Leilin was generally satisfied with the current situation in the
But if some other outside force were introduced, it would easily create unpredictable variables. Therefore, relatively speaking, Marquis Dimu — whom he knew inside and out — was not entirely unacceptable.
Having thoroughly understood the Faolan Family's power, Dimu certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to start a war on his own initiative. In truth, Leilin was confident that the strength he had displayed through his recent maneuvering alone was enough to intimidate the other party.
And with Dimu having completely submitted, he didn't mind tossing him a few scraps to taste.
After all, Dimu was still the greatest noble in the Outer Seas and a banner of the royal family. If he could bind the other party to his own chariot through an alliance of interests, that would be quite a nice outcome.
No matter how deep the hatred, it could melt away in the face of immense profit — let alone when there had only been a few "misunderstandings" between them to begin with!
Of course, even though Dimu had already shown signs of submission, Leilin wouldn't ease his vigilance against the other party.
"Mm… no…"
"Sob… sister… Daniel… save me!"
A familiar voice drifted from the room to the side. The surrounding guards and maids naturally recognized Leilin, had a vague understanding of their master's relationship with Leilin, and knew about the recent property transfer — so they didn't dare to block his path.
"Interesting! How should I play this?"
A playful smile tugged at the corner of Leilin's lips, and he abruptly pushed open the tightly shut door.
"What's going on, Dimu, my friend? I seem to have heard some unusual sounds!"
Leilin looked at the scene inside the room with an expression of 'confusion' — Daniel stood to one side with a flushed face, Dimu's trousers were already half-undone, and on the office desk nearby sat a pair of tear-stained sisters crying like rain-soaked pear blossoms.
"Oh! Leilin!"
Dimu greeted Leilin without the slightest embarrassment, then introduced Daniel to the side: "This is the Court Mage, Honorary Viscount Leilin Faolan — my best friend!"
"And this is Viscount Daniel!" Dimu then said to Leilin.
"Lord… Lord Leilin!"
Daniel felt that Leilin looked somewhat familiar, but he had long forgotten the mercenary from before, so he composed himself and came forward to bow.
Court Mage! Honorary Viscount! Though both were empty titles, they still represented extraordinary honors!
In particular, the other party might have won His Majesty's favor, and he also had Marquis Dimu as a close friend — for Daniel, that was enough to constitute overwhelming superiority.
"Good day, Lord Daniel!" Leilin gestured toward the disheveled Hera sisters, a look of puzzlement on his face.
"Oh! These are a pair of noble sisters that Daniel sent over. What do you think? If you like them, I can lend them to you for a while…"
Among the nobility, such things were extremely commonplace. Dimu had clearly misunderstood something.
"Mm! Although I've already tasted the younger sister, I haven't touched the older one — she might still be a perfectly pure virgin…"
Daniel was clearly an old hand in matters of romance.
It was just that his position was rather questionable. Of course, perhaps he had never intended to actually marry the other party and was only planning to play around, so he could hand them over without hesitation.
Having realized this, Hera was utterly despairing. But then, when she saw Leilin, her expression suddenly changed: "Lei! You're Lei! Have you come to save us?"
"Lei?" Yalani, who was shielding her chest with clothes from the floor, looked over at the noble who had barged in.
He did indeed look exactly like that mercenary from before, only now he carried an intense aristocratic bearing.
"The mercenary… Lei?"
At this point, Daniel finally realized where Leilin's familiar face had come from. This Lei was none other than the mercenary who had escorted the Hera sisters to his doorstep!
But… Court Mage! Honorary Viscount! Those were clearly at the opposite extreme from the bottom-of-society, mud-like mercenary.
Even Daniel couldn't immediately connect the two.
Hera's face burned like fire, filled with a shame so deep she could die. She too had come to realize.
Here she had magnanimously thought she was granting him a way out, never imagining that this Lei had been hiding so deeply — that even Marquis Dimu, whom Daniel specifically tried to curry favor with, seemed to fear him.
Her previous actions, in his eyes, must have looked like those of a clown, right?
For reasons she couldn't explain, Hera — who had remained strong even through her misfortunes until now — found two streams of tears flowing uncontrollably down her cheeks.
"Uh… do you all know each other?"
Dimu scratched his head at the awkward scene.
