Chapter 118 Chapter 118 Bidding.
Su Cheng smelled the scent of fir and berry wine, which was sweet yet a little fresh. Curly silver hair brushed across his cheekbones, and long eyelashes swept across his eyes.
The kiss looked flustered and immature, with a hint of helpless and confused anger.
But also very enthusiastic.
Like a wildfire spreading across a dry meadow.
The slender palms pressing on her waist pressed in slightly, as if wanting to completely rub the girl in his arms into his body.
Su Cheng tasted the sweet fragrance lingering on the corner of his lips, which seemed like a caramel apple. Her thoughts wandered for a moment, and she was hit by the tip of his teeth.
Su Cheng: “…”
She reluctantly put her arms around his neck and led this random kiss, gently outlining the beautiful lower lip with the tip of her tongue.
The silver-haired young man's body stiffened slightly, like a small animal that was suddenly comforted and was at a loss.
His tense, broad back trembled slightly as he tried to respond to her movements, but it seemed a little clumsy, and the tip of his tall nose bumped into her cheek.
Then he stubbornly imitated her movements, biting her lips, as if this was some kind of game that he couldn't admit defeat.
The firewood crackled beside them, and countless tiny sparks flew in the air like fireworks, trailing a golden red in the afterglow.
Charles stared at her earnestly, his light eyes, which shone golden in the flames, seemed to be covered with a layer of mist.
"...Will you remember me?"
When the kiss ended, the silver-haired young man whispered.
They were still very close, their lips almost touching each other, their warm breaths colliding in the small space.
Su Cheng was silent for a few seconds. "From the first time I saw you, I knew I would never forget you."
Charles chuckled softly, seeming pleased with the answer.
Their foreheads touched, breathing softly.
"……Me too."
He said.
Su Cheng blinked, "...maybe."
Charles didn't seem to understand what she meant, but she didn't bother to explain.
Su Cheng raised her head and kissed him again.
This was a more gentle and lingering kiss, and the whole world seemed to be torn apart by it, and the cheering and singing crowd gradually faded away.
Only the warmth between his lips and teeth and the faint fragrance in his hair remained, burning brighter and brighter in the firelit night.
“…Anyway.”
When they separated again, Charles kissed her forehead and said, "I'm going to go on another patrol. I'll be back soon. Is there anything you want to eat?"
Su Cheng pinched his face and said, "I'm not your sister. I can buy it myself."
He smiled and put her on the ground, "See you later."
After saying that, he disappeared.
Su Cheng was strolling in the square and munching on a bag of honey nut cakes. Several young men came over and invited her to dance, but she didn't want to bother for the time being and refused them all.
She decided to find a quiet place, so she walked to the outer corner of the square and sat down in the shade of a stone arch.
Then she heard voices.
There was a tea shop with a wooden sign hanging on it at the back. The stained glass cast tiny spots of light in the bonfire, and the window was ajar.
——Logically speaking, she was some distance away from the store and shouldn’t have been able to hear the conversation.
But with her strong senses, she could clearly hear all the movements inside.
Su Cheng was not interested in listening to anything.
But someone mentioned the Holy See.
She couldn't help but look back.
Through the window crack, you can see two people in luxurious clothes sitting by the window. One of them is picking up a few dried orange-red grass leaves with tweezers.
She seemed to be making tea. "...Sir, in short, you know that I personally prefer to cooperate with the Vatican, but you also need to understand my difficulties."
The man raised his head with a wry smile. "Sometimes, people in secret cults demonstrate their piety through very generous means."
The person across the table snorted coldly, "You don't have to say it, I understand."
After saying that, he stood up and left.
Su Cheng stood there motionless, without making any sound, until the man went out of the gate and left quickly.
The people in the teahouse were still sitting. Not long after, another person landed on the roof from the sky, jumped down and walked into the teahouse through the gate.
"My lady!"
The newcomer opened his arms and said, "You look really radiant. Business must be good lately, isn't it?"
"Ah, Your Excellency Leliana," the people in the tea room also stood up, "Thanks to you, and thanks to the blessing of His Majesty the Dark God..."
The two exchanged a few pleasantries, hugged each other, and then sat down again.
Su Cheng had already figured out that the newcomer was from the secret sect.
The visitor called Leliana took a few papers from another person, which looked like some kind of contract.
"...Madam Orina," Leliana's voice dropped. "What do you mean?"
Orina spread her hands. "Sir, please don't be angry. This is not my intention. Business is tough these days. Last time, right after you left, that high priestess arrived. The terms she offered on behalf of the Holy See were, with all due respect, 30% higher than your previous offer."
She lowered her voice and said, "And, as you know, the Imperial Family has close ties with them, and the power of the Holy See is now—"
"Thirty percent?!" Leliana said in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? Nine million gold coins is the bottom line. I've already told you the budget I was given. Where do you want me to get the extra money? Are you asking me to pay out of my own pocket? I can't come up with millions of gold coins. Even if I robbed the Vatican's temple, I can't give you that much money in a few days!"
"Sir," Orina sighed, "That's not what I meant. If you could secure this vein for the Church, especially at a time like this, your contribution would be worth millions of gold coins. If the higher-ups knew your ability and loyalty, would they still be stingy with their rewards? Lord Salon has always been generous to his subordinates—"
"Oh, that's when things get done. If I mess up, he'll kill me. He'll grind me into a pulp!"
