Chapter 85 Chapter 85 Dance with you?
Su Cheng: “…”
Su Cheng: "I don't want to be a couple with that kind of person!"
Sasha gave him a playful look. "You know the reason you became his Favored is because there's something in your personality—"
Su Cheng raised his hands to cover his ears to express his resistance, "I don't want to listen, I don't want to listen, I reject this theory."
Sasha was amused by her and even rubbed her head. "You are so cute."
Su Cheng looked at him expressionlessly.
"Ahem," he retracted his hand. "Then let's switch gods. What about the other two?"
Su Cheng: "...No, I understand what you mean. The followers of the God of Wealth have some kind of complex about him, or perhaps a strong desire for more wealth. The gods are the embodiment of this concept, so this influences their actions. This must be related to divine authority. Just like many followers of the God of Contract don't enjoy contracts but instead see them as a means of profit or pleasure. If that's the case, then the followers of the God of Joy will love him very much."
When she said this, her eyes wandered for a moment, and she remembered that when she was being intimate with the God of Lust, someone was still trying to make his presence felt from time to time.
The two men next to her stared at her again.
When Su Cheng came to his senses, he met two pairs of meaningful eyes.
Su Cheng: "Uh——"
Sasha interrupted her, "No need to explain, I know what kind of person he is. It's cool, right?"
Su Cheng: "... things are not what you think, wait, it seems to be what you think, okay, yes."
Camus turned and walked away.
"Also," Su Cheng blinked speechlessly, "Regarding Duke Oulu, I thought he would be a very cautious person. I'm referring to the act of getting the Seal of the God of Wealth in the temple."
"Cautious? That kind of person will never be favored by the God of Wealth," Sasha sneered. "In fact, most gods wouldn't choose that kind of person."
Su Cheng wasn't sure if he was making a veiled attack.
Sasha casually recounted some other events. "You know the Vatican doesn't allow usury, right? So that's why the Imperial Law later amended this?"
"Yes," Su Cheng nodded, "Does the Olu family also lend money?"
"No, no, no. The Oulu family never did that. However, they used the Imperial Bank, using seemingly legitimate names like partnership investment and risk margin, to provide funds to those nobles and merchants in trouble. They then collected returns far exceeding the principal. Many people were driven to death by them—"
This kind of thing will not harm civilians.
Because ordinary citizens are not eligible to apply for and cannot get this kind of loan.
But for the Vatican, this is lending money.
"The official reason the Vatican doesn't allow lending is to protect civilians," Su Cheng thought for a moment, "but it's essentially a conflict of interests."
The Church wanted to guide people with gods and doctrines, so it provided solutions to life's difficulties.
Pray to God.
Then receive God's blessing, but other than the healing, it's all spiritual.
The options offered by lenders are more material, more direct, and require less faith, at least on the surface.
From then on, they will become slaves to money and wealth, every breath they take will be to repay the interest, and their souls will be stripped away from their faith in God.
——Then be bound by worldly account books.
However, these debts and loans are enriching the economic network composed of debts and interests. If its influence is large enough, it will shake the authority of the Holy See.
"The actions of those favored by the gods may not completely represent the will of the gods, but I feel that... the things they do are generally what the gods would find interesting."
And lending is just one battle among many.
"A small clue reveals a big one," Su Cheng thought for a moment, "so the relationship between the God of Light and his allied gods is not entirely unbroken. They are still fighting."
"That's true, but as long as the God of Light can suppress Him, they will remain allies."
"So... Duke Oulu isn't showing goodwill to me in front of the Vatican, but this very act is already a gesture of goodwill towards me?"
"Perhaps it can be understood that way?"
The three of them sat down by the window.
Outside was a lush green courtyard, and a familiar yet unfamiliar figure passed by in the distance.
Su Cheng blinked, suspecting that he had seen it wrong.
Soon, another group of people dressed as mercenaries came over.
Those people were walking along the green path, seemingly talking about something.
One of them suddenly raised her head and looked at the guests by the window, and then her beautiful blue eyes lit up.
Su Cheng: “?”
Xiao Lan?
Is he also staying in this hotel? Or was he invited here to discuss business?
The silver-haired boy stepped into the restaurant and walked over in two steps.
He was wearing a thin, close-fitting leather armor with fine lines carved on the silver-white armor. The flexible leather and cloth tightly wrapped around his slender and lean body.
The muscle contours of the limbs are clearly outlined.
"Your Excellency," Xiao Lan greeted her with a smile, "Long time no see."
Su Cheng had just met him in Jinzhan Palace, so naturally he didn't have this feeling. "...Um, yes, good morning!"
Xiao Lan subconsciously glanced at their table, his expression blank for a moment, "Don't you all like to eat staple food?"
