I'll Handle It.

After a brief exchange of glances, Maria turned and left.

The other guards naturally dared not stop Maria.

You should know that standing here is the only garrison general in the entire Hundred Stoves — Wei Sanzheng!

His appearance caused everyone present to widen their eyes and show expressions of astonishment.

Why is he here?

Although he was a general personally appointed by the current emperor to remain in the Hundred Stoves and command his soldiers... this place where commoners eat is hardly a place where he should be present, is it?

But Wei Sanzheng didn't say much. He told the soldiers beside him to handle the matter according to the law, and then turned and walked back to his private room.

Inside, several people were also waiting.

"These days it's been like this a lot... to be honest, we really don't have enough manpower on our side."

A man rubbed his temples, looking troubled.

The middle-aged man next to him, wearing glasses, curled his lip in disapproval.

"How about we switch? I'll help you with the security, and you help me figure out how to improve those cannons?"

"It's possible to change it, but it depends on whether you dare to do it."

The man chuckled twice, showing no fear.

After all, at their level, positions aren't something that can be changed at will.

The so-called help is just lip service... Since that's the case, there's no need to be too formal.

After all, everyone in this private room is one of our own.

"Forget it, with your mindset, you're good for keeping order, but if it comes to alchemy and blacksmithing, you'll run away after two days."

The middle-aged man blew on his hard-earned beard, his face full of disdain.

The man wasn't angry. After pouring the other person a glass of wine, he turned his head and looked at the person in the main seat.

"Brother, what do you think?"

"... There's not much to say. Whether it's repelling the Great Beast or defeating Great Beast, it's something rarely seen in history. It's normal for people to question and discuss it. However... there have indeed been too many such incidents recently. If this continues, it may disturb the lives of ordinary people."

"I'd like to handle it too, but we really don't have enough manpower... Although everyone can grit their teeth and work a few more shifts, but..."

As the man spoke, his eyes darted around.

Meanwhile, the woman who was silently calculating in her mind how much money those two guys would have to pay the hotel this time suddenly opened her eyes and looked over warily.

"No money! Not a single penny left!"

"Please don't do this..."

The man's face fell, his expression full of worry. "You can't expect my men to work empty-handed, can you?"

"I don't care about that. Anyway, the remaining money is to be used to prevent a possible grain disaster in the Great Wilderness... The Directorate of Celestial Observation has reported several times that this year's harvest is bad, and there is a possibility of a significant reduction in yield, or even a complete crop failure. If something really happens, how much money do you think we can raise?"

The woman frowned.

She knew the other party had their own difficulties, but as the person in charge of finances, she had to look further ahead.

As the most important source of food for the Yan, the Great Wilderness has suffered such a major accident that no one expected. If something really goes wrong and there is no preparation, the consequences will be unbearable for everyone!

Therefore, she resolutely refused the man's request.

Getting a regular salary is fine, but wanting extra income... is impossible!

"I didn't mean that, but couldn't you send a little more? Even just a little would be fine. If the rest isn't enough, I'll think of other ways to make up for it."

The man knows which of the two things is more important, but he can't really let his subordinates work overtime without pay, can he?

After all, they all have families...

No, not at all.

The woman gritted her teeth, still refusing to give in.

The man was helpless and could only look at the person in the main seat.

"Big brother..."

"... Um."

The man in the lead didn't say much; he simply sipped his tea and exhaled slightly.

"In that case... Wei Yu, how long have you reserved their salaries?"

"Three months..."

"In that case, let's withdraw a month's worth of funds and distribute them in advance."

Although there's no way to conjure up more money, it's still possible to send out some money in advance.

Of course, this matter would not be spoken of to others.

"But... yes."

The woman was clearly puzzled by the decision, but after a moment's hesitation, she nodded slightly out of trust.

The man beside him also started laughing again.

Upon noticing the man in the first seat looking at him, he patted his chest confidently.

"Don't worry, brother, at the latest within a month, I will definitely bring Hundred Stoves under control!"

That would be best.

As the man spoke, he also poured tea and turned to look at Wei Sanzheng standing to the side.

"What's wrong?"

"... Very strange."

Wei Sanzheng frowned, his expression hesitant.

"Those two girls gave me... a very strange feeling..."

~~~~~

306

Chapter 306 I'll handle it.

"It feels strange?"

Wei Sanzheng's words clearly puzzled everyone.

They exchanged a glance, then turned to look at Wei Sanzheng.

"Do you really feel something's strange?"

After all, Wei Sanzheng had grown up with them since childhood, and everyone knew his abilities. If he could point out something was wrong... then there really was a problem!

Immediately, the man, who had just received the money and was still happy, stood up.

"I'll find a way to get someone to track down those girls... What do they look like?"

"I don't remember."

Wei Sanzheng shook his head, his expression calm.

The people standing by were completely taken aback.

Don't you remember?

Such a big thing... and you've already forgotten about it?

No...

"Wei Laosan, what's wrong with you?"

The man was getting a little anxious.

Even the nicknames some of them used when they were children came up.

"If such a dangerous person is allowed to roam freely within the Hundred Stoves, who knows how much trouble it will cause... What if he is one of the Shanhai Assembly?"

"... It doesn't seem like it."

Wei Sanzheng spoke slowly, as if he were not good with words, each word escaping slowly.

But his lowered head and furrowed brows still made everyone somewhat uneasy.

So what exactly happened?

"Those two people had very long breaths, almost as if they were hidden inside their bodies... They didn't do these things intentionally; it was just something they were used to doing."

Wei Sanzheng continued speaking, then hesitated for a few seconds before looking at the man in the head seat.

"Those two girls... are very strong..."

After much deliberation, he still couldn't quite figure out what was going on with the two girls, and could only offer a very strong assessment.

The person in the head seat also slightly turned their head.

How strong is it?

"Maybe... he's even stronger than me."

Wei Sanzheng spoke earnestly.

He never jokes; he's a man of his word, and everyone knows that about him.

So when he said that Maria and the others might be stronger than him, everyone looked incredulous.

The man standing nearby became even more anxious.

"But... they don't seem to mean any harm."

Wei Sanzheng then slowly added a sentence.

This left everyone speechless.

"No malicious intent?"

"Um."

Wei Sanzheng nodded. "Both of them looked very... calm. I don't think they're bad people."

Whether someone is evil or not is not determined by feelings, but by what they have done.

The elderly man who hadn't spoken at the table frowned slightly.

There are far too many people in this world who mean well but do bad things. People aren't inherently evil, but whether their actions are evil or not depends on what they do!

"Yes, that's why we absolutely have to find them!"

The man continued speaking, but the old man frowned.

"They haven't done anything wrong... why keep pushing them?"

"I'm not pressuring them, Grandpa Zuo, it's just that these two people suddenly appeared in Hundred Stoves... don't you think it's too much of a coincidence?"

The man continued speaking.

"Right now, the entire Hundred Stoves is overjoyed at South River City's victory over the Great Beast... But people are restless right now, and if someone with ulterior motives takes advantage of this, who knows what might happen!"

He was also acting from the perspective of the safety of the people.

Perhaps this was a little unfair to the two girls who hadn't done anything, but he couldn't care less.

However, everyone has their own opinions on this.

The crowd gradually quieted down only after the leader spoke.

"If nothing has been done, there's naturally no need to worry..."

"But, elder brother..."

"I know what you want to say, second brother, but... there's no need to rush."

The leader then turned his head and looked at the old man beside him.

"Mr. Zuo, if I'm not mistaken, your wife should be back by now, right?"

"Yes, Your Highness."