Xiong Castle, inner castle study.
Lord Scrooge, who was sitting in the main seat, frowned unconsciously when he saw Anko being escorted in by his eldest son.
Although Archduke Scrooge did not know Anko in front of him, he was quite familiar with him.
Even before the Luster incident, the Archduke had heard of the other party's reputation.
Anko, the last guardian knight of the Steinbeck family.
A guardian knight who is proficient in shooting, swordsmanship, and especially amazing in hand-to-hand combat.
But the most amazing thing about this guardian knight is his extraordinary talent. At the age of 18, he made his mark in the Ludes Royal Hunt and completed three baptisms.
All the Ludes, whether they were nobles, royal family, or commoners who were qualified to participate in this hunt, had no doubt that Anko would grow at an astonishing rate and eventually become a third-level professional.
Therefore, everyone began to win over this young man.
However, faced with olive branches extended by all parties, the young man chose the long-deceased Steinbeck family.
This greatly surprised the Ludes nobles at that time.
At the same time, he became angry and embarrassed.
Naturally, there was more ridicule.
Everyone who was able to participate in the Royal Hunting in Rudes knew the final fate of the Steinbeck family as "outsiders" in Rudes.
In fact, this is true.
Three years later, the Steinbeck family "rebelled" and the entire family was executed.
The other party risked his life to rescue his one-year-old son Skiffins Steinbeck, and the two disappeared from everyone's sight while being hunted by the Rudes royal family.
until……
Luster!
The Grand Duke narrowed his eyes and looked at the guardian knight of the Steinbeck , with a murderous intent in his eyes.
Although there was an accident, his nephew's family was really implicated by the youngest son of the Steinbeck family.
Especially his own nephew, who almost became the scapegoat for the other party.
Feeling the murderous intent in the eyes of the Grand Duke, especially the power faintly revealed from the Grand Duke, Anko, the guardian knight of the Steinbeck family, was immediately trembling in his heart.
legend?!
This is legend!
Almost instantly, the guardian knight of the Steinbeck family confirmed this.
Then, he became more and more impressed by his master's speculation.
Although this was not the first time since childhood, the ability to deduce the whole thing based on some true and false information still amazed the guardian knight.
They also increasingly believe that their master will succeed.
Thinking of this, the guardian knight of the Steinbeck family bowed and performed a knight's salute.
"Greetings, Your Highness!"
"I came here with the goodwill of my master. I hope that His Highness can give us some help because Master Goethe has a bit of Steinbeck blood in him."
"Of course, my master will also give you the rewards you deserve."
After saying this, the guardian knight of the Steinbeck family bowed again.
What?
Is there a touch of Steinbeck in Goethe?
Simlaik, who walked in with the other party, showed surprise on his serious face.
Not only the eldest son of the Grand Duke, but the Grand Duke himself was also stunned.
"evidence?"
The Archduke, whose murderous intent had disappeared from his eyes, sat up straight, and his power became more terrifying, causing Angko's body to tremble uncontrollably.
The K family does not value bloodline as much as the nobles of Faber.
But, they value their family.
Although they are the same to some extent, they are higher than bloodline.
Simply put, once you become a member of the K family, blood is not important. Blood is just an opportunity. But among the nobles of Fabol, blood is everything.
As for family?
It's just a nicer-sounding title.
Therefore, when it comes to family members, the Ke family always attaches great importance to it.
Angko felt the pressure like a mountain pressing down on him, and once again lamented the terrifying power of the legendary strong man, but this guardian knight would not bow down.
Because he represents the Steinbeck family.
The representative is his master, Skiffins Steinbeck.
"You can ask Master Goethe."
"He possesses the Steinbeck family's core secret technique - [Steinbeck Breathing], and has reached a considerable level."
“If it weren’t for the Steinbeck bloodline, it would have been impossible to achieve this level.”
"even……"
"It will only bring disaster!"
At this point, the guardian knight of the Steinbeck family sneered.
Why was the Steinbeck family suppressed everywhere in Luders and even became a "rebel party" in the end?
Isn’t it because of the Steinbeck Breathing Technique?
It's just that those bastards didn't even think of the properties of Steinbeck Breathing.
