Helenbergh is brightly decorated tonight.
Once a month, Prince Reinhardt will personally visit Helenbergh tonight to meet the newlyweds.
The audience was arranged in the central conference hall of Helenbergh. Those from the villa area did not need to be assessed, and those from the dormitory area were not yet qualified for the prince's personal assessment; only the newcomers from the high-rise apartment area had the opportunity to meet the prince.
This is a perfect opportunity to showcase your talents and make a good first impression on the prince.
Those who come seeking refuge are only after securing a position, hoping to gain the prince's favor and rise to prominence. If they can achieve the "meritorious service of following the dragon," they will enjoy endless wealth and honor for a lifetime.
The conference hall was already filled with distinguished guests, and Zhang Fan felt that he was lucky enough not to have to wait a whole month for nothing.
"Hey bro, you're back so soon?"
Not long after he sat down, someone sat down next to him and started chatting. Zhang Fan frowned and asked, "Who are you?" He didn't recognize the person.
"Is this a day trip to Xilin Gol? Hahaha." The man who struck up the conversation laughed loudly. "I warned you when you were given the mission, but you wouldn't listen. Now you're paying the price, aren't you?"
Zhang Fan remembered that this person was the one who was next to him when he received the S-level mission.
“It’s good to give up early.” Once the man started, he couldn’t stop. “That S-level mission is a trap. It doesn’t seem to pay much, not even enough for the people here to have a meal. But I don’t understand why anyone would live in that poor village of Xilin.”
Zhang Fan knew it was because of their attachment to their hometown. For the villagers of Xilin, a large house in Helenburg might not be as comfortable as a thatched hut in the village, not to mention the harmonious neighborly relations—these were all intangible added values.
Isn't he the same? Zhang Fan never thought of buying property here, even though he has been in Ryan for so long and may stay for a long time in the future. He has even become a citizen for this reason, but Blue Star is still the only hometown he longs for.
"Huh? What's this?" This person was completely unreserved, picking up the patched-up clothes next to Zhang Fan and examining them closely. "Where did you find this trash?"
"Be careful not to tear it," Zhang Fan said with a smile. "This garment is worth 180,000 gold coins. You'll have to pay for it if you tear it."
The man's hands trembled, and his eyes almost bulged out.
"Is this garment made of gold thread? It doesn't look like it..." The man carefully pinched the layers of patches, looking at Zhang Fan with suspicion. "Could it be an antique worn by some emperor?"
“No.” Zhang Fan shook his head. “The fabric is very ordinary, and the clothes are very ordinary. You can buy a new one for 10 gold coins and get change.”
"..."
"Don't tell me this is the 'equivalent' to completing that S-rank mission?"
"You're very clever," Zhang Fan nodded. "You guessed it right away."
"Damn it!" The man's forehead veins bulged as he gritted his teeth and said, "If this piece of junk is worth 180,000 gold coins, I'll soak my dick in sulfuric acid right here and now!"
Zhang Fan looked up and around.
"What are you doing?" the man asked, bewildered.
"Let me see where I can find sulfuric acid," Zhang Fan said sincerely. "I think everyone will be very interested in such a spectacular performance."
"you……"
The man wanted to argue further, but a commotion broke out among the crowd in the hall, interrupting their conversation.
"Look! It's Prince Reinhardt!"
Zhang Fan turned his head and saw Prince Reinhardt calmly walking into the hall, escorted by several palace guards.
Reinhardt was dark-skinned and thin, dressed in a white suit with gold trim, his hand on the sword at his waist, his expression exuding an unapproachable arrogance.
Many people on both sides took off their hats and bowed to him.
Removing one's hat and bowing is the standard etiquette for nobles to pay respects to royalty, suggesting that many of those who came to Reinhard's aid also came from the noble class.
After seeing what Prince Reinhardt looked like, Zhang Fan was somewhat disappointed. He was far removed from the image of a "prince" in fairy tales, and was more like the so-called prince in his sixties on the island of Great Britain on Earth.
