I will be crowned king

Anson looked back in shock. The person standing in front of the gate was none other than the spiritual leader of Ice Dragon Fjord, Bishop Ripper.

Not only him, but the eyes of the entire hall were focused on this middle-aged man with graying hair at this moment. They were either shocked, confused, or expected.

But Bishop Ripper completely ignored those glances. He stood proudly in front of the door with a cane, and stared at the astonished Anson with his lips pursed, like a standing, big torch.

"Master Anson Bach, you must not use such a merciful method, and you must not let it go like this." A voice like a bell echoed in the hall:

"I know, this looks like an accident, a murder. A group of greedy people set their sights on the Stormtrooper soldiers and killed them for a few gold coins... It seems to be just the most common security incident in Beluga Port. "

"But it's not true...it's not true!"

"He...no, they! They are not ordinary murderers, and what they want is not just a few gold coins; if you treat this matter as a case, treat them as a group of people who need to be arrested Criminal, that’s really something wrong!”

"The gangsters who killed your soldiers... they are envoys, sentinels, trumpeters, blowing the trumpet to you and all Moby-Dick Harbor."

"The call of war!"

The whole hall fell silent.

Bishop Ripper, who was holding a cane, staggered towards Anson step by step, staring directly at him, as if he possessed some kind of crazy magic power.

Anson raised his hand to stop Lisa and the guards who wanted to stop him, and took the lead in breaking the silence:

"What war?"

"Eternal war!" Bishop Ripper took a step forward, his pupils exuding endless brilliance:

"The devout believers gathered under the inspiration of the Ring of Order and formed the Faith Keepers Alliance to fight for their faith; the pagans have felt the threat and are trying to nip this great force in the bud."

"They are provoking and testing! They want to use such despicable and shameless methods to know whether we have the courage and confidence to challenge them."

"If we are indifferent to all this, they will increasingly feel that we are weak and bullyable; greater and more terrifying disasters will befall every believer in the Ring of Order, turning White Whale Harbor into a sea of ​​​​fire ruled by the devil. .”

Taking a deep breath, the bishop roared with his rich voice: "In this case, we must take the lead and use the most direct and sharpest means to destroy them, eliminate them, and crush them!"

"Let the brave soldiers enter the city, let the battleships set up cannons, arm the League of Trustees, mobilize all loyal believers of the Ring of Order, and then cleanse the despicable aliens community by community, farm by farm, settlement by settlement. Believers, let the light of the Ring of Order rise from Beluga Harbor and illuminate the entire Ice Dragon Fjord colony."

"The war...has started from this moment!"

As soon as the words fell, the expressions of the MPs in the entire hall changed.

Looking at those obviously unnatural and strange expressions, Anson, who was silent, could probably guess why.

As a prosperous colony that has only developed for fifty years, Beluga Harbor's success is certainly due to the hard work of the colonists and new immigrants, but the oppression of the indigenous people is obviously also indispensable.

According to the statistics of the little secretary, basically all large-scale farms have twice as many "beast slaves" as colonists, or even more; and the mining industry is even more exaggerated, at least four times as many.

The situation in Beluga Port City is basically similar. The relatively wealthy colonists may raise some docile and obedient "beast slaves", while more "submitted natives" take on a lot of basic work that no one wants to do. Mixing with new immigrants in the poorest and most marginalized communities.

The number of indigenous people in this part cannot be estimated, but even based on the lowest statistics, it is equivalent to at least a quarter of the entire population of Beluga Harbor...more than 10,000 people.

As for the pagans, it is even more difficult to estimate - despite the continuous progress of the navigation industry, going to sea is still an extremely risky behavior in the eyes of people of this era; how many immigrants who abandoned their native life and chose to go to the New World were secretly The believers of the Three Old Gods...cannot be counted at all.

Since there are a large number of Old Gods in Clovis, and magic props are hidden in the homes of wealthy nobles, do the colonial councilors know nothing about the Old Gods lurking around them?

How can it be.

Given the church's indulgence in the New World, even if half of the members were Old God sects, or even spellcasters... Anson would not be surprised at all.

After all, for the vast majority of ordinary people without the power of blood, who can refuse the temptation of extraordinary achievement, insight into everything, or eternal life? Even though these seemingly beautiful icings contain terrible poison.

According to what Bishop Riper said, at least half of Beluga Harbor must be burned down... at least.

"I agree with you, this is probably a war...a war between the Circle of Order believers and the heretics." Anson said calmly:

"Now that we have come to this land, we cannot expect those pagans to really surrender to the majesty of the Ring of Order without resorting to force."

After hearing this, the congressmen present became even more panicked, while Bishop Riper's lips showed a hint of secret joy.

Before he could continue to say anything, Anson spoke first: "But...since this is a provocation from the enemy, it proves that they have definitely premeditated and lured us into a trap that was already designed."

"For an army, the most dangerous situation is to walk into the enemy's preset battlefield, so that the rhythm of the entire battle is firmly controlled by the opponent."

"Pagans can be unscrupulous, but we cannot; because Ice Dragon Fjord is the land that belongs to all believers in the Ring of Order, and Beluga Harbor is the beacon that illuminates the entire new world - her glory should not be stained with blood!"

After a slight pause, Anson turned around suddenly and glanced at all the congressmen present:

"I promise you, unless the situation really gets out of hand, the Stormtroopers will not choose to resort to force and turn this city blessed by the Ring of Order into a battlefield shrouded in flames!"

"This is a commitment, and it is also the determination of the Storm Master!"

"The White Whale Port Guard Corps will eradicate at the minimum cost the heretic groups that endanger the believers of the Ring of Order, as well as any threat to the colony - whether it comes from the outside or among us!"

