Chapter 131: Kuye Town
The Mental Potion factory was located in a rather secluded spot, tucked away in the southwest corner of the Royal City.
Currently, it was under the Chamber of Commerce, managed by Ella.
However, there were simply too many things to manage, and she couldn’t handle everything single-handedly.
In Kailun’s opinion, Ella’s talent was more suited for making large-scale business decisions.
He planned to hand it over to Winnie.
Everyone should play their part, otherwise, they would just become mere vases.
“Young Master Kailun, Miss Carol, welcome.”
As Kailun and Carol arrived at the heavily guarded factory, a middle-aged woman greeted them at the gate.
Her name was Doreen, and she managed some of the Kailun family’s shops. Duke Anderson had sent her to assist Kailun.
She was capable, but not on the same level as Ella and Philip. Kailun had no memories of her.
“Yes, I’m just here to take a look. Are the preparations ready?”
Kailun nodded slightly and walked inside with Carol, who was holding his arm.
Before leaving, Carol had changed out of her revealing maid outfit and put on a white blouse and a black skirt. To satisfy Kailun’s preferences, she had also specially put on a pair of high-quality over-the-knee socks.
Passing through the gate reinforced with defensive magic, Kailun entered the factory area, where numerous prefabricated houses were connected.
There weren’t many workers here, only about a hundred or so. Most of them were mages, mainly engaged in making exquisite packaging and glass crystal bottles.
Since they wanted to sell ordinary water at an exorbitant price, they had to put in the effort to make it look the part.
“As you instructed, we have designed exquisite templates and can start production as soon as we receive your order. However, the price of this kind of crystal is quite high, so the output won’t be very high.”
Doreen walked respectfully in front of Kailun, explaining the situation.
“We don’t need a high output. This product is meant for a select few. Once they realize its true nature, they won’t buy it anymore.”
Kailun’s gaze swept across the well-organized factory area. The layout was quite good.
He had Doreen lead him to the finished product area, where he saw rows of exquisite wooden boxes on the shelves.
The wood used to make the boxes was special, imbued with a faint magical aura, constantly releasing a relaxing fragrance.
Kailun took a box from the shelf and opened it in front of Carol, revealing a beautiful glass crystal bottle inside the exquisitely decorated box.
Overall, it could be described as simple and elegant. A quick glance was enough to tell that the contents of the bottle were expensive.
The manufacturing cost of such a small box and bottle was around 500 gold coins.
If it weren’t for making more money, this would be a huge waste.
“Not bad. It meets my expectations. Have someone send ten boxes to my manor later. I’ll handle the packaging.”
Closing the box, Kailun placed it back on the shelf.
Doreen pointed at the remaining boxes on the shelf. “Young Master Kailun, is ten boxes enough? We have already made thirty. And we can also handle the packaging. We just need to know what ingredients you require.”
“Scarcity increases value. We only need to release a very limited quantity in the first round. As a fellow mage, you should know how important mental power is, right?”
Kailun walked around the shelves, selecting ten boxes with the best appearance.
“Everything will be done according to your instructions.” Doreen replied after a moment of hesitation.
Kailun turned to look at her thoughtfully. “Doreen, you’re a veteran of our family. You shouldn’t be hiding anything from me, right?”
“Doreen has nothing to hide from Young Master.”
Kailun’s gaze casually swept over Doreen. “That’s good. As a veteran of the family, you should know what questions to ask and what questions not to ask. Since we’ve seen everything, I’ll go for a walk in the city. Have someone send the boxes I selected later.”
Leaving behind these simple instructions, Kailun left the Mental Potion factory with Carol.
This time, they didn’t take a carriage. They strolled leisurely along the streets of the Royal City.
“Master, do you think there’s something wrong with that woman?” Carol asked curiously as they walked.
Kailun, walking beside Carol, sighed. “There’s definitely something wrong with Doreen. I’m sure you noticed it too. I didn’t expect someone to reach out to me here. It’s quite interesting.”
“Why didn’t you just deal with her?” Carol continued to ask.
Kailun: “She doesn’t have access to anything crucial. Keeping her might help us catch bigger fish. Since she wants the ingredients and the production method, I’ll give them to her when the opportunity arises. The existence of such information can indirectly increase the price of the product. And I can also make a fortune by selling the ingredients. Let me think what specialty in the Xiya Kingdom can be sold at an exorbitant price.”
