Chapter 753: Night Raid (Part 1)

Deep night, western Lause Arcade.

Unlike Red Cedar Avenue, nicknamed by the capital's residents as the "Nobility District" and lined with numerous old noble estates, the western Lause Arcade, known as the "Wealthy District," though also home to many nobles, rarely features large manors.

Since it was built nearly a century later than Red Cedar Avenue, the capital's scarce land no longer permitted the enclosure and construction of grand estates; moreover, most residents here were new nobles who rose through commerce, holding far lower political status than the old nobility, so their standards naturally declined further and further.

To own several elegant, refined townhouses here was already considered "top-tier" within the entire "Wealthy District"; if one could also add a medium-sized garden, the owner was almost certainly a key figure wielding influence in the capital's political arena.

Yet this rule was not entirely absolute.

After all, although Lause Arcade was fully completed late, it had not been barren land before construction—several older noble estates had still been incorporated into its boundaries, and the Emerald Feather Manor belonging to the Jin Juan family was one of them.

…

Strange… what could Jin Juan, the Marquis, possibly be after?

As Li Ang stepped on the originally pristine, yet centuries of rain erosion had turned deep yellow, paving stones, approaching the entrance of Emerald Feather Manor, he gazed at the lavish structure visible through the dense woods, his brow slightly furrowing.

Logically, though the Bao Hua Manor clearly occupied a larger area, the manor before him was not much smaller.

And judging by the intricate reliefs on the main building's facade, the marble statues scattered like stars across the garden, and the ornamental carvings on the outer portico—clearly the work of a master—the Emerald Feather Manor, in sheer opulence, far surpassed the plain-styled Bao Hua Manor.

So are they insane? Abandoning their own centuries-old home to forcibly seize Emma's predecessor's abandoned estate, vacant for six years?

Filled with confusion, Li Ang stepped out of the dark night and into the glow of the manor's entrance lights, entering the night watch's field of vision, and slightly opened his mouth.

"Meow~"

"Who's there?!"

Seeing a hazy figure approaching, the guard on duty instantly grew alert, instinctively wanting to wake his sleeping partner in the watchroom to question this stranger's identity and why he was approaching Emerald Feather Manor alone at night.

But just then, perhaps too much oil had dripped from the lamp, the streetlight directly above the guard suddenly flared violently—the once soft nightlight became blinding, causing the guard to squint involuntarily.

And when he blinked hard and looked again at the figure, he realized it wasn't a person at all, but a cat with something hanging around its neck.

Strange… cats and humans differ so greatly in size—how could I have mistaken it?

He stared at the little cat again and again, but no matter how he looked, it was merely a short-legged, fluffy-haired cat—no trace of transformation into a cat-girl—so the Jin Juan guard could only hiss at it twice, then returned to his post, utterly baffled…

"MEOW!!!"

With a cat cry brimming with fury, the gray-and-white cat transformed into a blur of gray and white, instantly lunging before the guard's eyes and brutally knocking him to the ground.

I… was beaten by a cat?

Before the fallen guard could accept this absurd reality, the tiny, short-legged cat used his chest as a springboard, leaping through the open window into the watchroom.

The gatekeeper inside, responsible for registration, barely managed a scream before falling silent; the other two night-shift guards, after a muffled groan, also went still.

???

Noticing the watchroom had become unnaturally quiet, the struggling guard's expression turned alarmed—he rushed over and looked inside, then was utterly stunned to find all three men sprawled helplessly on the floor.

Tiny cat paw prints littered the entire watchroom, yet the strange little cat had vanished; yet behind his neck, he felt an almost imperceptible breath…

"MEOW!!!"

…

"Well done."

Catching the hazy little cat, Li Ang scratched its chin, then lightly flicked the small red cross hanging from his chest.

With a dreamlike, melodious chime, the hazy gray-and-white cat vanished, and a door key engraved with a cuckoo pattern appeared clearly in Li Ang's palm.

Sorry, I'm not very familiar with this thing—seems I went a bit too hard, but tonight you can all leave early.

