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[Wealth (Personal):
• Funds: ~750,000 Gold
• Estate Holdings: Goldveil Manor, Minor Properties
• Mana Artifacts: 3 (Low-Grade)
• Trade Assets: Partial Control of Azure Vein Trade Route
]
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'So it is now counted?'
Lucien suddenly smiled when he saw that his wealth had increased.
'Now, it should work, right?'
"Sir, Madam, there is someone outside who wants to meet you."
Just as Lucien was thinking, a sweet voice of a maid came from outside, followed by the door opening automatically.
"Oh? Are all the members of the Goldveil family here? This makes my work easy."
Then came the haughty voice of a middle-aged man, dressed in a luxurious black uniform adorned with silver embroidery.
Lucien saw that the man didn't even wait for a response before striding in, leaving the maid standing there awkwardly, clearly embarrassed and unsure of what to do.
"You can go." Fortunately for her, Seraphine dismissed the maid with a wave of her hand.
"Haha… so it is Sir Ruford. I had expected the Second Prince, Dorian, himself to arrive."
Although the man was undeniably rude, Viscount Cedric didn't let it show on his face.
After all, this was Ruford—an Arcanist Realm Mage and the personal butler of the Second Prince.
Moreover, they were the ones in need of help this time around from the royal family.
"Your Highness the Second Prince has other matters to attend to and asked me to conclude this deal."
The man smiled at Viscount Cedric and suddenly looked at Lucien.
"Is this your son? Hmm… he seems as smart as the rumor said."
He asked while scanning Lucien from head to toe. Although his tone seemed to be praising, anybody could see the sarcasm in it.
'Does this guy have beef with our family?'
Lucien raised his eyebrows in surprise at how rude this guy was. Although his family was only a Viscount, there was no need to target him like this, right?
"Anyway, Viscount Cedric, where is the deal you promised? Let's complete the deal right away, as I have other things to do too."
From the beginning, Butler Ruford didn't seem to take their family seriously, as he didn't even care to share any pleasantries.
Heck, he didn't even sit down for a minute and began to demand things as if he himself were the King.
'Damn! How can someone be so annoying?'
Lucien couldn't help but want to slap this bastard on the head. He had never hated someone so much in his life as this bastard.
Well, except that vixen who broke his heart, of course.
"What about the promised quota for the Awakening Altar?"
Since the person didn't respect them, Viscount Cedric also didn't care to say any pleasantries and directly came to the point.
Tomorrow was the day when the Genesis Rift dungeon would open, and they didn't have the luxury to waste time here.
"Hmm? Don't worry. His Highness, the Second Prince, won't go back on his word. As long as you deliver the promised goods, you will receive that quota in due time."
Butler Ruford didn't care about the shift in Viscount Cedric's mood.
He simply wanted to complete the mission entrusted to him by the prince and return. So, he didn't bother to offer any pleasantries or extend the conversation unnecessarily.
"Very well then. Lucien, let's complete the deal."
Viscount Cedric and Seraphine both sighed in relief after hearing Ruford's words.
As long as Prince Dorian promised, the Awakening Quota was as good as in their hands. So, there was no need to delay this further.
Hence, Cedric signaled to Lucien, who was silently listening to their conversation at the side.
"Five hundred thousand gold and a deed for partial control of the Azure Vein Trade Route, right?"
Lucien finally spoke, pulling out the mana ring his mother had given him. He then looked at Butler Ruford with wide, innocent eyes and a big smile on his lips, as if expecting confirmation.
"Oh? I… guess so?"
Ruford responded instinctively, caught off guard. He was genuinely surprised that Lucien was the one handling the deal.
'Is the Goldveil family grooming their son to take over the business?' he wondered, feeling slightly weird.
After all, Lucien's reputation outside wasn't exactly good, as he was known as a thorough prodigal who didn't understand the value of money at all.
"So, after I hand over the money and the deed to the Second Prince, he'll pay it back—after the upcoming war... right?"
Lucien once again asked Ruford as he wanted to make sure everything was alright for his system to work.
"Hmm?"
The butler was caught off guard, momentarily unsure how to respond.
After all, everyone knew that was just talk—there was no way the Second Prince was actually going to return anything.
However, he noticed that both Viscount Cedric and Seraphine were silently watching their son with faint admiration, while Lucien refused to hand over the mana ring until he received a response.
Although Ruford could have easily taken the ring by force, that didn't sit right in this situation.
Realizing he had no choice but to play along, the butler sighed and gave a reluctant nod.
"Of course, the goods will be returned after the upcoming war. It was already discussed with your parents. Now, stop wasting my time and hand them over."
His tone wasn't exactly good, though.
"Haha… good, good. Here, take it. Everything's inside, and this deal is finally done."
Lucien suddenly smiled and threw the mana ring directly at Ruford, who caught it instinctively.
However, seeing the happy look on Lucien's face, Ruford wasn't sure who was really giving the favor here.
"Okay, then I should return, Viscount Cedric. Your Highness is waiting for my return."
Although Ruford was baffled by Lucien's behavior, he took it as a joke and didn't take it to heart. Instead, he simply nodded to Cedric before leaving as swiftly and rudely as he had arrived.
However, Lucien's attention wasn't on him but clearly on the prompt that swiftly appeared as soon as he gave the mana ring to Ruford.
Ding!
[You gave a loan of 500,000 gold and a deed for partial control of the Azure Vein Trade Route to Second Prince Dorian of the Edoria Kingdom.]
[Second Prince Dorian has no intention of paying it back.]
[Debt collection failed.]
[Analyzing transactions…]
[Due to the power difference between the debtor and the host, extracting compensation of equivalent value is not possible.]
[The debt has been recorded in the system. You can collect it when you are strong enough.]
[Warning: The more time passes, the less compensation you will be able to extract.]
—
Debts Issued:
• Glen – 1,000 Gold (Loaned 1 Day Ago)
• Dorian Edoria – 500,000 Gold and partial deed to Azure Vein Trade Route (Loaned today)
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