Chapter 360: The Beacon Newspaper

Early the next morning, Wu Chang and Ailin were woken up by the maid. When they walked out of the bedroom, they saw Lei Wendun already sitting at the dining table.

"The cinnamon apple jam Chef Brown made today is even better than what I had at the Hunter Restaurant. Could you help me pack two portions to go?"

Wu Chang sat at the head of the table, glanced at Lei Wendun, and laughed, scolding him:

"You really treat my house like a restaurant. Coming to eat is one thing, but now you're asking for takeout."

Lei Wendun said matter-of-factly, "Not being consumed by a diner who knows how to appreciate it is the greatest tragedy for fine food. I am helping you."

Wu Chang asked, "Are you saying I should thank you?"

Lei Wendun bowed slightly and said, "Think nothing of it; it is my honor to serve you."

Wu Chang rolled his eyes and began to enjoy his breakfast.

The main course for breakfast was grilled pork chops with apple jam. In Wu Chang’s opinion, this definitely belonged to the category of "dark cuisine," but it tasted surprisingly good.

At the very least, in Stilane, the basin of gastronomy, it was definitely well above the average standard. No wonder the previous owner of the villa had specifically hired this chef from Fran.

This was Stilane, the center of the world.

To satisfy their appetites, the new nobility could hire a chef from the neighboring country of Fran to serve them exclusively.

For instance, the chef at Wu Chang’s house, Brown, had once worked at a high-end restaurant in the capital of Fran. To poach him, the previous owner of the house had offered a price of three hundred pounds per year.

The annual salary paid to the chef alone was equivalent to the food expenses of an ordinary family of four for ten years, or even more.

And that was assuming they lived in the working-class district and had a stable life.

Even excluding the colonies and counting only Stilane itself, tens of thousands of poor people died of starvation every year due to the Corn Laws.

"Behind the vermilion gates, wine and meat go to waste; on the road, there are bones of the frozen dead"—this existed even in the most prosperous Stilane in the world.

Breakfast over, they began to continue their investigation into the assassination of the Prime Minister.

Today’s target was the Charter Movement.

However, they did not go to find the workers' parade at the start, but instead headed to the Gray Chapel slums. Just like yesterday, Lei Wendun was still moonlighting as the carriage driver.

Arriving at Thomas’s home, one could see that Thomas’s older sister, Gelei, was already able to get out of bed and move around, and the color in her face had improved significantly.

They had just finished breakfast; the two of them had combined less than half a pound of black bread, a little butter, and two small bowls of oatmeal, costing less than a penny in total.

In terms of price conversion, the cost was equivalent to the meat scraps Lei Wendun picked from his teeth after breakfast, or the sauce he wiped from the corner of his mouth with a napkin.

Ailin checked Gelei’s body again to ensure there were no residual toxins, then asked her to call over the surrounding residents who needed treatment to continue the healing from last night.

Wu Chang and Lei Wendun found Thomas to ask about the mine thieves.

"Thomas, among the group of mine thieves you recruited, do you know a person named Mike?"

Thomas nodded and said, "I know him. He is the leader among the mine thieves. Every time we sell coal essence to the black market and start splitting the money, he always appears."

"Mr. Xiao En, if you have business with him, I’m afraid that won’t be possible."

"I heard from my companions that when the coal mine exploded, he was in the deep mining area and didn't make it out in time."

Wu Chang and Lei Wendun exchanged a look. This meant that not long after Mike discovered the transcendent refining machine, the Steam Council immediately orchestrated the coal mine explosion.

"Do you know who was close to Mike? For example, when you had information to pass to Mike, who did you usually go through to relay the message?"

Thomas thought for a moment and shook his head:

"I’m sorry, Mr. Xiao En. You might not believe it, but Mike possessed a special trait that made people unconsciously gather around him."

"Back at the Pine Coal Mine, he was always surrounded by many people. If you wanted to find him, you just had to go to Mine Tunnel No. 37 and ask, and someone would tell you where he was."

Wu Chang raised an eyebrow; he hadn't expected this Mike to have such charisma.

But that made sense. He remembered that in the resentment, members of the Steam Council had mentioned that messenger magic was noble magic, a type of magic passed down only in noble transcendent families.