Apologizing silently to the guard lying unconscious with terror on his face, Li Ang slid him through the window into the watchroom, then used the key found by the Dream Cat to unlock the already-locked main gate and walked calmly into the Jin Juan family's manor.

The 【Dream Invader】, crafted for him by the third-generation elder using the weapon of 【Lord of Desire Dreams】 as its core material, has an extremely discreet activation method.

As long as any meaningful "interaction" occurs with the target, their soul is disturbed, and the power of the Dream Realm briefly intrudes into reality through their soul as a conduit.

As an ordinary person with no abnormalities whatsoever, upon hearing Li Ang's "meow," the Jin Juan guard fell under the 【Dream Invader】's control and "dreamed" of a little cat.

This dream-cat, having invaded reality through the guard's soul, under Li Ang's control, effortlessly knocked out everyone in the watchroom and left behind a trail of paw prints.

When the Bureau sends investigators, if they're not thorough enough, confirming the guard's memory will directly mislead their investigation—possibly even toward some "cat transformation" anomaly.

Even if no conclusion is reached and suspicion eventually falls on me, this non-existent target will indirectly dilute my own suspicion—that's my second maneuver to shed blame, following the chauffeur's "alibi."

And as they say, once there's one, there's two; once there's two, there's three and four. As for my third maneuver…

"Get to work!"

Patting his button, Li Ang summoned the Black Goat, then pointed at the main building still brightly lit in the distance, his expression calm:

"Come! Help me find someone!"

…

"Ssshh… ssshh…"

Though it was deep past midnight, even the horizon faintly glowed with the first hint of dawn, someone still remained awake, busy at his desk.

After filling half the letter paper with elaborate, ornate cursive script, the weary man folded the letter and handed it to his secretary standing beside the desk.

"Go. Seal it, stamp it, and deliver it to the Mining Guild tomorrow with my official order."

"Yes, sir."

Carefully storing the letter, the secretary, equally exhausted, forced himself to focus:

"Lord Renard, after your letter arrives, should we continue courting the Mining Guild as before, or…?"

"No need. They've lost all further value."

Taking another document from the pile, he glanced at the signature at the bottom, then frowned:

"I supported the Mining Guild's request solely to use tax cuts to force them to relocate and mine in Meilinuo County—where the spice gardens produce the very spices our Kuoke family's greatest rival depends on.

Since both mining and spice cultivation demand vast water, once the mines open in Meilinuo County, they'll compete with the region's major spice gardens for water—suppressing our rivals while reducing the kingdom's spice output and raising prices.

That's why I backed the Mining Guild—not because the miners themselves had any value. Now that they've received the order and begun mining, we needn't waste further effort on them."

"Ah, yes!"

After noting Renard's instructions, the secretary hesitated slightly, then ventured:

"But the miners have already clashed multiple times with Meilinuo County over this—dozens have died. If things escalate…" "Then let them go to the Princess. The policy encouraging energy guilds was her initiative—let her take responsibility."

"Besides, she's long sought to bypass the Finance Ministry and Parliament to find independent revenue sources to fill the military's budget hole. These citizen-formed industrial guilds are her strongest supporters—even donating funds to equip two full regiments.

If a few more die this time, it might wake up those peasants and make them realize the power struggle between the royal house and the Finance Ministry isn't their place to meddle in—perhaps it's even a good thing."

"Also—who delivered this letter to my desk?"

After skimming the earnest petition, Renard frowned, visibly displeased:

"The Weavers' Guild submitted a petition begging for tax cuts? If we reduce their taxes, how will the city pay for next year's expenses? The greenery in the Church District and Arcades needed renewal last year—where will I get the money if I don't collect their taxes?"

"Well… the Weavers' Guild is indeed struggling…"

After flipping through the relevant documents, the secretary cautiously reminded:

"After losing six years ago, the kingdom lost two overseas trade routes—among them, the one for textile transport. Many workshops went bankrupt as a result.

Although your and Bao… that family's northern land route still transports textiles, it's heavily taxed by the Ashito Kingdom, leaving minimal profit—so they may genuinely be struggling."

"Why are you talking so much today?"

Renard narrowed his eyes coldly at his secretary, his tone hostile:

"Did the Weavers' Guild bribe you?"

