Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 193 Chapter 192 The Duke's Principle
"Isn't it just me?"

Feng Xiuhu grabbed the Duke's hand and shook it. "Just say I didn't lie to you, okay? We're destined to be together."

"Hehe, hehe."

Duke Daguo chuckled twice, withdrew his hand and rubbed it on his trouser leg calmly.

Feng Xiuhu was just making small talk, and Toverson Zhao couldn't stand it any longer and couldn't help but interrupt: "Father Feng, tell me why you're here."

Feng Xiuhu took over the conversation and pushed the gift box on the table in front of Duke Daguo. "This is a gift from Teacher Vadra, asking me, your student, to personally deliver it to you."

The Duke of Daguo quickly took it in his hands and stroked the lid gently: "Your Excellency the Cardinal is so thoughtful. I am flattered."

Out of courtesy, he didn't open it directly.

The atmosphere of the conversation gradually became harmonious.

At this moment, Konate Chen suddenly spoke up, "Father Feng has something else to say to the Duke of Daguo. It's about the Owl People. There's been a misunderstanding here for a long time, so Father Feng has been looking for an opportunity to explain it to the Duke of Daguo in person."

Toveson Zhao gave him a slightly surprised look - Konate Chen had not informed him in advance, and Toveson Zhao didn't know they were going to bring up this matter.

The Duke looked at Feng Xiuhu curiously: "Really?"

Feng Xiuhu turned to look at Konate Chen: "Really?"

Konate Chen's face darkened: "Didn't you say that yourself?"

Feng Xiuhu recalled: "Why do I remember it was you who said that?"

Konate Chen's face darkened even further. "No matter who said it, you do owe the Duke an explanation."

Seeing that the two were about to quarrel, the Grand Duke raised his hand and smiled to smooth things over: "You are too kind, Bishop Konate."

"Bishop Konate is right about one thing. There is a misunderstanding here, so there is no need to explain it."

He looked at Feng Xiuhu again and said with a smile.

"I knew very little about Father Feng before, and most of what I heard was just rumors, which I didn't trust. But after meeting him today, I realized that Father Feng is a rare talent. He seems casual, but in fact he is meticulous and careful."

Feng Xiuhu scratched the back of his head and gave the Duke a thumbs-up: "You're right."

The Duke sighed and smiled helplessly, "To be honest, I was indeed annoyed by the Owl Man incident, but today, when Bishop Konate said there was a misunderstanding, I suddenly understood."

He raised his eyes, stared at Feng Xiuhu and said, "Father Feng's detention of the Owlman was just a side job, and his real purpose was to dismantle the elevator, right?"

Feng Xiuhu held his chin and listened carefully: "Go on, I still don't understand."

The Duke of Da took a sip from his pipe. "Father Feng rose from humble beginnings in the Lower City, but he harbored a fierce ambition to rise to the top. But those who aspire to great things must have money to pave the way. This road, seemingly the path from the Lower City to the Lower City, is actually Father Feng's golden bridge."

"Once the stairs are built, Father Feng will set up a checkpoint and pocket the money."

Feng Xiuhu pondered for a moment, realizing that the Duke of Daguo was mistaking him for a bandit. He then questioned, "Isn't this unnecessary? If I block the elevator, won't I be collecting tolls just the same?"

"Oh, it's different."

The Duke waved his hand confidently, "How many people can the elevator carry, one up and one down? It's too slow. How can it be as efficient as walking?"

"Besides, building a road is much more difficult than building an elevator. Since it takes more effort, it's only natural that the toll is higher than the elevator."

Feng Xiuhu said he was educated, but he was worried: "The people in Dicheng have so little money in their pockets. I'm afraid this business won't last long."

The Duke of Daguo said there was no need to worry: "Once the road is completed and travel is convenient, more and more people will go to the factory and port areas to work. They will earn wages, and naturally they will give more to Father Feng as a filial gift."

It seems to make sense.

But Feng Xiuhu still had one last question: "This dirty money sounds easy to make, but the risks are not low. What if the people in Dicheng get so angry that they join forces to beat me up?"

"Haha, that's a good question!" The Grand Duke laughed and clapped his hands. "That's the most brilliant thing about you, Father Feng!"

"First, we'll dismantle the elevator, trap them in the base city, and force them to build the road themselves!"

"Under the scorching sun, we chisel at the walls and move stones; under the wind and rain, we endure hunger. This goes on day after day..."

The Duke of Dali grew increasingly excited as he spoke, finally slamming his fist down on the marble coffee table. "Crush their spirit! Grind their bones! In the end—who dares not to bow?"

Feng Xiuhu nodded silently: "So that's the truth."

He looked up and asked, "What about your factory?"

The Duke of Daguo opened his arms and said proudly, "I have factories all over Daxuan. It's just that the Owlmen from Fancheng are missing. That's not enough to hurt me."

He raised an eyebrow at Feng Xiuhu. "Besides, when Father Feng finishes repairing the road, won't the Owlman still have to beg to go back to the factory to work?"

Feng Xiuhu glanced back at Konate Chen, then looked back. "Some people say I set a bad precedent. I detained the Owl Man. From now on, everyone knows that the factory cannot do without the Owl Man. They will use this to trip you up."

The Duke of Daguo sneered, "Why would it come to this? The factory has only lost a small profit, but the Owl Man has lost his livelihood. Can't the Owl Man calculate this? Besides, who in the world would dare to use this to oppose me?"

Feng Xiuhu said bluntly: "Where is the President?"

The Duke's laughter faltered, and he squinted his eyes. "The President and I are brothers closer than brothers. Father Feng, please be careful with your words."

Feng Xiuhu didn't believe it: "Are they really that close?"

The Duke of Daguo nodded and said, "It really is that close."

Feng Xiuhu asked again, "Who is closer to you, the church or the president?"

The smile on Duke Da's face disappeared, and he stared at Feng Xiuhu without saying a word.

Konate Chen quickly stood up and said, "Father Feng drank a few more glasses at the banquet and seems a little drunk. I'll take him to rest."

The Duke of Daguo waved his hand calmly: "Perhaps Father Feng is not used to the wine in the Duke's Mansion. Let him go out and get some fresh air."

This is an eviction order.

Feng Xiuhu was led out of the Duke's Mansion by Konate Chen.

Feng Xiuhu asked, "Aren't you staying for dinner?"

Konate Chen answered the question irrelevantly: "Have you ever been out of Sail City?"

Isn't this nonsense?

Feng Xiuhu shook his head.

Konate Chen's face remained calm. "The world in your eyes is too small. You can't see beyond that. That's why you take ignorance as capital for arrogance."

Feng Xiuhu said seriously, "You can see far enough, but if you can't recognize the truth in front of you, what's the point of seeing further?"

Konate Chen shook his head and pointed to the city wall in the distance: "In Sail City, the church, the temple, and the great duke are the truth."

"Outside of Sail City, there is also the Great President, as well as other major god churches and other temples."

"You haven't even left Fancheng, yet you think you've understood the truth of this world?"

Feng Xiuhu corrected him: "We don't seem to be talking about the same thing."

Konate Chen stared at him for a moment: "Come with me, I will take you to see the outside of Fancheng."

(End of this chapter)