Falsely Accused

Sitting in this luxurious carriage, Lister looked around the interior with great interest.

The head is adorned with various jewels, the seat is covered with the finest fabrics, and there are also magic patterns engraved to maintain temperature and cleanliness.

It also features some rather enjoyable functions, such as a dedicated tea heating area.

This was something Lister had never seen even in his own family's carriages; of course, he himself didn't like riding in carriages, preferring to ride horses.

"So the trucks behind were all carrying medicine?"

"Yes, the duchy has a high demand for medicines, so the profit margin will be higher."

"I dare not stay in the Imperial City of Bode any longer, and I'm thinking of returning to the Duchy of Will first, so I brought a batch with me."

Porter then handed him a cup of black tea.

This is the predicament of subordinate forces; their businesses are only successful because of the Merick Family behind them.

But when Lister's position became unstable, the business of the Poly Merchant Association also declined rapidly.

Even if you notice any signs of trouble, you should quickly duck down and protect yourself first.

In Porter's mind, no place was safer than the Duchy of Will.

This was not only the earliest headquarters of their Poly Merchant Association, but also the region where the Merick Family had the greatest influence.

More importantly, today I actually saw Lister, the backbone of the Chamber of Commerce, again, and all my previous worries were swept away.

"It seems Chairman Porter has developed the Poly Merchant Association very well! It must be one of the top companies in the Empire now, right?"

"A while ago it was around eighth or ninth place, but now..."

They didn't continue, saying that if the business empire shrinks, there's no comparison.

"To be among the top ten in the empire? Where does the merchant guild get such a large business?"

Lister never expected that the Poly Merchant Association could develop to such an extent, considering that the top merchant guilds in the empire were all royal family guilds.

It was either supported by Hughes, or it was run by the other major heirs and some royal nobles.

Although Chairman Porter has a good business sense, Lister still finds it hard to believe that the company has developed to such a leading position.

"My lord, it's all thanks to the support of your family!"

"Your family owns three large copper mines and two medium-sized gold mines in the Empire, as well as shares in other minerals and potions within the Duchy of Will, plus our guild's expanding presence and equipment business..."

It was only now that Lister remembered.

My family does indeed own many mineral resources, especially the extremely valuable Zijin Mine.

These were originally Hughes's rewards, but Lister simply handed them over to Tim.

There are only so many people in the family, and it's impossible for them to mine it themselves or hire others to do so.

Ultimately, it was handed over to the Poly Merchant Association, who took charge of its operation.

In addition, Quint's original promises within the Duchy of Will.

Although Lister did not need money, he always received a share of any new resources within the duchy, and the share was not small.

Porter escorted him back to the front of the family castle.

Not only has the Poly Merchant Association undergone tremendous changes, but Lister's own family castle has also been completely renovated.

Compared to the renovation during the time of the former Anke Anker, the current Merick Family castle is almost like a complete reconstruction.

He remembered Tim mentioning that some areas inside the castle had been damaged by the internal strife and had only been repaired.

Since Lister always lived in the castle, he needed a quiet environment.

So after he goes on his travels, Tim will be in charge of rebuilding a part of the area.

Now, Merrick Castle stands majestically, much larger than before, and in Lister's eyes, it's not much different from Duke Will's Castle.

Although the interior layout is the same, most of the decorative materials have been replaced.

The living room was decorated with expensive purple and gold materials, various valuable calligraphy and paintings, and uniformly gilded ornaments and tableware.

Only his own bedroom remained unchanged.

"My lord, Duke Will is looking for you."

"You had this room reserved for you?"

Instead of asking Tim, Lister was in a hurry to see Quint.

His room didn't seem to be rebuilt exactly as it was; it must have been deliberately preserved during the construction process, and the interior furnishings remained unchanged.

"Well, I wouldn't dare make decisions about your room, sir. It's just that my head maid Lilian, and I take turns cleaning it every day."

Lister nodded in satisfaction at Tim, admiring his work ethic.

Even if there's no useful information left in your room, there's definitely some feeling involved.

"Well done, please let Quint in."

