CH 118

February 25, 2023 by danmeiheaven

After all the research results brought by the alchemists and doctors were displayed, it did not mean that the exchange meeting would end immediately.

Usually, this should be the time for nobles to talk with each other.

However, Lord Desinia did not follow the usual path.

He was the last alchemist to show his research achievements on the stage, but also the first nobleman to leave the exchange meeting immediately after stepping down.

—There was almost no chance for people to say a word to him. In a blink of an eye, he disappeared without a trace.

Orville and Archibald looked at each other for unknown reasons. Soon after, they also got up and left the auction house.

On the first night, Fernandi and Walker went out together and did not return.

However, two talented alchemists came to visit Lord Desinia in the hotel, but they did not go back.

The next morning.

Some people saw Jacob Ken and Philipp Kiel walking out of the hotel with slightly gloomy expressions. After they returned to their temporary residence, they began to stay indoors.

In the morning, Prince Warner suddenly paid a visit.

Xia Zuoyi was planning to leave after the exchange meeting because if not, he could not evade any invitations later.

However, he did not go, but someone came to visit him in person. He had to think twice about whether to meet them or not.

After all, some people could not be seen, while others could not.

Especially someone with a distinguished status like Warner Gales always has to be given a face or two.

The purpose of his visit was that he wanted to talk to Xia Zuoyi about the cooperation between the imperial royal family and the Thorns Chamber of Commerce.

He hoped that the Thorns Chamber of Commerce could also establish a branch in the Saint Airo Empire.

This matter has the approval of the royal family. The only catch was that this branch needs to pay taxes to the empire after it was established.

Xia Zuoyi had no opinion on this.

That was how it should be, but how much tax should be paid should be discussed in detail.

Moreover, he wondered why Warner Gales wanted to cooperate with him.

—Let the Thorns Chamber of Commerce be built in the empire?

Wasn’t the Ed Chamber of Commerce the only one in the empire? Not even the Nagabi Chamber of Commerce could hold its own in the Saint Airo Empire…

Thomas, the president of the Ed Chamber of Commerce, was narrow-minded. It was best illustrated by his association with some nobles who also wanted to exclude foreign businesses.

It was not just the Thorns Chamber of Commerce.

Some small businesses could no longer survive under the suppression of the Ed Chamber of Commerce and would inevitably be acquired.

If it was not for the Nagabi’s strength, it would have been unable to operate in the empire long ago.

Warner told Xia Zuoyi that old Thomas was short-sighted, and his decisions sometimes reached the point of stupidity. The empire needed to control the economy, so it could not allow his business to hinder the financial development of the empire.

What’s more, the only son of the president was also useless.

But of course, the eldest prince did not tell this directly.

He talked in a roundabout way, but it should mean this in general. In any case, Xia Zuoyi grasped the point—the Ed Chamber of Commerce needed further restrictions.

And it was not enough to rely solely on the influence of the Nagabi Chamber of Commerce. After all, although it was strong, it could not hold back the local snakes.1

Xia Zuoyi replied, “The Thorns Chamber of Commerce has a cooperative relationship with the Nagabi Chamber of Commerce. Even more, the Desinian Territory and the Anas Kingdom are allies…”

“Your Royal Highness, aren’t you afraid that the Ed Chamber of Commerce will be completely suppressed in the end, and the economy and wealth of the Saint Airo Empire…”

Both parties clearly understood this unfinished sentence.

Warner said in exchange, “Anyhow, the royal family is still standing behind the Ed Chamber of Commerce as a backer.”

But the president could not stretch his hand too long, just like what he did in the Bore Mountain… Warner was very dissatisfied with his underhanded operation.

What happened that day was investigated clearly.

The reason why the viscount attacked the beast was because of the president’s instigation. Of course, Marquis Gary’s participation was also indispensable.

Warner was displeased with the two of them for their totally reckless behavior because of their own personal hatred. If the situation really reached a critical point, they would be the culprits who provoked the hostility between Desinia and the empire.

