Chapter 25: Minister of Finance
In the front hall, Bubu Wang stood perfectly straight. He had just phased through several walls, and in his excitement, he had jumped a bit too high.
Unfortunately, Bubu Wang landed right on top of the giant spider, Meredith, the one who had been roared at with "Sleep your ass, get up and party!"
The woman on the spider's abdomen stared at Bubu Wang, and Bubu Wang stared back. Blending into the environment wasn't invincible; if he remained in contact with an enemy for too long, they could see him.
At this critical moment, Bubu Wang pulled off an incredibly slick move: he jumped straight up.
After breaking contact with the giant spider Meredith, Bubu Wang re-merged with the environment.
Spider silk spread out. Hanging upside down from the ceiling, Bubu Wang was still shaken. If he had been caught, he would have been dead for sure.
Bubu Wang's claws were very sharp. He began crawling across the ceiling, quickly reaching the edge of the front hall. After waiting for the cooldown of his Sacred Traveler ability to end, he immediately phased through the wall.
The afternoon sunlight shone on Bubu Wang's face. The main hall was now completely surrounded by black-armored soldiers. They knew something was wrong inside the hall, but they couldn't set foot in it.
With a few consecutive leaps, he cleared the black-armored soldiers. Bubu Wang went full speed ahead. He never, ever wanted to set foot in the royal palace again.
Half an hour later, Bubu Wang arrived at the Imperial Parliament Hall and spat the saliva-covered World Core into Su Xiao's hand.
"Good work. We'll have a feast when we get back."
"Woof."
Bubu Wang's mood immediately brightened. Su Xiao looked at the World Core in his hand; he had finally obtained this thing.
[Yes/No to complete Main Mission: Second Stage.]
Su Xiao immediately declined. If he completed the second stage mission now, the World Core would definitely be taken by Reincarnation Paradise. He still needed to use this thing as bait.
He tied a thin string around the World Core, then tied the string to his left wrist. The dangling World Core clinked against his metal arm guard.
The bait was ready. Su Xiao didn't believe the fish wouldn't bite, unless they wanted to endure the endless pursuit of a Hunter.
Leaving the Imperial Parliament Hall, Su Xiao headed straight for the Right Imperial Manor. Fishing required patience. He still had 18 days left. Even if he couldn't catch the fish, he wouldn't lose much.
When Su Xiao returned to the Right Imperial Manor, he found Wu Fu already waiting in the castle's reception hall.
"My Lord, the military funds have arrived. Here is the list."
Wu Fu respectfully handed over a list of items he planned to purchase with the military funds.
After the Young Duke gave up his power struggle, the efficiency of the financial department had greatly improved. Military funds that used to take four or five days to be allocated arrived in two days, and were even 10% higher, with the excuse that the border was under pressure and the Ministry of Finance had to provide full support.
Su Xiao glanced at the procurement list. He wasn't very knowledgeable about this area, but he couldn't let Wu Fu notice that.
"Mm, handle it yourself."
"Yes, my Lord. But this extra ten percent..."
Wu Fu didn't dare look up at Su Xiao, but his meaning was clear. The extra ten percent was a tribute to Su Xiao.
"Is there an extra ten percent?"
"This..."
A strange light flickered in Wu Fu's eyes. He appeared confused, but in his heart, he understood everything.
Su Xiao knew perfectly well that if he didn't keep officers like Wu Fu well-fed, there would inevitably be trouble with military authority. The bloody lesson of Saber-haired King was a stark example. Being too fair wasn't necessarily a good thing. People had emotions and desires; complete fairness only existed in ideals.
"I heard that commodity prices in the Empire have been rising steadily. You officers stationed in the Holy City haven't been living well, have you?"
"Yes, yes, yes."
Wu Fu nodded repeatedly in agreement, silently putting away the list. Some things you just knew in your heart; asking directly was asking for death.
"The Minister of Finance did a good job on this. Send word that I will visit him tonight at the Ducal Manor. Remember, the Ducal Manor."
Su Xiao repeated "Ducal Manor" twice. He wasn't going to just wait for the fish to bite. He had found traces of a Violator on the Young Duke earlier, so of course he had to go see what was going on.
"Your subordinate understands."
Wu Fu was clearly a shrewd man; he immediately understood Su Xiao's meaning.
"Oh, and keep your men in line."
Su Xiao spoke as if casually, but Wu Fu felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
"My Lord, what do you mean?"
