It wasn't an apple that hit Newton.

Upon hearing this, Li Cheng breathed a sigh of relief. His main concern was that the outspoken brat might shout something like, "This pervert peed in front of me!" at the banquet, and avoiding that would be the best outcome.

However, he certainly couldn't directly say, "It's so good that I can't see your daughter," so Li Cheng feigned regret and said, "That's such a pity. I really want to meet your daughter sometime—after all, I've heard people say (that's not true) that Miss Agnes is a shining jewel of Lincoln since I came to Lincoln."

I was wondering why this pretty boy had his eye on my daughter for no reason; now I know!

While cursing the bastard who was spouting nonsense in his mind, Smith said with frantic humility, "There will definitely be an opportunity, but it's just a rumor, don't take it too seriously."

Li Cheng: Hehehe.

Smith: Hehehe.

Chapter 177 Went to a Very Faraway Place

During the time that followed, the two also exchanged information about Lincoln's aristocratic background.

"Lincoln has many nobles, both big and small, but only the Garcia family needs to be watched."

Smith explained, “Nominally, Lincoln City is independent and governed by its citizens, but in reality, it is mainly controlled by the Garcia family. Whether it is the city’s policy-making, tax standards, or the city’s gendarmes, everything is inseparable from them.”

Li Cheng frowned and asked, "I remember Lincoln is a city where citizens govern themselves?"

“That was at the beginning.” Smith shook his head with a wry smile. “Later, the Garcia family saw that Lincoln City was developing rapidly, so they became greedy and broke their initial promise not to interfere with Lincoln City, and gradually began to influence Lincoln City.”

"They have completely taken control of Lincoln now. The government is increasing taxes on businessmen every day, but all that money is going into their own pockets."

This information, which only locals could know in detail, was very helpful to Li Cheng, and temporarily dispelled his plans to develop in Lincoln.

Incidentally, in modern English, "liberty" and "privilege" have different meanings; the former refers to freedom, while the latter refers to privilege. However, in Li Cheng's time, they meant the same thing.

For nobles, liberty meant privilege, the freedom to do things that others could not, including privileges within their territory.

Therefore, even if the Garcia family promised autonomy to the citizens when they first established Lincoln City, and later went back on their word, we can only morally criticize them.

Thinking of this, Li Cheng secretly shook his head, thinking that it was fortunate that Newton was also a nobleman, although only the youngest baron. But at least he had unquestionable absolute power over his territory, unlike Lincoln City, which could be tormented at will.

After asking Chairman Smith to look after Annie, and then parting ways with her, Li Cheng didn't rush back (it was too dark to travel). Instead, he found a hotel to sleep in for the night and left the next day.

......

The next day.

Riding in a bumpy carriage, Li Cheng entered the castle and returned to his territory.

As soon as he entered the hall, Newton, who had been curled up on the sofa warming himself by the fire, surprisingly came down to greet him, contrary to his usual behavior.

She hopped over to Li Cheng in a flash, helping him take off his coat while saying in a tone that showed her trying to be enthusiastic but was a little lacking, "Are you tired? Do you want to sit on the sofa for a while?"

It was a rare treat to receive Newton's service, and Li Cheng felt a little uncomfortable: "Well, I'm not too tired, it's just a bit cold."

The dilapidated carriage we were traveling in was supposedly passed down from Newton's stepfather's father, and it had many small gaps that let in drafts. I really don't know what he was thinking when he agreed to ride in this carriage.

"You can also rest on the sofa for a while; there's a fireplace nearby."

Newton casually tossed his coat to the maid next to him, who was a little bewildered by having her job taken away. Then he clapped his hands and used his small arms and legs to push Li Cheng's waist from behind, shoving him onto the sofa without any resistance.

"sit down."

"Ah."

As the saying goes, something unusual must be going on. Faced with the unusually enthusiastic Miss Newton today, Li Cheng had a bad feeling.

He reached out his right hand and picked up a piece of pastry from the plate in front of him, which Newton had snatched from the maid and handed to him. As he chewed, he began to ponder what was going on today.

Did Newton make a mistake?

But what wrong could Newton possibly have done that warrant such special attention? The usual family squandering of furniture or not having enough money doesn't apply here—the entire castle belongs to Newton herself, and if she really wanted to smash it, no one would care.

As for spending money, Newton was the kind of person who was very frugal. She only pursued spiritual enjoyment, such as Li Cheng telling her interesting stories for an hour every day.

Unable to figure it out no matter how much he thought about it, Li Cheng decided to put the matter aside, figuring that if something really happened, Newton would definitely say something.

So he raised his head and looked at Newton, who had sat down opposite him and curled up back in the sofa to continue warming himself by the fire and turning the pages of a book, and said, "Do you know where Susie is right now? I need to talk to her about something."

The graphite has been acquired, and it's about time to consider crucible iron smelting.

Li Cheng planned to send Susie to communicate with the blacksmiths and workers, asking them to spare some manpower and energy.

"Susie?"

Upon hearing the name, Newton put down his book, somewhat displeased, and said, "Why are you asking where she is as soon as you get back?"

Newton felt he had been quite kind to Li Cheng today, greeting him proactively, helping him take off his coat, and even handing him some snacks. Yet, the first thing Li Cheng asked him was about that guy named Susie.

"Then I won't ask."

Li Cheng was slightly annoyed, but he wasn't too bothered. He figured it was just Newton's little temper, and he could always go find Susie later. It wasn't urgent, and if all else failed, Susie would reappear at the table at lunchtime. For now, he'd just keep Newton company by the fire.

