Chapter 189: Different Stances
“Transfer one million gold coins to Carol for backup. Give her more if it’s not enough. We’re not short of gold now.”
After saying goodbye to Carol, Kailun found Phils. Most of the domestic finances were currently managed by Phils and Ella.
He had previously mentioned letting Hilna manage the economy, but it would take some time for her to master dancing.
“One million gold coins? Do we really need that much?”
Phils was taken aback, her hand pausing as she was writing.
“It’s not much. This wedding is a large-scale event, and there are many expenses.”
Kailun sat down beside Phils, leaning back in his chair and observing her.
When she was focused, Phils didn’t seem like a pervert at all. She looked like a beautiful girl with a noble aura.
He reached out and played with her smooth chin, a subtle smile on his lips.
“But Queen Rose just spent five million gold coins yesterday to acquire the Madden and Kaz Kingdoms. She depleted a lot of her reserves. She’s going against you, deliberately inflating the price and draining your resources to make things difficult for you. Given how much the kings of Madden and Kaz fear you, one or two million gold coins would have been enough.”
Phils rubbed her chin against Kailun’s hand, dissatisfied with Rose’s actions. This kind of “betrayal” deserved punishment.
And she would love to be involved in the punishment.
Kailun stroked Phils’s moist red lips with his thumb. “I know about this. Bruce told me from the beginning. Not only that, but the kings of Madden and Kaz also contacted me. You said they fear me, so how could they dare to keep the money for themselves?”
He chuckled. “So, the five million gold coins will eventually return to my pocket. But since it was a purchase, I’ll still symbolically give them one million. This way, only Rose will be kept in the dark. When she comes back, I can use this opportunity to confront her. I wonder if Her Majesty will cry.”
Phils felt much better after hearing this. “Take me with you then. I also want to see how this queen cries.”
She then asked, “Are you really planning to marry the Pope?”
“Guess.”
Kailun withdrew his hand. This was a surprise. It wouldn’t be fun to reveal it too early.
“Then… Do you think I have a chance?”
Phils rubbed her hands together, her eyes shining. She still dreamed of becoming a princess.
Kailun: “Yes, when your family becomes a ducal family.”
Phils pushed Kailun away, speechless. “… Go play somewhere else. I have work to do. Don’t disturb me.”
Whether her family became a ducal family or not was just a matter of Kailun’s words. He was clearly making excuses.
Phils felt a bit unhappy. Anyone but the Pope.
Why let an outsider be the first?
“What a stubborn girl, just like Carol.”
Kailun stood up and ruffled Phils’s hair. Satisfied with her annoyed expression, he left the room.
There were only two days left until the wedding. He not only had to bring his parents over but also make many other preparations.
Although he would invite many people, most of them probably wouldn’t come.
After all, he had a history. The first time he had hosted a banquet, he had eliminated the forces of the First Princess and the Second Prince. The second time, he had almost killed all the nobles.
Anyone who knew about his past wouldn’t dare to come.
Their lives were more important. Who knew if Kailun would suddenly go on a killing spree during the wedding banquet?
Moreover, most people were currently focused on the Abyssal mine. That was the main battlefield.
The information Kailun had released only mentioned that he was holding a wedding. The specific details were unknown.
Leaving Phils’s room, Kailun pondered for a moment and then left the manor, heading for the Chamber of Commerce. He needed Ella’s help to prepare some things.
……
“Which kingdom do you want to acquire next? Is three million gold coins enough? Not enough? Then five million!”
Queen Rose pointed at the map with an air of confidence and excitement. She was happy because she had spent five million gold coins.
“Sigh, Kailun will hold a grudge against you for this. Why bother?”
Bruce sighed. His stubborn granddaughter was retaliating against Kailun in her own way.
But she didn’t realize that all of her actions were within Kailun’s grasp. The current Rose was just his plaything.
If Kailun lost interest in Rose one day, would his granddaughter still have the capital to be arrogant?
“It doesn’t matter. As long as he suffers a little, I don’t care if he holds a grudge against me. In fact, even if I don’t do this, he won’t let me go. In his eyes, I’m just a toy that can bring him pleasure.”
