Whoa! A Master at Card Printing! Retreat!

"Please excuse my rudeness, everyone." A stubble appeared on the man's chin in an instant. Qiesibo forced a smile. "I was a bit out of line."

To Oute's relief, Amiya poured Qiesibo a cup of black tea without waiting for his prompting.

"Kazimierz tea, sweet and sour, perfect for sobering up." Oute tossed a lemon slice into the glass and pushed it toward Qiesibo.

"Thank you." His voice was a little hoarse.

For Oute, a lethal dose of sweet red tea mixed with fresh tartness brought Qiesibo's thoughts back on track.

Looking into Nearl's eyes, Qiesibo said in a low voice, "Just ask if you want to... never mind, I'll just say it directly."

His eyes burned with fury. "For decades, the Knights have colluded with all sorts of powerful and wealthy individuals, taking a share of their sins."

About six or seven years ago, the young man named Marek, who had just left the office, sold all his farmland in the Stonepile Village near Tsvonnek to Gail Industries at a suspiciously low price with the endorsement of the Knights of the Order. In return, he received various benefits from Gail Industries.

Such exchanges of power and money... have always been the norm within the Knights.

"It's not just business, nobility, even..." Looking at Margaret's gentle face, Qiesibo sighed, "No, it's nothing."

Even the entire State Council and the Grand Knight Council —the rulers of Kazimierz —are inextricably linked to this dirty and bloody exploitation.

What's even more shameful is that after they've taken advantage of you, they try to find scapegoats to whitewash their actions.

Qiesibo's lover was one of these scapegoats.

But what's the point of telling Margaret, who's been exiled before him, about this?

Before meeting a Nearl, Qiesibo suspected Rhodes Island had other plans. However, it wasn't the wine that intoxicated him... but his own feelings. After years of wasting time in the Knights of Favonius, Qiesibo still lived in that afternoon as a knight-errant, fighting for justice alongside Młynar.

Kuranta half-closed her eyes, resisting the effects of the alcohol, and reconsidered:

Although Margaret works for this company, the die is cast.

At most, it could be a shift from using cards to coerce Rhodes Island to deception or a transaction.

"Doctor. Oute, to be frank, I need your help— Rhodes Island's help."

Oute sat back down next to Amiya, and the little rabbit knowingly pushed her teacup towards him.

"Just as I just said..."

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Since you're in Kazimierz, why not try Kazimierz flavors?"

So sweet!

So sour!

You Terra Poles!

What kind of hellish drink is this!?

Oute kept a straight face.

Amiya grabbed Oute's hand, and Oute, understanding the situation, shared his "pain" with Amiya.

Qiesibo stared wide-eyed at his shifty eyes.

You've been waiting for me here from the very beginning!?

What is Kazimierz flavor?

Power and money are exchanged, and no means are spared! They are exploited and ruthlessly drained!

"... It seems I underestimated Rhodes Island."

Oute felt like half of his tongue was useless, so he simply transferred the thread to Amiya and began to remotely control her body. "We're just a pharmaceutical company, not very big to begin with, so why look down on us?"

Nearl felt like her brain wasn't up to the task.

What's going on?

What happened?

Wasn't Qiesibo just drunk?

Why are we talking about Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao again?

"A group of bounty hunters, led by the 'Yellow Smoke' and 'Fire Lung' brothers, are wreaking havoc around Tsvonnek. They are using methods including looting, kidnapping, and direct threats to force farmers to sell their land," Qiesibo said. "Although the evidence at hand is insufficient to bring them to court, it is enough to convince my own conscience: Gail Industries."

Who are they? Bounty hunters and Gail Industries.

Where? Around Tsvonnek.

How many to kill?

"... What?"

Oute changed his question and asked, "How do we kill him?"

"... Doctor Oute, aren't you going a bit too far?" Qiesibo said with difficulty, "Although this isn't Kawalerielki, directly targeting members of the Commercial Union still carries enormous legal risks... Moreover, as far as I know, your company is still planning to visit Kawalerielki ..."

"The laws of Kazimierz do not speak for companies that go bankrupt."

"Ahem..." Qiesibo wanted to agree, but he didn't want to reveal his true plan in front of such a smart and aggressive person.

"Once we've dealt with the bounty hunter, let's talk about the reward!"

Chapter 296 He's a skilled printer! Retreat quickly!

Watching Margaret Nearl and Oute leave together, Qiesibo's gloomy face grew even more somber.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony is still about six months away. Originally, the only intention was to use Rhodes Island to suppress the increasingly rampant Gail Industries and make Tsvonnek less conspicuous!

But did this actually attract another man-eating beast?

The default arrangement for Rhodes Island to establish free clinics in rural areas and help them set up offices in cities... sounds easy, but under that Oute, opening this door is tantamount to completely replacing Gail Industries' position!

Qiesibo sighed.

Cities are fine, but once an organization like Rhodes Island takes root in the countryside, it's impossible to eradicate it...

