NOVEL WEB Chapter 110: Breaking the Facade
Chapter 110: Breaking the Facade
“Unfortunately, it seems that my position as an inspector carries little weight. Even meeting the commander has become so difficult that I had to resort to such words,” the white cat avatar said calmly, expressing its dissatisfaction.
The squirrel, who had the voice of a middle-aged woman, laughed. “Inspector, you are joking. With your authority to inspect the entire County, where can you not go and who can you not meet? I was just concentrating on my cultivation earlier and didn’t hear the guards’ report. I apologize for my rudeness.”
The white cat avatar remained noncommittal.
The Squirrel then presented the Commander’s badge, unlocking the layers of barriers.
The white cat stepped inside.
Following her, it climbed up the Spirit Tree and entered the hollow of the tree.
After the squirrel prepared tea, it asked with a smile in the voice of the middle-aged woman, “I heard that the inspector has been staying in Residence A-1 to cultivate after leaving here last time. Are you satisfied with Residence A-1?”
The white cat avatar replied, “It is acceptable.”
The squirrel continued, “May I ask what brings you here this time, Inspector?”
Spirit Stones… The white cat avatar couldn’t mention this directly, so it brought up the topic of the ledger instead. “I’ve come specifically to check the records of the sale and rental of spirit residences on First Street.”
The squirrel’s gaze sharpened. “The ledger? Last time, the inspector said there was no need to check it. Why the sudden interest? Have you discovered something?”
The white cat avatar said, “I’ve heard that there were originally not so many spirit residences on First Street. Many of them are illegal constructions not recorded in the ledger. The spirit stones obtained from the sale and rental of these illegal residences have all gone into the Commander’s personal coffers.”
The squirrel’s gaze immediately turned cold, and the cold voice of the middle-aged woman was heard. “What do you mean by that, Inspector?”
The white cat avatar said indifferently, “To prevent the Commander from being slandered and to prove her innocence, I need to check the ledger.”
The squirrel’s gaze became sharp as it stared at the white cat avatar.
The atmosphere in the tree hollow instantly froze.
The white cat avatar wasn’t afraid. Although it couldn’t defeat the squirrel avatar, it held the position of the inspector, and the squirrel avatar wouldn’t dare do anything to it.
After a moment, the squirrel’s sharp gaze softened slightly. It asked, “Who did the Inspector hear this rumor from?
The white cat avatar replied, “I heard it casually.”
“Just because of a casual rumor, the inspector wants to check my book?”
“As the Commander, I don’t want any rumors to tarnish your reputation. Of course, I have to help you prove your innocence, so I have to check the ledger.”
“Hehe, the inspector is indeed very concerned about me.”
“Of course. The higher-ups appointed me as the Inspector, and I am concerned about everyone and everything in the Pingyang County.”
“The inspector shouldn’t forget! Last time, you accepted 2,000 spirit stones and the key to Residence A-1 from me.”
“What 2,000 spirit stones? I don’t know what you’re talking about. As for the key to Residence A-1, I’ll return it to you.”
“Playing dumb, Inspector, is not very interesting. To be honest, when I handed over the spirit stones and the key, I deliberately used a recording technique to document it. Would the inspector like me to show it to you?”
The squirrel let out a cold laugh in the voice of the middle-aged woman.
At this point, the facade was completely shattered!
Xu Lian’s white cat avatar was startled. It hadn’t expected that when it accepted the spirit stones and key the last time, it had already been set up.
However, he who is barefoot is not afraid of those wearing shoes…
Although he was a bit surprised, he didn’t panic. “The commander is indeed very skilled.”
The squirrel said coldly, “I did this to prevent the inspector from going back on his word. If the inspector cooperates with me, this recording will never be revealed.”
The white cat avatar said, “I would like to cooperate with the commander, but you obviously didn’t take me seriously. You have built so many illegal residences and obtained so many Spirit Stones by selling and renting them, but you only gave me 2,000 Spirit Stones, treating me like a beggar. Isn’t that rude on your part?”
