Chapter 641: Backroom Deal

A moment later, Mrs. Iliesa herself escorted Lei En and Viola out; they got into a car, and under the protection of a squad of Extreme Warriors, drove out of the gate of Marlinge Manor until they vanished into the night, and her smile suddenly faded, her eyes filled with anxiety and fear.

On the car, Viola stared unblinkingly at Lei En.

"What exactly did that letter say?"

She was both pleased and curious; when Lei En produced the letter, Mrs. Iliesa's attitude swung sharply, in an instant changing from lofty to submissive. Even when Lei En demanded a resignation, she did not refuse, merely pleading for a few days' grace to give her time to consider.

Viola was baffled—how could a mere sheet of paper wield such great power?

Lei En smiled, "Actually it's not a letter, but a demand for payment."

"A demand for payment?" Viola was even more confused, "Where does it come from, and who wrote it?"

"It was sent from Mo Tingweis Province," Lei En replied, "The author is the local Mechanical Guild's Vice President Krio."

Viola's eyes lit up, "Is this related to Marquis Sinadalo's domain?"

"Yes."

Lei En smiled, nodded, and then began to explain in a low voice.

That night, after hearing Viola recount Mrs. Iliesa's background, he learned that her husband, Marquis Sinadalo, was a wolf‑school demon hunter, so he immediately sent Tairian to Zhupiler Mountain City, where they found Master Roger. Sure enough, Roger knew the Marquis, and their relationship was close; years earlier they had fought side by side hunting monsters, and Roger learned some inside information from him.

The Marquis Sinadalo was single‑minded in pursuing a breakthrough of the Saint Rank, neglecting the management of his lands; after marrying Iliesa, he handed the domain over to her, and he often ventured into the Abyss for years without returning.

However, Mrs. Iliesa was also poor at administration and had no interest at all.

She refused to live in the barren, dull Mo Tingweis Province, so she stayed long‑term in Nuosiruier, even spending a fortune to purchase the luxurious Marlinge Manor. When her husband left, she spent her days mingling in the Imperial Capital's high society, living a life of decadence and reckless extravagance; the manor's teleportation array was used only a handful of times a year.

Maintaining such a vast manor, salon, and spectacle cost an astonishing amount each month.

Moreover, Iliesa's promotion to Saint Rank nearly emptied the Marquis's family of the wealth they had accumulated over years, and the Marquis himself also spent lavishly, accustomed to big‑ticket spending.

The couple could not earn money, only spend it.

The domain was poorly managed, and members and servants of the family also embezzled, and in just a dozen years they squandered the Empire's wealthiest family into emptiness. Fortunately, the Marquis's lands contained rich mineral veins, allowing them to literally dig money from the ground, preventing outright bankruptcy.

After decades of deficits, the Sinadalo family gradually struggled to sustain themselves and began borrowing money.

The first entity they thought of was the Steam and Mechanical Guild.

Since the rise of the Mechanical Guild, the Empire's mining industry has seen various machines swiftly replace the previously inefficient and costly manual digging methods. Mechanical equipment dramatically boosted mining efficiency while lowering cost and risk, virtually monopolizing the sector; from extraction to transport, smelting, and casting, everything depends on the Mechanical Guild.

So the Sinadalo family mortgaged a portion of their mines to the Steam and Mechanical Guild, repaying with the ore produced each year, thereby maintaining a respectable lifestyle.

They have been doing this for over thirty years.

Coincidentally, the next day, the Mechanical Guild's vice president arrived at Nuosiruier for a visit.

The vice president, named "Belisalu*Karl", is the Mechanical Guild's sole Saint Rank mechanical engineer, whose reputation surpasses Akarand of Mo Du, holds the title "Chief Vice President", and ranks only below the mysterious President who founded the Mechanical Guild.

Lei En has closely cooperated with the Mechanical Guild these past years; after a brief inquiry, Belisalu promptly sent someone to investigate, and that night the data arrived from Mo Tingweis Province.

After reviewing the information, Lei En had only one thought:

"A prodigal son married a prodigal daughter!"

To date, the Marquis Sinadalo couple owes the Mechanical Guild over ten million gold shields in debt, and half of their mines have been mortgaged.

This already amounts to one‑tenth of Weizelan Fu Kong Cheng's debt.

Weizelan's expenses cover hundreds of Wizards; after five or six hundred years plus interest, the debt reached one hundred million gold shields. The Marquis and his wife, only two people, accrued ten million gold shields in just thirty years, borrowing faster than Weizelan, and no one knows where the money went.

So long as this soft spot is seized, Mrs. Iliesa can hardly resist, granting any demand.

Thus this demand for payment was created.

