Quadruple split

Archduke Vernon Baroka snorted, his dark brown eyes widening: "What do you mean by pleading guilty?"

"What else can it mean..."

It was Futaba who answered him. The girl leaned back lazily on the chair and said slowly: "What the Marshall Archduke is willing to bear is naturally 'being sneaked into the territory by slave traders due to his carelessness' and 'negligence in the territory. 'Management', 'Foolishly being used as a knife by those despicable villains without knowing it' are serious crimes with extremely bad consequences, am I right?"

Futaba deliberately added an accent to the words 'extremely bad influence' and 'a major crime', then looked at Buffy Marshall with unusual gentleness, and smiled: "Am I right, Your Excellency?"

"I couldn't have put it any better myself, ma'am."

The latter nodded with a wry smile, and touched the tip of his nose awkwardly like a commoner: "Of course you understand my crime. As you just said, it was my negligence that caused Mercury City to be punished by those who deserved it. The infiltration of the Ten Thousand Deaths not only brought nightmares to my own people, but also brought undue disaster to the Fire Claw Territory. On behalf of the Marshall family, I would like to express my most sincere apologies to the Grand Duke of Fire Claw, who you represent. Thank you, if it weren’t for you, I really don’t know how long I would have been deceived like a fool.”

[Of course I understand your crime? Ha, that’s it…]

Futaba smiled calmly, knowing that the other party still had something to say.

"Of course, anyone can say such beautiful words, so I didn't expect to be forgiven and understood so easily." As expected, the Archduke Marshall had something to say. He first nodded to Emperor Clairvaux, and then said to him solemnly and solemnly. Futaba said: "The Marshall family will compensate the Fire Claw Territory 1.5 million gold coins within half a year. It is the Marshall Family, not the Marshall Territory. I use my surname to guarantee that these assets are all private assets accumulated by the Marshall Family over hundreds of years. Wealth does not involve any taxes or offerings to the people. At the same time, I am willing to cede Dieyan City and the surrounding twenty miles of territory to the Fire Claw Territory, and express my gratitude to Baneclaw who fled after massacring innocent people. A reward of 100,000 gold coins is issued. In addition, the Marshall Territory will support the Fire Claw Territory with a total of 1,500 craftsmen for free to help you carry out related construction in the territory. This is only the first batch. If the Grand Duke of Fire Claw is willing If so, the Marshall Council will support the Fire Claw Territory in establishing a more efficient trade system in the next three years and exempt the Fire Claw Territory from all trade tariffs."

Snapped……

The black amber ball that Duke Scorpius Hussein had been playing with fell to the table. The notorious profiteer lord had a wide mouth and looked stunned like a stranded salted fish.

No one understands better than him what the promise just made by the Marshall Grand Duke means. First of all, one and a half million gold coins is a huge sum of money even for the nine Violet families with a long history and strong family fortunes. They often interact with the Marshall family. Scorpius, who has business dealings, feels that this money is equivalent to at least one-third of the former's total wealth. If it were placed on the Archduke Baroka who looked like a silly bear, it would probably be the entire wealth!

Secondly, there is the decision to cede Dieyan City and a small area around it to the Fire Claw Territory. You must know that although it is a relatively desolate and barren land for the Marshall family, due to geographical reasons, those who have ownership of that land The Fire Claw Territory can open up at least three trade routes leading to the Violet Territory, Dantis Territory and Crystal Wolf Territory. The profits are naturally self-evident, and as far as Scorpius knows, this land also contains less than half of the land. Even if you just send a few hundred miners to mine a silver-rich vein there for a year and a half, you still have to produce tens of thousands of gold coins. Even if you don't sell it, it will be of great benefit to the Fire Claw Territory, which has been short of high-quality weapons all year round. Benefits, but these are not the point...

The real point is the meaning of the words 'cede land'. The ceders are lords and not landlords. For the princes present, it can be said to be a super sensitive topic that cannot even be discussed. After all, this equivalence As for using a knife to cut out flesh from other people's bodies, everyone knows the seriousness of the territorial issue, and these nine territories in the Violet Empire can basically be equated to the territory of the corresponding lord, so no matter how remote it is in the wilderness, The weight at this level cannot simply be measured in terms of money.