Warner and Xia Zuoyi both did not mention this matter tacitly.

Xia Zuoyi understood.

—This was just to use their hands to beat the Ed Chamber of Commerce to make their president more obedient and put the empire first in everything.

Although the empire allowed the Thorns Chamber of Commerce and the Nagabi Chamber of Commerce to jointly suppress it, it would not allow them to overtake the Ed Chamber of Commerce.

This was a win-win situation for both the royal family and Xia Zuoyi—the royal family needed the Ed Chamber of Commerce to become an obedient dog, while the Thorns Chamber of Commerce could be stationed in the Saint Airo Empire.

In the end, Xia Zuoyi agreed to Grand Prince Warner’s proposed cooperation.

While the two were continuing their negotiation, a servant suddenly knocked on the door softly. Udit walked over to open it—

When Udit returned, he glanced at Warner, and then said to Xia Zuoyi without lowering his voice, “My lord, Her Royal Highness Princess Leonor wishes to have an audience with you…”

Xia Zuoyi was surprised and then he glanced at Warner.

And apparently, Warner Gales did not know that his sister was coming to visit… a lord who should have nothing to do with her.

Udit had not finished speaking yet—besides Princess Leonor, the daughter of Marquis Gary, Samielle Phoebe, also came to visit.

Xia Zuoyi had no intention of meeting either of them.

A young girl who had never talked to him even once came to see him, what’s the situation?

But no matter what, his refusal was a clear attitude.

So, Warner got up and said goodbye after knowing what Xia Zuoyi meant. Before leaving, he said, “I look forward to meeting you next time.”

In his heart, he admired this Lord Desinia greatly.

Xia Zuoyi smiled politely at him and sent him out in person.

When he reached the hotel’s threshold, he stood still.

He watched on as Warner Gales walked out and stop in front of two girls in cloaks—one with beautiful blonde hair and the other a petite figure with long silver-white hair.

Xia Zuoyi stood in the splendid hall of the hotel looking outside.

With such a distance, it should be difficult to see clearly, but he suddenly met a pair of eyes with distinct characteristics.

—There was obvious shyness and imperceptible disappointment in those eyes, but when they met his, they were suddenly surprised and delighted…

Xia Zuoyi was taken aback.

This heroine… Was she really looking at him?!

Shouldn’t such eyes be aimed at the male protagonist Warner Gales?!

However, without waiting for Xia Zuoyi to puzzle it over, Warner soon left with his slightly disappointed sister Leonor and Samielle Phoebe.

Xia Zuoyi no longer dwelled on this.

In the afternoon, he and Orville talked with Archibald about some things.

In the evening, Fernandi and Walker came back one after another.

One person checked the route and the daily duty hours of the royal city guards in advance to avoid the stalking of all interested parties and leave the imperial city smoothly…

While the other led his subordinates to entice the people on the lord’s list to join them.

In case they refuse to obey, they would be directly bound. ‘Be a gentleman first and a soldier second’, as they say.

After the exchange meeting, they would still need to wait for the presented research results to be verified.

Only after this would the alchemists or physicians be recruited by the nobles.

Before then, no one would leave.

The day before the research results were verified, Fernandi and Walker led a team of soldiers out again.

At the invitation of Orville and Archibald, Xia Zuoyi left the hotel, bringing along with him his beasts and his butler. They were going to a small forest outside the imperial city to see the lake and go hunting…

Until the evening, Archduke Orville and Prince Archibald returned, but Desinia’s shadow was nowhere to be seen.

This puzzled the distinguished guests.

Orville said, “He went back.”

“Went back? Where?!”

Orville turned to the person who asked, “Of course, he left the empire and returned to his territory.”

Otherwise, where would he return?

Gena Kozmo squinted, then his eyebrows raised, expression unreadable.

That person became even more confused, “But tomorrow is the confirmation of the research results. Everyone would have to go back to the auction house again…”

Archibald sneered, “You don’t need to concern yourself with it.”

