novelraw Chapter 74 The Feeling of a Cow
Chapter 74 The Feeling of a Cow
Chapter 74 The Feeling of a Cow
Finding Pirion is not difficult; he owns a grand mansion in the wealthy area south of Kren.
The familiar face that opened the door was still there.
Pirion's butler, an elderly man with meticulously combed silver hair and an upright posture, still retains glimpses of his handsome youth in his facial features despite his advanced age.
"I still find you more pleasing to the eye," Nan An said sincerely as he stepped across the threshold. "You're much more reassuring than those guys who are loud and pretentious as soon as we meet."
Upon hearing this, the old butler demurely smoothed his already perfectly styled silver hair.
In the courtyard surrounded by green trees, Pirion lay on a large wicker lounge chair.
He was wearing only a light, breathable, light gray short-sleeved shirt, the sleeves casually rolled up to his elbows, one hand on his forehead, shielding his eyes with his arm, comfortably basking in the sun.
Hearing footsteps, he didn't even lift his eyelids. He just tilted his head and slowly reached behind his back, pulled out the flattened cushion, and stuffed in a fuller one. He slid down a little and lay down more comfortably.
"You've been stripped of your governorship, and you're still living a carefree life?"
Pirion glanced at Nan'an through the gap in his arm, took a sip of the juice resting on the armrest with an annoyed look, and then turned to the maids standing at their sides not far away, speaking in an impatient tone.
"You tactless idiot, how rude! Quickly, give these uninvited guests seats and serve them pastries."
The maids were taken aback by his words.
Seeing this, the butler hurriedly came to urge them on, and only then did he hurriedly let Nan'an sit down. Suiyue started munching on a small nut, while Koala sipped her juice.
A team dispatched by the Senate is working overtime to review the details of Pirion's Kren operations over the past 10 years.
Almost overnight, Pirion, who lived like a lord, was forced to retire and live a life of leisure at home.
Suiyue crushed the walnuts with her bare hands, waved them near Nan'an's mouth, and after receiving the reply "I don't want to eat them," she acrobatically tossed and ate them herself.
As she listened to Pirion's leisurely narration, she looked around the wide atrium and then at the imposing and tall buildings all around.
"Why didn't they come to your house first?"
Pirion sat up abruptly, slammed his juice glass on the table, and raised his voice several octaves.
"In ten years, I've only acquired this one property. Throughout Karen, I've never dabbled in any profitable business, lucrative venture, or shady side hustles. Is it wrong to just want to live comfortably on the frontier?"
He took a deep breath, and his tone returned to its usual slow and steady rhythm.
"Besides, everything in this house is perfectly legal and compliant in terms of accounts; they won't find anything wrong with it."
Nan'an believes this.
He could even guess that Pirion kept detailed accounts of the mansion's construction, and that key details must have been verified by multiple witnesses, each willing to vouch for Pirion with their own reputation.
They wanted to find clues that could be detrimental to him from the affairs that Pietro personally managed.
It seems that framing someone is the only option left.
Baron Norn Batu was given full authority to act as consul, and the "political review" both occurred three days after Nan'an left.
In light of the Shuangmian trip and the pilot project on erosion proposed by the chief elder, it is clear that the plan would be put into public execution regardless of whether Nan'an was involved; the only difference would be the selection of the executors.
It is reasonable to deduce that someone within the Senate heard the news and made arrangements in advance to manipulate Pirion, who was deeply tied to Kren.
It's just unclear whether these people support or oppose the erosion.
Did those people at Shuangmian underestimate this guy's power?
Ten years ago, Keren was less than half the size it is today, with a registered population of just 300,000. The city was dilapidated, the security situation was chaotic, and the number of people migrating out far exceeded the number migrating in.
Ten years later, Kren had become the largest and most prosperous population center in the Rostarek rear area.
The city has expanded more than twice its size, and its security level is approaching that of the inner city of Twin Crowns, even attracting a large number of border adventurers to stay here for resupply.
Those who benefited from his grace were found in every social stratum and corner of the city-state of Karen.
A baron who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, without any handover or preparation, what makes him think he can naturally take over Kren?
It would be a miracle if Pirion cooperated before obtaining the coveted Senate seat.
With that in mind, Nan'an decided to share the "good news" with him.
Upon learning of the impending establishment of the town of Sicklewater, Pirion coughed violently, and the juice he drank created a rainbow in the sunlight.
