In the reception hall of Graycastle, Roland quietly looked at the old man in front of him.
He was sitting in a wheelchair. His hair was gray, his cheeks were sunken, and the wrinkles on his forehead were prominent. Obviously, he was nearing the end of his life. However, compared to his age, his eyes were not too cloudy and still looked full of vitality. The monocle on the tip of his nose and the black bow tie around his neck further enhanced this feeling. While Roland was looking at him, he was also looking at Roland.
After a while, Roland broke the silence and said with a smile, "It's not easy to invite you here from the Kingdom of Dawn. Welcome to the new King's City of Graycastle, Mr. Banach Lothar. Thank you for your hard work. "
"It's my honor to be summoned by the King of Graycastle..." Banach Lothar slightly lowered his head. "May I know what Your Majesty wants me to do?"
"You've already contributed a lot to Graycastle. There's nothing more you need to do."
"Me?" Banach Lothar was obviously surprised. "Your Majesty, did you make a mistake?"
Generally, people at this age would have a slower thinking speed, and they would speak incoherently and stutteringly. However, Banach Lothar not only answered immediately but also controlled his facial muscles to make a fake expression, which was enough to prove that his brain had never stopped thinking. Compared with the irreversible aging of his body, his consciousness might be a more realistic reflection of his own condition.
"I know you have concerns, but please rest assured that I have no malicious intentions towards Black Money," Roland spread out his hands and said, "The 'Oracles' who passed the message to you are also a member of Neverwinter. In fact, it was me who asked them to send the message. "
Roland had used Pasha's mouth to summon Banach Lothar to Graycastle with the reason that the time for the transformation ceremony had come. After confirming the target, he had sent someone to take him back to the castle. Although this method was a little crude, it was more straightforward.
"Your Majesty... I don't quite understand what you mean..."
"It doesn't matter. I'll tell you until you understand. This is a very complicated story, but it really happened." Roland gave a brief account of the ancient witches' past, as well as the nature of the God's Punishment Army's transformation ceremony. The Soul Vessel could only collect the consciousness of those who possessed the demon. In other words, those without the demon could only become a shell.
In a sense, turning into a body without a sense of self was in line with the ancient witches' explanation of prolonging their lives. If Black Money was just an ordinary underground chamber of commerce, he would not have cared too much. However, in the battle against the demons' Western Front Army, Black Money had made a great contribution. Not only had it helped the First Army maintain the intelligence network in the Kingdom of Wolfheart and the Kingdom of Everwinter, but it had also provided crucial information to fill in the gaps of the witches' investigation in the Red Mist area.
Perhaps Banach did not do this for the fate of mankind or to save his compatriots, but his contribution was real. Roland did not think that turning such a meritorious person into a mindless puppet was a suitable reward, so he decided to meet him in person.
After a long time, Banach Lothar slowly took off his presbyopic glasses and said in a slightly trembling voice, "You mean, immortality is just a scam?"
Roland sighed softly. "At present, the only people who can maintain their consciousness and not age are those who possess the demon. For humans, they are witches. "
Even though he had opened up the Dream World, he could not be sensed by the Soul Vessel.
"But after drinking those potions, my body is indeed getting better —"
"Those potions are not completely useless. They increase the success rate of the ceremony by overdrawing one's vitality, but they can't be used endlessly." Roland shook his head and interrupted him. "Soon, the side effects will appear. This is also the reason why I asked you to come here in a hurry."
Banach was stunned for a moment. "You mean, I don't have much time left..."
"I'm sorry." Roland said regretfully, "I can't fulfill my promise perfectly, so I can only make it up to you in other ways. Black Money has protected the witches and made great contributions to the Battle of Divine Will. If you have anything you want, you can tell me. This is the reward you deserve. "
Nightingale once asked him why he did not let Pasha and the other witches solve the problem by themselves. If he came forward as the king, the consequences of this scam would also be transferred to Graycastle.
She was not wrong, but Roland knew that since Graycastle had accepted the Taquila witches, he should not only enjoy the benefits they brought, but also take the blame for them. It was also an obligation to "accept" them.
