Chapter 82

“Is this subordinate a bit too capable?”

Rewind ten minutes.

Ivyst stood atop the giant dragon, looking down at the sprawling Orlen City from high above.

The lingering chill of her previous demeanor made her appear both imposing and regal.

Not only that, but her dozen or so subordinates behind her also looked rather quiet.

Mission failed.

Although there were no casualties, the outcome was clear: Ivyst hadn’t been able to retrieve the sealed item hidden in that underground relic.

As Duke Tilius had previously pointed out, the state of that sealed item was quite peculiar.

Even with most of her power spent, Ivyst couldn’t take it away.

It had to be at least a Level 2 sealed item.

At that moment, Ivyst came to a judgment.

Items of such caliber often possess a strong sense of self-awareness, able to construct various laws based on their inherent characteristics.

Even Ivyst wasn’t about to act recklessly without understanding its properties.

Besides, that Level 2 sealed item was just a conservative estimate.

She had a vague feeling that its true rank might be even higher.

Thus, for the safety of herself and her subordinates, Ivyst hesitated repeatedly before deciding to retreat.

After all, she wasn’t a professional containment specialist; it was better to leave such matters to the Church.

But this was still a secret mission handed to her by Sixth Saint Roland, and a failure would inevitably lead to punishment—even though she had been through too many similar punishments throughout her life.

Thinkings like that left Ivyst in a bit of a sour mood.

As the dragon’s wingbeats slowed, the height of their flight quickly descended.

Before long, they spotted the lush green lawn of Augusta Manor.

Ivyst glanced over carelessly, but her attention was suddenly caught by a figure in the center of the lawn.

How could it be him? She frowned slightly.

Next to her, Afia, now in human form and wearing a tight leather outfit, leaned in wide-eyed: “Your Highness, it’s that guy! Isn’t he supposed to be helping the Duke? What’s he doing here to pick us up?”

“I don’t know.”

For some reason, seeing him lifted Ivyst’s previously low spirits a bit.

Like meeting a beloved toy again.

Morris poked his head out from the shadows on the dragon’s back: “From what I know, he’s probably already sorted out the Duke’s current problems, which is why he’s so relaxed.”

“Ha, what a joke, that’s five hundred thousand gold!”

A discordant voice suddenly chimed in.

Rhine stood in the crowd, coldly stating.

Morris shrugged: “While I can’t imagine what kind of superhuman could scrape five hundred thousand gold from those stingy church folks in just ten days, he is Lynn after all.”

Rhine’s expression stiffened, and seeing the curious glances from everyone, he gritted his teeth and lowered his head.

He feared that someone might mistakenly bring up what had happened that day in the cellar.

Since being swindled by Lynn twice, their father, Baron Augusta, had been looking at him with less pride and was focusing more on his brother Greya.

This made Rhine feel really uncomfortable.

“Your Highness, how about we make a guess?” Afia suddenly leaned closer to Ivyst, “Let’s guess how much gold that guy helped the Duke gather!”

“…”

Ivyst didn’t respond.

Seeing this, Afia wasn’t upset and spoke first: “I guess… sixty thousand!”

She vividly remembered Lynn handling the incident with the Creation Sect’s followers from a few days ago, so she had no doubt about his abilities.

Morris seemed interested too: “I’ll guess fifty thousand.”

He was being relatively conservative.

“You guys trust him that much?”

One of the subordinates asked curiously.

While they had heard of Lynn’s name, none of them had actually seen him in action, so they had no real impression.

All they knew was that the Princess seemed to value him, referring to him as “Young Master.”

“Of course.”

Afia and Morris chimed in unison.

“One million.” At that moment, Ivyst suddenly spoke up, “If it’s him, it definitely wouldn’t be less than this amount.”

This statement left everyone in stunned silence, exchanging glances in disbelief.

One million? What does that even mean? Many small to medium-sized cities barely had that much in annual tax revenue.

Are you saying that Lynn somehow gathered a city’s total tax revenue from the church in just ten days?

That seems a bit outrageous!

Unless Duke Tilius was planning to go to war with the church and the high nobility, marching in with an army to loot them, that might make sense!

At that moment, a wave of skepticism rose in many minds.

But with Ivyst’s authority looming over them, no one dared to voice their doubts.

Meanwhile, Afia looked at her with a rather complex gaze.

She hadn’t expected that her own princess was the one who trusted that guy the most.

But where did this trust even come from?

Holding such thoughts, the black dragon settled down steadily amid the stormy winds swirling around them.

Curiosity flickered in all their hearts, even the disappointment from the failed mission dissipated considerably.

They all wanted to know just how much Lynn had accomplished.

Before they even had a chance to ask, when the dragon landed and steadied itself, Lynn jumped down from a massive crate.

Then, including Ivyst, everyone watched as he dramatically flipped the lid open.

In an instant, a dazzling golden light glinted in the sunlight, almost blinding.

Everyone instinctively squinted.

At the same time, their hearts skipped a beat.

This… what on earth is this?! Looking at that crate full of gold coins, even Afia was completely dumbfounded, let alone those who harbored doubts about Lynn.

Ivyst stared silently at Lynn, her expression a bit dazed.

“Reporting, Your Highness! I have completed the task with outstanding results!” At that moment, Lynn suddenly exclaimed in a tone loud enough for the entire manor to hear, “The expected goal was five hundred thousand gold coins, but the actual haul is two million gold coins, all accounted for here, I have not failed you!”

Wha-what?!

Upon hearing that sum, everyone was utterly shocked, standing frozen in place.

Yes.

They weren’t mistaken.

It wasn’t Morris’s fifty thousand, or Afia’s sixty thousand, nor even Ivyst’s one million.

It was several times more than their highest estimate! Damn it.

In just ten days, did this guy manage to pull off what would amount to the annual tax revenue of two to three small cities?!

In the crowd, Rhine’s vision darkened, and he nearly fainted from shock.

Too bad, at this moment, no one paid attention to his thoughts.

They all stared in a daze at the crate of gold coins, speechless.

Seeing this, Lynn, standing next to the crate, thought these guys weren’t satisfied, so he nudged Duke Tilius with his elbow, as if signaling him to do something.

Duke Tilius’s face darkened.

He glanced at Lynn, as if saying, “I can’t afford to lose face like this!”

Lynn rolled his eyes back, retorting that he had promised him before.

After a moment of silence, Duke Tilius sighed, then suddenly straightened up with a serious expression, looking at Ivyst: “Your Highness, starting today, the Tilius family will form a formal alliance with you, aiming to assist you in ascending to the throne, and we will provide all possible support.”

His voice wasn’t loud, but it was clear enough for everyone present to hear.

For some reason, at that moment, Ivyst felt her heart begin to race slightly.

A wave of joy wrapped around her, lifting her spirit as if she were floating in the clouds.

She instinctively glanced at Lynn, unable to suppress a thought in her mind.

Was her subordinate just a tad too exceptional?