On the other side of the glass, Thales had the same expression.
"Why?" the wine merchant asked subconsciously.
"You know why." Raphael smiled.
Dagoli sat up straight and said anxiously:
"Here, this little brother, you...you said you serve the kingdom?"
"Which department is it?"
Raphael nodded, becoming more and more interested:
"It's really strange that you are not afraid of the Finance and Taxation Department, which is knocking people to their bones, nor are you afraid of the ferocious Police Department, nor are you afraid of the aloof Judgment Hall."
"The only time I lose my composure is when I hear the name of a big noble from out of town."
Dagori shuddered.
He understood something and looked around nervously:
"This isn't any police station at all, is it?"
"Who are you working for?"
Raphael snorted:
"Oh, maybe you are afraid that the Duke of Iris will know that Dagory Moss, a powerful businessman who has been helped and favored by him and given his mission to represent him in the central wine business, actually enriched his own pockets without telling him
, I have received huge kickbacks for so long, and have operated so many private industries elsewhere..."
Thales saw that Dagory trembled every time Raphael said a word.
Raphael smiled easily:
"And he actually dares to say that the business failed and go back to the Duke to complain about poverty?"
Dagory's breathing began to speed up, and he swallowed hard:
"Listen, little brother, there must be some misunderstanding between us. I don't understand a thing you said..."
Raphael picked up the document and left his seat, as if he was about to call it a day and leave:
"Don't worry, we will arrange a carriage later and send you home with great fanfare to thank you for your cooperation and confession - just after these evidences are sent to the Emerald City and delivered to Duke Zhan.
.”
Dagoli was stunned, the look and confidence on his face were gone.
"You...can't..." He wanted to say something, but was speechless.
Raphael turned his head, smiled evilly, and threw the last straw:
"After all, you know that illegal torture is not allowed in the kingdom's secret department."
At that second, Dagoli shook violently!
"What, you said you are kings, what kind of kings are you?" the wine merchant asked blankly.
The Desolate Skeleton Man just smiled, then turned and left.
"Wait a moment!"
"I remembered, I remembered!"
Perhaps the last sentence was too powerful. Dagoli threw himself off his chair and got up from the ground in panic, with a cry in his words:
"Today, a large amount of funds have been transferred back. I guarantee that those who are owed wages and debts will receive their money soon. There is still a large amount of surplus. I want to donate it all to you personally, brother, or your department.
, support the work... Can you just pretend that I have never been here..."
But Raphael smiled evilly and remained unmoved:
"Don't worry, you know Boss Kathleen very well, right? When you go out, the Blood Bottle Gang will definitely treat you well?"
"Or I heard that the practice of Emerald City is to sail a ship and take people out to sea. No matter what happens on the high seas, it has nothing to do with the laws of the kingdom..."
He squinted and smiled:
"We can't control it even if we want to."
It seemed that every time Raphael said a word, Dagory could think of something.
As a result, his crying became heavier and his eyes became more frightened:
"No, no, no, please, you... you are tantamount to killing me... I, I am also a citizen of the kingdom, you cannot ignore death..."
Raphael reacted and smiled apologetically:
"Where, Duke Iris is so generous and approachable, maybe he won't care?"
"After all, you have such a big family and you have to support it."
Support a family.
Dagory trembled, and he froze on the spot, staring blankly at Raphael.
Raphael's smile remained unchanged, looking back at him happily, waiting patiently for a response.
After a full ten seconds.
"Damn."
Finally, under Raphael's gaze, Dagory couldn't bear the heavy pressure and fell softly to the ground:
"Okay, okay, whatever you want, I, I'll give it to you."
He completely collapsed, truly bursting into tears and burst into tears:
"As long as, just don't tell the Duke...I, I...I just want to make a fortune before I retire...my family..."
Raphael smiled, very happily.
"Welcome to the Secrets of the Kingdom, Mr. Moss."
He leaned down with satisfaction and helped up the trembling Dagori:
"Don't worry, with our care, you won't retire so soon."
Dagoli stared blankly at the young man in front of him, with only numbness on his face.
At the other end of the room, Thales turned back in disgust:
"This is how you recruit people and win over people's hearts?"
The Black Prophet in the wheelchair smiled softly:
"I know you despise this method."
"I'm not looking down on you, it's just..." The prince shook his head and said uncomfortably:
"This reminds me of Shadow Shield."
"That's right." Morat sneered:
"Because this is our division of labor: We stay in the dark and do the dirty work, and you stand in the sun and condemn the dirty work."
“A pleasure to work with.”
Thales glanced at the Black Prophet, his brows getting tighter and tighter.
On the other side of the glass, Raphael finally comforted Dagory, who collapsed and surrendered, and rearranged him on the chair.
"Now, can you answer my question?"
Dagoli's eyes were red, and he was wiping his nosebleed with a handkerchief. He raised his head blankly:
"What, what problem?"
Raphael repeated patiently:
"Why, why is there no future for the kingdom's wine industry?"
Perhaps he was frightened by what he had experienced in the past ten minutes. Dagoli was stunned for a while before he realized what he had done.
"Yes, yes," the wine merchant replied bitterly:
"Although it was just a rumor before, it was confirmed last night..."
"Now, wine merchants across the country should have spread the news."
Raphael's eyes moved slightly:
"What's wrong?"
Dagoli, who had just experienced a drastic change in his life, flattened his mouth and said reluctantly:
"That prince."
Tails was stunned when he heard his news.
Dagoli said dullly:
"Our wise Prince Thales, His Excellency the Duke of Star Lake does not like wine."
"Yesterday's banquet, the wine I brewed was placed on his table, and he didn't touch a drop."
"Even a drop."
He said bitterly:
"Even when toasting, he would just show off and deliberately spill the wine instead of drinking it."
Raphael hummed:
"Maybe your wine doesn't suit your taste?"
"Ha, the prince doesn't like drinking, or the wine doesn't suit his taste, what difference does it make?"
After being devastated by Raphael's psychological defense, Dagoli started talking and talked endlessly, which seemed to be a self-defeating one.
"And not only does he not drink."
The wine merchant said unhappily:
"He doesn't like other people drinking."
Thales looked up in surprise.
Raphael also frowned:
"real?"
Dagoli laughed, his face full of sarcasm:
"Although I didn't go to yesterday's royal banquet, a friend of mine went, and he saw it with his own eyes: before the hostage-taking accident, there was a noble girl who was very beautiful and had a good family background. She went
Invite the prince to dance.”
"As a result, just because she drank two glasses of wine before talking to the prince, she was scolded by His Highness in public and came back crying."
Raphael still questioned:
"you sure?"
"It's spread all over the social circles!"
Dagoli sighed:
"His Highness rejected every girl who drank. Even his aunt drank a few more glasses of wine. He was merciless and kicked her out of the party early!"
"There is also a servant who testified: After the banquet, when His Highness was talking to Duke Zhan alone, all he drank was pure water!"
Raphael pondered for a while:
"That's it? Just based on the trivial things that happened at last night's banquet?"
"Maybe this is just an excuse you came up with to cover up your behavior after the business failed and ran away, causing hundreds of families to suffer..."
Dagory interrupted him angrily:
"I said I was just going abroad for a vacation...Listen, the prince hates wine. This has been known for a long time, not just last night."
"How to say?"
Dagori snorted:
"First of all, it was the Northland merchants brought by Black Sand. They had rumors that Prince Thales and the current king of Exeter had an enmity over a glass of wine and they hated each other."
"I don't know what the prince is like in the north, but it's obvious when he returns to the stars: he lives in seclusion, lives a simple life, and is not close to wine and sex."
Dagoli raised his finger and said seriously:
"At the Blade Tooth Camp, our colleagues from Xihuang prepared a pot of fine wine, bribed the soldiers of Legend Wings, and prepared to offer it to him and advertise it. However, the prince was very disrespectful and just left without even looking at it.
It hit the ground!"
"You know, that is the heir to the kingdom."
"That's when the rumors started."
Dagory exhaled angrily:
"And I just heard about what happened this morning: Prince Thales's two personal guards - the Royal Guards, who were born in the Seven Stars of the Bright Star - drank a few too many glasses of wine last night, so they missed the meeting.
Something happened, and there was an accident involving hostage-taking."
"So the prince ordered them to be whipped in the Mindis Hall. They were beaten to death. It is said that he even counted the whips himself."
Raphael listened carefully and glanced at the one-way glass from the corner of his eye.
Dagoli looked back and said:
"Now that's good, soon the whole star will know that the future king doesn't like drinking, and he doesn't like people who drink."
"Damn prince."
Raphael coughed:
"Maybe you are overreacting. The prince doesn't like drinking and it won't have such a big impact..."
"Oh! He's a prince! The future king!"
In a bad mood, Dagori interrupted the Bone Man impatiently:
"Everything he does, every bit, every bit, has a super, super, huge impact, okay!"
Raphael said nothing.
The other side of the one-way glass was even more silent.
"Listen, little brother, you are still young, but I have seen it and I know..."
Dagori grabbed the handkerchief and wiped his nose:
"It may not be that fast, but as time goes on..."
