freeallnovels Chapter 4069 Don't worry, we have experts on our side!
Chapter 4069 Don't worry, we have experts on our side!
Chapter 4069 Don't worry, we have experts on our side!
While Ah Nan was making a fortune at the foundation's site, [September] was also secretly meeting with some people.
They were former subordinates of Princess Raphael's parents.
However, [September] did not appear in human form. To avoid any unnecessary accidents, [September] plans to appear wearing a mask for a long time to come.
In fact, since joining the Science Side, September had secretly contacted her former subordinates, but she hadn't told Miss Nan the truth.
This was a suggestion from [Huanda], and then [September] adopted it.
This meeting was mainly attended by two people who had pledged allegiance to Princess Utina: one was Baudry, the former commander of the Aether Galaxy Defense Force, and the other was Draco, the head of a merchant guild within the Empire.
...They can also be considered representatives of the old subordinates.
"...Since His Highness's passing, the Empire has sent a new governor. Most of the original governors have suffered varying degrees of suppression or been marginalized. Some, dissatisfied with Marco Polo's policies, have even been sent to barren regions to reclaim wasteland." Draco was a kind-looking, always smiling, and somewhat overweight middle-aged man. "Even Baudelaire has retired... Lord [September], when will we be able to meet His Highness Raphael? We have been waiting for this day for far too long!"
It's clear that these two are having a very difficult time.
Without the support of Her Highness Utina and Asprind, and with the Empire's intentional or unintentional efforts to reclaim the Ether Galaxy, even Draco, who was not involved in politics and was merely a merchant, saw his merchant guild continue to decline.
It's not that these former subordinates have reached the point where they can't survive... They are still well-off, it's just that their glory days are over and they have lost their power.
“I understand your situation.” [September] said calmly.
Judging from the current situation of this group, they can offer Raphael some help, but not as much as expected... Their influence in the [Ether Galaxy] has dropped to an awkward low.
"Don't worry," [September] promised. "In the future, I will advise Prince Raphael to gradually bring you back. In the meantime, just prepare yourselves."
A glint of light flashed in Draco's eyes. "Lord September, His Highness's return this time... will he be heading to Marindor anytime soon? You must be aware of Prince Mo's impending ascension to the throne, and the current situation in the Imperial Court where Empress Feng Hua holds absolute power, right?"
Draco paused, glanced at Baudry beside him, and said in a deep voice, "What are your thoughts on this?"
[September] said calmly, "Raphael has just returned and her foundation is not stable. What we need to do now is to take control of all her territories as soon as possible."
Draco said, “[September], have you ever thought about contacting Her Highness the Princess? To be honest, if it weren't for the Princess's secret help all these years, we would have been scattered to who knows what state we would be in now… Her Highness the Princess has always cherished the friendship she had with [Utina] back then. Now, the Princess…”
[September] suddenly interrupted, "Draco, can you contact Princess Lucia directly now?"
Draco quickly replied, "How could that be? I'm just a nobody. The Princess is very busy with state affairs..."
"Since you can't contact her, why bring it up?" [September's] voice showed no sign of anger or resentment. "You are the retainers of Princess [Utina]. You are being summoned to pledge allegiance to Raphael. You can refuse and regain your freedom, but you have no right to decide what Princess Raphael decides to do."
“We were too hasty.” The tough-guy former commander of the [Ether Galaxy] Defense Force, Portley, sighed. “I’m sorry, Lord [September], Draco’s business has suffered a great blow recently, and we were a bit desperate. Please don’t take offense. Now that Prince Raphael has returned, I believe everything will be alright… Draco, let’s just wait patiently.”
"I was indeed too impatient," Draco said, looking ashamed.
[September] nodded. "It's alright, I understand how you feel. This was just a meeting. I will gradually assign you some tasks to complete. I hope that during those days of suppression, not too many of you have lost your original beliefs."
……
The secret meeting didn't last long.
Soon, Draco and Baudry quietly left the venue through private channels.
"Hmph, just a mere machine, and a household nanny at that! Like master, like creation! This [September] is just as clueless, rigid, and utterly devoid of emotional intelligence as [Asprinde]!"
“Draco, watch your words,” Portley said calmly.
Draco, however, didn't care. "I only pledged allegiance to Her Highness Utina. What did it have to do with Asprind? So what if he's a prince of Atlantis? Over the years, hasn't the Atlantean royal family also ignored him? Besides, he's already dead. Can't I even say a few words? Don't forget, this short-lived fellow stole one of the most dazzling jewels of our empire, humph!"
