Chapter 35 The discussion is over. You're still young, hmm... you need to learn to be moderate...
Easter relaxed for a moment, then got up from his seat. The system felt like a warm hand warmer, making Easter feel all warm. "Would you like to have lunch with me?" he asked with a smile to the four little firemen who had jumped off their seats.
"No need, let's go out and stretch our legs." The four of them only accepted the escort mission this morning. After lunch, they were to accompany other players to a meeting. It was the easiest of their daily missions. Apart from being boring, it was harmless. Competing for it depended on both speed and luck.
East didn't insist. As he walked out of the council chamber, a cold wind, carrying his words, hit him in the face, making him shiver.
East exhaled a puff of white breath. It was only the beginning of autumn, so why was the temperature so low?
East's heart skipped a beat. No way, no way? "System, can you predict this year's weather?" He hoped his guess wouldn't come true. The situation was already dire, and if they made things worse without regard for his life, his frail shoulders really couldn't bear it!
[Host, this is not a normal world. The detection results may not be accurate.] The system lamented bitterly. Lately, it had become increasingly useless, failing at everything it did.
As East walked down the long corridor, the heavy, overcast sky made him appear lonely and isolated, exuding a sense of being cut off from the world.
"Regardless of whether the situation will really deteriorate to the worst possible point, it's always good to be prepared in advance," Easter thought. Judging from his luck since transmigrating, he would be grateful if things hadn't turned out to be the worst possible outcome.
"The most important thing is to wait for the discussions regarding Port Manhattan." East had already walked into the restaurant.
The restaurant not only has little fire figures, but also many servants moving around.
Cai Cai cooked lunch as usual. When the food was brought over, Cai Cai looked at Ister with a puzzled expression. Usually, the King's son would eat in the guest room of his room. Why was he in the dining room today?
East put down the system and washed his hands with water. "The matter we discussed today hasn't yielded any results yet," he explained.
Cai Cai sat down next to Ister. "Little King, is the matter being discussed causing you any difficulty?"
East wasn't someone who paid much attention to dining etiquette, except when it was necessary to be mindful. So, while eating, he chatted with Cai Cai. "A little. The matter we discussed today is quite important, but unfortunately, I don't have many bargaining chips. I can only try to see how things go."
"King, can we help you?" Cai Cai asked sincerely and earnestly. When King entered the restaurant, he noticed that King was in low spirits. He had already imagined countless scenes of King being bullied. Whether from personal experience or from rumors among players, he was very clear about King's status: he had no status.
Easter ate his roast meat with bread, a bowl of vegetable and meat soup beside him, but he was longing for white rice. He realized how greedy he was; how could he have gone from wanting to eat his fill to wanting to eat well in just a few days? Hearing Cai Cai's question, he swallowed the food in his mouth. "Your existence has already helped me a lot." Easter knew perfectly well what the people in the council hall were worried about in not completely breaking off relations.
“My little king, if you need any help, please tell us. We have all come for you.”
East turned to look at Cai Cai, a gentle and warm smile on his face, "Don't worry, when I really can't handle it, I will never forget you."
"That's good." Cai Cai felt relieved after hearing Ister's words. The little king was very well-behaved, but he wasn't one to be too demanding of himself. He would ask others for help when appropriate, which was already very good.
After finishing their conversation, Cai Cai stopped disturbing East's meal and quietly watched the mukbang. Hmm? Hmm!? Cai Cai's beady eyes widened as she stared intently at the skin on the side of East's neck that was exposed as he lowered his head. That skin was almost at the back of his neck, and the loose strands of hair that had been pulled up while eating had just exposed that skin that should have been covered up. The contrast between the red and white was like a drop of ink on a white sheet of paper, so conspicuous that it couldn't be more obvious.
Cai Cai reviewed the information about the King's son. Twenty years old! Only twenty! And judging from the King's son's personality, this matter was definitely not simple. Cai Cai understood what had happened that morning, and this was one of the conditions that confirmed the matter was not simple. If it were just a simple intimate encounter with someone, and that person's identity was not questionable, the King's son wouldn't be hiding it. Most importantly, this was a game! How could such a big thing happen to their most important NPC, and the players were completely unaware? Was this normal? Absolutely not!
Cai Cai was on the verge of a breakdown. His tender, fresh cabbage, which pig had eaten it before it even grew up?
For a fleeting moment, Cai Cai's thoughts resonated with the system's.
East wasn't oblivious; he easily noticed Cai Cai's burning gaze that was practically scalding him. Just as he was about to ask a question, he realized where she was looking, shook his head, and let his hair fall down, covering up the marks that shouldn't be exposed.
"Who is the King's son?" Cai Cai asked in a deep voice, like an old mother worried that her daughter had been deceived by a bad man.
