Early morning, His Blackstone sat at the head of the dining table, holding a cup of hot tea and taking a sip.
After returning from the black market last night, he had spent a long time using Moonlight Grass to treat Ni Wei’s body, so he had been feeling lethargic since waking up this morning.
Every time he recalled Ni Wei’s expression last night—”I wasn’t comfortable at all”—His Blackstone couldn’t help but curl his lips into a smile.
Just as he placed the teacup on the table, familiar glowing text appeared in his field of vision.
[Today’s Flash Report]
Northern Border Unrest! Tensions Escalate on the Border Between the Two Realms, Military Supplies About to Skyrocket!
For details, please pay one thousand gold coins to unlock.
‘One thousand gold coins?!’
His Blackstone nearly choked on the black tea he had just drunk.
‘However, if this information is true, then it’s indeed a perfect opportunity to make money.
As long as I stock up now and sell to the front lines after the war breaks out…
But the problem is, I don’t have much money on hand right now.’
His Blackstone sighed and turned to head toward the study.
***
“Young Master, you called for me?”
Florin pushed open the study door and walked in, holding a thick stack of documents in her hands.
“Mm, have a seat.”
His Blackstone got straight to the point.
“How did the accounts I asked you to organize turn out?”
“The total amount embezzled during Molis’s tenure, plus the several properties he purchased under the Duke’s Mansion’s name, all together comes to roughly over four thousand gold coins.”
Florin paused, a flicker of hesitation in her eyes.
“Young Master, last time you mentioned you wanted to handle this case personally, but given the considerable amount involved in Molis’s crimes, shouldn’t you report this to His Lordship?”
“No need. If I can’t even handle something like this, how could Father ever trust me with the Duke’s Mansion in the future?”
His Blackstone waved a hand.
“Go on back. I’ll head out to take care of this in a little while.”
“Understood, Young Master.”
After Florin left, His Blackstone let out a long breath.
He took another account book from a hidden compartment in his desk drawer.
This was one he had pulled out before handing the books over to Florin—the one with larger amounts, recording nearly three thousand gold coins of stolen funds.
Now that Florin had finished tallying, the officially reported total of Molis’s embezzlement was only a bit over four thousand gold coins.
This separate account book that His Blackstone had pulled aside was his personal bargaining chip.
As for the Duke’s Mansion’s treasury?
His Blackstone figured that even if he didn’t recover a single gold coin of the stolen money, it wouldn’t make much difference to the Old Duke’s assets.
“Linoer, I know you’re there. Come with me to the town.”
“Yes, Young Master His Blackstone.”
The silver-haired girl appeared silently behind him.
“Could you please not appear behind my back next time? It’s quite startling.”
“…”
“Fine, let’s go.”
***
“You mean I only need to hand over four thousand gold coins to the Duke’s Mansion?”
Molis asked tentatively after hearing His Blackstone’s words.
“Yes.”
“And His Blackstone the Duke…”
“Don’t worry, he won’t find out.”
His Blackstone leaned forward slightly.
“After all, I’m here to split the proceeds with you now.”
“Understood, understood.”
With that, Molis handed His Blackstone a card.
“Young Master His Blackstone, this card has two thousand gold coins. Please take it.”
His Blackstone tucked the card into his chest pocket.
“That’s it for this time. Don’t let it happen again.”
“Yes, yes, Young Master. Rest assured, I’ll never do it again.”
Molis nodded with a sycophantic smile.
Ever since His Blackstone came to investigate his embezzlement, Molis had been living in constant anxiety.
He had originally thought this Young Master would report his crimes directly to the Old Duke.
In that case, not only would the stolen money be lost, but even his own life might not be spared.
But he never expected that His Blackstone would report only about four thousand gold coins of stolen funds to the Duke’s Mansion, then come to him and say that of the unreported three thousand-plus gold coins, he would take two thousand, leaving the rest for Molis and keeping him in his position as Territory Steward.
For Molis, this was already an excellent outcome.
And on top of that, perhaps he might even have a chance to hitch his wagon to His Blackstone’s star in the future…
***
In the carriage, having secured the money, His Blackstone immediately called up the system’s earlier notification.
[For details, please pay one thousand gold coins to unlock.]
“Spend one thousand gold coins.”
His Blackstone gritted his teeth.
It hurt, but if this information could really help him make a killing, then the thousand gold coin investment would be worth it.
[Northern Border Unrest:
The Kingdom and the Demonic Realm have been experiencing repeated skirmishes along the border. The Demonic Realm has begun reinforcing its border troops. The Kingdom’s military has not publicly responded yet, but they have already started secretly preparing military supplies.
It is expected that within the next two weeks, the market prices for iron ore, wound medicine, and leather—three categories of military supplies—will increase by three to five times.
Currently, the business circles in the Royal Capital are unaware of this development, and prices remain low.]
His Blackstone’s eyes lit up instantly.
‘As expected, this is how you make money!’
‘So this is the power of an information gap!’
Wait.
His Blackstone took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
Though the profit margin looked high, with the money he had on hand, he couldn’t stockpile much supplies at all.
‘I’ll have to find a way to convince my Duke father after this…’
***
At the dining table, Rafina sat to His Blackstone’s right and smiled as she handed him a slice of buttered bread.
“Young Master has been going out a lot lately. Is there something important?”
“No, just small matters.”
His Blackstone stuffed the bread into his mouth and gave a vague reply, his gaze landing on Ni Wei, who sat across from him.
The little maid was currently eating with her head down, but His Blackstone noticed that she frequently stole glances to the side.
Following her line of sight, the black-haired girl brought back from the black market last night sat quietly at the dining table.
Today, she had also changed into the Duke’s Mansion maid uniform, with her long black hair simply tied back, letting His Blackstone see her face clearly for the first time.
She looked to be only in her early twenties, with delicate but understated features, and her red eyes held the clear brightness unique to a young girl.
“I didn’t get a chance to ask yesterday. What’s your name?”
His Blackstone put down the bread and addressed the black-haired girl.
The girl lifted her head, met His Blackstone’s eyes for a moment, then quickly looked away.
After a few seconds of silence, she spoke softly.
“Li… Lila.”
“Lila, huh…”
‘Somehow, that name feels a bit perfunctory.’
‘Sounds like a fake name!’
Maybe she felt her background wasn’t good and didn’t want to reveal her real name.
“Ahem, Lila. From today on, you’re part of the Duke’s Mansion. Don’t worry, it’s just normal maid work. No need to be afraid.”
Lila didn’t reply, only nodded slightly and lowered her head again.
“Hmph.”
A cold snort came from across the table.
Ni Wei put down her spoon and stared fixedly at His Blackstone, her eyes as if to say, “I knew it!”
Seeing the little maid puff up in anger, His Blackstone grew even more pleased.
“Ni Wei, you’re a senior here now. Get along with her, okay~”