Let's rewind time a bit.
It was also a coincidence that when Creel defeated that fellow Slaro who spoke rudely and learned of Zhang Jianyuan's great plan to recruit workers from his mouth and decided to make a trip to Embroidery Hall to investigate what this mysterious merchant was plotting, her target, Zhang Jianyuan, was just leaving Embroidery Hall and heading towards Marquis Jingan's fu.
What this Death Messenger did not know was that the so-called Marquis Jingan fu was about to become the biggest turning point in her life …
She did not know anything about what was about to happen and urged that burly Slaro to quickly lead the way. That person was called Andre. This was a very common Slaro name and was equivalent to the Empire's Li Erdan. At this time, Andre's legs were trembling and he had a sullen face, but he was still forced to lead the way.
As he walked, he had a sullen face as he turned his head and said, "Do a good deed, this noble lady, be benevolent. If something happens, you can leave, but I can't run …"
When Andre was in Lihuo Country, he was just a gambler and idler who mingled in taverns. He did odd jobs, swindled foreigners, and robbed for a living. The latter two were clearly quick jobs that brought in money, but in Lihuo Country where religious authority flourished, this kind of illegal business could not be done for long.
He very quickly kicked an iron plate and accidentally offended a theocratic aristocrat. That old master only needed to move his mouth and he had a hundred ways to make it impossible for him to continue living there.
The pitiful Andre immediately had no way out. When people reached the most dangerous moment, they would often become cornered and their intelligence would fluctuate violently. From there, they would do things that they normally would not dare to do or would not be able to do. For example, when the holidays were about to end but they had not finished their homework, many people would show off their abilities and do some big things that they had never done before.
For example, Dongfang Yongye copying. This was the most useless.
For example, mixing photocopies in a stack of copied homework. This was like burying one's head in the sand.
For example, framing one's own Da Huang. This was slightly stupid.
For example, after handing in an empty homework and going through careful planning and preparation, one could bring their beloved lighter and erguotou and secretly sneak into an empty office at night, during class breaks, or during lunch time. They would carry out a daring but careful ghost operation to steal out the evil things that symbolized the shackles of exam-oriented education and give them the judgment they deserved.
If it was too troublesome, it was also possible to take a large bottle of inferior ink and process it on the spot.
Of course, this kind of behavior was not worth advocating. The reason why this example was given was to reflect Andre's desperation and impulsiveness at that time. He also made the same stupid decision as above … Since he couldn't stay in the country anymore, he might as well go abroad.
He did not run to the Western countries that had a similar cultural background. Instead, he believed in the lies of the merchants and guards who liked to brag. After listening to their nonsense, he felt that the Eastern Houtu Empire was a dream land filled with gold, and the guards at the city gates lived a better life than a count. Then, he gritted his teeth, negotiated with the smuggler, and climbed into the caravan full of goods.
Therefore, this kind of desperate action was completely determined by success or failure. Just like dealing with homework, if you succeeded, you would be able to protect yourself and even become a hero praised by your classmates. If you failed, you would be an idiot who was hung up and beaten by the teacher.
And Andre obviously became an idiot who was hung up and beaten by the people of the Empire. He was in tragedy. He realized that the East was not so good. In fact, his life was not much different from that of the country. There was no opportunity, no wealth, no way to rise up. He was still a lowly person at the bottom of the social ladder.
Still, he did not want to go back. Just because he was not doing well did not mean that the people here were not doing well. There were delicacies here, all sorts of fine wine, cleanliness, prosperity, liveliness, and freedom.
He would rather be a discriminated Slavic immigrant here than go back to his motherland, a lifeless country that was controlled by the church and the nobles, by the theocracy and the regime, and by a small group of people who controlled all the wealth and power. There was no freedom and beauty to speak of.
And he already couldn't go back … Any citizen of the Li Huo Empire who dared to secretly flee abroad would be blacklisted by the court and would be deemed guilty of treason. Even if he went back, what awaited him would be a bunch of cold and rough ropes and a grave without a tombstone.
Therefore, when Courrier asked him to lead the way, the fear and worry in the Slavic brawny man's heart were obvious. Courrier was agile and powerful, his movements clean and efficient, and the lofty and bossy tone he spoke with was immeasurably familiar to him. Only those of the Order of the Blaze were used to being high and mighty.
She was interested in going to the Embroidery Hall to take a look, and her tone was obviously malicious. It was obvious that she was going to stir up trouble.