Chatting by the fire...

The two discussed mathematics, and Newton mentioned that he had recently come up with some interesting ideas about motion problems, and described in detail his understanding, as well as some new definitions.

"'Flow rate' refers to an independent variable that changes over time, such as x, y, s, u, etc., while 'flow technique' refers to the rate of change of flow rate..."

The more Li Cheng listened, the more familiar it sounded. Suddenly, it dawned on him—wasn't this calculus?

So, following Newton's lead, he added fuel to the fire, embellishing and fanning the flames. With this help of enlightenment in the furnace, it seemed that the rudimentary form of calculus, the method of fluxions, was about to emerge twenty years ahead of schedule... Li Cheng said it was none of his business; since Newton had already figured it out, this at most helped to shorten the thought process.

However, when it was time to eat, Susie didn't appear at the table, which surprised Li Cheng.

You see, Susie never misses a meal; she and Anne are known as the two biggest gluttons, often consuming five Newtons' worth of food together. They create quite a spectacle at the table, much to the amusement of Elizabeth watching from below.

But Susie didn't show up at mealtime today, which is practically the end of the world.

Where did Susie go?

Li Cheng pointed to Susie's empty seat and asked Freya, who was in charge of serving the food, with a serious expression.

Freya didn't speak, but kept her mouth tightly shut, and then secretly glanced at Newton—not to betray him, but because she felt that this matter was impossible to hide, and it would be about time to make it to lunchtime.

Li Cheng then asked Newton, "Where did Susie go?"

The earlier fireplace conversation had greatly pleased Newton, and while he felt immensely satisfied, his brain began to work at full speed, and he could see that his CPU was running out of steam, causing a significant decrease in his ability to react to external stimuli.

Therefore, upon hearing the question, Newton casually replied, "She went to a very far place."

Chapter 178 Torture and Forced Confession

So where did Susie go?

"She has gone to a very, very far place."

Upon hearing this, Li Cheng was so shocked that his legs went weak, and he almost fell to the ground. After regaining his balance by leaning against a chair, he exclaimed in horror, "You killed Susie???"

"...So this is how you see me?"

Newton spoke expressionlessly, but her lips parted slightly, as if she would launch a sharp retaliation and create a terrible bloodshed if Li Cheng's answer was even slightly wrong.

"The main problem is that what you said is too easy for people to misunderstand."

Li Cheng quickly explained, "Usually, when people lie to children, saying someone went to a very, very far place is a euphemism for someone dying."

Newton gave him a disdainful look: "You're such a grown man, yet you still act like a child."

"I'm definitely not a child! Where do I look small?"

Li Cheng remained silent.

When Li Cheng said that it was small, Newton suddenly thought of the ugly and big thing she saw when she secretly cut off Li Cheng's pants, and her face turned slightly red.

But the blush quickly vanished without a trace, for Newton seemed to understand something, and she angrily exclaimed, "So you mean I'm a child?"

???

"I didn't say who the child was! None of us are children!"

Li Cheng first explained, then couldn't help but ask, "So Newton, can you please stop interrupting? Where did Susie go? Did you do it?"

The conversation finally got back on track, but Newton didn't want to answer the question.

She pursed her lips: "I don't know."

Li Cheng looked into Newton's jewel-like blue eyes and said incredulously, "You didn't know? You were the one who said Susie went to a very, very far place, right? How could you not know?"

"I don't know, that's all."

Newton lied, saying, "She suddenly said she was leaving, and without a word, she packed her bags and left."

Li Cheng was genuinely angry this time; such an obvious lie was an insult to his intelligence.

Do you think I'd believe that easily?

He said coldly.

When Newton realized that lying was useless, he jumped off his seat and walked out of the restaurant: "I'm not eating today, I have no appetite."

"stop!"

Li Cheng called out to her as he approached her.

He could let other things go, but the sudden disappearance of a living person was something he couldn't easily let go of. He had to find out the truth before he could feel at ease.

Seeing this, Newton shouted to the servants standing nearby, "You lot, don't just stand there! I order you to stop him right now!"

Li Cheng also shouted, "Don't move! Anyone who moves, I'll settle the score with them later!"

So the servants who were originally itching to do something suddenly dared not move. They often saw their lord sneaking into Mr. Li Cheng's room at night in just his pajamas, staying there for an hour at a time, and occasionally being carried back to his room by Li Cheng.

If they argue and then make up before they get out of bed, where can I go to seek justice if I take the wrong side and get punished?

After exchanging a few glances, the servants stood silently in place. Even Freya, who always unconditionally obeyed Newton's orders, hesitated, unsure whether she should get involved—she was in the know.

"hateful."

Newton was so angry that no one listened to her that he stomped his feet.

But seeing that Li Cheng was catching up, she didn't have time to scold these people, and instead turned around and ran towards the door.

Li Cheng also chased after him and, relying on his physical advantage, quickly intercepted Newton in the corridor. Incidentally, after his resurrection, his body seemed to have been modified by that wicked god, and even without exercise, his muscles became more defined.

"Can we talk about it now?"

Cornering the blonde girl against the wall and looking at her stubborn expression, Li Cheng suddenly had the illusion that he was a school bully, harassing a classmate... although there are usually no classmates that young.

"I won't say anything."

Newton's firm answer only reinforced Li Cheng's misconception.

Given the current situation, Li Cheng blurted out subconsciously, "Hehehehehe, if you don't tell me, don't blame me for being impolite."