There was nothing that could actually enhance mental power. There was only Kailun’s own talent.
He just needed to give Doreen a list of expensive ingredients, and he could drain the assets of the people behind her.
Keeping Doreen around could also serve as a smokescreen. Why not?
However, this incident also served as a reminder to Kailun. His power had expanded too quickly, and his organization wasn’t monolithic. As of now, many people must have infiltrated it.
A purge was necessary, otherwise, his future plans would be hindered.
Fortunately, he could be sure that the Silver Moon Knights under his command were absolutely loyal, so he could find trustworthy people to handle his affairs.
After strolling around the Royal City with Carol, eating snacks from street vendors, and buying some pretty jewelry for Carol as gifts, the two returned to the manor at noon.
As soon as they returned, Kailun took Winnie to the underground prison.
He also brought two food boxes, one filled with a sumptuous meal, the other with hard black bread and water.
Winnie, looking slightly pale, walked towards the underground prison with a sense of unease.
“I’m not a demon. You don’t have to be so afraid of me.” Kailun, carrying the two food boxes, walked ahead of Winnie. “As long as you’re obedient, you’re part of our family. Even as a pet, you’re still part of us.”
“Only as a pet?” Winnie murmured, following closely behind Kailun with her head lowered.
Kailun tilted his head slightly, glancing at Winnie with a smile. “It depends on your performance. Now I’m going to give you a chance. Ella, also a pet, is in charge of the Chamber of Commerce. How far can your abilities take you?”
Winnie: “I… I don’t know.”
“You don’t have to give me an answer now. I just need to see results. The task of luring out the fish is entrusted to you. I hope you can handle it well.”
As he spoke, Kailun opened the last door of the underground prison.
Turning on the dim magic lamp, Kailun saw Vivian huddled in a corner, hugging her knees, while Hilna was reading a romance novel.
Seeing him arrive, both of their eyes were filled with resentment.
Vivian was resentful because she was locked up in a dirty and messy room, while Hilna was resentful because she had become a slave.
“You don’t seem to welcome me. Should I leave then?”
Kailun stopped at the doorway, raising the food boxes in his hand to indicate his purpose.
“Don’t leave! Let me out! I need to use the toilet!”
Vivian was the first one who couldn’t hold it in anymore. She had been enduring it for most of the day.
Kailun shook his head, standing outside Vivian’s room. “No, your room has a toilet. Go solve it yourself.”
“You call this a toilet?” Vivian pointed at the large pit in the corner.
Apart from two rotten wooden boards on top of the pit, it didn’t look like a toilet at all.
“My princess, if you still can’t correct your attitude, you might have to stay in this room for a month. By then, everything will be over, and you’ll miss out on everything.”
Kailun opened the food box containing the black bread and placed it outside Vivian’s cell, within reach of her short arms.
“Similarly, if the princess can’t correct her attitude, she might have to be a slave for the rest of her life.”
As he spoke, Kailun opened the other food box, which was filled with a sumptuous meal, and placed it outside as well.
Hilna glared at Kailun. “I’m already a slave. What’s the point of living?”
Kailun: “That’s a good question, princess. You’re right, there’s no point in you living. But what about Shirley? She’s in my hands. Oh, and there’s our bet. I’m looking forward to you personally delivering Shirley to my bed.”
Hilna’s face turned even colder. “Pervert, s*x fiend, is threatening all you can do?”
“But isn’t it the simplest method? Or do you think you have the capital to make me put in more effort, princess? To be frank, if it weren’t for the desire to bully you, you’d just be a vase to me. You can’t compare to Phils in governing, you’re short-sighted in management, and your magic talent isn’t even as good as Vivian’s.”
Kailun crossed his arms and looked at Hilna with scrutinizing eyes. “Oh right, you have some talent in potions, but it’s not enough for me to take seriously. So, princess, have you figured out what you can do? If you can come up with an answer, I might even release you from your slave contract.”
While giving Hilna despair, Kailun also offered her a glimmer of hope.
Hilna: “…”
She thought carefully and realized that she had indeed become useless.
Reaching this conclusion, she felt even more miserable.
“By the way, let me introduce you. This is Winnie, the future vice president of the Balance Chamber of Commerce, the current manager of the Mental Potion factory, and someone who controls assets worth tens of millions of gold coins.”
Kailun pulled Winnie, who had been watching the show from the side, to the front and introduced her to everyone again.
