Chapter 407: There are three things to be wary of: coincidence, women, and smiles.
Ever since Mo Cheng learned of the death of the delegation, he had always felt that something was wrong.
Although the cause of the city lord's death was found out, more questions arose.
For example, who cast the mixed curse in Dorothy's body, and who specifically targeted the Aundair delegation.
Why is it such a coincidence that at the same time as the entire family of the Lord of Napa Port died, all the members of the Andel delegation also died at the same time?
Only one Dorothy was left.
Mo Cheng once knew a player in [Foreign Land] who specialized in studying this type of riddles and even case missions. He once told Mo Cheng a secret to finding clues in missions.
…
“There are three things in this world that you should be wary of: coincidence, women, and smiles.”
"If you encounter one of these, you should be alert; if you encounter two of these, you need to speak up and leave decisively if you don't want to get involved in trouble; if you encounter all three, then don't trust anyone."
"So, this is the experience you gained after being defrauded of thousands of dollars by tea girls and wine touts?"
"roll!"
…
Dorothy covered her forehead with her hands. After Baqi appeared, she also guessed something.
Something that is unexpected yet reasonable.
"The delegation was betrayed, and I became the scapegoat." Dorothy gnashed her teeth as she said the fact that both parties had already guessed. Veins bulged on her forehead, and she clenched her fists so hard that her nails dug deep into her flesh.
No matter who tried his best to complete the task, he would find himself becoming a scapegoat in the blink of an eye, and the delegation he led died inexplicably in an unknown conspiracy. No one would not be angry at this time.
"Do you know who did it?"
"Before the delegation set off, the vice president of the Offa Council held a banquet for us. After leaving Aundair, we strictly checked the food and water. It is impossible that it was a trick from the Kingdom of Bezek."
Anger did not make Dorothy lose her mind. She was searching for the subtle clues from her memory . "The most important thing is that the vice president is a master of curses. Only he can silently cast curses on us. Before the delegation left Andair, everyone toasted with the vice president at close range."
"The vice president has always been very close to [Zefnia]."
Having said that, Mo Cheng almost understood.
The Zepheniah family is a member of the aristocratic faction and is also the vanguard of the aristocratic faction that opposes Queen Caroline's centralization of power.
According to what Mo Cheng knew about the history of Andair, Princess Mishas died in the [Collapse Incident], and Queen Caroline, who had lost her eldest daughter, fell into grief. For a while, she had no intention of managing the country, and the aristocratic faction found an opportunity to seize a lot of power in one fell swoop, thus forming a balance of power.
It also became a turning point for the subsequent split of Aundair.
If Queen Caroline had not fallen into grief because of Princess Misha's death, then with Queen Caroline's political means and Prince Charles' absolute support, the aristocratic faction of Fairhaven really could not defeat Queen Caroline.
Even before Mo Cheng left Fairhaven, he heard some rumors.
Queen Caroline intended to give the nobles a chance to treat their children equally.
Well, based on what Mo Cheng had learned before, the thing that Queen Caroline was planning to implement should be called the [Enfeoffment Order].
A very effective means of centralizing power.
In the eyes of some people, it is also a very insidious method, specifically targeting aristocratic families.
After all, as a noble family, every family has several children. According to regulations, the title and territory are inherited by the eldest son, and the other children either work for the eldest son or live on a sum of money.
But the nobles are also human beings, and they will always tend to favor some of their own offspring more. The existence of the [Enfeoffment Order] is equivalent to opening a loophole for the nobles.
A hole that could divide the family property among the sons that he favored more.
The nobles naturally knew that this was an immoral act, but they had no means to counter it for the time being.
Because they know very well that this thing targets people's hearts. Can you ensure that all the nobles only love the heirs and have no intention of giving anything to other children?
Impossible.
"I guess I know what they want."
Mo Cheng let out a long breath. He understood the aristocratic faction's thoughts clearly. They could not defeat Queen Caroline, so they simply planned to transform the internal conflict into an external one.
Once a war is launched with the Kingdom of Bezeko, a country with historical conflicts, Queen Caroline will have to delay the implementation of the Enfeoffment Order in order to maintain stability and prevent fires in the inner courts of the various nobles.
In Mo Cheng's opinion, both sides were very good at cutting off the source of the trouble.
The [Enfeoffment Order] was a form of peaceful evolution, while provoking a war was simply turning internal conflicts into external wars, and then it would just depend on who would outlast the other.
With the information he got from Fairhaven and Mo Cheng's certain understanding of the future, he slowly grasped the context of things.
All that remains is to sort out the positions of all parties.
"Principal Musser was not aware of this and he was not involved."
Mo Cheng recalled the conversation when Principal Muzel found him. "He asked me to secretly come to the Kingdom of Bezeko to meet you, to help you bring the equipment back, and to find the traitor in the delegation. If he knew what was going on, he would never find me."
As the hereditary Earl of Andair granted by Queen Caroline, and a highest-ranking Earl with actual territory, unless Principal Muzel was completely oriented towards the aristocratic faction, it would be impossible for him to ask Mo Cheng to come knowing the situation.
The Winterhold Magic Academy remained neutral in Aundair, and it could even be said that they had a cooperative relationship with the royal family. The old wizard knew very well that as an academy that provided excellent talents to Aundair, he did not need to take sides.
He just needs to remain neutral, and no matter which side it is, he has to show goodwill to him. At the same time, no matter who wins, he has to give better treatment to win the heart of Principal Muzel.
And if they really wanted the entire delegation to die here, it would be even more impossible to let Mo Cheng come.
Mage Muzel and Queen Caroline have all witnessed how strong Mo Cheng is. This is a fatal arrangement for the delegation. If Mo Cheng is allowed to come, there is a real possibility that he will kill them and leave them alive.
The positions of the Queen's faction, the noble faction, the neutral faction, and the Winterhold Magic Academy have all been almost figured out, and Mo Cheng couldn't help but look out the window.
"Then the final question is, how many people in the Kingdom of Bezeko want the Lord of Napa Port to die?"
