Yang Zicang sat on the wild grass by the roadside, his feet stretching out onto the sloped bank of a dry drainage ditch, gazing at the white clouds in the sky.

“I’m afraid the Deputy Director won’t take your advice. Your idea is going to backfire, ” Old Pipe-smoker suddenly took the initiative to speak.

“Hm? ” Yang Zicang turned his head. “Isn’t this a good method? “

“Ha, it figures—you Fogfolk people just don’t have any decorum. “

Old Samson coughed dryly twice and said, _”Think about it—they represent the Grand Duke’s face. Who would let the royal family’s honor be disgraced? So, some things aren’t so easily accomplished just by mentioning them.

Yang Zicang lowered his head. Was he being a bit too optimistic?

So, was this method not going to work?

But since he had already put in the effort… He thought back to the layers of Ether Trait bonds that had appeared in the small control room of the Prime Minister’s Cabin on the ship. Setting aside whether a small new trait might be born, even just to prevent the emergence of the “Failure ” related trait, he figured he should give it another try.

Otherwise, why would that person behind the counter be so afraid of obtaining the “Ether Beacon ” that belonged to her?

At this thought, the young man, whose face had now gained a bit more color and vitality, lifted his head and asked the old man beside him, who was blowing out smoke rings.

“Under normal circumstances, is armed suppression the go-to choice for everyone? “

“Armed force… Well, generally speaking, as long as it’s a gathering, large-scale slaughter won’t occur, but they’re bound to end up in a bad spot, ” Old Pipe-smoker said, his eyes sinking downward as he glanced. He paused for a few seconds before adding, “Only this time, they’ve stirred trouble on the land of an old noble who’s comparatively kind-hearted. “

He held his hand in front of his mouth.

“Actually, it’s a good thing the Marshal’s troops are stationed here; otherwise, all their ruckus back there still wouldn’t have raised much of a stir. “

Yang Zicang lowered his head and thought for a moment.

“I’ll go investigate and have a look. “

The old man beside him turned his head. “Didn’t I tell you? This matter won’t work out. A negotiation team—do you even know when a negotiation team is set up? It’s during times of war between nations. At the very least, it’s when a court trial is happening. “

“No, no, sir, I don’t believe it’s like that. “

“Hm? “

Yang Zicang stood up with a smile, took out the coordination letter the division headquarters had issued for the Fog Folk’s land lease, and flicked it a couple of times.

“Even during a court trial, you still need to present evidence, right? “

“What do you plan to do? “

“Hq wasn’t simply bringing me here to assist you. There is also one most crucial point: to ‘pacify the populace.’ “

He revealed this line written on the paper.

“As for how to pacify them, that’s a matter for us Fogfolk. What we Fogfolk do shouldn’t be seen as defying the Duke, should it? “

“Hey! Don’t you go running your mouth, kid. ” Before the words had even faded, Yang Zicang had already dashed swiftly toward the hillside behind, charging for the summit. On the other side lay the gathering place for all the villagers of Qiaoshi Village. The lively sounds of construction were filtering over faintly.

Old Samson stood up in a daze, just as Darui, who had been wandering at the other end of the road, returned.

“What’s he off to do? “

“Him… Ha, only today do I truly understand what it means by—’there’s no crack a Fogfolk won’t slip through.’ With just a scrap of paper scrawled with two words, he dares to meddle with His Highness’s new decree. “

As he spoke, the man lightly slapped his own cheek. “Usually, I’m not this fond of blurting things out. Why did I have to show off in front of a Fogfolk? “

……

Outside the picturesque countryside, a wisp of sunlight kneaded through the cold clouds, momentarily falling to the ground.

“Hey, who goes there! “

A group of men and women busy at work all stopped what they were doing, staring at the unfamiliar young man suddenly sprinting down from the opposite hill.

• ｛Loki Tata Mingqi, the distributor, gazes at my present life experience with satisfaction.｝

Yang Zicang, in all his hustle and bustle, had already taken off his coat mid-run and tucked his undershirt into his waistband, making him look quite sharp and efficient.

“I’m a senior operative from the investigation firm!” he announced, raising his hand.

-｛Distributor Tataming says, “Wah-ha.“｝

-｛Tataming says, “Growing.“｝

A few workers muttered the strange term under their breath.

