Chapter 27

Time flies, the years sing... Well, it wasn't long, I just wanted to use these two words. In fact, it was only two days, and the city of Sulfur Mountain had already returned to its usual calm.

On that day, when all the fugitives and opportunistic villains were judged, either hung in mid-air by invisible ropes or beheaded instantly, those who had not yet crossed the line or were about to cross it, upon realizing they were already on an invisible guillotine, immediately stopped their criminal activities.

The chaos did not last long. When the external enemies were cleared out, and the judicial personnel of the Four Halls and One Academy stepped in to maintain order, the city of Sulfur Mountain quickly returned to its former state.

The massive red dragon, covered in wounds from the battle, glided over half the city, its wounds still bleeding as it crashed into the Holy Light District. When the news spread that the city's guardian, the ancient red dragon Einmythos, was so severely injured that it required the healing of over a hundred paladins and priests, the rumors that the three major figures were袖手旁观 and taking the opportunity to eliminate rivals naturally fell apart.

On the contrary, under the manipulation of certain individuals, the news that the three major figures had battled the two underground city overlords, and that Einmythos was severely injured as a result, had already spread throughout the streets and alleys.

Of course, the true cause of the fire element god's seal would not be mentioned. On the surface, the war was, as usual, a common land grab in the underground city.

The existence of a powerful external enemy, an even more powerful guardian on our side, the near destruction and the relief and gratitude for surviving the disaster thanks to the guardian's efforts—when these conditions and these complex emotions were all present, this multi-racial city, during the disaster, became even more united.

If one were to find any difference, it might be that tomatoes and rotten eggs were all out of stock. The reason? The betrayal of the council was exposed, and the councilors who were judged and executed by divine miracles were clear evidence. Now, the council's entrance was covered in tomatoes and rotten eggs, and all the windows were smashed.

A few well-known councilors, if they wanted to go out without getting dirty, had better bring a bodyguard and a door panel to attract the fire.

In this disaster, over three hundred people were injured or killed, but the dead were gone, the murderers were punished, and the victims and their families had a target for their anger. The fruit stands in front of the council were super out of stock, and society was harmonious, which was indeed a cause for celebration, a cause for celebration...

Even at the council's entrance, some merchants had already smelled the business opportunity...

"Are you still using primitive tomatoes and rotten eggs? Outdated. Gnome alchemy special stink bombs, 3 gold coins each, with a strong and lasting smell. Gnome colored paint bombs, 2 gold coins each, with thirteen random colors, each comes with a color card, collect a full set, and get a gnome engineering chick for free! Unlike goblins, our gnome engineering is reliable and will never explode, never explode!"

"Goblin smoke bombs! Goblin bombs from 1 to 7, guaranteed power, guaranteed to injure but not kill, essential for revenge and venting anger, and cheap!! Only half the price of those sissy gnome gadgets! One gold coin each!"

"Enough, Ravi Gold, I've had enough of you! You can insult me, but you can't insult the crystallization of our gnome wisdom!"

"Milhouse Storm of the Mage Hall, you started it. Do you gnomes have the nerve to criticize our goblin engineering? Yes, your gadgets don't explode, but the chaotic side effects are even more terrifying. Can you swear that you haven't been thrown into the air by your own gnome teleporter, or electrocuted by your own gnome electric fence, or shrunk by your own gnome death ray? Your gnome engineering is just like your name, Storm of Death!"

"It's Storm of Mana, Storm of Mana!!"

Hearing this, the gnome, who was the size of a child, became extremely angry.

"Try this on for size!!" He pulled out an engineering gadget that looked like a toy gun, aimed at Ravi, and pulled the trigger, then...

"Cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck!" A small chicken appeared on the spot, flapping its feet, and a chicken transformer fell to the ground...

"Ha ha ha! I told you, your gnome gadgets are unreliable!" Pointing at the chicken and laughing wildly, Ravi pulled out three silver balls from his pocket and started juggling like a clown.

Playing with bombs bare-handed without a hint of fear, his hands not trembling at all, Ravi demonstrated the unique courage of the goblin race to the audience.

"See our miraculous goblin engineering! We never deny the unpredictability of engineering, but as long as our intelligent goblins work hard and pass down knowledge from generation to generation, goblin engineering will become more and more advanced! Even if my father and grandfather died in accidents, I will continue, and I believe that even if I fail, for the future of goblin engineering, my son and grandson will continue to work hard!!"

Ignoring the angry chicken's attacks, Ravi raised his head and chest, loudly swearing as if ready to sacrifice himself at any moment.

The goblins' self-sacrificing spirit for engineering unexpectedly won the audience's cheers and some applause.

"Well said!" Even someone planned to buy Ravi's engineering supplies, but Ravi continued:

"My grandfather's explosion only created a thirteen-meter crater, my father's was thirty meters, and when I die, I want to create a hundred-meter crater! Our Gold family must develop a bomb that can destroy a city!!"

Well, the goblin's true nature scared off all potential buyers, and the audience took a big step back. Fortunately, they did...

