Doomsday Code

Chapter 871 Integrity and Honesty of Elav

When he arrived at the back gate of the city lord's mansion, if Sheli hadn't told him that this was the back gate, he would have thought it was the front gate.

The reason is that this area is not only large, but also has a lot of people coming and going.

It was nothing like the deserted back gate of a typical nobleman's residence.

As soon as Chen Cheng and his companion entered the street where the back door was located, two men dressed as servants immediately came forward.

"What are you here for? If you're just passing through, go to the other side of the road. If you want to see me, pay a visitor's fee first, and then wait here."

The servant pointed to the opposite side and said.

"We have come to request an audience."

Chen Cheng immediately put on a fawning smile, and then two gold coins appeared in his hand.

"This is just a small token of my appreciation. You two brothers have worked so hard in this freezing weather to take care of your younger brother. Please accept this as a token of my appreciation and have a cup of hot tea."

Don't be fooled by the arrogance of these two servants; it's because they haven't met Chen Cheng and his companion before. Otherwise, those who know them would know that although the city lord is greedy, he is extremely strict with his subordinates.

Even if you don't give these two servants a kickback, they'll still have to serve people obediently.

Therefore, the money Chen Cheng gave for the tea made the two of them very happy.

"You're smart enough to take advantage of me. This way, I won't take your money for nothing. Just a heads-up, you should first estimate the price of what you want to do, and then set aside 30% as profit. That way, I guarantee you can get things done."

Although this is common knowledge, if a clueless idiot comes along, the greedy city lord certainly won't mind taking more.

Chen Cheng thanked the two of them, and then he and She Li started to line up.

Fortunately, the city lord was quick to handle matters, and it wasn't long before it was Chen Cheng and his companion's turn.

"Do you have any proof? If not, come with me."

At this moment, a servant-like person inside the city lord's mansion asked the two of them.

Chen Cheng took out the key to the courtyard he had rented from Baiyaju from his pocket and said:

"I have proof, please take a look."

The servant took the key from Chen Cheng and saw the address on it. He was surprised to find that it was actually a certificate for Baiya Residence.

"Come with me."

The servant returned the key to Chen Cheng, and then led Chen Cheng and the other man through the corridor toward the front courtyard of the city lord's mansion.

Meanwhile, new servants continued to come in to take their place and began calling for the next one.

The attendant who led Chen Cheng away noticed that Chen Cheng was watching and began to explain:

"Since they have no credentials, it means that what they came for is not important, so the steward of the manor can handle it."

"Since you have proof, you should naturally be entertained by the city lord personally."

Chen Cheng finally understood. All this talk about certificates and receipts was just a way to prove whether the people who came were fools or rich suckers.

After all, it cost him almost a thousand gold coins to get this key.

The actual fee paid here is only five gold coins.

And everyone would probably want to meet this big shot who's willing to spend such a sum of money.

As for why it couldn't be someone with power and influence, the reason is simple: such a person wouldn't need to use any back channels; they would simply send their visiting card and enter through the main entrance.

Along the way, although the city lord's mansion was large, its decoration was, to be honest, rather simple considering the scale and size of the building.

Even reliefs are rarely seen.

It looks like a bare-bones house.

Arriving at the front courtyard of the city lord's mansion, one can see the offices of various departments within the city. Chen Cheng and his companion were then led to the city lord's office.

The servant knocked on the door and then said:

"Lord City Lord, the head of the second courtyard of Baiya Residence requests an audience."

Meanwhile, in the city lord's office, Lord Elav of Engla City was using an abacus to calculate with his fingers flying across an account book.

And every now and then you can hear numbers popping out of his mouth.

"Add this, that's it, and this is the total."

When he heard the servant's report outside, he looked up, thought for a moment, and then said:

"What do you mean, the second owner of Baiya Residence? Hasn't Baiya Residence been renting out its courtyards without proper permits lately?"

Elav thought for a moment, opened the drawer, put the account book and abacus inside, and then said:

"Please come in."

The servant outside gestured for Chen Cheng to enter and then opened the door for him.

After the two went inside, he left and closed the door.

Seeing the closed door, Chen Cheng glanced around the office and found that it was just as simple as the building outside.

Upon seeing this city lord, who was described by outsiders as extremely greedy, Chen Cheng initially thought that even if he wasn't the kind of nouveau riche covered in gold chains, he would at least be someone who exuded an aura of wealth.

However, upon actually seeing this city lord, Chen Cheng's first impression of him was that of a down-to-earth and capable impoverished cadre from a poor rural village, as portrayed in television dramas from his previous life.

His office was not only poorly decorated, but it also lacked a heating system, and the furniture inside was obviously old, made of ordinary, cheap wood.

Furthermore, he wasn't wearing any expensive silk, but rather ordinary cotton clothes.

At the same time, there was nothing valuable on his desk, just a few documents and an ordinary ceramic teacup, which was still steaming.

"Please take a seat, both of you."

Ayraff smiled warmly and invited the two of them to sit down.

Then he personally got up and made a cup of tea for the two of them.

"I don't have any good tea here, please bear with me."

Chen Cheng took the teacup, said thank you, and then took a sip. Indeed, it wasn't any expensive tea; it was just ordinary green tea.

"It's getting late, so I won't keep you in suspense any longer. Since you two have brought your credentials, it means you've encountered an urgent problem in my city of Engela."

As the lord of Engla City, I naturally have the responsibility and obligation to help you overcome this difficult time.

So please don't be shy, both of you, and feel free to speak your minds about your difficulties.

Honestly, if he hadn't paid a large sum of money to get in, Chen Cheng would have really thought that the person in front of him, who spoke so eloquently, was a kind and approachable official.

At the same time, Chen Cheng couldn't help but admire Ailav.

Seeing that Chen Cheng and the other man hadn't replied for a while, Elav wasn't annoyed, but instead smiled and said:

"I know you two spent a lot of money to come here, and my reputation outside isn't very good, so do you two think I'm just putting on an act?"

Actually, you two don't need to worry. This is the real me. I won't hide the fact that I received a lot of money. Yes, I did receive a lot of money.

But sometimes people only know one side of the story and not the other.

At this point, Elav's face showed a hint of grievance, then he waved his hand at Chen Cheng and said:

"Let's leave all that aside; saying more would just be me making excuses. Let's talk about the two of you."