From this, it could be seen that Mike was not an ordinary transcendent mine thief, but someone from a prominent family—or at least, he once was.

He followed up by asking, "Then have you ever heard of him being close to any big shots?"

Thomas repeated in confusion, "Big shots?"

To him, there were too many people who could be called big shots.

Wu Chang added, "They don't have to be very big, just a minor noble would do."

The term "minor noble" touched upon the limits of Thomas’s knowledge. He shook his head and said:

"If anyone at the mine could get to know a noble, it would be common knowledge by the next day. I don’t recall hearing any such rumors."

"However..."

"I mentioned to you yesterday that some time ago, when everyone went to the city to parade, they thought I was too thin and didn't let me go along, just letting me do small errands like delivering messages."

"Most of the time, I was responsible for helping pass on verbal messages. Only once did a companion from the mine thief group ask me to help deliver a paper letter."

A paper letter—hearing this, Wu Chang and Lei Wendun perked up.

In Stilane, most lower-class workers began working as child laborers from the age of five or six, so the level of education they received could be imagined.

Especially for lower-class workers like miners and textile workers, less than a quarter could even write their own names.

This low level of education was also the basis for Prime Minister Logan’s belief that they lacked political judgment.

For a miner to be passing paper letters, there had to be something unusual about it.

Thomas hesitated for a moment and continued:

"That companion told me to deliver the letter to the Beacon Newspaper office and give it to a man named Connor."

"I arrived at the Beacon Newspaper office with the letter and found that everyone there was very respectful toward the man named Connor, calling him Mr. Connor. Perhaps he could barely be considered a big shot."

Wu Chang turned to look at Lei Wendun. As someone who had always lived in the New World, he was righteously ignorant of the Connor Thomas spoke of.

Lei Wendun, however, showed a look of surprise and said:

"If I’m not mistaken, the Connor who received Thomas’s letter should be the founder of the Beacon Newspaper and one of the initiators of the Charter Movement."

"Although he is not a noble, he was once elected as a member of the Lower Academy. He really is a big shot."

In front of Thomas, Wu Chang and Lei Wendun did not spell it out, but they both understood that the messenger magic Mike used, even if the recipient on the other end wasn't Connor, was definitely related to him.

Since that was the case, the target for the next investigation surfaced.

After the investigation into the Pine Coal Mine explosion, Thomas no longer dared to casually ask about what Wu Chang was investigating. He could only ask in a low voice:

"Mr. Xiao En, is there anything you need me to do?"

Wu Chang shook his head. He took two one-pound banknotes from the winnings he’d taken from Lei Wendun yesterday and stuffed them into Thomas’s hand.

"You don't need to do anything extra. Just stay home during this time and take good care of your sister."

"If anyone asks you to deliver a letter again, especially a paper letter, just let me know immediately."

Thomas asked, "Then how should I find you?"

Wu Chang said with some helplessness, "You don't need to find me. My wife will come here often to help the patients in the area who need help. You just need to tell her."

Hearing that Ailin would frequently appear in the slums, Thomas immediately showed a look of joy, even happier than when he received the two pounds in his hand.

After yesterday’s treatment, Ailin’s status in the slums was already equivalent to a saint walking on earth.

This could be seen from the Miracle Tree, which had already grown to three meters tall this morning.

Since the next target had been found, Wu Chang and Lei Wendun did not continue to linger in the slums.

Before leaving, Lei Wendun found two literate workers from the crowd gathered around and distributed a small booklet to them.

The booklet contained methods for preventing malaria, such as filling in sewage pits, regularly clearing trash, organizing manpower to clear out mosquitoes, and so on.

The tasks were not complicated; Lei Wendun had written the response methods for each problem in the booklet. It only required some labor and a small amount of money to complete.

The money would come from Wu Chang; in any case, the funds were drawn directly from the Queen, so he didn't feel the pinch when spending it.

Moreover, just improving the environment and paying for labor wouldn't cost much.

One had to know that this was the Gray Chapel slums, where there was an abundance of lower-class laborers who would do anything as long as they could ensure food and warmth.

