Chapter 514
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Chapter 514: Plan Arrangements
Under the deep night sky, within a silent courtyard, a soft knocking sound echoed.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
Hearing the commotion, Zhao Pan, asleep in his bedroom, immediately opened his eyes.
As he got up, he saw a black figure standing in the center of his bedroom.
Being a seasoned general who had endured countless battles, combined with his almost naturally calm demeanor, Zhao Pan showed no signs of panic despite the situation.
His gaze swept over the intact door and windows, then he spoke in a deep voice.
“Who are you? What is your intention, sneaking into my bedroom in the middle of the night?”
“Black Raven of the Dark Department, greets General Zhao.”
Black Raven had long heard of General Zhao’s composure.
Seeing it firsthand today, he felt a sense of admiration for someone who could be so steady.
Truly worthy of being a great general capable of defending a region.
“Black Raven of the Dark Department…”
Muttering the name, Zhao Pan reached out and lit the lamp beside his bed.
The faintly lit room instantly brightened his vision.
However, the other party’s figure was entirely enveloped in black robes.
His face was also tightly covered by a mask, leaving only his eyes visible.
Zhao Pan wasn’t surprised by this.
He had some understanding of the Mirror Division’s Dark Department.
Apart from Zhang Tang, the head of the Dark Department, the identity and appearance of every other member were almost a mystery.
The moment they joined the Dark Department, they had to abandon even their original names, adopting various code names instead.
Zhao Pan, who usually conducted himself upright and without fault, had no fear of the Dark Department. So he spoke again.
“What does someone from the Dark Department want with me?”
“Your humble subordinate has come this time to execute a confidential mission. However, I’ve encountered a small problem and would like to request the General’s assistance.”
Zhao Pan’s status and position were significant.
Furthermore, he was one of Luo Ji’s most trusted and favored generals.
Even members of the Dark Department had to be respectful when speaking with him.
As he spoke, Black Raven took out a handwritten order from his embrace, bearing both Luo Ji’s and the Dark Department’s seals.
The contents of this order were sufficient to prove the credibility of his words.
Such confidential orders were generally not allowed to be shown to others.
However, members of the Dark Department had a certain degree of power to act according to circumstances when executing missions.
This rule was personally added by Luo Ji.
In his words, sometimes, sticking to the rules makes it difficult to get things done; in extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be used.
This rule, added by Luo Ji, was destined to have a profound impact on the Dark Department.
After reading the contents of the order, Zhao Pan’s eyebrows furrowed tightly.
“Theft of military supplies? Your presence here now means this stolen armament is related to my Iron Wall City?”
“That’s right.”
Black Raven nodded.
“We tracked the suspect, Wang Zhong, all the way to Iron Wall City… And just last night, Wang Zhong met with his accomplices, only to be murdered by them to silence him.”
“His body was buried outside the city about an hour ago.”
Hearing this, Zhao Pan’s pupils noticeably contracted.
“His body was buried outside the city about an hour ago?”
“That’s right.”
Black Raven nodded again.
After nightfall, the city gates were closed.
Under this premise, to leave the city, one needed either the city lord’s order or his own.
Otherwise, no one was permitted to leave the city without authorization.
He and the city lord were old comrades-in-arms, and he didn’t believe the city lord would commit such an act of stealing military supplies.
And he himself had not issued any such order.
This meant that after nightfall, the only ones who could leave the city without an order were probably the night watch team!
At this thought, Zhao Pan couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger that such a thing had happened right under his nose.
“Which of Wang Zhong’s accomplices is from the night watch team?”
Facing Zhao Pan’s swift reaction, Black Raven straightforwardly revealed everything he knew.
Upon learning that an entire night watch squad under Zhang Lin at the East Gate were all accomplices, and that there were also accomplices within the military camp itself, Zhao Pan’s face turned extremely grim.
However, he didn’t immediately order their arrest.
Instead, after quickly composing himself, he asked.
“So, how do you want me to help you?”
“It’s simple, General, you just need to…”
As he spoke, Black Raven unhurriedly laid out his plan.
After listening, a look of understanding flashed across Zhao Pan’s face.
“Good, I understand.”
Meanwhile, back in Mirror City.
The theft of military supplies had greatly enraged Luo Ji.
However, the orders had already been given.
Being in the Hall of Political Affairs, there wasn’t much use in fretting aimlessly now.
The matters that needed handling had to be dealt with gradually.
At the same time, due to various unexpected situations, Luo Ji’s originally well-arranged spring plans seemed to need postponing and adjusting.
For example, the opera performance.
Undoubtedly, this matter had to be delayed again.
It was a classic case of plans failing to keep up with changes.
The people of Myriad World Civilization already lived a life of working from sunrise to sunset.
In other words, typically over 80% of the people had no time for entertainment during their daily lives.
Such a situation wasn’t unique to Luo Ji’s Myriad World Civilization, and it was common throughout ancient dynasties.
This could be considered the norm for people in ancient times.
Take farmers, for instance, they would carry their hoes out to till the fields early in the morning and return with them in the evening.
After a full day’s work, they’d eat dinner and collapse into bed.
Change the profession to miners, fishermen, or merchants, and it was generally the same.
Entertainment? That was practically a dream!
The profession of storytelling became popular because Luo Ji effectively utilized people’s tiny fragments of free time.
No matter how busy your workday is, you still need to eat and drink, right?
While eating and drinking, there’s still time to listen to a storyteller in a restaurant or teahouse.
Moreover, the content shared by storytellers was very easy for people to pass on by word of mouth.
In a cycle, it could easily spread throughout Myriad World Civilization.
Now, Myriad World Civilization had just been swept by a blizzard.
All industries were undergoing widespread revitalization.
It was no exaggeration to say that everyone was now extremely busy.
Trying to put on an opera performance at such a time, even if people were interested, they wouldn’t have the time.
Few audiences would show up.
Considering this situation, after some thought, Luo Ji, with a stroke of his pen, scheduled the opera performance for the “Harvest Day” 2 months later.
This was a festival Luo Ji himself had established, equivalent to a national holiday in the Celestial Dynasty.
Launching the opera performance at that time, coupled with appropriate prior publicity, would undoubtedly attract a large audience.
Of course, with only a 1 day holiday, it would be impossible to stage the opera simultaneously in all cities.
Fortunately, the “Beauty and the Beast” production lasted less than an hour per show.
He could simply have the troupe perform 5 or 6 times a day, trying their best to let the audience in Mirror City experience the charm of opera.
Once its reputation was established, they could then perform in other cities.
At that point, they wouldn’t fear a lack of audience even if it wasn’t a national holiday!
