Several days passed.
The Star Diviner looked as if he had been through a grueling ordeal. He was completely haggard and appeared to have aged more than ten years. It was obvious that he was exhausting his very life force to perform the divinations.
However, in a vast sea of people, being provided with only the clue of the Divine Power of Scales was simply too much to ask of him. Currently, he had only managed to narrow the target area down to the Inner City.
The Star Diviner slumped on the ground and begged, “Lord from the Chastity Knights, I… I really can’t do this anymore. Please, let me go. If this continues, I will truly die.”
Fina Nisi said in a cold voice, “Shut up. Hurry up and find that person for me, or it won’t just be you who dies.”
Fina Nisi’s words carried a heavy implication.
The Star Diviner did not have a low status. He was often a guest in the homes of the wealthy and powerful, and naturally, his family was quite large.
While it was said that one’s family shouldn’t be punished for one’s mistakes… although the Star Diviner hadn’t actually done anything to offend Fina Nisi, she only cared about achieving her own goals and did not mind the cost.
***
At the Parliament office.
Aililan held up a bottle of pale pink magical potion. This was a refined version she had managed to research herself, as she was not a professional alchemist by trade.
If she wanted to turn this into a proper industry, she would need to have Atlantis recruit a group of professional alchemists to handle the subsequent product upgrades.
However, it was good enough to be showcased for now. Just as she was about to summon Finance Chief Grace for a discussion, Betiliana from the Investigation Bureau arrived first to report some matters.
The Investigation Bureau had been developing various informants to carry out undercover missions. Among them, a small portion—at Aililan’s behest—were secretly keeping an eye on Fina Nisi’s movements. After all, that woman was the person Aililan should be most wary of.
Aililan mused, “You’re saying that Grandmaster Fina Nisi has taken control of a Star Diviner’s mansion? Have you figured out what she’s trying to do?”
In the game, the Star Diviner class usually provided quest hints and similar things, making them relatively useless to players. But Fina Nisi’s current move made Aililan feel a bit uneasy.
Betiliana showed a hesitant look and stammered, “That is your Knight Grandmaster, and her strength is terrifyingly high. Our people didn’t dare get too close.”
Aililan thought for a moment before saying, “How about this? Find a way to sneak someone into the mansion. Figure out what she wants to do first before we decide anything else.”
Betiliana replied, “Understood.”
As Betiliana turned to leave, Aililan seemed to remember something.
She suddenly stopped her and asked meaningfully, “By the way, what do you think of Fina Nisi?”
Betiliana was stunned, unsure of Aililan’s intent. Furthermore, that was the Grandmaster of the Maiden Chastity Knight Order; was it really appropriate for a small-town Investigation Bureau Chief like her to criticize such a person?
If she said the right thing, there might be no reward. If she said the wrong thing, she would definitely offend someone.
After hesitating for a long time, Betiliana whispered, “From a public standpoint, Grandmaster Fina Nisi is a powerful Knight. However, regarding her private morals… there may be some deficiencies.”
Aililan’s lips curled into a slight smile as she continued, “I mean, would you take a liking to someone like Fina Nisi?”
Betiliana hurriedly shook her head. “Although she is very powerful, I do not particularly like people with flawed morals.”
Aililan asked, “Why do you feel that Grandmaster Fina Nisi’s private morals are lacking?”
Betiliana’s voice grew even lower. “A few months ago, because of that merchant Briana, she snatched a woman. The mess that caused… our Investigation Bureau had to clean up after her more times than I can count.”
Aililan’s smile deepened.
The reason she was asking Betiliana such things was simply because, in the game, Betiliana was one of the targets Fina Nisi could pursue. Of course, that was only after several favorability events and unlocking specific CGs.
If she could confirm that Betiliana wouldn’t fall for her, Aililan wouldn’t mind giving this Investigation Bureau Chief—who played the role of ‘police uniform seduction’ in the game—a promotion. After all, her abilities were indeed quite good.
“Alright, you may go.”
Betiliana breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing those words.
As she walked toward the office door, she suddenly stopped and said something mysterious to Aililan. “That Grandmaster may be incomparably powerful, but in my heart, only someone like you, Goddess Lady Aililan, is the best woman.”
Aililan was confused. ‘…?’
*Click.*
The door closed.
‘Forget it, focus on the main business.’
Aililan couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to Betiliana’s little thoughts, and her interest in ‘police uniform seduction’ was only average. In her heart, her favorite would always be her sister, Saint Betili.
She had Finance Chief Grace summoned.
The two of them held a discussion regarding how to harvest the wealth of the Elves.
Grace expressed her concerns. “Lady Saintess, having dealings with all three races on the border at once… isn’t that a bit too rushed?”
Aililan nodded. “I assume the Parliament has already received many applications for the Elven Mutual Market.”
Grace nodded solemnly. “That is correct. We have been suppressing this matter. Our Parliament discussed it and concluded that the Mutual Market with the Orcs is because we have designs on them; it is something worth doing even at a loss. But the Elves are different from the Orcs. If we open a Mutual Market with them, we would truly be aiding the enemy.”
Aililan smiled with satisfaction. “I am very happy you can see that far. Therefore, regarding trade with the Elves, my idea is to use luxury goods to harvest their wealth, rather than aiding them with basic necessities.”
“Lady Saintess, can we really harvest the wealth of the Elves? At most, they will use precious medicinal materials to trade with us. Even if we spread such trade throughout the entire Fifth District, we might not be able to digest it all.”
“Chief Grace, the Church does not only have the Fifth District. When I return to the Holy Land to report, I will discuss this with my sisters. I’m sure they will have a need for it.”
“That would be for the best.”
“Good, then I’ll leave this matter to you.”
“Lady Saintess, you must be joking. Working for you is our duty.”
And so, the matter was settled.
Grace would use her status as Finance Chief to invite some key members of the Elves and then gift them some potion perfume. These perfumes were bottled in crystal. According to Aililan’s instructions, the prestige of the product had to be elevated.
In total, she had created four specifications: crystal bottles, gold bottles, silver bottles, and steel bottles.
In the future, if sales went well, she might even hollow out the mana crystals of rare magical beasts to use as packaging.
As for whether the perfume would sell? Aililan was not worried at all.
This world already had many fragrance products, so the selling point of this potion perfume was not the scent itself, but the Power of Seduction within it.
In the shadow of the Parliament building, Aililan toyed with a crystal bottle in her hand and whispered with a laugh, ‘What woman would refuse a bottle of perfume that, once used, can make men feel lust for her?’
‘And what man would refuse a perfume that, once used, makes women’s eyes fill with desire?’
Furthermore, this perfume was unique because its most important raw ingredient was the saliva of a Succubus. This was a material that only Aililan could obtain.
Even if the formula was cracked by others, if they dared to trade privately with a Succubus, Aililan could immediately slap the label of “heretic” on them and have them all burned at the stake.
What? You say the Goddess Lady is consorting with demons?
‘When it’s for official business, can you really call that consorting?’