The next morning.
Several deluxe land-vehicles slowly drove into the slums.
On both sides of the street, the once-boisterous crowd fell silent in an instant.
People scurried into the roadside shacks, casting gazes of awe, curiosity, or hatred from between the cracks in doors and windows.
They recognized the crest on the front of the vehicles—the mark of Salem's true ruler, Count Leinia.
The land-vehicles finally came to a stop before the headquarters of the Workers' Party, an abandoned warehouse.
Taylor the blacksmith led dozens of Action Team members, who, armed with axes, formed two lines and nervously blocked the warehouse entrance.
Though they had shown no fear when facing Ferdinand's guards, now, confronted by this legendary figure, their palms couldn't help but sweat.
A door opened, and a butler in a tailcoat jumped out first, respectfully rolling out a small red carpet.
Then, a foot shod in an exquisite leather boot stepped onto the carpet, and Count Leinia stooped to exit the carriage.
She was dressed today in a well-tailored black riding habit that perfectly accentuated her full and alluring figure.
Her long, golden hair was coiled at the back of her head, and her face wore the polite yet distant smile characteristic of the nobility.
Her gaze swept over the ragged, weapon-wielding mob before her, her eyes betraying not a hint of fear; rather, it was as if she were enjoying some amusing performance.
"Which one of you is Mr. Lacey?"
The crowd parted, and Lacey walked out from the warehouse.
He had changed into a clean set of coarse clothes today, his hair neatly combed.
He walked alone until he stood before Count Leinia.
No more than five paces separated them, their gazes meeting in the air.
"You are Count Leinia?" Lacey spoke first, breaking the silence.
Count Leinia sized him up with great interest. The young man before her was more composed than she had imagined, and also more... handsome.
His eyes held none of the sycophancy or timidity common among the lower class; they were perfectly calm.
"So you must be Lacey," Count Leinia said with a smile. "A very interesting young man."
"I have come today on behalf of the Elector to extend an invitation to you and your Workers' Party."
"An invitation?"
"That's right." Count Leinia raised a finger and wagged it gently. "The Elector greatly admires your abilities."
"He believes that rather than wasting your energy in this quagmire with a band of rabble, you should be given a grander stage."
She paused, then laid out her terms: "Provided you are willing to announce the dissolution of the Workers' Party and swear fealty to the Elector."
"His Excellency can appoint you as the Deputy Tax Collector of Salem, and furthermore, the redevelopment project for this slum can be placed entirely under your charge."
"By then, you will possess true power and can legitimately pursue those ideals of yours, instead of acting like a bandit, relying on threats and violence as you do now."
Her words immediately caused a stir among the surrounding crowd.
Deputy Tax Collector! That was a person of renown and status in the city!
The gazes of many as they looked at Lacey began to grow complicated.
They were afraid—afraid that the leader who had shown them hope would be corrupted by the nobles' honeyed words.
Lacey's expression, however, did not change in the slightest from beginning to end.
He simply listened quietly until Count Leinia had finished.
[Special Event Triggered!]
[Option A: Submit. Just submit and be done with it. Let's become their betters together!]
[Option B: Are you telling me what to do? — Righteously refuse her!]
Lacey laughed. "It does sound quite tempting."
"The position of Deputy Tax Collector in exchange for the faith of thousands and everything we've built with our own hands. My lady Countess, you drive a very shrewd bargain indeed."
Count Leinia's expression darkened slightly. "Young man, don't be ungrateful. This is not a bargain; it is a gift from the Elector."
"A gift?" The smile vanished from Lacey's face. "My lady Countess, I believe you've misunderstood something."
"Everything we in the Workers' Party have done is not to beg for gifts from you nobles. We are taking back what is rightfully ours!"
"Our dignity, the fruits of our labor, our rights as human beings!"
His voice suddenly rose, carrying clearly to the ears of every member.
Those members who had been wavering straightened their backs in an instant upon hearing his words, their eyes firming with resolve once more.
"As for your suggestion to dissolve the Workers' Party..." Lacey took a step forward, staring intently into Count Leinia's eyes.
"I think you've misunderstood another thing. The Workers' Party is not my personal property. It belongs to every single person here."
"I have no right to dissolve it. No one does!"
Count Leinia's face turned completely cold.
She never imagined that this mud-legged peasant would dare to refuse her so decisively in front of so many people.
"So, you've chosen the hard way?" Her voice was now laced with undisguised threat.
"Lacey, do you really think you can stand against the Elector with this pile of scrap metal and a mob of worthless nobodies?"