The notice also stated that if the Mechanical Guild does not receive the overdue payment by year‑end, it will not only confiscate half of the Sinadalo family's mines, but also withdraw mechanical equipment from the other half and terminate all cooperation with the Sinadalo family.

This would literally be the death knell for the Sinadalo family.

Losing half the mines aside, the remaining half without machinery is worthless; even reverting to the outdated manual digging of the past, neither cost nor efficiency could compete with other mines.

The more they dig, the more they lose.

This demand for payment was Lei En's ultimate weapon against Mrs. Iliesa; initially he hadn't planned to use it, but after discovering an evil god cultist at the salon, he employed a report‑threat as a test.

Mrs. Iliesa's attitude was unexpectedly hard‑line.

Lei En guessed her confidence stemmed from genuine ignorance about the cultist; the connections he cultivated in Nuosiruier over the years, with a bit of money, would be enough to exonerate her.

Then he decisively produced the demand for payment.

The effect was immediate.

Without mines there is no money, and the domain teeters on the brink; the governor of Mo Tingweis Province has always regarded the Marquis Sinadalo's family as a thorn in his side, constantly contemplating seizing this aristocratic land that occupies one‑fifth of the province for the Empire, and certainly will not miss such an opportunity.

A single hair's movement endangers the whole body; the Marquis's title is hard to retain, and Iliesa can no longer be a marchioness.

The noble lady image she built over years in Nuosiruier collapsed instantly, and she would become a laughingstock in the Imperial Capital, socially dead.

This is the most terrifying prospect for Iliesa, who clings to high‑society life.

Without money, she cannot continue that decadent, dream‑like existence.

If Lei En were even harsher and reported the cultist to the Church of Justice, Mrs. Iliesa would have no money to smooth relations; those people wouldn't even add insult to injury, and she would almost certainly be unable to clear her name.

So, when Iliesa saw the demand for payment, she immediately softened, becoming a wreck.

Viola, after hearing, was also filled with countless emotions.

"Mrs. Iliesa's reputation in Nuosiruier is enormous; everyone rates her similarly—beautiful, wealthy, generous. She is a true noble lady living an enviable life, yet behind it all is such disgrace…"

Lei En shook his head and laughed, "Like a person drinking water, only they know its temperature."

"Indeed." Viola sighed deeply.

Mrs. Iliesa's image, as Viola saw it, completely collapsed; after years of struggling with no means to fight back, Lei En arrived in the Imperial Capital and solved it within days.

The once‑unattainable papal throne was now within reach, making her feel as if she were dreaming.

"Lei En, you are amazing!"

Viola sincerely praised, finally truly witnessing Lei En's formidable tactics, solving an apparently unsolvable problem without a fight.

Seeing the Half‑elf's eyes filled with admiration, Lei En felt a certain pride.

He teased, "Everyone has a soft spot; it's like a man's testicles—grasp it firmly, and a man will obediently submit. The key is finding that soft spot."

Viola's face flushed faintly as she spat.

She glanced at the driver ahead and couldn't help asking in a low voice, "Then what about your soft spot?"

"You are my soft spot," Lei En replied earnestly.

"Ah!"

Viola was stunned for a moment, then understood his meaning, felt deeply moved, gently bowed her head, nestled into Lei En's arms, and solemnly said, "I will strive to keep up with you, and in the future I will no longer be your soft spot but become your armor."

Lei En nodded silently, gently holding her without a word.

The car fell quiet for a few seconds.

He suddenly turned to the driver ahead and said, "How long do you intend to eavesdrop on us, Elder Ke Luo Nuo Man Se?"

Viola startled, sat up abruptly, and stared at the driver behind the wheel.

She had employed this driver for several years; a man in his early forties, originally a second‑rank transcendent, steady‑tempered, with very seasoned driving skills, and Lei En had confirmed his reliability during a screening a few days earlier.

In fact, each time she boarded, she secretly checked whether the driver had any issues.

She had just checked once.

She hadn't expected to be fooled; clearly, the driver at the wheel had been replaced, yet after careful observation she still failed to see through the disguise.

The driver kept driving, not turning his head, and said, "Chairman Lei En, you have sharp eyes; rest assured, I mean no harm."

"I know."

Lei En placed a hand on Viola's back, letting her relax, and said lightly, "If the elder boarded with hostile thoughts toward me, he would likely be dead by now."

He had realized from the moment they left the manor that the driver was a shapeshifted other.

Ke Luo Nuo Man Se seemed surprised, "You knew all along?"

"I have been waiting for the elder for a long time." Lei En said, hugging Viola, reclining comfortably against the rear seat back, "I originally thought the elder would meet me at the salon, but it's not too late now; an elder of Naiser is driving me, which is an honor."