"They did give a little… but these are facts."

The secretary chuckled awkwardly, then said:

"You know, most weavers' workshops are still small or medium-sized—they can't compete with wealthy merchants. Even a small change can break them."

"Then let them break!"

Renard snorted:

"I don't care about your bribes—but no tax cuts!

Don't think I don't know—I once ran this trade myself. To make money, you simply drain the weavers' blood. A weaver can produce two hundred bolts of cloth; giving him back fifty or sixty bolts' worth of pay is enough.

So instead of begging me for tax cuts, just squeeze more out—cut wages to forty bolts and they won't starve. If you can cut them to thirty bolts, it's better than reducing taxes twice!"

"That's true, but the weavers might…"

"Then expel the troublemakers. Do I have to teach them that too?"

Crumpling the weavers' tax-reduction petition and tossing it into the trash, Renard waved his hand impatiently:

"If you can't hire workers, just drag them from the slums! They'll work for a bowl of rice. They can't do dyeing, but can't they weave? Just move their arms and legs!"

"Also, don't think your surname Kuoke grants you endless leniency. No matter how many favors they give you, this ends now—every copper coin of tax must be collected!"

"Understood. I'll tell them the day after tomorrow…"

"Go tomorrow! And how's Bao Hua Manor doing?"

After drinking a cup of imported stimulant tea, Renard rubbed his swollen temples, eyes closed:

"They've been cleaning for four or five days now—has the main building been made livable?"

"Well… it'll take another three or four days…"

The secretary replied awkwardly:

"Your Lordship, you know—it's been abandoned for six years. Only the garden is occasionally tended; the rest is overgrown, so…"

"Don't care if it's abandoned—just make the living quarters ready!"

"But… that place is so ruined—why would you live there?"

"Ruined or not doesn't matter—just make sure it won't collapse."

Stopping his temple-rubbing, Renard explained wearily:

"The Princess has gained the Lionheart Duke's support—she now controls the Military and Road Administration, and effectively holds the Vice-Chairmanship of the Upper Academy.

For Prince Joshua to challenge her, merely having the Finance Minister's backing isn't enough—he needs influence within the Upper Academy.

As the Finance Minister said, if I publicly acknowledge my marriage to that woman, he'll maneuver to seize the Bao Hua family's Upper Academy seat for me—then both princes will be back on equal footing.

【101】 Moving from Emerald Feather Manor to Bao Hua Manor is the first step in this maneuver. Even with the Finance Minister and royal backing, my people must be physically present there—must at least appear to be doing it properly—before I can inherit the Bao Hua family's political legacy. Understood?"

"I understand…"

"If you understand, then go do it!"

Looking at his cousin—who was nominally his secretary but in truth had come to learn state affairs at his side before seeking an external posting—Reinard urged, pushing against his last thread of patience:

"Set other matters aside; this is an order from the Minister of Finance. If we secure Bao Hua's seat, the King himself will give strong support—it must take priority!"

"So go now and pressure them—wake up those workers and get them working through the night!"

"Yes! I'm on it right away!"

The secretary promptly rose and hurried out of the office. With the distraction gone, Reinard set down his teacup and resumed reviewing the towering stack of documents on his desk. The room fell silent once more, save for the soft scratch of pen on paper—until…

"Crack!"

The whale oil in the desk lamp trembled slightly, emitting a faint hum, causing the light to flicker twice—and rousing the man hunched over his desk, writing furiously.

After glancing at the empty side desk, Reinard frowned and called out loudly:

"Mark?"

"Where are you?"

When no answer came, not even from the guards outside, Reinard frowned, rising from his chair.

"Mark?"

"I'm here."

With a slightly muffled reply, a faint, blurred figure appeared at the door—but its build seemed off, slimmer than the slightly stout Mark…

"Mark?"

"Mm."

At the affirmative reply, the figure stepped from the shadow beyond the door. Under the lamplight, the once-blurred form solidified, becoming clear and steady.

Seeing Reinard's tense body relax, the secretary, still weary in his eyes, smiled faintly and said calmly:

"Lord Reinard, I've come."

(End of Chapter)