Lan Ji was sitting on a leather armchair, holding a book in both hands. She raised her head and glanced at the incense burner in front of her. Green blue was slowly emerging from the small square or round holes on the gilt cover of the incense burner.

of smoke.

Then she continued to look down at the brown-covered book in her hand. On the cover of the book was written "Tieyu City Chronicles (New Era 431-549)", a latest edition of local historical materials that has not been updated yet.

Records of Tieyu City twelve years ago.

Lan Ji slowly turned the pages of the book, her eyes trembling, scanning from the small characters on it to the end, and then turned to the next page.

Finally, when Lanji turned to a familiar portrait, she stopped turning the page.

Lanji stared at the man in the portrait with a high-spirited smile on his face, her nails unconsciously making marks on the page, and the long-lost name in the first sentence of the page also made her expression complicated.

Heinrich Shea, the first city lord after the reconstruction of Iron Feather City, was born a commoner, but showed extraordinary leadership and architectural talent, leading the residents who returned to Iron Feather City to build their own city among the rubble.

...

The book is full of praise for this city lord. Obviously, the author never thought that just two years after the book was written, this wise and prestigious city lord would be ruined.

He jumped from a high tower and ended his life dramatically.

And his young daughter Julia Shea saw her father falling from the tower with her own eyes. This man was like a dry straw, swaying in the wind, and falling to the ground without making any loud sound.

Come.

Father, you are actually very unwilling, right?

Lan Ji smiled bitterly, tears dripping from her cheeks onto the rough and thick paper at some point.

The successful builder became the failed defender. The man who died in despair became a complete loser the moment he jumped from the guardrail and had no chance to defend himself.

Although more than ten years have passed, Lanji can still think of the man who would take time out of his busy schedule to make origami and give it to his daughter, and she still remembers the feeling of riding on his generous shoulders.

It was obvious that my father was such a strong person, that he had gone through so many difficult years, and that no matter how heavy the burden was, he could not overwhelm him, but he could not resist the betrayal of those who trusted him.

The people he once protected with all his heart pointed at him and yelled at him, the subordinates he once trusted also stood against him, and even the relatives who should have relied on him in the end cast doubtful eyes on him.

Yes, I'm guilty.

Lanji closed her eyes, but what appeared in front of her was her father's desperate face. This old man, who seemed to have aged twenty years overnight, stared at her with bloodshot eyes and opened his trembling arms towards her, almost pleading.

He said in a tone of voice: "Hug daddy... okay?"

However, she took a step back and hid behind her mother who was covering her face in tears.

Perhaps this step of his was the last straw that broke his father's back.

Lan Ji is still very clear that both she and her mother lost trust in their father at that time. They were both suspicious of their father who was increasingly addicted to alcohol and sex. They believed that his father who gradually began to spend money lavishly would make choices to deceive everyone.

.

However, my father has always been a very principled person. Even if he gradually loses himself in the extravagant life, he will not betray what he loves.

But even though I already believed in my father, it was too late.

She cannot go back to the past, nor can she bring back to life the dead bones of her parents in the grave.

But...what else can she do now? She can also use actions to pay for her sins back then.

Exploding fires kept coming from the closed window. These colorful flames were as brilliant as festive fireworks, very much like the fireworks I had seen when I sat on my father's shoulders on the terrace of the castle that still smelled of mud.

Lan Ji put down her book and walked to the window. She casually glanced at the crowds of people running around on the street and the panicked sergeants, then raised her gaze to look at the blue night sky.

No, not only back then, but also over the years, she had to pay for the sins she had accumulated because of her weakness today.

In those dark clouds, she seemed to see familiar faces. Lan Ji knew very well that she was not without power, but that she had lost the courage to use this power. She had been instilling in herself the idea of ​​"timing".

Until the time comes, be patient, be patient." Such self-paralyzing words.

However, how can I succeed if I miss opportunities time and time again?

It's time to end.

There were rapid footsteps outside the door and the sound of a cane tapping on the ground. Lan Ji knew that the person she was waiting for had already arrived.

Feng Ze turned the doorknob and pushed in. The wooden door hit the corner with a loud bang, indicating the anger of the visitor.

"What's the matter? Master Feng Ze."

Lan Ji left the window, put her hands in front of her and walked slowly and respectfully towards Feng Ze.

