Chapter 230: Compensation and Being Too Clever by Half
When the person who entered turned out to be Councilor Huson, everyone in the room was stunned.
As a councilor of Eternal City, Huson's status and position were so high that even surpassed that of the city lord of a major Sky City. Therefore, when he entered, Rocky immediately sat up from his bed.
Before he had even managed to sit up fully, Councilor Huson had already reached the bedside and asked with concern,
"City Lord Rocky, how are your injuries? Lie down, lie down, no need to be so formal."
"City Lord Rocky, I've been investigating the assassin these days, so I haven't visited you. I hope you don't mind."
"Sit, sit, everyone sit, I am here on behalf of Eternal City to visit City Lord Rocky, no need to be so formal."
Upon reaching the sickbed, Councilor Huson began inquiring warmly, completely baffling Rocky who, unable to grasp the situation, could only look towards Orton, only to find Orton as confused as he was.
At this moment, everyone present was bewildered by Councilor Huson's behavior, unclear about what role he was playing, except for Aniye, who smiled quietly, as if everything was within his expectations.
Indeed, Councilor Huson's appearance had been anticipated by Aniye!
Aniye had previously said that their only way to pressure Eternal City now was to contact the Shadow Alliance, to have the assassination attempt on Rocky reported by the Shadow Alliance, thereby creating a negative impact on Eternal City, so that they might be prompted to comply.
Aniye thought so and acted accordingly, in fact, the members of the Shadow Alliance were in the next room, currently interviewing Liliya.
This indeed was the brilliance of Aniye, bringing in the Shadow Alliance but not interviewing Rocky directly was a masterstroke.
Aniye was very clear about the purpose of bringing the Shadow Alliance, not to report the incident but to pressure Eternal City. As long as enough pressure was applied, Eternal City would react and eventually make compromises and concessions.
Because he always knew what the goal was, Aniye did not let the Shadow Alliance interview Rocky, because if he had done so, and actually allowed the Shadow Alliance to report it, then there would be no room for maneuver between Rocky and Eternal City, and it was unpredictable what extreme reactions Eternal City would have.
But now, he had Liliya take the interview first, which not only pressured Eternal City but also gave them room to maneuver. Aniye believed that, with Councilor Huson's shrewdness, he would surely grasp his intentions.
And so it was. Upon learning of the incident, Councilor Huson, while feeling a headache, hurried over and began inquiring warmly as soon as he saw Rocky.
After greeting Rocky, Councilor Huson turned to look at Aniye, then with a smile, he said to Rocky, "City Lord Rocky, sorry to keep you waiting. We have already cleared up the matter of your assassination attempt."
"Oh?"
When he heard this, Rocky blinked in surprise, remembering that just yesterday Orton had mentioned to him that Eternal City planned to use the ongoing investigation as an excuse to delay, and now the investigation had concluded?
"Councilor, that's really great news."
While Rocky was unclear about the situation, Aniye spoke up, approaching the sickbed with a concerned expression and asking, "Councilor, please tell us, what exactly happened?"
"Ah... what else could it be, it must be the work of Karlo, the city lord of Wild Horse City!"
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Questioned by Aniye like this, Huson showed a face full of anger, indignantly saying, "Although all those involved in the assassination were either killed on the spot or silenced afterwards, our investigations these days have revealed that Karlo was deeply involved."
"However, Karlo is cunning. Not only did he silence all those involved in the assassination, but he also left the day before the assassination occurred, and has now returned to his own Sky City. We can't catch him."
At this point, Huson sighed, showing a look of deep regret. But as soon as he finished speaking, Orton was not pleased, because to Orton, this was stating the obvious!
The mastermind behind Rocky's assassination was Karlo, was there even a need for an investigation? That was a conclusion anyone could reach without thinking! What use were Huson's words?
But just as Orton was about to erupt, he was sternly glanced at by Aniye, and frighteningly backed down, only to see Aniye, frowning, query, "Councilor Huson, what next?"
"Oh, right, right."
Prompted by Aniye, Huson hurriedly told Rocky, "City Lord Rocky, although the mastermind behind this incident must be Karlo, Eternal City also truly bears some responsibility, so the council has made the following decisions."
"First, elevate the level of City Lord Rocky's guest status to that of an important guest."
"Second, the council has learned that City Lord Rocky had already applied for asylum, and to compensate for our oversight this time, the council has decided to extend the asylum period for Thunderhawk City by three months."
"Third, although Karlo has fled, his actions have seriously violated the rules of Eternal City, which is a blatant provocation to God City. Therefore, the council has decided to severely punish him! For one year, Karlo and Wild Horse City are banned from entering the airspace of Eternal City, and during this period, all transactions with him by any chamber of commerce within God City are forbidden!"