This was indeed a very important clue.
The number of people didn't increase, but there was double the consumption, and a group of maids was missing.
There was something fishy about it no matter how you looked at it.
Impressive, as expected of a professional.
Roland was quite impressed. He and Schuck had been searching for half a day, and even the angel Nia had come, but they were still in a daze looking for people, like headless flies bumping around.
Did this mean that all three of them were stupid?
Of course not, everyone had their own specialties.
Roland played magic, and Schuck had high Charisma and was a Saint Samurai, so he would obviously be the leader in the future.
As for Nia, an angel who had lived in the divine realm for a long time, it would be strange if she knew these human tricks.
Putting them in an unfamiliar business with no one to teach them was of course twice the work for half the result.
The hidden chess pieces, who had decent strength but were at the bottom of society, were best suited for intelligence work.
"It's a pity that the First Princess didn't take you seriously." Roland sighed. "You're all good at what you do."
The red-bearded dwarf took another sip of wine. "Those high and mighty nobles don't care about us nobodies."
Wilmot shook his head helplessly with a bitter smile, then took another sip of fruit wine, his mouth full of bitterness.
"Take this." Roland handed Red Beard a small bag of gold coins. "This is the operating fund."
Wilmot thought Roland had given him a bag of silver coins, and after taking it, he subconsciously tossed it down, then froze.
As a dwarf, Wilmot had a strong racial intuition for metals, and they could even know what ore they had dug just by hearing the sound of the ore hitting the pickaxe, and even the approximate purity of the ore.
So when he tossed it, it was immediately clear when he heard the sound in the bag.
Twenty gold coins!
"That's too much." The dwarf jumped up excitedly, his little feet bouncing almost ten feet high. "This is gold coins, not silver coins. Did you take the wrong bag?"
He looked like he had never seen money before.
The hidden chess pieces … were originally all criminals, but they were all the kind who had their own troubles. Stephanie "cleared" them, then gathered them up, and then threw them aside.
They didn't give him any funds either.
Because in Stephanie's opinion, it was already a favor that these people could get rid of their criminal identities. They should work for her instead of asking for money and earn it themselves. Stephanie would only consider giving them money when she needed them to risk their lives.
Seeing the dwarf's excited expression, Roland smiled and said, "Take it. After all, there are thirty-one of you … but I remember you said before that there were only a dozen or so."
Wilmot said with some embarrassment, "Those are the members we developed on our own. They're all poor people. Sorry to make you laugh."
"That's because you don't want to use your abilities to earn money."
When these people were eating and drinking in the private room, Roland could tell that they were poor people who couldn't eat their fill.
Otherwise, he wouldn't look like a reincarnated hungry ghost when he drank.
It was hard on these people. They were obviously quite capable, but they were living in such dire straits.
The dwarf froze for a moment. Roland's words had touched his heart.
Indeed, each of them had some ability. They weren't great, but they weren't bad either.
But why didn't they use this ability to earn a living?
For example, the old hunchback, who was clearly a top-notch thief, still chose to watch the door for ordinary people, earning a little money that could barely fill his stomach and not starve to death.
In fact, if the old hunchback wanted to, he could make a lot of money.
In fact, each of the hidden pawns had experienced a miserable life, and the reason for their misery had a lot to do with their abilities.
So, the hidden pawns didn't really want to use their abilities to make money.
Unless they could find someone to shelter them.
The First Princess was their common choice, except that the First Princess was willing to help them get away with their crimes but wasn't willing to use them.
This made them feel helpless and even a little lost.
And now, the right to use the hidden pawns fell into Roland's hands.
A Mage who was generous, patient, and seemed to understand the suffering of the common people.
It should be good to follow a master like this.
At least he could shelter them.
It would also allow them to use their abilities.
The dwarf held the money bag in one hand and was excited for a while before he said, "How nice it would be if you were the First Princess's husband."
Wilmot knew very well that Roland only had the power to use the hidden pawns temporarily, and sooner or later they would return to the First Princess's side.
But if Roland was the First Princess's husband, it would be different, and they would be able to serve Roland without any psychological barriers at all.
Working for her husband was the same as working for her.
Roland smiled and waved his hand. "The First Princess doesn't like a little Mage from a small, remote country like me."
The dwarf observed Roland's expression for a moment, shrugged, and chuckled. "Actually, it's you who doesn't like her. The pride of a lord Mage is much more serious than that of a noble. "
Roland had a look of question marks on his face.
He didn't understand how the other party had come to this conclusion.
Tying the money bag to his belt, the red-bearded dwarf wiped his mouth and quickly became sober.
