"Ahhh! Help, I can't turn it around! Someone help me!"

As Roland pondered how to better utilize the Magic Cube's power, a familiar scream suddenly echoed in the courtyard. He instinctively looked up and saw that the car wasn't driving around the courtyard road but had plunged straight into the central flowerbed, with Miyue, who had replaced Sylvie, at the wheel.

"That... that idiot!" Lily gritted her teeth. "Step on the brakes!"

"I did... but I can't step on them, ahhh!" Miyue shouted in a panic.

The out-of-control steam car swerved left and right in the flowerbed and, as it rushed out, headed straight for the castle gate—

"Your Majesty, be careful!" Wendy's expression changed drastically.

The crowd erupted in chaos.

What the heck, Roland stared in astonishment at Miyue, who had her eyes tightly shut and was clutching the steering wheel. A car without a throttle could achieve this effect? Was this an otherworldy female driver?

To his surprise, none of the surrounding witches scattered. Instead, they all stood in front of him. In an instant, various abilities burst forth—Anna's wall of black fire and Lian's ravine separated a barrier between him and the courtyard; Iffy's magic cage and Andrea's arrows of light were already aimed at the wheels, ready to fire. Nightingale also grabbed his arm, ready to drag him into the mist at any moment.

And the ones who ultimately prevented the accident were Phyllis and Lorgar, who relied purely on brute force.

They stood in front of everyone at the first moment, grabbed the car's bumper, and forcibly lifted the front wheels off the ground.

Anna then manipulated the black fire to shut down the Magic Cube of the festival.

The steam engine, having lost pressure, quickly calmed down.

"Ahhh! Everyone, run!" Miyue was still clutching the steering wheel tightly, shouting loudly.

"You big—idiot!" Lily jumped over the ravine, climbed into the car, and slapped Miyue hard on the back of the head, silencing her scream.

The latter opened her eyes, covering her head with an innocent look.

"Miyue!"

Seeing Wendy and Scroll approaching aggressively, Miyue finally realized what she had done. "I'm sorry, I was wrong—" However, it was too late for apologies. Before the head of the detective squad could even defend herself, she was dragged straight into the castle by the two.

"You're always the one causing trouble!"

"This week's vacation is canceled!"

"The rules of the Witch Union, copied another hundred times!"

"And five sets of exercises! You can only eat after you finish them!"

Until Miyue's wails disappeared inside the castle, the witches shuddered in empathy—of course, not including Her Majesty the Queen.

"I checked the car, and there's nothing wrong with the steering and braking mechanisms," Anna, who had already completed the inspection, returned to Roland's side. "The reason Miyue deviated from the road is probably only one thing."

"What is it?"

"She's too weak." Anna said helplessly.

Roland couldn't help but laugh. She didn't have enough strength to turn the wheel enough, which ultimately led to "eating a pear sideways"... It seemed that before power steering and brake assist were implemented, those with strength less than or equal to one Miyue could only decline to participate in test drives.

The chaotic courtyard was quickly restored to its original state by Lian and Anna's joint repairs. Looking at the witches who were staring at him expectantly, Roland shook his head with amusement. "If you still want to drive, go find Anna—as long as she agrees, I have no objections. Just be careful not to demolish the castle. Oh, and one more thing, don't forget to come back for lunch."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Please let me be the first to get in the car!"

"Hey, I was here first!"

The courtyard was once again filled with laughter and joy.

*******************

"Sir, we've arrived."

The carriage slowly stopped in front of a tavern. Victor Lossa stepped out of the carriage, tossed two silver wolves to the coachman, and then walked into the tavern.

"You've arrived, Victor Mr.!" Soon, a pretty woman in a tight-fitting white robe trotted over and enthusiastically took the luggage from his hand. "The boss has always reserved your room. Please follow me."

It was still the largest room on the top floor. Everything in the room remained as it had been when he left, including the incense, wine, and the maid specially for his service—Copper Bell.