Without the blood of the Steinbeck family, practicing the [Steinbeck Breathing Method] is seeking death. The higher the level of practice, the faster you die - in the beginning, it's just the level of stepping on dog shit when you go out, but when you reach a certain level, you will choke to death while eating.
The Archduke stared at Anko.
The guardian knight of the Steinbeck family faced it calmly.
The Grand Duke half believed the words of the guardian knight of the Steinbeck family.
It's not just the other person's attitude.
And because of Goethe's talent!
Among his three sons, the eldest son, Simlai Ke, was extremely gifted, as if he had undergone a mutation, reaching a level that amazed ordinary people. The second and third sons were also extremely gifted, far beyond ordinary people.
Even the descendants of the so-called Tesin royal family and the Fabol nobles are far inferior to him.
And his nephew Goethe?
He even possesses talents that are almost the same as the eldest son.
This made him very happy.
I am the younger generation.
The higher the talent, the better.
However, when it was discovered that part of the source of this talent was the Steinbeck family, the Archduke became worried.
The Steinbeck family.
He is a well-known figure both in Tesin and in some small circles in Ludes.
Of course, it’s definitely not a good reputation.
'A madman who is obsessed to the extreme!'
This is how the Steinbeck family is viewed in a small circle.
At the same time, there is also the evaluation that "the wealth is unmatched" - it is rumored that after the Rudes royal family destroyed the Steinbeck family 25 years ago, they did not find the real treasure house of the Steinbeck family, but just some "sporadic income" allowed the Rudes royal family to obtain more than the total tax revenue of ten years, so that until now, the Rudes royal family is known for its extravagance in various countries.
Scrooge, the poor patriarch of the Culbertson family, was envious of this.
However, such envy immediately disappeared when compared with Goethe.
He didn't mind the fact that Goethe knew that he was of Steinbeck's family blood - even if he was of Steinbeck's family blood, so what? Wasn't he still his nephew?
What he was concerned about was whether this 'crazy' bloodline would affect Goethe.
after all……
Goethe himself had a share of 'mad blood'.
If 1+1>2, it would be unimaginable.
The Grand Duke sat there, lost in thought.
The same is true for the eldest son of the Grand Duke.
Both of them were thinking about solutions.
But after about two seconds, they both sighed.
Not at this time.
The only way is to let Goethe change his body, but with the passing of Xiao Jasmine, no one can master this secret technique.
There is only one way left...
fighting!
Let Goethe fight to his heart's content, and use the passion of the warrior's path to vent his madness!
As for the dangers?
Of course I will take responsibility for that! X2
Almost at the same time, the Grand Duke and his eldest son made the decision.
As Goethe's uncle (brother), this is his natural responsibility.
"Simu, come here..."
"Forget it. I'll talk to Goethe in person later."
The Grand Duke thought about it and changed his mind.
As the head of the family, the Duke thought it would be better for him to talk to Goethe himself.
The eldest son of the Grand Duke did not object either.
He respected his father's wishes.
Then, the Archduke looked at Anko.
"How can you help me?"
"Don't even think about seeking revenge against the Ludes royal family. Ludes is the strongest country and it is not something that the North can afford to provoke."
The Grand Duke confessed.
This is not modesty.
But it's true.
The Kingdom of Rudes was a country that had stood for a thousand years before the appearance of the 'Mad King'. Although it has long since declined, its foundation is still terrifyingly strong. Even now that its national strength is growing and Yatuk has an invincible fleet at sea, he dare not lightly despise Rudes.
Not to mention Tesin who is far inferior to Yatuk.
And before, the Northern Territory could only tug at a disadvantage with Tesin?
Nature is self-aware.
This is true even if the Grand Duke is already a legendary figure.
because--
Ludes also has his own legendary strongmen, and more than one!
In fact, the Archduke had always suspected that 'they' were in Rudes.
Of course, Yatuk was also suspected by the Grand Duke.
Because Yatuk's rise was so fast, so fast that it exceeded everyone's imagination. It took less than twenty years for that invincible fleet to be built from scratch - this was truly unimaginable.
Although the inland sea is not as good as the real ocean, it is also a sea to some extent.
The North also has its own naval power, even though it is not strong due to the obstruction of the Tessin royal family.
But it was precisely because of this that the Grand Duke understood the value of the invincible fleet that could "kill two legendary strongmen".