Su Cheng's mind was full of all kinds of trivial things, just a bunch of cold dishes.
A certain blood mage took all the sweets, and a certain vampire only took a drink.
Su Cheng: "...I'm too lazy to move."
The others remained silent.
At this time, Xiao Lan's companions also came in. They happened to see the rude attitude of the two men and couldn't help but frown.
When have the core members of the Silver Wing Mercenary Group ever been treated like this?
Even the nobles of the empire would not behave like this when they met them.
However, they had good eyesight and could see that the two people were not to be trifled with. They also knew that the woman was a person favored by God, so they could only endure it for the time being.
Xiao Lan didn't care at all, or rather, he didn't care at all.
His attention was all on Su Cheng, "...Sir, I have been accepted by the Yongzhiyuan Academy, so we can be classmates in the future."
"Congratulations," Su Cheng said with a smile, "Do you live in the academy too?"
"Yes, but I may not be able to attend classes for a long time——"
"Well, everyone does," Su Cheng sighed, "I have a lot of things to do, so I can only learn as much as I can."
As she spoke, she stood up and pretended to chat with him, "...I'll also stop by to get something hot."
Xiao Lan became more and more happy, his blue eyes sparkling, "Sir, since we last parted, I have been... "
He was about to say something when a blush appeared on his snow-white cheeks. "I don't know either..."
Su Cheng: “?”
She still vaguely remembered that Xiao Lan had said at the banquet that he had someone he liked.
She didn't listen carefully at the time, but that's what he meant, right?
But she naturally couldn't show it now, otherwise it would be exposed. "So, I guess you came to the imperial capital first. Is there anything new?"
Xiao Lan's expression was slightly relaxed, yet a little conflicted. It was obvious that he couldn't say what he wanted to say.
"…if I tell you."
He opened the silver warming cover and picked up a stack of tender veal shanks in a rich sauce, and then a stack of grilled lamb chops marinated in herbs and rock salt.
"Could you please try not to tell anyone else?"
Xiao Lan whispered, "I know you are a favored one of the God of Contract. You don't have to answer me. This is just my personal request. I guess you also received an invitation from the Olu family's Golden Cup Palace? You shouldn't have gone, right?"
"…What happened?"
Xiao Lan suddenly glanced at her.
Su Cheng's heart skipped a beat and he looked back in surprise.
The boy tilted his head. "Yes, someone attacked there. Of course, I was already out when it happened. I was just going out to see the world."
"...Why do you need to see the world? You're a member of Silver Wing, so you must have seen all kinds of big scenes, right?"
"There are certain things in the human world that I have very little exposure to."
He shook his head slightly. "Duke Oulu is famous and powerful, one of the most prestigious nobles in the imperial capital. I thought that accepting his family's invitation would allow me to see some of the goings-on in this circle. Anyway, I heard that Duke Oulu suppressed the attacker, who seemed to be a mad magician. Rumor has it that he was studying the effects of forbidden magic. In addition, a prince died in the attack, and some people said it was an assassination attempt on her—"
Su Cheng put on a bewildered look, thinking that these people were really good at making up stories.
But the prince was also a man in a suit, so there might be more conspiracies and tricks involved.
At this moment, a waiter from the hotel entered the dining room and walked straight towards them, bowing politely first.
"Your Excellency Su Cheng."
The waiter stood up and respectfully handed over an invitation.
As soon as Su Cheng saw the mark of the gold coin rose, he knew that this thing came from the Olu family.
"I received it too," Xiao Lan whispered, "It's the end-of-season ball in the imperial capital, hosted by the Olu family this time."
"Well," Su Cheng was silent for a moment, "Do you want to go?"
"If, cough," the silver-haired boy was a little stumped, his face flushed even more, "if I could have the honor of having your company."
Su Cheng was full of questions.
This kind of reaction?
She always thought that she was not a very perceptive person, at least in these aspects, but the other party's reaction was too obvious.
Doesn’t he have a sweetheart?
Su Cheng: “…”
Could it be that——
If she could admit that she had entered the Jinzhan Palace, she would have wanted to ask him directly.
Su Cheng: "Sir, are you single? I mean, as long as it won't cause your partner to misunderstand."
Xiao Lan immediately nodded and shook his head, "I am indeed single, you don't need to worry at all."
But then again, going to a dance together does not mean a specific relationship. It is common to bring friends, relatives, and colleagues.
Su Cheng held the invitation in his hand, "...Sir, when did you receive the invitation?"
"About three days ago."
Su Cheng sighed in his heart.
Invitations for dances of this nature should indeed be sent out several days in advance, and my situation is very unusual.
