Just the guaranteed gift money from the names on the list added up to an astronomical sum.
And that was before counting the dozen-odd carts of gold bars and ore the royal family had already sent over...
Su Li rolled up the paper and tucked it into his pocket.
What he made from holding one wedding was more than he earned selling enchanted blades on the black market for an entire year.
Three days later, the royal palace.
Deep within the royal family's enormous gray-white stone palace.
Dozens of thick candles burned in a windowless secret chamber.
Chief Inspector Philip huddled in the deepest part of his chair, his face still carrying the ashen exhaustion of three sleepless days since returning from Red Leaf Manor.
Seven people sat around the long table, all of them the core forces the royal family could still mobilize.
"Four fourth-tier fighters." Philip's voice was weak. "They're all real. The aether concentration around that Su Li is even more terrifying than Old Ford's. That woman in the coarse linen dress beside him, and that little elf girl too—they're both genuine fourth-tier fighters."
The long table fell silent for a long while.
The old prince seated at the head of the table tapped the tabletop with his knuckles.
"Counting Old Ford himself, the Iris Family now has five fourth-tier fighters in hand." The old prince's voice was heavy. "The strongest among our city guards are only two peak fourth-tier fighters. If we face them head-on, we don't stand a chance."
A younger prince on the left spoke up.
"Then don't fight." The young prince spread his hands. "The front lines are already rotten to the core. If we fall out with Old Ford now, he can bring those monsters in and take over the city defenses