A glint of madness flashed in Rose’s eyes. Kailun’s actions had driven her to extremes.
“You’re quite open-minded. If you have the chance to contact Lord Kailun in the future, please put in a good word for me.”
Bruce chuckled, as if imagining something pleasant.
Rose: “…”
The grandfather in front of her had become a stranger, even worse than a stranger. He wouldn’t hesitate to sell her for a chance to advance to the ninth rank.
Perhaps this was the norm in this world. Everyone prioritized their own interests. Family affection was the least valuable thing among royalty and nobility.
They valued their families, but what they truly valued was the family’s glory, not the family’s bonds.
Bruce glanced at the map. “Lord Kailun said there’s a wedding in three days and asked us to go back. Acquiring the kingdoms can be postponed.”
“I’m not going.” Rose clenched her fists stubbornly.
Bruce: “Suit yourself. If you don’t go, the Rose Kingdom might be attacked by thieves again. And no one will be able to help you then.”
“… I’ll go!”
Rose’s clenched fists loosened.
She couldn’t take it anymore. She would go back and “self-destruct” with Kailun!
……
“I have a bad feeling. Do you think they will really fight?”
In a hidden corner thirty miles away from the second mine, a group of people hidden in the trees were talking among themselves.
They belonged to the Empress and had been ordered to lie in wait and reap the spoils of war.
Their targets were not only the ninth-rank mages from the Abyss but also those under the Pope’s command.
Before the operation began, they had realized that this was a power struggle, a shift in the balance of power within the Temple of the Celestial God.
Another person, sitting on a branch, replied, “They probably will. The reinforcements from the Temple of the Celestial God have arrived, and the Abyss has agreed. Everything is proceeding according to Her Majesty’s plan.”
“Then the question is, everyone else’s reinforcements have arrived. Where are ours?”
“I don’t know. I heard that the Empire has been infiltrated by a large number of illegal miners, and Her Majesty is dealing with it. Some say these miners are dangerous. They can self-destruct, and their power is comparable to ninth-rank magic.”
“I know about this. Last time, the Pope was about to win her expedition, but then some people self-destructed and repelled their attack. I heard that these self-destructing ‘fireworks’ come from Kailun of the Xiya Kingdom. Do you think this is a new type of ninth-rank magic?”
“…”
They all fell silent. They understood the implications of a “firework” that could self-destruct at any time.
If the Empire was truly infiltrated by these miners, it would be like having countless unexploded ninth-rank magic spells lurking within its body.
Therefore, the Empress had sent many people to hunt them down, but the number of miners was too large. They had concealed their identities and infiltrated the Empire from various directions.
“Let’s wait for Her Majesty’s orders. We have five people here. It should be enough.”
The leader, standing at the highest point, looked at the second mine and sighed.
Everyone was restrained. Both the Temple of the Celestial God and the Abyss were stuck here, unable to move.
They had invested too much and couldn’t easily withdraw. If this war wasn’t fought well, they wouldn’t be able to smoothly complete the power shift and would suffer heavy losses.
They were numb. Everyone was carefully preparing for war, but Kailun, the catalyst for this conflict, was holding a wedding.
The leader felt exasperated upon learning this news. Kailun was the one who had caused all this!
“The Abyss will attack tomorrow night. We’ll wait until the Pope’s forces and the Abyss have exhausted each other, then we’ll enter the fray and reap the spoils. There are three of our people on the Abyss’s side. Pay attention to their auras. Don’t kill the wrong people.”
After giving his final instructions, the leader disappeared from the treetop.
The remaining people looked at each other, a sense of foreboding washing over them.
……
As time passed, various arrangements were being made.
Besides Carol and Phils, even Fox and Bella expressed their dissatisfaction with Kailun. Illusion and Vivian even suggested sleeping in separate beds, saying they wouldn’t talk to him for the next few days.
It was clear that they were very unhappy with the Pope, believing that this enemy wasn’t worthy.
Kailun just chuckled and didn’t say much. To deceive the Pope, he had to deceive his own people first. This way, the subsequent plan could proceed smoothly.
