Chapter 350

Late at night, in the western part of Louser Arcade.

Unlike Red Pine Avenue, which residents of the capital jokingly call the “Noble District,” where many old noble estates are located, the western area of Louser Arcade, known as the “Rich District,” also houses numerous nobles but lacks large estates.

Because it was established nearly a century later than Red Pine Avenue, the already pricey land in the capital didn’t allow for new large estate constructions. Moreover, most residents here were newly ennobled merchants with much lower political status compared to old nobility, hence the reduced grandeur.

Owning several luxurious terraced villas here was already considered top-tier in the entire “Rich District.” If there was also a medium-sized garden, its owner would likely be an influential figure in the capital’s politics.

However, this rule wasn’t absolute.

Though built relatively late, Louser Arcade still included a few older noble estates within its boundaries before completion. Cuiyu Manor, belonging to the Gold Nightingale family, was one of them.

…

Weird, what does that Gold Nightingale Marquis want?

Walking on bricks that should’ve been pristine white but had turned deep yellow after centuries of rain erosion, Leon reached near the entrance of Cuiyu Manor. Gazing at the magnificent architecture peeking through the forest cover, he couldn’t help but frown slightly.

Honestly speaking, though Baohua Manor clearly occupied more space, this manor wasn’t much smaller. And judging by the intricate carvings on the main building facade, the marble statues scattered throughout the garden, and the masterfully crafted patterns on the porch, this Cuiyu Manor far surpassed the simpler Baohua Manor in terms of luxury.

So were they insane? Why abandon their centuries-old home to forcibly occupy Emma Senior’s estate, abandoned for six years? Puzzled, Leon stepped out from the dark night into the light beneath the gate, entering the sight of the night watchmen, who opened their mouths slightly.

“Meow~”

“Who’s there?!”

Seeing a blurry figure approach, the guard immediately became alert, instinctively wanting to wake his dozing colleague inside to question the intruder’s identity, wondering why someone would approach Cuiyu Manor alone at night.

But just then, perhaps due to excess oil dripping, the lamppost above the guardhouse suddenly flared up, making the once gentle night light unusually blinding, forcing the guard to squint.

When he blinked and looked again, he realized that the figure wasn’t human—it was a cat wearing something around its neck.

Strange… How could I mistake a cat for a person with such a huge size difference?

Staring incredulously at the fluffy short-legged cat, no matter how he looked, it remained just that—no signs of transforming into a catgirl. The Gold Nightingale family’s guard whistled twice dismissively and retreated confusedly back to his post. However…

“Meow!!!”

With a full-of-anger meow, the gray-and-white cat transformed into a blur of colors, wildly charging forward and knocking the guard down with brute force.

I… got beaten by a cat?! Before the guard could process this absurd reality, the small cat used his chest as a springboard, jumping through the open window into the guardhouse.

The registrar inside barely managed a scream before falling silent, and the other two night guards similarly went quiet after emitting a muffled groan.

???

Realizing the guardhouse was eerily quiet, the struggling-to-rise guard rushed over in alarm, only to find the three men inside sprawled unconscious.

The room was littered with tiny paw prints, but the strange cat had vanished without a trace. Yet, he felt faint breathing at the back of his neck…

“Meow!!!”

…

“Good job.”

Catching the somewhat translucent kitten, Leon scratched under its chin before lightly tapping the small red fork hanging on his chest.

Accompanied by a dreamlike melodious chime, the shadowy gray-and-white kitten disappeared, leaving behind a door key engraved with a dove pattern in Leon’s palm.

Sorry, I’m not very familiar with this thing, seems like I hit too hard, but you guys can clock out early today.

Apologizing mentally to the terrified guard lying unconscious, Leon pushed him through the window into the guardhouse, then used the key found by Dream Cat to unlock the front gate, boldly entering the Gold Nightingale family estate.

The elder from three generations used the weapon of the “Master of Desire Dreams” as the core material to craft the “Desire Dream Infiltrator,” which has an extremely covert activation method.

