Goddess of Wealth
“We are all nobility, and can only follow the rules of the game between nobles...” Marquis Louis spoke slowly, “The Faulen Family was very weak before and had no real backing, which was originally a very good opportunity for us, but...”
Having said this, he glared at Tim, resulting in Tim lowering his head further.
The Faulen Family used to be like duckweed floating through the air [1. Uncertain, no good foundation], but even then Marquis Louis did not dare to deal with them out in the open. He’d only sent out pirates in secret.
Furthermore, if those pirates had succeeded, the family would be annihilated!
But things could no longer be played that way. The Faulen Family now had more connections in the region, as well as backers. The strength they possessed was rapidly increasing. If he did not use all the strength he had at his disposal, Marquis Louis was not confident that he could wipe them out.
But was this possible? Even as a marquis of the kingdom, he could not attack the territory of another noble for no reason.
When it came to pirates, even with both the Black Skeletons and Tigersharks working together, Marquis Louis was still not confident, especially since the opponent had a church on their island.
With such a large-scale pirate invasion. It would be hard to avoid confronting the church.
Furthermore, for those on the outer seas, who did not know that these were the two most powerful pirate groups under Marquis Louis? His goal was far too obvious.
“The timing’s gone! We’ve already lost the best time to attack...” Marquis Louis sighed, “The profits from these two goods, sugar and fish floss, really do measure up to the slave market...”
“Don’t worry, father! I’ll definitely get those two techniques!” William spoke with confidence, “The current situation is that we have many ships and shipping routes out in the open, but the Scarlet Tigers hide in the darkness where they have freedom. They can be the eyes and ears of the Faulen Family. On the surface neither side can make a move, and only rely on battling it out in the shadows. I’ll definitely annihilate the Scarlet Tigers and break off the opponent’s eyes and claws that exist in the darkness!”
Such profound insight immediately had Marquis Louis nodding.
“Very good. I’m relieved that you thought of that! Besides the Black Skeletons, I will order the Tigersharks to listen to you as well. The military fleet will await your orders at any time. You must destroy our enemies!”
At this moment, Marquis Louis’ ruthlessness in staking everything on this was shown.
“Understood, father!” William’s voice trembled slightly. To be able to have so much support made it clear that his status as the successor was unshakeable, and this was already the beginning of the shift of power.
“Also, the opponent has a powerful wizard. We can’t ignore that! Wizard Boruj!”
“Lord Marquis!” An old man wearing grey wizard robes walked out from the shadows, eyes glinting with wisdom. The magic rays around him made those around him feel suffocated.
William and Tim hastily bowed towards the chief wizard of their family. Even Marquis Louis did not dare treat him with disrespect, “We will have to trouble you for this matter!”
“No problem!” Boruj’s voice was hoarse, with the trace of a foreign and exotic accent, “I’ve long since wished to have a duel with that old rival whom I have yet to meet...”
“Henceforth, Wizard Boruj will accompany you until the Scarlet Tigers have been annihilated!” Marquis Louis stated.
“U-Understood!” This abrupt but pleasant surprise made William feel dizzy, and even his voice slightly trembled.
“Good! The future of our family will lie with you. Don’t disappoint me...”
Tim was standing at the side. Seeing the pretty picture of the father and son together made him feel like an outsider. He was roaring inside crazily, but could only put on a calm expression, not daring to show any of his resentment on his face.
......
A giant golden ship slowly sailed to the dock of Port Venus.
This large ship had extremely extravagant decorations, and there was even a layer of metal that emitted golden luster. From afar, it looked like a ship made entirely of pure gold.
At the ship’s bow was a large emblem made of pure gold that shone with dazzling light. This was a symbol of the Goddess of Wealth, taking the form of a huge gold coin.
‘They’re truly nouveau riche! It would be a disservice for them if they didn’t ruthlessly spend this money.’ Although he thought this, Leylin didn’t dare show anything on his face. On the contrary, he had no choice but to put on his friendliest smile and welcome them.
There were others beside him. Baron Jonas, Madam Sarah, housekeeper Leon... Basically all the respected people here showed up. It was obvious how mind-blowing it was for them to see a Gold Priest.
“Welcome to Port Venus. We hope you like it here, beautiful madam!” Against Leylin’s expectations, the Gold Priest who had arrived was a female!
