Thales frowned and tried hard to forget the discomfort caused by that night.
He looked at the entranced Morat, but couldn't help but think of Crown Prince Midir, whom he had never met.
It is unimaginable that the man who is also sitting in a wheelchair, the man who is praised by Gilbert, Jinnie and even the Black Prophet, strategizes while talking and laughing, and completely changes the rules of the game in the dragon kingdom.
However, Thales thought of the stone urns in the Tomb of the Stars.
As a prince, heir to the kingdom, he failed to save himself.
At this moment, at the other end of the interrogation room, the door was violently pushed open.
Thales came back to his senses: a man in luxurious clothes but with a black cloth over his head and his hands cuffed was roughly escorted in by two burly men and came to Raphael.
"No matter who you are or what you want to do, we can have a good talk..."
The man stumbled all the way and was embarrassed, but he was still trying to persuade the other party.
Unfortunately, the big men were unmoved. They roughly pushed the man onto a chair, then pulled up the chain connected to the handcuffs and fixed them in a ring on the table, but did not take off his hood.
"Who is that?" Thales asked in a low voice, wondering.
But Morat just raised a finger to signal him to calm down.
The escort left the interrogation room without looking back, and the only sound left in the room was the man's nervous breathing.
Until Raphael walked up behind him coldly and ripped off the black hood of the man in fine clothes.
When he first saw the light, the person on trial squinted his eyes and turned his head in confusion. It took him a long minute to get used to it.
He looked at Raphael, who was the only one left in the room.
"Where am I? Who are you?"
The man is middle-aged, his hair is messy, and there are bruises on his face. It is obvious that he was not treated well before.
"never mind……"
But seeing the light again finally made the man feel at ease. He observed his surroundings and cleared his throat:
"But I strongly suggest you let me go - before the situation gets worse."
"My fish is too big for you to eat."
Raphael did not answer, but sat down opposite him, staring at him coldly with a pair of red eyes.
The man chuckled and pulled the shackles on his hands, causing the chains to ring.
"Ha, it's quite similar to that..."
"Tell me, buddy, is it the Blood Bottle Gang or the Brotherhood?"
Thales looked at the Black Prophet in confusion, but the latter was there and seemed not interested in the interrogation.
Although he was described as embarrassed, the person on trial seemed to gradually regain his composure. He spoke confidently and confidently:
"As for the Blood Bottle Gang, Kathleen and I are old friends. We were old acquaintances when we were at the South Bank, not just an ordinary 'familiar', hehe..."
Raphael remained silent.
The man's smile faded slightly.
"If it were a fraternity..."
The interrogator leaned back in his chair, shook his head and said:
"That would be better."
"I know Cinza, he is a good man who has experienced many battles. There is also the 'chief wolf' Lazanchi. I have known him since he was still selling goods on the street, and we almost became a partner. Fatty Maurice also came with me.
There is business dealings..."
But the desolate man seemed to have made up his mind not to speak, and could only look at him with a pair of eyes.
"If it's neither..."
The man was thinking, and his expression changed again.
"That's why you came here specifically for me."
The interrogator left the back of his chair and looked at Raphael seriously:
"Who is your employer?"
"Let me guess: the Fragrance Chamber of Commerce? The United Carpenters Guild? Or a noble who has a misunderstanding? Or some blind country boy?"
But the man thought of something and his eyes moved:
"I see."
"Did my gang of idiots hire you?"
He leaned back in his chair and chuckled.
"They think that they can... Well, listen, the people who hired you are extremely poor. No matter how much money they give, whether it's one hundred or two hundred, one thousand or two thousand, I'll give you double.
"
The man raised his hand freely and pulled the shackles to signal to Raphael.
Raphael was unmoved.
The man frowned:
"If you are not doing this for money, for example, for human kindness, or if you are their relative, then listen to my advice: it is not worth it. You are helping them, but you are getting yourself involved..."
Although the situation is bad, the man's words are habitually bossy.
"No." Raphael interrupted him with a bad tone:
"We are not gangsters robbing, nor are we seeking revenge from other families, nor are we using money to eliminate disasters."
The Desolate Skeleton Man pressed his hand on the table, leaned forward, and stared at the person being interrogated:
"We serve the Kingdom."
After receiving the unexpected answer, the interrogator was stunned for a moment.
"Serve the Kingdom..."
The man recited it silently several times, then let out a haha and laughed heartily.
"A member of the public family?"
"Very well, you may not know this, but I am the most law-abiding citizen of the kingdom and a big taxpayer."