He quickly convinced himself and comforted himself:

Even if Rhodes Island were to occupy the countryside for a time, it would be worth it!

If... we successfully ignite a war between Kazimierz and Leithanien, then Kazimierz will be forced to reform!

Only war... can rid Kazimierz of its nauseating stench!

Under the moonlight, Nearl trailed behind.

Only when she reached the front of the ship did she suddenly realize, "Qiesibo, is he trying to cause us trouble?"

Oute glanced at her. "Yes and no. Amiya?"

The little rabbit turned around to face the two of them, and explained while walking backwards, "Mr. Qiesibo needs some outside help to deal with some problems, but he's unwilling or unable to contribute any resources. Based on this..."

Amiya hesitated for a moment, then looked at Nearl and asked, "Miss Nearl, how long has it been since the last Laika War?"

"Thirty... no, almost forty years."

"That's two generations now," Amiya bluntly stated. "Tsvonnek has already Doli from border trade, and the city's bureaucrats are now extremely averse to anyone talking about war. The bureaucrats of Tsvonnek, they never originally intended for us to stay away."

Nearl was astonished. "So, Qiesibo had actually started causing trouble all along?"

To be precise, we've already searched half of it.

The Campaign Knight entered the country was Qiesibo's creation. And faced with a stranger who had not demonstrated any power, the bureaucrats, under his pressure, imposed numerous obstacles on Rhodes Island's entry.

On that day, Qiesibo's plan was perhaps to completely shut Rhodes Island out, then appear with a friendly face, using entry as leverage to ask Rhodes Island for help.

This tactic is called "creating a false card." It first creates problems for the target, then forces them to negotiate. Next, it exchanges terms at the negotiating table, demanding certain things from the opponent. However, the chips traded in this process are the very problems it initially created for the opponent.

The most extreme case is when robbers exchange their target's life for valuables.

"Without you, he would most likely find an excuse tomorrow to throw a few key Leithanien on this ship into prison." Oute shook his head.

The plan was well-thought-out, but it went wrong right from the first step, and we had to keep patching it up.

Oute went straight to the point, pulling in Nearl and saving Qiesibo the trouble of patching things up.

Nearl pursed her lips, looking dejected. "Qiesibo now..."

"Is he a seasoned politician, or a naive one?" Oute commented.

Seeing Nearl's ears twitch in surprise, he added, "This isn't a compliment."

Such a crude method might be considered delicate among the rough men of the Knights. But to use it to advance any decent scheme... we can only hope that "speed is the only way to win in martial arts" and take advantage of the speed of information flow.

"Qiesibo's methods are too rigid, inflexible, and too bloody. While they may yield good results in individual cases, his overall approach will make us new enemies," Oute instructed Amiya. "See the negative examples? Remember them."

The little rabbit nodded quickly, but she was still walking backwards and was about to fall.

Nearl, quick-witted and agile, grabbed Amiya and chuckled, "Only at times like this do I realize you're still a child."

"Sister Nearl! I'm not a little kid!" she puffed out her cheeks.

After releasing the pressure, Nearl asked, "That bounty hunter, is he really real?"

Oute nodded. "The expansion of Tsvonnek's urban area means an increase in the city's population, and also an increase in the consumption of staple foods and cash crops."

That would require more arable land.

"Gail Industries is a giant corporation that tends to monopolize the entire supply chain: they build urban sites, employ infected workers, and sell protective equipment; they increase the urban consumer population and seize arable land. For a company like that, hiring thugs is far more cost-effective."

The gate slowly opened, and a ray of light pierced the darkness, shining before the three people's eyes.

But Oute's words were incredibly dark. "In fact, Nearl, I'm very curious: with the speculative profits from cash crops soaring, will the Kazimierz giants use their plantations to produce staple crops or cash crops?"

Nearl returned to her long-lost home ship, only to be chilled to the bone. "Wh... what?"

She thought it was a carrot.

"Either way, there's a way to make a profit," Oute said. "But for Gail Industries, manually creating famine is far beyond its capabilities. So, let's assume for now... that Tsvonnek has invested a large area in cash crop production, whether it's cultivated land or farmland outside the city."

Cash crops are not just speculative instruments like Romtopo Carrot, but also include crops from different fields with varying "economic" attributes, such as avocados, cauliflower, leafy greens, cabbage, tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, oilseeds, and lemons.

Compared to foolishly planting staple crops on urban land, even planting common fruits and vegetables is more profitable. If, like Chernobog now, one specializes in selling tropical fruits to cold-climate countries, one can make a fortune.

"Not all cash crops are edible, Nearl. Even among the edible varieties, there's an inherent logic to why they haven't become staple foods."

"Fortunately, Tsvonnek has relatively convenient transportation. Even if some mishaps occur, thanks to its inventory and transportation network, this Mobile City can still reach its next base and obtain supplies."

It's fairly convenient during peacetime.

Oute suddenly jumped to the conclusion. "In this game of clever people, everyone thinks they're smart enough to find the next fool."