All the nobles in Alinx knew one thing: the Bollette family emblem was synonymous with poverty.
Yes, most nobles represented wealth and extravagance, but the Bollette family was the opposite. This family that adhered to the teachings of the Holy See did not do any profitable business other than maintaining the family's livelihood.
Mocking the poverty of the Grand Duke of Crime was also a secret joke among the nobles.
But there was one thing that everyone in the know envied Ardrian.
That was, he had an incredible lover.
Vanessa Merka was born into a commoner family in the Grayson Kingdom. She had displayed astounding magical talent since she was young, and was discovered by a traveling Mage. She was brought back to the City of Silver and entered the Star-Moon Secret Academy to study magic.
Later, during an apprenticeship training, the young Vanessa was in danger.
At that time, Ardrian fell out of love (Aubrey's fault), and then gave up on himself and married a commoner girl, Erika, who he had known for a long time. This led to a lot of rumors in the nobles' circle. This made him very depressed, so he went out to relieve his boredom. In the end, he saved Vanessa — that's right, it was a cliché hero saving a damsel in distress — and then the flower in the greenhouse fell in love.
Ardrian's attitude towards Vanessa was very contradictory. He really liked her, but because he had already married Erika, and the Bollette family adhered to the Holy See's commandment of monogamy, and Vanessa was unwilling to be a concubine, it led to a stalemate between the two of them for several years.
Later, Vanessa came to his house to look for him, but the two of them were drunk. In the end, something delightful happened, and they were even seen by Erika.
Vanessa did not want to face Erika, so she fled back to the City of Silver to practice magic. Unexpectedly, due to the stimulation, her magic skills improved greatly and attracted Jean's attention. Then, she became the disciple of Jean Star-Moon Master and obtained the identity of a member of the Star-Moon Tower's Secret Magic Association.
Ardrian was troubled for many years because of this, but he still did not know that what happened between him and Vanessa that day was actually Erika, who had already noticed his mood, secretly instigated it behind the scenes.
Erika, who was born a commoner, had always had low self-esteem, so she did not have any opinions about Ardrian and Vanessa. She was already very happy to be able to marry the man she loved, so she wanted to help Ardrian and also help Vanessa. But she did not expect Vanessa to run away immediately after she woke up.
So Erika did not dare to confess this matter to Ardrian.
If this was a female-oriented novel, both Elsa and Vanessa would fit the role of the female lead. Unfortunately, now …
"Later, you will be meeting him as an emissary of the City of Silver, so you have to be more domineering."
"Yes."
"… Powerful! You're not powerful at all! "
Aradeline looked at the affectionate Vanessa, and felt a headache coming on. She didn't look like an extraordinary powerhouse at all!
Aubury also had a headache. They didn't invite Vanessa over to see her and Ardrian being lovey-dovey.
The plan had reached a critical moment. Whether it succeeded or not, it would depend on whether Vanessa could scare Frank.
Once Frank gave in, the Magic Crystal mine would be at their fingertips.
Once Frank wasn't willing to give in, the current stalemate would continue. Unless they hardened their hearts and fought to the death!
In Tang En's analysis, although the Magic Crystal market was big, it didn't take that much of the Cardier Family's income. With a few temporary policies and hidden threats, Frank should decisively give up on the mine and turn it into wealth. Because in this situation where the information was unequal, it was impossible for Frank to predict the upcoming change.
Victor was very confident in Tang En.
But if he saw the current Vanessa, his confidence would be completely gone.
"Vanessa … …"
"Call me Winnie … …"
"Alright, Winnie … …"
Ardrian had a conflicted look. Victor and Aubury sold him out for benefits. After calling Vanessa over behind his back, they told him this plan to make him sell his body … …
"Dear ~"
Hearing Ardrian call her by her nickname, Vanessa's entire body softened. She hugged his arm and didn't want to leave.
"Ke, un!"
Aubury gave a soft cough and warned Ardrian with his eyes.
"Winnie, do you still remember what I told you?"
"Of course I remember."
"Then I'll leave it to you!"
Vanessa revealed a bright smile. "Un, relax. For our future, I'll definitely complete this mission!"
For our future?
What the hell was this?
The confused Ardrian looked at Aubury.
What the hell! What kind of conditions did these two fellows promise behind my back again!?
Aubury looked out the window and laughed. "Un … … The weather today is really good … …"
Without knowing why, Ardrian suddenly shivered.
An ominous feeling … …
The Kadir Family.
"Honorable — — Member of the Secret Spell Association of the Star-Moon Tower — — Emissary from the City of Silver — — Honorary Magic Consultant of the Irus Empire's Royal Family — — Magician Vanessa Merka requests an audience."
