the other side.
Richard returned to Blue Lake Manor.
Because the return journey was not as urgent as the outbound journey, Richard did not choose to use magic to rush back, but took a more comfortable carriage to rush back.
During the carriage ride, he had time to review the entire inquiry session.
To be honest, this inquiry meeting was simpler than he thought, and many of the things he had prepared before were not used.
This is a good thing, after all, it saves a lot of effort.
But on the other hand, there are also some regrets, because the things he prepared did not have a chance to be used, which reduced the time for performance, resulting in many loopholes that were not filled.
In the eyes of some people, there must still be doubts. When the guarantee is not complete, he will have to dig it out again and ask questions, which will cost him two things.
But having said that, objectively speaking, this inquiry meeting was relatively successful.
Because the target of the attack is Chekafu, an inspector from the headquarters, he has a natural identity conflict with the local branch.
This resulted in the people in the branch organization of the Truth Society leaning towards him to a certain extent, which reduced the difficulty.
Somewhat surprisingly, Chekhov died on the spot.
He was not sure whether it was due to Chikafu's own health or because someone else had tampered with it.
This inquiry meeting is not as simple as it seems.
Richard sighed in his heart.
After sighing, my thinking became very clear.
Maybe there was something inside the inquiry meeting that he didn't know about, but it had nothing to do with him for the time being. After he has passed the inquiry meeting, he will be in a safe state for a period of time and can fully devote himself to the research and manufacturing plan of nuclear weapons to promote progress.
As for what will happen after this period of time has passed, it is not his consideration.
By then, his nuclear weapons research and manufacturing plans have been completed. Even if the truth finds out everything, turns against him, and targets him with all his strength, it doesn't matter.
After all, he had been prepared to fall out with the Truth Society from the very beginning.
If you really fall out, the worst thing you can do is convince others with reason.
Well, convince the Truth Society with the truth.
Richard was sitting in the carriage, thinking about this, closing his eyes and relaxing.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak..."
The carriage, pulled by four strong black horses, left Delan and headed towards Jialan City.
…
"Squeak, squeak, squeak..."
In the afternoon of a new day, the carriage drove into the Blue Lake Manor, and Richard finally rushed back from Delan.
After paying the fare and sending the carriage away, Richard sat down in the study room on the stone floor of the manor.
The butler Gallie was very sensible and brought a cup of hot tea.
Richard took a sip of tea and felt a warm liquid flow down his throat, making him feel much better.
Taking a long breath, he already made a decision on what to do next. He rolled his eyes, looked at the butler Gallie, and asked aloud: "How is the situation in the manor recently?" This was to make the final arrangements so that he could devote himself wholeheartedly to his busy work.
At this time, Jialie was wearing a new gray-white cotton coat and was standing aside. Compared with when he first met Richard, he has gained a lot of weight and is a lot more energetic. His eyes were very alert. After listening to Richard's words, he immediately said: "Master, everything in the manor has been normal recently, and everything is operating within the framework you prescribed. The only problem that may be there may be related to expenditures."
"In terms of expenditure?" Richard raised his eyebrows, "What happened to the expenditure?"
"Well, our manor may have spent a bit too much." Jialie said carefully, handing a list to Richard's desk.
"Look, Master, the previous large-scale maintenance of the manor, the trimming of the wind tunnel, as well as some procurement, personnel hiring, etc., all accounted for a large proportion." Gallie said quickly, "I understand, we The cost is almost three times that of a similar manor in Jialan City, which is very abnormal.
Another thing is that we have only had expenses and no income. Although I know that you, Master, are not very short of money, it is not an option if this continues. Maybe, Master, you can adjust it? For example, lay off some extra servants and reduce the purchase of redundant items... "
"No need." Richard waved his hand to interrupt Galie's words, and chuckled, "You don't have to worry too much about expenditures - with the current level of expenditures, there is no room for worry at all. My wealth It can be fully supported. If one day we are unable to support it, it cannot be solved by reducing expenditures in a manor. We may need to find a way to loot an entire city or an entire country."
"Gudong." Gallie swallowed, stunned, and then nodded to express his understanding.
Richard asked again: "Besides, is there anything else?"
"Ah, by the way, there is an invitation. Master, maybe you should take a look." Jialie said, handing over an invitation.
Richard frowned slightly: "Didn't I tell you before that you don't need to show me similar invitations."
"But this one is different from the others." Gallie quickly explained, "You were invited by Marquis Vian. The Marquis's two children, Harry and Cathy, are both your students. I think there is this relationship, and you might It’s not necessary if you want to take a look.”
"Marquis Wei'an?" After hearing this, Richard opened the invitation and took a quick glance at it, and found that it was indeed the case.
Marquis Vian was actually a rare acquaintance of his in Jialan City. He had solved the problem of the source of glass during the previous construction of the experimental wind tunnel. The other party's banquet invitation is indeed different from others.
After reading the invitation, Richard asked curiously: "When Marquis Vian sent the invitation, did he tell you the reason? In what name did he invite me to the banquet?"
"Of course I asked, Master." Gallie said, "Actually, to be honest, there is no other reason for inviting you at this time. The only possibility is to celebrate the Saturnalia."
"Celebrate 'Saturnalia'?" Richard was slightly startled.
"Yeah, why, Master, you don't know?" Looking at Richard's expression, Jialie was slightly startled and reminded in a low voice, "Today is December 24th."
After hearing Gallie's words, Richard reacted.
December 24th, the fourth day of the Snow Moon, and the eighth day before the end of each year, is the popular Saturnalia in the Southern Free Federation.
Although there is no powerful religion in the current world, some primitive worship still exists.
For example, the legendary goddess of luck, the goddess of the night, the god of death, and the god of agriculture.
The God of Agriculture is said to be the god in charge of the soil and can influence the growth of crops in the new year, so he is believed by many people.
On December 24th, people will celebrate this day, which is also a rare grand festival in the year.
The difference is that due to economic reasons, most common people celebrate by adding a roast chicken to their dinner, while the nobles hold extravagant dinners.
"'Saturnalia'." Richard said. He had heard about this before, but as an outsider, he really didn't have much impression.
It was the same in the Blue Lion Kingdom before. He had never felt any excitement about the Holy Water Festival held on June 20 every year—the more lively the festival, the colder he felt.
In the deepest part of his soul, he never felt that these festivals were real festivals.
The real festival should be on the first day and the last day of each year, and so on.