"What is this twisted copper plate?" The chicken's fierce attacks finally caught his attention. Ravi looked at the copper plate that had fallen from his clothes, showing a thoughtful expression, then, he broke out in a sweat...

"It's a safety screw!!!"

"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!!"

"This... this is just a small failure, I won't give up! I... I will come back!"

Well, after demonstrating the goblins' fearless courage, he then demonstrated their daily way of courting death.

Now, after three consecutive explosions, our goblin engineering merchant, enveloped in black smoke, flew directly into the sky, but from the strength of his voice, it was clear that this was just the beginning...

And I, standing behind the crowd, witnessed this farce, then turned to Elisa and said:

"The situation in the city is unstable, and we can't let them act recklessly. Record this: by the order of the Chief Justice, next month will be the Engineering Prohibition Month. The city management and the court must take action, find some reasons, and throw these troublemaking dwarves into detention for a month to reflect."

"Any engineering master, arrest them first and search them later, you won't be wrong. What if you arrest the wrong person? I'll personally apologize. Don't worry, just like there are no men who don't cheat, there are no goblins who don't explode and no gnomes who don't court death."

"Second, are the Bea brothers still in detention?"

"They are, they have three more days."

Getting a positive answer, I nodded in satisfaction.

"Send them some engineering parts tomorrow. They will definitely be unable to resist playing with explosions in detention, and then we will have a reason to keep them in for another month. With the two top explosion maniacs of Sulfur Mountain City not causing trouble outside, the engineering problems will be much easier to handle during the Prohibition Month."

After saying this, I turned to leave. The mayor's office was not far away, but seeing the blackened Magic Storm on the ground, I stopped again.

"Almost forgot. Third, when Storm of Death recovers from the 'fried chicken' state, tell him and Ravi, 'You two won't get paid for the next two months. I don't care what you do privately, but if you call yourselves members of the Supreme Court and damage its reputation again, I will...'

At this point, I paused. These little dwarves are born with incredible courage, explosions and space travel are everyday occurrences. What punishment could scare them? I was a bit at a loss.

But Elisa whispered in my ear.

"Then make the two exchange all their engineering tools and finished products. Let the goblin engineers use gnome engineering supplies, and let the gnomes use goblin gadgets. Force them to each make ten of the other's engineering gadgets."

Looking at her cold, beautiful face and listening to her silver-toned voice, I was taken aback.

"Making them use these would be worse than killing them. Gnome engineering and gnome engineering may seem similar, but they are actually completely different in principle and system. Ten? They might spend a lifetime making them. And they have to use the gadgets they hate the most and study the theories they detest the most. It's a real torture. But..."

I gave her a thumbs up. "Good idea, you're becoming more and more like me."

Cough, back to the main topic. I chose to walk to the mayor's office to see how Sulfur Mountain City was recovering after the storm. Now, seeing that there was time for a farce, I was quite pleased.

Well, as the mastermind, I was quite satisfied with the intelligence control ability of the "spectators" and the Sulfur Mountain City Thieves' Guild. At least, everything seemed unchanged on the surface.

Yes, just on the surface. After this battle, the two underground city overlords joined forces, and only the overlords themselves escaped, with their armies completely annihilated. Such explosive news, how could there be no real changes?

"Speak directly, you set up the South翔 Law Academy, recruited from the Holy Cathedral, and expanded the legal system by more than three times. What do you really intend to do?"

Little Red was still recuperating and hadn't come, but in the mayor's office, Margaret and Adam were already chatting and drinking tea. Of course, they were also casually reviewing recent gains. But as soon as I sat down, Margaret took the lead.

"Hehe, those little girls fought to the death this time, risking their lives to protect the citizens. I admire them, and I just want to integrate them into the judicial system. This is their long-term wish, don't tell me you didn't know."

I picked up the bone knife and carefully carved the black wooden staff in my hand.

Since the end of the trial, I have become obsessed with wood carving. It's a technical skill that requires full concentration.

"Truth?"

"Too troublesome, I don't want to say."

Margaret shook her head and sat back. The lich, as always, had ulterior motives, but if he didn't want to say, there was no way to get it out of him.

Guess? This guy's mind is incredibly devious. Many times, what seems like reckless behavior turns out to be a brilliant move in the future. If he really intends to secretly do something, even a wise observer who witnesses the entire process can't guess it.

Margaret once asked him, but got a mysterious answer.

"Your thinking is too direct, like the war chess you like to play. The players fight over each piece, accumulating small victories to achieve a big win. It seems grand, but the chisel marks are very obvious, making it easy to be seen through, and ultimately leading to a mediocre outcome. I, on the other hand, am a Go master. I place my pieces like stars, with patience, not competing for every inch, but aiming for the big picture."

"Go? Is there such a game in the world? Is it a game that has disappeared from history?" Margaret also asked, but the lich Roland always dodged the question.

"Right, in a few days, I plan to build a branch, the Supreme Court Karun City Branch."

The mayor of Karun City, who died in the recent attack by Margaret's forbidden spell, naturally left Karun City ownerless, and my intentions were clear.

"No wonder you expanded the staff. You plan to occupy Karun City?"

"Of course, if you don't level up after defeating the boss