The church had probably deployed more than thirty spies in Changhe Town. Except for those who were out in public, Benjamin found all the remaining people and eliminated them one by one.
The whole process was very easy. With his current strength, these small fish and shrimps were no match for him. In about half an hour, Changhe Town was quietly cleaned up by him.
There were only a few people left in public places such as taverns. Benjamin couldn't make a move, so he had to let them go.
And when passing by a hotel, unexpectedly, he met an acquaintance.
"How are the goods being stored? Although the war has not yet reached this point, prices will skyrocket before long. Harold and the others are hoarding goods, and we cannot be slower than them..."
Entering the corridor of the hotel, Benjamin couldn't help but raise his eyebrows when he heard the faint sounds coming from the room.
Through the water element induction method, he could see that the rich businessman Hal was in the room.
—Benjamin served as his magical tutor several times. On the one occasion when he was unable to enter Glory, it was the merchant who helped him bring letters to the king who had not yet fled.
Benjamin couldn't help but remember that he had previously united the merchant class of Carites by teaching magic. Unfortunately, things happened one after another, and the contact between him and these businessmen was also severed.
But now...the king will soon discover his base, which is a good time to reestablish contact with the wealthy businessmen.
The king will need their help.
So he stopped at the door of that room and knocked.
"who?"
Alert voices came from the room.
"An old friend." Benjamin replied with a smile, "I come here with no ill intentions, I just want to pay attention to your young master's study progress. What did he learn about the book I left for him last time?"
The room suddenly fell silent.
Benjamin was not in a hurry, just waiting patiently.
After a moment, the door was suddenly opened, and a man who looked like a butler lowered his head and hurriedly left the room. In the room, the wealthy businessman Hal filled a glass of champagne and gave Benjamin a friendly smile.
Seeing this, Benjamin nodded, walked into the room, and closed the door.
"Sure enough, it's been a long time." The wealthy businessman Hal also spoke at this time, his attitude was unexpectedly good, "Master Benjamin, during this time, I have heard a lot about your great deeds."
… oh
Benjamin's heart moved, he took the champagne calmly, and said with a smile: "You are very grateful."
The two clinked their glasses together and took a sip of wine. Hal immediately asked: "Master Benjamin, I won't make so many detours. Is it true that His Majesty the King escaped from Glory and hid somewhere in Carites with you?"
Benjamin nodded.
"Where is His Majesty? Is he still alive?" Hal asked again.
"of course."
Hal seemed to be relieved when he heard this. He took a few more sips of wine and said, "Master Benjamin, when will Your Majesty plan to return to the royal capital?"
Benjamin raised his eyebrows: "Why do you think His Majesty will return to the capital?"
"Because he is His Majesty." Hal put down the wine and showed a serious expression, "As a bloodline of the royal family, as long as he lives for one day, he will try his best to regain the throne."
"Interesting..." Benjamin smiled and said, "Why are you suddenly so concerned about the safety of His Majesty the King? I told you before that the church controls the palace and controls His Majesty, but at that time you still had an attitude of staying out of it."
"That's different." Hal immediately shook his head. "It was His Majesty who was sitting on the throne at that time, but now it's another person sitting on the throne. The difference is huge."
Benjamin was a little surprised when he heard this.
Forgetting the former granary steward, he never expected that this businessman would be a staunch supporter of the royal family's orthodoxy. This is inconsistent with his class position!
It was true that Benjamin wanted to win the support of these businessmen, but... the contrast in their attitudes was so huge that he couldn't help but have some doubts.
"So, your Excellency plans to support His Majesty's return to the throne?" He narrowed his eyes and asked slowly.
Hal nodded.
"Why?"
Hal smiled again, showing a somewhat embarrassed look, and said, "To tell you the truth, the current situation in Carites is getting more and more difficult for those of us doing business."
"How could it be?" Thinking of what he just heard outside the door, Benjamin couldn't help but said, "Now that there is a war and prices are soaring, isn't it a good time to make a fortune?"
"Yes, it is indeed an opportunity." Hal explained, "But because of the order from Glory, we can hardly grasp this opportunity. The ban on entry and exit from the city has been maintained for too long, and every entry and exit must be strict. Check, my caravan has been delayed for an unknown amount of time. Not only me, but all the merchants in Carites have suffered heavy losses due to this, and we look forward to the day when the ban can be completely lifted."
Benjamin nodded thoughtfully and said, "So... or is it because the church is preventing you from making money?"
"It's not just that we are not allowed to make money." Hal said very dissatisfiedly, "Although the ban is only a strict inspection of entry and exit, you should also know the virtues of the soldiers in those places. When you see that we are a caravan and have money, every time How can they give up without making a deal when we pass by? Master Benjamin, do you know how much we have lost in the past few months?"
Benjamin was stunned.
Strict inspections at the city gate have been maintained to prevent Benjamin and the others from sneaking in. But now, Benjamin no longer enters the city at all, but the merchant is made miserable and dissatisfied by this order.
But... the church obviously doesn't care what the local businessmen think.
It really pushes people towards them.
"That's it." Benjamin took another sip of wine and said, "That's what the church is like. If they don't leave Carites for a day, everyone will have a bad day."
"That's the truth." Hal also nodded and said slowly, "Master Benjamin, how long will your majesty hide? Only your majesty can end this situation. Although we can't do anything, we can still do it with one or two donations. .”
When Benjamin heard this, he finally smiled.
Before he entered, he didn't expect that the businessman's support would come so easily. He came in with the intention of being a lobbyist, but the other party turned out to be so active that he didn't need to speak.
At this moment, he suddenly realized that the appeal of royal power was greater than he imagined. In the past, he ran around and got only a little support, but now, if you put the king's name here, others will automatically come to help you.
… There is a touch of helplessness.
He felt a little unaccustomed to being so relaxed all of a sudden.
"Master Benjamin, please give me an answer." Seeing that Benjamin didn't speak for a long time, Hal asked nervously, "When will Your Majesty come back?"
Benjamin came back to his senses and smiled slightly.
At this moment, there was a burst of noise from the street outside the hotel window.
Hal turned his head in shock and looked out the window. The originally peaceful night in the town suddenly became extremely noisy. There seemed to be flashes of fire in the streets in the distance, and there were also faint shouts of killing.
Crying to kill...
As if he thought of something, Hal turned his head and looked at Benjamin with disbelief.
Benjamin still had a calm smile.
"What's the rush? Your Majesty will be back soon, isn't he?" he said.