Chapter 185: Princess Ailin's

In the manor in the wealthy district of Lei Ming City, a slow fire burned in the marble fireplace, warming the space of the reception room.

A guard stood with his head lowered, respectfully relaying the answer of the priest of Yinsong Town to Princess Ailin Campbell, who was sitting in front of the walnut triangular table.

"... The person in the rumors accepted your summons, but because he is currently tracking a dragon that stole the villagers' cows in the area of Suiyan Peak, he cannot return to Lei Ming County to keep the appointment immediately. The priest stated that that person hopes to set the meeting time at the beginning of next month. If you are willing to wait a little, he will be very grateful."

"I didn't expect that the dragon in the rumors was actually true..." Standing on the side, Teresa looked solemn, her brows furrowed, "But why would the dragon target this place?"

"This... I don't know either." The guard hesitated for a moment and answered truthfully.

Teresa didn't expect him to be able to answer, just now it was her talking to herself.

Ailin sighed lightly and put down the teacup in her hand.

"I didn't expect that such a serious disaster would happen in a place that our royal family didn't notice..."

Watching Ailin, who was caught in self-blame, Teresa couldn't help but speak.

"Your Highness, only the respected Saint Xisi can know every single thing that happens in this world, please don't blame yourself. And forgive my bluntness, the one who should really be worried about this is not you, but your brother, Emperor Edward."

Ailin shook her head and said.

"My father handed the ancestral sword to me. With his wisdom, I believe it must not have been a temporary choice, but a high expectation placed on me, hoping that I could shoulder part of the Campbell family's responsibility. And it cannot be denied that failing to notice the suffering of the subjects is indeed our royal family's dereliction of duty."

Teresa: "Your Highness..."

"Teresa, don't comfort me, I'm not a child anymore. What I need is not comfort, but the assistance of wise people."

Watching Teresa, who couldn't speak, Ailin blinked her intelligent and bright eyes, then looked at the guard, and after thinking seriously for a moment, continued.

"Please relay to the priest of Yinsong Town for me, saying that Princess Ailin understands Mr. Flame King's work, and thanks him for being willing to take time out of his busy schedule to satisfy the curiosity and willfulness of a young girl who admires him. I just want to invite him to have afternoon tea, it's not an important matter, everything should be prioritized by serious business, please don't let that dragon run away."

"I will wait patiently until the beginning of next month, hoping that by then I will have the honor to hear him tell this legend in person."

This was equivalent to an oral letter.

She admitted that she had played some little tricks in this wording.

For example, deliberately not using her royal identity, but using her personal name to shorten the distance of social interaction, and for example, using the vanity that mature men would have more or less.

However, for her identity, these were all trivial matters, and I believe that even if that gentleman saw through it, he wouldn't mind.

In a sense, this could be considered a kind of "open conspiracy."

At least in her view, it was so.

Seriously noting the Princess's instructions, the guard respectfully accepted the order.

"I will relay it according to your instructions."

"Hmm, it's up to you."

Pleased with her own scheme, Ailin nodded with a smile, suddenly thought of something, frowned, and asked again.

"By the way, I almost forgot to ask, how many cows did that dragon steal?"

The guard answered truthfully.

"It is said that according to the local sheriff, that dragon attacked a ranch, causing them to lose nearly a hundred cows. Not only that, that beast also burned a granary by the way, injured dozens of people, and looted the tax money stored in the City Hall's treasury."

Teresa widened her eyes upon hearing this.

"So serious?!"

The guard said with a complex expression.

"I don't know the specific situation... I heard it was last month's matter, and it happened in the middle of the night."

He actually also felt that something was wrong. After all, this dragon was looting the ranch, burning the granary, and by the way, robbing the City Hall's treasury. It didn't look like a robbery at all, but rather like coming to stock up.

Based on his experience at the grassroots level, this behavior was actually quite suspicious, just like every time the royal affairs officer came to the army to check the accounts, they would train frequently, and then the facilities in the military camp and the equipment in the armory would frequently break down.

However, seeing that the Princess seemed to believe deeply in the legend of that Flame King, he didn't want to sing a different tune.

What if it was done by the local baron to evade taxes?

