Chapter 704: Undercurrents Surging in the Maple Leaf Fief

Li Chen felt that the key pieces of the Great Luo Dynasty's chess game had already been placed, and the situation would be difficult to fundamentally change in the short term.

The cooperation between his two "disciples," Matvei and Xie Ergai, needed time to ferment, and the responses of Ivan and Romanov also needed observation.

Since that was the case, he, the chess player, did not need to be in a hurry for success.

This time, coming with Lyudmila, on the surface, it was an incognito inspection, playing the role of an ordinary wizard to test whether the family she belonged to was worthy of the Witch God's grace. In reality, it was also an opportunity for himself to deeply understand the grassroots conditions of the Great Luo.

He was not in a hurry to immediately contact Lyudmila's family, but intended to observe the Maple Leaf Fief and its surroundings first.

He needed to understand the most real public opinion. What did the people think about this protracted war? How much awe did they still have for that muddled and abdicated Emperor Ivan?

Were they worshipping or fearing the suddenly risen and mysterious Witch Ancestor? And what was their evaluation of that newly promoted Grand Duke Xie Ergai, who held heavy troops and was both righteous and evil?

As the person playing the chess, one must never just sit in the clouds and place pieces based on one's own imagination; one must integrate into the world of ordinary people and listen to the most real voices.

If he descended here with the supreme identity of the Witch Ancestor, there would inevitably be only flattery and trembling wherever he went, and he would never be able to reach the truth.

Just like now, he and Lyudmila were merely standing by the side of a street crowded with people, and they could feel countless gazes.

Those hungry refugees had dull and numb eyes, but when they swept over Lyudmila's petite yet stunningly curved body, a trace of greed and desire that was not easily detected would always flash by.

If it were not for Li Chen, who was wearing a wizard's robe and looked like someone not to be trifled with, standing beside her, I am afraid someone would have already been unable to hold back and done something crazy.

Lyudmila clearly also felt these uncomfortable gazes. She subconsciously moved closer to Li Chen and whispered an explanation: "Master Witch Ancestor, please believe me, the public security in our Maple Leaf Fief used to be very good, and there would never be such chaotic situations as now.

It is just... it is just that the Lord of the Fief, that is, my father, was conscripted by His Majesty some time ago and took most of the elite soldiers of the fief to the south to participate in the war, leading to a significant decline in the internal management and security forces of the fief.

Coupled with these refugees who are pouring in continuously, many of them have lost everything in their hometowns and have become unscrupulous. Our family kindly gives them food, but they..."

Her tone carried grievance and a trace of eagerness, trying hard to prove the kindness and difficulty of her family to Li Chen, fearing that these negative impressions would affect the Witch Ancestor's perception of her family.

Li Chen nodded calmly to show understanding, but did not say much, only signaling her to continue following and observing.

Seeing that Li Chen did not express his stance, Lyudmila felt uneasy, but did not dare to say more, and could only follow obediently behind.

According to Lyudmila's introduction, besides the Shuysky family (the lord's family) to which she belonged, the Maple Leaf Fief...

There were four other families entrenched, jointly constituting the power structure of the fief.

They were: the Kuznetsov family, famous for mining and forging; the Volkov family, which controlled most of the mountain hunting grounds and fur trade.

The Popov family, mainly engaged in grain trade and warehousing; and the Smirnov family, mainly engaged in shipping and river trade.

These four families each had their own foundations, and their relationship with the lord's Shuysky family was intricate, with both cooperation and competition.

In order to reduce unnecessary trouble, Lyudmila took out a veil and put it on, covering her clear and moving face.

However, this act of trying to cover up actually highlighted her pair of eyes, which were as blue as a lake, and her graceful figure beneath the veil, which was concave and convex and invited infinite reverie.

The gazes of passersby not only did not decrease, but instead had a few more traces of inquiry and speculation, all secretly guessing what kind of stunning beauty was beneath that veil. ===== CHAPTER 705 =====