The doctor suffers from amnesia, but not complete amnesia.

"Of course it's fake. There weren't many Sarkaz who officially joined the Ursus army back then. I don't remember any of Horag's men serving there."

Qiao Yelan said casually.

"...Judging from your tone, you know this Sarkaz too?"

"Back then, Kazdel was under my control, and I did bring a group of rather special Sarkaz into the Ursus army to help Vladimir kill people—but after the Tenth Ukrainian War, I remember sending them all back to the wasteland to continue working overtime for me to kill demons. I don't know who else stayed in the army."

"However, whoever it is, he probably doesn't want to see me."

A sinister smile curled at the corner of the man's mouth.

Because the price of betraying his orders is not something just anyone can bear.

So his plan to let things proceed unchecked and then devise a counterattack was also a lie?

"Well, it should be true."

【should?】

"Logically speaking, if he really intends to assist the young emperor, this is indeed the best way to win over the middle and lower classes to the greatest extent possible and to follow Vladimir's deslavement policy. However, if he has his own ulterior motives, then this 'counterattack' is quite interesting."

"After all, for someone who has already become a 'noble,' Anatoli's proposed plan is the best, because it can effectively ensure that the vested interests consolidate their position. As for what kind of harm it will cause to the country—do you think that if all the nobles had this sense of responsibility, Ursus would still be in the state it is now?"

In short, this plan is bad for the Ursus Empire, right?

"Have you ever heard of drinking poison to quench thirst? This is what it means to drink poison to quench thirst—sacrificing the future of the country for short-term gains. Can you imagine a country where classes are completely rigid? Talented commoners cannot be promoted, while mediocre nobles wield power."

"Can you object to this plan? Since you say Speaker Witt is untrustworthy, you must have your reasons—and I don't believe that someone living a life of extravagance can't possibly think in a way that doesn't resemble that of an aristocrat."

"I'm not trying to be rude, but this is a plan jointly promoted by the Emperor, the Speaker of the Council, the military, and the nobles. You could say it represents the imperial will of Ursus. Are you really going to oppose it?"

"Can't even you do it?"

Kosiché asked in return.

"No, I mean... we need to pay more."

Qiao Yelan held up one finger.

"The price you're offering is to help you return to Lungmen. I'll personally deal with the traitors in Chernobog. Although it indirectly helps you, I'll pay for it myself—but this is much more difficult than getting you back to Lungmen, and I have absolutely no intention of getting involved."

This is of course a lie.

Ever since he learned that Witte and the Emperor had this idea, Qiao Yelan knew that he was determined to take charge of this matter!

After Vladimir broke with him, Babel Tower's intelligence network and pawns in Ursus were almost exhausted in the Battle of Bloodpeak. However, although Vladimir died of illness not long after, Qiao Yelan himself fell into a deep sleep again.

Therefore, his purpose in coming to Ursus this time was to sell himself to the emperor, who was currently weak and vulnerable, so as to take this opportunity to regain his pawns within Ursus and build an intelligence network.

But now that the emperor has Witte to rely on, he naturally doesn't need Qiao Yelan anymore—how can that be?

Third-rate merchants supply demand, second-rate merchants seek demand, and first-rate merchants create demand.

Since the emperor had no needs, Qiao Yelan naturally had to create needs for him.

Moreover, both Anatoly and Witt crossed Qiao Yelan's bottom line.

Anatoly goes without saying, and although Qiao Yelan is a scoundrel, he knows what true evil is.

As for Witt...

He was referring to "the counterattack after the massacre began."

Some things are not a matter of whether to stop them or not, but rather that we should never open that door in the first place.

Therefore, Qiao Yelan would certainly take care of it.

However, this does not prevent him from selling at another price.

Chapter 45 Why We Fight (1/70)

Name your price.

After a moment of silence, Kosic said in an irritated tone.

Putting everything else aside, Black Serpent truly loves Ursus deeply.

Tsk, if I had known this guy was so "devoted," I should have tricked him into working for me after Nightmare Khan left.

However... in terms of usage, it's still the same now.

"Promise to do something for me, even if it will harm the national interests of Ursus, you must do it—of course, if you feel that this matter will endanger Ursus's survival, you can refuse."

Qiao Yelan's words made Kosichello fall into deep thought.

What would you need to do to harm Ursus's interests?