Wouldn't he offend the nobility if he talked nonsense?

Moreover, it wasn't that there was no probability of such outrageous things happening, it was just that the exaggerated components might be relatively more.

After all, every local person he asked swore that they had seen the dragon with their own eyes, and had seen more than one, and that Flame King seemed to have defeated another dragon while riding a dragon, and then drove away a group of dragons.

Ailin frowned slightly, was silent for a moment, then gritted her teeth, took out a golden pocket watch from her arms, and placed it on the table.

"Please take this pocket watch to the nearby market to sell it, and then send the money exchanged to Yinsong Town together."

The guard looked at the Princess in surprise, opening his mouth and unable to speak for a while, obviously not expecting her to do so.

Teresa, standing on the side, was also stunned, and couldn't help but speak subconsciously.

"Your Highness... are you serious?"

She remembered this pocket watch.

That was a gift from the late King to Princess Ailin, said to be crafted by dwarf craftsmen.

Its magical point was that ordinary clocks and watches needed to be wound, or driven by magic power, while that pocket watch neither needed to be wound nor needed to replace magic crystals, as long as it was worn on the body, it would turn, and it was said to be quite valuable.

In Teresa's impression, Princess Ailin always carried it with her, and even when she slept, she would put it on the bedside table.

She never expected that the Princess would choose to sell it.

Watching Teresa, who looked shocked, Ailin smiled gently, making her tone sound as relaxed as possible.

"... Compared to the losses suffered by the local residents in the disaster, the price I paid is nothing at all. Moreover, even people who have nothing to do with us are working hard for our subjects, and I also want to contribute my own strength to them. This year's winter is colder than ever, I hope this money can make up for some of the local people's losses and reduce the pain they suffer in the cold."

To be honest, her heart wasn't actually as relaxed as she looked on the surface.

After all, that was a gift left to her by her late father, and it was also the most valuable piece of treasure she had besides priceless things.

However, she believed that what she was doing was right.

Perhaps the money exchanged for this pocket watch could save countless families, let their family members avoid starving to death, and not have to wander in the cold wind like the refugees outside the city.

If her father's spirit in heaven saw it, she believed he would definitely be proud of the choice she made today.

"Your Highness..."

Teresa looked at her with emotion, took a deep breath, and said seriously, "It is the honor of my life to serve such a benevolent and generous lord as you."

Extending a helping hand to the weak is the virtue of a knight.

Although she didn't agree with Ailin selling her beloved object, she, who had received knightly education since childhood, couldn't help but express respect for this behavior itself.

Watching Teresa, who looked solemn, Ailin smiled and said.

"We've known each other for so long, don't say such mushy things."

The guard standing on the side hesitated for a moment, but finally didn't speak.

He actually wanted to say that in a place like Yinsong Town, the local granary was more like the lord's property, and even if it burned, it might not necessarily starve a few people to death.

As long as it wasn't all burned.

But reality is reality, how could he speak to dampen the Princess's enthusiasm?

A benevolent lord was not something he hadn't longed for.

By comparison, Grand Duke Edward, who colluded with merchants to push for so-called reforms, was simply a demon sent from Hell to make trouble.

A thought that shouldn't have occurred even arose in his heart—

If only what the late King entrusted to Princess Ailin wasn't just the Light of Eulogy.

"Take a look, come and see, walk by and don't miss it!"

"Past this market, there won't be this shop, don't hesitate, don't linger, hesitation and lingering equals coming for nothing!"

"Suoke Duo Trading Company can guarantee you! Every item you buy from us is absolutely worth more than the price, we only sell good things that ordinary people haven't seen!"

Lei Ming City Market.

The not-so-spacious street was crowded with bustling people.

Only three covered wagons were parked in the center of the crowd, the curtains of the wagons were opened to the sides, displaying dazzling goods like mobile shelves. More than twenty guards who looked strong and powerful stood around, guarding against pickpockets in the crowd, while preventing the surging crowd from overturning the wagons. And right next to the wagon, a kind-faced man was standing in front of the stall, opening his throat and shouting loudly.

For the proud citizens of Lei Ming City, nothing novel was surprising in front of them, but that marketing rhetoric like a doggerel still attracted the attention of many people.

