Chapter 197 The True "Philanthropist"

In the towering castle and the solemn hall, a young king sat on the throne at the end of the red carpet.

Tall arched windows let in soft winter sunlight, and stained glass depicts the glorious history of the Campbell family. A cashmere red carpet extends from the door to the Grand Duke's throne, surrounded by servants and guards, and the air is filled with the warmth of the stove, blending with the lightly scented candles.

This is the castle's audience hall.

Kneeling on one knee at the other end of the red carpet, Yan Andes looked pious and solemn, and spoke in a respectful voice.

"…Your Majesty, your loyal servant in Thunder City, Jan Andes, pays you the highest respects!"

Looking at Andes crawling on the ground, Edward, who was sitting on the throne, nodded happily and said with a bright smile on his face.

"Please stand up, my loyal Mr. Andes. Your contribution to the Campbell family and Thunder City is obvious to everyone. Even I have heard about it sitting in the castle. I wonder what good news you brought here today?"

This question is asked even though you already know the answer.

Of course he knew why Andes came; he had heard the news earlier today.

Of course Andes knew this, but he pretended to be surprised, thanked respectfully, and stood up and said.

"Your Majesty is truly a prophet. I dare not tell you the good news, but I do have a treasure I want to present to you."

As he spoke, he clapped his hands gently, and a servant came forward holding a square wooden box.

After getting a nod from Archduke Edward, Andes took the wooden box from the servant and opened it himself.

The moment the wooden box was opened, a diamond as big as a pigeon egg immediately caught the eyes of everyone in the hall.

Andes's position was very strategic, standing right in the sunlight shining through the stained glass window, allowing the dim sunset to fall perfectly on the velvet cushion.

The bright light shines in the hall.

Although he had heard about the beauty of this diamond, Edward couldn't help but be attracted by its dazzling appearance.

It's so beautiful! His index finger couldn't help but rub the armrest of the throne, wishing that the craftsman would immediately inlay it on his crown! Seeing the reaction of Archduke Edward, Andes was slightly relieved. So far, Colin Mining has been more than half successful.

As long as the Campbell royal family is conquered, it is equivalent to entering the aristocratic circle of the Ryan Kingdom, which in itself is the biggest piece of cake along the coast of the Whirlpool Sea.

Using 500,000 gold coins to buy this market and at the same time gaining the favor of the Grand Duke, this deal is a huge profit no matter how you look at it.

Clearing his throat, Andes continued.

"...I saw this diamond at a charity party. It was a gift from Mr. Roxel Colin to your sister Irene Campbell and Thunder City. The crystal clear and shining brilliance immediately reminded me of you, the glittering one. So I didn't hesitate at all. Even if it offended your vassal, I would buy it and present it to you, the truly noble one."

These words touched Edward's heart.

Even though he knew it was just a polite remark, he couldn't help but feel slightly moved, just like the feeling of being tipsy after tasting fine wine for the first time.

"You are thoughtful, Mr. Andes. My subjects only want to share the glory of the Campbell family, but no one has ever thought about doing something for our glory. You are the only one who thinks of this, and you are not just talking about it... I am very satisfied."

Looking at Andes who nodded respectfully, Edward Campbell smiled and nodded, then continued in a friendly manner.

"I love your gift very much. I believe it will become the most dazzling embellishment on Campbell's crown, just like you and your family are to me."

Andes acted flattered, knelt on one knee again with gratitude, put his right hand on his chest, and spoke from the bottom of his heart.

"It is an honor for the Andes family to share your worries."

Edward nodded slightly and spoke elegantly yet with dignity.

"Please stand up. I can see your loyalty. You don't need to prove it to me again and again."

He was very satisfied with the butler left to him by his father.

Be rich, respectable, and know when to act... There are many people who can do one of these things, but few can do all of them.

The successive heads of the Andes family seemed to have this ability, and this seemed to be the reason why they could remain prosperous for so long.

The old stubborn people in the Principality of Campbell always oppose accepting the rising citizens into the power class of the Principality, saying that those high-sounding reasons are just because they are reluctant to give up the power in their hands.

They say that gold coins will corrode the foundation of the principality, but the richest people are these evil dragons who guard the treasury and never take anything in.

Edward scoffed at those remarks.

Of course, his attitude towards Mr. Andes was not the unreserved trust that outsiders saw.

The Demon Hunter Organization he founded in the Knights of the Trident was not only for internal supervision to weaken Jelock's military power, but also to strengthen control over Thunder County while implementing a series of reforms.

Isaac's dynasty was destroyed by the backstab of his own people. He is a man who will learn lessons from history and will not make the same mistake again.

Looking at the treasure that the servant brought to him, Edward reached out and picked up the diamond from the velvet cushion, holding it in front of his eyes to examine it carefully.

Those neatly cut faces were like a kaleidoscope mirror, reflecting the thousands of faces of his servants.

After a long pause, Edward suddenly spoke.

"Speaking of which, my sister is at your place recently."

