Chapter 50: Count Winter Thunder

Feilis just stepped away, and Helini couldn't stay either; the golden ticket and Frostfire Ring in his hand felt like burning objects, so he slipped them into his chest and hurried off.

His behavior was a bit odd, but to uninformed onlookers it just seemed he was wealthy and unwilling to stay long, so they didn't think further.

On the contrary, Ga Luo Wei Na was anxious as ants on a hot pan, wanting to leave but unable to, he forced himself to stay calm, forced the guests beside him to smile falsely and continue the conversation.

Lei En watched Helini's departing figure and gave Viola a subtle glance.

He meant, should we send someone to follow Helini so he can't get away?

Viola shook her head slightly, declining the suggestion.

The trade fair continued, yet the guests still gossiped enthusiastically about the recent big deal, gathering in groups of three or five, each small circle discussing related topics.

Viola's expression gradually softened, but a trace of lingering anger remained in her eyes, making it seem her mood was still sour.

"What a good actor."

Lei En muttered to himself, picking up food to fill his stomach while covertly observing Ga Luo Wei Na.

When he was about seventy percent full, Ga Luo Wei Na finally could not hold back and asked Viola for leave; Viola remained composed and escorted him out herself.

The trade fair entered its final stage, and the guests left one after another.

Lei En returned to the fifth floor, and shortly after, Viola came up as well.

She entered and asked, "Lei En, how did you discover that the Soul Stone was problematic?"

Obviously, this question had been brewing in her mind for a long time. Although many signs indicated that the big evening deal was a scam aimed at her, she still didn't understand how Lei En could see through the demon soul's authenticity at a glance.

Lei En had already prepared his reply, raised two fingers, and smiled, "Two reasons."

"First, I already told you that if the Mountain Giant's demon soul were genuine, why wouldn't Helini fuse it himself? Mastering a second Element bloodline would be a huge boost for a Wizard; swapping a demon soul for a premium ring may seem fair, but it misses a prime opportunity to increase power."

"That's Helini's biggest doubt."

He paused, then continued, "The second reason is a bit coincidental: the demon soul I fused carries a rare visual sensory Element that helps appraise demon souls, so I instantly recognized that the soul was fake and not a Mountain Giant at all."

Lei En's words were seventy percent truth and thirty percent false, and showcasing some demon‑soul appraisal ability also benefited himself.

If he later earns the title of Soul‑Appraising Master, he could use it to mask his Soul Eye.

Viola lightly nodded and sat down beside Lei En.

She didn't ask Lei En what the visual Element was; that is the greatest secret of the transcendent, her focus was on the fact that the demon soul was fake.

"Not a Mountain Giant's demon soul? Then what could it be?"

Lei En offered his speculation, "It could very well be a mutated high‑mountain ogre, related by blood to the Mountain Giant; the two are so similar that Helini dared to use it for fraud, confident he could deceive Lai Wen Si Te."

"So it's a high‑mountain ogre."

Viola was suddenly frightened; if Lai Wen Si Te failed to discern the demon soul's truth, she would today lose more than twenty thousand gold.

Violet House seemed to be doing well, but the trade is fiercely competitive; over twenty thousand gold is her half‑year profit.

Not to mention, the trade fair's reputation could be ruined in an instant, making future events hard to organize.

In other words, tonight Lei En saved Violet House.

Not only did he avoid a huge pit, Lei En also cooperated tacitly, pushing the annoying Feilis into that pit; when Feilis discovers the demon soul's issue, she'll likely be so angry she could spit blood.

Viola felt delighted at the thought.

She stared at Lei En,

softly saying, "Fortunately you're here today."

Seeing those seemingly speaking blue eyes and the sincerity on her face, Lei En felt gratified, waved his hand and said, "You reacted quickly yourself, sensed something was off, and trusted me so much."

If it were anyone else, in a deal of such magnitude, it would be hard to believe a newly‑ascended first‑rank Wizard; Lei En had never before displayed any Soul‑Appraiser ability.