Even the Gray Chapel Poorhouse, which had a 15% mortality rate after entering, had people willing to go just to avoid starving to death. A job that involved cleaning up the slum environment—which was easy, provided meals, paid wages, and was for their own benefit—was simply the perfect job.

As for how to get the slum residents to cooperate with the prevention efforts and maintain the environment as required, the method was very simple.

One only needed to say one sentence: "This is Ailin’s wish."

To put it bluntly, the residents of the Gray Chapel slums, under the torment of their living environment and the Great Malaria, were only a few days away from death regardless.

Like Gelei before she was treated, they were so poor that they didn't even have their lives to spare, leaving them with only a fervent faith.

Ailin, who had manifested a miracle and saved them from the brink of death, held a god-like appeal in their hearts.

As long as it was Ailin’s will, it would be carried out within the slum area.

Having arranged the slum management matters, Wu Chang and Lei Wendun left the slums. But just as they left the Gray Chapel slums, they saw Zhu Li’s carriage parked on the side of the road ahead.

Lei Wendun pulled down the brim of his top hat, as if he were truly a carriage driver, curled his body into the driver’s seat, and whispered:

"I’ll wait for you here."

Wu Chang said amusedly, "Are you that afraid of seeing her?"

"It’s not that I’m afraid," Lei Wendun immediately denied, then lowered his voice and whispered, "It’s just that before solving the Steam Council, I don’t want to have any unnecessary conflicts with her."

Wu Chang shook his head, got off the carriage, and entered Zhu Li’s carriage.

When Zhu Li saw Wu Chang, the first thing she said was, "Lei Wendun instigated them to do this; I saw it all just now. If you are allowed to continue, can it make this place better?"

Wu Chang said without hesitation, "Of course. You only need to wait a few days and come back to see. The facts will give you the answer."

Zhu Li was stunned for a moment. In her eyes, which had been filled with confusion since they met, a rare smile appeared.

"Then you should continue. I won’t let anyone disturb you. If you can truly change this place, I can give the poorhouse to you."

Wu Chang said, "The residents here will thank you."

Zhu Li didn't say it explicitly, but her meaning was clear: as the Archbishop of the Saint Enlightenment Church, she had already tacitly approved of Ailin’s missionary activities in the Gray Chapel slums.

If Ailin could achieve results, she would even give the Gray Chapel Poorhouse to Ailin.

A church could be converted into a poorhouse, so a poorhouse could likewise be converted back into a church. If the Eternal Light Church possessed a stable church, then this place could truly become Ailin’s Kingdom of God.

However, as the Archbishop of the Saint Enlightenment Church, was there really no problem with voluntarily splitting off believers and a church?

He asked carefully, "Won’t doing this have any impact on you?"

Zhu Li shook her head, changed the subject, and said:

"I have already reported your discovery at the Pine Tree Coal Mine yesterday to Her Majesty the Queen, and Her Majesty is very satisfied with your actions."

"According to the previous agreement, tonight, Her Majesty the Queen will formally announce the existence of the Arcane Knights and yourself to all of Stilan."

Wu Chang asked in surprise: "So soon? Is it not possible to wait a few days?"

Zhu Li said: "The Prime Minister has just been assassinated, so it is not suitable to convene the parliament frequently in the near future. Therefore, your inauguration ceremony will be combined with the inauguration ceremony of the interim Prime Minister. If you are dissatisfied, I can also help you apply to the Queen for a one-week postponement."

Wu Chang shook his head and said: "No need, today is fine. I happen to like things to be this fast."

Zhu Li said: "Although the time is rushed, tonight's inauguration ceremony concerns the entire Stilan, so the etiquette cannot be neglected."

"Therefore, before the evening, you need to go with me to practice the banquet etiquette several times."

Wu Chang's face turned bitter; it seemed he could only use his True Self to investigate the Bright Lamp Newspaper office first.

Zhu Li said: "By the way, Commander Xiao En, if you have already chosen your Vice Commander, you can bring him along to attend the banquet."

Wu Chang suddenly thought of something and asked: "Will my Vice Commander accept the training with me?"

