CHAPTER 310: CHAPTER 310: UNDERLYING CURRENTS

Ethan chose to have dinner at a Feng Cui restaurant, but the dishes were entirely unsatisfactory, nowhere near as good as those at Wenster’s family restaurants.

This made him think that perhaps he should open his own restaurant, like Wes’s Bluebird.

"So, what advice do you have for me this time, Mr. Azertu?"

Ethan merely sampled a couple of spoonfuls of soup before putting it down.

Azertu was similar; he seemed to immigrate from the Old Continent and was a Cloze from there. Yes, that place teeming with savages. Yet he became a first-class inventor, a pioneer of electric power — a legendary tale in itself.

But he probably couldn’t avoid his love for meat.

So Ethan ordered two servings of roasted meat for him.

Sure enough, Azertu ate a few more bites, then smiled and said, "Can’t I just meet a friend? I thought we were already quite good friends."

The last meeting with Azertu was rather pleasant; Ethan and he had a meal, drank some wine, and chatted enthusiastically about art, considering themselves friends.

"Of course, we’re friends, Azertu."

Ethan shrugged.

Azertu nodded and took out a cigar, indicating if it was okay to smoke.

Ethan naturally had no objections.

Azertu lit the cigar, took a deep puff, and then exhaled the smoke, laughing, "Actually... I wanted to ask you about someone."

"Oh?"

Here it comes.

"Who?"

"I heard that before the typhoon, you were invited to the Sea God Church, correct?"

So that’s what he was after?

Ethan was a bit surprised; he thought Azertu might be aiming for the Second Prince.

"That’s right."

His visit to the Sea God Church wasn’t exactly a secret; if you really wanted to investigate, you could find out.

Indeed, people had been probing into it these days, but given his close relationship with Joseph, the Kingdom Defense Bureau made no move against him.

It’s different with Johnny Blackbird.

His involvement in the matter was not the same; at least, on the surface, he appeared to be at the absolute core, the true Apostle of God.

Even these days, there were still many people staying close to him at all times, be it for protection or surveillance.

Joseph even confided in Ethan that the Kingdom Defense Bureau’s second division might take some action against Johnny Blackbird.

Here, a brief introduction to the functions of the Kingdom Defense Bureau: The first division is the most secretive and powerful since they serve only the King, protecting the Royal Family and dealing with all sorts of royal troubles. Ordinary people never see them.

The power of the second division is second only to the first; they handle various special incidents within the Kingdom, including pollution and true name anomalies.

The previous Saint Kuanti incident was handed over to the second division, led by the General, Solomon.

This matter should have been handled by the fifth division, but their status is quite marginal, and with the Sea God Church’s dominance, they were simply unable to manage it.

First the Kingdom Defense Bureau, now Azertu.

"I want to see Mr. Depp."

Azertu immediately stated his intention.

"Is it convenient?"

Ethan looked at him.

"Why wouldn’t it be?"

Theoretically, someone with Azertu’s status shouldn’t need to approach anyone through Ethan, because he’s a person whom the King can see anytime.

Whether he wants to approach the Second Prince or the Sea God Church, it’s a very dangerous signal.

He should know better.

"It’s like this, regarding that typhoon."

Azertu seemed to have finally realized something and added another explanation.

"You know that electricity is now widely used, but power generation methods are still quite limited. If we can utilize the wind for power generation, I believe even His Majesty the King would be pleased to see that."

So it’s about wind power?

Ethan listened and nodded.

This reason did sound quite reasonable, but...

"Of course, if you’re interested, Ethan, you can join us. We are friends, and if you help me, I will definitely be willing to help you."

Electric power is big business.

You could say that the lifeblood of the new era is electricity, while steel was the lifeblood of the last golden age.

If he could actually get a foothold in the electricity sector, Ethan probably wouldn’t even need to sell bootleg liquor anymore.

"I’ll see what I can do." Ethan nodded.

Dinner ended.

When Ethan returned home, he found Joseph’s car parked at his doorstep.

Since the night of the typhoon, Joseph hadn’t asked Ethan to go to the West District anymore; it no longer seemed necessary.

However, for some reason, Joseph was still driving that unremarkable Weyden Pegasus.

Seeing Ethan’s car return, Joseph rolled down the window and waved at him, "Come up and smoke a cigarette with me."

Ethan let Anya drive the car inside and then got into Joseph’s Pegasus.

Taking the cigarette Joseph had already lit, Ethan took a drag and asked, "What’s Azertu’s background? Who’s behind him?"

Joseph glanced at him, exhaled smoke, and said, "No one knows his background. During his rapid rise, many people investigated him. At its most intense, someone tried to prove he was a spy from the Old Continent, but in the end, it was His Majesty who stood against the opposition and protected him."

"So he’s the King’s man?"

Then was meeting Johnny Blackbird the King’s idea too?

Joseph still shook his head and slowly uttered two words: "Hard to say."

After a moment of silence, Joseph said, "My dear brother has woken up; he didn’t die. Such a pity, and tonight, the Eldest Prince already met with him."

"They won’t let it rest."

"Absolutely not. This is a war with no retreat, so when I advised you to leave the Royal Capital, it was because once you’re involved, you must find your position, pick up your swords and shields, then find your enemy and fight to the death."

"What do you think they’ll do?"

"That’s exactly what I wanted to ask you. You surely know by now, this evening, that old man Xi Wen stepped out of his shell, Lockeby’s people have withdrawn, both sides shook hands and made peace, and the third division is about to be rebuilt. They’re recruiting people from the second division, and this afternoon, they went to Little Ibia. Moreover, Lockeby is a dog raised by the Eriman Clan, and the Eriman Clan is the Iron Blood King Faction of generations."

"An underground war?"

Ethan gently flicked his cigarette ash.

He had long known about the situation in Little Ibia.

It can be said that his design was a complete failure.

But the situation behind it was so complex, which he hadn’t anticipated.

However, the failures of the Eldest Prince repeatedly happened in the South District underground, and breaking open from there is considered the most correct approach.