broke Leonard's luck, and he could only nod his head.
"Well, then I'll leave it to you."
"..."
Leonard sighed deeply in his heart. He seemed to have had bad luck recently.
The Red Glove Team worked very efficiently. At around ten o'clock that night, Leonard appeared at the gate of the castle in Hastur territory.
"Sir, do you have an appointment with our lord?"
In the flower bed in front of the castle, a gardener holding a pair of scissors and chatting with a coachman blocked Leonard's path.
Although it was strange that the gardener was holding a pair of big scissors at night, Leonard still tried his best to smile and said: "I am your lord's friend in Backlund. You just need to go in and inform me, and say Leonard Come visit.”
"Well, let's wait here for now."
The person who spoke was the coachman next to him. He asked the gardener holding the big scissors to stare at him, and then he entered the castle to report.
Leonard had a calm smile on his face, but the gaze from the gardener made him feel a little penetrating.
Especially the big scissors in his hand, like
It was made up of the slender legs of an adult man, who was staring at him as if he were an animal on a chopping board waiting to be slaughtered.
Leonard, who felt uncomfortable being stared at, took the initiative to bring up the subject, "Your lord, what time do you usually rest at night?"
"That is the freedom of the lord, and we never have the right to interfere."
Leonard turned and said: "The flowers and plants here are growing really well. Your skills are very good. Even in Backlund, it is difficult to find a gardener who can compare with you."
The gardener holding the big scissors calmed down slightly, "It's much easier to trim flowers and plants than to trim people. I like this job very much."
"..."
Leonard felt that there was really no more chatting that day, so he simply stopped talking.
About five minutes later, Hastur personally walked out of the castle gate to greet his friend from Backlund.
Leonard straightened his back slightly, glanced at the gardener standing aside, and found that he was looking at Hastur with an almost fanatical look.
What's happening here?
Leonard was slightly stunned, but he didn't think too much. He took two quick steps and met Hastur, who was walking towards him.
"Welcome, my friend."
“I’m also happy to be here as a guest.”
"Come inside and talk."
After a brief exchange of greetings, Hastur led Leonard into the castle.
It's past ten o'clock and the moonlight is cold, especially on the outskirts of such a remote town, and the wind blowing is colder than in other places.
When he walked into the castle, Leonard shivered unconsciously.
In the living room on the first floor, Hastur invited Leonard to sit down and asked the maid to get the best tea here to entertain this friend who was obviously on a mission.