nownovels Chapter 357 Klein's Resolve
Chapter 357 Klein's Resolve
Chapter 357 Klein's Resolve
The sun had set, and the red moon was already hanging in the distant sky. Most of the shops along the street had closed, but the streetlights were already on.
"ah·-.
Klein, his head throbbing, struggled to get out of bed. He looked around the dark bedroom and at the red moonlight streaming in through the window, and couldn't help but smile bitterly:
"I need to speed up my promotion process, otherwise every weekly tarot reading will be torture for me!"
Klein rubbed his forehead to calm himself down, then struggled to get up, lit the gas lamp, and brought light back to the house!
After meditating on the sofa for a while, Klein finally recovered from his near-death state and had the energy to think about other things.
"I never imagined that the current shortage of medical supplies in Backlund would turn out to be an organized and premeditated large-scale robbery, or even the government profiting from the national crisis. What are we going to do?"
To be honest, the actions of the Kingdom of Rune's government have exceeded Klein's understanding, both in his past and present lives.
When the government, which should be standing behind ordinary people at such times, takes the lead in raising the butcher's knife against the weak, aren't ordinary people just fish to be slaughtered?
This also ignited a surge of anger within Klein, a feeling of "damn it!"
But after getting angry, you have to face the reality that you are helpless.
The reality is that he now wants to fight for a chance to survive for the poor, and the enemy he faces is no longer just the Augustus family. The enemy he faces can be summed up in one word from his previous life: the ruling class!
He was no longer dealing with a specific person or group, but with an entire social class.
Even the church, which should have acted as a balancer, should have tacitly approved of this action.
As for why the church would condone such outrageous behavior, Klein, having been through the political intrigue of his previous life, figured it out after some thought.
It's simply that these insects have tied the whole situation to themselves.
According to information revealed by Evan, the economy of the Kingdom of Rune is indeed very bad this year, with one incident after another directly overdrawing the government's finances.
It's even possible that due to large-scale economic fluctuations, banks may suffer massive losses and be unable to lend to the government, thus requiring government bailouts instead.
After all, what banks fear most is uncertainty, and there have been a lot of black swan events this year.
On the one hand, the defeat in the South Continent led to a shrinking of foreign markets; on the other hand, two of the five major industrial zones in the country, Backlund and Tingen, were damaged, resulting in a decline in production capacity.
However, the emergence of ironclad warships led to a significant increase in government spending, and the advent of aircraft further exacerbated the financial crisis, since no one dared to cut military spending.
With several factors combined, the Rune financial system was on the verge of collapse, so it was not surprising that the Kingdom government had no money in its accounts.
In this situation, a financial crisis that could trigger a nationwide wave of bank failures is brewing. If the government of the Kingdom of Rune doesn't find some money to bail out the banks, the entire Kingdom of Rune will be in turmoil.
Klein estimated that it was probably because of this overall situation that the three major churches, after weighing their options, tacitly approved of the actions of the Kingdom of Rune's government.
After all, if the government of the Kingdom of Rune collapses, all stakeholders in the Kingdom of Rune will suffer, including the poor people of the Kingdom of Rune. But what will be the consequences of doing this?
That means 70-80% of the people in Backlund have become lambs to the slaughter. When will this money-grabbing scheme end?
It all depends on when the Ruhnn government feels it has enough money.
But when will a government controlled by a bunch of scoundrels who don't care about the lives of the people ever realize that it has too much money?
They will only use this opportunity to make a fortune, and they will never be satisfied!
However, Klein dared not act rashly, because he was also afraid that the bankruptcy of the Kingdom of Rune would trigger an even greater disaster.
That's the power of the insect clan; they always tie the big picture to themselves, making others hesitant to act against them.
In situations like this, the powerless and lowly Klein could only hope that there was a wise person within the ruling class who could step in the brakes in time.
All he can do now is try to earn whatever he can for the people amidst this wave of plunder.
So after much thought, Klein realized that he only had one path to take: to rob the rich and help the poor, to become a Robin Hood!