"Of course not!"
"The hatred between the Steinbeck family and Rudes can only be resolved by the Steinbeck family. We..."
"Goethe is not from the Steinbeck family, but from the K family."
Anko's words were interrupted by the Grand Duke.
The Grand Duke spoke directly and emphasized.
"certainly!"
Faced with this emphasis, Angke did not refute.
"Master Goethe is from the Ke family. My master and I have no objection to this . The hatred of Ludes will not involve Master Goethe!"
The guardian knight of the Steinbeck family promised.
"You swear as a guardian knight!"
The Archduke continued to emphasize.
Although it seems a bit cumbersome, the Grand Duke, who was cheated by George VI when he was young and whose entire family was almost wiped out, believes that he has to do it no matter how cumbersome it is.
George VI was lucky that time.
But what about again?
The Grand Duke cannot guarantee that.
In Skiffins Steinbeck, the Grand Duke saw the shadow of George VI - although some of his methods seemed a little immature, they were much more ruthless.
At least, George VI cared more about interests and wanted something because of "them".
So, be a little gentle.
What about Skiffens Steinbeck?
That really has a crazy connotation!
That's not without bottom line!
But when you think you have found the other party's bottom line, the other party repeatedly breaks the bottom line in your cognition - when the Grand Duke was reading Luster's information, he sighed more than once that if it were not for an accident, Luster would have been wiped off the Tesin map by now.
and……
Such an accident!
This must be what Skiffins Steinbeck himself wanted!
As for why?
The Grand Duke is still unclear.
It can't be that he is concerned about Goethe, right?
Based on the other party's performance...
How is that possible!
The Ke family may be concerned about their family members and the other party?
It's impossible!
"I swear in the name of the Knight Guardian of the Steinbeck Family that neither I nor my Lord will involve Master Goethe in the feud between the Steinbeck Family and Luders. If I break my oath, I will lose all my honor and die a violent death!"
Aungko swore formally.
This made the Grand Duke nod with satisfaction.
"Well, go ahead."
"My master hopes to be able to participate in Master Goethe's plan this time. We will encourage more descendants of the Fabol nobles to come to Xiongbao to participate. Therefore, I hope you can declare in your capacity as the guardian of the North and the Grand Duke of the North that you will not attack the Fabol people for the time being while Master Goethe is challenging all the second-level professionals."
Angko immediately told his master's plan.
The Grand Duke frowned again.
Skiffins Steinbeck set his sights on Faber?
The information revealed in Angko's words surprised the Grand Duke.
According to what Skiffins Steinbeck did in Lotus, he should have stopped for a while - although the royal family of Lotus was attracted by him, the 'Secret Keeper' was not.
Apart from Alger Aldridge, the captain of Team 17, the captain of Team 22, Simic Zuolunsi, who is on rest, should be hunting down Skiffins Steinbeck.
Therefore, the other party would let his guardian knight show up while he himself would continue to hide.
This was what the Archduke had been thinking before.
But now?
Worthy of being called a 'madman'!
The Grand Duke sighed in his heart.
"Skiffins Steinbeck promised not to harm the interests of the North."
"certainly!"
“We’re allies—the Steinbecks always keep their promises!”
Angko assured again.
After that, the two sides had a secret conversation for half an hour.
As the sun was setting, Anko quickly left the Bear Castle.
As soon as he walked out of the Bear Castle, the guardian knight of the Steinbeck family quickened his pace again. When he entered a dense forest outside the Bear Castle, the guardian knight of the Steinbeck family stopped.
After a moment, a figure appeared.
The other person was a short and thin young man with white hair and a haggard face, as if he was sick. He coughed from time to time while walking, and had two sharp swords on his waist, one long and one short.
"Simik Zuolunsi!"
Angko called out the other person's name in a deep voice.
"Come with me."
"I am not in good health and do not want to do anything."
The captain of Team 22, the 'Secret Keeper', said softly.
Angko ignored the other party's words and took out a scroll from his arms.
"My master has something to tell you."
After saying that, he opened the scroll.
The phantom figure of Skiffins Steinbeck appears in it.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Zuo Lunsi."
"Time is of the essence, so I'll keep it short."
"I hope to make a deal so that you can temporarily suspend your pursuit of us - just suspend it, not give up."
