"Ten percent, consider it your tithe, my lady." Ryan helped Sulia remove her armor. The female knight was dressed simply in a long-sleeved shirt, tight-fitting pants, and riding boots, her body covered in sweat. Seeing the Lady of the Lake, Sulia felt somewhat uncomfortable.
However, since she became pregnant, the Lady of the Lake had been with her almost every day, transforming their relationship from that of deity and follower to close sisters. It had become difficult for Sulia to see the goddess as the untouchable deity she once was. She maintained a basic level of respect: "My lady, I'm all sweaty now. I'll go bathe first. You and Ryan can talk. Ryan, please entertain the lady. I'll join you shortly."
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of Ryan," the Lady of the Lake hugged Sulia and gently touched her delicate face before letting her go.
In June, Nur was already quite hot. Even the well-located electoral palace's courtyard was exposed to the sun, with the hot wind blowing through, lifting the Lady of the Lake's dress. Today, she wore a laurel crown, her long skirt fluttering in the wind, revealing her bare feet without stockings. Her long, golden hair flowed silkily in the breeze, her beauty reminiscent of high elf paintings, exuding a unique elegance and grace. Her fair, radiant skin highlighted her strength and beauty.
Ryan knew the reason for this. His successful reforms in Brittany had revitalized the knight kingdom, whose nobles had decreased in number due to years of war. However, the fervent faith of the serfs had greatly strengthened the goddess. The Lady of the Lake was now experiencing her peak divine power and never hesitated to perform miracles, further expanding her influence.
"Welcome to Nur, my lady," Ryan reached out and seated the Lady of the Lake in the room, feeling quite pleased. "Would you like me to make you a cup of coffee?"
"Noni juice, please," the Lady of the Lake smiled slightly. The stronger Ryan became, the happier she was.
"I recall Noni juice is a high-end drink from Osuan. If you want it, I can arrange for someone to buy it right away." Ryan was speechless at her request and handed her a glass of lemon water. "For now, I can only offer you lemon water."
"So you shouldn't make promises lightly, dear Ryan," the Lady of the Lake said meaningfully. "Once you've made a promise, you must keep it."
Ryan paused, unsure of what she meant.
Was she referring to his promise to Emilia?
Or his promise to the Lady of the Lake?
Or perhaps the Eight Peaks Mountain?
"Avoiding things is not my way, my lady," Ryan thought carefully but didn't answer directly.
The dark elf, Olica, stood behind Ryan, her eyes filled with vigilance and hostility toward the Lady of the Lake. Even though she had regained her strength, Olica knew she couldn't match the Lady of the Lake, but that didn't stop her from disliking the goddess.
"Ryan, you're now not only my chosen champion, Sulia's husband, the Duke of Mousilon, and the rightful heir of Randuin, but also the heir to the knight kingdom." The Lady of the Lake glanced at the dark elf, who didn't particularly please her. However, the goddess wouldn't interfere with Ryan's private matters just because of a personal dislike. She often teased Ryan but knew her limits. As long as she controlled Sulia and Morgiana, she would remain invincible: "Your promise to your little maid was rather hasty."
"So that's what this is about," Ryan shrugged helplessly. "Maybe, but as an imperial lady, I can't even give her marriage. For Emilia and little Frederick, I should stay."
"I'm not saying you should leave, but you agreed too easily," the Lady of the Lake shook her head. "Don't give the Empire the impression that knight support is always free and tireless. You can help your little maid this time, but what about next time when you return to Brittany? Or when you become the knight king? Will you drop everything at her request and rush to the Empire? What if you're on a knightly expedition, leaving behind thousands of troops?"
"Fighting evil is a duty, but not a reason to be coerced or made a fool of," the Lady of the Lake half-joked, half-seriously. "You're my chosen champion. If anyone wants to borrow you, they should ask me first."
Ryan understood the Lady of the Lake's point. He had to adhere to the eight knightly virtues, fighting evil as a duty, but without being overly saintly, burdening himself unnecessarily. He smiled, crossing his hands on the table: "I understand, my lady. Don't worry, Emilia and I have an understanding. She won't let me or Brittany suffer."
"My lady, don't you know Ryan? He's never a fool," Sulia, having finished her bath, appeared in a refreshing summer chiffon dress, her damp golden curls fixed with a headband. For once, she wasn't wearing stockings or high heels, just a pair of soft sandals on her long, slender legs. She was delighted to see the Lady of the Lake and joined her: "He's already calculated the benefits we can gain from helping Nur."
"So he and his little maid conspired with you!" The Lady of the Lake, free of any airs in front of Sulia, laughed and joked with her: "That's not fair, Sulia!"
"My lady, I just remembered," Sulia said shyly, holding the Lady of the Lake's hand.
"Not fair! You promised to share everything with me but kept this secret," the Lady of the Lake playfully wrapped her arms around Sulia's waist, smiling: "You need to be punished, Sulia."
"I was wrong," the knight hugged the Lady of the Lake in return, laughing. "To apologize, my lady, would you like to try some of Nur's desserts? I recently learned how to make Black Forest cake from the palace chef..."
"Sure," the Lady of the Lake and Sulia embraced, laughing together.
Ryan sighed inwardly. He realized that Emilia and Sulia had never reached this level of closeness even at their best, and now it was even less likely. Maintaining a cordial relationship on the surface was the best he could hope for.
"Master, Mr. Oliver has been waiting for a while," Olica, dressed in a black and white maid outfit, whispered behind Ryan. "Do you want to see him?"
"Ryan, handle your business," the Lady of the Lake said, waving a finger and casting a spell that created a thick curtain of mist, concealing herself and Sulia in one part of the room. "We'll just listen."