Wu Fu's heart pounded. In the eyes of others, he was a big shot in the military, but facing Su Xiao, he felt genuine fear. Figures like the Silver Feather Duke and Bloomer, imperial giants, had died just like that. Compared to them, what was Wu Fu? If he ever displeased this man, he might vanish without a trace.
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak. He just looked at Wu Fu with a smile on his face, appearing casual and friendly.
"Your subordinate will do everything in his power. Please rest assured, my Lord!"
Wu Fu knelt on one knee.
"Mm, you may go. Don't make that matter too obvious. Just make sure our own people are 'well-fed.'"
"Yes, yes."
Wu Fu backed out of the reception hall. As soon as he was out the door, he let out a long sigh and fanned himself with his coat.
"My Lord, is it really that scary?"
Zuo Si, who was leaning against the doorframe, spoke up. His status was rising, and he handled most of the shady business.
"Kid, what the hell do you know."
Wu Fu glanced at Zuo Si and walked downstairs.
"Tch, only acts tough with me."
Zuo Si knocked on the door, putting away the expression that said everyone owed him millions. After being taught a lesson by Amu once, he was noticeably more polite to Su Xiao.
"Boss, that matter is taken care of. The people have been dealt with."
Zuo Si didn't fully enter the room, just poked his head in.
"Got it. Get lost."
Su Xiao's way of speaking to Zuo Si was completely different from how he spoke to Wu Fu. Wu Fu was a subordinate who could stand in the sunlight, while Zuo Si was completely hidden in the shadows.
"One more thing."
Zuo Si showed no sign of anger. He knew that only when talking to his own people did he talk like this.
"Speak."
Su Xiao lit a cigarette, thinking about who he should bring to the Ducal Manor tonight. He had heard the chef there was quite skilled and had a good reputation in the Holy City.
"Silver Feather's side is planning to assassinate you tonight. Should I take my men to intercept them?"
Zuo Si had clearly adapted to his new role. Fangs in the darkness—that suited his style.
"Kill them all."
"Understood. I need 100 elites."
"Go see Wu Fu. There's a share of the military funds for you."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, Zuo Si winked at him, dancing dangerously close to the line of death.
...
That evening at eight o'clock, the bright moon hung high. Inside the banquet hall of the Ducal Manor.
As the master of the manor, the Young Duke naturally sat at the head of the table. Behind him stood an old man with white hair, a gaunt face, and a very stern look. This was the Minister of Finance, Walkley.
What was puzzling was that the maids serving the food were all quite old, conservatively estimated to be over 50, and as ugly as could be—ugly to the point of being rare. It made one wonder if they were even human, or perhaps borderland mutants? Clearly, these maids had been 'carefully' selected.
"Duke Kukulin, please."
The Minister of Finance, both in dress and speech, had the demeanor of an old gentleman, neither humble nor arrogant. However, the Young Duke seemed a bit afraid of him. Or rather, it was more like respect and timidity towards an elder.
The Young Duke, who had previously avoided Su Xiao at every turn, now had the Minister of Finance standing behind him, and his expression was noticeably more natural.
Su Xiao only took a few bites before losing interest in the food. It was far inferior to Xia's cooking, like the gap between a Green quality item and an Epic one.
Saber-haired King, on the other hand, was completely captivated by the cuisine. Since they were here to search for the Violator, she naturally had to be present. She had temporary permission to sense Violators. Besides Saber-haired King, Su Xiao only brought Bubu Wang and Amu.
The moment he entered the banquet hall, Su Xiao sensed that the Violator had definitely been here. This made him focus his gaze on the Young Duke.
Sensing Su Xiao's gaze, the Minister of Finance stepped forward, subtly shielding the Young Duke.
The Minister of Finance placed his hand on the Young Duke's shoulder, like an eagle protecting its young. Though old, his gaze was still sharp.
But the Minister of Finance could feel that the person sitting across from them was like a ferocious beast, grinning at them—savage, blood-soaked, and terrifyingly powerful.
"Delicious!"
Saber-haired King picked up the fork beside her and stabbed it into the dining table with a *thump*.
"Thank you for the compliment."
The Minister of Finance breathed a silent sigh of relief and nodded to Saber-haired King with a smile.
Su Xiao looked at the two of them with confusion. He had only glanced at the Young Duke, yet these two had such exaggerated expressions for some reason.
Su Xiao looked at Bubu Wang, asking with his eyes: Did I look that fierce?
Bubu Wang spread his dog paws, meaning: I didn't feel anything. Same as usual. Is it a problem with the Charm attribute?