Old Gods, Rapid-Fire Guns, and Prohibition

Chapter 168 [Winner is Decided] (3000 words short chapter with a kneeling apology)
"First, we request a re-verification of the evidence."

After Ethan finished speaking, Bob took over again and made a request that surprised everyone.

"Haven't you been verifying the evidence just now?" Joseph frowned slightly as he looked at the lawyer from this small place.

It's not like he hasn't checked this person.

But there is very little information about them, and the only famous thing they did was that they turned defeat into victory under almost impossible conditions in the last four-ship case.

He had read the trial transcript and Bob seemed to have said something very strange.

But that time was different from this time. That time it was entirely because the people in the Prohibition Bureau were too stupid and the evidence was tampered with.

He had carefully checked the evidence this time many times and closely monitored the entire process, so he would never make that kind of mistake.

Want to repeat the same old trick?
no way.

"There are still some evidences that have not been verified, such as the original remittance receipts." Bob answered in an orderly manner.

Joseph paused slightly. Indeed, the original remittance documents did not appear in the evidence just now, because they were not the most core evidence and were some circumstantial evidence.

However, since Bob brought it up, it wouldn't hurt to test it out, because no matter what the evidence is, it's in their hands.

No matter what, nothing will happen.

"Why don't we start with that textile export contract worth more than 10 million gold?" Ethan suggested casually.

"Okay." Joseph agreed happily, with an expression that said, "Let me see what you are going to do."

Obviously, in his opinion, Ethan's move was just to delay time.

Most people in the audience also thought so. After all, the evidence was irrefutable.

Only one person felt something was wrong.

Marvin.

It's here, and this is the feeling, just like before.

Just like that time Ethan asked everyone to drink the moonshine together.

How similar...

"Thomas, let him give up." Joseph turned his head and looked at Thomas in blue gloves.

Thomas nodded slightly, and then quickly found the original document corresponding to the textile contract among a pile of documents.

He faced the projection device and projected all the content on it.

"As you can see, the amount on this original document exactly corresponds to the amount on the contract, which is exactly..."

When he said this, Thomas suddenly stopped, as if he saw something incomprehensible.

But his professional ethics and the oath he made before he started forced him to continue.

"Two million gold Ryan."

Two million?
Wait a moment.

Everyone originally thought it was just a formality, but the numbers Thomas reported were confusing.

That's not right. Why is it two million? Isn't it one thousand three hundred and forty-five thousand Jin Ruien?

Does everyone still have a copy of the contract?
How is this going?

Many people quickly opened their eyes wide and looked at the projected image, and some took out the original contract and compared it.

That’s right, more than 10 million, and 2 million...

That doesn't match.

"Oh," Ethan couldn't help but sigh, then shook his head. "I have to marvel at your team's calculations, Mr. Thomas. You actually accurately guessed the upper limit of our trade volume. Yes, it's two million. It's a shame you're not doing business, but... what's going on with that contract?"

At the very beginning, when Thomas presented the contract, he did say that if Ethan and his team cooked the books, they could only make a maximum of two million.

Now, those remarks seem to have become the best evidence for this original document.

That’s right, they only transferred two million.

Reasonable and legal.

That contract...

"It's fake! You made it..." Joseph growled again, then he suddenly stopped because he realized that the thing had been in their hands all along.

There is absolutely no way Ethan could fake it.

How could that be...

The crowd gradually reacted.

If Ethan couldn't have forged the evidence, then the only person who could have forged it was Joseph.

They forged the contract, but were they stupid enough not to forge the original remittance documents as well?
"Don't worry, gentlemen. Why not continue to verify? Maybe there will be new surprises."

At this moment, Bob took over the conversation again and said to Thomas.

Thomas remained very calm, his expression unchanged as he continued to flip through the contract as if it was just a job.

The one who was really embarrassed was Joseph, who seemed to want to raise his hand to stop Thomas.

But he was in public, with countless eyes staring at him, and he absolutely could not do that.

Ruined.

This was the only thought in his mind.

This grand performance, which he had carefully designed to make the kingdom famous, seemed to have become his personal grave.

Today, not only reporters from Winster were present, but also many people from surrounding cities, and more importantly, many reporters from the royal capital were also present.

What happens here will be reported back to the capital as quickly as possible, and then spread throughout the country.