"Isn't that exactly what's happening right now? The situation in Ursus is so corrupt that you don't feel the pain when a dull knife cuts flesh. Only when it all comes out at once can it attract attention—sometimes, to oppose something worse, you have to choose the second worst one."

Of course, Qiao Yelan could do far better than this.

Can you guarantee that you won't actually harm this country?

“When have I ever harmed any country? I brought freedom to Letania, order to Lungmen, and hope to Kazdel—I said my goal is for all races and nations to live in peace, including the Sarkaz and the Infected.”

Okay, I promise you, as long as it's not an unreasonable request, I'll do my best to help you with one thing—now you can think about how to handle this, right?

"No problem—driver, turn around and go to the address marked on the business card I gave you earlier."

Qiao Yelan raised her voice to remind the driver.

"Yes, doctor."

The driver stopped the car, took out his business card, checked it, then made a turn and drove towards his new destination.

"...Did you already have a plan in mind?"

"No, I only started thinking about it after you said you wanted to stop it."

Qiao Yelan said earnestly.

I'll assume you're right for now—where are you headed?

"The home of Yegor Terekin, Minister of the Imperial Ministry of Labor."

[That foreman? What can I do with him?]

"Recall the seating arrangement Anatoly made for us at the meeting—four military representatives, one noble representative on one side, and five civil representatives on the other side."

"Sitting directly opposite Anatoly was Judge Oleg, who, as it turned out, was the most aggressive of them all, even though he eventually compromised. Alexander, though also a well-known opponent, was considered to be only on par with the Secretary of State of East Casimir in terms of his opposition to the conference."

Now that you mention it, it's true. That Secretary of State only said a couple of things, and he backed down as soon as the other side took a hard line. Alexander did the same.

"So these two sit on the side, because as long as Anatoli gives a reason, these two will never object again—and the people Anatoli really thinks need to be dealt with are Oleg, me, and Yegor."

"This Minister of Labor, who had previously been so obsequious to those nobles, and the first person to approach me and try to build a relationship with me—but when I took the lead in criticizing Anatoly again, this Minister of Labor actually produced documents to refute the issue."

Qiao Yelan revealed a slight smile.

"Rather than saying I trust my intuition, I would say I trust Anatoly's judgment."

But he's just a labor minister, what use is he?

"First of all, the Ministry of Labor is a new department established by Vladimir. Previously, it was called the Imperial Industrial and Slave Labor Political Department, which was responsible for managing all the serfs under the royal family—it was only changed to the Imperial Ministry of Labor after Vladimir pardoned all the serfs and made them free citizens."

"This is the largest talent market in the Ursus Empire. Countless companies and government projects recruit workers here year-round, accommodating a large number of people who have become free citizens but cannot yet own land—and infected people make up a significant proportion of them. Through them, we can contact even more infected people."

Qiao Yelan wiped the car window, and the blurry street scene of Shengjun Eagle Castle appeared through the water mist.

"If a war is inevitable, then the first thing we need to do is to let everyone know the truth about this war—all infected people must understand one thing: what they are fighting for."

-------------------------------------------------

When the car stopped, Qiao Yelan was pushed out of the car, her eyes slightly narrowed.

"Are you sure this is here?"

"Yes, this is it."

This is the urban area where ordinary citizens of Ursus live, and it consists of rows of detached houses. However, within the Fortress of the Eagle, as the official residence of a minister, it is quite inconspicuous.

At Qiao Yelan's prompting, ACE behind him went up and knocked on the door.

Ding Dong

"who is it?"

A woman's voice rang out.

"Qiao Yelan, the chief administrator of the Siberian Deputy Royal Territory, has come to visit Minister Yegor. Due to the urgency of the situation, he was unable to send an invitation in time. Please forgive him."

"I'm sorry, my husband hasn't come home yet. Please wait a moment while I call him."

The other person's voice was somewhat tense, but not panicked. The lady did not open the door directly, but Qiao Yelan could understand that, since there were no guards here.

After a short wait, the door opened.

"Please come in, Mr. Qiao Yelan. Yegor said he will be back soon. Please wait a moment."

"Yes, madam—Ace, get back in the car and wait for me."

"Yes."

Qiao Yelan gently pressed the rocker arm, and the wheelchair changed shape again. The wheels lifted slightly, revealing the mechanical feet underneath, and it stepped over the threshold before landing.

Mrs. Yegor watched this scene in astonishment.