In fact, dwarves didn't get drunk. They got drunk because they felt that they needed to get drunk at some point.
They could express their emotions with the help of false drunkenness.
Happiness, disappointment, joy, inspiration, sorrow, and so on.
If they could get drunk, they could naturally get sober.
The dwarf left, as fast as Whirlwind Kid.
Roland paid for the room and then teleported to Stephanie's underground library again.
It was a bit too quiet here, and the sounds on the ground couldn't be heard. Here, if there was no noise created by outsiders, even one's own heartbeat could be heard.
Roland walked around the place and didn't find anything out of the ordinary.
There were no discordant things like dark elements in the air.
Although he didn't find any clues, Roland wasn't disappointed and teleported away.
Since no one could live here, the other party also knew teleportation magic, and if the other party teleported over while he was resting, even if he could win, he would be scared enough, which wasn't good for his health.
Roland found a hotel in the capital and was wondering how to get in touch with the hidden pawns when someone came to his door immediately.
It was the old woman with the teeth.
When the old woman saw Roland, she said directly, "Master Mage, we have confirmed that there is indeed a problem with this Pine Needle family."
Roland asked the old woman to sit down, but she refused.
As a last resort, he could only give up and ask, "What's the problem?"
"That Wild Dog kid, with his keen sense of smell, has found the missing maids." The old woman's face was full of sadness. "They were all buried in a big pit and died miserably."
Roland stood up slowly. "How many maids died?"
"At least forty."
"So many people died, and no one cares?" Roland said angrily.
He had brought the habits of modern society with him out of habit.
In the Celestial Empire, it was a big deal for four people to die at the same time, let alone forty.
Half of the police in the entire city would have to be mobilized, and then the city leaders might even have to be held accountable.
But then he remembered that this world wasn't so friendly and peaceful.
He sat down slowly and asked, "Those forty or so maids, were they all slaves of the Pine Needle family?"
"Should be."
"Not a single commoner?" Roland asked.
The old woman's eyes gradually lit up. "Master Mage, what do you mean?"
"I have to find a reason to fall out, or else how can I get things done."
The old woman nodded repeatedly. "I see, Master Mage, just wait here for our good news."
Then the old woman also left in a hurry.
Roland sat in the hotel and browsed the forum.
When it was almost evening, the old woman came again, and she was followed by four men who looked very down and out.
One old and one young, and two middle-aged men.
"Master Mage, these four men are our own people in disguise. They are all quite clever, and if you want a reason, they will cooperate with you."
Roland immediately felt that the hidden pawns were really smart.
He just raised an idea, and they were already prepared according to his idea.
"Then let's go!"
Half an hour later, Roland followed the four men to the northern suburbs, and a few others quietly placed several corpses covered with gray linen near the gate of the manor.
The four men arrived at the location, dragged the four corpses directly to the gate of the manor, and then howled and cried.
"Daughter, why are you gone? Didn't you say that you have delicious food here every day and have a good life? Who killed you? Who did it! "
"Sister, you died so miserably, you don't even have a face, ahhhhh!"
Bursts of crying, with grief and accusation, soon spread to the manor.
Not long after, a private army of about twenty men came out and was about to drive the four men away by force when the leader of the private army found that a Mage stood in front of them.
"Sir Mage, may I ask if you are here to see our master?"
"You could say that, but I'm not here to see him, he's here to see me."
The leader of the private army looked a little hesitant.
The Pine Needle family was a marquis's family, and this manor belonged to the fifth young master.
The fifth young master was tyrannical and often beat people up.
Many of the maids were dead.
It stood to reason that he should drive these people away immediately, otherwise the fifth young master would be enraged when he heard these cries and then kill him.
But the man in front of him, wearing a magic robe, looked like someone not to be trifled with.
What to do?
The leader of the private army was so nervous that he broke out in a cold sweat.
But just as he was in a dilemma, a frivolous male voice came from behind. "Who is it that dares to come here and make trouble?"
The leader of the private army immediately made way, and a young man in a blue finery slowly walked over.
He looked at the four men who were crying their hearts out, and a look of disdain appeared on his face.
Then his gaze returned to Roland and he frowned. "Sir Mage, did you bring these people here?"
"Yes." Roland smiled and said, "These people are all tenant farmers under my name, but now they tell me that their daughters, sisters, and other relatives are missing. Although they have been found now, they are all gone. I'm curious, why did you kill all the maids in the first batch and replace them with the second batch? "
The young man raised an eyebrow. "You're not royalty, it's none of your business!"
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