Holding the fishing rod, the Chief Financial Officer remained silent for a long time.
This silence made the always-confident Lia inexplicably nervous. Finally, she couldn't help but lean closer to the Chief Financial Officer, poking his shoulder twice with her fingers, her eyes filled with suspicion.
“Dad?”
“Hmm!?” The Chief Financial Officer, poked on the shoulder, was startled. Lia quietly asked, “Was what I just said right or wrong?”
“Who did you say?”
The Chief Financial Officer, still staring at the fishpond and holding his fishing rod, muttered.
“They moved! Why is there no movement after so long? They should be biting. Are these fish so clever now? I’ve given them all the best bait. If they eat it all and run, at least bite the hook and make me happy.”
???
Listening to the Chief Financial Officer’s mumbling, Lia felt terrible.
“Dad, you weren’t listening to me, were you?”
“What are you shouting about, what are you shouting about!” The Chief Financial Officer angrily slapped his thighs. “My fish are much more important than those few words you said. If the fish are gone, they’re really gone. You can just say what you said again.”
“Oh.”
Seeing her own father getting so angry that he was slapping his thighs, Lia instantly shrank her neck like a docile kitten.
“I’m talking about Kechi.”
“Ah, he’s a young fellow worth noticing.” The Chief Financial Officer, his eyes fixed on the fishpond, whispered, “You always go against the grain. I thought you were going to talk about that old guy from the royal family.”
“That old man is about to kick the bucket, isn’t he?”
“Oh my god.”
The Chief Financial Officer on the small stool practically sprang up, covering Lia’s mouth. His large, round eyes stared at his own son for a good while.
“You dare to say that? I don’t even dare to say it.”
The old man in the royal family was the current monarch of the Tatu Kingdom. To speak so presumptuously about the monarch’s life and death was no wonder the all-knowing Chief Financial Officer feared it so much. After all, saying such things could cost one their head.
Lia, her mouth covered, turned red from holding her breath. With all her might, she pushed away the Chief Financial Officer’s hand.
“Murdering your own son,” Lia bent over, gasping for air. “What’s so bad about saying a few words? They can’t hear it anyway. And I don’t think my analysis was wrong, that old guy is pretty much on his last legs.”
“That’s true.”
The Chief Financial Officer sat back down on the small stool, tilted his head, and looked at Lia.
“How do you know?”
“It’s only logical with a little thought,” Lia spread her hands. “The outer city of Tatu Kingdom is in such chaos. The royal city should have sent troops to suppress it, but there’s been no movement for a long time. Yet, the forbidden city has been very active. It’s clear that those few individuals want to become the next monarch and are vying for power, to the point that they’ve lost interest in Hurricane City. If that old guy were still conscious, would those few dare to do this?”
“The old king, indeed, doesn’t have many days left,”
The Chief Financial Officer also said with a sigh.
“To be honest, I feel quite uncomfortable when he dies. I, your father, was taught by the old king himself to reach this position. It’s a pity that if he really goes, I won’t even have the chance to see him off.”
“Those few are all eyeing us greedily,” Lia whispered.
“Isn’t that so?”
The Chief Financial Officer remained noncommittal.
“Among the foreigners who have come these past few days, some are telling stories in our Zhou City. One of the stories is quite similar to me. The person in that story is Heshen, and when I heard it, I realized I was Heshen himself. If those brats really become the monarch, I’ll be beheaded by them.”
After speaking, the Chief Financial Officer couldn’t stop shaking his head.
“We need to be prepared.”
“So, should we connect with Chen Yu or not?” Lia frowned. The Chief Financial Officer glanced at her. “Are you talking nonsense? The deed to the Elton family’s land has been given to you, don’t you understand what Chen Yu means? Your little thoughts have been seen through clearly. They’re all players with open eyes, do you really think you’re hiding well?”
“But that eye…”
“Come here, let me see what curse he’s put on you.”
The Chief Financial Officer pulled Lia over, a faint light surging in his palm as he slightly raised his eyebrows.
“The enslavement method of the demon race. It’s not a particularly vicious术法. Looking at it this way, Chen Yu isn’t too bad. He was gentle with you, you brat. Since Chen Yu is giving us face, we definitely can’t disappoint him. Take this.”
As he spoke, the Chief Financial Officer threw a waist token to Lia.
The waist token was made of pure wood.
It looked like it was carved from ordinary wood, which was very inconsistent with the Chief Financial Officer’s status.
Lia, holding the waist token, looked suspicious.
“Take this waist token and find that eye, he will grant you one wish,” the Chief Financial Officer whispered. Lia immediately exclaimed, “Dad, that eye is also someone from our mansion, you this…”
“Have you forgotten what Chen Yu said?”
The Chief Financial Officer looked at his only son intently.
“He came to the royal city with a purpose. We just need to address it accordingly. Hurry up and do it, don’t delay Chen Yu’s matters anymore. Since we want to cooperate, we must show our sincerity and do it beautifully.”
“Understood.”
“Before you go, think about who is truly worth your attention.”
“Lu Ke!”
After a long while, a faint shout came from afar. The Chief Financial Officer on the stool smiled brightly.
“As expected of my son,” the Chief Financial Officer grinned. Suddenly, the fishing rod shook violently, and he quickly grabbed it, pulling upwards. A large fish, weighing seven or eight jin, landed in his fish basket.
“Heh, it was worth waiting for. I actually caught a big fish.”
Suspended City, Elton family residence.
Almost all the direct descendants of the family stood in the council hall. The council hall, which had seemed a bit empty before, now appeared somewhat crowded.
Those who were summoned to this place did not know what had happened.
Murmurs filled the air.
Suddenly—
“The Great Elder is here.”
Someone shouted, and everyone in the council hall uniformly looked in the direction of the sound.
“Everyone who should be here has arrived, right?” The Great Elder looked at the assembled clansmen with a solemn expression. “I know everyone is very confused as to why we were suddenly summoned here. Because the matter is quite serious, it was unavoidable to prevent information leaks.”
“Great Elder, what is it?”
Someone in the council hall asked. The Great Elder glanced at the time and thought for a moment before deciding not to conceal it any longer.
“The clan leader has sent word that our Elton family will be leaving the Tatu Kingdom tonight as a whole clan, seeking new opportunities in the Batu Free Federation. I will explain other questions along the way, and what you need to do now is… Fourth Brother…”
“This is a directional scroll, keep it safe.”
The Fourth Elder distributed scrolls to the clansmen one by one. Those holding the scrolls were a bit at a loss but did not ask further questions. They had some understanding of the clan’s situation, and since it was the clan leader’s order, they naturally had to obey.
Silence spread through the council hall until—
“Great Elder, the eye is gone.”
“Retreat!”
In an instant, countless white lights surged, transforming into countless pillars of light. At this moment, on a high mountain in the Suspended City, a middle-aged man wearing a black mage robe looked sideways, while Lia hugged his shoulders.
“Let’s drink, let’s drink!”