Chapter 135

New Port City shares were an excellent investment choice.

Holding shares in the reunification of Port and New Port City was the equivalent of acquiring an endless stream of money. There were many parties who watched the reunification process with keen interest.

-The Department of Supplies will be the first to contact you if you ever need money.

I wonder. I doubt Ill ever run into such a situation, but Ill keep that in mind.

-Im sure you will have your difficulties, even if New Port City is overflowing with money and you are absorbing the Lichtens for free.

That would be the case if Im alone, but I have a few friendly stakeholders too.

-Hng. Youre bringing in the elves and North Bears?

They have the right to be involved. Theyve helped me since the beginning and have shares of New Port City. Oh Ive also let the Pendletons in too because of that damsels face.

-Wow! Now isnt that harsh? Have I not helped you? Im disappointed in you, really!

Mazelan shouted out. Isaac took out a new cigarette with a troubled expression.

Hed let his tongue slip. Oh well.

3%. No more than that. Not even the elves and North Bears have more than 8%.

-That seems enough.

Isaac couldnt help but feel that hed been tricked, as Mazelans enraged face instantly transformed to a bright smile.

Isaac had an uncomfortable feeling as he left the Communicator Room. The sight and sound of Mazelans mischievous laughter echoing in the warning had been seared into Isaacs eyes.

It was, how to say, a smile thatd come back to infuriate him later, an embodiment of I told you it was a bad idea.

What is it? Is there something Im missing?

Isaac couldnt find the reason no matter how much he pondered. Which made it all the more frustrating.

Id really hate to see him have the last laugh

What was that?

Hm? Its nothing. And when did you get here?

Isaac asked, and Cordnell replied, flabbergasted.

Ive been waiting for you here since ages ago!

You were?

Weve been waiting silently because you seemed deeply concerned.

Rivelia, who had been standing by next to Cordnell, added. Isaacs head cocked to the side.

Why?

Rivelia closed her mouth, dumbfounded, and Cordnell quickly took the chance to shout.

You started a provincial war and now reunification as well?! Cant you just take things one at a time?

Dont worry about the provincial warfare, its not like itll happen immediately.

You werent even thinking about fighting the war whether it was approved or not anyway! Arent you just waiting for the Lichtens to crumble from within?

Cordnell pointed out, and Isaac flinched and looked back with great astonishment.

How did you know?

How long do you think Ive been working under you? Youll just entice, antagonise, shift the blame, and unleash all sorts of vile schemes on the Lichtens vassals to destroy them!

Amazing. Was there such a way?! Youre a genius!

Stop avoiding the subject!

Ha, I guess everyone with a brain had already predicted so if even Cordnell is aware of it. But the Lichtens are bound to fall victim to it anyway.

Isaac commented with a smile. Cordnell sighed deeply and stated defiantly.

You will need to have different people responsible for reunification and Lichtens, respectively. We havent even finished adapting our administrative system to manage a fief. If my workload increases anymore from here, I will go on a strike. The same goes for Kalden too.

Ha. To think youd blackmail me with a strike when youre already receiving the best pay in the Empire. This is why people say human greed is endless.

Whats the point of getting paid if I dont have the time to use it!

Good. Every coin you fail to spend will stack up nicely in your account. Is there a job with a better retirement plan than this?

I feel like Ill die of overwork before I reach retirement.

Dont worry. If you do, the city will happily use those savings of yours as a development fund!

Kuack! Ill never die!

A fire was lit in Cordnells eyes. Cordnells resentful scowl bore into Isaac, who slyly changed the topic of the conversation.

Hm. If you or Kalden cant do it, then pass over one of the jobs to this damsel here.

Isaac pointed Rivelia with his chin, and Rivelias brows twisted and glared back at Isaac.

It would have been possible if New Port City was still a Free Trade City, but now that its become the Rondart fief, I cant intervene.

Hm? Why?

Itll change from the work by your orders, Director, to work that the Pendletons intervened in.

Tsk! I swear, that nametag of yours makes it impossible to give you work.

Isaac clicked his tongue and complained. RIvelias body quivered fiercely as she tightened her fists.

Cordnell slowly inched away from Rivelia in fear of an outburst when Isaac spoke after pondering.

Should I make Smartass do it?

The pushback will be massive no matter where you put him. Especially since Mr Soland is a member of a criminal syndicate on the outside.

Cordnell, who had created enough of a safe distance already, shook his head after some thought. Isaac spoke as if he had no other choice now.

Leave it to the fatty. Im sure hell do well. With all the trading hes been doing with the Lichtens, hell be comfortable enough with his connections.

Yes sir. But youre not thinking of actually going into war right?

Dont worry. War will never happen.

Can you really say that after requesting for an authorization for provincial warfare? Even if the Lichtens armies are destroyed, theyll easily assemble thousands by rallying the defeated troops and their combat knights. And the armies possessed by their vassals are even larger. If they advance toward New Port City for war, well crumble to a single siege.

