The wheels rolled over the road, and the carriage entered Xiaya, passed through the city gates, and headed towards the center of the city.
Along the way, Richard saw through the car window that Xia Ya's current scene had undergone some subtle changes from more than three years ago.
Speaking of which, he observed Char more than three years ago, not long after the war between the Soma Alliance and the Sika Kingdom ended. Although the Soma Alliance won the war at that time, the national power was consumed a lot, which led to a plummeting living standard of civilians, excessive taxes, and the closure of many shops in the city.
Compared with more than three years ago, the situation does not seem to have eased much. On the contrary, it seems to be more serious.
At a glance, at least 30% of the shops on the street are closed, and another 30% have dilapidated facades with few customers. The street became quite deserted, and the occasional pedestrians were in a hurry and did not stop in front of the shops at all.
The owner of a grocery store was leaning on the door frame, as if he had given up on struggling. He was not soliciting customers at all, he was just staring blankly, not knowing what to think.
The owner of the tailor shop next door was not much better. He stood in front of the door and kept sighing.
It was rare to be quiet in the blacksmith shop in the distance. It took a long time before the sound of forging could be heard intermittently. The sound was dull and sounded a bit cold and lifeless. It lasted for only a few minutes and then stopped, and the fire seemed to go out.
This situation lasted until the center of Xiaya City improved. The streets in the center of the city still looked prosperous, and the shops were still prosperous. But looking at the broken bluestone floor due to disrepair, and looking at the horse manure and garbage piled up on the street corner due to neglect, you know that beneath the surface, decay has begun.
It seems... In the past few years, the Soma Alliance has been experiencing quite a lot of internal friction due to the competition for the throne...
Richard thought and instructed the carriage to drive to the reception desk.
The reception desk looks much the same as it did three years ago, almost unchanged.
After getting off the carriage, Richard knocked on the door and entered, identifying himself. He was quickly received respectfully, and it didn't take long for him to settle down - he lived in the same courtyard he had been used to living in more than three years ago.
After settling in, someone came to visit me in the afternoon.
It’s not a stranger, it’s the honorary Duke Cyril Sack who once went to Sarin.
This 70-year-old man returned to Charia early after getting the desired reply from Sarin. It seems that the alliance thought that this person had good communication. After knowing that he arrived at Charia, they sent him out directly. .
The purpose of sending them was actually simple, just to exchange information about meeting with the Alliance Emperor.
According to Cyril Sack's statement, the Emperor of the Alliance is very eager to meet, but he also wants to make the meeting more grand, so the specific time cannot be determined for the time being, only within three days.
Richard didn't care too much about this. His main purpose of coming to Xia this time was to give the alliance an explanation. It doesn't matter whether you bow your head or give up some peripheral interests on the surface, as long as you make sure that the alliance will not cause trouble for Sarin anymore, you can meet with the alliance emperor at any time.
Knowing Richard's attitude, Cyril Sack was obviously relieved and expressed great appreciation. He didn't stay much after that, just said a few polite words, excused himself as having something to do, got up and left.
Before leaving the house, he didn't know whether it was a kind reminder or a warning with ulterior motives. Cyril Sack said: "Well... Lord Richard, since you promised to meet with His Majesty at any time in the past few days, it is best not to do it before the meeting." Feel free to leave the reception.
To be honest... Although His Majesty has been on the throne for some time, some rebellious parties have not been completely eliminated. There may be a few trying to cause sabotage on the streets. The public security in Xiaya is worrying. It would be bad if you go out casually and something unexpected happens, affecting your meeting with His Majesty. "
"Is that so?" Richard raised his eyebrows, "That's true. I really want to meet the so-called rebel party, and I happened to kill it for His Majesty. Since I was able to help the alliance win the national war, now I will kill a few It must not be difficult to break up the party."
"Uh..." Cyril Sack was stunned, and then he clearly remembered that Richard's identity was not just Lord Salin, but also a powerful wizard. According to rumors, he is even one of the most powerful wizards in the entire main continent. Such a person does not need to worry about safety issues in Xiaya.
After opening and closing his lips a few times, Cyril Sack smiled awkwardly and said, "Well, I have underestimated you, Lord Richard, and I apologize. But having said that, no matter what, there is nothing wrong with being careful."
"Okay, I'll pay attention, Duke of Sac."
"That's good, I'll take my leave."
"goodbye."
"goodbye."
…
In the darkening night, Cyril Sack got into the carriage and left.
Not long after Cyril Sack left, Richard left the reception area and disappeared into the darkness outside.
When he appeared again after more than ten minutes, he was already in front of a three-story stone building in Xiaya City.
The three-story stone building looked like it had not been occupied for a long time. There were many cracks and stains on the exterior wall. There was no light inside, and even the door at the entrance was a little crooked.
When Richard saw the appearance of the stone building, he frowned and suddenly turned around to look at the alley opposite the stone building.
At the entrance of the alley, a man hidden under a gray robe appeared. He stretched out his right hand from the robe and pressed lightly on his left shoulder.
After doing this, turn around and leave.
Richard narrowed his eyes and followed up with him, twisting and turning, and finally entered an ordinary small courtyard.
In the small courtyard, there was another man hidden under a green robe waiting. The man in gray robe consciously stood guard at the door of the courtyard, as if to prevent others from breaking in.
Richard looked at the man in green robe and asked, "Are you a subordinate of Longshu? Do you have any news for me?"
"I am indeed Lord Nagarjuna's subordinate. Lord Nagarjuna asked me to hand this thing over to you, sir." The man in green robe said respectfully, stepped closer, and handed out a small box the size of a palm.
Richard stretched out his hand to take it. He stopped midway and looked at the green-robed man's face inquiringly. He asked with a bit of amusement, "Are you really Longshu's subordinate?"
The man in green robe trembled slightly, but did not respond. The next moment, he suddenly shook the box in his hand.
"Crack!"
The box shattered, and a blood-red light flew out from inside, hitting Richard's body with almost no time to react.
Like a sharp blade cutting through butter, the light pierced Richard's body without any hindrance, pierced his heart, and flew out from behind.
"boom!"
Richard's body fell to the ground and there was no sound at all.
The man in green robe was stunned for a moment, as if he did not expect that things would be so easy. After a while, he looked at the man in gray robe and asked, "Is he dead?"
"Probably." The man in gray robe was not sure either.