So this is their way of overseeing things from behind the scenes? Ryan thought to himself.
After a while, Oliver entered. The wealthy merchant was sweating profusely in the summer heat, following Olica into the room and sitting down carefully.
"Sorry for the wait," Ryan apologized, gesturing for Oliver to sit. "How did it go?"
"Very smoothly, Lord Ryan," Oliver said, stroking his long beard and presenting a stack of property deeds. "Due to the chaos army appearing on the border, Nur's property prices have plummeted. Mansions that used to cost two or three thousand gold crowns can now be bought for just eight hundred. Many nobles are desperately selling their properties. If you hadn't asked to finalize the deals quickly, I could have negotiated even lower prices. They just want cash."
"How many properties did you acquire?" Ryan smiled, looking at the thick stack of deeds Oliver handed over.
"I acquired three large noble estates, including those of Count von Lundstedt and Marquis Strassner, who were involved with the Slaanesh cult. We bought them at an extremely low price, thanks to the support of Lady Emmanuelle. Many major nobles wanted to grab these estates, but now they are all preparing for war." Oliver presented three estate deeds, stamped with seals from Lady Emmanuelle, the Church of Justice, the Church of Fairness, and the Goddess of War. "Less than thirty thousand gold crowns, and these three estates are yours, my duke."
"At Nur's previous prices, how much would these estates be worth?" Ryan asked, smiling.
"At least a hundred thousand gold marks, and you'd need connections," Oliver said proudly. "We nailed it."
"And then there are luxury homes and shops in affluent and middle-class areas. Following your instructions, I've been acquiring as much as I can over the past few days." Oliver handed over another stack of property deeds. "These are now yours, my duke. About fifty thousand gold crowns, twenty luxury homes, and a dozen prime shops. I bought them at the lowest prices, pressing desperate sellers for full payment."
"Hmm, interesting," came a silvery laugh from the other side of the room. Oliver glanced towards the curtain, noticing the faint divine light behind it.
It's the Lady of the Lake! Only she would be here at this time!
No wonder Lord Ryan took so long.
The wealthy merchant broke out in a cold sweat, quickly lowering his head. "That's all, Lord Ryan."
"I'll keep the deeds for the three large estates. The rest are yours to handle. In a few days, start selling them off gradually."
"Sell? But Lord Ryan, right now, everyone is selling their properties. We can buy, but who would buy from us? If the chaos army reaches Nur, everything will be worthless," Oliver stammered under the pressure of speaking before a deity.
"Do you have faith in me, Oliver?" Ryan asked, sipping his lemon water.
"Of course," Oliver replied earnestly. "I believe you can achieve anything, Lord Ryan."
"Do the people of Nur have faith in me?" Ryan continued. "You
must know what's being discussed outside these days."
Oliver's eyes widened. He sensed a business opportunity arising from information asymmetry.
"Over the next few days, keep buying. I'll secure some time for you. Press the prices down as much as possible, use our cash reserves to acquire as many properties and lands as possible," Ryan instructed calmly. "Do your best."
"Understood!" Oliver now felt confident. After a brief discussion, he left promptly. "Leave it to me, Lord Ryan. Rest assured."
After Oliver left, the Lady of the Lake and Sulia emerged from behind the curtain, hand in hand. The goddess now understood Ryan's plan, laughing so hard her whole body shook. "Ryan, my champion, I underestimated you. How are you so skilled at this?"
"Skilled?" Ryan raised an eyebrow. "My lady, have you seen this before?"
"This trick was played by the high elves in Lothern five thousand years ago," the Lady of the Lake laughed. "But I didn't expect humans to be so adept at real estate manipulation. Tell me, dear Ryan, where did you learn this?"
Where did I learn this? Ryan's smile was dark and twisted.
Compared to the methods of "Li Ka-shing" he had seen in his past life, his little tricks were nothing.
But that didn't matter, as this wasn't the main goal.
"My dear, expect to receive countless gifts in the coming days!" Ryan stood up. "I won't be receiving guests for the next few days. Please handle it, Sulia."
"No problem, my husband. But how should I respond?" Sulia, annoyed by the sudden burden, asked. "I can't just tell them I know nothing, right?"
"From today, for five days, tell any visitors that I need time to pray to the Lady for guidance," Ryan instructed Sulia. "Accept any gifts and promise to persuade me."
"I understand." Sulia nodded.
In the following days, everything went as Ryan had predicted.
Noble families and their ladies from Nur visited the electoral palace in waves.
Some pleaded, some reasoned, some tried to establish connections, some condemned, and some begged shamelessly.
Gifts were delivered in carts to the electoral palace, and Sulia accepted them all. The duchess, understanding the greater good, assured all visitors that she would do her best to persuade her husband to fight for the Empire against the coming evil.
The influx of gifts was so massive that it filled Ryan's quarters. Emilia arranged for two new rooms just to store the presents.
Those rooms quickly filled up as well.
After five days, Duke Ryan Malcador, the Lady of the Lake's chosen champion, finally responded. He announced that fighting evil was his duty and, as a model of chivalry, he would stand with Nur's people against the impending chaos army.
Furthermore, Ryan would heed the Lady's oracle and summon a knight army from Brittany to aid the Empire!
Knights from across the mountains would once again fight alongside the Empire's soldiers!
The city erupted in cheers.
Nur's previously plummeting property prices began a new surge. Within days, prices rebounded to ninety percent of their previous levels. Ryan's statement had restored confidence among the people.
"Alright, start selling," Oliver received the new order and immediately began offloading the accumulated properties.
Sometimes, making money is that simple.
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