"So where is this? Which police department? Are you a plainclothes police officer? What do you call it? Where do you work?"
He relaxed completely, tilted his head and looked at Raphael, and smiled maliciously:
"Most importantly, who is your boss?"
Raphael looked expressionless:
"You don't want to meet my boss."
Outside the glass, Thales couldn't help but glance at Morat.
The man squinted his eyes, shrewdness appearing in his eyes:
"Oh, you can't tell."
Raphael twitched his lips and opened a stack of documents from the table:
"Your name?"
After knowing the background of the other party, the man became very comfortable, his attitude became much more lazy, and he didn't care about the problem of the Boneless Man:
"And I have a lot of friends in the Police Department, many big shots, the powerful director of the West City Police Department, Lord Robik Dila..."
Raphael sighed.
The Bone Man silently closed the documents, took them off the table in an orderly manner, and then repeated at a higher volume:
"Name?"
The man shook his head:
"I am also the honorary director of the Central Wine Merchants Guild..."
The next second, Raphael's left hand turned into an afterimage!
He grabbed the chain that handcuffed the man to the table and pulled back.
boom!
The person under interrogation had obviously been pampered and comfortable for a long time. He was pulled out of his seat before he could react. First, his waist hit the edge of the table, and then his nose hit the table hard.
The man whined in pain and his nose was bleeding.
He wanted to stand up and raise his head, but Raphael grabbed his hair and held the back of his head, suppressing him firmly on the table.
"Name."
Raphael smiled calmly.
The man on the table was struggling, his expression twisted and angry:
"You damn little-"
Raphael picked up the man's head, pointed his nose at the table, and smashed it again.
boom!
The man trembled and gritted his teeth.
"Name."
Raphael's smile remained the same.
The man's face was bright red and tears were streaming down his face, but his strength was beyond expectations:
"I know the process. It starts with simple questions and lets the prisoners get used to answering..."
Before he could finish speaking, Raphael turned the man's head with force, pressed the subject's bleeding nose firmly onto the table, and crushed it back and forth.
The man howled like a slaughtered pig.
Thales frowned as he observed all this, while the Black Prophet on the side laughed softly, causing the black-veined vines on his knees to tremble.
Raphael's next sentence was an understatement, like a lover's murmur:
"Name……"
But the other side is different.
"Oh fuck fuck fuck - Moss! Moss!"
Under the severe pain, the man cursed but answered happily:
"Dagory Moss!"
He protested angrily:
"Please! Are you getting overtime pay for working so hard?"
The corner of Raphael's mouth raised slightly, and at that moment the Desolate Skeleton Man looked evil.
He let go of his hand, and the interrogator named Dagoli was able to sit back in his seat, holding his nose and gasping in pain, angrily:
"Fuck! Damn it!"
Raphael took the document back, but he looked at the sticky substance on the table that was mixed with blood and tears, and frowned.
He moved his stool and finally put down the document in the corner of the table:
"What do you do?"
Dagoli covered his nose and glared back fiercely:
"What do you do! A new temporary worker? Hiss, wait a minute -"
Dagoli's expression changed and he quickly stopped Raphael who was holding the chain again.
"Answer me," the Desolate Skeleton Man smiled brightly and shook the half-stretched chain:
"Or answer it."
Dagory looked at Raphael seriously and finally confirmed the other person's eyes.
"liquor."
The person under interrogation exhaled a breath of resignation and answered happily.
"I am a wine merchant. I make wine and sell wine - I sell wine in the royal capital, and many of my customers are high-ranking officials and nobles..."
Dagory swallowed his throat and kept his eyes on the chain in Raphael's hand:
"You know, buddy, overstepping your authority, overstepping your responsibilities, abusing lynching, this is nothing in normal times, but if someone wants to mess with you from within, this is a good reason for dismissal from public office..."
"Mr. Moss," Raphael ignored him and opened the file:
"A lot of the orchards, wineries, warehouses and shops under your name, including other related industries, have closed down recently?"
Dagory rolled his eyes, wanting to see the contents of the document, but Raphael raised his head, and the man quickly turned his attention elsewhere.
"If you want to find fault with taxes, you can give up now."
Dagory cleared his throat and returned to the familiar area. He became comfortable and at ease again:
"The City Hall, the Police Department, the Finance and Taxation Department, the City Defense Team, the Discipline Department, and all the departments in the royal capital can prove that I am a law-abiding citizen and a good man who repairs bridges and roads. If I go to trial, I can hire the best
Defense counsel, many dignitaries will be willing to vouch for me and even testify in court."
"In fact, I not only paid enough taxes, but also paid a lot more, you know, a lot more."
