Mystery Paradise: Wishing Power Demon-Chapter 217 - 216 The Land of Purification

Chapter 217: Chapter 216: The Land of Purification

Chapter 217 -216: The Land of Purification

The junior’s narration lacked the high spirits and animation of the patrons in the tavern; she recounted everything with a very calm tone, even though every sentence could shock Ryan beyond belief. For example, the nobles’ conspiracy of serial murders, or how the large corporations treated miners as expendable test subjects, or how she was attacked at the city guard garrison, barely escaping with her life.

As for the part about eradicating the Evil God, she didn’t even give the city guards a share of the credit, as if everything from start to finish was orchestrated by the Paradise Sect.

After listening, it took Ryan a long time to recover his senses.

If everything Shandela had said was true, it meant that the Heretical Cult had infiltrated this city as early as three years ago.

“…So who is managing this city now?” he asked, dubious.

“No one,” Shandela shrugged.

“No one?”

“Right, at least not officially. If you think about it, it’s not so strange. Does the King inquire about the Kingdom’s affairs every day? It’s the same for a lord; if everything is flourishing, aside from managing the taxes, he has nothing else to do for most of the year.”

“How can everything be flourishing!? The nobles and merchants have all fled. Who will run the companies, who will pay the salaries to the people in the city?” Ryan found the idea absurd, her words completely defying reason!

Shandela sighed lightly, “I have also considered the same questions as you have. But it turns out that I underestimated Mr. Zhao.”

Mr. Zhao?

Is that the name of a leader of the Paradise Sect?

Ryan noted it in his heart, “How so?”

“He didn’t give those rich people a chance to atone. Paradise seized all the families and companies connected to the Heretical Cult, confiscated their assets, and then brought in a new group to run them,” Shandela explained with a sigh. “Did you see the people lining up downstairs? They are here at the convenience office looking for jobs. The mining, medical, and manufacturing industries have all been reconsolidated and are now led by Paradise. They call it… nationalization, but I guess this ‘nation’ has nothing to do with the Kingdom.”

The followers typically believe in another ‘nation.’

The Divine Country.

To Ryan, this sounded like a blatant usurpation of sacred private property! If this news spread back to the Old Continent, it would surely stir up another uproar.

What’s more unbelievable is that she seemed to agree with this approach.

Had she become so indifferent to the Kingdom’s laws?

“You need to come back to the Old Continent with me,” Ryan couldn’t help but say.

“To do what?”

“To be a witness, of course. As a defense officer of Magnificent Castle, you have an obligation to inform the royal family of the truth.” He estimated in his mind; if everything she said was true, it was likely that she could be lightly sentenced or even acquitted. As for the Paradise Sect… first, they had to determine whether it was a Latter God worship organization and whether divinities often responded to their prayers before deciding how to deal with it. However, the confiscated properties would definitely have to be returned, even if their former owners had indeed joined the Heretical Cult, the properties should belong to the local lord.

“Too bad I’m no longer a defense officer,” Shandela showed a helpless expression, “Besides, after I resigned, the city guard was dissolved.”

“What?” Ryan exclaimed in surprise, “Dissolved?”

Visit ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience.

“That’s right, most of my people died at Huiqiu Mine, and the reserve funds of the city guard were not enough to pay so much in pensions. Later, Paradise found me and made a financial deal with me. That was for me to review and judge those criminals connected to the Heretical Cult. They would pay the money and also take care of the families of all the casualties,” she spoke impassively. “See these archives in the room? This is what I’m doing now. As for the city guard’s headquarters… I hear it’s going to be turned into a new police department, which isn’t too bad, at least the twenty-odd brothers who survived the calamity can find a place to go.”

“Paradise wants to use your reputation,” he pointed out decisively.

“What about it? My reputation can’t be exchanged for so much money.”

“But what will you do in the future? You can’t do this for a lifetime!” Ryan couldn’t help but get a little agitated.

Seeing the surprised look she gave him, he realized he had spoken a bit too forcefully, “Ahem… What I mean is, as a warrior who has even earned a master’s title, doing clerical work is simply a waste of your talent.”

“Who knows, maybe I’ll switch careers and become a mercenary or adventurer someday,” Shandela said nonchalantly.

“You might want to think it over. Going back to the Old Continent now, you’re still a military officer—although you might be demoted, it’s still much better than being a mercenary.”

“Thank you for the suggestion, but I prefer to maintain my current status,” she politely declined. “Do you need me to get in touch with the Paradise Sect for you? Or would you like to keep your identity hidden and look around the city a bit longer?”

Damn, she had seen through his thoughts.

Ryan could only respond passively, “No, if necessary, I will contact them myself.”

Shandela smiled faintly again, “Then let’s end our reminiscence here. I have many things to tend to and cannot keep you company any longer.”

…

Farrelan rode the sightseeing carriage, heading toward the direction of the mine.

Besides him, there were only two other people on the carriage, who seemed to be local residents from their clothes and appearance.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we are about to enter the Grey Zone, an area originally inaccessible to ordinary people, but now—”

The guide was interrupted mid-speech by a passenger who rudely cut in, “Enough, shut up. I’m tired of hearing the same spiel over and over.”

“Yeah, and it’s not like this is a real tour carriage anyway. We don’t really need a guide.”

“How can we not need one? There’s still a foreign tourist on the carriage!” the guide protested urgently.

Seeing that all three were looking at him, Farrelan quickly put on a friendly expression, “I’m fine with whatever, as long as you’re happy. But speaking of which, isn’t this a sightseeing carriage? The sign at the starting point clearly said ‘Wonderland Tour Company’.”

“Hey, recently there haven’t been many cargo ships docking, so there are hardly any tourists. We wouldn’t even see ten in a whole day; if we relied just on your business, wouldn’t we starve?” the guide said, no longer pretending, and sat down with a complaint.

“Is the company going to go bankrupt soon?”

“That won’t happen. The Paradise Sect said they’re planning a big development in the outskirts, and those involved can’t possibly walk there,” the guide explained. “Like these two with you, they’re probably going to try their luck at the mine.”

“What luck?” Farrelan asked curiously.

The two just laughed and did not answer.

As an outsider, it was natural for him not to inquire further, so he turned his attention to the scenery on both sides of the road. Although this was Farrelan’s first visit to Magnificent Castle, it was not his first time setting foot in the New Land. Before, when he was invited by Baron Iris to solve an adultery case in New Moon City, he had seen the New Land’s landscape. The fog wall, substantial as if real, had left a deep impression on him. Moreover, the Moonlight Stone Columns in New Moon City were not very large, and their effect in dispersing the fog was relatively limited. Sometimes, the fog’s edge would even merge with the city walls, creating an overwhelming sense of oppression.

Magnificent Castle seems to be much better off, clear and sunny even far from the city, although the remote hills seemed rather desolate. At least the road ahead was visible to the eye.

“By the way, how far is the foggy area from here?” Farrelan casually inquired.

The two passengers looked at each other and then burst into loud laughter.

That laughter completely baffled him.

Had he said something wrong?

A moment later, one chuckled and shook his head, “I told you, you need to change that damn sign quickly. The tourists from the New Land come for the mist, and there’s none left now. Isn’t keeping that sign just deceiving people?”

The fog…gone?

Seeing Farrelan stunned, the other passenger patted his shoulder, “Buddy, we’re already in the foggy area right now.”