But Buffy Marshall actually gave away a piece of territory belonging to the Marshall Territory directly, without even waiting for the matter to be completely settled. Is this person crazy! ?

Duke Hussein expressed his incomprehension.

Compared with this, it is no longer important for those who are behind to issue bounties to so and so, and support the Fire Claw Territory, which is relatively backward in the trade field, to do economic construction. Of course, this unimportance is only relative. If nothing else, the Marshall Islands alone Exempting the Fire Claws from tariffs for three years is enough for the latter to make a lot of money.

Not only Hussein, but the other Grand Dukes present were also in an uproar. Even Emperor Clairvaux could not hide the shock on his face and looked at the calm Buffy Marshall in surprise.

Only one person can remain calm...

[Sure enough, it is a hush money, a hush money that the Fire Claw leader cannot refuse. If a guy like LeVine, who really cares about the interests of the Fire Claws, were sitting here, he would have been completely knocked unconscious by now. Ha, it’s really The beautiful gecko with its tail cut off first admitted the crime to me, an absolute insider, with a double entendre. This was tantamount to telling me that there would never be any more slave-catching groups in the Fire Claw Territory in the future, and then it destroyed a lot of profits. Come here, and finally sell off the subordinate who knows whether he is dead or has escaped... just to shut up the Fire Claw Leader, the biggest troublemaker. What a good move and courage. 】

Futaba smiled playfully, and then winked at the Grand Duke of Marshall: "Since your apology is so 'weighty', no matter how barbaric and closed our Fire Claw Territory is, we will still be embarrassed to refuse this gift."

Marshall looked happy: "Then..."

"Then let's talk about business."

Futaba interrupted him with a smile, and after looking around, he spread his hands and said: "Obviously, the investigation team report that His Majesty just read out is somewhat inconsistent with the information I provided. Although Captain Ned left Some of the content in the evidence below has indeed been confirmed, but it has not played any substantial role. Oh, Grand Duke Hussein, please don’t rush to speak. I know you want to say that most of the content in this evidence has been confirmed. Our Fire Claw leader... or Ms. Futaba, who is smart, beautiful, cute, kind, well-educated, gentle, and well-behaved, like your mother, who knows everything about astronomy and geography, is innocent and lively, but has a slightly bad personality. Because of one reason or another, Ms. Futaba has been tampered with, but even if This may indeed exist, and there are indeed many things worth paying attention to in this report~ I think everyone might as well discuss this first, what do you think?"

"Miss Futaba, what do you mean..."

Marshall's face became a little gloomy, but this gloominess could be understood by everyone present. After all, he had already made such a gesture without any 'conclusive' evidence pointing to him, but Futaba Still no intention of stopping here.

"It's just the literal meaning. I don't mean to offend." The girl smiled sweetly and shrugged innocently: "We accept your kindness heartily and with both hands. Anyway, we are willing to accept it anywhere, but this does not mean that we, the Fire Claw Leader, accept it. Your good intentions will make it 'safe', right? In any case, it is urgent to analyze the current situation and bring those villains to justice, otherwise it will not only be us, we will also be persecuted by the slave catching group... ...Well, I mean, if this matter has nothing to do with you, can the Marshallese people and the Grand Duke, who have also suffered from the slave-catching gangs, have a good sleep at home?"

Buffy Marshall was silent for a moment, then slowly sat back on the chair, nodded and said: "You are right, if this matter is not handled properly, it will indeed make people sleepless at night. What do you think?"

"Ahem, that..."

Archduke Fernand, who was squatting on the chair, coughed lightly, and then said in a high-pitched voice unique to a dwarf: "Hasn't the investigation team already reached a conclusion? Two slave-catching dens were found in Mercury City... But with Marshall It has nothing to do with the family, the trading partners of those despicable people are in the dark forest bordering the southern border of the empire."

Futaba nodded: "That's so well said, I deserve applause here~"

Of course, no one applauded, because everyone knew that there was no difference at all whether this was said or not.

Archduke Fernando stood on the chair blankly for a while, and then sat back down with a look of horror on his face. He didn't know why he was so frightened...

"Mercury core."

