Chapter 68

"Damn, I don't remember Berman City being this chaotic in the game?"

What happened to the promise of a smooth ride after finishing the main story?

It's all Caslathdi's fault! Wouldn't it have been better if she had gone back to Princess? It's not like I can't manage Berman City. What are you worried about leaving it to me?

Ryan took out the mirror and contacted Magana, explaining the situation to her.

"... Oh? That unlucky bastard Caslathdi survived?" Magana didn't care about the casualties of Gruk and the others. She had seen too many things like this on the battlefield. Compared to that, Caslathdi's life or death was indeed related to her situation.

This afternoon, she received a question from the Imperial Senate, asking her why she attacked the Princess.

Those idiots, don't they even use their brains? Do they think I, Magana, am that stupid?

That makes sense, none of those elders wanted her to have an easy time.

"Yes, that poor thing survived." Ryan shrugged. "The city garrison of Berman City arrived in time and managed to save her. However, the Royal Guards was intercepted by an unidentified army. Although they were flying the Kosotoya flag, they must be extraordinary to be able to fight the Royal Guards. It should be the same team that Gruk discovered earlier."

"They fought the Royal Guards to a standstill..." Magana crossed her arms and pondered. "Then it must be the Crimson Tiger Guard, General Erwin's direct legion, and they are quite capable."

Gruk had already reported this to her, so Magana was quite knowledgeable about matters in the military.

At the time, she even sent people to investigate and found that the Crimson Tiger Guard had been mobilized. Ostensibly, they were sent to suppress the war, but who knew what was going on behind the scenes?

Anyway, the Old Emperor didn't interfere, so it was obvious to everyone, whether openly or secretly.

"So the Second Prince was behind this?"

Ryan stroked his chin. This was truly ruthless. They were siblings, after all, yet they were resorting to any means to fight for the crown prince position.

But the Second Prince probably doesn't hate that much in the game, right?

Who knows? Games have protagonist auras, but Caslathdi doesn't. She got attacked five times in the first three minutes. Anyone would want to kick her while she's down. She's really pitiful.

Oh, Princess, why don't you just lie down too? I'll take care of you.

"Ryan, you said..."

Magana suddenly fell into deep thought.

Ryan was taken aback, thinking to himself, "Your Grand Duke, just say what you want me to say."

"... Is it possible for us to take advantage of this opportunity to control Caslathdi? Or to trick her into working for us?"

Ryan: "..."

"What's wrong? Is it not allowed?"

"Not really... probably not." Ryan shrugged. "Caslathdi is an ambitious person, she won't be content. Although she's in a bad situation now, she knows that you, Grand Duke, wouldn't want her to die, and that you would be in trouble if she died, so she's probably not worried. Maybe she's even thinking that you will come to save her."

"Hmph, save her? Isn't she afraid I'll just order the Iron Blood Legion to chop her up and make dumplings?" Magana snorted. "Is this guy planning to use me?"

"Does the Grand Duke know how?"

Magana remained silent.

Yes, she won't.

Only a fool would do that.

Although she valued efficiency, killing Caslathdi would bring her no benefit whatsoever.

"However, it's not impossible for them to join forces temporarily. Right now, the Second Prince is causing trouble. If she doesn't get help from outside, it's probably impossible for her to take over the three cities in the Southern Territory."

Magana frowned. "You mean, you want me to help her take over this place? What would I get out of that?"

Ryan laughed and said, "Your Grand Duke, have you forgotten? Don't we still have me? If Caslathdi secures his position as lord, he will definitely want to expand outwards and return to the Imperial Capital. I will secretly cultivate my power, and then all the places in the Southern Territory will be ours."

Magana's eyes lit up.

"Ryan, you're absolutely right. That poor thing thinks she can be a lord in the Southern Territory, huh? Idiot. She'll be counting the money for me when she's sold off." Magana was delighted, her head held high with pride, as if she could already see Caslathdi kneeling before her, licking her toes.

"But how can I get her to cooperate with me? She'll definitely be wary of me."

