Chapter 271: Bringing Nuclear Peace to the Heavenly Continent
Saint Monique was still pure.
This news was shocking, but Qin Chu had mastered the art of maintaining a neutral expression, no matter the turmoil within.
He mentally reassured Phil that even if she desired Saint Monique’s body, obtaining it wouldn’t be easy.
However, if she succeeded, wouldn’t that mean the entire Church of the Earth Mother Goddess would fall under his control?
Interesting…
After exchanging pleasantries with Saint Monique, the three of them escorted Qin Chu to the banquet hall.
This was the troublesome part of high society, their constant need for banquets.
This time, it was to celebrate the Hero’s triumphant return and his victory against Eldritch, the Second Demon Beast Prince.
After the banquet, a smaller, more private meeting was held, attended by Augustus, Wadsworth, Saint Monique, Qin Chu, Loseweisse, and the high-ranking nobles of the Empire (Marquis and above).
Compared to the banquet, this meeting was the truly important event.
The number of high-ranking nobles, although not insignificant before, had been greatly reduced by the recent events, the hall not even half full.
Besides the nobles, there was another person present.
A short, shifty-eyed man, his appearance and demeanor reeking of cunning and vulgarity, his thin mustache accentuating his… unsavory… aura.
While the nobles sat, he stood, hunched over, a servile smile plastered on his face, a stark contrast to the others.
And this man, Qin Chu recognized.
His name was Lex.
Years later, this cunning and vulgar man would become the wealthiest person in the entire Auville Empire… no, the entire Heavenly Continent.
He would control all the most profitable industries: weapons manufacturing, medicine production, food processing…
He would even control the news media.
His transformation from a small-time merchant to a wealthy tycoon would be astonishing.
And this rise to power would be due to his collaboration with the Hero Squad, using their influence, even the Hero’s name, to achieve his goals.
Wadsworth, sitting at the head of the table, smiled. “Brother Qin,” he said, “let me introduce Mr. Lex, a merchant, and also a skilled blacksmith.”
“The weapons he forges are truly exceptional.”
“You don’t have a suitable weapon yet, Brother Qin. Let Lex forge one for you.”
Lex, his wrinkled face beaming, scurried over to Qin Chu, bowing and scraping.
His hand trembled as he shook Qin Chu’s.
“I’ve long heard of your great name, Hero,” he said, his voice trembling with feigned excitement, his face flushed, “It’s my great fortune to finally meet you. To forge a weapon for you would be the greatest honor of my life.”
Qin Chu discreetly withdrew his hand and smiled. “Then I’ll leave it to you, Mr. Lex.”
“Of course, of course,” Lex patted his chest, “Hero, you can rest assured, I will use all my skills to forge a weapon worthy of your status. I will not disappoint you.”
“Thank you.”
Lex was indeed a skilled blacksmith, his weapons both beautiful and effective.
Even after becoming a wealthy merchant, he had continued to personally maintain Qin Chu’s weapons.
But it was also this damned bastard who had tampered with his weapon, adding a hidden mechanism that caused it to explode during his battle with the Witch. At that time, Qin Chu had thought it was simply due to the force of their clash.
And Lex’s crimes didn’t end there.
In the first playthrough, the poison Loseweisse had added to his medicine had been created by Lex.
And it was Lex’s media empire that had slandered his name, turning him from the savior of the Heavenly Continent into a hated villain.
This seemingly harmless old man was filled with malice, willing to do anything for his own profit.
Qin Chu remembered Ekaterina’s report: when Sylph and Airi first arrived in the Imperial City and met with Loseweisse, two people had visited them.
One was Carlos, the president of the Adventurer’s Guild, and the other was this merchant, Lex.
It seemed that he had already been colluding with Loseweisse.
It was a pity that there were too many people here. Otherwise, Qin Chu would have loved to put one of those threads he had extracted from Sylph into Lex’s body. That would be a good show.
But there would be plenty of time to deal with him later.
“Alright, Lex, you can go prepare the Hero’s weapon now,” Wadsworth said, waving his hand dismissively.
The current Lex wasn’t worth his attention. He couldn’t have imagined that this insignificant blacksmith would one day control most of the Empire’s wealth, making Wadsworth seethe with impotent rage.
Lex, not daring to overstep his bounds before the Emperor, bowed and scurried away.
After this…unpleasant…person left, the atmosphere turned awkward. Wadsworth, Augustus, and the other nobles all looked at Qin Chu, but didn’t know how to broach the subject.