Holding the idea of watching the fun, people passing by the market gathered one after another, wanting to take a look at what fresh things were placed on the stall, worthy of this merchant from out of town boasting so shamelessly.

And this look didn't matter, they were really stuck by the novel things on the shelf, unable to move their eyes for a while.

Good guy.

They were really all things they hadn't seen before!

Just didn't know what they were for...

Watching the crowd blocking the street, Suoke Duo's face was filled with excited red light, and his palms couldn't help but sweat.

As he expected.

When he transported those strange and bizarre little trinkets from Beifeng City to Lei Ming City, they indeed attracted the attention of the local citizens!

Although most people were just crowding over to watch the fun, it didn't matter to him!

He had prepared the next move!

=9+Book_Bar

Seeing that the timing was about right, Suoke Duo squeezed his eyebrows hard in a certain direction in the crowd and gave a look.

Soon, a middle-aged man wearing a round felt hat and a monocle on the bridge of his nose directed two servants to push through the crowd and squeeze in front of his stall, reaching out to pick up a small silver box about half the size of a palm, and asked curiously.

"What is this thing?"

Seeing the object in his hand, Suoke Duo smiled enthusiastically and said.

"This, this is a lighter! The guest has a really good eye, you picked our hot-selling single item that we strongly recommend as soon as you came up! Just press the button on it to light it, whether it's at home or traveling, it's very convenient! Buy it now and get a ten percent discount!"

It wasn't just the things being sold.

Even the marketing rhetoric and routines were copied exactly from the skeletons of Beifeng City.

To be honest, even he, who often traveled north and south, was greatly shocked when he first saw it, let alone these citizens of Lei Ming City whose knowledge wasn't actually very rich.

"Lighter?" The man he invited to be a shill touched the two mustaches under his nose and muttered with interest, "A bit interesting... perhaps I can equip a set for the sailors on my dozen ships."

"You are a captain?!" Suoke Duo's face showed a look of "surprise."

"I'm not a captain, but I have a fleet that travels between the colonies and Lei Ming City, I'm worried that the humid environment on the ship makes it inconvenient to light a fire, I didn't expect this problem to be solved just like that." The man wearing the round felt hat said with a smile, as if he had really solved a big trouble.

And the surrounding citizens, after hearing his identity, all showed looks of admiration and envy.

In Lei Ming City, a captain was already the most decent profession in the eyes of ordinary citizens, not to mention a big boss who owned many ships.

Their wealth was something even real nobles were jealous of, let alone ordinary citizens, who only had the part of fawning over them when they saw them.

Most people couldn't fawn over them, only having the part of envy or jealousy, or spending a lot of money to imitate their decency.

This situation wasn't common outside Lei Ming City, but it was nothing unusual in the prosperous Lei Ming City.

"I didn't expect you to be a captain of a dozen ships, truly disrespectful!" Suoke Duo's face was filled with an earnest expression, and his tone changed, continuing.

"Then your time must be very precious, right? Considering your identity, please allow me to specially recommend this product to you!"

While saying this, he took out a leather bracelet from his arms.

That bracelet was just the thickness of an adult's arm, with a buckle that could adjust the tightness, and in the center was a pitch-black stone slab.

The man wearing the round felt hat raised his eyebrows, pushed the monocle on the bridge of his nose, and leaned over to take a look.

"This is?"

Suoke Duo immediately said.

"Magic Crystal Watch! Unlike ordinary clocks and watches, there are no hands on it, replaced by the ability to directly display numbers!"

While saying this, he fiddled with the button on the side of the watch and demonstrated how to use this thing to the crowd on the spot.

Just as his index finger pressed down, a line of numbers made of faint flashing points indeed appeared on the flat crystal surface.

Seeing this, the crowd all showed looks of astonishment, looking just like they had seen a miracle personally descended by Saint Xisi!

"This, this is too incredible!"

"Is it magic?!"

A burst of exclamation sounded around, people exchanged surprised looks with each other, their faces filled with looks of disbelief.

"I felt a faint magic power fluctuation, but it's not very strong... and it's no different from those pointer watches that are automatically wound by magic power."