"Did you encounter any trouble at the banquet? Do you need me to handle it for you?"

"You...didn't you see what's going on outside?"

Feng Ze looked at Lan Ji, who seemed to be no different from usual, and even felt a little confused in his furious heart.

Lan Ji walked up to Feng Ze and continued to say respectfully: "There seems to be some mobs outside, but this is outside the scope of my duties and I cannot manage it. You should discuss it with Mr. Wu Gang."

"Oh? Is that so?"

Feng Ze's angry face showed a smile, but in the next moment his face turned sinister.

Snap!

"Well?!"

A crisp and loud slap hit Lan Ji's face, and the huge pressure immediately caused the tender flesh to quickly become engorged and swollen. Lan Ji's whole body was also rushed to the ground by the huge force, and blood flowed from her nostrils and corners of her mouth.

Feng Ze sneered: "You hid it very well. Do you really think you can hide it?"

"I, I don't understand..."

Lanji was lying on her side on the ground, with her right hand supporting the ground and her left hand covering her flushed cheek. Her eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of mesh and she couldn't see anything clearly. Her ears were also buzzing, and the pain from the injury was slowly coming up.

.

"Don't understand? Are you still pretending to be confused?"

Feng Ze frowned dissatisfied. He didn't expect that this woman could still act so calmly.

"Do you really think I don't know how close you are to that kid? Do you really think I don't know the tricks you do behind your back? Do you really think I will believe you are innocent?"

"Master, how dare I do anything bad to you."

Lan Ji's eyes were covered with mist. She looked up at Feng Ze and said, "I haven't done anything, let alone what can I do?"

"You really can't do anything, provided you don't have any accomplices."

Feng Ze looked at Lan Ji on the ground, his eyes still cold.

"You helped them, helped those slaves, and told them about the deployment of our city defense forces in this city."

"Who they are, those slaves, I don't know or recognize them."

Lan Ji shook her head in denial. There was no surprise or wavering in her eyes regarding Feng Ze's suspicion.

"As for that young man, isn't he highly regarded by you? That's why I approached him, but he didn't say anything more to me. He didn't know anything else about the banquet I was planning to hold today."

"Yeah?"

Feng Ze looked at Lan Ji's eyes suspiciously, but he couldn't see anything in them except grievance and sadness, as if this woman was innocent from beginning to end.

Does she really know nothing?

Feng Ze began to doubt his own judgment. Although Feng Ze knew that Lan Ji was the biggest suspect, he did not have any substantial evidence in his hand.

Did I really get carried away with anger and wrongly blame this woman?

There is someone else who is the accomplice of that young man? In other words, his previous judgment that the young man was the mastermind was actually wrong?

Is the real man behind the scenes a conspiracy planned by a certain force, as Wu Gang inferred?

Feng Ze looked at Lan Ji on the ground and began to feel a little unconfident. He had been a spy and had seen many people lying. He could tell at a glance whether ordinary people were lying.

But Lan Ji was so calm that Feng Ze couldn't see any doubts or signs of lying on her part.

Lan Ji is a capable subordinate. If he kills her unjustly, it will indeed be a loss to himself.

Feng Ze, who was a little unsure, loosened his right hand that was holding the cane tightly, but he still felt something was wrong.

"Um?"

There was another fire burning outside the window, and Feng Ze turned his attention to the window.

"What's going on?"

The beacon fire at the south city gate was lit, which means that foreign enemies are about to invade the south city wall. The beacon tower at the south city gate is in the heart of the defensive area. Logically speaking, no one can take the opportunity to light it. The only possibility is to defend the city.

The guards really discovered the enemy's situation.

But how can there be any enemy situation at the south city gate? Only elves and humans can send troops there.

Could it be?

Feng Ze thought of a possibility. There were survivors of the blood elf caravan that Wu Gang and the others "ate" last time, and successfully conveyed the news that they had robbed and killed the caravan. Therefore, the group of frantic blood elves who got the news

Take advantage of the chaos to take revenge today.

Just when Feng Ze was sure of his guess, Lan Ji's voice suddenly came from behind him.

"That's... the program I prepared for you and Lord Wu Gang."

Lan Ji got up from the ground, patted the wrinkled skirt, and looked at Feng Ze without fear anymore.
To be continued...