"Don't worry, Your Grand Duke, leave this to me. I'll find a suitable opportunity for you to get involved."

Magana nodded in satisfaction. "Do a good job, Ryan, keep up the good work, and this duke will not treat you unfairly!"

Ryan thought to himself, "Your Grand Duke, what are you saying? Which player wouldn't cheer for you?" But then again, this is indeed an opportunity. If he could get Caslathdi and Magana together, he would be able to rest easy in the Southern Territory from now on.

First update, 6k words! Time to eat and continue with 10k words a day! Begging for hate mail and monthly tickets at the end of the month!!!

Chapter 6.4 Sneaking out of the city, no shooting allowed [6k]

Just as 'Shally' was wreaking havoc, Lady 'Vainay,' who possessed noble royal blood, had already arrived in Kels City by carriage.

Loss Town has no train station, and in those days, horse-drawn carriages were still the preferred mode of transportation for many people.

The journey from Loss Town to Kels City by carriage took about three hours, and by 7 p. m., 'Vainay' had already arrived at the lord's castle.

After the butler handed over the invitation, 'Vainay', who had been granted permission, entered the courtyard and glanced at the place not far away where carriages were parked.

"Viscount Malte have invited quite a few people, right? Why haven't I seen anyone come?" she asked casually.

The attendant leading the way walked to the side with his head down.

"Well... I don't know either. You're the fourth guest to arrive so far."

"The fourth one? Who were the first three?"

"There are Baron Rider, Baron Ham and Baron Thomas, who also arrived not long ago."

The attendant walked to the entrance of the banquet hall and gestured. "Lady Vainay, please come in."

Maids stood on both sides of the entrance to the hall, and the maids coming and going inside were also dressed in maid outfits. It had always been said that Viscount Malte liked maids, and all the dozens of maids in the castle were maids, with not a single male servant.

When Ryan learned about this, he immediately gave it a thumbs up. A master using a butler instead of a maid? Is that a problem with his fetish?

When 'Vainay' went inside, she quickly noticed that the atmosphere seemed a little awkward.

"Baron Vainay?"

A voice rang out.

Thomas was standing in the hall, holding a glass of wine, talking to a stout, middle-aged man with slicked-back hair, who was none other than Viscount Malte, the host of the banquet.

Not far from the two were two noblemen, both middle-aged men in their forties, but their expressions were clearly not good.

"Haha! Baron Vainay, you're a little late," Malte said with a hearty laugh.

"Isn't it supposed to start at 7:15?"

"That's true, but as you can see, today's situation is a bit special." Malte smiled and glanced at Rider and Ham. "I originally invited you here to announce the transfer of the title. They had already made an offer, but unfortunately the price was too low. Just now, I reached an agreement with Mr. Thomas. Starting tomorrow, Kells will be his."

Thomas smiled and nodded. Although he was a little annoyed by 'Vainay's' reneging on her promise, he had already achieved his goal.

"It's just a verbal agreement, isn't it? There hasn't been a formal contract yet, which means there's room for maneuver. Besides, the Viscount didn't invite me here just for a drink and a snack, did he?"

"Oh?"

Malte squinted at Vainay. He knew the situation in his territory very well. There were only three people who could afford to bid for the title. One of them didn't come, so the rest were Rider and Ham.

Baron Vainay? Who's that?

However, Malte was pleased and didn't mind seeing how many gold coins 'Vainay' had in her pocket.

"Miss Vainay." Thomas coughed lightly at this moment, "I'd like to remind you that although I haven't signed a contract with Viscount Malte, we are doing business tonight. I've brought all the gold coins with me, and we can sign the contract as soon as the banquet is over."

"That's right," Malte said. "I'm sorry I didn't make it clear, but I only accept transactions tonight, and in cash. I don't want to go to the bank to withdraw money tomorrow."

Selling a title is a big deal. He loses his noble status for the money. Holding a gold ingot in his hand will attract the attention of many people. Although he still has many guards, it is hard to guarantee that no one will take the risk.