They wont be able to reach here.

How are you so confident?

Because theres still the Wolfgang Family. Those idiots arent just attacking me right now. The Wolfgang Family has more than enough reason to join in. If the Lichtens armies somehow come to a consensus and advance toward us, Wolfgang will smack the back of their head clean off.

Thats why you dont have to worry about a war breaking out. And even if they scrape together an army and come, so what? You think they can push their might in this city full of elves and North Bears? Ill bet you theyre busy shifting blame amongst one another and avoiding responsibility right now. The fatty shines in blackmail and leveraging relationships, so you can just wait for a bit before offering to leave them alone with most of their fortunes intact.

Are you sure its an offer? What if they refuse?

What other choice do I have if they reject the offer to leave with all their possessions instead of being exiled penniless? If they want to stay, they can stay. I have many ways to ruin them. You better try your best in persuading them if you dont want them to reach that fate.

Cordnell sighed deeply watching Isaac snicker away.

Who do I leave Port City to now?

Isaac contemplated on who to leave Port City to. He couldnt make non-humans do it.

It was beyond possibility, as they had no talents in such matters. Isaac thought about other members of the administrative body, but they were all exhausted from just managing their own workload at this point.

But Isaac didnt want to do it himself, and he couldnt make Rivelia do it.

Just as Rivelia had said, her noble birth had changed the weight of her actions. She was first and foremost the successor to the Pendleton family, and a representative of the Rondart fiefdom second.

Isaac thought about dumping it onto Kalden or Cordnell outright, but it seemed clear that theyd retaliate with a strike. Whether it was good or bad, those two really didnt care for what came at them after ten days of starvation.

So Isaac scanned the area for a suitable candidate, when he saw Laila.

Smile!

Laila could feel her spine tingle when their eyes met. Isaac declared.

Alright. Ill leave Port City work to the brat.

Eeh!

Sorry?

Me?

Its something youll need to do for the rest of your life when you go back home, so it wont be a bad idea for you to have some practice. Ill give you some advisors, so give it a try. You help out sometimes too, damsel.

Everyone looked at Laila in worry.

Becoming the one responsible for this work meant bearing the animosity and harassment that resulted from it.

It was too heavy a burden for a child.

But on the other hand, there really wasnt anyone else suitable to be a candidate. Even though the matter would be over so easily if Isaac took over, Isaac clearly didnt have any intention to work. So they had to look for a suitable candidate, which were few in number.

Laila was one of such candidates, with the only flaw being her young age.

The money-obsessed opponents would struggle desperately with all their might, but what if their opponent was the successor to the future Dukedom of Wolfgang?

And if the successor to the Pendleton family stood by her side, they didnt need to worry about Lailas exposure to such unsightly displays.

Ill do my best.

Laila nodded with a firm determination, and Isaac spoke as he took out a new cigarette.

Begin the negotiations from scratch again.

What? Thats

Port Citys negotiators would put all in their effort at manipulating the young Laila if they redid the hard-fought outline of previous negotiations.

Dont worry. The final decision comes from me anyway. If I dont like it, we can just start again.

Thats true.

Everyone nodded their heads. Since it was Isaac who had the final say on the terms of the negotiation, it didnt matter how much Port City bullied and manipulated Laila into submission. All Isaac had to say was no.

Finish it by next year before you start attending Campus. It will be a good experience for you.

I have a request.

What?

I want to learn from here instead of Campus.

Isaac glimpsed at Laila when she asked. He exhaled a long trail of smoke and spoke.

I guess its about time for you to know. The reason why Im asking you to do this for experience is so you can engrave one fact into your head that youll need to manage your dukedom.

What is it?

Isaac let out another trail of smoke, and then he looked Laila straight in the eyes and spoke.

Humans arent a race to be trusted.

Lailas eyes shook, unable to discern the meaning behind Isaacs words. Isaac raised one corner of his lip mockingly and continued.

The average commoner may be able to live in a society based on trust, but that will be impossible for you, brat. If things go well, you will become the second hereditary Duchess. Do you know what that means?

I dont.

You cannot trust another human being. No, you must not trust them.

Isaacs cruel teachings turned Lailas face pale and Rivelia shouted out in refute.

What are you telling a child?!

Isaac glimpsed at Rivelia and spoke.

Shall we use this damsel as an example? Successor to Duke Pendleton. Single. These two conditions alone attract othersespecially men, who flock around her at all times. Why?

Laila pondered for a moment and answered.

Because shes beautiful?

Lailas unexpected answer made Rivelia blush, but Isaac scoffed and nudged Laila on her forehead.

Wrong. She may be pretty but there would still be plenty of men willing to approach her even if she was ugly, even hideous. Why?