The owner of the Pine Nut Hotel said with a smile.
"oh?"
"Even though I know I shouldn't be curious, I still want to know what it is?"
The captain of Team 22 of the Secret Keeper spoke in a long tone, tapping the hilt of the sword lightly with his left hand which had been resting on the hilt.
Tick, tick, tick!
The subtle knocking sound, with invisible waves, spread in all directions.
All living things that were touched appeared in the perception of the captain of Team 22, the "Secret Keeper".
But there was no Skiffens Steinbeck.
Although he had known the result for a long time, the captain of Team 22 of the "Secret Keeper" was still disappointed when faced with the facts. Especially after the opponent's Guardian Knight talked with the Grand Duke of the North for a long time, this disappointment involuntarily increased several times.
Fearing the Grand Duke's strength, he did not dare to get close.
Alger Aldridge told him the true strength of the Grand Duke.
legend!
A place that is beyond their reach!
Even their captain only touched it, not really stepped in!
Therefore, Ximik Zuo Lunsi told himself that he must be cautious and restrained in the North.
It is well known that the Archduke has a bad temper.
He didn't want to be like his good friend Alger Aldridge, whose body was drained by the Grand Duke and whose good rest time turned into a real bedridden state.
Skiffens Steinbeck noticed the hidden little behavior of the captain of Team 22 of the "Secret Keeper".
But, he didn't care at all.
If the other party found out all this, he would just surrender.
You know, this is the distance from the North to Fabol, across the entire inland sea. How terrifying must the opponent's strength be to be able to find him with such a secret technique?
That has long surpassed the legend!
"There are already problems with 'Fairy Lake' and 'Dragon Island'."
"The water of the Fairy Lake is no longer clear. It emits a foul stench that corrupts people's hearts."
"In 'Dragon Island', the giant dragons have become increasingly scarce due to the hunting of the Tesin royal family... No, that's not right! To be precise, the giant dragons with rare bloodlines are about to turn into giant lizards."
"If you don't want the 'Secret Keepers' to be wiped out in these two 'Secret Realms', I suggest you quickly tell them to evacuate."
"Of course, you can choose not to believe me."
"But when the disaster really strikes, you will be the sinner who caused the destruction of the 'Secret Keeper'."
Skiffins Steinbeck spoke calmly about the news that made Simik Zollens shudder with fear.
Because, just as the owner of the Pine Nut Hotel said, the water of the 'Fairy Lake' has become turbid, and people who get close to it will become irritated when they smell the stench.
The dragons on the 'Dragon Island' have lost their rationality and become like ordinary beasts.
"What kind of disaster?"
The captain of Team 22, the 'Secret Keeper', asked.
Skiffens Steinbeck smiled but said nothing.
"I will temporarily suspend my pursuit of you."
The captain of Team 22, the 'Secret Keeper', made the promise.
"The world of 'Secret Realm' hates you!"
After saying this, Skiffins Steinbeck disappeared.
Angko was also slowly retreating.
Ximik Zuo Lunsi lowered his head and frowned.
The captain of Team 22, the 'Secret Keeper', did not break his promise.
Only after Angko disappeared did Simic Zuo Lunsi leave with a serious face.
Just after the captain of Team 22, the "Secret Keeper", left, the Grand Duke walked out from the shadows thoughtfully - when he was talking to Anko just now, he noticed that someone nearby was spying on the Bear Castle.
I just didn't expect it to be Simic Zuo Lunsi.
I never expected that there would be problems in the secret realm of the Tesin royal family.
"Was it the work of that bastard King George VI?"
"still……"
"'Their' temptation?"
The Grand Duke returned to Bear Castle while thinking.
At this time, Goethe was sitting with Ermleik and Gejier to discuss——
“I think we can get more!”
"Since Goethe is going to challenge all the second-level masters, naturally a group of guys will turn their attention to him. They will definitely take this opportunity to make a fortune!"
"Why don't we just do it ourselves?"
Enmlai Ke said simply.
As the person who manages the North's finances for his father and brother, Enmlai K knows how poor the North is.
Otherwise, why would my father go hunting for no reason?
Do you really think it's a hobby?
Wrong.
It is to subsidize household expenses.