"Okay, let's go together."
Su Cheng said something to his teammates.
They didn't interfere with each other's actions and had no objections.
Sasha even said gloatingly: "I'm curious about which god you can meet this time."
“…No crow’s mouth!”
At sunset, Su Cheng boarded the magnificent carriage and set off with Xiao Lan, arriving at the Duke of Oulu's residence in the upper city.
The mountain-like building stood in the night, and the heavy bronze door slowly opened, revealing a jade-polished courtyard walkway.
The courtyard was brightly lit, with hundreds of arched windows and stained glass windows embedded between the pavilions, and guards in neatly dressed uniforms lined up on both sides.
They stood solemnly with swords in hand, their postures in perfect alignment, each of them breathing deeply, their bodies filled with fighting spirit.
"...I'm not very good at feeling the specific rank of the warriors," Su Cheng said softly, "I just know that they are all very powerful. What do you think of their level?"
Xiao Lan said without hesitation, "Most of them are level four, and the leader is a great battle master."
Sixth-level warrior.
It's bad enough that he's just a bodyguard, but he's also sent out.
——Generally speaking, the guards around the nobles are even more powerful.
The main banquet hall was bustling with activity, filled with brocaded clothes and precious jewels swaying in the lights.
The nobles who were talking to each other all used the orthodox common language without any accent, and their intonation was rhythmic and rhythmic.
Su Cheng smelled a pleasant, thin, cold fragrance. The smell was not strong, but it permeated every corner of the hall.
"Fire Orchid," Xiao Lan said softly, "I heard it's a rare magical plant from another plane. The spices made from it are worth hundreds of gold coins per gram."
Su Cheng caught a glimpse of the red orchids blooming in the corner of the hall.
They are shrouded in a completely transparent crystal cover, with the gorgeous crimson petals fully open and the filaments like burning candle wicks.
A little further away stood a pale middle-aged man with black hair, blue eyes, and gorgeous clothes, but he looked a little weak and was talking to several other people.
Su Cheng only glanced at her once, and the person turned around sharply.
They looked at each other for a moment.
Perhaps because he realized that Su Cheng was not an acquaintance, the man stopped paying attention to him and just nodded coldly.
"...That's Marquis Melina Varius."
A voice suddenly sounded from behind.
Su Cheng turned his head and suddenly found a familiar face.
Among the young couple who had met outside the Imperial Court before, the girl was a dragon knight and she brought a cute baby dragon with her.
At this time they were standing behind him.
"It really is you," the blonde girl smiled. "This lord from the Holy See—wait, you seemed to say you're not from the Holy See, right?"
Su Cheng sighed and briefly introduced himself.
"Nice to meet you," the blonde girl extended her hand. "I'm Persis Altherian, Vice President of the Royal Geographical and Geographical Society."
Su Cheng shook the other person's hand, "It's my pleasure, Your Highness."
She was glad that she had made up for some of the knowledge about the empire's upper circles.
Now it matches.
Persis was the youngest of the emperor's many children and was said to be a very good painter.
But because she was too young, she basically lost the qualification to compete for the throne, but she herself did not seem to have this intention.
"This is my fiancé and my cousin."
Persis casually introduced the blond boy next to him.
Su Cheng also introduced Xiao Lan to them.
Persis raised his eyebrows slightly, "So you are—"
"My friend and classmate," Su Cheng said, "Your Highness, may I ask you to dance?"
Persis was about to speak when his eyes suddenly paused, revealing a hint of disgust, as if he had seen something unlucky.
However, no one came near.
Su Cheng even looked around and found that the area was still full of the same faces as before.
Perhaps because they knew the prince's temper, even if someone wanted to come over and talk to her, they would be discouraged by her impatient look.
"...I'd be happy to," the prince said with some regret, "but now, I have things to do."
Su Cheng nodded blankly, "Okay, then I won't bother you anymore?"
"Anyway," the prince curled his lips, "if anyone asks, just say I need to go back to take care of my dragon. She seems to be having some postpartum depression."
Then she grabbed her fiancé and ran away.
Su Cheng: “?”
After a few seconds, greetings came from all around, echoing from the front.
Su Cheng turned around.
The blond man stood under the light and walked slowly towards me with a wine glass in his hand. The sparkling gold diamonds on his ears looked like two stars.
"Your Mightiness."
He smiled and leaned forward, raising his hand. The gorgeous gems on his fingers sparkled. "I don't think we've officially met each other yet."
There were gasps and a low humming sound nearby.
"I am Galen VII, Duke of Oulu, Chief Advisor to the Royal Economic Council—"
The blond man's voice was low and pleasant. "I wonder if I would have the honor to dance with you in your place, Your Highness?"
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