Andes said respectfully.

"Yes, sir, she is staying at the manor where we had such a pleasant conversation, with her guards."

Edward continued.

"And then? What was she doing there?"

Andes nodded.

"As you can see, she is only fulfilling her stated obligations, such as keeping an eye on the movements in the maze below Thunder County, practicing swordsmanship, and rescuing the poor people outside Thunder City."

Edward looked at Andes with a half-smile and said something meaningful.

"Just to save the poor people, do you need to taste their food?"

Andes was stunned for a moment.

"Your Majesty, I... don't know what you are talking about."

This time he really didn't know.

After all, he got on a carriage and took the diamonds to Fort Campbell early in the morning, fearing that he would be intercepted on the road if he was a step slower.

"nothing."

Seeing that Andes really seemed to have no idea what was going on, Edward smiled faintly and brushed aside the topic lightly.

Regardless of whether he was pretending or not, this matter actually had nothing to do with the Andes family, but was an internal affair of the Campbell family.

For the past thousand years it didn't matter what the average person in this land thought, the only difference was being a happy sheep or an angry sheep.

If she was trying to win people's hearts, then she was just too naive. Many things could be her political capital, such as the imperial noble who came from afar, and the sword of legitimacy in her hand... but the people's love was the only thing that could not be her political capital.

On the contrary, people's cheers might expose her ambitions too early, allowing a group of people with ulterior motives to push her into a dangerous position.

Especially when people cheer for the glory of the Campbell family but forget who the real owner of this principality is.

"I appreciate your support for my sister, but you are a person who knows the limits and should know where to keep your distance. Also, if you want to do something for me, please share this virtue with Erin Campbell."

That casual remark seemed as light as a feather, but it was like a thunderclap in Andes' ears, making him sweat uncontrollably.

With his ability to read people's expressions, he could tell that this sentence contained a hint of murderous intent, even though the person was his closest relative.

Swallowing hard, Andes said respectfully.

"I will remember your teachings, Your Majesty, and will remind Her Royal Highness the Princess to be more careful about her words and actions."

Looking at Andes who dared not even breathe, Edward nodded with satisfaction and gently put the respectful servant down.

"very good."

He only cracked down on the Andes family just enough. After all, he still needed the Andes family's financial support to support his ambitions and to check and balance his increasingly disobedient brother.

Edward put on a lighthearted tone and continued with a smile.

"By the way, what's the situation with Colin? I heard that he has been very popular recently, and his popularity in Thunder City seems to have surpassed yours."

Andes said respectfully.

"It seems that Mr. Colin is a noble from the Empire. According to various rumors, his father is a prince from the New World."

A prince who owns a continent should not care about the title of a duchy. Could it be that this guy is just attracted to Irene Campbell's appearance as the rumors say?

Edward always felt that it was not that simple. He tapped lightly on the armrest of the throne with his index finger and said to himself after thinking for a moment.

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"When did the nobles of the empire become interested in us?"

"Maybe it's just the interest of the Colin family or Mr. Colin himself?" Andes said carefully, "At least he hasn't shown any more ambitions at the moment... I don't think he will support Her Highness Irene in doing anything dangerous."

He didn't care about Irene, but he was worried that Archduke Edward's jealousy would spread to Mr. Colin, thus affecting the prosperity of the Andes family for the next century.

But it seems not at the moment.

"Hmm." Edward just responded ambiguously, and no one knew what he was thinking behind his pensive face.

Andes was rarely able to read his mind.

After a while, the distinguished Grand Duke finally spoke.

"Perhaps I should find some time to go to Thunder City and visit this mysterious and distinguished friend of the Empire."

"That would be the best. The citizens of Thunder City welcome your presence," Andes breathed a sigh of relief and continued respectfully, "And I believe that gentleman and the Colin family behind him would also like to make friends with a distinguished and honorable person like you."

…

The diamond presented by Andes to the Campbell family became the most shining treasure on the crown of the Principality of Campbell, and the story of this diamond successfully became a topic of conversation among the upper class of the Principality of Campbell.

The lobby restaurant and bar of the Morning Embrace Hotel.

Andorra, dressed in a tuxedo, looked like a plump penguin. He stood by the bar with a bottle of champagne in his hand, showing off and chatting with the friends he had recently made.

"...I was at the auction that night, and the diamond was less than fifty meters away from me! Maybe it was forty meters... But that's not the point. The point is the shining light! I can swear to Saint Sis that I have never seen a treasure more dazzling than that, and there will never be any treasure that can surpass it in the future!"

The loud voice attracted countless amazed and envious glances, but some people also cast contemptuous glances at him.

There were many people who also attended that auction, and of course there were some here too, but they would not show off as loudly as this nouveau riche.

It is worth mentioning that although Mr. Andor has sold the hotel, he still visits here from time to time.

Even though he claimed that he was nostalgic for his past career and wanted to keep the old times, everyone knew what his ambitions were.

But no one cares about such insignificant things.

