Klein Encounters a Crisis

The potato stew was thick and warm, but each person only received a bowl, and there was only one and a half pieces of black bread. It wasn't that Luther was short of money; the main reason was that these people had been starving for too long, and feeding them too much would kill them.

Fortunately, there was plenty of hot water, so at least they wouldn't choke on their bread.

Even so, Luther saw several people stubbornly swallow their bread, then immediately run to the front to beg for food, only to be scolded back by gang members who had received orders.

A few minutes later, even the slowest people had finished their portions. At this moment, they were less wary of Luther and instead showed more gratitude.

What Luther didn't know was that he had actually given more than enough.

For these homeless people, there were only two places to receive relief. One was the official workhouse, where they had to wait in line for a spot, and once inside, they were required to do heavy labor, such as breaking stones and picking out useful fibers from hemp ropes.

After a day of strenuous work, all they get is a bowl of thin vegetable soup and a few slices of bread, which is hardly enough to cover their physical exertion. Experienced homeless people know that going to such places is akin to a slow death.

Another source of relief came from the Church. While the Church didn't force people to work, due to organizational limitations, the relief it provided was limited and not available every day. Moreover, receiving relief was subject to religious restrictions; non- Church had to either convert or join the queue.

It is worth mentioning that among the Three Great Churches, the Goddess Church is the one that most frequently provides relief, while the Church of Steam focuses on teaching skills to wanderers. As for the Church of Storms, they do not provide relief to men because, according to their doctrine, men who cannot support their families are considered incompetent and useless.

Are there any literate people among you?

Luther asked the crowd a question.

People looked at him with confusion, and only a few raised their hands, including an elderly woman.

I almost forgot, even in Backlund, only a minority of people can read.

Luther thought to himself, then asked, "Someone with a craft, someone who's worked as a laborer?"

This time, more hands were raised, a scattered thirty or so. Luther noticed that most of those who raised their hands were middle-aged or elderly men, and several of them had missing fingers.

"Okay, next."

After that, he continued to ask questions and got a general understanding of the situation of these people. The reason why the workers were homeless was mainly because they were old and disabled, and the factories were unwilling to hire them as a burden. The few literate ones were all bankrupt middle managers, and the few children were also basically destitute, relying on theft and begging to survive.

"Okay, that's all for now. Go and rest."

He said to the group, "Go back to the lodgings we arranged for you."

The crowd stirred again.

"Respected Sir, Missionary..."

A man who seemed a bit more clever mustered up his courage and asked, "Aren't you here to spread the gospel of God to us?"

His words were tinged with a thick local accent and his vocabulary was rather crude, but the general meaning was clear—we were brought here, given a meal, and then we could go back and rest? We weren't supposed to listen to endless sermons or work all day?

The treatment offered by Luther was so good that it made them feel overwhelmed.

"Your health is terrible right now."

Luther said calmly, "Even if we spread the gospel to you, the effect will be very poor. It would be better to let you rest first, so that you can better bask in the Lord's glory."

Upon hearing his words, the crowd reacted in various ways, but ultimately, under the direction of the Lyman Gang members, they all left and returned to the temporary accommodations prepared for them.

Luther looked to the side.

"Mr. Anderson."

The gang leader, Ciel, noticed his gaze and immediately walked over, speaking respectfully.

A flash of golden light appeared in his eyes.

Not only him, but most of the capable people in the gang have been Hypnosis or influenced by Luther, and they basically won't go against his will. Otherwise, they wouldn't want to do the tedious work of coordinating the actions of the crowd like just now.

What's the deal with the Zimang Party I mentioned earlier?

Luther asked.

"That's right. These savage highlanders have a new leader and some more thugs. Recently, they've started taking over our territory." Ciel perked up immediately when asked this. "We were caught off guard and lost two streets, and several of our brothers were injured."

The Zimang Party, that gang that originally had Intis backing it up.

Luther seemed to be deep in thought.

Ambassador Intis was assassinated by Mr. A, and their leader disappeared, plunging the gang into chaos and allowing other gangs to seize a lot of territory. The manuscript that Luther sold to the Queen was also stolen during that time.

The resurgence of the Zimang Party indicates that Intis has regained control of their power, and some are attempting to seize control of the current situation.

Are you still playing?

"After fighting for a few days, we withdrew from the territory we had previously seized, and they didn't pursue us anymore."

Ciel Erdao.

He reclaimed the territory he previously owned, and instead of blindly expanding, he was quite sensible, Luther thought. But then again, who told him to get in the way of his Acting?

The feedback he received just now made him realize that his decision to build the Flock was correct. Therefore, those who opposed him seemed even more unforgivable.

Do you know where their headquarters are? Do you have a photo or Portrait of their leader?

Luther decided to take action.

With his current strength, even if Intis has Sequence 5 powerhouse, he can still make a move. He might even be able to obtain a more suitable Extraordinary Soul to use for Grazing.

"Okay, I'll go right away!"

Ciel was overjoyed. Of course, he didn't know what Luther was planning, but since this powerful extraordinary being was willing to participate, it was definitely a good thing for their gang.

Later that evening, in the Hillston District, in a somewhat old house.

This is the home of the famous Detective Isengard Stanton.

However, at this moment, the house was empty, and the great Detective was nowhere to be seen. If anyone were to look into the living room at this moment, they would discover an extremely bloody scene:

A young man, brutally dismembered, lay on the doorway; teacups were scattered on the carpet, and the tray was stained with blood.

The living room floor was also covered in blood, as if a major battle had taken place, but no bodies remained.

The only person standing Klein, who had been invited to visit Isengard Stanton. He was extremely tense and on guard, as if wary of a mysterious killer who might attack from anywhere.

He was so vigilant, so focused, that he only snapped out of his daze when the police broke down the door.