Chapter 409: Countermeasures 1
Chapter 409: Countermeasures 1
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Garen's eyes drooped.
"Your Majesty, your dream is indeed precious, but I am not the person that you should pass it to."
He adjusted his body and closed the majority of his pores. Instantly, the heat all over his body reduced by a half. He glanced at the princess again, and he no longer was as impulsive as before.
The princess slowly stood up. Her pretty eyes looked like they were about to cry.
She slowly walked towards Garen's back.
"Am I really that unattractive? I only wanted to fulfill my dream. A small request…" She begged softly.
Garen leaned his head back slightly. He could feel that the bump on her breasts had already touched his face. The fragrance of a young girl was even clearer now.
He also stood up with a faint, absurd smile on his face.
After walking behind the princess, Garen slowly insert his hand through the princess' collar. He instantly felt a lump of soft flesh. It was extremely bouncy, like jelly.
"If that's the case." Garen whispered in the princess' ears. "Why did you drug the candles?"
"Well….that's just an alluring fragrance." The princess cuddled her body in Garen's arm. Her eyes blinked, revealing a gleam of joy.
"Do not have pity on me…" She placed her hands on Garen's chest.
Garen abruptly moved his hand and reached for the princess' bosom.
As his fingers were about to act, the sound of hurried footsteps came from the outside.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!!" A girl's hurried voice came from outside the door.
Garen's eyes smiled as if he had predicted it. He retrieved his hands and backed off.
The princess' face was blushing. Her whole body mildly released fragrant sweat, intensifying the fragrance of her body. She gave Garen a sad glance, and adjusted her clothes.
"Come in."
"Elaine is my bodyguard. She wouldn't take the initiative to look for me if there was nothing important." The princess looked apologetic.
Suddenly, Garen understood.
"Alright then. I shall excuse myself today. There is still time in the future." Garen smiled. His words seemed to carry another meaning.
"Send the Viscount." The princess shouted loudly. She then stepped forward. Her hand deliberately swept past Garen's lower body. "I will not forget about tonight.." She exhaled, walked towards Garen and gave him a light kiss on his chest.
Garen's slightly raised the corners of his mouth without speaking a word.
Very quickly, two white-armored guards entered. One of them held Garen's cloak, then both of helped Garen to put it on.
The three of them left the hall under the princess' bitter gaze.
As the exited the bungalow, the smile on Garen's face intensified.
The princess was playing hard to get. Although she said to let him do anything he wanted. However, if he really made his move and crossed the line, there would be someone who would rescue her in time. To a male, the best things are always the ones out of reach. Therefore, she could always stir up a man's desire.
The night air was a little cold. Garen took a deep breath. As he exhaled, there was a strong, fragrant vapour coming out of his mouth.
It was the faint fragrance that he inhaled in the hall. Because it was covered by the princess' body fragrance, he did not realize it, but now as he came out, he instantly forced the majority of it out.
"She is indeed a seductress." Garen recalled the previous scenes. His body was still heaty. "If I hadn't had insider information, he might still be under her seduction."
Unfortunately, whether it be the eldest princess or the other princesses, Avic wac already bored of most of the older princesses. Only the eldest princess' unique body assured her of Avic's enduring love.
Pulling off his cloak, Garen saw a black carriage with gold sides awaiting him. There was a white-armored lady guard beside the carriage.
This guard had an enchanting body. She wore an armored top but it was evidently not for protection. The armor was just like an undergarment. Her slender waist was revealed and her fair skin looked exceptionally fair under the moonlight.
She wore the same colored white dress on her lower body. Her long, round legs looked powerful.
As she saw Garen coming closer, the female guard turned over, revealing a pretty face. Her long, white hair draped over her shoulder, glowing in silver underneath the moonlight.
"May the duke board the carriage."
She uttered respectfully.
Then she bent down and crouched on the ground, allowing her back to become a step for Garen to step on.
Her hips were cocked up, forming a seductive arc. It shook from time to time as if it weren't steady.
"Indeed." Garen was clear that the princess used her beauty to control a large number of people. That was why she could gain Avic's love and at the same time gather such vast forces.
Served by the pretty guard, he simply nodded his head, then stepped on her back onto the carriage.
The white-haired guard slowly got up, bowed at the horse carriage, then retreated into the darkness.
The driver was also a pretty woman. She was dressed in green armor with short black hair. Her long legs looked long and curvy in her long boots.
This woman also had a seductive figure. She had a solid bust and a slender waist. As she straightened her body, her lower body armor was a little low, faintly revealing a ravine on her abdomen.
Garen closed his eyes. He felt his blood boiling.
There was also a downside in having a powerful body. Once the body was tempted, it was far more difficult to control compared to an average human.
A hint of fragrance wafted through the carriage. It was the princess' body fragrance.
Garen refocused and quickly adjusted the state of his body.
Under the rumbling wheels, the carriage continuously moved forward.
After sometime, Garen heard the voice of the driver coming from the front.