But Viola at that moment believed him without hesitation.

That moved Lei En a bit; being trusted feels good.

Viola smiled broadly, "Of course I believe you."

She suddenly stood, retrieved a trade contract from the desk drawer, ignited a flame in her hand, and quickly reduced the contract to ash.

The ash, moving without wind, coalesced into a ball and fell into the trash can.

Lei En watched clearly; this contract was the one he signed to purchase the World Tree Seed, and burning it meant the deal was nullified, freeing him from repaying the over‑thousand‑gold debt.

"Thank you." Lei En said nothing more, expressing his gratitude.

Viola was nonchalant, as if it were a trivial matter, laughing, "This is what you deserve, and far more; I also owe you a favor."

Lei En intended to joke about what kind of favor to repay, but saw Viola sit back down, her face showing contemplation.

The room fell silent.

Within the Soul Eye, Viola's emotions were complex yet relatively calm; clearly she was pondering many things, likely related to the night's scam.

Lei En did not disturb her, quietly admiring the beauty before his eyes.

Such opportunities are rare.

A moment later, Viola inadvertently turned her head and saw Lei En staring dreamily at her; her ears flushed slightly, she felt embarrassed yet a bit smug, and let out a soft hum as a reminder.

Lei En awkwardly withdrew his gaze; fortunately his skin was thick enough to act as if nothing had happened.

"Are you thinking about your uncle's matter?"

He changed the subject, trying to defuse the awkward atmosphere.

Viola's face involuntarily twitched in surprise, "You can even see that?"

She didn't recall ever mentioning Uncle Ga Luo Wei Na to Lei En; before tonight, Lei En didn't even know she was a member of the Duke family. Had she not been aware early and paid special attention to Ga Luo Wei Na's actions at the trade fair, it would have been hard to discover he was Helini's accomplice.

"This guy's observation is unbelievably sharp!"

Lei En gave a breezy smile, thinking that this act was a great success, finally shocking Viola, he chuckled.

Viola shook her head and sighed.

"Since you've seen through it, I have nothing to hide," Viola said, unashamedly, with a wry smile, "That Helini was probably a fraud hired by my uncle Ga Luo Wei Na; it's quite possible even the Mountain Giant's demon soul was his."

Lei En was not surprised at all.

Such internal strife within a great family is rarely seen; countless TV dramas have played it out many times, and its excitement is only a little less than palace intrigue.

He just doesn't understand Ga Luo Wei Na's motive for trying to bring down Violet House.

"What benefit does he get from doing this?"

"There are too many benefits."

Viola explained, "Before I took over Violet House, it had been operating at a loss and was on the brink of collapse."

"I spent a lot of effort and cost to gradually turn it around, and it started making profit."

"However, Violet House isn't wholly mine; I own only thirty percent, the rest belongs to the Duke, and seventy percent of the yearly profit must be handed over to the Duke. If I manage it poorly, I'll lose the shop and it will be transferred to other family members."

"So that's how it is," Lei En seemed to understand and asked, "Did Ga Luo Wei Na set his sights on Violet House?"

He noticed that Viola's address of the Silver Star Duke was the same as outsiders—simply "Duke"—showing her relationship with the Silver Star Duke wasn't that close.

The Silver Star Duke seemed to value wealth above all, not like a head of a household but more like the chairman of a large conglomerate.

Viola shook her head slightly, "He's after far more than just this shop."

"The total value of this shop isn't high; if sold outright, it would fetch about one hundred thousand Gold Shields."

"Ga Luo Wei Na's assets exceed mine; he owns two textile factories, a coal mine, a newspaper, a river transport company, Longshande Port, and stakes in dozens of shops, with a total worth over three hundred thousand Gold Shields."

Lei En listened, mouth agape, thinking the Duke's family was unbelievably rich!

They talk about tens of hundreds of thousands of Gold Shields, which converts to several hundred million copper coins—enough to cover many "minor goals."