Logically speaking, Andre was certainly not loyal to Zhang Jianyuan and the Embroidery Hall, but a deal of three hundred coins for a person was his father. Besides, if this woman from the Order screwed things up, with her skills and abilities, she could certainly escape from the investigation and pursuit afterward, but a nobody like him would have nowhere to hide. If a rich man like Zhang Jianyuan wanted to deal with him, it would certainly be as troublesome as the theocratic aristocrat back then.
Therefore, while walking, he begged sorrowfully, "Do me a favor, honorable lady. I can tell you where the Embroidery Hall is. I can even tell you the details inside. Please don't let me show up. Please don't let them know that I have anything to do with this …"
Hearing his begging, Courrier put on a joyful and cruel smile. As a perfect hunter who was used to fighting beasts, she had been beastly since she was young. The more the prey struggled and begged, the more she found it interesting and would not have any pity. The weak did not deserve pity.
She sneered and said, "You are afraid of them, but not of me?
A loser has no right to make any conditions. You can not lead the way, but you have lost all your value to me. "
The meaning of her words was clear at a glance. Andre's body trembled with anger and helplessness. Flames of anger flashed in his eyes. He slowly clenched his fists, but finally loosened them. His soul reminded him that he had no chance of winning against the horrible woman behind him.
The consequences of bringing this woman to the Embroidery Hall were unpredictable. But if he ran away or resisted at this time, the consequences were obvious at a glance … There was no need to think about what to choose at all. He still wanted to live.
He sighed in a low voice, showed a bitter smile, and continued to walk with heavy steps.
Everything is under control … Courrier looked at the back of the man in front of her and showed a disdainful smile. The weak never knew how to resist. They always had a lot of reasons to explain their cowardice, but they were never willing to face the reason why they had to be brave.
What a useless and pitiful man. You can continue to live in such a pitiful manner.
She casually decided the fate of this unremarkable man in front of her. She would let him live. Although he had offended her, she would take pity on a kitten or a puppy.
The two walked all the way to the Embroidery Hall. Along the way, they saw the Slalos loudly giving speeches or recruiting people. Some places were also pasted with recruitment notices written in Slalos. It was as if all the Slalos in the city had been mobilized. Courrier saw this fanatical scene and her expression became more and more serious.
"The noble descendants of fire, for the promise of an empire's merchant, for the money in the hands of an empire's merchant, they threw away their self-esteem and pride as the people of fire and became so fanatical and unreasonable …" She said coldly, "Sure enough, they have all forgotten the teachings of the church."
Andre, who was walking in front, heard this and showed a disdainful sneer.
However, he didn't refute anything. He wouldn't ask for trouble.
They continued to move forward. Along the way, Courrier asked a few questions. Although Andre answered all the questions, he was not in a good mood and was listless. Courrier wasn't angry, and she didn't want to find out what this person was thinking, just like how a lion wouldn't understand the thoughts of an ant under its feet.
Finally, they came near the Embroidery Hall. Looking from afar, there was a huge empty space between the low houses. There were workers working in it, moving building materials and consolidating the foundation. It seemed that they were building something, and the crowd that was constantly rushing over was squeezed on the other side.
"They are doing the registration and inspection work," Andre said.
"The Embroidery Hall is not a charity organization, and Zhang Jianyuan is not a fool. All the Slalos who come to apply for the job must register their identity, have a health check, sign a contract, and inform them of the matters … A series of work has to be done."
Courrier frowned. She didn't expect the process to be so strict and formal. It was even comparable to the recruitment work of the church. Although she wanted to see what Zhang Jianyuan's purpose was, it didn't mean that she was willing to introduce the interrogation and the so-called health check of the Embroidery Hall.
Moreover, with her appearance and figure, if she took off her cloak and veil, it would definitely arouse the attention and even suspicion of the Embroidery Hall … After all, a woman's beauty was sometimes not always a good thing.
It seemed that she had to use some other means …
She glanced at Andre, then took out a gold coin and threw it at his feet. "Although you won't have the chance to receive the three hundred coins, this can make up for your loss. Poor guy, hurry up and leave. I hope this is the last time we meet … Of course, if you do something you shouldn't do, I can't guarantee it."
Then, without paying any attention to Andre, she quickly disappeared.