Ignoring his longtime friend's complaints, Baudley asked calmly, "What do you think about His Highness Raphael's assassination attempt?"
Draco frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "After the incident, I made inquiries from various sources, but I didn't find any useful clues. However, I can be sure that it was definitely not done by the Queen's faction."
"Oh? Why are you so sure?" Baudry asked curiously.
Draco narrowed his eyes. "The news of Prince Raphael's return has already spread, and it happens just before Prince Mao's ascension to the throne. This timeframe is too sensitive; Empress Fenghua would never do such a thing. If Prince Raphael were to die upon his return, wouldn't that give the Eldest Princess a perfectly legitimate reason?"
Baudry fell into deep thought.
Draco sneered, "The Queen will not only not do anything to Prince Raphael, but will even protect her very well. It would be best to invite her into the royal court to ease relations with the Princess's side! After all, Prince Mo's ascension to the throne is a foregone conclusion, and the return of the princess who was once a member of the royal family is a double blessing... Tell me, how stupid do you think she is to ruin this situation?"
Baudley suddenly said, "So you think that if Prince Raphael were to die, it would actually be more advantageous for the Princess?"
"I didn't say that!" Draco exclaimed in alarm. "What were you thinking?!"
Baudley smiled calmly, "It was just a private discussion, why are you so nervous? Do you think these words could actually reach the ears of the Princess?"
Draco glared at him, annoyed.
At that moment, both of them received a file from [September] on their respective communicators.
"A mission already?" A look of caution flashed in Baudley's eyes.
Draco frowned and asked, "Old friend, what task does it give you?"
Baudry said calmly, "The instructions here state that it cannot be disclosed to anyone."
Draco frowned even deeper. "Mine too..."
The two exchanged a glance, said nothing more, and soon parted ways, each going their own way.
……
……
"...10 billion? He really signed? How is that possible?!"
After the opening ceremony reception of the foundation, Raphael, who had returned to the governor's mansion, stared wide-eyed at his "godmother" who was counting hundreds of subscription forms.
“What’s impossible?” Xie Nan shrugged. “It just means that Marco Polo was really greedy, and a lot of it at that. You should think of it this way: you are the lord of the [Ether Galaxy]. Everything here should have been yours; he’s just returning it to you!”
Raphael took the subscription form, looked at it with a headache, and muttered, "But... can there really be that many?"
Ah Nan shrugged. "Who told you that just because there are 10 billion points on the books, there are definitely 10 billion points in total?"
"What do you mean?" Raphael looked up in confusion.
Xie Nan immediately crossed his long legs and put his hand on Hua Yin's shoulder. "The primordial unit of a small world is undoubtedly the most precious equivalent in the void, just like gold among mortals in a small world. Its reserves are abundant, but most of it is buried deep underground and needs to be mined and refined. But why does gold appear in unimaginable quantities in the stock market?"
"I see..." Raphael seemed to understand.
Xie Nan smiled and said, "In fact, the consumption rate of small world origin units varies in different [void sides]. For cultivation civilizations, small world origin units are the most advanced cultivation consumables, but for technological civilizations, this attribute is significantly weaker. This also means that the [science side] has more space to stockpile small world origin units. As for the void side, which can use them for cultivation, the amount that can be held and circulated is very tight, and they wish they could split one into two to use it."
"Why can't the [scientific side] use it for cultivation..." Raphael protested, "Isn't it all energy?"
"No, that's not true. While small world units are also rich in energy, they primarily affect the soul level. You tech-savvy folks don't have much of an ability to actively absorb it." Ah Nan mocked, "You trash, you've cultivated in [Azure] for so many years, and you're still a weakling. If I gave you spirit stones, how high would your absorption rate be? If you hadn't kept trying and failing, you probably would have only managed to produce a fart."
"..." Raphael was depressed at that moment.
Ah Nan said, "Beings from different sides naturally have different attributes. The mythological side is easier to cultivate, the magical side can cultivate magic power by nature, the fantasy side has all sorts of random things, and as for the scientific side..."
“I know that people on the science side are smarter and better at inventing!” Raphael regained some confidence.
"You're just better at production," Xie Nan retorted mercilessly. "I don't even see any super intelligence in you!"
Raphael rolled his eyes and said, "So, Marco Polo really could easily come up with 10 billion?"
“He’s not having an easy time.” Xie Nan shook his head. “The scientific side’s attitude towards planets is different from that of the other side, and their methods of mining primordial units are also different… This guy will probably come to see me again in private. I hope he’ll be sensible and not try to fool me with some mining options.”
