During the reign of the Magic Empire, they rebelled, killed the Governor, and were exterminated by the enraged Magic Empire, becoming a wandering tribe.

However, wherever they went, they refused to assimilate, wouldn't accept local customs, and even attempted to assimilate the locals.

Schmidt sighed helplessly.

Lord Governor is kind in every way, perhaps because he is often with the Empress, he is truly too merciful.

Despite some complaints, Schmidt still performed his duties well.

He did his utmost to intensify the pressure on the Samaritans.

If they refused to change, then pressure them from all aspects of diet, culture, and lifestyle until they succumb to pressure or seek their own demise.

If they neither accept change nor are willing to die, then it would be difficult to handle.

The banquet proceeded in a pleasant atmosphere, at least from the perspective of the Port Authority personnel.

Watching the Samaritans eat as if swallowing filth, their appetite greatly increased, and they drank several more cups of spirits heartily.

There was only one person who didn't drink at the banquet, Jes, the Lieutenant Colonel sent by Hansa.

His cold gaze swept across the room, carefully observing everyone's expressions.

Although the banquet consisted of officials and wealthy merchants, all of whom were good at hiding their innermost thoughts, expressions could be disguised but not the emotions in their eyes.

He could discern what these people were thinking.

The hostility of traditional bureaucrats, represented by Schmidt, towards the Samaritans; the greed and ruthlessness of Samaritan merchants, represented by Mr. Labert; the silent fury of other accompanying merchants.

Jes observed silently, without saying a word.

Do your job, don't overstep boundaries, he silently admonished himself.

After serving as a Major at home for three years, with no opportunities for promotion, he was demoted by the Minister of the Army to overseas lands.

He thought his life was bleak and without a future, but then he met the Empress and the Governor.

His life took a turn.

In just a few months, he was promoted to Cavalry Lieutenant Colonel, directly serving the Empress and the Governor.

Although his rank wasn't high, his actual status was equivalent to that of a Guard Captain.

He cherished everything he had now, not wanting to be thirty and still not have been promoted to Brigadier General, forced to return home to take over his father's business.

He wasn't short of money and wasn't very interested in it.

He longed for a chance to showcase his talents on the battlefield and hoped to stand out.

Coming to Emre Port to oversee the grain exchange was a task given by the Governor.

It appeared ordinary, but there were undercurrents beneath the surface.

He vaguely felt something was amiss. Governor Roland was too lenient with these Samaritans, unlike his usual character.

In previous grain exchanges, the shameless greed of the Samaritan merchants was evident.

Some guilds tampered with scales to shortchange by weight; others stuffed unhulled wheat into flour bags, passing fake for real; or used inferior flour to impersonate top-grade flour, passing off the inferior for the superior.

His keen eyes caught all these disgraceful actions.

However, Governor Roland didn't take much issue with it, nor did he clearly express a stance, allowing the Samaritan merchants to act wantonly.

Others thought Roland dared not react out of desperation for assistance, but Jes knew he was conserving strength.

The Governor had once sent someone to convey verbal orders to him.

Maintain inspection intensity, don't overlook any issues.

From this seemingly ordinary command, Jes discerned an underlying killer intent.

If Lord Governor truly didn't wish to press the matter due to needing something, he might as well not investigate, sparing everyone the difficulty.

Yet he continued to investigate.

The greed of the Samaritan merchants blinded them, making them mistakenly believe Roland was no different from previous officials.

The prey had entered the snare, it was time to close the net.

Jes suddenly found the banquet utterly boring and found an excuse to leave.

His departure made others sigh in relief.

After all, he represented the Empress and the Governor, always bearing a sullen face which made others also unable to act freely.

After Jes left, the officials of the Port Authority became even more blatant, soon drinking until they were lurching and swaying.

They hugged the shoulders of Labert and others, calling each other brothers while shoving crispy pork knuckles into these ostensibly refined merchants' mouths.

They were happy, but the Samaritans' fists were clenched.

After arduously enduring until the banquet ended, the Samaritan merchants fled in embarrassment. Merchants from other countries were rarely able to see them so disheveled, hence their spirits lifted, indulging in food and drink even more enthusiastically.

Returning to his lodgings, Labert's face was ashen; he took the soap water handed by a servant, swallowed it hard despite the nausea, and squatted on the ground, vomiting incessantly.

He kept reciting scriptures, claiming that he accidentally ingested, not willfully violating the teachings.

Just as he was retching violently, the assistant who had just gone out to prepare quietly approached him, lowering her voice to ask:

"Boss, everything is ready. When do we start?"

"Around four in the morning, when those fools are dead asleep, invite them to watch the beautiful bonfire!"

Seeing the hatred in Labert's eyes, the assistant lowered her head in fright, her hands trembling.

Mr. Labert was utterly mad; at least twenty percent of the grain he transported was short, which is why he was hesitant, hesitating to enter the port during the day, hoping to delay the handover and find a chance to bribe the Port Authority officials.

If that failed, he would ignite a "coincidental" fire in the granary to settle accounts directly.

Mr. Labert had drifted at sea for many days to bring back the precious grain, only for it to be destroyed due to local mismanagement.

If he was brazen enough, he could even claim compensation from Roland.

Not many participated in tonight's action, only Labert's long-nurtured loyalists. After committing arson, they would be silenced.

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