He cannot stop the actions of the state's will, but he can punish the insects who are enriching themselves, and do everything possible to prevent the money plundered by the Kingdom of Rune from flowing into the insects' pockets, hoping that the Kingdom of Rune will stop as soon as possible and reduce the losses of the people.
"In the end, I found myself simultaneously playing the role of a Robin Hood-like hero who robs the rich to help the poor, and an assistant to the Kingdom of Rune's government in its efforts to amass wealth and combat corruption. Human beings are far more complex and multifaceted than this!"
Klein had a vague feeling that he had once again grasped the inspiration for the "Faceless Man" acting method.
But he felt no pride, only bitterness.
Now that I've determined my role for the next two months, the next step is to find some help.
According to legend, Robin Hood was able to succeed not only because of the protection he received from the people, but also because of his other companions.
Since he was to be a true outlaw, standing on the opposite side of the ruling class, Kramer had no choice but to prepare in advance.
He mentally went through everyone he knew, first ruling out Evan.
It wasn't that Klein didn't trust him, but as a friend he didn't want to put Evan in a difficult position, especially since Evan's brother, Earl Robert, was clearly also involved in the operation.
Furthermore, he knew that Evan had focused his main efforts on the military and rarely interfered in MI9 affairs. If he were to ask Evan to do favors for him, it would arouse suspicion from others.
As for Miss Sharon and Marich, who control at least half of Backlund's underground forces, they must be registered within MI9. Being too big a target would only make them easier to expose.
After much thought, Klein discovered that his ideal partners were actually the three ladies from the Tarot Club: "Justice," "The Magician," and "Judgment."
Especially Miss "Judgment," who is now a key member of MI9. If the matter of the Robin Hood escalates and attracts MI9's intervention,
She would be a very good inside man.
Miss Justice can gather the most accurate information for him. There are many things that are difficult for outsiders to find out, but people in the same circle can easily get the most accurate information.
For example: Who has the most medicinal herbs, and where do they keep them?
Klein couldn't stop the Kingdom of Rune's government from embezzling funds, but he could find medicine for the poorest people in the Eastern District.
Moreover, this action wouldn't conflict too much with the Luen government's money-making schemes, since the poor people in the East District don't have much money.
If Klein is correct, their target has always been the middle class living in the Joewood and Hilton districts.
"Once the drug is found, it cannot be distributed directly to the public, otherwise there is a possibility that someone will resell the drug, which could lead to unpredictable consequences."
It was handed over to the Church of Mother Earth, and Father Utravsky and Emlyn White were to make the distribution.
It is believed that Father Utravsky would not miss this opportunity to spread his faith widely.
Moreover, the Church of the Earth Mother is, after all, an officially recognized church, yet it has not yet entered the highest decision-making level of the Kingdom of Rune.
Naturally, they won't follow the tacit agreement among the upper echelons of the Kingdom of Rune. Even if they discover a large opening at the Church of the Earth Mother, I doubt they'll dare to act rashly.
Klein even found a reliable distribution channel for the drugs he could get in the shortest time. The insects always tied the big picture to themselves, making people hesitant to attack them. In addition to using violent means to break the deadlock, there is actually another way to deal with this situation, which is to use the big picture to deal with another big picture.
It is quite unusual that the Church of Mother Earth was allowed to legally preach in Backlund.
Klein only needed to use his political acumen, which was typical of people from a powerful Eastern nation in his previous life, and combine it with the current world situation to understand that the Augustus family and the three major churches were trying to win over the Castilian family and the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess in the Kingdom of Feneport, in order to target the Fussac Empire.
This has been a fundamental national policy of the Kingdom of Rune for hundreds of years, as can be clearly seen from the fact that several generations of queens of the Kingdom of Rune came from the Castia family.
"At that time, on one hand, there's the century-old national policy that's just begun to show results, and on the other hand, there's a small opening in the short-term money-making plan. Both are matters of the 'big picture.' Isn't it obvious which choice the Augustus family will make?"
However, while the government of the Kingdom of Rune can turn a blind eye to the small opening made by the Church of the Earth Mother, it will not allow it to expand and affect its ability to make money.