The meat of the prey can feed the Ke family very well, and some rare things can also be exchanged for more gold.
As for where the money went?
The environment in the north requires the purchase of large quantities of food.
The annual snowstorm requires even more food to be stored.
Apart from that, it is about maintaining the army.
The reason why the Northern Cavalry is called elite.
Of course it cost money.
Especially those northern war horses, which are more valuable than people.
The remaining money is used for various research and development, both in the mysterious direction and in the direction of normal people's livelihood.
This is a complete bottomless pit.
Even if the Ke family has been trying hard to save money, it is still a drop in the bucket.
Even more, why did he set up a killer organization like 'Shadow'?
The original purpose is to make money.
Now that there is an opportunity to make money right in front of him, how could Enmlai Ke give it up?
“That’s right!”
"We must seize this opportunity!"
Gejier sat there, put his injured leg on a stool beside him, and nodded in agreement.
"I didn't object!"
Goethe looked at Enmleik and Gejier and couldn't help but spread his hands.
"And who are you?"
Enmle. Ke and Gejier looked at each other and cast a puzzled look at Goethe.
"I'm saying that your plan is too crude!"
"It's a simple one-time bet. In the early stage, I will get a lot of rewards. But as I fight and win more and more times, everyone will follow suit and bet on me to win."
“At the end of the day, we don’t make much.”
Goethe sighed.
What a coincidence.
The North is short of money.
He is also short of money.
Therefore, when Goethe proposed this plan, he had already figured out how to make money.
"We treat the eighty challenges as a series of games - let everyone guess the winner of each game, and then only those who guess all correctly can receive the final prize."
"Of course, winning or losing alone is not enough. That's too one-dimensional. We can also include how long each challenge will last, how many moves both sides will use, and whether it will end in a draw."
"Even, you have to figure out which move I'll win against!"
"If we incorporate these into the game, the gameplay will become more diverse, and we will be able to better control the winning rate, and eventually reach the point where the dealer wins everything!"
Goethe said in a low voice.
Enmlai Ke and Gejier's eyes lit up.
The two men were not fools, on the contrary they were both very smart. Even though Goethe only made a brief introduction, they instantly smelled a huge business opportunity.
"If you become a businessman, you will definitely be a big profiteer!"
"How did you come up with this idea?"
Faced with the two people's questions, Goethe smiled but said nothing.
Will he tell them that he bought football lottery when he was in his hometown?
"It's not just that!"
"I've risked my life to challenge all the second-level masters, so it's not too much for me to charge an entrance fee, right?"
"We divide the tickets into first, second, third and VIP classes. Third class seats must be affordable. The price of first and second class seats can be increased by two times. However, the price of VIP seats must be more than ten times, and they must be conspicuous and different! If we attract the nobles of Fabol, they will definitely pay for it given their character."
Goethe continued to add.
Enmlai Ke and Gejier nodded repeatedly.
"As for those foreign stalls?"
"Why should we rush into it?"
"When they have invested all their gold and are making money, we will claim that they are 'illegal' and wipe them out with their money - remember, you must be patient and boil the frog in warm water!"
"We need to make these guys go from being reckless to being terrified."
"Then……"
"We're going to squeeze all the money these guys have accumulated over the years!"
Goethe said as he shook his fist vigorously.
hiss!
Enmlai Ke and Gejier took a deep breath.
The two men looked at Goethe as if they were seeing him for the first time.
"You are wrong . You are not a profiteer."
"You have a black heart."
"but……"
"I like!"
Enmlai Ke was all smiles.
He couldn't wait to harvest.
"So are we going to kill these guys to silence them afterwards?"
Gajir began to think about what happened next.
"It's hard to hide something like this. It doesn't matter whether we silence them or not. It's better to make use of them and throw them into my mine to dig for me. I'm really short of people there. Besides, the reformed life in the mine will help them remember whether they have hidden any gold that they didn't give to us as compensation. We must set an example of handing it over, and they will naturally follow suit."
"You really are such a person, your heart is not only black, but also dirty!"
Gejier said with a sigh.
Goethe rolled his eyes and said righteously:
"What's black? What's dirty?"
"How can you slander someone's innocence out of thin air?"
"I am just exercising my rights as a member of the Northern Territory's Ke family!"