"With a single word from me, it won't be my guards who level this place tomorrow, but the regular army of Leithanien!"
"When that happens, you and all of your followers will be hanged!"
Hearing this, Taylor the blacksmith and the others tightened their grip on their axes.
Just as tensions reached a breaking point, Lacey suddenly laughed again.
"My lady Countess, there's no need to frighten me. I know you can call in the army at any time."
"But have you considered why the Elector didn't just do that from the start, and instead sent you here to negotiate terms with me?"
Count Leinia was taken aback.
Lacey continued, "Because he understands better than you that violence can't solve the problem. You can level this slum today and kill the few thousand of us here."
"But tomorrow, a second and third Workers' Party will appear in other cities across Leithanien."
"As long as the root of this nation's sickness remains, as long as the oppression continues, the flames of rebellion will never be extinguished."
"And I, Lacey, can help you cure this nation's sickness."
Count Leinia looked as if she had just heard the world's greatest joke. "You? A commoner without even a noble surname claims he can cure a nation?"
"Yes, me." Lacey's gaze was frank. "My lady Countess, you are an intelligent woman. Let's be candid with each other."
"You are loyal neither to the Elector, nor to the Twin Empresses, are you?"
Count Leinia's pupils contracted sharply.
"You can report everything that happened here today to the Elector, exactly as it occurred. I won't stop you." Lacey spread his hands, his face a mask of indifference.
"You can tell him that I refused his goodwill, that I was even insolent."
"Then, he will send troops to suppress us. I will be killed, the Workers' Party will be annihilated, and you will have successfully completed your mission, perhaps even earning a reward."
"But what happens after that?" Lacey's tone shifted.
"Salem will still be the same half-dead Salem, and the conflicts in the slums will only deepen."
"And you, Count Leinia, will forever be just a dog at the Elector's heel—a dog that cleans up his messes but will never have a seat at the table."
"You... insolent cur!" Count Leinia shouted, her sore spot having been struck.
"I am merely stating a fact." Lacey's tone remained calm. "But if you choose another path, if you choose to support me and the Workers' Party..."
"I promise you, in the near future, the returns you receive will far exceed your imagination."
"I can double Salem's textile production, double its tax revenue. I can turn these tens of thousands of paupers into the most efficient workforce, the most loyal soldiers."
"I can make you, Count Leinia, the Elector's most valuable and indispensable right hand. And even..."
Lacey smiled faintly and lowered his voice to a volume only the two of them could hear, "Even, one day in the future, when the political landscape of Leithanien is reshuffled, who's to say you couldn't take his place?"
Count Leinia's body trembled imperceptibly.
She stared at Lacey, as if trying to see right through him.
The man before her was a veritable devil!
The grand future he painted was all empty promises, yet it precisely seized upon the deepest ambitions of her heart.
Replace the Elector?
It was a thought she only dared to entertain occasionally, in the depths of her dreams at midnight.
"Empty words come cheap from anyone." After a long moment, Count Leinia found her voice again, sneering.
"Why should I believe you?"
"You don't need to believe me." Lacey shrugged.
"You only need to believe in self-interest. I have shown you a path to greater gains. Whether you walk it or not is up to you."
"You can go back and report whatever you wish to the Elector. I'll be waiting."
With that, Lacey looked at her no longer and turned to walk back to the warehouse.
Count Leinia stood rooted to the spot, her expression shifting between light and shadow.
She watched Lacey's retreating back, then looked at the fanatical gazes of the Workers' Party members around her, and for the first time, she felt her resolve waver.
This man was either a complete madman or... a ruthless careerist of terrifying caliber.
"We're leaving!" she finally gritted her teeth and turned resentfully to get back in the vehicle.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the deluxe land-vehicles made an awkward turn and departed in haste.
Only after they had completely vanished around the corner did Serafina hurry to Lacey's side, her face fraught with worry.
"That was too risky," she said, her voice tight.
"Even if we knew Leinia is a woman who puts her interests above all else."
"But you can't possibly sway her with empty promises alone. She'll definitely go to the Elector with an embellished report, and we'll soon be in huge trouble."
"I know." Lacey's gaze was profound as he watched the direction the vehicles had gone.
"But this is also part of the plan. Sometimes, to make a fire burn brighter, you need someone to fan the flames."
"Our enemy was never a local figure like Count Leinia." He turned his head and looked at Serafina. "And our stage is by no means limited to this little slum in Salem."
For him, this was just a small experiment within the simulation. Whether the plan succeeded or failed, even if failure led to death, was not something unacceptable.
________________________________________
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