Chapter 579: Ophia's Determination

Shengcheng, above the Castillion Manor, a loud cry broke the silence of the afternoon, and a huge shadow was cast on the clean marble pavement.

A tall and mighty griffin was dragging an elegantly decorated carriage flying from below the clouds. The bronze seahorse crest shone brightly in the sunlight, as if it were alive.

The carriage landed steadily.

The heavy wheels rolled over the marble-paved road surface, as if stepping on a ball of cotton, and not a single sound could be heard in the carriage.

The cast-iron gate opened slowly, and the servants stood with their hands down on both sides of the road, as if they had merged with the hedges behind them.

Only Lady Nicola was an exception; she disregarded the restraint brought by her stiff uniform and walked quickly to the side of the carriage door.

As the maid who had served the family for two generations, she had almost watched Miss Ophia grow up, treating her like her own daughter.

"Miss, you are finally back." Looking at the pretty face bathed in the sunlight of the Shengcheng again, Lady Nicola said in a voice carrying a touch of choking.

Small leather boots stepped on the floor tiles, Ophia took off her travel cloak and gloves, and handed them to Ailifite who was waiting on the side.

She shook her golden waterfall-like hair lightly, looked at the tearful Lady Nicola, and said with a smile.

"Long time no see, Lady Nicola. Has my father been healthy recently?"

"The Duke's health is very good, he only returned from the hunting grounds in the north two weeks ago, if it weren't for your sudden decision to come home, he would probably go again."

Looking at the young lady who was as beautiful and moving as ever, the corners of Lady Nicola's eyes also curved into crescent moons, restraining the excitement in her voice, and continued.

"The only person the old master misses is you, he has to mention your name several times every day."

"Is that so?" Ophia looked up at the huge birch wood door of the main residence, and said with a smile, "Then take me to see him quickly."

"Please follow me!"

Following behind the maid, Ophia passed through the familiar garden, rows of neatly trimmed hedges were like the walls of a labyrinth, surrounding the bronze seahorse fountain in the middle that symbolized the unshakable power of the Castillion family.

It was still the same as when she left, every leaf seemed to have been carefully cut, and no change could be seen at all.

Passing through the hall and corridor, Ophia came to the door of the study.

Her hand had just been placed on the brass handle when that highly penetrating voice had already passed through the slightly opened door crack and rushed into the corridor.

"Ooh! Ophia!"

Andre Castillion bounced up from behind that wide mahogany desk, with an eager smile on his face, looking at his daughter and opening his arms.

"You are finally back! Haha, let me see, have you grown taller?"

Ophia had just taken one foot into the study when her brows couldn't help but frown slightly. She handed her hat to the attendant waiting on the side, looking at her father who was still holding a cigar between his fingertips, and let out a helpless sigh.

"Father, you are smoking in the study again."

"It's a cigar."

Andre's smile stiffened for a moment, and then he quickly put the thing that was still smoking in his hand on the edge of the crystal ashtray.

"This is top-grade goods shipped from the Jiana Continent, different from the ordinary goods that ordinary people can buy outside—"

"Is there any difference?"

"The difference is huge."

Looking at the daughter sitting on the sofa, Andre sat down opposite his daughter, and continued to explain righteously, "I asked my physician, this is good for health..."

The servant lifted the silver pot and walked to the tea table, pouring a cup of black tea for both of them.

Heat misted over the tea table.

Ophia picked up the teacup, blew away the tea leaves floating on the surface lightly, and took a sip of the taste of her hometown.

The mellow aroma contained a touch of faint bitterness, but it also made the fatigue accumulated during the journey dissipate a lot.

However, this did not prevent her mouth from continuing to be unforgiving.

"Please be sure to tell me the source of this maxim about 'health,' I would be very happy to talk to that physician face to face about the legal clauses involved in deceiving Imperial nobles."

Andre covered his chest exaggeratedly, as if he had been shot by an arrow there, but the smile hidden in the wrinkles did not change.

Instead, there was a bit more gratification.

"Okay, Ophia, it seems you have indeed grown up, the little girl who used to only cry and want this and that, now knows how to use the means of rules. Your father is very gratified... however, let's talk about something else, for example, how have you been in the past two years?"

Facing her father's expectant gaze, Ophia pondered slightly, and said pretending to be relaxed.

"Not too bad, but not very good either. Prince Kelin didn't stay in the Academy for too long, and set off for the south, and I even flew to the snowfield specifically to find him."

"South..." Andre touched the beard on his chin, and also pondered for a moment, asking seemingly seriously, "Luo De Kingdom?"

"It's Laine Kingdom!"

Ophia rolled her eyes at her father unhappily.

"To be more precise, it's the Campbell Principality under the kingdom! Father, you really should learn geography well, otherwise if it spreads out, others will say that the dignified Duke Castillion doesn't even know where each kingdom is."

Andre shrugged his shoulders.

He didn't think that besides his daughter, anyone would offend Duke Castillion because of such an unimportant thing.

Not to mention that he wasn't the only one who didn't know about this countryside place; this kind of self-righteous provocation was often a self-inflicted humiliation.

"I sent you to the Academy to study, not for you to come back and mock your old father." He leaned back on the sofa and said indifferently, "If that place is important enough, the Duke of Castillion will naturally know. Since I don't know, it means it's not important."

Ophia was not surprised by her father's answer, just sighed.

"Then do you know that a chaos crisis broke out there recently?"

"I've heard of it."

Hearing the word chaos, Andre raised a bit of importance, recalled for a while seriously, "Chief Justice Jimenez seems to have just returned from the east, the movement there was quite big, but I heard the problem has been solved. The Saint Clement Cathedral even held a triumphal ceremony for the returning judge specifically, if you had come back earlier, you might have been able to catch it."