“Senior operative? Sounds pretty impressive.“

“A senior operative from the city?“

“Uh, uh—yeah, a senior investigator, that’s it.” Yang Zicang repeated the term twice as he finally recalled it. “Right, I’m Investigator Yang from the investigation firm.“

The villagers stumbled over the unfamiliar title until suddenly someone noticed Yang Zicang’s ears. “Wait—hold on, you’re a Fogfolk!“

A wave of shock rippled through the crowd as they all stared at him.

Yang Zicang hissed to himself and touched his ear. Since the division headquarters had specifically commissioned a Fogfolk for this case, he hadn’t bothered to put on a disguise for his ears.

“Yeah, that’s right. I’m Fogfolk.“

Should’ve brought the disguise along… Still too inexperienced.

“A Fogfolk is here?! What business do you have?!” The farmers grew wary.

Legend had it that Fogfolk were unkillable. Even if cannon fire struck them, it would only tear their clothes—sometimes not even that. Yet rumour also had it that no matter how despicable a Fogfolk might be, they rarely laid hands on ordinary civilians. In history, those who did were usually dealt with by other Fogfolk before long.

So the villagers here lowered their hoes, which they had raised earlier. More people gradually gathered from the construction sites all around.

“You’re not here to talk us into going back for those lords, are you?“

“No, no—don’t misunderstand, everyone.“

Yang Zicang practically wrecked his own face before managing to plaster on an enthusiastically radiant expression, bellowing with bravado, “Fellow villagers, I’m on your side. I’m here to gather intel on your situation… to help buffer the tensions here. “

“On our side? “

“You think we don’t know your kind? Get the hell out of here. “

None of them believed him. Yet, bathed in the tepid sunlight, Yang Zicang spoke with unwavering confidence: “You all know the Marshal, don’t you? The 47th Division is stationed here—you must’ve heard how they even scared off the Ferheim mountain garrison. “

“Huh? Ferheim’s army was here? ” queried a couple of farmers in bewilderment.

“What? Ferheim’s troops have already bugged out? Scared off by that army stationed here? “

The crowd erupted in a murmur of shocked speculation.

“Still, since that army moved in, plenty of folks from coastal towns have indeed flooded in as refugees. “

— ｛Distributor May.Valkyrie is monitoring my actions.｝

“Yeah, I even doled out water to a few passing refugees. “

“Me too. Gave ’em a bowl of porridge once. “

Hearing that the locals held a fairly decent impression of the garrisoned force, Yang Zicang felt a dangerous “stone ” dropping partway from his anxious heart—this plan realis actually plausible after all.

— ｛Distributor Loki.Tata Mingqi signals them a “Good luck!“｝

At that moment, Yang Zicang pulled out the coordination letter stamped with the division’s official seal.

“Folks, ” he shouted, “to be honest with you, don’t spread this around, but I came here ahead of time specifically. “

Seeing Yang Zicang’s mysterious demeanor, holding something in his hand, although everyone looked wary, their curiosity was also intense.

Yang Zicang folded the text part, revealing only the steel stamp and signature on the date and the words “47th Division Temporary Command Office in White Violet City. “

“Division headquarters heard about what happened to you all before, so they specifically sent a letter to us for land rent, asking us, as third-party individuals who don’t take sides with either of you, to investigate the real, detailed situation. “

“What, sent by division headquarters? “

Several people dressed in coarse cloth shirts and blue coats, with sweat cloths wrapped around their heads, hesitated and peered closely.

• ｛Distributor February. Di’an is paying attention to my current life experience.｝ “This is… ” “This is a letter from division headquarters to me. Its content is a military secret, so it must be kept confidential. But this steel stamp cannot be forged, and my ears cannot be fake. “

Yang Zicang felt increasingly justified, confidently pointing at his ear.

Many people watching his movements instinctively nodded.

“He’s truly a Fogfolk, an outsider who won’t be partial to either side. “

“Division headquarters’ idea is good, but is it real or fake? Hey, Jean Sandi used to be a secretary soldier, let him come and take a look. “

The commotion up ahead had already drawn the attention of that Jean Sandi, a seventy-year-old man weighing no more than sixty jin, thin but spirited.

Soon, he pulled out his reading glasses and made his way over. After a trembling look at Yang Zicang, he reached out and touched the paper and the embossed seal on it, scrutinizing the lettering.

Suddenly, his hands began to tremble.

“N-no mistake! This is a genuine personnel transfer document! “

His aged voice carried a hint of surprise as he looked at Yang Zicang as if seeing a long-lost relative. “Truly from the division headquarters! “

The old man turned to the people around him.

“The division headquarters has come for us! The Marshal’s men know we’ve been wronged and have come to investigate. Make way, quickly, make way! “