"I'm sick," he said weakly, his voice barely audible. "Very sick, I need to rest in bed for at least three months—"
No, six months. The review team can come and question me at any time; I will cooperate despite my illness.
A natural-born actor, able to get into character instantly, even when there's no real need for it.
"There's no escaping it. I came to you because I want to further our cooperation."
"You're looking for Norn Batu? He's a baron. Didn't the young lady of Tica introduce him to you? The granting of titles in Solitz began to be very strict 100 years ago, and those with legitimate titles are all from powerful and influential families."
"I'm sure your abilities far surpass those of some unknown nobleman who suddenly appears out of nowhere, someone I've never even heard of."
Pirion really couldn't hold back anymore.
In front of Nan'an, there was no way to put on airs as a governor, and one could not speak in a pretentious manner. Being official and smooth-talking was meaningless.
A person from 500 years ago, reborn as a heroic spirit, with extremely deep seniority.
Now that he's being openly praised by Nan'an, even though he knows it's not a good thing, he has no choice but to bite the bullet and accept it.
"Thank you for the compliment."
It's just like when I was a child, I accompanied my father to a blessing ceremony and was praised by my elders for my intelligence.
"The Chief Elder has made up his mind. The Sickle River is within the influence of Kren, and your performance will be taken into consideration."
"Kren's answer sheet is almost perfect. Your ability is beyond doubt. As for the bonus question at the end of the paper, if you are able to get full marks on it—even if you don't get full marks, your attitude and thinking will leave a deep impression on the chief elder."
"Moreover, many people are observing this question and have chosen to leave it blank."
A few words made Pirion, who was feigning illness, slowly loosen his grip on the blanket, his eyes narrowed, deep in thought.
"What do you want me to do?"
Seeing that Pirion had relented, Nan'an shared his initial thoughts.
It connects a trade route to the Lian River.
This is not difficult. There are already roads near the existing entrance to the Sicklewater Black Mist, and it is very safe under the protection of the Owls and the Lord's Guard.
Try to change the public opinion environment regarding erosion.
The existing information about the erosion is entirely negative, filled with traditional and reasonable labels such as "monster," "threat," and "untrustworthy."
Nan'an neither expects nor desires to completely reverse this perception.
He had no intention of whitewashing his image, since he had indeed done the destructive act.
It would be enough to shift public opinion slightly towards neutrality and persuade some people to stop opposing every opportunity for profit.
Of course, all of this is contingent on the fact that the more than one hundred people sent to the Sickle River by the Chief Elder can indeed resist the call of the Black Mist and retain their humanity.
Otherwise, he could already imagine Corella happily starting her corpse-collecting mode.
"Let me think about it."
Nanan didn't expect Pirion to agree immediately; it was already a great victory to have such a cautious tortoise as him seriously consider the feasibility.
"I'm not the consul now, is it really okay to talk to me about these things?"
Seeing the three of them about to get up and leave, Pirion jokingly spoke up.
"If you agree, I can make Norn's job unusable."
Having experienced the Double Crown Journey, his determination to explore the Black Mist became even stronger.
Living Eclipse, Gods and Demons, Black Mist, and the Giant Cube—Nan'an is building connections between these four elements, and a preliminary hypothesis is being born.
He needs more data to validate his claims, and he needs help from people like Corella, Pierreon, and the chief elders Ivila and Tata.
He also needs to come into contact with more live erosion.
Of course, it doesn't matter whether they're dead or alive.
However, having spent his time after transmigrating transforming the living into the dead, he habitually believes that the dead are easier to deal with.
Pirion's eyes narrowed.
"Please allow me to decline your offer; I can manage on my own."
The old butler escorted the three to the gate of the mansion, bowed politely to say goodbye, and when he returned to the courtyard, he found that his master was still deep in thought.
"master?"
"Anyone who can become a butler must be an absolute confidant," Pirion murmured unguardedly.
"The border adventurers of the Gray Star era are ruthless. Do you think he just wanted to make Norn Batu disappear without a trace, or did he use E'lu's authority to legitimately collude with the Living Eclipse and cause an accident for him?"
The butler trembled.
"Is that what Lord Nan'an meant?"
"Given his methods, I can't think of any other possibility," Pirion said curiously. "What makes him so concerned about the Living Eclipse?"
Regarding his proposal—
"At least one thing is true." Pirion took a deep breath and stood with his hands behind his back. "Becoming a pioneer is about catching the eye of the chief elders. Ability is important, but the ability to position oneself correctly is even more important."
