eurekapd Chapter 263 Self-destruction
Chapter 263 Self-destruction
The two nobles were the first to suffer defeat at the hands of this young man, while the other nobles chose to wait and see. Some of them looked at the governor, while others stared at the female official named Jasmine behind the governor.
They didn't get any advance information about what Esrick was going to do today.
"Your Excellency the Governor, please allow me to remind you that the difficult situation of the war is not solely Mr. Hubbard's fault. You are also responsible." At this time, another nobleman stood up and spoke. His name was Karen, and he was the patriarch of the family responsible for the infrastructure and engineering of Karen Asia.
Hubbard and Regen had previously failed to induce Esrick with benefits, so these nobles changed their strategy.
"Don't forget that the mansion you are in now was far from what it is now five years ago. You don't think that the resources for building this mansion and your precious collections fell from the sky, do you? If the angels really want to re-audit everything after their arrival, they will not only examine Lord Hubbard. All of us, including you, will be subject to interrogation." Karen continued to attack, trying to make the young man back down.
"Of course I know that your family and this planet have paid too much to build this palace for me. As far as I know, hundreds of workers died from exhaustion or various accidents during the construction of this palace alone. In order to raise funds for the construction of the palace for me, the food standards of ordinary soldiers in Karenya have been reduced by 20% in recent years. There are also various other miscellaneous items that are difficult to count." Esrick answered Karen's question with an accuracy beyond everyone's expectations.
Just when these nobles thought Esric was about to compromise, the young man continued:
"But I only recently learned about this. It's really embarrassing to say, but I didn't realize it would cost so much to build this palace. I originally thought that even if the food and accommodation of ordinary people in Karenya weren't as good as ours, they should still be able to reach half our standards... I was so stupid." After a little self-deprecating and pretending to be stupid to change the nature of the matter, Esrick said, "So, since I learned the cost of building this palace, I've been trying to make up for it. I've been asking Jasmine to help me count my assets..."
Esrick glanced at the girl behind him, pleased to see the look of fear on her face once again. Then, pretending not to notice, he continued, "I've contacted a family of wandering merchants. The collections I've collected over the years, along with those of my father and mine, and some items passed down from the Trevikon family, should fetch a good price. I plan to use part of the money as compensation for the workers who died, some as allowances for the soldiers, and the rest to buy weapons and equipment from that merchant... I know this won't make up for my mistakes, but it should give me a chance to mend my ways."
After Esrik finished his speech, the nobles erupted in an uproar. If Esrik had truly done so, he would undoubtedly be putting them on the spot. Normally, no one would care if they could complete the Empire's missions and make a fortune. But if Esrik, as a planetary governor, were to sell property to fill a hole, this unprecedented event, perhaps unprecedented since the founding of the Empire, would undoubtedly attract some attention... especially from the incoming Space Marines. The personalities of those angels were unpredictable. Some angels disdained humanity, while others seemed deeply concerned, even if the nobles often didn't want such attention.
So some nobles began to think about how to protect themselves and clean up their own mess, and some nobles began to look at Karen, who brought up this topic, with hostility. After all, if Karen had not used this matter to threaten them first, the planetary governor, who they thought spoke and acted without thinking, would not have said such shocking words.
A very small number of nobles were even considering whether to support the Governor's decision... This wasn't because they were highly conscious, but rather because some of them sensed an opportunity. Donating their fortunes... especially in front of the Space Marines to support the Empire's fight against the Orks, was another form of political stunt. They were evaluating the potential political benefits of doing so.
Esrick coldly observed the turmoil of the nobles. The so-called Jasmine's assistance in the asset inventory was a lie, and contacting the Rogue Trader was even more absurd. In his opinion, there wasn't a single merchant within hundreds of light-years worthy of accepting the legacy of his Trevikon family... But if necessary, all of this could be true. The inventory could be conducted at any time, and the Rogue Trader could be contacted if necessary. But all of this was only a last resort.
After all, he is not a saint. If he were asked to live the life of the lower class or soldiers, he really couldn't bear it. Moreover, he really liked some of the collections collected in the past few years... In short, everything depends on how these nobles will react to this meeting.
At the same time, he did not forget to take his hands off the table, then quietly reached behind him and held the hand of the girl standing next to him.
The girl's hands were very stiff and cold, like a stone.
Esrick smiled at her. He was very satisfied with the girl's performance today. At this moment, even if these nobles began to give in, he was still alone. He needed to win over everyone he could.
In the end, Esrick's proposal was naturally met with unanimous opposition from all the nobles, so Esrick breathed a sigh of relief, at least he didn't have to sell his property.
"Your Excellency the Governor, I think we have strayed from the main topic of this meeting. Didn't we start by discussing how to prepare for the arrival of the angel? Why did we suddenly turn to issues of property and accounts?" Another nobleman stood up and tried to smooth things over.
"Because resolving property and accounting issues is part of the preparation for welcoming the angels." Esric tapped the table again, bored. "What if the angels arrive and ask us to send a force to assist them according to our deployment, and then we tell them that this force, which appears to be fully staffed, is actually less than half full? What do you think the result will be?"
Esrick's words retorted to the nobleman.
"I understand what you're thinking. Everyone here has made some unintentional mistakes at work over the past few years. If we truly want to address these issues, we could find an excuse to organize a small-scale offensive, sacrifice some marginal teams, and use them to smooth out some of the more dismal figures on the books. I fully support this, as I've had this problem myself." Esrick said, looking at each noble in turn. "But I don't understand why you're all so eager to engage in a decisive battle with the orcs ahead of time. Even if it's to gain political capital, it shouldn't be this way. Our current military strength doesn't stand a chance against the orcs. If we lose, the political capital we gain will be negative. You can't help but wonder what your considerations are for making such a plan."
After saying this, Esric waited for someone to answer his question. His palms were sweating because he realized he had made a mistake until he finished speaking. That is, apart from Gray's mention of winning a battle to welcome the angel, no other nobles had made a similar request. He said what he was thinking in advance.
He has always known that these nobles are up to some tricks. In fact, he usually turns a blind eye to the usual tricks, but recently he has a growing premonition that these nobles are secretly carrying out some plans besides the usual extortion.
Esric had no idea what this plan was or who initiated it, but he was certain that almost all the nobles were involved in it, with the exception of himself.
Today, using the two bargaining chips of the upcoming arrival of the Space Marines and the results of the Sister's investigation, Esrick finally had the confidence to formally ask about this issue. He didn't know what would be waiting for him. If the interests of too many people were touched, the Governor would actually only have one life.
He was still holding Jasmine's hand, but his hand had also become cold and was held by Jasmine instead.
The nobles fell into an eerie silence. No one was willing to speak, but instead they all looked at the Governor... at the Mechanical Sage standing behind the Governor, who had not uttered a single word from the beginning.
Esrick knew what they were looking at. He didn't turn his head, but he was also glancing at the person who had been standing behind him.
After a full silence, the Mechanical Sage finally raised his hand and gently pressed the back of Esrick's chair, as if to reassure the young man. He then slowly walked along the round table to the opposite side of the Governor's seat, entered through the only opening in the circular table, and stood at the bottom of the light.
Under the gaze of the Governor and all the nobles, the mysterious mechanical sage turned to face the young Governor, his voice old and firm:
"Karenya's secrets must never fall into the hands of mediocre people."