Harkins' words caused Todd to fall into a brief silence. After a moment of thought, Todd said, "Judging from your tone, it seems you don't think Emerson can be re-elected?"
Huggins scratched the back of his head and said with a smile, "It's not that I'm pessimistic, it's just that the situation this time is not optimistic."
Listening to the students not far away still tirelessly promoting the benefits of war, Todd patted the wall of the carriage and said softly, "Let's go back to the palace first. We'll hold a banquet tonight for all cabinet members."
Huggins responded, turned his horse around, and slowly drove the carriage toward the palace on the hilltop.
The evening glow streamed through the windowpanes into the bedroom, casting Todd's shadow as he stood before the mirror into a long, slanted line.
Todd tugged at his collar, looked at himself in the mirror in his formal attire, and turned his neck somewhat uncomfortably.
Huggins, who was standing to the side, waved for the maids to leave and asked, "Your Majesty, how was your afternoon rest?"
Todd, whose body was no longer human, could go for days without food or sleep without any problems. But in response to his subordinates' good intentions, he said, "Very good. The days adrift at sea were not pleasant. Being able to lie in bed and get a good night's sleep as soon as I get back is a great help."
Hearing this, Huggins said with satisfaction, "That's good, that's good. Your Majesty, forgive my bluntness, but the North is, after all, a barbarian land. In terms of living conditions and food, how can it compare to the prosperous Muxi City? Moreover, both the Cabinet and the Protestant Church need your presence to command. Therefore, why don't you simply..."
Seeing that Huggins intended to continue persuading him, Todd promptly changed the subject.
"When I entered the palace, I found that there were very few servants, but the number of guards was several times that when I left. What's going on?"
Huggins gave Todd a look that said, "You should know this." He continued, "Your Majesty, you are the only person in the entire royal family of Muxi City! When you left, there was no one else living in the huge palace, so I dismissed most of the servants."
"As for those guards, you should still remember the treasuries built underground in the palace, right?"
Recalling the rooms beneath his feet filled with gold coins, Todd, whose inner self was a black dragon, felt a surge of excitement: "I remember, so what?"
"During your absence, due to the rapid economic development of Muxi City, investment and financial returns have increased significantly. In addition, with income from patent royalties and other sources, Your Majesty's assets have increased nearly tenfold. In order to store such a large amount of wealth, I have commissioned craftsmen and aliens to expand the original two-story underground space to four stories."
Todd asked with interest, "So how many gold coins do I have now?"
Huggins stroked his chin with a troubled expression, thinking as he said, "If we only consider gold coins, it would be around 20 million gold coins, which is about 200 million silver coins."
"But if you include other antiques, gems, utensils and other valuables, Your Majesty's wealth may exceed fifty million gold coins."
Seeing Todd's indifferent expression, Huggins mistakenly assumed that the other party did not understand the concept of such a large sum of wealth.
"Your Majesty, please allow me to explain. If you wish, you could use this wealth to buy the entire Papal States; or, if you were to melt down all these coins, you could build a palace exactly like this one. I can say without exaggeration that you are already the richest person in the world..."
Todd laughed, stopping Huggins in his tracks: "Okay, I get it. I'm sitting on a mountain of gold now, I'll never have to worry about food or clothing again..."
Huggins said helplessly, "In short, Your Majesty, you must find a way to learn how to spend your money before your treasury overflows... or, you could marry a queen to help you spend it..."
As Todd walked toward the palace gate, he glanced back at Huggins: "I suppose what you really meant was the second half of what you were saying?"
Huggins shrugged, looked around, and said, "Don't you think it's too lonely to have such a large palace all to yourself? Look at me, my fourth child is about to be born..."
Speaking of children, Todd suddenly thought of Deirdre, who was far away in Froststone City. Calculating the time, her due date was just around the corner.
He secretly decided that once he had dealt with Mu Xicheng's matter, it was time to go back and spend some time with her...
As Todd stepped out of his bedchamber and into the reception hall where the banquet was being held, his appearance drew cheers and applause from everyone.
Emerson, Cumberland, Terrence, Joe...
As he watched the familiar faces swarming in, Todd smiled and greeted them as he slowly took his seat at the head of the table.
"Your Majesty, where have you been all this time?"
"Are you aware of everything that is happening in Muxi City right now?"
"You'll stay here, won't you?"
"Your Majesty, are you aware that the people are demanding war?"
Hearing the cacophony of voices from the crowd, Todd raised his right hand and gave Huggins a wink.
Huggins took a bell from his pocket, shook it gently, and said to the servants, "Let's begin."
As one delicious dish after another was served, the attendees, watching Todd smile without saying a word, gradually calmed down. They exchanged glances, deciding to temporarily set aside their questions and remain silent.
Todd raised his glass and said to the crowd, "To the great Kingdom of Muxi."
Everyone raised their glasses: "To the great Kingdom of Muxi."
Todd downed his drink in one gulp and looked at everyone, saying, "There are three things at today's banquet. First, I want to hear about the changes in Twilight City during my absence."
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