The so-called “tens of millions of assets” was completely made up by Kailun. Based on his estimation, reaching five million was already pushing it. The actual value depended on how many fools there were.
Winnie, thrust into the spotlight, felt a little lost. Looking at the two princesses locked up in the prison, she almost wanted to cry.
She hadn’t expected to gain Kailun’s favor, and her status had even surpassed that of the former princesses.
Under the scrutiny of the two princesses, Winnie subconsciously straightened her back and lifted her chin.
[Your appreciation has increased Winnie’s goodwill. Goodwill +15, Total Goodwill 60]
An expected change. The purpose of bringing Winnie along was to highlight the difference and make Hilna and Vivian face reality as soon as possible.
“Aren’t you worried that she’ll lose all your money?” Vivian asked sourly, pouting.
Kailun looked into Vivian’s eyes. “It’s a small business. Even if she loses everything, it won’t have much impact. On the contrary, the profits are more than a thousandfold.”
An unexpected change had occurred in Vivian. For safety’s sake, Kailun would proceed cautiously.
Although his strength had reached the ninth rank, it wasn’t enough.
Based on the current information, the previous world had probably been destroyed, and the one who destroyed it was most likely Carol.
But the power of a ninth-rank mage couldn’t destroy the world.
“Hmph~” Vivian felt even more jealous.
She refused to admit defeat. She knew she couldn’t control her inner desires.
That morbid craving was making her strange. Vivian felt that she needed to stay in prison and calm down.
A strange memory appeared in her mind, just a fragment, a blank slate when she touched it.
But she had a premonition that as time passed, she would definitely see what was in that memory.
“Three days. I’ll give you three days to admit your mistakes.”
Kailun held up three fingers. “In three days, it will be a new beginning for me and the world. If you miss it, you’ll miss it forever.”
After saying that, Kailun left the prison with Winnie, giving the two princesses enough time to think.
“What do you think? He seemed serious just now.”
Vivian asked Hilna, who was in the next room, through the glass wall.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m already a slave.” Hilna hugged the romance novel, her face full of despair.
“Forget it, I’m going to eat.”
Vivian walked to the door and reached out to take the black bread and water from the food box into her room.
Looking at the other food box, which was placed further away between their rooms, Vivian gulped. She saw steak, crayfish, and chicken wings in the open box.
But her arms were too short to reach it.
She stretched her short legs out through the gap in the bars, but she still couldn’t reach it.
“Hey, can you do me a favor?” Vivian thought of Hilna’s long legs and decided to ask for her help.
Hilna looked up and saw Vivian’s short leg sticking out of the room. She understood what she wanted.
“Help you? Do you think I’ll be kind enough to help you?” Hilna sneered. “Impossible. I’ll watch you while I eat.”
Hilna put down the romance novel and walked to the bars. She sat down on the carpet like Vivian and stretched out her long, fair legs.
Hilna’s feet had a jade-like luster, only a size or two larger than Vivian’s small feet, looking very alluring.
Fortunately, her legs were long enough to reach the food box that Kailun had placed far away.
Vivian: “You wicked sister, you’ll be punished!”
“I’m happy to~”
Hilna hummed triumphantly, pressing her chest against the bars and reaching out with her foot to hook the food box, trying to pull it back.
Due to the force of her body, the bars dug into her ample bosom.
Because she didn’t control her strength well, Hilna’s foot kicked the corner of the food box.
The expected food splatter didn’t happen. Instead, Hilna’s foot and the food box were stuck together.
“Ouch!”
Hilna cried out in pain and quickly retracted her foot, cradling her red toes and complaining, “Damn that bastard, he used magic to fix the box!”
Her little toes were in excruciating pain. Hilna once again realized Kailun’s insidiousness.
Not only did he leave a box of delicious food that they couldn’t eat, but he also used magic to fix it in place.
[Your nasty behavior has disgusted Hilna once again. Goodwill -5, Total Goodwill -90]
“See, you’ve been punished.” Vivian giggled.
However, Hilna was no longer the same Hilna. Enduring the sharp pain, she stretched out her foot again, this time using her fair and cute toes to pick up a piece of steak.
Hilna: “So, my foolish sister, do you want to eat this delicious steak? I picked it up for you with my feet~”
……
“I can’t find it. I’ve sent out over a hundred scouts, but we haven’t found anything.”
“We’ve also searched all the locations on the map. There’s nowhere with an underground space.”
Shirley, who was far away in Count Laurist’s territory, was studying the map, deep in thought.
