Woodrow's eyes flickered. The sudden appearance of Brandley had completely disrupted his plans. What was worse, this guy actually knew him. A quick and decisive solution was obviously not going to work, but this guy had to die, whether to avenge Valcke or to cover up a possible mistake that might be caught by the Gray Temple.
"Lord Brandley, although I don't know what kind of relationship you have with this murderer, but the evidence against him is overwhelming, and he killed someone from my Inspector Office. So I must arrest him now and take him back with these rioters for a thorough investigation. This is a case under our city lord's jurisdiction, and I believe the Gray Temple will not interfere unnecessarily, right?" Woodrow straightened up and looked at Brandley with a somewhat forceful expression.
Brandley looked at Woodrow and frowned slightly. From his reaction, he could tell that there was something fishy going on. However, Woodrow's use of the city lord's mansion to pressure him and his intention to put the two on opposite sides made him feel a little awkward.
Both the Gray Temple and the City Lord's Mansion have the right to handle such incidents as they arise, especially when it involves casualties among personnel of one side, they generally do not interfere.
"You're lying! Grandpa Balabala, he's a big bad guy!" Amy said angrily. "That bad guy just bullied Jessica and her mother, and even tried to kill my Daddy. That's why Daddy intervened. Besides, he bullied a lot of other people too."
"Shut up! What right do you, a little brat, have to spout nonsense here!" Woodrow glared at Amy and shouted sternly.
"Daddy, he's so fierce." Amy immediately shrank back into Mai Ge's arms, her expression somewhat frightened.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here." Mai Ge gently patted Amy's back to comfort her, then looked at Woodrow with a hint of mockery, "You can't even let an innocent child tell the truth, but you, this fat bastard who's amassed wealth by exploiting the people, spout nonsense? I'm telling you, just because you're big-faced, does that mean the whole world has to cater to you? All that fat on you was scraped off of them bit by bit, doesn't your conscience hurt?"
"You!" Woodrow pointed at Mai Ge, his entire body trembling with rage. No one had ever dared to speak to him like that, or insult him like that before.
Brandley looked at Mai Ge, his face showing undisguised surprise. Mai Ge, who was usually so gentle, was a supercharged version of a Little Boss when he started scolding people.
He hesitated for a moment, not in a hurry to speak. The cause and course of events were still unclear, and whether the Gray Temple was suitable to intervene required further assessment.
However, regardless of what Woodrow said, he absolutely could not allow Boss Mai and Amy to be harmed. The wrath of two archmages was not to be trifled with. He whispered a few words to a teammate beside him, who nodded and quickly left.
"A mob so starved they can't even lift a stone because you withheld their pensions; a mob consisting of elderly people and women over sixty years old, and children under fourteen years old; a mob that lost the pillars of their families in the mining disaster and now suffers daily humiliation; women's chastity has become something you can take at will, even five or six years old girls can't escape your clutches, they lie on the ground barely surviving, while they are humiliated with the soles of the feet, this is the mob you speak of." Mai Ge's smile grew colder, his gaze sweeping over Woodrow and the guards of the Inspector Office, questioning, "Shouldn't they be angry? Should they have to endure all this just because they're alive? How can those miners who gave their lives forever underground for the construction of this Chaos City close their eyes!"
The guards slowly lowered their heads, unconsciously lowering their long swords, pointing them at the ground, their eyes downcast, unable to meet Mai Ge's gaze.
A sob rose from the crowd.
The boy, who had calmly recounted how he carried his sister from the river to bury her, dropped the severed finger to the ground, tears streaming down his still-childish face.
An old woman held the head of a little girl who was missing an arm tightly in her arms and cried in a suppressed voice, like an old-fashioned exhaust fan, with only heavy breathing to be heard.
A woman with two ugly scars on her face stared blankly at Mai Ge, tears streaming down her face.
In the silence, only suppressed sobs could be heard.
"This…" Brandley looked at the scene, feeling as if his heart had been clenched. If everything Mai Ge said was true, then in this little-known corner, what kind of torment and suffering had these families of the miners who sacrificed so many lives for the Chaos City endured all these years?
The City Lord's Mansion provides monthly pensions to the families of the deceased miners, at least ensuring their livelihood and preventing them from going hungry. But judging from their current appearance, they don't seem to be able to fill their stomachs normally. So where did the pensions go?
There is no hatred without a cause, and ordinary women, children, and the elderly are even less likely to kill someone because of a few words from someone.
Suppressed sobs, the ashamed guards of the Inspector Office bowing their heads—everything seemed clear. Brandley slowly clenched his fists, a surge of anger burning in his heart.
"Nonsense! Nonsense! Come on, grab him! Arrest all these people!" Woodrow's face showed panic as he waved his hand and shouted, his voice trembling with fear.
The guards exchanged hesitant glances.
"I am the Lord Inspector, your superior! How dare you disobey my orders? Are you trying to rebel?!" Woodrow kicked the guard next to him to the ground and shouted.
The guards' eyes darted around, but upon hearing this, they slowly raised their long swords and hesitantly walked toward Mai Ge and the miners' families.
The people of the Gray Temple, witnessing this scene, formed their own judgments and guesses, and spontaneously stood on either side of Mai Ge, gripping their long swords at their waist and magic wands.
"Lord Inspector, what are you feeling guilty about?" Hearing the suppressed sobs, Mai Ge's mood grew heavier. He looked at Woodrow and smiled mockingly, "Actually, you don't need to use the City Lord's Mansion to pressure me. I've met the City Lord before. Tonight, the City Lord's Mansion will be hosting a meeting between the Dragon race and the Demon race in my restaurant. If you have many grievances, you can tell the City Lord slowly tonight. I believe he will be interested in it."
"But let's hear their voices now. What heinous things have you done all these years! What unforgivable crimes has that scumbag nephew of yours, whom you treated like a son, committed against them!" Mai Ge looked at the miners' families and said in a gentle but firm voice, "I know that everytime you speak out, it is a cruel thing for you, but now, I hope you can tell the truth. Lord Brandley and the Gray Temple will uphold justice for you and make sure that all the scumbags receive the judgment they deserve."
"Kill him!" Woodrow roared, pointing at Mai Ge.
"Stop! I am Brandley, a level seven mage and elder of the Gray Temple's Inspectorate. This incident is now classified as a level four incident and is officially under the jurisdiction of the Gray Temple. All unrelated persons, step back!" Just then, Brandley, who had been silent for a long time, stepped forward, holding a gray black token in his hand.