So Malte decided to leave tonight. He signed the contract, took the money, and fled overnight with the train. While those people were still tailing him, he would be eating hotpot and singing songs as he went to develop his career in the mainland.

'Vainay' smiled slightly: 'Of course I brought money with me too.'

"Where's the money? I don't see it." Thomas asked suspiciously.

'Vainay' took out her money bag.

Not only Thomas and Malte, but even Rider and his companion twitched their lips.

Vainay's little purse could barely hold fifty gold coins.

Thomas chuckled and waved behind him. A maid who had been waiting nearby came over, carrying a heavy, large bag.

"I just finished discussing with Viscount Malte and bought the title for three thousand gold coins. Miss Vainay, if you are short of money, I don't mind sponsoring some of your round-trip travel expenses... Of course, on the condition that you return the gift I gave you during my visit yesterday."

'Vainay' glanced at him: 'You're thinking of taking back a gift you've already given away. What a subservient man.'

Thomas was taken aback.

What is "downward movement"?

"It's like you excitedly go to a dance show, only to find out that it's just two bloated middle-aged women dancing there."

Rider said thoughtfully, "That's quite a challenge."

Thomas frowned, looking somewhat displeased, Malte quickly tried to smooth things over.

"Alright, alright, Miss Vainay, as Mr. Thomas just said, your money is probably far from enough."

"How would you know if you don't compare them? I don't even know how much money I put in there myself."

Thomas scoffed, "If you can produce even one more gold coin than I do, I'll leave immediately and give you the title."

'Vainay's' eyes lit up. "Is it a deal?"

"Certainly."

"Sign a contract."

Is this necessary?

"I only trust those who are virtuous in writing."

Thomas snorted coldly. He was getting increasingly annoyed with 'Vainay'. If she weren't so beautiful, he would have had her thrown out long ago.

Malte smiled and waved for paper and pen. He had already achieved his goal and didn't mind watching a good show.

Three thousand gold coins! He had originally planned to be quite satisfied with two thousand five hundred gold coins, as he had long been fed up with this wretched place Kells.

A contract is written down with pen and paper. Nobles value their reputation most, so as long as it is signed, there will generally be no problems.

In the Inner World, contracts are the manifestation of power in the Faith Path in the God of Order.

"Alright, take out the money!" Thomas wanted to see how many gold coins could fit in this little wallet.

'Vainay' started spending money.

He grabbed a handful, then another handful, each handful containing about twenty or thirty. Gradually, Thomas felt something was wrong... Why were there still more?

Malte was also stunned. Good heavens, a hundred or two gold coins in the blink of an eye. How did he manage to stuff them in there?

This immediately drew everyone's attention as they watched 'Vainay' take gold coins out of her wallet and pile them up on the ground into a small mountain.

"...3001, 3002... Good luck, 3003, exactly three extra." 'Vainay' clapped her hands and smiled elegantly, "Mr. Thomas, I must thank you for the 30 gold coins you gave me."

Thomas: "?"

"You're cheating! How could such a small wallet hold so much money? It must be a magic trick!"

"Just tell me, are these gold coins or not?"

Yes, but...

"Viscount Malte," 'Vainay' smiled, "As agreed, Mr. Thomas will turn around and leave, whether he is willing to keep a nobleman's promise or not. I have 3003 gold coins here, which is more than him. What do you think?"

"This..."

Malte was a little confused; she'd never seen anything like this before... Wait, could she be Supernatural Being?

Yes, that money pouch... is Supernatural Item!

"Viscount Malte, I take back what I just said. I cannot give up my title. I will offer 3,500 gold coins to buy your title!" Thomas was very anxious. This was his master's task, and if he failed to complete it, he would be in big trouble!

"3500?" Malte was tempted.

"Mr. Malte, I'll use these gold coins, plus this wallet," said 'Vainay'.

"Really?" Malte's eyes lit up. "Are you sure?"

A Supernatural Item like this isn't cheap.

"Of course, if you wish, we can sign the contract now, affix the viscount's seal, and never go back on our word."