"Your Excellency. We have arrived."
"Yes." Garen opened his eyes and looked out from the left window. He had arrived at his manor, Blue Bay.
When he got off the carriage, a guard was standing straight at the gate with his head held high, indicating that he was energetic and alert.
"Welcome Your Excellency on your return!" The soldier shouted.
The door to the manor as already wide open. Lala, in her black tunic skirt was standing in front of the door, waiting silently. Evidently, there were also some new servants and guards.
"Welcome back, Your Excellency Garen." There was a relaxed smile on Lala's face.
"It's been a long trip." Garen also said. "I thought I would be back in around ten days."
He took off his overcoat and handed it to Lala, then walked into the manor surrounded by the others.
"During the time when I was away, did anything major happen at home?"
As he entered the hall, he went straight for the sofa. After finishing the tea prepared for him in one gulp, Garen asked.
"There are some things going on. There are some changes with the family assets. The businesses under your name received support from the government's policy. The shops in the capital have also reopened. There are many suppliers looking for us, hoping to supply stocks to us…"
"Shops?" Garen was surprised. He instantly recalled that he still had a totem repair shop. It was long closed due to lack of suppliers and raw materials.
"Yes. A totem shop." Lala nodded. "There's also an auction house given by the King. The contract documents were sent over earlier."
"Auction house? When?" Garen was surprised. "An auction house, ignoring its intrinsic value, even the land that it's on is worth quite a lot. His Majesty is indeed generous." Auction houses were commonly relatively large. A certain level of fame was also needed to run it. It wasn't something that anyone could build. Without sufficient power and fame, a built auction house would be equivalent to trash.
"His Majesty gave it on the second day after you left the capital. This wasn't the only thing. There are also twelve other unrenovated, empty shops. They were said to be your reward for being loyal to the kingdom."
"Twelve empty shops. His Majesty is willing to give them up. Are there any nobles who faced predicaments recently?" Garen smiled faintly.
"Yes. Earl Boliu who lived in the East district was suspected of colluding with the Obscuro Society, and had already been sentenced to death. The vast assets under his name were distributed among the other nobles. These shops and the auction house were also part of Earl Boliu's assets."
"What should we turn these shops into? What do you think?" Garen asked Lala plainly, "In fact, our family does not have a stable income source. His Majesty gave me these shops as a foundation to get back on my feet. What do you think can earn quick money?"
For Garen to be able to maintain the manor's operations and the salaries of the many servants, finding a stable income source is a must.
He couldn't always depend on rewards, or hunting monsters to sell materials right? Supporting so many people by himself was obviously unrealistic.
"Miss Angel is doing decently well in the War Guild and has also made some good friends. Her side could provide a relatively stable source for raw materials. With so many shops, we can convert all of them into chains of potions and consumables stores, selling medicine and ointments. We can also sell equipment produced from the monster's materials, or simple tools that totem users like." Lala, who seemed to have thought about it before, immediately spoke her mind.
"Besides, we can also purchase some rare items from totem users for auctions in the auction house. I've contacted some individual forgers to purchase their goods. If there are good items we can also use them for auctions. The other two auction houses in the capital also function this way."
"What will be our advantage? How do we ensure that we won't be squeezed out by the other two auction houses?" Garen asked with interest.
"You are our advantage, Lord Garen." Lala said. "You are incredibly strong. Among the other two auction houses, the Dawn Auction house is backed by a Grand Duke. The other one can't be compared with us at all. The difference is, their elites wouldn't simply go out and explore, but would choose to stay in and protect the family. However, only elites would be able to obtain the goods an average person wouldn't dream of obtaining. Hence, that is our competitive advantage."
"You have a point."
"The problem at hand, is insufficient manpower." Lala frowned as she said.
"Manpower. How about the transformed inmates?" Garen thought.
"Not possible. They have already created trouble a few times in the chamber. It was almost as if since they are no longer imprisoned, they would like to come out. These people have been underground for a long time. Their heart has gone a little wild." Lala whispered.
Garen nodded his head. After the inmates were transformed by him, and had been staying underground without any opportunity of contact with the outside world. They had no news about the outside world at all. Without the Crystal Derivator to imprison them, plus their incredibly strong transformed bodies, it was natural that they desired to get out.
"How many people are there now?"
"Five. The one that create trouble is one of the girl assassins." Lala answered simply, " If it wasn't for the two knight leaders who returned twice to suppress them, I wonder what other trouble they might have created."
"Understood." Garen nodded. "How are Maxilan and Edney doing?"
"They organized and trained all of the old family old survivors, and removed those who were unqualified or had lost focus. The remaining people are guarding the different shops respectively. These people are using quite a huge amount of resources daily. Our family wealth is depleting as we speak. We have to find a new income source immediately."
Garen was instantly ashamed. He only cared about his personal development and almost neglected the family business which was declining each day. There were so many people around him to support. It was his responsibility as the family head.