Before long, Lister and Quint were already seated in the side hall on the second floor.

Compared to their last meeting, Quint was much more dignified, and his every move was more decisive than before.

They've even reached level 47; sure enough, starting with the third act, everyone has a new level cap.

"Tell me about Lucian's current situation. Why is Hughes in such a hurry to see me?"

Different people have different understandings of the same thing. Although Chairman Porter has a high status now thanks to the Poly Merchant Association, the level of power he actually has access to is still too low.

Lister did not believe that Hughes would lack a commander to lead the army.

Lucian has just become an empire, and even though it hasn't had time to catch its breath, its momentum is certainly much stronger than that of the Great Chu.

For local nobles, especially those who had not yet been promoted due to merit in the imperial wars, this battle against the Great Chu was the best opportunity.

There are so many opportunities to lead troops that people are scrambling to get them; how could he possibly be specifically named?

"It was Count Yodi who recently slandered you to Emperor Hughes."

"They said you've already gone to the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty with the Great Chu delegation and will help Great Chu attack our Lucian Empire."

"And who is this Count Yodi?"

Lister said things weren't that simple; did he think he had defected to the enemy?

Considering that Hughes's men couldn't be found within the Empire, even if one initially didn't believe it, it was easy to guess in that direction in the end.

He was a general who distinguished himself in the war against the Kingdom of Tyrande and was granted the title of 'Earl for Life' after the war.

"They must be coveting or rather, jealous of your 'hereditary earldom,' so..."

No wonder, all his hard-earned military achievements only earned him the title of 'lifetime earl,' while Lister was granted the title of 'hereditary earl' after just one mission to the Great Chu.

The difference between the two is like heaven and earth, at least among the upper-class nobles of Lucian.

Ten 'life counts' are no match for a 'hereditary count' like Lister.

Not to mention that the Merick Family is a family of Class Holder with a history of hundreds of years, making them more easily accepted by established nobles than the Yodi family, who rose to nobility through war.

Count Yodi played his cards well, spreading this kind of message while Jordi was at the ruins.

"And..."

"It seems there's more to it than that, "Quint continued.

"After the war, Emperor Hughes began to re-account for the former royal treasury."

"You left the royal city too close to the time the treasury was robbed, and now these messages are being spread..."

Only now did Lister finally learn the full picture of what was happening to him within Lucian's country.

Although Count Drew was punished for the theft of the kingdom's treasury, he also bore the blame.

However, the specific series of stolen precious medicines could not be found, and Hughes searched the entire royal city without success.

The theft of the kingdom's treasury would not have been temporarily suppressed if the war had not become irreversible.

Now that the war is over, but the war with Great Chu will still last for some time, the capital city has begun to deal with these matters again.

After connecting Lister to these events, he first stole the precious potion, and then fled to the Great Chu.

The potion might be used on Class Holder from the Great Chu, ultimately in the battle against Lucian.

If you overthink this kind of thing, even the king would get angry.

"Yes, I understand."

Lister nodded slightly and resumed drinking his black tea.

However, Quint, sitting opposite him, had a more worried look in his eyes.

After hesitating for a moment, he finally asked Lister.

What are your plans for the future?

You're still worried about me?

A smile flashed across Lister's face; in fact, as long as one is strong enough, there is nothing to worry about.

Just like him now, he had long wanted to give Hughes a warning, but the timing wasn't right before; now, however, it's just right.

Quint immediately shook his head.

"I'm not worried about you; I'm worried about the Lucian Empire."

"Could you... not kill Hughes now, but wait until the war is over or almost over...?"

Having witnessed Lister's true strength, Quint was not worried about him at all.

His greater concern was the war between the Lucian Empire and the Great Chu.

As the Duke of the Duchy of Will, he knew the cruelty of war and the reshuffling of the actual resource power he represented.

If the war is lost, everything he has now will vanish.

If Lister really doesn't care and Hughes dies soon, the upcoming war will be very difficult to manage!

No one could guarantee that the new emperor would have the same level of rule as Hughes.

In Quint's view, the newly unified empire might fall apart the very next day.