"..." Banach was silent for a long time. "Even if it's a matter in the Kingdom of Dawn, can you handle it?"
"You should know my influence in the Kingdom of Dawn."
"Then I can rest assured." Unexpectedly, Banach did not despair or become hysterical, but showed a calm smile. "I want to live longer because I want to protect the Black Money industry for my children. If I die, the other nobles and merchants will never let go of the opportunity to divide it up. In the face of big enough profits, a few lives are insignificant. If Your Majesty is willing to intervene, I think no one will dare to act rashly. This is even more reliable than my personal longevity. In that case, what else do I have to complain about? "
Roland pondered for a moment. "Are you sure this is the reward you want?"
"Your Majesty, can't... I do?"
"It's not impossible." He paused. "I wonder if you've heard of the Rainbow Stone?"
"I've heard of it." Banach thought for a moment. "It seems to be a new clothing store in your country. It's very large, and some finished products are even sold to the Kingdom of Dawn. But with all due respect, in terms of style and design, it is far inferior to ours."
"Because the craftsmen Victor hired are all from the Lothar Family... and he didn't tell you that this kind of clothing is only one-tenth of the price of other hand-woven clothes in Neverwinter." Roland coughed twice. "As far as I know, the founder of this clothing store is called Victor Lothar, your fourth son. In addition, the income of the clothing store has been converted to more than 10,000 Golden Dragon pieces. With this talent, I think even without Graycastle's backing, he won't easily lose to those merchant families. "
10,000 Golden Dragon pieces was by no means a small amount. In the past, only Chaos Drinks could exceed this amount in Neverwinter. The reason was simple. Not everyone needed drinks, but everyone had to wear clothes. As the population of Neverwinter became highly concentrated, the scale of basic needs would only further increase. In the face of the foreseeable profits of large-scale industrial production, the turnover of the underground chamber of commerce was not worth mentioning.
This time, Banach was really surprised. "Your Majesty, what you said... is true? Ever since he left the City of Glow, he rarely contacted me... I thought he was still in the jewelry business... "
"Victor is now in Neverwinter. It's not difficult for you to meet him. Why don't you go and verify it yourself? But... you have to hurry. "
"Yes... I know." Banach could not help but grab the wheel tightly. This action obviously revealed his inner thoughts. "Please allow me to leave, Your Majesty."
Roland nodded. When he was about to ask his guards to send him out, he suddenly said, "You said I don't have much time left... Can you let me spend the last moment on the floating island?"
"..." Roland closed his eyes. "If that's what you want."
After the door was closed, Nightingale appeared and muttered in a low voice, "Strange..."
"What's wrong?"
"His reaction at the beginning was a little strange. I can't say it was a lie, but the magic power gave me a very vague feeling, not as calm as he appeared." Nightingale shrugged.
"I see," Roland said thoughtfully.
"Do you know the reason?"
"Probably." He lowered his voice and tilted his head to look out the window. "Longevity is always full of temptations. If one's expectations are disappointed, no one will easily accept it."
"But it's not a lie," Nightingale said with emphasis.
"Because he knows that no matter what he does, he can't change the result." Roland sighed with emotion. "Since he can't change it, he has to accept it. Instead of becoming enemies with the King of Graycastle with resentment, it's better to pretend to be open-minded to win the King's favor. Any unnecessary emotions will become a sunk cost. I'm afraid this is what he thinks. There are a lot of people who understand this, but only a few can actually do it … This is what makes him amazing. "
He finally understood why these big businessmen were treated as nobles in the Kingdom of Dawn. Their ability to control themselves and reduce losses were better than most nobles even in politics.
"But you..." Speaking of this, Roland could not help but look at Nightingale. "Now, not only can you distinguish between truth and falsehood, but you can also feel the inner emotions. Are you about to evolve?"
"Do you think I'll deliberately not tell you after I evolve? Or, in other words, I'll still be so modest?" Nightingale glared at him impatiently.
"Uh, that makes sense."
Roland sensibly kept his mouth shut.
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