Chapter Twenty: Aftermath

Chu Tian’s doubts were not unfounded, and Reggie immediately provided proof.

Leaving Chu Tian’s marquis residence, Reggie climbed into a spacious, luxurious carriage. The interior was grand and opulent without a trace of vulgarity. Reclining in the rear seat was a middle-aged man dressed plainly.

Upon entering, Reggie shed his usual flippant demeanor, bowed his head respectfully, and addressed the man, “Father, it’s all been taken care of.” Inside the carriage sat Reggie’s father, the head of the Pampas family, Duke Brenda—the wealthiest man in Caesar.

“Hmm, I know,” Brenda replied, closing his eyes to rest, paying no further attention to his son.

“Father…” Reggie called out unwillingly.

Brenda still maintained his unruffled composure, slowly opening his eyes just a slit to glance at Reggie. “You want to ask why I would pay such a high price to win over Marquis Vladino?”

“Yes!” Reggie nodded. “Although Marquis Vladino is favored by His Majesty, is he really worth us investing a tenth of our family’s income?”

“Hmph!” Brenda snorted coldly, his half-closed eyes suddenly snapping open. He asked sternly, “What is the Pampas family creed?”

“Generous profits come from shrewd investments!” Reggie sighed inwardly, knowing what was coming—his father was about to lecture him again. Since childhood, whenever Reggie made a mistake, Brenda would begin with this question about the family’s business creed, then launch into a storm of reproach.

But this time, Brenda surprised him. He shifted in his seat to a more comfortable position and gently asked, “So tell me, is Vladino worth investing in?”

Reggie straightened his shoulders, answering cautiously, “Given the current circumstances, Marquis Vladino is worth investing in.”

“Oh? Why?” Brenda smiled slightly, apparently satisfied with Reggie’s reply.

“Given how much His Majesty values Vladino, it’s only a matter of time before he replaces Damar as Minister of Magic. Then Vladino will be one of the empire’s five chief ministers, with great power and high status. That makes him worth investing in.”

“Not bad. You’ve grasped this much, so my teaching isn’t wasted. However,” Brenda suddenly sat up, staring at Reggie, his tone turning severe, “then why have I not spent a tenth of our family’s profits to win over the left and right ministers, or the Minister of War and the Minister of Magical Beasts?”

Reggie was unsettled by Brenda’s questioning, silently complaining: Father, don’t make things hard for me. If only I knew! But he answered aloud, “Is it because His Majesty values him more?”

Brenda let out a long sigh. “Your vision is too short-sighted.”

“Too short-sighted?” Reggie didn’t understand. Even if Chu Tian married Princess Selina, he would only be a royal consort. Could Vladino possibly become Caesar’s highest noble—a prince? But even then, would it justify using a tenth of the family’s profits? When Brenda supported Ludi III’s ascension, he only spent a fifth of the family’s wealth!

Seeing his son’s confusion, Brenda began to explain slowly, “Even if Vladino becomes a prince one day, it wouldn’t warrant such a sacrifice.”

Brenda sighed again at Reggie’s puzzled expression. “I am doing this to leave you a life-saving token for the future.”

“A life-saving token? Ha.” Reggie laughed, jokingly. “Father, who could possibly threaten our Pampas family?”

Brenda shot him a fierce glare, making Reggie shrink back. Clearly displeased with his son’s attitude, Brenda asked, “Have you ever wondered why Vladino holds his current position?”

“He cured the Red Flame and ten thousand warhorses, right?” Reggie, though intimidated, couldn’t suppress his habitual smile.

“Hmph! But have you considered why the Red Flame and the warhorses suffered problems within just three months? Why did His Majesty deploy Caesar’s ultimate force, the Red Flame, against the beast tribe? Why did the beast tribe send four eighth-level Golden Behemoths in a minor skirmish? Why, right after the Red Flame was cured, did the warhorses fall ill? And why was Marquis Vladino assassinated?”

