Serena was pleased with Yun Zhe's thoughtful expression; this time, she had finally grasped a key point. Yun Zhe was indeed quite greedy, and this information was indeed accurate.
"Serena, is there a lot of mithril ore here?" Yun Zhe asked in a low voice.
Serena was satisfied with Yun Zhe's question, which showed that Yun Zhe was seriously considering it.
“There’s a lot. Preliminary estimates suggest that even with full-scale mining, it would take ten years to mine it all.” Serena’s voice was low, but her pride and smugness were completely undisguised.
Yun Zhe nodded. "Serena, take my advice. If possible, it's best not to spend money recklessly in the next few years. It's better to save the money from mining mithril elsewhere. You should also advise those who have also benefited to keep a low profile."
Serena was surprised that Yun Zhe was still advising her, which warmed her heart but also made her feel uneasy.
"After all, you are not yet capable of protecting this windfall. Exposing it too early will only lead to the devastation of this land and plunge you into an abyss of no return."
Yun Zhe's two sentences were sensational, and his purpose was to move Serena.
Serena sniffled, her earlier ease and confidence gone. "Yun Zhe, you're still leaving, aren't you..."
Seeing Serena on the verge of tears, Yun Zhe laughed mischievously, "How could I possibly leave just like that, when I finally have a chance to recoup my losses?"
The sudden turn of events caught Serena somewhat off guard. She stared at Yun Zhe, finding it hard to believe.
"I'm not leaving. It's not really because of your money. It's mainly because I don't want to delay Usa's magic studies. Also, Ellie didn't agree to come with me. It's too lonely to go alone."
Serena didn't believe Yun Zhe's words at all; she was now even more convinced that Yun Zhe had stayed for the money. But at this moment, she didn't care about the reasons Yun Zhe gave for staying; she was extremely happy.
"By the way, take 10% of my earnings and set up a pension fund for fallen soldiers," Yun Zhe said in a low voice, glancing around.
"No, then what did you say yesterday that you were leaving?" Serena seemed to have just regained her senses, asking aggressively. She immediately realized the problem with her words and hurriedly covered her mouth.
"Haha, hahaha, I finally understand who tipped you off. But it doesn't matter. Actually, leaving and me leaving right now don't seem to mean the same thing, right?" Yun Zhe's face put on a mischievous expression again, and his smile was somewhat sarcastic, at least that's how Serena felt.
"Damn it!" Serena cursed inwardly, not at Yun Zhe, but at the person who tipped her off for making her look bad.
Although no one said it aloud, everyone knew that tonight's dinner was specially prepared by Serena to keep Yun Zhe. Everyone was also curious to see if Serena could retain him. Serena had made many preparations, specifically arranging for people to lay the groundwork, and even inquiring with Ellie about Yun Zhe's favorite foods. But if Yun Zhe's explanation were true, wouldn't tonight's operation be a joke?
“But at least the result is good, right?” Yun Zhe said with a smile.
Serena was unhappy, but she still nodded. Yes, at least in terms of the result, it was good.
"Go and announce the result. I will indeed not be leaving for the time being, at least not for the time being."
"Are you worried that there will be another war and I won't be able to handle it?" Serena asked in a low voice after taking a few steps.
Yun Zhe smiled. "I didn't think that way. Anyway, there are too many ties, and I'm not as carefree anymore." His voice carried an unspeakable desolation.
Serena's face turned serious for once. She returned to Yun Zhe and said very formally, "Yun Zhe, you are free to come and go. Although I hope you can stay, I don't want you to do things you don't want to do. I'll ask you again, I hope you can stay voluntarily, not be forced to stay because of some things."
Yun Zhe paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed, “You’re overthinking it. I’m just choosing a path with more entanglements. I wasn’t forced to stay.”
Yun Zhe's words seemed to confuse Serena, but seeing Yun Zhe's open and honest demeanor, Serena didn't press the matter. She smiled slightly and then turned to announce the good news.
Soon, the banquet that evening seemed to be injected with new vitality, and the whole gathering became more cheerful. Many people came to Yun Zhe's side to clink glasses and drink, chatting about all sorts of things.
Yun Zhe smiled and greeted them one by one. These were all young people he had never seen before; their names gave no clue as to where they came from, but it was clear they were descendants of wealthy and powerful families. Their arrival was primarily for Serena, the unmarried Serena. Their reason for approaching Yun Zhe was simple: Yun Zhe and Serena had just had an extremely long conversation, leaving them quite impatient. Besides feeling resentful, some couldn't help but wonder what kind of Aruru person could keep Serena talking for so long.
So, those who were testing the waters, inquiring, showing goodwill, and demonstrating all came over one after another, wanting to test their skills against Yun Zhe.
After Yun Zhe understood these people's motives, he found it interesting and accepted all of them. Of course, Yun Zhe also wanted to know what kind of people these people were.
Yun Zhe quickly discovered that these people could actually be divided into two factions. One faction was backed by Kim Black, and their leader was Rob Black. The other faction was further removed, led by Anel Sald, the grandson of Duke Sald. They clearly felt they had more power, and therefore treated Yun Zhe with more disrespect.
Fortunately, they still followed the relevant etiquette and didn't do anything too outrageous, which made Yun Zhe breathe a sigh of relief for them.
The banquet was still going on when Yun Zhe noticed that Xi Xi quietly came to Serena's side and whispered something to her.
Serena's expression tightened, and she tapped her glass to signal everyone to be quiet. Then she looked at everyone at the banquet and said in a deep voice.
"We have just received news that the Belvador Empire has declared war on us. They have already amassed a large army, and a large area of land in the western part of the empire has been lost. Marquis Kurman was no match for them and has now retreated to Dorgnitzburg."
As she spoke, Serena looked around at everyone in the room, observing each person's reaction.
Sure enough, just like the facial reactions of those people, they immediately became chaotic after a brief period of calm.
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