The butler hesitated, then said softly, "In the past two years, Master seems to have lost much of his enthusiasm for the double crown and the elder statesman's seat."
Pirion turned and stared intently at the old butler.
"You're absolutely right—Kren is, after all, a child I raised myself. Norn Batu? Baron? In Kren, he's nothing! Land that hasn't received your heart and soul won't be cherished."
After parting ways with Corella in Kren City, Nan'an Suiyue returned to the Kren Deep Cave.
As they continued down the passage, Suiyue couldn't help but ask.
"You want to just kill a nobleman sent by the Double Crowns? Isn't that a bit crazy?"
"How come I didn't know to do that?" Nan'an's eyes widened. "I only thought about making that new governor's situation extremely difficult, not about turning him into a corpse."
Suiyue patted her chest: "Phew, I thought you were having a headhunting spree and wanted to turn his head into a collectible."
"?" Nan An chuckled in exasperation. "I only hunt for what I can find," he said, selling to buyers with unique tastes, mostly dark elves and hybrid demi-humans. He himself doesn't have such insane hobbies, nor would he hunt indiscriminately just for a pretty head.
The Red Rat Adventure Team's headhunting adheres to the principle of making the best use of resources.
Their biggest buyers are the dark elves who live next to the Zanti Empire. Many tribes worship shadows and the undead, and some legends even combine the two.
Thus, this group of dark-skinned elves, whose looks were no different from those of forest elves but who were far removed from the concepts of nobility and elegance, began to enthusiastically build Jingguan (a type of ancient Chinese mound).
Their behavior was so outrageous that many orthodox dark elf tribes could no longer tolerate it and took the initiative to issue a statement, activate "Holy Cut", and announce that they would remove these guys' dark elf identity and hope that they would establish their own tribe and not tarnish the reputation of their ancestors.
Before Nan'an died, their new name seemed to be—Necromancers?
According to Corella's explanation, these guys didn't seem to survive the Black Mist Era and basically didn't pass on their knowledge.
However, it is said that the Necromancer lineage has indeed awakened natural-born necromancers who can communicate with spirits and soothe and use the dead and vengeful spirits for their own purposes.
Whether building the Jingguan (a mound of stones) was truly useful, or whether it was a natural gift that provided sustenance, remains unknown.
After all, Nora0L's version changes too quickly; they didn't even get the class buffs before the game was wiped and restarted.
More than half a month later, upon returning to the Kren Cave, Cat Food was still the same as before.
It squatted by the threshold, its two front paws neatly folded together, its tail slowly circling behind it.
A small pot sat in front of it, the thick soup inside bubbling and steaming, the rising steam carrying the aroma of meat and herbs, filling every corner of the deep cave hall.
His head bobbed up and down as if he were dozing off.
Interesting, do gods and demons sleep too?
Do gods and demons also dream of other gods and demons?
Startled awake by footsteps, the cat looked up sharply.
Upon spotting the two, it immediately swung its tail and swiftly "crashed" over, clinging to Suiyue's arm. Its two front paws clung tightly to her collar, and its furry head desperately nuzzled into her neck.
After nudging Suiyue, he peeked out, stretched his neck, and tried to reach Nan'an standing next to him, until Nan'an rubbed his head. Only then did he comfortably return to the campfire to process the ingredients.
While the two were away, Erlu, who came to take over, obviously let the cat eat as it pleased and did not lock him in his private room again.
I just don't know if he'll be lucky enough to enjoy the carefully prepared dishes from the pot in front of him; it's probably not going to happen.
As they were talking, another person entered from outside the Kren Cave; it was none other than the old Victor Erlu, who was taking over the shift.
At 50 years old, he had been a Fiend for 25 years, making him a veteran among the Fiends. He had survived countless adventures through the Black Mist, returning unscathed with almost no injuries.
Looking at the entire Eldritch, it belongs to the first tier under the Raven Gunn.
Seeing Nan'an Suiyue squatting by the campfire, sharing a bowl of thick soup made from cat food, Old Victor swallowed hard, laughing and crying at himself.
"You two are so lucky to be able to drink Cat Food's special soup as soon as you come back. An old guy like me, just by getting close, Cat Food will take the whole pot away, and at most I'll just get to pet his fur."
His words were filled with endless resentment.
This is the opinion of the veteran Elu regarding Nan'an Suiyue.
The cat food I painstakingly cultivated was suddenly so eager to please these two—
Is that correct?
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