Brenda’s barrage of questions left Reggie bewildered.

Watching his son’s confusion, Brenda shook his head and muttered, “The bloody storms of the continent are approaching. When that time comes, magical beasts will determine the fate of nations. The one who controls the destiny of magical beasts—can he be just an ordinary man…”

————————————————————

After the capital’s dignitaries had all visited, Chu Tian’s injuries finally healed.

At this moment, Chu Tian was strolling through Pompeii’s slave market with Princess Selina. He needed a steward.

His newly bestowed marquis residence came with a host of servants, but the steward, as the master’s confidant, needed to be chosen by Chu Tian himself. At first, as a newcomer to noble life, Chu Tian was interested in managing his staff—after all, back on Earth it was always others managing him. So he took on the steward’s duties himself. Yet sometimes, too many servants became a headache.

Wherever he walked, people would bow respectfully and loudly greet him, “Greetings, Marquis!” The sensation thrilled Chu Tian for quite a while. But as time passed and the novelty wore off, everything settled into routine, and Chu Tian’s management grew lax.

Eventually, the problem surfaced during Chu Tian’s convalescence. Distracted by frequent visits from important guests, he neglected his servants, leaving them to their own devices.

Unexpectedly, this led to disaster. First, Marshal Macory’s drink was served cold. The old general, out of respect for Chu Tian, said nothing and forced himself to drink it, but ended up with stomach trouble for two days. With Macory absent, military affairs were left to Ludi III, who was soon overwhelmed.

Next, Chancellor Greymane’s dessert was replaced with salty snacks. At Chu Tian’s enthusiastic urging, the old chancellor ate a whole plate, leaving Ludi III frantic, constantly advising Greymane to rest, lamenting how someone of his age had strained his voice.

The Minister of Magical Beasts, Best, had an even stranger experience. Best, unfamiliar with Chu Tian and holding high office, felt no need to curry favor and merely sent a token gift. But Chu Tian, unwilling to let such a big fish slip away, sent a random servant to fetch Best, knowing he lived far away and couldn’t find the marquis residence himself. In this situation, Best couldn’t refuse and followed the servant.

To his surprise, the chosen servant was a recent arrival from the countryside. The complexity of Pompeii led the servant and the hapless minister on a roundabout journey from the southern edge of the city to the northern, eventually wandering out of Pompeii entirely and returning to their village. The villagers gave Best a warm welcome, while he pondered why Marquis Vladino’s home was so remote—no wonder he was always late for court!

The disappearance of the Minister of Magical Beasts left the empire’s magical beasts like motherless children. Their cries startled Ludi III, who feared the Empire of Rays had invaded Pompeii.

In the end, all the trouble culminated with Damar. The amiable Minister of Magic, known for his austerity, brought his virtuous habits to Vladino’s residence, only to cause the greatest disaster. Chu Tian’s servants refused to believe that this plainly dressed, rotund old man, who insisted he was there to protect Chu Tian, could be one of the empire’s three chief commanders. Unable to resolve the matter, the burly servants took up clubs and drove the eighth-level grand magus out of the marquis residence, unwilling to offend Chu Tian.

Bruised and battered, the Minister of Magic took half a month’s sick leave. On his note to Ludi III, he wrote only four words: “Too ashamed to face anyone!”

Thus, at Chu Tian’s estate, two of the empire’s chief ministers fell ill, one was injured, and another went missing! At the next morning court, Ludi III looked at the empty Supreme Command and, moved to tears, clasped the right minister Andor’s hand, warning him: “Be careful when visiting Chu Tian! You’re all I have left…”

In just a few days, Chu Tian had incapacitated four of the empire’s chief ministers, earning his marquis residence the nickname “The Tomb of Ministers.”

Meanwhile, Chu Tian’s servants, having nearly crippled the entire Caesar government, were honored with a new title—“Empire’s Killers.”

In light of his servants’ performance, Chu Tian solemnly declared: It’s time to find a steward…