Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 544 is finally about to begin?
Alice was awakened by a loud noise at about eight in the morning, which was unbearable for a talented gamer who liked to sleep in. She first wrapped herself in the quilt like a caterpillar, trying to filter out the noise from the wall, but the noise still came like a tide, hitting her eardrums in waves, like heavy metal rock at midnight.

So, the golden-haired maid finally couldn't bear it anymore, angrily threw off the quilt, jumped up from the bed, ran to the window aggressively, pushed the window open, and looked in the direction where the sound came from, wanting to see who was so bad at disturbing her sleep so early in the morning.

It must be criticized carefully!
As a result, she saw that in the distant harbor, there was a steamship that was obviously larger than other ships and was as big as a mountain. At this time, the steel chimney on the bridge was still spewing black smoke into the sky. There were many people gathered on the dock, seemingly watching the excitement. Everyone was whispering about something, but everyone's whispers gathered together and formed a noisy sound wave, sweeping around the dock. The noise Alice heard just now came from this.

"What are you doing?"

Alice scratched her messy hair after getting up early, very confused: "Could it be that some important person came to visit Lotterdana City?"

But what kind of important person is worthy of so many people lining the streets to welcome him wholeheartedly? Could it be the Queen of the Kingdom of Great Brittany, or the Prime Minister of the White City Republic?

And is this city worth visiting?

It's really confusing.

Although it has nothing to do with me, I will only stay in Rotterdana for one more day anyway. Instead of caring about those celebrities and politicians, I should care about where to go to kill time. Although the sea and beaches in Rotterdana are seriously polluted and most of the natural attractions are in a state of abandonment, the cultural landscape has been preserved. Even if I can't walk on the beach or swim in the sea, I can at least visit the famous seaside lighthouse or the long breakwater in the area.

Alice made the decision happily and put what happened at the port behind her. She no longer felt like taking a nap. Instead, she washed up as quickly as possible and went downstairs to discuss with Lingge and Saint Charlia.

……

Actually, Alice guessed correctly. There was such a big scene at the port because very important people were visiting the city of Rotdana. However, they were not celebrities, dignitaries, or high-ranking officials from various governments as she thought, but an inspection team of more than 30 people. Similarly, this was not a visit for political purposes, but to solve the most pressing problem facing the city of Rotdana at the moment.

The leader of the delegation was a young man with long black hair and a stern face. He was tall and thin, wearing a black suit and leather shoes, a white bow tie and gloves, and carrying a black suitcase in his left hand. He exuded a cold and indifferent temperament from inside to outside, and it was obvious that he was not easy to approach. He walked at the front of the delegation and led the team down the iron escalator extending from the side door of the cabin to the ground of the dock. As soon as he landed, a person dressed as a government official came up to greet him with a warm smile. "Mr. Heng, you have traveled a long way and it is really hard for you. On behalf of the Lotterdana Municipal Government, I would like to express my sincere welcome to you for the visit of this delegation. To welcome your arrival, there will be a grand party held at the Lotterdana Seaside Hotel today. Mayor Shoreditch sincerely invites you and the members of the delegation to attend the banquet. People from all walks of life in the city, including Baron Novy, president of Babbage Bank, Professor Linsting of Lotterdana Marine University, Sir Merry, president of von Neumann Chamber of Commerce, etc., are also looking forward to your attendance."

The young man named Heng listened patiently to these warm and sincere but meaningless polite words, then slowly shook his head and said in a cold tone: "I appreciate the mayor's kindness, but it is not my intention to disappoint the expectations of all the distinguished guests. It's just that I came to the city of Rothdana this time with an arduous mission, so I dare not slack off. To be honest, in this box-"

He raised the black suitcase in his hand slightly to indicate, his tone calm and stern, without any room for retreat: "Save the various documents from the Imperial Public Affairs Management Department, the Disaster Control Department, the Homeland Defense Bureau, and the Joint Internal Supervisory Agency of the Church before I set out. Among them are documents reviewed and approved by His Majesty himself, as well as instructions from Her Majesty Eve. And my task is to implement these documents into specific measures after investigating the overall situation of the city of Rothdana, including the industrial structure and the degree of environmental pollution. In this matter, I cannot do without the assistance of my colleagues in the Rothdana City Government. Do you understand what I mean, Mr. Ma Wei?"

He said meaningfully. A man named Ma Wei, who was the head of the city's environmental management department, had a bean-sized drop of cold sweat on his forehead when he heard this, but he didn't dare to wipe it off. He echoed: "I will do my best, Mr. Heng. After all, this is also for the future of Lotterdana City."

"Yes, for the future of Lotdana City." Heng glanced at him lightly, his eyes were calm, and it made people feel cold. "Well, I can't attend the mayor's banquet for the time being, so I'll have to ask you to tell him for me. By the way, please notify other relevant departments in the city: the Bureau of Maritime Affairs, the Ship Administration, the Public Health Bureau, the Mining Bureau, and the heads of various mining companies responsible for specific prospecting and mining tasks, and ask them to come to the city government to attend the meeting this afternoon; as for the personnel of the Natural Disaster Detection Bureau, please don't bother with them, that is the internal affairs of our Natural Disaster Mission. I have brought the documents personally approved by Lady Eve. Those who violated the rules and regulations and ignored the laws of nature for excessive development will be held accountable and dismissed. I believe they themselves have no face to stay in this position."

Just a few simple words foreshadowed that the political environment of Rotdan City would undergo earth-shaking changes. Ma Wei secretly complained in his heart, thinking that this method was too radical. It would be fine to hold the natural disaster detection bureau directly under him accountable. As Heng said, it was an internal matter of the natural disaster mission. But from what he meant, it was clear that he wanted to drag other departments belonging to the imperial political system into the water and make them responsible for the increasingly serious environmental pollution problems in recent years.

But he had no way to stop it, and he didn't even have any reason to refuse Heng's request to communicate with other departments. Although he was the head of the environmental management department of Lotdana City, who could blame the man in front of him for his extraordinary background?
Heng, the Deputy Minister of the Public Affairs Management Department of the Mindlias Empire, the Director of the Disaster Control Bureau, the Vice President of the Royal Geographical Society, and the Fellow of the Royal Society of Sciences. He is also the adjutant of Saint Eve of the Disaster Mission, the chief director and chief scientist of the Disaster Detection Bureau, one of the seven directly affiliated institutions of the Mission... Any one of these titles is enough to make him walk around the city of Lotdana with ease.

Not to mention himself, even the mayor, Mr. Shoreditch, would have to be cautious in front of him, for fear of being targeted by him and becoming the first victim in this mess.

Such a powerful person is not leading an inspection team, but a murder-demanding team.

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)