Qin Chu, however, knew exactly what they were thinking.
Warren had already given him a heads-up.
So, you want to interfere in my… personal affairs… as well? Do you even have the right?
“Everyone,” he said, picking up his teacup and taking a sip, his voice calm and relaxed, “this is about the Snow Woman, Heloise, and the Blood Elf, Iyeta, isn’t it?” He had anticipated this. After all, he was the Hero, the hope of the Heavenly Continent.
They wanted him to focus all his attention on humanity, not on Demon Beast women.
His words broke the tense silence, and Wadsworth quickly said, “Brother Qin, it’s not that we’re judging you. I know you like… ahem, beautiful women. Who doesn’t? I also like having a beautiful woman in my bed, not some… ugly monster…”
His crude words made the other nobles avert their gazes, trying to distance themselves from his vulgarity.
No matter how despicable they were in private, nobles had to maintain a facade of elegance and decorum.
Only Saint Monique spat lightly, disgusted by his words.
Wadsworth, however, ignored them. “But you can’t be indiscriminate,” he continued, “Although they’re beautiful, they’re still Demon Beasts. You’re the Hero! If this gets out, your reputation will be ruined!”
Augustus also nodded, like a concerned elder, “Of course, we believe that you’re dedicated to the Heavenly Continent, Hero, but not everyone thinks like us, especially those commoners… You taking in a Snow Woman and a Blood Elf, some might suspect that you’re not on humanity’s side, they might even spread rumors that you’ve joined the Demon Beasts…”
“We’re just concerned about your reputation. This matter could have serious consequences.”
Wadsworth quickly added, “Yes, yes, Brother Qin, I’m doing this for your own good. Even if you like those two, you can keep them hidden, visit them discreetly… Why make it so public?”
And he had even killed the Saint Son of the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess because of them.
“If you need women, I can’t guarantee anything else, but if you just shout on the street, you’ll have noble ladies lining up, fat, thin, big breasts, small breasts, whatever you like, take your pick. Why fixate on Demon Beast women?”
Although Wadsworth’s words were crude, everyone agreed.
As the Hero, Qin Chu shouldn’t be consorting with Demon Beast women.
Qin Chu smiled, inwardly scoffing.
Noble girls?
In his opinion, Demon Beast women were probably cleaner than those noble ladies.
Of course, he wouldn’t say that out loud.
He put down his teacup and spread his hands helplessly, “Everyone…”
“What kind of person do you think I am?”
“Do you think I’m someone who only cares about lust?”
You are!
That was the unspoken message in their gazes, which made Qin Chu feel a bit wronged.
These people of the Heavenly Continent truly misunderstood him.
He felt he had to clear up this misunderstanding.
He stood up, a gentle smile on his face, “Everyone, please rest assured, I am the Hero you summoned, and I will fulfill my duty and bring nuclear peace to the Heavenly Continent…”
“This goal will never change, no matter what.”
“But while fulfilling this goal, I also want to… satisfy my desires… a little. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.”
Desires? You mean lust, right? they thought. He just found those two Demon Beast women attractive, which, admittedly, they were.
“As for me joining the Demon Beasts… that’s absurd. If I had, I wouldn’t be here. And although monster girls are… appealing… I actually prefer maids.”
The nobles rolled their eyes. A monster girl dressed as a maid, that would be truly irresistible.
“There’s nothing I can do, I’m an equal opportunity lover,” Qin Chu shrugged.
The atmosphere was strange. Clearly, the Hero wouldn’t abandon those two Demon Beast women.
A noble frowned. None of the nobles present were fools. They didn’t want Demon Beast women around the Hero. It made them uneasy.
But they also didn’t want to offend him, so even if they objected, they had to start with flattery:
“Hero, we admire your noble character, but precisely because of this, we don’t want to see your reputation tarnished. They’re just… filthy Demon Beasts…”
Before he could finish, Qin Chu walked up behind him, placed a hand on his shoulder, and whispered in his ear with a sinister smile, “Marquis Stretch…”
“Little Ivy tastes quite nice, doesn’t she?”
The marquis froze, his eyes widening, his mouth opening slightly in shock.
Little Ivy was a small Succubus he had acquired for 600,000 Mana, using a group of skilled mercenaries to capture her from the Demon Beast territory.
She was kept locked away in his mansion.
How did Qin Chu know about this?
Looking at Qin Chu’s gentle smile, Stretch felt a chill run down his spine.
That smile was a clear warning: Your Grace, you wouldn’t want this information about your pet to get out, would you?
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