Hearing this, Ke Luo Nuo Man Se couldn't help glancing at Lei En's reflection in the rearview mirror.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"That shouldn't be asked of me." Lei En shook his head lightly and retorted, "What does the elder want?"

He, having transformed into an ordinary‑looking Keluonuo Manse, fell silent, like a real driver behind the wheel, until half a minute later he said, "I want the Naiser Fu Kong Cheng."

Lei En's mouth corner lifted, revealing a faint smile.

Sure enough, it was as he had expected.

Ever since first meeting Keluonuo Manse, the Soul Eye sensed that he bore no hostility toward me, completely different from the other elders' attitude.

That day I took the Three Gods Blood Oath, explicitly stating I had no intention of meddling with Naiser, witnessed by the Three Gods; Keluonuo Manse's reaction was actually stronger than Bu'ao Yangsi's, with intense emotional fluctuations, though none were visible on the surface.

Even without the Soul Eye, this Naiser elder's thoughts are easy to guess.

He is not yet three hundred years old, yet has already mastered two Nine-ring Techniques, only one step away from a Holy Soul Wizard, and his ambitions are great. While Augulevi Master was still alive, he certainly would not dare any extravagance; even if he ascended, he could only, like Duke Hong Shi, go solo and establish his own Fu Kong Cheng.

Now that Augulevi Master has disappeared, Naiser has become ownerless.

How could Keluonuo Manse possibly remain unmoved?

Duke Hong Shi claims to have the collective support of the Naiser elder council, but that must be exaggerated. If one were to identify the most reluctant elder, it would certainly be Keluonuo Manse, but constrained by Duke Hong Shi's prestige and power, he dares not reveal it.

This is a perfect opportunity to undermine the Naiser elders' support for Duke Hong Shi from within.

Lei En said seriously, "The Naiser Fu Kong Cheng belongs to the Naiser Wizard; that has always been my view, never changed."

Keluonuo Manse's eyes brightened slightly, "I believe you."

The Three Gods Blood Oath is no joke; having no thoughts before, and none thereafter, otherwise one would violate the oath and have one's soul struck by the Three Gods into the bottomless Abyss.

Lei En smiled.

"If an elder achieves Holy Soul Ascension and takes charge of the Naiser Fu Kong Cheng, that is what I would gladly see." His words made Keluonuo Manse's hand tremble, his driving becoming a bit unsteady.

The Naiser elder council had long seen it; whether the Supervision Group or the Mo Du faction, Lei En wields enormous authority. Lei En is truly the one who can decide the Naiser Fu Kong Cheng's ownership, his influence surpassing Consul Gneus, and even far beyond Duke Hong Shi in Parash.

Keluonuo Manse was waiting for exactly that sentence.

Lei En continued, "However, who will take charge of Naiser is not something I alone can decide; the elder must also strive to claim it."

"Naturally." Keluonuo Manse nodded, his thoughts shifting rapidly.

He is now only a short way from Holy Soul Ascension—fast in three years, slow in several decades—and cannot say when he will breakthrough. If he wishes to smoothly take charge of Naiser, he must obtain the authority to manage Naiser before ascending, so that the elders will support him.

The worst‑case baseline is that he must not let Duke Hong Shi get the upper hand, otherwise there will be no chance.

"Kailston has won over the majority of Naiser elders; I can only hope to secure the support of two elders." Keluonuo Manse said honestly, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Lei En gave a half‑smile, "Elder Proctif and Elder Sheffer?"

"How do you know?" Keluonuo Manse was greatly startled.

"Hehe…" Lei En gave a mysterious smile, did not answer, and hinted, "You can talk privately with Elder Harawa; he should support you. As long as Elder Harawa nods in agreement, Elder Inora will also stand on your side, making five elders in total."

The more Keluonuo Manse listened, the more his heart raced, as Lei En seemed to know the elder council even better than he did.

His expression complex, he said, "Five elders are still not enough."

Now Naiser still has eleven elders; the remaining six are close to Duke Hong Shi, led by Bu'ao Yangsi, supporting Duke Hong Shi's claim over Naiser.

"Five is enough." Lei En clearly had a plan already.

Keluonuo Manse had already guessed his plan, indeed, upon hearing Lei En say, "Any elder who does not support you will have their elder status stripped by the Supervision Group; if anyone dares to rebel, I don't mind sending them to meet Elder Kuitu."

Even with his speculation, hearing Lei En say it still startled Keluonuo Manse.

He hesitated for a moment, then lightly nodded.

"Then, what does Chairman Lei En want to get from me?" Keluonuo Manse, of course, would not think Lei En was that kind of altruistic do‑gooder.

Lei En gave him a playful smile, "After an elder achieves Holy Soul Ascension, they owe me three promises."

(End of chapter)