He hadn’t expected that even Carol would be kept in the dark. It seemed that her talent wasn’t omnipotent after all.
In the evening, Kailun went to the dungeon again to visit the Pope.
The first thing he saw when he opened the door was Chrissy playing chess with the Pope. Helena was standing beside them, holding a whip, eager to try.
Seeing that their game was nearing its end, he stood aside and watched. After a few minutes, the Pope crushed Chrissy with an overwhelming advantage.
“Your Holiness, would you like to play a game with me? If you win, I’ll let you return to the Temple of the Celestial God.”
Kailun shooed Chrissy away, sat down on the warm chair, and asked.
“Are you serious?” The Pope asked, licking her dry lips.
Kailun rearranged the chessboard. “Of course, I’m not that bored. If you don’t believe me, we can sign a contract.”
“What if I lose?” The Pope asked again.
“There are no conditions if you lose. I just want to play a game with you.”
Kailun casually took out a standard contract scroll. “I told you we can sign a contract. I’m a very honest person.”
He wrote down the detailed terms and left his mark.
“You’re so skilled at this.” Chrissy couldn’t help but comment.
His movements were fluid and practiced, as if he had done this countless times.
“It’s nothing. I’m used to it. Too many people have signed contracts with me.” Kailun tossed the completed contract to the Pope.
She looked at it with confusion. The content was very normal.
If she won, Kailun would release her and let her return to the Temple of the Celestial God. If she lost, there would be no punishment.
She looked at Kailun, unable to understand his thoughts.
Did he really think she would win?
What a joke! The only person in the entire Temple of the Celestial God who could match her in chess was the Empress. What made this mere teenager think he could win?
“You will pay for your arrogance.” The Pope snorted coldly.
Five minutes later, the Pope leaned forward, her hands on her knees, her face filled with dejection. “I lost…”
She had lost utterly in just five minutes, her intelligence crushed, her calculations completely overwhelmed. She didn’t even have a chance to fight back.
Kailun seemed to be playing without thinking. Each of his moves took less than a second, always following her lead.
The relentless pressure made her suffocate.
She looked up, and he smiled kindly at her. “Would you like to continue, Your Holiness?”
Pope: “…”
[Your extraordinary mental power terrifies the Pope. She’s starting to fear you. Goodwill -1, Total Goodwill -86]
This was good news for Kailun.
“I don’t understand your moves. Did you calculate all the possibilities?”
Chrissy’s eyes were filled with curiosity. So this was what Kailun looked like when he was serious. Invincible.
Kailun put away the chessboard. “More or less. It was just a simple calculation.”
“Don’t brag. How could a human’s mental power be capable of considering all possibilities?” Chrissy poked Kailun’s face.
“I can let you try next time. You can play a few games with the Pope. But now, we need to talk about some business. For the sake of Her Holiness’s dignity, you two should leave first.”
Kailun handed the chessboard to Chrissy, urging her and Helena to leave.
Helena hesitated for a moment and then nodded. She wouldn’t cause trouble for Kailun when it came to business.
After the dungeon door closed again, Kailun got straight to the point. “I believe Your Holiness might not know that the Abyss will launch an attack on the second mine tomorrow night. They will have close to ten ninth-rank mages. It might seem like their numbers are similar to the forces you have stationed at the mine, but have you considered that the Empress might also participate?”
The Pope was startled. She quickly stood up. “The Empress wouldn’t do that! It would be a loss for the entire Temple of the Celestial God!”
“Oh? Does Your Holiness really think so?”
Kailun reached through the bars and grabbed the Pope’s hair. “What if I told you that the Abyss’s reinforcements actually came from the Empress?”
The Pope didn’t slap Kailun’s hand away. She was stunned by his words.
She asked, “What do you want? How can I believe that your information is accurate?”
“Cooperation. I will do my best to preserve your forces, and you will help me weaken the Empress’s forces. As for how to believe me, I have a way to help you verify it.”
Kailun’s hand moved to the top of the Pope’s head, pressing down on her.
The Pope instinctively shivered and shrank back.
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