East was embarrassed, utterly embarrassed. He never expected that such a tiny thing would be noticed. Last night's commotion wasn't too outrageous; he had restrained himself. But there are always moments when emotions run high, and inevitably, some traces remain.
"Male or female?" It wasn't that Cai Cai was being paranoid, but although yesterday's banquet wasn't broadcast live, many players still attended, including him. He witnessed everything that happened at the banquet firsthand—the dazzling, outstanding man's appearance, his conversation with the King, and what happened afterward. Considering what happened today, it's hard not to have something to think about.
East was somewhat annoyed by how clever and perceptive his players were, leaving him speechless when he asked them questions.
"Did he force you?" Cai Cai asked. Judging from everyone's attitude yesterday, the man must be of very high status. Even though they, the players, and the king were in the same camp, they couldn't lie and say how high the king's son's status was.
Easter gently patted Cai Cai's little tuft of hair, "Don't worry too much about me. I'm an adult now. I have my own considerations and plans, and I can take responsibility for my actions."
Cai Cai, "So it really was him, right?"
Easter smiled helplessly, "This isn't our first meeting, and there's no question of coercion or non-coercion. In fact, I'm the one who benefits."
"Little King, you're too naive. You're so easily fooled." Cai Cai is a man, how could she not understand men's psychology?
“I’m twenty, not twelve.” East was even more exasperated. Was he worrying too much? But he was extremely pleased with the concern that Cai Cai expressed. “You really don’t need to worry too much.”
Cai Cai knew perfectly well that whether it was real or virtual, he had no right to comment on other people's feelings. "I won't tell anyone, but if he treats you badly, you must know how to fight back," she said worriedly.
“Yes, it will.” East wiped away a cold sweat. He was just here for lunch, how could he possibly expose his relationship with Arribel? But it wasn’t all bad. With Cai Cai covering for him, it wouldn’t be a problem for him to have lunch with Arribel.
"You're still young, um... you need to learn to be moderate."
East nearly dropped the soup bowl in his hand, put it down and coughed, his mind going completely blank.
Cai Cai immediately reached out and patted his back, "Drink water."
After recovering, Easter looked at Cai Cai with disbelief, took a couple of sips of water, and stammered, "You...I..." He didn't know what to say.
Cai Cai didn't expect East to react this way, and his words made him quite embarrassed. "This is also for your own good."
East nodded, and the two exchanged a glance and couldn't help but laugh. What had just happened was both embarrassing and funny.
The little incident during the meal allowed East to relax both physically and mentally. The fact that his relationship with Areber had been exposed to the players wasn't too important, so the awkwardness had passed, leaving only ease. With this sense of ease and pleasure, he could continue to maneuver and deal with the old fox.
I don’t know if they discussed it privately on the way back, but the situation at noon was much more friendly than in the morning.
After listening to their proposal, Easter lowered his eyes and pondered. He would personally take 50%, and the remaining portion would be borne by twelve court officials. Although it was only 50%, it was still a huge concession. The king was a separate force, and the remaining twelve court officials could not be considered a complete entity. With people's hearts in turmoil, everyone wanted to take more than their share, which would create a situation of checks and balances. Easter was still in a dominant position.
For East, the most pressing problem right now is the lack of manpower. These are local residents, not players. Given the players' strength and their own circumstances, they are not suitable to be sent out for trade at the moment. Besides manpower, there are many other things that are lacking. It's a real worry.
“We can do it this way,” East said, looking up, “but the first batch of goods that come back must all be grain.”
Some people couldn't help but sneer. In the end, whether or not grain production decreased had little to do with these nobles who had status and position; they could even use it to make money.
Ist didn't care about what was happening below. "Let's vote. If they don't want to, there's no need to discuss it any further." Ist didn't place all his hopes on them, and his attitude seemed somewhat indifferent.
Perhaps it was this attitude that influenced the people below, most of whom voted in favor.
East nodded. "Get the contract drafted as soon as possible."
…………
The matter on East's side has come to a temporary end, but a problem has arisen between Arepo and the player.
Areber looked at the ten little firemen in the distance, unsure whether to call them lucky or unlucky. They had just stumbled upon a "small abyss" teeming with monsters. These "small abysses" were special spaces formed by an overabundance of monsters. On the surface, they appeared to be just caves or deep pits, but only by entering could one discover the difference from the outside world. The most dangerous aspect was that once inside, one's negative emotions were easily stirred up.
However, the existence of the "Small Abyss" is not entirely a bad thing. Because of its special nature, it is usually accompanied by minerals. Historical records show that there have even been magic crystal mines. The prerequisite for obtaining minerals is to clear out all the medium-level monsters in the "Small Abyss". There are at least thousands of monsters, including low, medium and high-level ones.
Today, players experienced the feeling of a total team wipe, something they hadn't felt in a long time.
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