The delicate balance required also tested the wisdom of Klein and Father Utravsky.
After carefully considering his plan, Klein felt there weren't any major problems, so he stood up again, arranged the ceremony, and...
Pray for the Fool.
"A fool who doesn't belong to this era!"
You are the mysterious ruler above the gray fog!
You are the king of yellow and black, who holds the key to good fortune!
I beg for your attention!
I pray that in 10 minutes, I will meet Miss Justice, Miss Magician, and Miss Judgment in your divine kingdom above the gray fog!
Please convey my request to them!
After finishing his prayer, Klein took four steps backward in the living room and entered the gray fog. He then projected the images of his prayers into the red stars that symbolized "justice," "judgment," and "magician."
While waiting for the three ladies' responses, Klein began to read Roselle's diary, which had been submitted by "Justice" at the previous tarot meeting.
The contents are about Russell's sea adventures, mentioning the "Black Throne," a legendary ghost ship from the Solomon Empire. It also mentions that this world should be a planet, and based on various information, it is confirmed that there must be an eastern continent and a western continent.
Even at the end of the diary, it was mentioned that Rosell saw the legendary abyss!
After discovering that Roselle mentioned "the abyss" in his diary, Klein eagerly flipped through the rest of the diary, only to find a page of garbled Chinese characters.
Klein sighed in disappointment, but there was nothing he could do. As long as he didn't teach the Tarot Club members how to interpret Chinese characters, this situation was unavoidable.
This made Klein even more eager for the complete set of diaries in Bernadette's possession.
"I'll see Evan later to see if he has Bernadette's contact information."
I can't just passively wait for Bernadette to come to me; sometimes I have to take the initiative!
Just as Klein was lost in thought, he received responses from three ladies, all of whom expressed their willingness to meet "Mr. World".
After estimating that the time was about right, Klein got up from the position of "The Fool" and walked to the position of "The World" to sit down, before pulling the three ladies back into the gray fog.
When Audrey and the others appeared in the gray fog, they all looked at Mr. Fool's position immediately, only to find that Mr. Fool was not sitting there smiling and watching everyone's conversation as usual. Instead, he stood there stunned, and then they all looked at Mr. World, who was standing at the other end of the bronze table.
Thank you to the three ladies for agreeing to my request to meet privately!
I've called you three to meet today because I need your help with something!
Audrey and the others all developed a liking for the mysterious "Mr. World" because of the gathering this afternoon, so they all looked at him kindly.
After everyone was seated, Klein laid out his plan and pleaded:
"The will of the entire Kingdom of Rune is now such, and I have no power to stop it, but I cannot stand idly by."
"Miss Justice," you are clearly from the highest echelons of nobility, while "Miss Judgment" and "Miss Magician" are clearly members of official factions.
We are all in positions that are difficult for ordinary people to attain, so I am asking for your help.
Of course, I won't let you help for nothing; I can give you some compensation.
"Miss Justice," you still owe me the bounty for Hurricane General Zilingus, which I can use as your reward.
As for Miss "Judgment" and Miss "Magician", if you need them, I also have the extraordinary traits of the Seer's Path Sequence 6 "Faceless Man", the Sun Path Sequence 5 "Light Priest", the Prisoner's Path Sequence 6 "Living Person" and Sequence 7 "Werewolf", and the Audience's Path Sequence 7 "Psychotherapist" that I can sell to you cheaply as payment.
Of course, the extraordinary characteristics of "live users" and "werewolfs" have a certain degree of corruption and are not easy to use, but you can hand them over as your own merits!
MI9 would probably be interested in these things.
Apart from the extraordinary traits of "Live" and "Werewolf", the others are extraordinary traits that come with "Crawling Hunger".
Klein will later send the extraordinary traits of "Requiemr" to the Church of the Night. The extraordinary traits of "Judge" are very sensitive to MI9, and since Hugh clearly no longer needs them, Klein did not mention them.
After Klein finished speaking, silence fell over the gray fog once again, not because Klein's plan was so impressive, but because Audrey and the others were frightened by Klein's actions.