Zhu Li nodded and said: "Of course, he will also appear before the Queen, so naturally he must also undergo training."

Wu Chang continued to ask: "Will you guide us together?"

Zhu Li said: "If you are not satisfied with my teaching, I can help you find a specialized court etiquette teacher."

"No need, you are just fine," Wu Chang said without hesitation, then he stuck his head out of the carriage and shouted toward Lei Wendun in the distance:

"Vice Commander, the plan has changed!"

While Wu Chang's main body and Lei Wendun were investigating the Pine Tree Coal Mine explosion, Wu Chang's True Self was not idle either, constantly wandering around Grimlund.

Unlike the main body, which focused more on the direct investigation of the Prime Minister's assassination case and had the identity of the Arcane Knights Commander as a cover, everything did not need to be hidden.

The True Self, however, focused more on secret investigations, especially those involving transcendents, plane rules, and the Abyss Game player domain.

Yesterday, the True Self, operating with social phobia, witnessed many battles between players.

The large number of battles allowed him to discover two things.

First, the quality of players in this dungeon was far superior to any other dungeon he had joined in the past.

Almost everyone had a hidden profession, and at the same time, basically every player had one or two trump cards up their sleeve.

Second, the Source Power within the dungeon was expanding more, beginning to squeeze other rules.

The expansion of Source Power was not surprising to him, but what surprised him was that the node of the Source Power's expansion happened to be after he discovered the transcendent refining machine and brought out its core essence furnace.

Combined with the Steam Phantom's main quest two, to obtain at least one "Jewel in the Industrial Crown," he had reason to suspect that the cause of the Source Power's expansion was the acquisition of the transcendent steam engine by players.

Why would the removal of the transcendent steam engine accelerate the Plane Child's source erosion of the plane?

At first, he thought the transcendent steam engine might be some kind of suppression object, and the Plane Child was a monster suppressed by them.

Later, learning of the existence of the Steam Council from Lei Wendun made him negate this suspicion, requiring a re-investigation.

Through this morning's newspaper, he saw that last night, the serial killer had struck again, killing a policeman named Brian.

The location of the crime was very subtle, situated in the industrial zone near the Gray Church slums, which made Wu Chang feel uneasy. He originally wanted to control his True Self to investigate the serial killer case.

But since the main body was going to attend etiquette training at this moment, and the investigation into the Bright Lamp Newspaper was a top priority, he could only change his plan temporarily and use his True Self to go investigate.

The East District of Grimlund, located downstream of the Hills River, was lined with factories along the riverbanks, and the river surface was covered with steam transport ships emitting black smoke.

This was a gathering place for factories and also an area where workers were active.

The Bright Lamp Newspaper was founded to promote the Charter Movement, and its main purpose was to express the demands of the workers and guide the workers' movement, so the headquarters of the Bright Lamp Newspaper in Grimlund was naturally built in the East District.

The True Self walked through the East District, and he could buy a copy of the Bright Lamp Newspaper from any newsboy he passed by.

Wu Chang bought a copy and read it while walking.

Since the main users of the newspaper were workers, the wording in the newspaper was easy to understand and the expression was completely colloquial, so it could be finished quickly.

The content in the newspaper mainly called for workers from all over to participate, spread the ideology of the workers' movement, and reported on workers' gatherings, strikes, and parades across Stilan.

In this copy of the Bright Lamp Newspaper he bought, it also mentioned that after the Pine Tree Coal Mine explosion triggered workers' activities, a large number of workers were arrested and imprisoned, and had not yet been released.

Reading it simply, the overall tone of the newspaper still tended toward peaceful petitioning, and it was temporarily impossible to link the Bright Lamp Newspaper to the Prime Minister's assassination case.

He read while walking, and not long after, he saw the office of the Bright Lamp Newspaper.

Before he could get close, he heard a shout from ahead.

"Magical divination arts from the East, guiding your path for tomorrow, for just a few pennies, you can get rid of bad luck, no payment if not accurate!"

Wu Chang looked toward the familiar voice and saw a crude fortune-telling stall set up not far from the Bright Lamp Newspaper office. The fortune teller shouting was none other than Jianxing, whom he had just met not long ago.

(End of chapter)