"Lord Consul, forgive me, but I find this difficult to accept." Akerman immediately voiced his opposition.
Melandana's reaction was even more intense.
Dragons were greedy by nature, and Emerald Dragons were no exception. Asking her to pay such a huge sum was more painful than killing her. She leaped up from the sofa and shrieked, "The consul seized Oakland, and now you want us to pay for the construction of a Magic Torchlight Tower? Are you a consul or a bandit?"
"How dare you!"
Borchi roared, Dragon Might erupting from his body as the entire room trembled.
Athina also looked displeased.
Rayne merely watched Melandana calmly, unmoved by her accusation. The Brilliant Queen felt enormous pressure, and her heart trembled involuntarily.
"I spoke out of turn. Please forgive me, Lord Consul." Melandana immediately backed down.
"It's fine." Rayne waved his hand.
"Lord Consul, you're the richest person in the world. If the three cities split the cost of constructing the Magic Torchlight Tower, it wouldn't be a very large sum for you, would it? Why make things difficult for Akerman and me, the city lords..." Melandana still did not want to pay.
"This has nothing to do with whether I'm rich." Rayne shook his head. "The Magic Torchlight Tower is an exclusive method of mine. Even if we split the cost, it would still be a loss for me."
Akerman was silent for a long while before asking, "What exactly is the cost of constructing the tower?"
"More than sixty million Gold Shields," Rayne replied.
"That expensive..."
Melandana felt as if her heart had stopped beating. This meant she would have to contribute thirty million Gold Shields, nearly emptying more than half of the treasure she had accumulated over the years.
But she also knew that Rayne was not making