Leliana said angrily, "Also, don't think I don't know what you're doing, Cooper. I'm afraid you've used this same rhetoric in front of the Vatican, right?"
Olena sighed. "Sir, I have my own difficulties. The veins of blood crystal are treacherous. One-third of them extend into urban residential areas and nearby villages, right under people's houses. Once construction begins, how many houses will need to be moved? How many underground tunnels will need to be opened? Just to appease these people will cost a huge amount of money. The price I quoted you before was based on preliminary calculations. This price list is the actual calculated figures. You see, I have no choice but to do this!"
Leliana slammed the table into dust. "You already said this. Don't keep repeating it. I'm not old enough to forget it! If it weren't for these troubles, the higher-ups wouldn't have approved such a large budget."
She stood up angrily, paced anxiously around the teahouse twice, then stopped and sneered, "Everyone in your town is just waiting to make money, right? The blood of the Ancient God nourishes your land, bringing you abundance year after year. Now you want to exchange the crystal essence He left behind for money, without even considering whether He could have taken this opportunity to resurrect. You are truly a bunch of ungrateful beasts—"
"Sir," Orina forced a smile. "Your Excellency," she said. "The people of your church and the Holy See have labeled the Void False God a heretic. How dare we commoners defy the will of the Supreme Gods? Besides, most people in town don't know what it is. I'm afraid only a few families know the inside story."
Leliana narrowed her eyes and looked at her for a few seconds. "Yes, that is heresy, but it doesn't stop me from looking down on people like you."
Olena shook her head. "Sir, you come from the city, so you don't know. Iron Cage Town is surrounded by mountains, and those mountains are full of monster lairs. The nearby villages suffer greatly from them, and sometimes even endanger the people in the town. Our mayor can't even go home all day..."
She paused. "Although most people these days don't know what a false god is, and only think it's a special kind of magic crystal ore, everyone's hoping to make a fortune from it."
Leliana sneered, "Isn't nine million gold coins enough for you to make a fortune? Last time, your list already had all kinds of 'extra expenses'. Considering we are old friends—"
"My Lord," Orina interrupted her, "Last time was last time. I also said that the situation is different now. Someone has offered a higher price. If you can't afford it, then accepting the Vatican's offer is our only option right now. This deal involves the entire town. Of course, I am willing to cooperate with you, but business is business. What can I do?"
Leliana's face was as gloomy as water. She looked at her quietly for a few seconds, said nothing, and slammed the door and left.
Su Cheng basically understood what was going on.
——The Holy See and the Secret Cult, both groups want to buy a certain crystal vein in the town. Now the person in charge of negotiating with them is asking for prices from both sides.
Honestly, this is terrible.
Didn't the businessman realize who he was doing business with?
Su Cheng actually didn't want to meddle in other people's business at all, but after thinking about the Wayne children, he still followed them.
Of course, the fact that he had been able to eavesdrop for so long without being discovered meant that Leliana was not a top expert.
Although that kind of expert would not be sent to negotiate.
Su Cheng followed Leliana from a distance, watching her climb over the eaves and walls and directly leave the town, and meet up with her subordinates who were waiting there on the outskirts of the town.
"grown ups!"
Several subordinates sat on the monsters. The leader drove the two-headed horse under him two steps forward. He looked at his boss's face and knew that things were not going well.
"Damn Cooper!" Leliana cursed, uttering a string of obscenities. "You're asking for a higher price! You simply think I won't contact the Vatican to verify what I said—"
The subordinates looked at each other in bewilderment.
"Sir," someone whispered, "If that's the case, as long as we cut off the connection between the Vatican and Cooper Firm, won't they have no choice but to choose us?"
"What do you mean?" Leliana asked back. "Go to the nearest Vatican temple and kill them all? What's the point of clearing out a low-level temple? There's also the temple in Amber City and the temple in the Imperial Capital above. Do I have to kill them all one by one? If I had that ability, would I still be here?!"
"I think," another subordinate suddenly laughed, "these people are so greedy because they have nothing to fear. We should make them understand who they are dealing with."
Leliana glanced at her.
"I mean," the man said with a smile, "I have several bandit gangs under my command. They originally helped the nobles in the city to collect debts—"
"No," Leliana said angrily, "Lord Salon would not allow me to do such a thing, and I don't want to do it myself—"
"You misunderstood, sir. We were only trying to scare them. The nine million gold coins we offered are enough for everyone to move into the city and live a comfortable life."
The man sneered, "These shameless fools betrayed the ancient gods who nurtured them. They are not good people at heart. Ordinary methods will definitely be ineffective..."
Leliana pondered for a moment. "You're right, but don't overdo it. If they don't cooperate, just kill one or two of the leaders."
"Of course, sir," the man saluted on the giant lizard's back. "If this deal is successful, His Majesty the Dark God might even reward you. Besides, your appointment as the Chief Envoy is a foregone conclusion."
Leliana thought for a few seconds, and a smile gradually appeared on her face, as if she had already seen the scene of promotion and wealth.
"Alright," she said, leaping onto her ornithodra mount and caressing her companion's vibrant neck feathers. "Let's do it as soon as possible. The people from the Church agreed so readily, so they probably have a similar idea. I want to get started before them."
"Ha, my lord, you finally figured it out."
"……Shut up."
"But the sheriff in this town is tough—"
“…I have a plan.”
A group of people rushed away in the night.
Su Cheng looked at their quickly disappearing backs, took a deep breath, then turned and ran towards the town square.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