"Mm! We've met once before! On the way to the capital…" Leilin was deliberately vague. "Viscount Daniel is also my friend. If there aren't any particularly major issues…"
"No problem! I agree to what you asked before!"
On such minor matters, Dimu was more than happy to do Leilin a few favors. He patted Daniel's shoulder as he spoke, immediately bringing a look of wild joy to the other's face.
"Thank you! Thank you! Marquis Dimu, and Viscount Leilin! Thank you for your help…"
Daniel was so excited he could barely form coherent sentences, only able to thank Leilin and Dimu incoherently.
"Heh heh… I heard this Yalani is actually his fiancée. And he's willing to hand her over, all for just this little bit of benefit…"
In his heart, Dimu looked down on Daniel, but he didn't show it.
What interested him more was the relationship between Leilin and the Hera sisters.
To him, what were women? If he lost one, he could find another. But if he could discover Leilin's weakness or the people he cared about through the Hera sisters, that would be absolutely perfect…
"Th… thank you…"
Because of Leilin's deliberate interruption, what had been happening naturally couldn't continue.
Hera and Yalani quickly tidied their clothes. As Hera passed by Leilin, a whispered word of thanks, soft as a mosquito's buzz, escaped her lips.
"Mm, it's nothing…"
Leilin looked at Hera, whose face was red as blood, and the clearly silent Yalani. A strange smile suddenly appeared at the corner of his mouth: "If you feel you can't stay with him any longer, perhaps you could go find Marchioness Louisa!"
"Marchioness!?" Hera clearly noticed that title.
"Yes…" Looking at this woman who had just climbed out of a trap only to fall into an even deeper abyss, Leilin forced down the urge to laugh. "And also Madame Delai — go find them directly, and I'm sure they will help you…"
"Thank you! Thank you! Leilin, you really are a good person!"
Hera looked at Leilin, who was so 'wholeheartedly' helping her, and thinking back on her previous attitude toward them, she finally broke into uncontrollable sobs.
Watching the sisters leave — and shortly afterward hearing the screams and quarreling between Yalani and Daniel — the smile on Leilin's lips grew wider and wider.
"Delai oh… don't disappoint me with this pair of vain souls I've found for you. After you're done using them, what will they become? Delight demons? Or desire demons… I'm quite looking forward to it…"
"Sorry, Dimu! I interrupted your good time!"
Leilin looked at Marquis Dimu beside him.
"Not at all! It's my honor to be of help to you!" Looking at Leilin in this state, Dimu felt an inexplicable chill run through him, thinking that his desire to pry into Leilin's affairs had been an incredibly foolish decision.
…
Dimu eventually left the capital and returned to his own territory, the Podi Archipelago.
However, with Leilin's personally written letter, he finally had a foundation for surviving and expanding in the Outer Seas.
After the other party departed, the enormous and magnificent manor belonged entirely to Leilin, and Dimu had the good sense to leave behind a generous sum of operational funds for Leilin to spend, leaving him quite satisfied.
With
Though the original president of the Mage Association, Melibad, had also offered something similar, Leilin had deliberated at length before ultimately choosing Simei.
After all, as the president of the Mage Association, Melibad represented a great deal of trouble, while Simei offered a purely transactional relationship.
Furthermore, this Master Simei possessed remarkable attainments in alchemy, which was equally attractive to Leilin.
Through his studies, he gradually integrated the alchemical techniques of the
And after browsing through the Mage Association's latest spell research and library materials, Leilin's understanding of spells continued to deepen.
It was just the transition from late winter to early spring. The harsh season had just passed, and the great trees in the garden had impatiently unfurled their buds, filling the scene with vibrant life.
In the study of Leilin's manor, Leilin sat half-reclined in his chair, eyes slightly closed, communicating with the Chip.
"Chip! Bring up my current data!" Leilin commanded silently.
[Leilin Faolan — Age: 18 — Race: Human — Rank 10 Mage — Strength: 8.1 — Agility: 7.8 — Constitution: 9.2 — Spirit: 10 — Status: Healthy — Innate Talents: Tough, Learned — Spell Slots: 4th-level (3), 3rd-level (5), 2nd-level (???), 1st-level (???), 0-level (???)]
The Chip faithfully executed Leilin's command and displayed a row of data.