"What are you talking about?"
A clear, cool female voice rang out.
"September!!"
Raphael immediately pounced on her. Being around [Godmother Nan] was too miserable; only a hug from September's mother could bring her comfort.
"I was just fulfilling my duties as godmother." Ah Nan shrugged. "So, Lady [September], have you finished your business?"
Although I promised not to investigate [September's] operations, the [Star Creation] kids are too eager to improve... What do the kids' affairs have to do with me, Consort Nan (Future)?!
[September] glanced at her indifferently, "I've met with two people. It seems we'll need some time to integrate them."
Ah Nan thought for a moment and said, "How long do you plan to stay on [Ether Star]...? There should be some real action coming from [Marindor]. Marco Polo, as the governor of [Ether Star River], is required to attend the new emperor's coronation. He has already privately inquired about Raphael's upcoming schedule... Do you plan to go together or separate?"
[September] said calmly, "Raphael's guard has not been officially formed yet. With the army of [Ether Star] escorting them, their safety along the way will be much higher."
To put it bluntly, although Raphael inherited the Ether Galaxy, he has not actually returned to the imperial family (recognized his ancestry) and has not been granted the nominal authority to establish his own government.
The guards that the governor's son, Hamhamk, had were nothing more than a child's play, like a fan club.
“That makes sense, at least we have more scapegoats.” Xie Nan nodded indifferently. “Then I’ll continue my conversation with that governor… Shall we set off in the next couple of days?”
[September] nodded, then sent over a document. "This is the person I found to manage the foundation. Take a look at the information. His name is Draco, he's a businessman, very experienced."
Ah Nan smiled and glanced at [September], then shrugged. "Since it's the person you specified, [September], then let's use him. I won't look at his information. After all, we need more trust!"
[September] suddenly asked, "When do you plan to deal with that tail?"
Xie Nan chuckled lightly, "Since we can't shake them off anyway, let them continue to follow. They seem to be mostly bodyguards or something similar. Although we don't know who sent them, having another thug is good, so why bother dealing with them?"
[September] frowned. It actually disliked Miss Nan very much... Many of its actions would bring together unstable factors—in fact, it simply disliked the existence of uncontrollable risks.
"Relax, relax." Ah Nan waved her hand. "They won't cause any trouble. Since it's a matter of taking money to do a job... I have real experts on my side!"
[September] nodded... [Azure]'s Three Heavenly Venerables?
They are indeed a force to be reckoned with.
After entering the void, the Three Venerables were getting stronger every moment—and at a terrifying speed that [September] had never seen before, increasing exponentially!
[Mythological Perspective] The arduous training and sudden enlightenment required by immortals seem to be nonexistent in the Three Venerables... as if they were born with them.
More like, retrieving?
……
……
Under the cover of night, in the courtyard of the independent area designated for the princess's temporary residence by the governor's mansion... a figure nimbly leaped onto a large tree.
Through the gaps in the leaves, I carefully observed the dwellings not far away.
【Hiro Yul】...The Black Reaper of the Imperial Royal Knights.
For him, this kind of guard duty was not difficult, and he would not take it lightly just because it was a guard duty... even though he would prefer to perform offensive missions.
He tore open a piece of energy replenishment gel and put it in his mouth, his gaze unblinking for a long time... Then, a green caterpillar suddenly fell into his line of sight.
Hiro Yul frowned and instinctively raised his head.
Then, a boy who looked to be about ten years old, with silver hair and wearing a baseball cap, was squatting on a higher level of the tree canopy. In his hand, he was holding a tree branch, from which were clearly visible the silk threads of caterpillars hanging down.
"Big brother, what are you doing?" the silver-haired boy in the baseball cap asked with a smile. "It looks like a lot of fun. Can you teach me how to do it?"
Assassin, assassin, spy?
His mind raced as he analyzed the other party's origins. Shiro Yul's movements didn't slow down either. Just as he was about to subdue the other party, the drooping caterpillar had already stuck directly to his forehead.
Without any warning, without any reason... extremely unscientific!
The next moment, Hiro Yul froze completely, and his pupils contracted sharply.
The silver-haired baseball-playing boy exclaimed in alarm, "Oh no, big brother! You've been poisoned! I'll give you the antidote!"
After saying that, the silver-haired boy took out a small bottle from his pocket... Inside the small bottle was a creature that looked like a cockroach.
Then the silver-haired boy landed in the lower canopy, opened the bottle, and slowly, slowly, slowly brought the bottle opening towards Hiro Yul's mouth.
At last.
Thud!
"!"