Any interaction, no matter how slight, causes the target’s soul to resonate, allowing dream realm forces to briefly intervene in reality through the soul.

As an ordinary person with no anomalies, upon hearing his own “meow,” the Gold Nightingale family guard fell under the control of the “Desire Dream Infiltrator,” dreaming of a little cat.

This dream-cat, utilizing his soul to invade reality, easily knocked out everyone in the guardhouse under Leon’s control, leaving behind a mess of cat paw prints.

If the General Bureau sends investigators, unless they’re thorough, cross-referencing with the guard’s memory might lead them astray, even pointing toward some “cat transformation” anomaly.

Even if they find nothing and suspect me, having this non-existent scapegoat will dilute my suspicion somewhat—this is my second contingency plan after the alibi provided by the carriage driver.

And since there’s a first and a second, there’s bound to be a third…

“Get to work!”

Patting his button, Leon summoned the Black Goat, pointed at the still-lit main building in the distance, and calmly said:

“Come! Help me find someone!”

…

“Shhh…”

Even though it was deep into the night, with the sky beginning to lighten, someone was still busy at their desk.

After filling half a page with elaborate cursive handwriting, the weary man folded the letter and handed it to the secretary standing beside him.

“Go ahead, seal it, stamp it, and deliver it to the Mining Guild tomorrow along with my order!”

“Yes.”

Carefully taking the letter, processing it accordingly, the equally tired secretary mustered his energy and asked: “Lord Leonard, after your letter arrives, shall we continue courting the Mining Guild as we did last time?”

“No need to court them anymore; they have no further value.”

Taking another document from the pile, Leonard frowned after checking the signature at the bottom: “My previous support for the Mining Guild’s requests was to use tax cuts to relocate them to Merino County for mining. The spice gardens in Merino County are our Kuko family’s biggest rivals.

Since both mining and spice cultivation require significant water resources, establishing mines in Merino County would spark water disputes with the local major spice gardens, suppressing our rivals while reducing the kingdom’s spice production, thereby increasing spice prices.

That was the purpose of my support—not because the miners themselves had any value. Now that they’ve received the orders to start mining, there’s no need to expend more effort on them.”

“Ah, understood!”

After noting Lord Leonard’s instructions, the secretary hesitated for a moment and cautiously asked: “But the miners from the Mining Guild have already clashed several times with Merino County, resulting in seventy or eighty deaths. If things escalate…”

“And she’s always trying to bypass the Ministry of Finance and Parliament to find unapproved sources of revenue to fill the military department’s funding gap. These citizen-established industrial guilds are her strongest supporters, even donating equipment for two regiments.

If a few more people die this time, it might make those peasants realize that the power struggle between the royal family and the Ministry of Finance isn’t something they should meddle in, which could actually be a good thing.

Also, who delivered this letter to my desk?”

Skimming through the heartfelt petition quickly, Leonard frowned tightly, visibly displeased: “The Weavers’ Guild submitted a petition, complaining about hardship and requesting tax reductions… If their taxes are cut, how will the municipal side manage this year? The greenery in the church district and arcades was supposed to be renovated last year. Where will I get the funds if I don’t collect their taxes?”

“These… the Weavers’ Guild indeed faces some difficulties…”

Flipping through the relevant materials, the secretary carefully reminded: “After losing two sea trade routes six years ago, including the fabric trade route, many items couldn’t be sold, leading to a wave of weaving workshop closures.

Although the northern land route you operate with… that family can still transport fabrics, the heavy taxes imposed by the Eishto Kingdom drastically reduce profits, so they might genuinely be struggling…”

“Why are you talking so much today?”

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Leonard looked coldly at his secretary and asked harshly: “Did the Weavers’ Guild bribe you?”

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“They did send a bit… but these facts are undeniable.”

The secretary chuckled sheepishly and continued: “You know, most members of the Weavers’ Guild are small and medium workshops, unable to compare with wealthy big merchants. Even minor changes can push them to the brink…”

“Let them endure it!”

Leonard snorted and said: “I don’t care about your bribery, but tax cuts are absolutely out of the question!

