NOVEL WEB Chapter 85 Echoes of the Mountains (Part 2)
[Interrogation Record]
First Session
Date: March 13, 560
Start Time: 8:15
End Time: 9:45
Interrogator: John Thomas, Major, Commander of the Sixth Battalion, Seventh Legion
Recorder: Sigingen Miller, Captain, Chief of the Military Police Team of Solingen State Garrison Headquarters
Interrogatee: Alonso de Paiva
[The contents of the interrogation are recorded as follows]
Q: State your name.
A: Alonso de Paiva.
Q: Family situation?
A: Mother, two sisters, and a younger brother.
Q: Not married?
A: No.
Q: Is the name you use in Solingen State also Alonso de Paiva?
A: No, in Solingen State my identity is fur trader Kapufen.
Q: What is your true identity?
A: Royal Security Council, Level Two Commissioner, Supervisor of Solingen State.
Q: What are your duties?
A: (After a brief silence) Intelligence gathering for Steel Fort and Solingen State, along with summarizing and filtering intelligence from the six autonomous states before sending it to North Monta.
…
They are all cast from the same mold, the interrogation procedures of the Monta Military Police and the Vineta Military Police are not much different.
Moreover, Major Thomas seems determined to handle the case flawlessly, so he asked many necessary but non-critical pieces of information at the start of the formal interrogation.
Winters skimmed through the unimportant content quickly, directly rolling the scroll to the end.
…
Q: Tell me about the fire on the night of March 10th.
A: (Silence).
Q: Why are you not speaking?
A: I don't know where to start.
Q: Start from the earliest point you can think of. For example, when did you first learn of the arson plan? Who told you?
A: I was unaware of the plan from start to finish. The envoy only told me what to do, not why.
Q: The envoy?
A: His Majesty...Henry III's most trusted executor. I don't know his name, I just know he is the envoy.
Q: When did you first meet the envoy?
A: A month ago.
Q: Who brought him to you?
A: No one, he found me on his own.
Q: How do you know he was the envoy?
A: He carried a token, could match the code, and knew my identity.
Q: What token?
A: An iron ring and a key.
Q: A key?
A: When appointed, each Royal Security Council commissioner is given a steel lock. Each lock matches a key. The key represents the Emperor's absolute authority. When the man approached me, he brought my key.
…
"Key? Ring."
Winters' mind raced, immediately recalling that simple steel ring and the small bunch of keys found in the secret room.
Apart from the liquid fire, iron bombs, and gunpowder, everything stored in the secret room—including those bagged ballast items—were taken by Winters as spoils, not handed over to the Monta Army.
Accurately speaking, to avoid any leaks, Winters never mentioned the cards, keys, or the ring to anyone uninformed.
Hearing about the "key" for the first time, Major Thomas asked many detailed questions about it: material, style, size, etc.
Winters blinked and skipped this part, continuing to seek key information.
…
Q: Talk about the unrest, who are those assassins?
A: I don't know.
Q: You don't know?
A: I don't know. The Security Council does not deal with assassins or killers, only passive intelligence gathering. Troop movements, flour price fluctuations, city councilors' and state legislators' characteristics and tendencies...these are the things I usually inquire about.
Q: What about those assassins then?
A: If the Emperor wants to eliminate someone troublesome or thinks the use of force is necessary, he would send those swordsmen. As for who those swordsmen are? We don't ask, and they don't say.
Q: Explain how you incited the riots.
A: (Sarcastic smile) Without wood and straw, what use is a blazing Fire Striker and Flint?
Q: I'm the one asking questions here.
A: Last year was cold and rainy, leading to poor harvests. After autumn, wheat prices remained high, and in winter, soared to a bag costing a Guldens; barley and oats also became more expensive. People had to mix more acorns, lentils, and peas into their flour. Even so, the wages could buy fewer and fewer loaves. Also, do you know how many workshops are still behind on workers' wages, do you know...
Q: (Knocks on the table) Answer the question I asked, do not answer questions I did not ask.
A: (Taking a breath) Mule workers tolerated it because they still hoped the trade ban would be lifted, employers would sell off hoarded goods, and wages would be paid off. So when the news from Bastion came back, disappointment instantly turned to anger. A shout of "Take back what's ours," led by a brave pioneer, was enough to turn their anger into action.
A: You see, the uprising was there, it was bound to happen, I just accelerated the process. And you people were too arrogant, so arrogant that you ignored the rage of the silent ones. Do you know the places where mule workers meet regularly? Do you know how many societies are among the mule workers? Do you know who the most respected person among the mule workers is? You don't know, because you treat them like mules.
Q: (Coldly retorting) So you know everything?