No wonder Ga Luo Wei Na is so popular at the trade fair; his net worth is several hundred thousand Gold Shields—who wouldn't want to curry favor with him?

But his methods are unsavory, his conduct disgraceful—he even targeted a family niece.

It seems capitalist greed is the same in every world!

Viola, unaware of Lei En's thoughts, continued, "However, like me, Ga Luo Wei Na has seventy percent of his assets belonging to the Duke and must remit profits annually on schedule."

"Descendants like me and Ga Luo Wei Na who manage the Duke's assets number dozens in the family; whoever makes the most money gains more assets and gets closer to the Duke."

"Within the family, status is determined by wealth contribution unless one is a legendary transcendent."

At this point, Viola's eyes were full of helplessness, and a hint of fatigue showed in her expression.

Lei En suddenly felt some sympathy for her.

The Silver Star Duke's style is too harsh; it feels less like preserving a family and more like running a corporation, which sounds cold and lacks warmth.

Lei En could easily guess the Silver Star Duke's reason for doing this.

Everything is for the purpose of establishing the Floating City!

The Empire's Floating City is renowned throughout Ai Lun E Si; it is a symbol of the Holy Soul Wizard's status and possesses terrifying power beyond ordinary imagination.

However, in people's minds, the Floating City also represents another thing: wealth!

Each Floating City is built from astronomical amounts of Gold Shields, more enticing than the legendary dragon hoards.

The Silver Star Duke has been a Holy Soul Wizard for centuries, but his ability to gather resources and wealth is clearly inferior to the later Hong Shi Duke, who to date possesses only one Wizard Tower.

It goes without saying that the Silver Star Duke is extremely keen on this, squeezing his own descendants like laborers, and the whole family moves toward a single goal.

Lei En finally began to understand what Viola had said earlier.

Being born into the Duke's family isn't always a benefit; sometimes it becomes a burden.

If Viola cannot contribute wealth to the family, she'll eventually be eliminated; with her striking beauty, she could become a bargaining chip for profit.

And Violet House is Viola's guarantee of status within the family.

"Ga Luo Wei Na is secretly framing me; besides trying to seize this shop, more importantly, he seeks the Dong Ting Bo Ju Ling," Viola said slowly.

Lei En was a bit puzzled, "What does this have to do with the Dong Ting Bo Ju Ling?"

He knew the Dong Ting Bo Ju Ling: it lies north of Longshande City, part of the Silver Star Duke's domain, and the second‑largest holding after Longshande within the Duke's lands, with a population near one million. The city is built on the shore of Dong Ting Lake, connects to the Empire's longest river, the Na Qu Mo He, and four major rivers of the Duke's domain flow into it, making it one of the Empire's largest lakes and a crucial waterway.

Traveling upstream from Dong Ting Lake to the west reaches the foot of the Shi Jie Shan Mai; sailing downstream eastward leads to Mo Du, famed as the World Trade Center, and eventually into the Wu Jin Zhi Hai.

The importance of this territory is self‑evident.

Viola explained, "Three years ago, the former Dong Ting Bo Ju—my other uncle—died, and the title has remained vacant ever since; many family members now covet this land."

"The Duke announced at the start of this year that by year‑end a contribution contest will select the new Earl; whoever performs best will receive the Dong Ting territory."

"Ga Luo Wei Na, I, and several other family members could obtain this Earl's land; my chance is the greatest, as Violet House's profit has nearly doubled this year, showing strong management, so Ga Luo Wei Na targeted me."

Lei En suddenly saw the light.

If Viola were to stumble and take a loss at tonight's trade fair, she would lose major points before the Silver Star Duke and could no longer vie for the Bo Ju Feng Hao.

Conversely, Ga Luo Wei Na would gain a huge advantage in the competition.

With an actual Earl title and vast lands as temptation, Ga Luo Wei Na resorted to this method, which is entirely understandable.