“Lord Desinia left early, of course, because he didn’t need others to verify his research results, let alone…”

Archibald did not continue.

And others did not have the courage to ask the prince.

It was indeed a matter of little concern for the lord of Desinian Territory to leave the Saint Airo Empire in advance.

But the premise of his early departure was that he did not do anything underhandedly!

…

The next day, many nobles found that things were a little chaotic.

In the auction hall, the small meeting to verify the alchemy results was not held on time.

Because the son of the president of the Ed Chamber of Commerce was missing. He did not go home all night.

Of course, it was not unusual for him to not come back all night, because Jared, the president’s son, has a lover, and recently had a secret affair with a widow.

—It was a common thing to sleep outside and not go home.

However, in the morning, the servant who followed Jared suddenly came back and said he was knocked unconscious by the roadside. By the time he woke up, the young master had disappeared.

Thomas, the general elder of the Ed Chamber of Commerce, was in a frenzy.

Afterward, Thomas asked the eldest prince for help.

With the royal knights leading the way, they finally found Jared who was stripped naked and lying on a bed in an old and dilapidated house.

But he was not alone in the bed.

At once, when Prince Warner, some nobles, and the royal knights who forced the door open saw the scene inside the house… They all looked as if they swallowed a fly.

And Thomas was not much better. It was as if he was punched in the gut, making his face turn from green to red, looking hideous. 

Because the equally naked man tied in front of Jared was none other than Marquis Gary.

They were gagged with a piece of cloth, their bodies close to each other… Although their clothes were gone, they were covered with a quilt of moderate thickness, neither warming them nor freezing them.

Under the frowning, appalled, and strange expressions of everyone, old Thomas finally recovered from the shock.

He strode forward and untied the rope angrily. At the same time, he barked at the accompanying servants to take off their coats and put them on his son to prevent being frostbitten.

As for Marquis Gary, he could only wrap himself in the quilt temporarily, his face flushed. At this moment, he really wished he could plunge into the arms of the devil…

He shouted with shame and anger, “Desinia tied us here!”

The Marquis’ servants were tied up and thrown elsewhere.

Xia Zuoyi was really not planning to do this.

They could only blame their luck for this. Everything was just a coincidence.

—Jared was having an affair with a widow.

Mrs. Ayre, the widow whom Marquis Gary has always been in love with, happened to know this widow. They also lived not far from each other. It just so happened that they chose to visit their own lovers on the same day…

When Fernandi reported this to Xia Zuoyi, he immediately hatched this brilliant idea.

The righteous knight commander had no objection to this and acted according to his orders.

With the commotion caused by the president’s eagerness to find his son, a lot of people had witnessed the “naked sleeping friendship” between his son and Marquis Gary.

This was a “scandal”.

Warner ordered everyone not to spread this incident.

And although everyone had agreed on the surface, they gossiped about this in secret. Soon, the upper-class nobles knew about it and ridiculed them behind their backs.

In the end, Marquis Gary holed up in his home, sick, and Jared, the president’s son, refused to go out during this time.

Moreover, the relationship between Thomas and the marquis dropped to a freezing point all at once.

This was what happened later.

After Warner led the royal knights to find a missing person, the verification of the alchemy results must still go on—they went back to the auction house, but immediately, they found out that some alchemists were missing.

Especially those two young genius alchemists.

The two alchemists had been home since leaving the Sherry Hotel, but no one answered the door when they knocked. After kicking the door in and entering, their house was already empty.

Warner and the others had started speculating after turning around, ‘Have all these alchemists been taken away by Desinia?!’

At this time, the chief steward of the Ed Chamber of Commerce came.

Just a moment ago, he went to invite Master Chebman Norton.

But the master alchemist was no longer in the place where he lived. Even his apprentice Beckham, his servants, and some important alchemy items and daily necessities in the room were gone.

“Won’t Master Norton also be snatched away by Desinia?!” Someone exclaimed.

There was a “bang!” sound.

Thomas fainted and fell to the ground.

Translator’s Note: