Hearing this, Huggins' face did not feel relaxed at all, but instead felt a little embarrassed.
Todd nodded and motioned for him to sit down and talk.
Huggins took stiff steps and carefully sat on the edge of the sofa, waiting for the king's inquiry.
"I heard that after you left Muxi City, you took your family and opened a hotel in Yinhuan City. It seems that business is doing well."
Huggins smiled dryly and said: "Your Majesty, I just want to find a way to keep myself busy..."
"Today is the first time you have returned to Muxi City since you left?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"I want to hear your thoughts about everything in the city."
Huggins' words were somewhat excited: "I had imagined that Twilight City would become more prosperous, but I never imagined that it would progress so fast! Parks, theaters, businesses, schools...
…”
Todd interrupted Huggins: "That's not what I want to hear."
Huggins froze and seemed a little hesitant: "Your Majesty, I don't know what you are referring to...?"
Todd sighed slightly: "Let's put this topic aside and let's talk about the coup a few years ago."
Huggins' body trembled slightly, and he lowered his head and said: "Your Majesty, that was the biggest mistake in my life. In order to protect my friends and colleagues, I ignored the safety of the entire kingdom. I am a sinner..."
"I called you here today not to blame you."
Todd looked at this slightly fat middle-aged man and suddenly remembered the old days of the monastery.
"You are a very nostalgic person, which is a good thing and a bad thing."
"His Majesty……"
Todd tapped the table with his knuckles and frowned: "Under the premise of foreseeing the coup, I also arranged for you to work in the Security Bureau. This is also a fault that I cannot shirk."
Huggins shook his head vigorously: "At that time, you were giving me a chance to be able to stand alone, but I failed..."
Todd was silent for a moment and then said, "Hudgens, what if I said I wanted to give you another chance?"
Huggins suddenly raised his head, with a worried expression on his face: "Your Majesty, I don't know if I can do it well."
"Back to the original topic, what do you think of Muxi City now? Well...from the perspective of internal security."
Huggins thought carefully and gave his answer.
"Your Majesty, have you seen the steam baths among the Beidao tribes?"
"Steam room?"
"Yes, there is such a building among the Beidao tribe. It is a large domed building with a huge boiler in the center. The boiler is divided into two layers, with water on top and red-hot stones on the bottom.
"
"There is a controllable iron gate between the water and the stone, which allows the water above to slowly drip or completely spill into the hot stone."
"When the water hits the hot stones, it evaporates into high-temperature steam, filling the entire room and turning it into a giant steam bath."
Todd wondered: Isn't this a sauna?
Huggins continued: "The current Muxi City is very similar to this boiler, except that the water above represents humans, and the hot stones below represent the alien species of the Crusaders. And the iron gate in the middle..."
Todd nodded: "That's me, right?"
"Yes, according to my understanding, most of the humans in Muxi City are envious of the status and glory of the Crusaders, and some of them want to participate in the transformation ceremony; but the Crusaders, on the other hand, call humans an old species.
Uncivilized creatures. And you are the only barrier that separates them."
Huggins moved his butt and adjusted his sitting posture: "Think about it, without your authority and suppression, what huge conflicts would arise between humans and the Crusaders. I'm sure the latter would not hesitate.
They drove the former out of the city."
Todd pondered: "The transformation ritual is dangerous and unpredictable. Are there really many humans who want to join it?"
"Your Majesty, you are in a high position and may not understand the situation among the people. Take the Silver Ring City where I live now as an example. After several wars, that city has long lost its former prosperity. Although most of the buildings have been built on the ruins.
buildings, but almost every citizen there considers himself an inferior countryman..."
"Redneck?"
Todd was a little confused. He had never noticed this difference before.
"Looking at the entire Dragon Kingdom, Muxi City, as the capital, not only has a population of millions, but is also the most prosperous city in the entire continent. It is naturally the best city in everyone's mind."
"As for the second-tier cities in the Dragon Kingdom, Holy Acropolis is the first one. In addition to it, it also includes a number of northern cities represented by Froststone City. Holy Acropolis is good at manufacturing military equipment and weapons, while Froststone City is the northern and southern city.
The central city of trade is also the religious center of the Northern Territory. As for other cities, such as Gugang..."
Todd asked: "So, Silver Ring City is considered a third-tier city?"
"No, before it, there was the capital of Ulster and the capital of Connaught. Although these two cities have declined, their overall layout was relatively well preserved during the war, so they can be regarded as third-tier cities."
"And such as Silver Ring City and Lone Rock City can only be considered as the fourth tier..."
Huggins paused and continued: "Those who live in fourth-tier cities do not stay there voluntarily. If possible, they are willing to give up their families and family ties, just to come to Muxi City to find
That so-called hope and faith.”
Todd mused: "Just like those humans yearning for the Crusaders."
"That's right." Huggins shook his head and said, "On the other hand, the residents of Muxi City look down upon and even are hostile to those who come from backward areas, thinking that they are ignorant and backward. In the past, they were enemies of the kingdom.
They are just a bunch of villains who follow the trend."
Todd sighed: "Just like the Crusaders call humans an old species and think they are a race that has not yet evolved."
Huggins looked at Todd and said: "If you want to eliminate this gap and break this prejudice, there are two ways."
"Tell me about it."
"First, give everyone a common place to belong."
"Belong?"
"The people of Muxi City and the people of Silver Ring City, although they have different statuses and different wealth, they are all subjects of the Dragon Kingdom. Once they accept the sense of belonging to the same kingdom, they will slowly let go of their differences.
prejudice."
Todd chewed these words carefully and asked after a moment: "What about the second method?"
Huggins said solemnly: "Erect a common enemy for everyone, and let pressure from the outside force everyone to unite."
Todd narrowed his eyes and stared into Huggins's eyes: "What do you want to say...?"