He stared at Raphael with a sly and arrogant smile - only the bright red nose that was smashed somewhat ruined his image.
The chain on Raphael's hand tightened again:
"So Mr. Moss, why have you closed so many wineries and stores and laid off a large number of workers in recent weeks?"
Dagoli stared at the chain, his face a little ugly:
"Okay, let's be polite - I'm a businessman. What else could be the reason for the closure? Of course it's because the market is not going well."
Raphael raised his eyes:
"But you are one of the largest wine merchants in the central government, and the supplier of drinks for banquets of many aristocratic families."
Dagoli raised his eyebrows and smiled confidently:
"Ha, it turns out you know."
Raphael still ignored him:
"So, there are many people working in your winery industry, including farmers, workers, craftsmen, and associates, including several investment partners and some upstream and downstream raw material merchants, as well as distributors, wine merchants, hundreds of people.
"
Raphael looked at Dagori:
"They plan to jointly file a lawsuit and take you to trial."
The wine merchant's expression changed, first with anger, then with disdain.
"Ha, I knew it."
He let out a loud sigh and looked fiercely:
"Those brats, ungrateful bastards..."
On this side of the one-way glass, Thales frowned and looked at the Black Prophet:
"This guy is a sophisticated and cunning businessman, but I don't understand, why should I come to see this?"
"Have peace of mind, Your Highness," Morat raised his finger and put it to his lips, saying softly:
"Some things may be small, but they can be seen as big. Some roles may be small, but they can reach all directions."
Thales was startled.
At the other end of the room, Raphael smiled slightly:
"Well, Mr. Morse, do you know why they are suing you?"
"Why?"
Dagori seems to have regained his confidence:
"You know, the wine market has been sluggish recently, sales have been poor, and my capital turnover has been somewhat poor. Considering the cost, I have to transfer the industry and make difficult choices - closing down some wineries. This is just one of them."
Raphael narrowed his eyes:
"real?"
Dagoli seemed not to hear Raphael's suspicion and continued to talk:
"During this process, a very small number of employees and I may have had some minor differences regarding the issue of salary payment..."
Raphael smiled coldly:
"So, you have owed wages to your subordinates on credit for a long time, and even owed money to partners, including purchase money and deposits for upstream and downstream, not counting the usual exploitation and deductions, so let's forget it?"
Dagoli's expression turned cold.
While staring at the chain in Raphael's hand, he explained carefully and patiently:
"In arrears? Look, I admit, I made some small changes regarding the calculation method of the money, including the time limit..."
Raphael interrupted:
"So you want to take the money and run away?"
Dagoli frowned and spoke righteously:
"Run away? Hey, I'm just out of town for a vacation - no matter who comes, I'll tell you the same. You can't even try to illegally induce a confession."
Raphael sneered:
"But the people you owe money to, especially the workers, don't think so."
Dagory frowned and stared at Raphael for a while, then said seriously:
"Listen, I bear the cost, creativity and approach, and they contribute their labor, craftsmanship and time. The boss and employees work together to make the best wine and work towards one goal."
"So the business of the winery is not just mine, but also everyone's. We are like a family."
"When a family experiences setbacks and hardships, everyone in the family should understand each other and overcome the difficulties together!"
He stared at his eyes and tapped his fingers on the table, as if he wanted to teach the person in front of him a lesson:
"But some people just don't understand. They are narrow-minded and have no overall perspective. They can't bear the slightest hardship. Just because their salary is a little less and their life is slightly unsatisfactory, they turn against others and don't care about what I provide them.
Opportunities and conditions.”
Raphael nodded and curled his lips:
"But you are the boss and this is your winery."
"That's right!" Dagoli said sadly:
"So I can see the truth of this industry better than they do, care more about the future of this industry than they do, and feel more sad about the depression of the wine industry than they do, because I am like a father to them!"
Raphael glanced at the document:
"But you closed the winery."
Dagoli's expression froze, and then he hummed softly:
"There is no way. No matter how warm the family is, no matter how hard the father works, if the children are rebellious, disobedient and ignorant, there will always be nothing we can do."
"And you know, some people, they're just..."
The wine merchant looked like he hated iron for not becoming steel:
"When I closed down the winery, 90% of the time it was because of these lazy workers who were clamoring for a raise."
"This kind of person is simply a cancer in the industry. They are short-sighted and don't know that the most important thing about a job is not the salary and treatment, but the room for advancement and development prospects, including the value of exercise!"