Following Kailun’s instructions, she had carefully checked every location, sending out numerous scouts and questioning most of the residents.
Although not much time had passed, Shirley had already explored many places.
Logically, Count Laurist’s territory was only this big. It shouldn’t take too long to find it.
After leaving Hilna, Shirley often thought to herself, and her mind even seemed to have become a bit sharper.
“Someone, go ask Count Laurist if his family’s territory has ever changed, and by the way, ask if there are any old maps. If there are, get me a copy.”
Shirley instructed her subordinates, suddenly realizing a crucial point.
The territories of nobles weren’t static. The division of territories was related to the royal family’s allocation and the buying and selling of land between nobles, making it complex and ever-changing.
If Count Laurist’s territory had changed in the past, she would naturally have missed some places.
Shirley’s inspiration continued to flow. She felt like she was becoming smarter and smarter.
Sitting in her chair, absorbed in her work, Shirley realized that although she missed the princess, the longing had faded considerably.
She was now staying in the castle of Count Laurist’s territory, which was right in the center.
Looking at the scenery outside the window, Shirley felt unusually calm.
“Lady Shirley, Count Laurist said that his family’s territory has indeed changed several times. He gave me all the previous maps.”
About half an hour later, a female knight entered the room and handed five old and worn parchment maps to Shirley.
“Thank you for your trouble. You can leave now.”
Taking the dusty maps, Shirley dismissed the female knight.
She pinned each map onto a wooden board and carefully compared them, discovering that Count Laurist’s family’s territory had undergone several changes, both large and small.
She circled the changed areas on the latest map and then compared them with the other maps in more detail.
“Kuye Town…”
Based on the circled areas, Shirley quickly focused her attention on the lower right corner of the map.
It was an area outside the current Count Laurist’s territory, not belonging to any noble.
On the current map, that area was empty, marked as barren mountains.
But looking at the first generation’s map, there was clearly a small town there, called Kuye Town.
Her intuition told Shirley that this Kuye Town was definitely not simple.
“Someone, assemble an exploration team. I think I’ve found our destination.”
Shirley rubbed her sore neck and put away all the maps.
“Should we report the results to Lord Kailun?” the female knight who entered the room asked.
Shirley hesitated for a moment before saying, “Let’s contact him. Otherwise, that demon will bully the poor princess again.”
She was working so hard all for the sake of the princess.
Kailun had said that as long as she worked hard, he would treat the princess better.
Now, it felt like she was working hard outside to support someone else’s wife. Shirley felt strange.
Looking at the faded Kuye Town on the map, Shirley had a bad feeling.
……
“Finally, I can leave this place. Woohoo~”
Saint Chrissy of the Temple of the Celestial God couldn’t help but cheer when she heard the news of Kailun’s Chamber of Commerce establishment.
This time, she would represent the Temple of the Celestial God in visiting the Xiya Kingdom. Accompanying her were Helena, the assassin girl, and an elderly ninth-rank woman who was a former Cardinal of the Temple.
Originally, Paul was supposed to be part of the entourage. According to the Pope’s orders, the elderly ninth-rank woman would kill Paul on the way.
However, Paul, led by the previous Saint, Henry, had left ahead of them.
“Are we just leaving like this?”
Helena was hesitant. She hadn’t yet told the Pope about the Saintess being a traitor, and now they were leaving.
“I suggest you stay in the Temple and let me go alone. Three days might not be enough time, even with the Temple’s special teleportation array.”
Saint Chrissy was packing her luggage, including a lot of black and white silk stockings, specifically for Kailun to tear apart.
“The Pope treats you so well, but you betrayed the Temple of the Celestial God. You’re so heartless.” Helena stepped back to make way for Chrissy.
Chrissy: “Don’t you want to get your dagger back? Aren’t you afraid that Kailun will use your dagger to trim his fingernails? Or even worse, his toenails? Think carefully about whether you want to come to the Xiya Kingdom with me. If you don’t keep an eye on me, I might give all the money to Kailun.”
“What could possibly be worthwhile in a small country’s Chamber of Commerce…”
Helena muttered unhappily. In her opinion, the Xiya Kingdom still lacked a solid foundation and didn’t even have a ninth-rank mage.
Chrissy gave Helena a meaningful look. “I hope you won’t beg me later, Miss …”
Helena: “…”
No matter how many times she emphasized it, Chrissy could never remember her real name.
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