"The upper class circle of the royal capital will gradually form such a trend: in order to please the prince and get close to the duke, first some people will start drinking less, then everyone will follow the trend and drink less, then famous people will advocate not drinking, and then it will spread to the entire Yongxing City.
They all urge everyone not to drink until the kingdom officially introduces laws to restrict and ban alcohol..."
Raphael was dubious:
"Isn't it too exaggerated?"
Dagori shook his head:
"Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit, but buddy, you are also a member of the public family."
"If something goes well at the top, we will do better at the bottom."
"Haven't you heard? If a cup falls in Fuxing Palace, a head will fall in the kingdom."
The wine merchant glanced at Raphael and smiled sarcastically:
"And do you know that Prince Thales dropped a lot of glasses at the banquet? Hahahaha..."
His laughter was dissatisfied and sad, gradually fading away.
"The king looked down upon a certain kind of people, and when they got down there, the people would drive them out and kill them all."
"The Duke takes a second look at something. When it comes to the public, it will be priceless, but it will be priceless."
"People regard a certain drunken nonsense of a big shot as a wise saying and interpret it diligently. Schools and universities even fund this and set up research projects..."
"Or if a noble noble forgets to wear pants while taking a walk, he will be regarded as a new elegance and fashion trend, attracting people to worship him and imitate him..."
Dagoli said resentfully:
"Are there many cases like this?"
The wine merchant sighed:
"Power is a fishing hook that draws everyone closer to it, just for a little bit of pitiful bait."
"How else do you think I got rich?"
There was silence in the interrogation room for a while.
"So you closed the winery as a result of careful consideration." Raphael said calmly.
Dagory nodded.
"Do you think I want to close down? Believe me, if I don't cut my losses and exit now, in a few months, when rumors spread that the prince doesn't like wine, my business statements will only be even worse. I am in the Emerald City
The sponsor will be even more unhappy."
"And I'm not the first person to know: the market's nose is sharper than mine, and gold coins only follow power."
He pouted:
"Last night alone, after the banquet, six aristocratic buyers returned their orders for next month. They said that their home-brewed wine would be enough."
"There are ten more this morning..."
Dagori's eyes became confused:
"I originally thought that after the prince returned to the country and the royal banquet was held, the royal family, which had been dormant for more than ten years, would have many more banquet occasions. The demand for drinks, especially for extravagant banquets like ours, would definitely increase significantly.
"
"So I expanded the scope of my partners and bought several more wineries in preparation for increasing production. I borrowed a lot of money for this purpose..."
He snorted coldly, wiped away the last bit of nosebleed, and threw the handkerchief on the table.
"Now, now I can only stop the loss in advance."
"At least in the short term, I will no longer have significant orders for banquets in the royal capital, large and small."
Raphael was silent for a while, and then he said:
"According to your statement, you were just the first to act based on the rumors. In your line of work, more people will suffer and more people will lose their jobs?"
Dagoli snorted strangely, seeming to cry and laugh at the same time.
"What can I do?"
"I'm desperate too!"
He is depressed:
"But who is the person who caused the wine merchants to lose all confidence, the future of the wine industry to be bleak, and the workers under me to eat dirt?"
"Don't come to me if you can, go to our Highness Thales who told the whole world that 'I hate wine'!"
Moss slumped down in his chair and muttered for the second time:
"Damn nobles."
"Damn prince."
The interrogation room returned to silence.
Raphael sighed:
"Great, thank you for your opinion, I'll make sure he knows."
"Make sure he knows..."
Soon, Moss, immersed in decadence, realized something.
"No, no, no, I#&%￥&..."
The wine merchant's expression suddenly changed:
"Don't write down what you just said... Sunset knows that my whole family is loyal and supports the Bright Star royal family wholeheartedly!"
He waved his hands hard and tried to explain to Raphael.
But Raphael just glanced at the one-way glass, waved his hand, and asked someone to take Moss down.
"Really, my mother can testify! I have been a loyal supporter of His Highness Thales since I was born..."
"Aren't we our own people? You can't cheat me like this!"
The wine merchant's words slowly faded away, leaving lingering sounds:
"Well, I hope Duke Xinghu is in good health and can be crowned king as soon as possible..."
"Oh, no, don't get me wrong. I also support His Majesty Kessel! I sincerely wish the Iron-fisted King a long life and rule the stars forever..."
The door of the interrogation room was closed and Dagoli's voice disappeared completely. Raphael took a deep breath and looked at the one-way glass.
On this side of the glass, the Black Prophet looked at the prince with interest.
For a few minutes, Thales was just silently dazed.