The steady voice echoed under the vault of the hall.

Seeing the delighted expressions of all the congressmen present, Bishop Ripper frowned and a trace of surprise flashed in the corner of his eyes.

Anson's answer surprised him, far beyond his expectation.

"If the military is not allowed to enter the city and block the streets...how are you going to solve this incident?"

"Of course, in the least costly way." Anson said without hesitation while holding a pipe in his mouth.

So far, I have very few clues, but basically enough:

First of all, according to Carl Bain's judgment, the opponent was most likely to have made an impromptu attack and attacked the Storm Division patrol without any preparation, without detailed and thorough arrangements and preparations.

The evidence is that there were a large number of witnesses at the scene, and these people had no memory of the attacker and unanimously called him a "guy covered in blood."

This is a very exaggerated adjective, which is very inconsistent with the reaction of normal people when encountering criminals or murderers; excluding the possibility that everyone is an accomplice and intends to cover up this person and lies, there is only one conclusion: this person was indeed covered in blood at the time , and in an absolutely literal sense.

If he had a plan of action from the beginning, he would never have made himself so conspicuous when escaping.

Secondly, the opponent is most likely a spell caster...or a talented person who has awakened the power of blood.

It is not as easy as it seems to break a person's skull, let alone a dozen... If the other party comes prepared, then it is very likely that he has a blunt instrument that is easy to carry; if not, then he must Let's first assume that the other party has the ability to blow the heads of a dozen people without relying on tools.

Of course, the situation would have been very different if they had guns in their hands; but according to the autopsy reports of the officers at the scene, only three of the corpses had gunshot wounds to their skulls.

Finally... Anson thought of the "beast slave" who committed suicide by smashing his own head.

Although there was no evidence, he couldn't help but connect the two things.

If it is really not some kind of coincidence or accident, but some kind of indigenous tradition and pagan killing "ritual", this will also become a very important clue; as long as a similar case occurs again, we will soon be able to find out the basis of the killing "ritual". The location of the crime determines the approximate range of activities of the murderer.

Finally, and most importantly...why does the other party do this?

Without any preparation or plan in advance, he attacked and killed the soldiers of the Storm Division. This would almost inevitably trigger a reaction from himself and the entire Beluga Port, and he would risk being killed or captured alive. What exactly is it for?

provocative?

It is possible, but the cost and risk are too high; what's more, if the conflict really intensifies, what does the other side plan to do against a fully manned infantry division and battleships docked in the port?

At least until they reach the level of "blasphemous mage", the advantages of spellcasters still lie in concealment and suddenness. Even if they have a certain number, they cannot be an opponent of infantry lines and 68-pound carron cannons.

And even if the other party really has a spellcaster of this level... To be honest, Anson is not afraid, and even hopes that the other party will take the initiative to stand up. After all, he is no longer fighting alone this time.

On the other hand, if it was really the ad hoc initiative of the other party and not the result of deliberate planning, as Carl Bain judged, it would prove that the four soldiers at that time most likely discovered something, forcing the other party to insist on keeping it secret even if it was exposed. They and other witnesses were silenced.

"The most important thing right now is to arrest the criminal who committed the crime as soon as possible, or to find clues that can determine his whereabouts." Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, and he hinted without thinking:

"Since the other party is the enemy of all Ring of Order believers, the first thing we need to do is to understand their purpose, as well as their organization and number."

“Once we have this figured out, we can move on to the next step.”

"If they really intend to provoke us, then as long as we don't fight them, similar criminal acts will not stop, and sooner or later they will expose their whereabouts!"

"Before that, I ask all Circle of Order believers to be more vigilant and be mentally prepared for accidents anytime and anywhere." Anson's face darkened:

"These are extraordinary times, Bishop Ripper. I regret to tell you that some of my previous promises... may be void."

Promise void? !

The gloomy-looking bishop paused: "You mean..."

"From now on, all believers of the Ring of Order in Beluga Port must register at a church near the community to prove their piety." Anson said solemnly:

"Ten days... within ten days, all people without class will be treated as apostates and heretics - shot on the spot in the square outside the Beluga Harbor Parliament!"

"this?!"

The bishop's pupils shrank suddenly.

"In addition, all those who have registered their names are not allowed to refuse as long as the Storm Division and the Alliance of Faith Keepers issue a call; any believer whose registered identity is found to be inconsistent with the facts will also be dealt with in the same way as apostates and heretics!"

Anson slowly took off the pipe and looked at Bishop Ripper, whose expression suddenly became ugly: "Sir, you said... we are fighting a war."

"Since it is a war, the first thing to do is to distinguish between ourselves and the enemy, and then do our best to unite forces; at this juncture, the 'believers' who are still unwilling to fight for their beliefs, and even call out their names... will really be A devout believer in the Circle of Order?"

"But...but there is no need to force this!" Bishop Riper showed a bit of panic:

"As long as the call is issued, I believe everyone will be willing to fight for their beliefs. There is no need at all..."

"This is war!"

Anson directly interrupted the panicked bishop: "Wars...are fought by soldiers!"

"Soldiers... must obey orders!"

The bishop's eyes widened.

He looked at Anson Bach, whose face suddenly turned pale, and recalled Speaker Harold's vicious complaints at the New Year's party.

"Of course, the most important task right now is still to arrest the murderer, or at least find out his whereabouts as soon as possible." Anson changed the subject:

"This job is not easy. I will hand it over to the most reliable and trustworthy person and guarantee that a result will be available within three days."

Um? !

Carl Bain was shocked when he heard these words, his eyes suddenly became extremely dark, and he seemed to be in a trance as if he was about to fall over.

The next second, Anson slowly said:

"Lisa Bach."

"My sister...and the captain of the guard company."