She looked to be about 17 or 18, and her eyes seemed to be shining brightly. They held hints of the shrewdness unique to merchants, and her skin was as exquisite as ivory. She had a tender and splendid smile about her lips that made her look like the little girl next door. Her appearance made it difficult to associate her with the profession of a priest.
However, her brilliant high-ranking priest robe with vibrant colours as well as her powerful divine light, made her status clear.
“Hello, Sire Leylin! My name is Xena. This is a port brimming with hope. I sense the flow of a great origin of wealth...”
As was expected of the priest of the Goddess of Wealth, this was the first thing she mentioned.
“Haha... It’s great that Mistress Priest likes this place!” As the successor of the Faulen Family, as well as the delegate to represent her, Leylin elegantly extended his right hand helped her down.
“Powerful! Is this the power of a high-ranked priest?”
The instant their skin made contact, Leylin seemed to see a body brimming with godly luster. All sorts of power from divine spells converged to form a high-pressure electrical network that kept her safe within it, giving off a sense of danger. This was the path of a priest. High-ranked priests prayed devoutly and borrowed the strength of gods to purify their souls, achieving the effect of existing in harmony with god. There was even the possibility of becoming a holy spirit!
Even the A.I. Chip was unable to scan her exact stats, and could only give the conclusion that she was extremely dangerous.
‘Rank 15! She’s definitely a high-ranked priest who’s at least rank 15!’ Leylin went on his guard. Meanwhile, she seemed to have noticed him spying and shot him a dark look.
“Oh, my apologies!” It was only at this point that Leylin realised he was holding on to her hand. This was rather impolite. However, as someone who had gone through various worlds, he could adapt quickly and immediately took care of the awkwardness.
After the banquet, Baron Jonas returned to the manor, which left Leylin alone to entertain the Gold Priest.
“It’s rumoured that Baron Jonas thinks highly of his first son and has been giving him more authority lately. Seems like it’s true!” Xena, who was on a mission set by the church, watched Leylin sitting opposite her, her eyes flashing with interest.
He seemed to have a unique temperament and a lot of confidence. The fact that a mere 16 year old could have such a presence astonished her. Of course, he seemed to be a decent wizard, though it wasn’t much in Xena’s eyes.
For the rich and overbearing church, cultivating a few spellcasters was no issue. In the Goddess of Wealth’s church, there was no lack of legendary wizards.
After all, for the wizards who readily spent gold coins at every turn, there was nothing more comfortable than being able to embrace the church of wealth’s golden thighs.
“This porcelain is very high quality!” Xena looked at the cup in her hands. It had many complicated and intricate flower patterns, showing the exquisite craft of the elves.
“How about trying the cocoa from the eastern archipelago? It’s said that this marvelous plant has the amazing effect of perking one up without harming the body...” Leylin smiled while pouring her a steaming hot cup of cocoa.
Xena had naturally seen this drink before. The production of cocoa beans was meagre, and on the continent it was sold at an astronomical price. Of course, what shocked her even more was Leylin’s capability.
‘Does that mean... he’s already built up a connection with the eastern pirates?’ Xena’s eyes shone, and she then put down the beautiful porcelain cup in her hands.
“Mister Leylin, I’m sure you know my intentions in coming here. May I know what you think of establishing a church on the port?”
“I’m definitely not opposed to you joining in, but there’s actually a plan already for the Port Venus. Every plot of land has its own function... of course, it’s not a problem to squeeze out a section, but...” Leylin had a standard smile on his face.
“The Goddess of Wealth will not mistreat any follower of hers!” Xena placed a golden card on the table, “This is a proof for the withdrawal of money. With it, you can exchange 10 000 kronas from any church of wealth. Treat it as the capital for buying this land!”
Rich and overbearing, Leylin now knew what rich and overbearing truly meant! The church of the Goddess of Wealth was truly rich, unlike the stingy Tapris who probably wasn’t even willing to pay rent.
Of course, this was a problem left behind from Baron Jonas’ time. This would not happen again with Leylin in charge.
“Then there aren’t any other problems. The city hall will mark out the land tomorrow!” Leylin smiled gently, a hand taking and keeping the golden card on the table without batting an eyelid.
The Goddess of Wealth generously contributed her own divine kingdom, providing currency storage services. With her divine force as a mark against fraud, trying to trick anyone in this was just shooting oneself in the foot.
However, with this, there were fees to pay if people wanted to store their money with her. Then again, this was to be expected from a goddess even greedier than a dragon.