Victor nodded with satisfaction. This was the power of money. Although it couldn't reverse life and death, it had the magic to freeze time.

"You were gone for a really long time this time." Copper Bell deftly pulled open the curtains, propped open the window, and poured him a cup of hot tea. "The boss was guessing whether you were robbed, or encountered a shipwreck at sea, and would never come back. He checks the gold dragons you left behind with the accountant every day, to see how long they can pay the rent, wanting to rent the room to someone else in advance, but not daring to violate the contract laws of Neverwinter, his dilemma was really hilarious."

Looking at the lively and quick-tongued maid, Victor felt the fatigue accumulated from the long journey dissipate a little. "Aren't you afraid he'll find out if you say these things?"

Copper Bell stuck out her tongue. "Unless you secretly tell him. By the way, where have you been lately? Are you busy with a big business?"

"Sort of," Victor sipped his black tea. "I've been mostly in the Southern Territory for the past six months."

"Oh, the Southern Territory?" Copper Bell tilted her head. "Gems aren't abundant there, are they?"

"There are gems everywhere, as long as you know how to dig them out." He shrugged. "For example, in the south, gems grow on branches."

"Sir, you're teasing me again." The maid pouted.

Victor smiled. He knew she wouldn't believe it. In fact, even he found it hard to believe before he saw it with his own eyes. The cotton fields were even more beautiful than gems. The seeds cultivated by Yezi xiaojie were simply incredible. After the shrubs grew, the cotton that bloomed from the flowers and fruits was large and fluffy, as white as snow. Compared to the dry and thin cotton bolls he remembered, they hardly seemed like the same crop.

And during the planting period, he didn't sit idle either. He transferred tailoring teams from his hometown, recruited people in Bysalt to build factories, and contacted people to prepare commercial routes. As soon as the cotton fields were harvested, he immediately became busy. What happened next was even smoother than he had imagined. Once this new cotton entered the market, it quickly overwhelmed other similar goods with its extremely high quality and accessible price. From cotton quilts to cotton clothes, every item achieved considerable sales in various cities.

Of course, Victor didn't forget what His Majesty had said about competition. Once other merchants also bought Yezi xiaojie's cotton seeds from Neverwinter, this part of the market would definitely be squeezed. Therefore, in addition to simple cotton textiles, he also prepared a series of high-end goods, mainly complete sets of clothing. From design and materials to tailoring, everything was refined to perfection, and a unique five-colored gemstone logo was embroidered on the cuffs and collars of each garment to highlight their uniqueness.

This kind of clothing with a very high-class style quickly gained recognition from a group of people, and gradually gained a special nickname, "Rainbow Stone".

In addition, he didn't give up those low-priced goods. Whether it was cotton quilts or robes, they were all marked with the same sign—the only difference was that the thread used for the logo was monochrome.

Victor vaguely felt that, even if other merchants lowered their prices even further, there would still be some people who would choose ordinary clothes embroidered with the Rainbow Stone logo, just like when selling jewelry, nobles would prioritize the works carved by famous artists.

"How long will you stay this time?" Copper Bell changed the topic when he didn't continue talking.

"About three or four days, there are still many things to do in the Southern Territory," Victor replied.

"You're leaving so soon?" The maid's voice lowered slightly.

He immediately understood what she was thinking—if he didn't renew the room this time, she would have to serve other guests. Compared to cleaning the room every day and getting paid, the latter was obviously much more troublesome. Victor didn't think this was something to care about too much, but instead of changing someone else, he thought it would be good to continue to let Copper Bell serve him.

Before he got tired of it.

"Don't worry, I will pay enough gold dragons for the next time before returning to Neverwinter."

"Really?" Copper Bell's eyes lit up.

"It's not a significant expense," Victor stood up and flicked a gold dragon into her hand. "This is for the expenses during this stay. Now I'm going to the Administrative Hall, please lead the way."