Prince Reinhardt is 39 years old and 1.7 meters tall, but he is a bit thin, with slightly sunken cheeks and a pale complexion, giving him an unhealthy appearance.
It seems he's been drained by nightlife; no wonder Madam Qiu dislikes this cheap son-in-law. If the young and beautiful Alice stood next to him, they would look more like grandfather and granddaughter than father and daughter.
By betting on this person, Zhang Fan could only say that Marquis Charles had "unique vision."
With the prince's arrival, there was naturally a lot of polite conversation. To show his approachable image, Reinhard shook hands with many people along the way.
Then came the usual speech on stage. The prince spoke earnestly, and his words were full of criticism of current affairs and impassioned remarks. He seemed to have a deep connection with the audience, as if they were kindred spirits who had met too late.
Who the hell wrote this script? It's utterly idiotic. Zhang Fan felt that if he were to read it on stage, he would want to tear it up after the first sentence.
However, the audience was very supportive, applauding several times, with thunderous applause that lasted a long time until the end of the speech.
Zhang Fan couldn't help but applaud: You finally finished speaking!
Next came the task assessment time, which was basically the person who came to report to Prince Reinhard.
Zhang Fan had seen through it all. Only those who entered the villa area within Helenburgh were truly recruited by the prince's faction.
The single-story dormitory area was essentially a rejection zone for those they looked down upon. The dormitory area existed only to demonstrate Prince Reinhard's open-mindedness in "recruiting talent regardless of background."
People in high-rise apartment areas possess unique abilities that can be utilized, but they are not allowed to access information about the faction's internal affairs. Therefore, these people are supported and made to work for the prince's faction by issuing tasks.
That's why the missions involve so much dirty, strenuous, and shady work. After all, the people here aren't theoretically part of the prince's faction, so if anything goes wrong, they can quickly distance themselves and avoid tarnishing the prince's reputation.
The butler standing beside Prince Reinhardt held a list and began calling out names one by one. Those whose names were called were the ones who had returned after completing their missions, and many of them were carrying something.
Zhang Fan saw a man with a scar on his face walk up carrying a square box. Liquid seemed to be dripping from the seams of the box...
Blood?
The scarred man knelt before Prince Reinhardt, holding the box above his head with both hands. The butler stepped forward and opened the box, and a strong smell of blood filled the air. Some people nearby couldn't help but cover their noses.
Prince Reinhardt stepped forward, glanced inside the box, then burst into laughter and helped the scarred man to his feet.
"Someone! Arrange a house for this brave man to rest!"
The box was closed again, and a palace guard beside Prince Reinhardt took it and left the meeting hall. The scarred man, amidst envious glances from many, strode away with him.
"Tsk tsk, this guy's going to have a meteoric rise to success from now on!" the person next to Zhang Fan said with great envy.
Zhang Fan remained calm and noncommittal.
There are only a few S-class missions in total. Zhang Fan knew the details of the mission with the scarred man. He had heard that Prince Reinhardt had connections in both the legitimate and underworld circles, and today he witnessed it firsthand.
"This man won't live much longer." Zhang Fan couldn't help but shake his head, but he didn't feel sorry for the scarred man, after all, the scarred man wasn't a good person either.
"What did you say?" Zhang Fan's seemingly nonsensical question puzzled those around him.
"It's nothing." Zhang Fan smiled and said no more.
What difficulty could Prince Reinhard have in killing someone? Why didn't he do it himself? It's simply because he had too many concerns; killing that person could easily ruin his reputation.
Now it's great; killing a scarred man with a long history of crimes and evil deeds not only eliminates his worries but also earns him a good reputation—a win-win situation.
"Second Lieutenant Zhang Fan of the Royal Military Command Academy, Ryan..."
"It's my turn." Hearing his name called, Zhang Fan stood up and patted the person next to him on the shoulder.
"Remember to have sulfuric acid ready."
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