After the clueless ones had left…
A group of people immediately surrounded Ileya like stars circling a planet, entering the main building of this courtyard and arriving just before the lavish lunch that Veil had been longing for.
“So today…”
Jenny had just raised her glass, about to say something and introduce the elites from various fields in Crystal Capital who were present.
But in the next second…
The crisp clinking of cutlery interrupted her words and caused her perfectly gentle smile to suddenly crack.
She turned her head stiffly…
Only to naturally see Miss Goddess Veil, who had just taken her seat and immediately began eating at a rapid pace, truly diving into the meal.
That brat…doesn’t she have any sense of occasion?!
And the Eldest Daughter hasn’t even touched her chopsticks yet…
Why can you, a maid, eat so brazenly?!
Damn it…
Chew~ chew~
Midway through eating, the cheeks of Miss Goddess Veil were puffed out, and she suddenly noticed that the surroundings had gone strangely quiet?
She slowly lifted her head, still holding a piece of lamb chop unwilling to put it down, her innocent black eyes meeting…
Everyone present staring at her…?
“Huh? Did something happen? ∑(°△°|||)?”
“Is that…not polite?”
Miss Goddess Veil spoke with her mouth still full, her words muffled.
“Cough cough…”
Several people present tried to hold back their laughter but, seeing that she was sitting next to the Eldest Daughter, could only forcefully suppress it with flushed faces.
Does this maid have a grudge against Miss Jenny?
Pfft…to humiliate her like this.
“Sigh~ really no helping you…”
However, Ileya didn’t let this awkward atmosphere linger and simply poked the confused goddess on the head before turning her gaze back to Jenny.
“Then…let’s eat first~”
“Y-yes! Eldest Daughter…”
Jenny pouted, swallowing all the words she had been about to say, leaving only her somewhat sinister eyes glaring straight at the maid who was still eating.
One must admit, the food that Jenny had painstakingly prepared was indeed delicious, even Ileya couldn’t help but eat a few extra bites.
Perhaps this is…talent?
Jenny thought to herself: [It’s not! It’s sincerity! It’s admiration and love for the Eldest Daughter!! (ôué)♡]
After the meal and wine had been enjoyed, Jenny finally introduced the few people sitting ahead.
There were seven or eight in total, but Ileya felt only three needed to be remembered.
The first was a young man with short golden hair —
Atkins, the young master of the Gold Vein Chamber of Commerce, looking about seventeen or eighteen years old, roughly the same age as her two worthless older brothers at home…
However, this Atkins obviously seemed somewhat enamored with Jenny, though Jenny herself appeared completely unaware.
Also, for some reason, he seemed scared of her?
During Jenny’s introduction, he didn’t even dare to look her in the eyes.
The second was the “Sword Bearer” of the Dark Speech Brotherhood.
This sounds complicated, but simply put, he’s the boss of the underground forces in East County and the head of the Crystal Capital chapter.
Yet, this Sword Bearer wasn’t as dark and mysterious as expected.
He had chestnut hair tied in a ponytail, wore a single crystal monocle over his left eye, and draped a brown cloak embroidered with intricate patterns over his shoulders, giving off a surprisingly refreshing vibe.
Warmth.
Only his eyes—whether naturally or deliberately—were always squinted, giving him a constant, smiling expression.
And compared to her, he seemed more focused on Amisa standing expressionless behind Ileya.
The third was an elderly man, Medel Habulo, president of the Mercenary Guild in Crystal Capital.
Unlike the old slave Ileya had purchased, this old man was incredibly muscular, like a bear standing upright, with a face seemingly covered in muscle…
Though he always wore a kind smile, looking at him gave a feeling that he might suddenly erupt violently.
Ileya’s initial judgment was that this old president was either a transcendent or a high-level knight who had honed his body to perfection.
Or perhaps both.
In any case, that was how everyone was introduced.
Actually…
Ileya should have met these upper-class people of Crystal Capital long ago…
But the previous Ileya was too frivolous and arrogantly thought she didn’t need to socialize with them.
Now…to build her own intelligence network and power base within Crystal Capital…there was no avoiding dealings with these folks.
During their conversations, Ileya wasn’t surprised to find that most of these people had connections with her two brothers.
It seemed everyone was diligently managing their own forces~
She was indeed the one who started the latest.
However…judging by how cautious or superficially polite these people were, it was clear her reputation was…worse than those two worthless brothers…cough cough…
No, it’s loud! Obviously, her reputation was much louder than those two trash.
Of course, compared to what Ileya thought inside…
During the chat, everyone also realized this Eldest Daughter wasn’t as bad as imagined.
Though a bit brutal and moody…
Most of the time, she was quite gentle and easy to talk to…right?
At least that’s the impression she gave to everyone present.
Indeed worthy of being the scion of the Batius Family—even if she was still wild, she wasn’t like ordinary youths.
Ileya also showed enough trust and support for Jenny in front of everyone.
This was a subtle setup…to establish Jenny’s role as her informant and agent outside.
So these local bosses would equate [Ileya’s orders] with [Jenny’s actions].
With the meal finished and some small talk exchanged, everyone bid their farewells one by one.
Thus, the Eldest Daughter’s influence officially took root here.
However, as the guests left one by one, the last one remaining was someone both Ileya and Jenny hadn’t expected.
That was…the old president of the Mercenary Guild.
Given his age and status, there was no real need to curry favor with Ileya.
Because he represented the entire Mercenary Guild!
Even if the Batius Marquis himself came, this old man only needed a nod of approval.
Therefore, whether it was the Bloodblossom Demon or her retinue, they thought this venerable old man would be the first to leave after the formalities.
But…to their surprise, he stayed until the very end.
“Heh heh heh…truly a hero from youth~ When I was young, I too dreamed of building an unparalleled powerful organization, but I was old-fashioned and chose to join the Adventurers’ Guild, leading a comfortable city life…”
Downing the red wine in his goblet, the robust old man’s face flushed slightly.
His weathered eyes seemed to be reminiscing, or perhaps comforting his lost youth.
The Eldest Daughter, however, didn’t understand the rusty charm in this sentiment and was just somewhat curious…
Could he really think she was a moldable talent?
It was just a meal together, nothing that serious, right?
“President Medel, I’m actually not a very patient person. Now that the troublesome guests have left… Perhaps you can say what you want to say?”
Ileya sat opposite him, arms crossed, her red eyes fixed on the elderly man.
“Hm? Ahahaha, no no no…I have no other meaning. Eldest Daughter, you misunderstand.”
The old man was first slightly taken aback, then laughed helplessly.
His laugh was thunderous and full of vigor, almost shattering the goblet beside him…
“Well, since the Eldest Daughter says so, I won’t hold back…”
Medel laughed as he pointed with a large hand toward the gaunt old slave sitting there, dazed.
“I just don’t know why…this brother seems especially familiar. Eldest Daughter, could you…introduce us?”