“One hundred silver moons?! Earl, you are truly generous!” Guy VI laughed angrily and slammed his hand on the armrest of the throne.

Seeing the disdainful looks from those around him, and even his closest colleagues taking two steps back, the mean and stingy count panicked. He kept wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief and shouted, "Double it! Double it! 200 silver moons! 200 silver moons!"

Queen Mary subtly tugged at her husband's sleeve, but he didn't react at all. The King stood up, suppressing his anger, and said in a deep voice, "I've heard that the Earl owns ten mansions in the city, each worth thousands of taels of gold?"

The count, veins bulging, almost gritted his teeth as he announced a new figure: "I'm willing to raise it to 2000 silver moons."

King Guy VI still didn't seem very satisfied, but his expression was better than before. With the Queen beside him tugging at his hem, he finally sat back down, grumbling, and waved his hand in resignation.

Seeing Viscount Kennard's resentful gaze as he twitched his mustache, Todd shrugged and looked up at the ceiling.

The king, his anger subsiding slightly, suddenly remembered the main topic of the meeting. He quickly leaned forward and asked Todd kindly, "Father, the reason we invited you here is to invite you to become the kingdom's royal alchemist..."

"I object!"

This time, it was Count Kennard, that bald, fat man, who jumped out again. He pointed at Todd and said loudly, "Since the late king ascended the throne, there has never been a church member holding an important position in the royal palace in the history of Silver Ring City. This is illogical!"

The other officials and nobles in the hall echoed their sentiments. The real reason was clear to everyone: the church and the kingdom always had some unsavory and unspoken conflicts. Allowing a priest to serve in the palace would not only cause resentment among the secular nobles, but also raise concerns about the church's influence infiltrating the royal family and even affecting the king's decisions.

King Guy VI appeared to be struggling to suppress his anger. His face was flushed, and he continued in an unusual tone, "I believe you all have witnessed Mr. Todd's abilities and expertise in alchemy. He had already improved the silver refining technique while he was in the monastery, and coupled with his God's Eye, which can distinguish between good and evil, if we could invite him to become the Royal Alchemist, it would be very beneficial to the kingdom's finances..."

The count interrupted the king again: "Church personnel are not allowed to hold positions within the palace! This is the late king's dying wish!"

Watching the dramatic scene of the emperor and his ministers arguing in the palace, Todd, completely unaware of his own involvement, remained a spectator, neither participating, heckling, nor trying to break up the fight. He simply observed quietly, and as he listened, he gleaned many interesting observations.

These nobles holding important positions in the kingdom are truly powerful. Leaving aside the Kennard family's father and son holding dual titles, their sheer presence is astonishing. As for the king, his temperament and composure are beyond the reach of ordinary people. Even when contradicted by his subordinates, he was able to argue his case and not behead anyone, which is quite commendable. Finally, the royal family may be really short of money right now. On the surface, he is offering himself the position of royal alchemist, but in reality, the king's words just now revealed that the royal family wants the entire technology for refining silver.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the smelting plant at the foot of the monastery is open to anyone, and the furnace's structure isn't complicated. The refining process and the materials used for impurity removal are known only to Todd, Huggins, and a few key craftsmen. The Silver Ring Kingdom must have sent people to "steal" their secrets, but ultimately they couldn't grasp the essentials.

Just as Todd was still thinking, the situation on the field changed again.

From the earlier donation incident to the current invitation to the royal alchemist, King Guy VI's anger grew increasingly intense. Finally, he lost control of his emotions, disregarding the presence of outsiders, and erupted...

He stepped down from his seat, pointed his finger at Earl Kennard, the Minister of Finance, and roared, "People from other countries say that the Silver Ring Kingdom is a land of silver, a wealthy land! But who knows that the royal family's finances are deteriorating day by day? How can you be the Minister of Finance?!"

Faced with the anger of the ruler of the country, the count seemed unmoved, merely offering a perfunctory remark: "It is true that the income is high, but the expenses are also high."

The king, like an enraged lion, was not buying this answer at all: "Then tell me, where did all the money go? So much money, where did it all go?!"

Queen Mary, who was sitting to the side of the throne, stood up. She knew that the time had come for her to step in. If things continued to develop, there was no guarantee that the impulsive king would do something.

“Your Majesty, please calm down. Lord Kennard works tirelessly for the kingdom every day; the fault does not lie with him.”

The queen's advice had no effect.

On the contrary, when the count saw the queen, his face darkened and his brows furrowed deeply.

In his view, before this woman appeared, Guy VI neglected politics, spending his days in parties and hunting; but since marrying this princess from an enemy country, the king's temperament had changed drastically. He not only began to pay attention to the people's livelihood but even tried to cultivate his own faction and interfere in financial and tax affairs. This was definitely not good news for the nobles who controlled the kingdom's key institutions.

The bald, fat man's face was turned toward the king, but his eyes were on the queen: "Your Majesty, I heard that you recently bought a famous painting by Hercules?"

King Guy VI paused, then fell silent.

The Earl continued, "I heard you spent 5,500 silver moons on that painting?!"

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