Old Gods, Rapid-Fire Guns, and Prohibition

Chapter 143 [Heavy Rain is Coming]

That brightness made him think of another pair of very similar eyes.

"So, shall we start the interview now?"

After Morgan and Ethan shook hands, they looked a little impatient.

Ethan nodded and pressed the bell beside him to signal for tea.

"Okay, first question, is your painting of 'The Orphans of San Quanti' actually based on a prototype?"

"Don't you want to ask about my painting 'The Persistence of Memory'?"

Ethan asked back.

"Oh, that's right. I... I started from the very beginning. Since I'm from the capital, I first got to know you through that painting, so..."

Morgan seemed to panic for a moment, then forced himself to calm down.

"Okay, let's talk about the painting first, yes..."

They talked like this for an hour.

We talked about "The Orphans of San Quanti" and the orphanage, the reconstruction of San Quanti, and the compassion for the lower classes in Ethan's works.

We just didn’t talk about “The Persistence of Memory”.

When it was over, Ethan picked up the tea and said with a smile, "Mr. Morgan, you actually don't understand art at all, right?"

"Uh..." Morgan, who had picked up the tea, seemed stunned for a moment, then quickly drank the tea as if to hide his expression, or as if he was thinking of a solution.

Then Ethan said, "You are not Morgan at all."

This sentence made Morgan spit out his tea.

"I'm... I'm sorry, Mr. Ethan, I... I..." He was wiping the tea in a hurry, as if trying to explain or apologize.

Finally, he seemed a little dejected. "I'm sorry, Mr. Ethan. I... I'm not Morgan, but I'm an independent journalist. My name is Herosh, and I'm from the capital. I don't really understand art. I usually report on people's livelihoods. I focus on the grassroots. I happened to see your painting 'The Orphans of San Quanti'. I thought it was very good, and I think you must be a very good person. It just so happened that your 'The Persistence of Memory' was a big hit, so I used some tricks... I'm sorry... I..."

Ethan actually saw it from the beginning. Although this guy seemed to be very calm when he came in, he was exposed as soon as he opened his mouth.

But Ethan didn't expose him immediately because his eyes were very interesting.

"Forget it, but don't do this next time. Do you need to change your clothes?" Ethan shook his head, indicating that he would not pursue the matter.

Helosh breathed a sigh of relief, quickly said no, and was about to leave immediately.

Ethan didn't stop him, just watched him go.

After a while, Anya came in and said, "Do you want to check this person?"

"Yes, I need to find out where he lives now and what his situation is like in the capital. I want all his information."

Ethan rubbed his chin.

A few days ago, Ned was still telling him that he couldn't use his own people, he had to use outsiders, and he was even preparing to restart the True Name Gathering.

Ethan didn't have any good candidates either.

But today, this man named Helosh caught his attention.

Outsider, independent journalist.

Most importantly, his eyes.

Ethan put down his teacup, returned to his office, found a copy of the Truth newspaper in the bottom drawer, and then looked at the eyes in the newspaper.

Those eyes were also looking at him, and emitting a light that was too bright.

That's right.

That person is most likely the true name of the Eye of Truth.

After Herosh left, Ethan met with a reporter from a local newspaper.

This time, it was real. They discussed in detail the creative process behind "The Persistence of Memory," and finally, Ethan began to hint, both openly and covertly, about the possibility of an exhibition. Over the past two days, Ethan had figured out that he couldn't hold an independent exhibition for the time being; it would be too blatant, and the Kingdom Statistics Bureau was already keeping an eye on him.

Although nothing has been found about him in the Evans family's businesses in the past two days, holding an independent art exhibition at this critical juncture is clearly money laundering.

The goal is too big.

So he changed his tone and said that to celebrate the centenary of Winchester University, he would present a painting at the celebration.

At the same time, he will exhibit some personal works.

There will also be a small auction at that time.

Of course, all proceeds from the auction will be donated to the alma mater.

Now that El, the acting president of Winster University, is also his man, it will be much easier to deal with the money when the time comes.

Ethan had actually talked to El about this matter.

El is also a smart man. He immediately understood Ethan's intention. At first he seemed afraid.

But he knew how he got to his current position, so he gritted his teeth and decided to continue.

After seeing off the local reporters, Velen arrived.

"Victor and the others are ready to start construction."

He brought the latest news about Victor.

Since Joseph came, Ethan's pressure has become two-sided, and he can't keep an eye on Victor the whole time.

Victor still got his people here.

The number doesn't seem too large at the moment, and according to Velen's observation, ordinary people still make up the majority of those people.

In other words, the dock ambush that night did cause Victor some muscle and bone injuries.

However, after Victor's people arrived, they didn't take any other action, as if they were really there just to work on the project.

Just like Velen said, they are ready to start construction, that is, the sewer project has started.

As for the land reclamation plan, the city hall is indeed promoting it.

Regarding the investment, Ethan did not say that he would resist. He could not make himself the target of public criticism.

The real target is Victor.

If the land reclamation project ultimately fails to be implemented, then Victoria will have no way to gain a foothold in Winster.

vice versa.

"These days, Vito has absorbed a lot of Sandro's former men, all of whom are disloyal to us. However, not all of Sandro's men want to follow him. Many actually resent him because they want to demolish Sandro's castle."

Velen said again.

Sandro's castle was the first step in land reclamation and was bound to be demolished.

After all, Sandro had been standing underground in Winster for decades. Even though he was dead, his influence still remained.

Many people still regard him as an idol and a spiritual belief.

Now, someone actually dared to demolish the home of their idol, which is unacceptable in any way.

Even Ethan, the culprit who killed Sandro with his own hands, didn't do such a thing.

"So, I picked some of these people and mixed them into the team heading to Vidona as insiders. I think they will be useful when the time comes."

Ethan nodded.

It was March, but Winster already had a suffocating feeling, like a torrential rain about to fall in the sweltering heat.

(End of this chapter)