A magic apprentice who looked like an adventurer closed his eyes tightly, trying to perceive the faint magic power fluctuation that could almost be ignored, and analyzed the principle from those clues.

However, it was a pity that he could only judge that this was an inscription playing a role, and he was completely confused about the deeper details.

The way magic power worked here had exceeded his cognition, and even subverted his understanding of inscriptions, so much so that the look he gave the merchant carried a trace of strangeness.

"How is this done?!"

"Sorry, I'm just a traveling merchant, I also bought it from someone else." Suoke Duo smiled apologetically at the man dressed as a magician.

He didn't really understand either, just heard the skeleton soldiers of the Necropolis say that it seemed to use some Nether-script and magic crystal powder imaging technology.

At present, this technology was not mature, and could only display a few lines of sloppy numbers and characters, and the quality was not very stable.

However, the guy named 【One Gulp of Chemical Pool】 seemed to be full of ambition for this technology, and later said a lot of things he couldn't understand, including what to subvert the media industry, change the whole world, etc... making him, who couldn't understand, feel hot-blooded.

Thinking of this, Suoke Duo couldn't help but feel a regret in his heart, it was just a pity that that guy was undead and couldn't stand here to promote it for him.

Otherwise, with that guy's eloquence, he might not even need him to arrange for actors to perform this clumsy circus, and he could have sold out the things in his caravan!

The man wearing the round felt hat took the watch happily, couldn't wait to wear it on his hand, and even held it over his head to show it off.

"Not bad, not bad... I like this thing very much! How much?"

Suoke Duo, who came back to his senses, immediately filled his face with a smile and said in an earnest tone.

"This will be more expensive than a lighter, it will cost 500 silver coins—"

"Five hundred?! Such a convenient watch only costs five hundred silver coins?! This is too worth it!" The man wearing the felt hat made an exaggerated expression, took out five Aosi Empire gold coins without saying a word and threw them on the stall, then happily wore it on his hand.

To be honest, this watch really matched his outfit, after all, Suoke Duo had put in a lot of effort when choosing actors and performance props.

Looking at those five shining gold coins, the surrounding crowd was shocked by this big shot's grand gesture, and the look they gave the goods on the Suoke Duo Trading Company's stall instantly became different.

If they only thought they were some strange and novel things before, now these novel things had become symbols of fashion trends in their eyes!

Even a rich man with a dozen ships used it and praised it, so how bad could the things here be?

Although most of the people gathered here couldn't afford the watch, they could afford the lighter, which only cost 20 silver coins.

It wasn't just the lighter.

There were also things like magic crystal lamps, nail clippers, sound boxes, shower gel, and even flush toilets and flip-flops, regardless of whether they were really needed, they were all snatched up in the fanatical atmosphere.

It was a pity that the citizens of Lei Ming City were still too young and hadn't been baptized by the Internet, so no one doubted why such a rich guy would appear at a market like them.

But then again, Suoke Duo didn't earn the money of smart people anyway.

And he wasn't selling fake goods either.

He believed that with the quality of these goods, it was only a matter of time before they opened up the market in Lei Ming City, it was just that it would be faster with unconventional means.

Time is money.

Since it could be faster, he naturally had no reason to take it slow.

Watching the stall being snatched clean, Suoke Duo couldn't close his mouth with joy.

Perhaps it wouldn't be long before he could really buy a fleet and sell the good things he dug up from Beifeng City to farther places.

Especially the mainland of the Empire!

That was the truly vast market!

And just as Suoke Duo was imagining a beautiful future, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar face in the crowd, and suddenly felt a shiver all over.

When he looked carefully to confirm he hadn't recognized the wrong person, that person had disappeared, seemingly submerged in the surging crowd.

"... Was it an illusion?" Suoke Duo muttered with his head down.

Saint Xisi above...

He actually saw the Demon King in the crowd just now!?

Silently adding a "Praise the Demon King" in his heart, Suoke Duo didn't think about it anymore and put this matter aside.

The Demon King appeared in a human city...

This kind of thing was too outrageous no matter how you thought about it!

(Thanks to "Left Hug Nana Right Hug Yamato's Guyue" for the alliance leader reward!!!)