Don’t think I don’t know—back in the day, I worked in this field too. Making money in this industry boils down to exploiting workers. A worker producing two hundred bolts of fabric needs only fifty to sixty bolts worth of payment.

Rather than asking me for tax breaks, they should squeeze more out of the workers, lowering wages to forty bolts won’t starve anyone, and if they can go down to thirty bolts, it’ll be more effective than two tax cuts!”

“This is true, but the weavers might…”

“Then drive away the troublemakers. Do I have to teach them everything?”

Crumpling the Weavers’ Guild tax reduction application and tossing it into the trash can, Leonard said irritably: “If they can’t hire enough people, just pull them from the slums! They’ll work for a meal. Skilled dyers they can’t handle, but unskilled weavers requiring only arms and legs aren’t impossible either?

Also, don’t think because you share the Kuko surname I’ll keep tolerating you. Regardless of how much they bribed you, this matter ends here. Every copper coin of tax must be collected!”

“Alright, I’ll tell them the day after tomorrow…”

“Do it tomorrow! Also, how’s the Baohua Manor situation?”

After drinking a cup of imported invigorating tea across the sea, Leonard vigorously rubbed his temples and asked with closed eyes: “They’ve been cleaning for four or five days now, right? Is the main building ready? Can it be lived in?”

“This… probably another three or four days…”

The secretary awkwardly replied: “Lord, you know, it’s been abandoned for six years. Except for occasional maintenance in the garden, most places are neglected, so…”

“Don’t worry about whether the manor is abandoned, just clean up a place to live first!”

“But… with the place so desolate, wouldn’t it be…”

“The state of abandonment doesn’t matter, as long as it’s livable and won’t collapse.”

Stopping rubbing his temples, Leonard explained wearily: “The princess has gained the support of the Lionheart Duke, securing positions in the Military Department and Road Administration Department, equivalent to obtaining the Deputy Speaker’s seat in the Upper House. For Joshua Prince to compete, merely having the Minister of Finance’s backing isn’t enough; he needs a voice in the Upper House.

According to the Minister of Finance, as long as I acknowledge my marriage to that woman, he can arrange to transfer the Upper House seat of the Baohua Family to me, putting both princes on equal footing.

Moving from Cuiyu Manor to Baohua Manor is the first step in this operation. Even with endorsements from the Ministry of Finance and the royal family, my presence there is necessary to properly inherit the Baohua Family’s political legacy. Got it?”

“Got it…”

“If you got it, go do it!”

Looking at his nominal secretary, who was actually learning governance from him to seek external opportunities, Leonard urged with his last ounce of patience:

“Other matters can wait, but this one is assigned by the Minister of Finance. Moreover, if we can secure Baohua’s seat, His Majesty the King will strongly support it, so it must take priority!

So now, go urge them. Call the workers and start working overnight!”

“Alright! I’ll go right away!”

Upon receiving the instruction, the secretary quickly stood up and hurried out of the office. With no interruptions, Leonard put down his teacup and resumed reviewing the towering stack of documents on the table. The room grew quiet again, only the sound of the pen scratching against paper remained, until…

“Crackle!”

The whale oil in the lamp on the table swayed slightly, emitting a soft crackle, causing the lamp’s brightness to flicker twice, startling the man diligently writing at the desk.

Glancing sideways at the empty side table, Leonard frowned slightly and called out loudly: “Mark?”

“Where are you?”

Waiting a moment with no response, not even from the guards outside, Leonard frowned again and stood up from the desk.

“Mark?”

“I’m here.”

A somewhat blurred figure appeared at the door, but the build seemed slightly off, appearing slimmer than the slightly overweight Mark…

“Mark?”

“Hmm.”

With a confirming reply, the figure stepped out of the shadows outside, the initially blurred form stabilizing under the lamplight.

Watching Leonard relax his tense body, the secretary, still carrying traces of weariness in his eyes, smiled gently and said calmly:

“Lord Leonard, I’ve arrived.”

(End of Chapter)