Chapter 411 - Visiting

Chapter 411: Chapter 166: VisitingStepping into the soft light of the early morning, Lu Hong called over a soldier, "Get me something to eat."

"Baron, Mr. Lu Kuan is currently dining. Would you like me to take you to him?" The soldier respectfully saluted Lu Hong.

"Lead the way," Lu Hong nodded.

Lu Kuan was leisurely sipping his finished bowl of white rice porridge, completely unaware of Lu Hong’s arrival.

"Mr. Lu Kuan, you look in good spirits!"

Lu Kuan jumped in surprise, then hastily smiled, "It’s all thanks to your blessing, with you here, the disappearance case is certain to be cleared up. I was just getting happy in advance."

"Oh?" Lu Hong sat opposite of Lu Kuan.

The soldier brought another breakfast from the kitchen—two deep-fried dough sticks with a bowl of overnight rice porridge and some rice paste-like snacks.

"Baron, did you find anything last night?" Lu Kuan asked concernedly.

"No," Lu Hong touched his nose. "Just ordinary information, the disappeared civilians come from all walks of life, there’s no common thread, no leads at all."

"What should we do next?"

Lu Hong pondered for a moment, "We should make field visits, see if talking to their neighbors might reveal anything."

"In that case, let me arrange two guides for you, to ensure your safety as well."

"That would be useful, Mr. Lu Kuan." Lu Hong did not turn down the offer. If Lu Kuan really had issues, deliberately avoiding them probably wouldn’t work; the men would likely follow him discreetly anyway. It was better to do it openly and test his reaction.

Lu Kuan nodded, finishing the remaining porridge in one gulp, "I’ll make the arrangements now. Also, as Konstantin has been quite unsettled lately, my duties have increased, so I won’t be able to accompany you."

"Go ahead, stabilizing the situation is the most important. I’ll just wander about myself, no need to worry about me."

Lu Kuan was very efficient. Before Lu Hong had even finished his breakfast, two soldiers were already waiting outside.

Stepping out of the dining hall, the soldiers knelt on one knee, "Subordinate greets the Baron!"

"Rise, introduce yourselves. It will facilitate our cooperation."

The soldier on the left, tall and thin, spoke first, "Baron, my name is Torian, a chiliarch under Mr. Lu Kuan’s third battalion."

Chiliarch? Lu Hong looked at him—his strength was at least at the second transition late stage.

"Baron, my name is Vida, I am the deputy to Chiliarch Torian."

Lu Hong nodded; these two were likely Lu Kuan’s trusted aides.

"Vida, what is the garrison deployment like in Konstantin?"

"This...," facing Lu Hong’s question, Vida hesitated and glanced at Torian.

Torian frowned and snapped, "Why are you looking at me?! The Baron has asked you a question, just answer it. Have you forgotten Mr. Lu Kuan’s orders? Fully cooperate with the Baron!"

"Yes, yes." Vida quickly nodded and answered Lu Hong, "The Konstantin garrison is composed of elements from the seventh and ninth battalions of the original Empire’s thirty-sixth army, totaling around six thousand men."

"Only six thousand?" Lu Hong was startled. How big was Konstantin? Six thousand spread across every location means fewer than ten people per site!

"Yes, the sea clan conflicts are too urgent, so we have very few available personnel. We are not stationed in large cities; instead, we focus on nodes in the Civilian Settlement, managing security and control in eight districts around with units of one hundred."

"How capable are your forces?" Lu Hong continued to inquire.

"Both battalion commanders are at the third transition early stage, and most of the others are in the middle of the second transition."

After briefly questioning further, Lu Hong instructed, "Take me to the first disappearance site in the settlement."

"Very well, sir, please follow me."

After several teleportations, the three arrived at Baiyun Mountain in Konstantin.

This area once hosted a large imperial military camp, leaving behind many military tents, thus placing the first settlement zone here.

Entering Baiyun Mountain, the view became narrow, squeezed between towering mountains, where makeshift dwellings were nestled.

"Sir, the settlement in Baiyun Mountain is located at the foot of the peak, this is the largest open space, housing one hundred eighty thousand civilians. Additionally, about two hundred thousand civilians opt to build houses on the nearby mountainside, not choosing the empire’s second settlement area."

As they walked, Torian briefed Lu Hong on the situation.

Walking through the Civilian Settlement, Lu Hong observed the surrounding civilians who had gradually formed a village-like community. These civilians relied on their own labor, established simple trading relationships, and didn’t use Imperial Gold Coins for transactions, but bartered instead.

"How do they manage their food and clothing?" Over three hundred thousand people lived in Baiyun Mountain, and their daily expenses were significant.

"Based on the number of people in each household, the Empire provides the basic food ration for the month in advance. It’s not much, but it ensures the basic livelihood of these civilians. As for clothing and other essentials, the Empire also issues the minimum standard."

"Mmm." Lu Hong suddenly felt some sympathy for Konstantin. Besides facing the pressures of the war against the sea race, he also had to ensure the livelihood of the civilians. Being an Emperor was no easy task.

The Empire’s homeland on the Continent of God’s Grace had basically lost its production capacity, barely managing self-sufficiency. The essential supplies for the Civilian Settlement probably came from some specialized production planes. For instance, Green Forest, the bastion of the Nature Sect, where the druids excelled in stimulating plant growth, only they could produce food in large quantities to support the Empire’s logistics.

Following the directions of two soldiers, Lu Hong arrived at the residence where the first disappearance had occurred.

Vida stepped forward and knocked on the door, "Is anybody home?"

"Who is it?" A woman’s voice came from inside.

"Open the door, we’re here to investigate the disappearance."

"Another investigation, always investigating!" the woman muttered but still opened the door.

Lu Hong glanced at the woman in patchy clothing and asked, "Before me, who else has visited here?"

Seeing the soldiers beside her not speaking, the woman understood who was in charge, and responded, "Chiliarch Lu has been here, and there were also some people completely covered in white fur."

"When did Chiliarch Lu visit, and when did those old furries come?"

"Chiliarch Lu came the day after the incident, and those old... uh, old furries? What kind of term is that?"

"Probably the day before yesterday."

Lu Hong nodded, it seemed like the powerful figures from the Snowy Region were also seriously engaged. Props to them.

"Do you remember what Chiliarch Lu asked you?"

The woman shook her head, "No... I don’t remember. Chiliarch Lu’s visit was more about offering his condolences, telling my husband and me not to be too saddened."

"And the old furries?"

"Them? They looked strange, so I ignored them."

"Alright." Lu Hong nodded. It looked like the old furries still had communication barriers on human territory.

He continued, "I’ll ask you, did your mother show any unusual behavior before she disappeared?"

"No, everything was normal that day. It just happened to be the day we received grain, and I had just fed my mother a good meal, then... then she just disappeared that night. My husband and I frantically

The residents, riled up, pressed closer to Lu Hong and his group.

"Sir, what should we do?" Torian asked anxiously.

"Let’s leave for now." It wasn’t appropriate to confront the civilians, so Lu Hong had to withdraw temporarily with his companions.

Leaving Baiyun Mountain’s Civilian Settlement, Lu Hong fell into deep thought.

After reaching the Second Transition, one could easily tell if someone was lying simply by controlling their breathing and heart rate, and for civilians without any profession, it was as if they were equipped with their own lie detectors.

The woman had clearly lied, but Lu Hong wasn’t sure what she was hiding. Moreover, the reaction of the surrounding residents was strange; it seemed like they were somewhat afraid of him uncovering something, which was why they were so eager to drive him away.