Old Gods, Rapid-Fire Guns, and Prohibition

Chapter 164 [Noon has arrived]

time.

Eleven o'clock.

The sun is almost at its zenith.

Ethan and Joseph were already sitting opposite each other in the two rows of seats.

In addition to the necessary attendees, Osvaldo was naturally among them. After all, he was the governor of Winster and theoretically the highest-ranking person present.

But today he was more like a referee, and the whole scene was like a duel platform.

As he nodded to begin and then sat down, Joseph stood up.

The game officially begins.

"Everyone, welcome to our presence today, both journalists and the people of the Kingdom. I am delighted that you have come to witness this historic moment, a moment in which the power of justice should be restored to all, the power of trial should belong to all, and the right to know should belong to all!"

I have to say that Joseph is a guy who knows how to play politics very well.

He was holding the loudspeaker microphone at the moment, speaking in a steady and unhurried tone, with a deep and deep voice. Coupled with his friendly yet noble attire, and his resolute and confident expression, there was no one who would not be influenced or even conquered by him at this moment.

Many people who were nearby had come to support Ethan, but after seeing this scene and hearing these words, they were already shaken in their hearts.

Maybe Ethan was really wrong?

Wasn't he wronged this time?
The flash naturally lit up in time, recording Joseph's heroic figure at this moment.

"Alright, enough idle chatter, let's officially begin today's evidence presentation. To ensure fairness, we'll distribute copies of every piece of key evidence presented today to the 500 people closest to the scene. We've also prepared state-of-the-art projection technology to ensure as many people as possible can see the content clearly. Okay, then, let's begin the case presentation."

After finishing his preface, Joseph's expression changed, becoming extremely serious. He looked at Ethan with an extremely sharp gaze and said, "According to our investigation, Mr. Ethan purchased a bank in Butan City in March, the Butan Plain Bank. Originally, it's nothing for a businessman to make some investments and acquire a bank. It's all normal business behavior. But I'm from the Kingdom Statistics Bureau after all, and I have my own professional sensitivity. Especially since Ethan bought the bank after I arrived and it's not in Winster, this is very suspicious, so I conducted an investigation..."

"Guess what, I guessed right. He bought this bank specifically to commit illegal activities. Every day, a large number of small, anonymous loans are made, and they are repaid quickly. The amount of funds is staggering, but it is right under the Kingdom's baseline. We had no idea at first, until a righteous person exposed the inside story."

Joseph was making an impassioned and powerful speech. When he came to this point, he waved his hand as if commanding an army to attack. Immediately, a gentleman with glasses was brought up.

"Kevin Mavis, our core witness, is a longtime employee of the Butan Plains Bank. He couldn't tolerate Ethan using his beloved bank for illegal activities, so he reported it. Let's invite him to speak."

"be opposed to."

At this moment, Ned, who was listening on the side, turned on the loudspeaker and raised his hand in objection.

However, he, who usually holds a high position, had to take the initiative to express his opposition today. In a trance, he seemed to have returned to his youth.

"Oh? Sir Ned, what are you objecting to?" Joseph didn't seem surprised by Ned's remarks, but smiled instead.

"In a case like this, it is unconventional evidence. According to the law, it needs to be verified by our Winston Court before it can be adopted. Your procedure is wrong." Ned ignored his smile and showed the authority of being the chief judge for many years.

If we can cut off the evidence from here, the matter will be delayed.

Then, Joseph's public trial today will end in a farce.

"The objection is invalid," Joseph said firmly, then softened his tone and looked at the crowd. "Please don't think I'm deliberately targeting Lord Ned. Truthfully, there are some things that make it difficult for me to trust him. To prove that I'm truly selfless and that I'm doing this for the kingdom, I'll present evidence to explain why Lord Ned's objection is invalid."

He waved his hand again, and the next moment, a conversation was played over a larger loudspeaker.

"What's going on? How much do you have in Joseph's hands?"

"Joseph doesn't seem to be planning to go the way of the Judgment Hall."

"I'll help you find a solution, if it's about money..."

“I can’t borrow money…”

……

"Actually, I'd like to know what happened to my bank?"

"Regarding the public trial... there's still a chance it can be transferred back to the courtroom. That way, there'll be much more room for maneuver."

In the short conversation, you can clearly hear two voices and accents, one of which is exactly the same as Ned's voice.

As for the other one...it's Ethan!
As soon as this voice came out, the whole audience was in an uproar, and even those who supported Ethan the most began to lose their resolve.

Ethan is actually...colluding with Ned?
For a time, the idea of ​​collusion between officials and businessmen, secret profiteering, and abuse of power for personal gain flashed through everyone's mind.

"Ladies and gentlemen, as you have heard, this is why I object. This is the conversation between Ethan and Ned that I obtained using the military's latest eavesdropping equipment. It is obvious that Lord Ned and Ethan are too close. This is why I chose a public trial."

Joseph spoke at the right time, about to ignite the whole atmosphere.

Ned's face darkened slightly, but he remained calm. He said, "I still object. Putting aside whether this wiretap material can be used as evidence, you have no way of proving that this conversation was truly between Ethan and me. It's entirely possible that you fabricated it."

When the people heard this, they thought it made sense.

But the seeds of doubt had been planted.

"First of all, I want to say that the law does not stipulate that the content of wiretapping cannot be used as evidence."

In this era, eavesdropping technology is still too advanced and the kingdom's laws have not had time to be improved.

"Secondly, I certify with my character, my identity, my last name, and everything I am—Joseph Evans, Lieutenant Colonel of the Kingdom Army—that this recording is authentic and contains absolutely no fabrication."

Joseph's words were sharp again, as if he was on a duel, and he had launched an attack as fierce as a storm.

Just then, just as the crowd was about to get excited again, someone interrupted him again.

"Sir Joseph, in that case, we also have a piece of evidence to submit."

The person who spoke was Bob, and he finally said the first sentence of the whole audience.

And Ethan looked up at the sun in the sky.

The sun is almost at its zenith.

It's noon.

(End of this chapter)