Because those sitting here also wanted to curry favor with the mysterious imperial nobleman.

Even different from the past, this time they had a clearer goal, which was to get more diamonds from him.

Based on the clues he revealed at the banquet, everyone can infer that this diamond was not obtained by chance by the Colin family, but came from a diamond mine in the New World controlled by the latter.

Compared to a shining diamond, that is what they really covet.

The only regret is that Mr. Colin is so mysterious that even the hotel staff don’t know where he is.

People didn't even know whether he was in the hotel, or went to the ship with the Purple Moon flag at the port, or was having a tryst with the respected Princess in some unknown place.

Just as everyone was talking about it, something happened that made them even more jealous.

With the official opening of Colin Mining Company in the port area of ​​Thunder City, a batch of small but equally shining diamonds soon landed at the port of Thunder City, just like those mattresses that had floated across the ocean.

The diamonds found on the continent of Oss are completely incomparable to these treasures that have been carefully screened and cut. It is as if they are things from two different dimensions.

Just as everyone expected, once these diamonds appeared, they immediately caused a frenzy among the upper class of Thunder City! In particular, influenced by the story between Princess Irene and Mr. Colin, and with the intentional promotion of the Andes family, those sparkling and precious stones seemed to be attached with a layer of love filter, becoming a popular token of love in the upper class of Thunder City and even the Principality of Campbell.

Not only the nobles of the Principality of Campbell, but also the nobles of the Kingdom of Ryan and even the nobles of the Empire sent people to the port of Thunder City to "hunt for treasure."

The only difference between these diamonds and the previous spring mattresses is that they are too expensive and not as practical as the former.

The cheapest diamond of grade F certified by Colin Mining Company is more than 100 gold coins. However, diamonds of grade A or even AA are simply unimaginable for ordinary people.

If a mattress worth 10 or even 20 gold coins is still within the acceptable range for wealthy citizens, then love worth 100 gold coins is something they can only admire.

It’s better to send a bouquet of flowers to your lover.

In fact, those shiny stones themselves do not emit light, but the pairs of eyes looking up at them give them a light that they do not possess.

While the entire upper class of Thunder City was salivating over the Colin family's wealth, this respectable and generous gentleman did not enjoy the glory alone, but chose to share his wealth with the citizens of Thunder City.

In a tea shop in Queens, a piece of gossip spread like wildfire:

In order to solve the problem of the shortage of diamonds, and also to satisfy the desire of the people of the Principality of Campbell and even the entire Whirlpool Sea for these sparkling jewels, the Colin family plans to further develop the diamond mines in their hands and go deep into the Chao Continent to search for more treasures.

This requires money.

And it was a lot of money! Even for Mr. Colin, who was so wealthy that he bought a hotel just to stay for ten days or half a month, and threw out ten thousand gold coins just to make a beautiful woman smile, he had to carefully consider the turnover of this money.

Assets are not equal to cash.

For example, Father Matt, the largest landlord in Silverpine Town besides Baron Gus, has tens of millions of Austrian silver coins to his name, but in fact most of them are properties in Thunder City and local properties in Silverpine Town.

The more traditional the nobles, the higher the proportion of their assets owned by land, and the nobles of the empire were no exception.

So the honorable Mr. Colin planned to take out one-tenth of the shares for "financing" and use the funds raised to expand production in the colony.

Financing is undoubtedly a new concept for the continent of Os, but the concept of equity is not unfamiliar to the locals. It is a concept that was born in the Isaac Dynasty, but ordinary people rarely participate in it.

Now, Mr. Colin has come up with a brilliant idea to split the shares worth tens of millions of gold coins into 10 million shares and hold a public auction in the form of registered tickets.

The starting price is tentatively set at 1 gold coin. Anyone, whether noble or citizen, can participate in the bidding as long as they can provide proof of assets of more than 100 gold coins.

The popularity and shortage of diamonds are obvious to all. Even before the increase in production, the profit was millions of gold coins a year. The profit after the expansion of production is simply unimaginable! If you spend 100 gold coins to buy a diamond, it will still be the same diamond ten years later. However, if you invest one gold coin to buy the shares of Colin Mining Company, you can participate in this transaction. Not only can you get dividends, but the gold coin may also turn into diamonds ten years later!

According to the Anti-Usury Act promulgated by the Campbell Royal Family a hundred years ago, the highest legal interest rate in Thunder City is only 6%. However, in the eyes of the citizens of Thunder City, the potential profit that has increased a hundredfold in ten years is no different from doing charity!

It turns out that kind people always make a pair.

The kind Princess Irene provided hot porridge to the poor people outside the city, and the respected Mr. Colin opened his wallet to the citizens of Thunder City out of love for the people in the city.

Once the news spread, it immediately caused a sensation throughout Thunder County, and once again made the Colin family the topic of discussion in the city.

The last time Thunder City was in such a commotion was when the Demon King Reggie Dragun was sent away...

(End of this chapter)