Chapter 1176 - 186: Lady Bayonetta’s Predicament and Su Li’s Forceful Entrance

Chapter 1176: Chapter 186: Lady Bayonetta’s Predicament and Su Li’s Forceful Entrance

After listening to the descriptions from Senator Smith and Senator Zuo Wei, Su Li couldn’t help but sigh; even with such corruption, the citizens of the Empire do not rebel. They are truly obedient.

The citizens of the Empire truly have wills of steel!

This will comes not only from the pressure of monstrous forces but also from the dark and corrupt political environment within the Empire.

However, Su Li also understood them. In a world where Extraordinary Power exists, the martial strength of Knights holds an overwhelming advantage over the common people. On the battlefield, 300 fully armed Elite Knights can easily crush tens of thousands of peasant rioters.

Revolutionaries and rebels from various parts of the Empire can only hide in dark corners or the Twisted Forest. In a head-on clash, even with wills of steel, they can’t withstand the steel blades of the Elite Knights.

As Su Li pondered, the group successfully arrived at the residence of the Hesse Territory Chamber of Commerce in Marle Castle, where they arranged the caravan’s vehicles and personnel.

Then Smith went to report that Su Li would visit the City Lord’s Mansion, inviting numerous senators to attend, while Zuo Wei continued escorting Su Li with the City Guard Army to the City Lord’s Mansion in the city’s center.

Su Li deliberately delayed for a while, so by the time they arrived at the City Lord’s Mansion, it was already evening.

The banquet hall of the City Lord’s Mansion was brightly lit, with crystal chandeliers refracting dazzling lights that made the gold-trimmed white marble walls shimmer. The air was filled with the luxurious aroma of expensive spices, roasted meats, and aged wines. The long dining table was covered with a snow-white linen tablecloth and set with the most exquisite silverware and porcelain from the Southern Empire.

Almost all the influential figures of the Marle Castle Council were present. Senator Smith was courteously speaking in low tones with a few colleagues, and other senators, each elegantly holding a glass of amber liquid, gathered in small groups chatting and laughing.

And throughout the venue, the most dazzling star was undoubtedly Lady Bayonetta. She sat there like a magnet at the center of a storm. At twenty-nine, she was at the peak of feminine mature Charm, with a grace shaped by power, wisdom, and years, making her stand out among the extravagant ladies like a crane among chickens. However, this prominence also made her a target. Around her, the council members maintained a facade of hypocritical politeness, while most of their looks were cold, scrutinizing, and even vaguely hostile.

The banquet had not yet started, and under deliberate guidance, the atmosphere became subtle. Edgar Finn, a senator in charge of city infrastructure, seized the opportunity to challenge in a voice that wasn’t loud yet clearly resonated throughout the main table area:

"Speaking of which, Madam," he looked at Bayonetta with a tone of seemingly humble puzzlement, "regarding the final route determination of the new district’s main sewer line, the municipal engineering committee under the council has conducted three rounds of detailed demonstrations and public hearings. The plan is mature, and the budget has been approved. According to Article 17 of the Liberty City Commission Charter Amendment, the final decision-making power on such pure municipal engineering matters should be entirely in the hands of the council. I wonder why... the City Lord’s Mansion has not yet signed the ’acknowledged’ on the filing documents?"

He deliberately emphasized "pure municipal engineering matters" and "entirely in the hands of the council," as well as the highly symbolic act of signing ’acknowledged’—this was no longer a simple procedural issue but a blatant declaration of power: the council believed that even the symbolic ’acknowledgment’ right of the City Lord’s Mansion was redundant, and it only needed to passively accept the council’s decisions.

Bayonetta raised her eyes, her gaze calmly meeting Senator Finn: "Senator Finn, I too have thoroughly read Article 17 of the Amendment Charter. It states that the council holds the ’leading decision-making power’ for such matters, but it does not strip the City Lord’s Mansion, as the ultimate guardian of the city, of its ’supervisory right’ and ’right to know major matters.’ The new sewer line involves the supporting structures of several important historical districts in the old town, making it a significant matter. The City Lord’s Mansion requires more detailed geological survey reports and structural impact assessments. This is our duty and a requirement of procedural justice."

Her voice was cold and orderly, directly pointing out the council’s intention to blur concepts and expand power, while emphasizing the legal basis for the existence of the City Lord’s Mansion.

However, another senator, Lady Lydia Croft, in charge of commercial arbitration, immediately took over the conversation with a voice carrying a smooth "fairness": "Madam is indeed right about the need for supervision. However, times have changed, and Marle Castle is no longer an old Empire fortress that can be efficiently operated by relying on a single military lord."

"Today’s city management is complex and precise, requiring professionalism, efficiency, and collective decision-making! The council’s committee system gathers experts from various fields precisely to address this complexity. The City Lord’s Mansion’s... ’supervision,’ does it sometimes become an obstacle to efficiency? For instance, with the sewer line this time, every day the decision is delayed results in additional waste of the city’s public budget and potential environmental risks."

Her rhetoric was more skillful, packaging the council as the epitome of professionalism and efficiency while defaming the City Lord’s Mansion’s right of supervision as an "obstruction to efficiency."

Bayonetta’s fingertips slightly tightened within her sleeves. These seemingly specific matters were carefully selected battlefields by the council, aiming to compress the power of both the Lady of the City Lord, in her husband’s absence, and the City Lord’s Mansion behind her.