Hearing the series of titles from the butler, Frank couldn't help but take a deep breath. The thick incense turned into a whirlpool that drilled into his lungs and stimulated his brain.
The thing he was most worried about still happened.
Frank could use the mine to reduce production to avoid the market saturation caused by the merchants' concentrated selling. He could even temporarily stop production to avoid the temporary regulations. Then he could use the Royal Parliament to deal with Victor and force him to cancel the new policy.
But he couldn't avoid the guests from the City of Silver.
The biggest market for Magic Crystals was the City of Silver.
The gigantic city on the floating island that was built by the mages with their spells could be said to be the greatest miracle in the entire world of Prandal that was born in the hands of humans.
Under the powerful appeal of Jean · Star-Moon Lord, almost all the magicians belonged to the City of Silver. Only the elites were qualified to join the Secret Spell Association of the Star-Moon Tower. This wasn't just an honor, it was also a symbol of power.
If a child was chosen by a traveling magician and was brought back to the City of Silver, entering the Secret Spell Association of the Star-Moon Tower, no matter if their talent was good or bad, it was guaranteed that their family would soar into the sky and wouldn't be any weaker than those normal nobles.
This kind of recruitment method was also the most common phenomenon in the City of Silver.
Therefore, the City of Silver had a very high reputation among the people. Once a child was discovered to have magic talent, they were very willing to send their child to the City of Silver.
When these children grew up and learned, they needed to consume large amounts of Magic Crystals. This was one of the main uses of Magic Crystals.
Therefore, once they offended the City of Silver, the Cardier Family's Magic Crystal industry would instantly collapse.
Then why did Frank feel so conflicted?
Because ….. the entire high level of the empire knew about the matter between Vanessa and Adrian!
He clearly knew that this woman was someone the royal family had invited to disgust him, but he still had to greet her with a smile. Was there anything more disgusting than this?
Even if he knew that she was Adrian's old lover, he still had to see her. Not only did he have to see her, he had to greet her with a smile!
Because Frank knew that Vanessa really was a member of the Secret Spell Association of the Star-Moon Tower. Not only that, as a genius magician, she was also one of Jean · Star-Moon Lord's disciples.
Even if she was trash, just her identity as Jean's disciple was enough to scare many people.
Frank took a deep breath and stood up, "I'll go greet her!"
At the door, in the carriage.
Aubrey muttered, "Will he come out to greet her?"
"It's best if he doesn't."
Adrian pursed his lips. "It'll give Vanessa an excuse to make things difficult for him."
Vanessa hit him playfully. "You're so annoying. I'm not that kind of unreasonable person."
You're reasonable?
Adrian cursed in his heart. If you were reasonable, you wouldn't have insisted on making Ereka a concubine.
"But your plan is too troublesome."
Vanessa glanced at the Cardier Family's manor and pursed her lips. "To deal with this kind of people, it'll save me a lot of trouble if I just annihilate them."
"You can't …"
Aubrey and Adrian immediately broke out in cold sweat. This fellow had been learning from Jean all these years. Why was she becoming more and more violent …
Vanessa, whose political IQ was basically zero, asked, "Why?"
"Because of many complicated reasons. In short, because the involvement is too deep, we can't directly attack this kind of enemy. Do you think Aubrey doesn't want to just draw his sword and cut them down?"
Vanessa stared at Aubrey for a moment and nodded. "Oh, I understand."
"Wait! What do you understand? "
Aubrey was furious. "What's the meaning of your sympathetic eyes?! Do you believe that I'll fall out with you? I'll really fall out with you?! "
"No, there's really no sympathy," Vanessa said seriously.
"Please believe me. Mages are all very honest," Vanessa said very seriously.
"There's a brat who's a rogue mage." Aubrey sneered. "But the word 'honest' has nothing to do with him. He's fooled my granddaughter. Only that naive and silly girl can't see how cunning that brat is."
"You said it yourself. He's a rogue mage."
Vanessa said nonchalantly, "Of course, he's not the same as me, who came from a professional class."
"Damn it. I keep feeling that you mages are intentionally or unintentionally showing off something … When I reach that level, I want to learn magic too!"
Aubrey's face was filled with envy and jealousy.
Just then, the sound of the door opening came from outside. There was even the drumbeat of the honor guards, playing the rhythm of the Irus Empire's national anthem.
"Oh?"
Adrian saw Frank, who appeared in formal clothes, and raised his eyebrows. "Seems like Frank doesn't want to give us a chance to fall out with you."
"Is that so?"
Vanessa smiled sweetly. "Darling, leave it to me."
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