He will be ruined.

What a rising star in the army, what an outstanding descendant of the Evans family, he will never be able to compete with his elder brother who has become a senior executive of the Kingdom's Ministry of Industry.

The best life he could have from now on was to be an idler like his good-for-nothing brother Frank. As Thomas narrated steadily, more data errors emerged. A large amount of evidence previously provided by Joseph was suspected of serious data falsification.

There was already a commotion in the crowd, and many people threw the copies in their hands to the ground, feeling that they had been greatly deceived.

For an instant.

Joseph felt the blood rushing to his head. He couldn't accept such a failure. He growled at Thomas with a sullen face, "Thomas, is everything really okay? Can't you see the problem? Are those documents real?!"

What he said sounded like nonsense.

It was clearly the evidence he provided, but he was questioning the auditors, asking, "Can't you tell whether it's true or false?"

Just ridiculous.

But only those familiar with the world of True Names knew that he was asking Thomas to use the power of True Names to verify the authenticity.

As a core member of the Blue Gloves, an important department of the Kingdom's Ministry of Finance, Thomas is naturally not an ordinary person.

He is the owner of the true name Super-Dimensional Apostle. He can calculate things that ordinary people can hardly imagine based on numbers, and he can also judge the authenticity of some contracts based on numbers and data.

Joseph has gone all out, and he even plans to reveal the secret of his real name in public.

But Thomas' response was...shaking his head.

Silently shook his head.

He shook his head, indicating that he had already tried it with the power of his true name.

it is true.

Then, he cannot say that it is false.

Because he made a vow before he started.

That oath is true and real, because it is concluded under the highest law of contract.

If you lie, you will die.

But, how is this possible?
Joseph still couldn't understand.

The whole incident kept flashing back in his mind.

There is absolutely no chance that Ethan will have any access to those files and information. He has been monitoring and monitoring Ethan non-stop these days.

Ethan wasn't going anywhere.

The people he sent out didn't accomplish anything at all.

The most important thing is how to make fake accounts and fake documents that are so real that even Thomas cannot judge.

The clouds had blocked out most of the sunlight, and a shadow fell on Joseph's face.

He was completely defeated.

The crowd had gone from being in chaos at the beginning to becoming completely boisterous.

Some people were already shouting for Joseph to give everyone an explanation.

"What exactly is going on?!"

"Joseph, you liar!"

"So it was you who framed Ethan!"

"I was saying, how could Ethan commit a crime! Despicable Royal Capital man!"

People had a sense of sudden enlightenment, but also extreme anger at being deceived.

If it weren't for the law enforcement officers and the soldiers from the Kingdom Statistics Bureau stopping them, some people would have rushed to the trial venue.

"Tell me, Ethan, tell me how you did it."

Joseph turned off the loudspeaker and roared at Ethan in a low, extremely ferocious voice.

Ethan also turned off the loudspeaker, then brushed off his clothes as if Joseph's saliva had splashed on him, and said, "Elegant, stay elegant, Joseph, you are a nobleman, and the reporters are watching."

Strictly speaking, Joseph was indeed a nobleman, as every generation of the Evans family patriarch was eligible to inherit the title of Earl Evans.

"You...bastard!" Joseph rushed out in anger, directly passed over two long tables, and grabbed Ethan's collar.

"It's Veron, isn't it? Or that fellow Jackson, Pubol?"

"You're overthinking it. Velen didn't do anything. I just asked him to... send a telegram."

Ethan said and laughed.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Joseph was in a state of confusion. He couldn't figure it out, he really couldn't figure it out.

And during his violent questioning, the camera had recorded everything.

at the same time.

King's capital.

In the Jackson family's living room.

Velen finished the last sip of his black tea with milk. He was still not used to the way of drinking in the capital. He stood up and said as politely as possible, "Thank you for the tea, Mr. Jackson."

"You're welcome. But, Ethan, are you really okay?" Jackson was still confused.

Velen glanced at the clock and it was already past two in the afternoon.

"Master said it would be over at two o'clock, so it's over then."

He always believes in the young master.

As for the purpose of his coming to the royal capital, it was indeed to send a telegram.

Jackson's house had a transoceanic telegraph line connecting to the Old World that he had spent a lot of money to connect.

He sent a telegram to Palen in the Old World.

(End of this chapter)