Dagory looked very angry:
"They don't know how to look at the problem from a higher level of bullshit. You have to know when we, the bosses, have ever cared about our own salary..."
"They know how to make trouble, but why don't they think about it when they make trouble? What if the winery is shut down by them one day? What if the entire industry is broken up by them? The unlucky ones will be the ones who pay for it.
People, aren’t they themselves?”
Dagoli felt tired and paused.
He exhaled through his nose with regret on his face:
"Now, I can only say that they brought it upon themselves, and they will be rewarded if they ask for mercy."
"That's enough," Raphael said, obviously tired of listening to his speech:
"We don't care about your business."
The Desolate Skeleton Man leaned forward and spoke in an indifferent tone:
"I don't care if you are just another shameless and unscrupulous boss."
"We only care about one thing."
Dagoli breathed out, with a "finally here" look on his face, and smiled coldly.
"Okay, let's just talk about it," the wine merchant said contemptuously:
"How many indicators did your superiors give you?"
"How much does it cost to let me go?"
Raphael stared at him with cold eyes.
He said coldly:
"I want to know the real reason why you closed the winery and exited the wine industry."
Dagori was confused for a moment:
"Wha, what?"
Raphael sneered:
"Before the closure, you said in a private meeting of the Wine Merchants Association that the future of the wine industry has no future?"
"So you would rather divest your investment and run away as soon as possible?"
Dagoli's expression changed at first, and then he said angrily:
"I'm not running away, I'm just going abroad for a vacation..."
But Raphael repeated without emotion:
"answer me."
Dagoli was stunned for a long time, but he finally shook his head.
"I have told you all the answers you want...and to be honest, you are suspected of illegal torture..."
Raphael smiled and opened the next document without changing his expression:
"In fact, I have a list of bad debts that you have accumulated over the years by tearing down the east wall to pay for the west wall and borrowing money from time to time."
Dagori's expression changed.
Raphael continued while observing the other party's expression:
"And a list of your properties outside the wine business: six properties in the Central Territory, two voyage merchant ships calling at Port Maiden, a large plantation in the South Coast Territory, a salt drying farm in the Cliff Territory, and a property in the Blade Territory.
A large piece of land, two foreign titles bought with a lot of money, your wife's private garden, the positions of your two sons, including the assets in the name of your three mistresses and eight other illegitimate children..."
Watching Dagori's expression change, Raphael narrowed his eyes:
"If I send them to the Department of Finance and Taxation and the Court of Justice..."
Dagory swallowed his throat, but he still said firmly:
"Then go."
Raphael frowned.
Dagoli left the back of his chair, leaned on the table, gritted his teeth and said:
"I can guarantee that no matter where you go, you will only get one answer: that is my legal income, the formalities and documents are complete, and the property rights are clear and clear."
"What if you dare to use the public power of the king's officials to extort money, illegally embezzle private property, and do such vicious things to a powerless civilian businessman?"
"Wow, this is a big crime, and it goes against the Kingdom's policy of encouraging the market and supporting business for more than ten years."
The wine merchant stared at Raphael fiercely, as if he wanted to take revenge for his broken nose:
"It's not nice for this news to spread. In my capacity, I guarantee that many chambers of commerce will protest, including many just and enlightened bureaucrats and nobles, as well as powerful people from all over the country. They will all speak out."
"By then, your boss won't want to see me anymore."
Dagori language carries threats:
"Because it's not me you're touching, but the cheese of many big people behind me."
"do you understand?"
"Now, whether it's a labor dispute or a tax issue, you have no reason to detain me."
Raphael closed the document in his hand and began to look at Dagory again, seeming to realize for the first time how difficult this character was.
The latter looked back at him coldly and shook the shackles on his hands.
After a few seconds, Raphael smiled.
His appearance is already handsome, and his smile is warm and bright, which makes people even more fond of him.
The Desolate Bone Man stood up, took out the key, and opened the shackles for Dagory almost in a flattering manner:
"Please relax, Mr. Moss, these evidences will not be sent to the Department of Finance and Taxation or the Trial Hall, and we don't want the people behind you to be troubled."
Seeing that the strategy worked, Dagoli, who was freed from the restraints, had a happy expression and became even more expressive:
"Very good. In my opinion, you are young and have a bright future. You are still a promising back wave - what should I call you?"
But Raphael didn't answer, he just continued the topic:
"I will just pack these materials and documents and send them to Emerald City."
Dagoli was stunned:
"What?"
Raphael’s smile is like spring breeze:
"Yes, send it to Iris Castle, and send it to the desk of the ruler of the South Coast Territory, Duke Jenn Kelvindir."