The squirrel said, “And what of it? The record is already saved. Even if you just accepted one spirit stone, you accepted it. Not to mention the use of the best residence. If this goes to the higher-ups, the inspector will likely lose his position and face the punishment from above”.
The white cat avatar said, “You can submit the recording to the higher-ups. I will certainly be punished. However, you won’t be able to stay out of it. You illegally built a large number of residences, used them for sale and rental, and pocketed a large amount of spirit stones. I think the higher-ups will be more interested in you.”
The hollow fell silent again.
The squirrel and the white cat avatar stared at each other, each wary of the other, each holding leverage over the other.
The squirrel picked up a small teacup and took a sip.
The white cat didn’t drink, fearing it might be poisoned.
Neither spoke, maintaining a tense silence, waiting for the other to break first.
After a long while, the squirrel finally spoke again, its voice that of a middle-aged woman. “To be honest with you, I built those illegal spirit residences and profited greatly from selling and renting them out. But do you think I alone would dare to take such a risk? Many higher-level people have received their share of the spirit stones. Even if you report my actions to the higher-ups, I might not be severely punished!”
Xu Lian’s white cat avatar replied, “Before I became the inspector of Pingyang County, did you ever hear of someone like me in Pingyang County?
This avatar of mine is not very powerful. With your perception, you should have already noticed that, which is why you only gave me 2,000 spirit stones, isn’t it?
I’ll be honest with you. I had just joined the Yi Sect and was immediately appointed as the inspector of Pingyang County. You have connections upstairs, but do you think I don’t?”
The squirrel fell silent again, its gaze flickering as it seemed to weigh the consequences of a complete breakdown in relations.
After a moment, the squirrel spoke in the middle-aged woman’s voice. “Alright, tell me how many Spirit Stones you want to let go. I hope this is the last time. If you ask for more in the future, I will have no choice but to risk everything and see whose connections are stronger.”
Xu Lian’s white cat avatar said, “I hope this is the last time as well. I want to see your sincerity. If you try to dismiss me with a few thousand Spirit Stones again, it’s blatant disrespect. In that case, I’ll have no choice but to risk everything and take this to the higher-ups.”
“How many do you want? Don’t be too greedy. Most of the spirit stones I earned from those illegal residences were given to the higher-ups. If you ask for too much, I can’t give it to you.”
“Don’t ask me how much I want. Instead, ask yourself how much sincerity you have to offer.”
Both sides were probing, one hoping to give as little as possible, the other hoping to take as much as possible.
The squirrel hesitated for a moment, then raised a front paw and extended three toes. “This is the most I can give you.”
Xu Lian’s white cat avatar understood immediately.
It couldn’t be 3,000, nor could it be 300,000.
That left 30,000 or 300,000.
30,000 would be on the low side. After all, the price of a Class C residence was around 30,000. After going through all this trouble and tearing apart their facade, it wouldn’t make sense for the Town Guard Commander to only offer 30,000.
Of course, 30,000 wasn’t too little. Families like the Tong and Lin families, who had some wealth, had only been able to save 10,000 Spirit Stones for many years.
If it was 300,000, then that would show genuine sincerity.
“Deal,” the white cat avatar said without asking whether it was 30,000 or 300,000. If he asked, it would make him seem too inexperienced… and besides, the Squirrel had already said that this was the most it could offer. Even if he asked, it wouldn’t give any more.
The squirrel waved a paw, and a spatial pouch appeared on the tea table.
The white cat avatar reached out with his paw, grabbed the pouch, and probed it with his mind. Indeed, it contained 300,000 Spirit Stones. “‘This shows some sincerity. I hop we can still be friends in the future.”
The squirrel gave a cold snort in the middle-aged woman’s voice. “Friends? No need for that. Let’s just stay out of each other’s way.”
With her facade already torn apart, there was nothing left to discuss.
The squirrel didn’t even bother with the pretense of politeness, didn’t even bother to see the white cat out. It simply issued a dismissal.
The white cat had no choice but to leave the hollow tree, leave the barrier, and strut down the street, returning to Residence A-1.