Andre stared blankly at Courrier's disappearing figure and then looked at the gold coin at his feet. This gold coin was familiar and strange at the same time. It was familiar because it was the most valuable gold coin circulating in the Kingdom of Fire. It was strange because its value was so great and so precious that he had never held it with his own hands in the past twenty to thirty years of his life. He had never felt its texture and charm.
He trembled as he picked up the gold coin. This was a wealth he had never seen before. If it was in the past, whether it was in the country or abroad, he would definitely be so excited that he couldn't sleep and would definitely shout to the sky without caring about anything. But at this moment, for some reason, he didn't feel happy at all.
Holding this gold coin, he only felt anger, grievance, dissatisfaction, and sorrow.
The other party's arrogant tone, her cold eyes … She didn't even bother to kill him.
Always high and mighty, always proud. She was undoubtedly a member of the Order of Flames, because in the Kingdom of Fire, only they had such an arrogant tone and attitude. As for people like him, he would always be the target of their disdain and disdain. He would never be respected. He would always have to kneel and look up to them. He would always be looked down upon and would always have to kneel in the mud.
Even if he was abroad, even if he was in the Houtu Empire, he would still have to kneel like an ant before this group of arrogant members of the Order of Flames.
— And he still had to kneel?
— Why? Isn't this the Houtu Empire?
Isn't this a country full of freedom and dignity?
I've come here. I've lived here for years. Why don't I have freedom and dignity?
Andre clenched his right hand hard. His expression was dejected and extremely unwilling.
But there was nothing he could do. He had no power, he had no ability. It was the same everywhere.
At this moment, he suddenly heard a gentle voice. "What's wrong with you?"
He turned around in a panic, only to see a man of the Empire in the uniform of the Embroidery Hall looking at him with patient and gentle eyes. His tone was full of concern. "You're standing here alone. Are you not feeling well?
Do you … understand Chinese? "
Andre nodded hurriedly. "Yes, sir. I understand. I …"
He wanted to tell the man that the woman from the Order of Flames was about to sneak into the Embroidery Hall, but he couldn't. The woman's threat was still in his ears. He knew how powerful the Order of Flames was. If he betrayed them, the consequences would be unpredictable …
While he was hesitating, the man of the Empire seemed to have misunderstood his helplessness. The member of the Embroidery Hall patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "Big Incense Head … No, the president said that Slalos and the people of the Empire are all human beings. As long as you're honest, hardworking, and generous, you're everyone's brother. Since we're brothers, we should care for each other. Are you not feeling well?
The Embroidery Hall is hiring a doctor and building a clinic. Do you want me to take you there? "
Andre shook his head. "No, I'm fine …"
"Then why are you trembling here?"
The man was stunned at first, but then he smiled. "I understand. You want to come to the Embroidery Hall, but you haven't made up your mind, have you?
Don't worry. The president said that in order to dispel everyone's doubts, you can try working here for a month. You won't have to pay any fees, and you'll be paid. When you feel that this place is really good, we'll sign a formal contract … "
He patted Andre's shoulder hard and said with a smile, "When has our president ever gone back on his words?
Look at your strong body. You're a workaholic. You left your hometown and came to the Empire. You must want to make a name for yourself, right?
Isn't this a ready-made opportunity? Why don't you seize it? "
Andre's heart trembled. These words directly hit his heart. If it weren't for the fact that he had nowhere to go, if it weren't for the fact that he couldn't make a name for himself, if it weren't for the fact that he had no hope, who would be willing to leave their hometown?
The man smiled again. "Let's not talk about anything else in the Embroidery Hall, but there's one good thing about it.
It means that no matter what your background is, no matter what you used to do, and even no matter which country you're from, as long as you're willing to work and contribute to the Embroidery Hall, you'll definitely be rewarded and repaid! "
Andre suddenly raised his head. He only cared about the 300 copper coins he could earn from recruiting a person, but he had never heard of this before. He said with a trembling voice, "Is this true?"
The man smiled proudly and pointed at himself with his thumb. "Remember my name. My surname is An, and my name is An Li!
If you enter the Embroidery Hall and can't make a name for yourself, come and find me! "
Andre looked at the warm and cheerful Empire citizens in front of him, then turned to look at the bustling crowd. Looking at the smiles on the faces of the Empire citizens, he was once again reminded of the disdain and coldness of the woman just now. His own countrymen and the Empire citizens, these two completely different attitudes made his heart ache.
Finally, he knelt on the ground with a plop, hugged An Li's thigh, and wailed, "Sir, I have something important to tell you!"