Dark Elf Archduke Simon, who was meticulous in all aspects, glanced at the former indifferently, shook his head and said: "What the investigation team gave us back is only the results of the investigation, not the conclusion. We cannot make hasty decisions."

"That's right." Emmeline, the youngest crystal wolf lord, immediately nodded in agreement and knocked on the table with a frown: "One of the things that makes me feel violated the most is that Mercury City, as the trade and administrative center of the Marshall Territory, actually It’s too strange no matter how you think about it, that a slave-catching group can stay inside for several years, isn’t it?”

The seemingly rugged Archduke Baroka cracked his knuckles and added: "Not only that, but none of the two dens and three transfer stations found by the investigation team in Mercury City had anything to do with the Marshall family. Don’t you think it’s a little strange that the evidence is related?”

The white-haired Grand Duke Dantès nodded thoughtfully: "You mean, it's too clean..."

"I think it's normal." Archduke Hussein, who had a relatively clear stance, curled his lips and shrugged: "It would be weird to leave a bunch of clues, right?"

Grand Duke Baroka held his chin and said in a deep voice: "Those dens were discovered in Mercury City. This in itself is a clue that no one can erase."

"I'll just say it, Uncle Buffy."

Emmeline leaned forward slightly and stared at the Grand Duke of Marshall without blinking: "If there is no help from internal personnel, let alone Mercury City, which is the core of Marshall territory, even the larger ordinary people in our Crystal Wolf County It is impossible for a slave gang to spread out into two dens and three transfer stations in the city!"

"No matter how good the concealment is, even if the slave-catching group has a serious identity as a cover, those slaves cannot be sent in and out quietly under normal circumstances." Archduke Simon also frowned. He glanced at the Grand Duke of Marshall who was sitting next to him and nodded: "I have been to your Mercury City before, and I am very aware of the intensity of the interrogations there. Buffy, you know what I mean..."

"Of course I understand what you mean, old man, and I never intended to ignore the strangeness in this incident."

The latter let out a long sigh, covered his forehead with some dejection and took a deep breath. After a while, he looked around at everyone and said slowly: "I understand what each of you means, whether it's Vernon, Emmeline, or Futaba." Miss, if something happens to me, Scorpius will break at least two high-quality business chains. I am very aware of your suspicions and concerns, and I have never intended to expose this matter lightly, so , my dear majesty..."

Emperor Clairvaux, who had been silent most of the time, turned to look at him: "Huh?"

"I want to write a handwritten letter to my head of internal affairs, using some of the names in Miss Futaba's evidence as a reference, asking him to thoroughly investigate the entire Mercury City in a short period of time, and temporarily deprive the city of military and political power. All the rights of all those who are closely related to Banyklaw and the former deputy leader of Buffy's Sword Knights, Bock Borg." Marshall clenched his hands and said loudly: "Until the truth comes out."

Clairvaux nodded slightly: "Of course, your grounding order is over, Buffy."

Futaba raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything. After all, it was unreasonable to put an archduke and all his guards under house arrest for a long time, not to mention that the investigation team did not find anything that could make the Marshall family feel confident. The evidence of the crime makes it impossible to keep him locked up.

The Grand Duke of Marshall was not surprised at all by this result, and just continued: "In addition, I would like to ask all the lords here, including Miss Futaba, to send people or personally go to Mercury City to supervise the progress of the investigation. As long as the slightest clue is found, the Marshall family I will fully cooperate with the search and elimination of the Slave Catchers. In order to express my sincerity, I am willing to hand over the command of the Buffy Sword Knights and the Ice Veil Wizards to whatever you want."

As soon as these words came out, even the two Grand Dukes Emmeline Crystal Wolf and Vernon Baroka, who had been aggressive before, nodded subconsciously.

This handling can indeed be said to be impeccable in the current situation, and there is no room for further making things difficult. After all, no matter what, the Marshall family was not directly found guilty in the previous investigation. As for Futaba , no matter how much she wanted to beat the Marshall family to death with a stick, it would be impossible.

So the girl just smiled faintly...

"It's a very beautiful decision. I have no objection at all. It's just that...should we focus our energy first on the dark forest where a large number of criminals may gather?"

Chapter 319: End