"Clearly they are far from touching the core of the problem, the problem there is far more complex than what Chief Justice Jimenez saw."

Ophia put down the teacup, sat up straight, and her expression also became serious.

That was a look Andre rarely saw on his daughter's face.

It was precisely because of this that there was a bit more scrutiny in those eyes that were always smiling.

"Oh? It seems you know something?"

Ophia opened her mouth.

The secret revealed to her by Prince Kelin had almost reached her lips; if the situation were true, she had no doubt that it would trigger a shock in the entire Shengcheng.

However, just as she was about to blurt out that sentence, the intuition in the dark made her take back the secret that had already surged to her lips.

Would her father really value what she said?

Would that man who had to think for a while about where Laine Kingdom was on the map really care about what the people there were suffering?

Or to put it another way—

Would the Castillion family really, for the sake of a group of border people they had never met, exert all their strength in the Senate, and shift the focus of the interests of the family and their allies from the golden shipping lanes on the Vortex Sea to the Old Continent that was already unprofitable?

Especially, when she didn't have any evidence.

Her father would only think she was crazy, and then lock her in the manor to calm down for a few months. And even if the situation underwent astonishing changes, everything could be attributed to the incompetence of the Saint Clement Church.

After all, the Tribunal had just been there.

This, for the Senate that was competing for power with the Tribunal, was instead a more profitable option...

"I... don't know."

She turned her head away, looking at the garden outside the window that was trimmed without any flaws, and said in a calm voice, "But I thought that as a pillar of the Empire, the Duke of Castillion would know something."

Empire...

Andre laughed out loud.

He looked at this daughter of his who was a bit sulky, with both doting and helplessness in his heart.

"Ophia, my daughter. Many terrible things happen in this world every day; people starve to death, get sick, and get eaten by magical beasts. Even Saint Xisi cannot do everything in detail and perfectly... not to mention we are just mortals?"

"Then do you mean it's better for us to sit idly by?" Ophia looked at him with burning eyes.

Andre explained patiently.

"I didn't mean that. But we should distinguish between primary and secondary, and... don't rashly intervene in things that the Saint Clement Cathedral is responsible for without preparation."

"Then what is primary, and what is secondary?"

Ophia didn't seem to intend to let this question go.

Andre no longer avoided it, and went straight to the point.

"The sacred cause of Saint Xisi is primary, and those lands abandoned by the gods are secondary. The reason why chaos broke out is precisely because of the local people's neglect of faith. We have warned them countless times, but what are they doing?"

"Do you mean they brought it on themselves?" Ophia's voice was a bit dissatisfied.

"Isn't it?"

Looking at his daughter who still wanted to argue, Andre raised his hand, interrupting her words.

"Okay, my child, reality is just that cruel. To put it more bluntly, only things in the Shengcheng are worth our concern. Because if we don't do this, the bronze seahorse will lose its luster, and we will slowly leave the center of this world, and then be replaced by others."

"Saint Xisi will only favor the servants closest to Him, this didn't start today, but was so from the first day it existed... perhaps I should have told you earlier, and I have always protected you too well."

The study fell into a short silence.

Ophia looked at her father, that back that once seemed omnipotent in her eyes, but at this moment was cold and a bit strange.

She suddenly felt a bit listless.

Those experiences she wanted to share, those thrilling adventures in the labyrinth trials... at this moment, all lost the desire to confide.

Looking at the slightly disappointed Ophia, Andre also seemed to notice the stiffness of the atmosphere, so he put on a look that seemed to value it again.

"However, I am still very gratified, at least you didn't risk doing some silly things that would make your family worry because of that useless sense of justice."

"Do I look like someone who would do that kind of thing?"

Ophia took a deep breath, put on a smile again, and threw that golden hair behind her shoulder as if unintentionally.

"Don't worry, Father, I'm not a child anymore."

Andre nodded, looking at his sensible daughter, the smile on his face almost filling all the wrinkles in the corners of his eyes.

"I am very gratified to see your growth, Ophia, as for that Prince Kelin... I am sorry. Your father and he are just partners, if I knew his father, perhaps I could help you fight for it in the capacity of an elder. But you know, we are a generation apart after all, and I can only help with some icing on the cake."

Ophia did not show emotion, nor did she have any expectations, only her poisonous tongue toward her old father was as straightforward as ever.

"It's okay, I don't need your help, just don't cause me trouble."

As soon as the words fell, the Duke sitting opposite covered his chest again, as if he had just swallowed a whole lemon without peeling it.

That look of grief and indignation was enough to go to the theater to get a salary, but unfortunately, the only audience was indifferent to it.

Andre put down his hand awkwardly, picked up the teacup again, and used the action of drinking tea to cover up the embarrassment.

"Okay, you are happy. I have no special requirements for you... except for a banquet tomorrow to welcome you home, which must be attended, as for other times, you can dispose of them freely."

"No problem."

Ophia agreed very quickly.

However, before her old father finished drinking the tea, she changed the subject.

"But I have a condition. I want to establish a chamber of commerce, and need a startup fund, the budget is about 100,000 gold coins."

"Pfft—"

The black tea Andre had just drunk almost sprayed out.

He widened his eyes, as if he were meeting his daughter for the first time, looking at her up and down.

This span was a bit too big.

Just returned from the highest institution of magic representing truth and arcane, and turned around to jump into the sea of commerce full of copper smell?

"This... but this is a banquet prepared for you, does your father have to pay for it?"

Seeming to feel that this sentence was not convincing enough, he continued to persuade without stopping.

"And, Ophia, the wealth of the Castillion family is enough to buy half the Shengcheng, we don't need you to show your face. That kind of thing is usually left to agents to do, it is neither wise nor decent for nobles to go down to the field themselves." ===== CHAPTER 580 =====