Otome Game Mob Villain

Chapter 732

After receiving the pearl emitting a 'golden' light from Capella, I rolled up my sleeve.

Then, holding the pearl between my index finger and thumb to show Shia, I spoke fluently and boldly.

"Well, what will you do? At every crossroads, it's all or nothing. Yes or no. Even or odd. White or black. All bets are on this one throw. To do or not to do. It must be one or the other. Time passes by while you hesitate, and it never returns."

"Wh-why? Why am I feeling such pressure and tension from Lord Rid...!?"

Shia turned pale, faltered, and it was clear he was being overwhelmed.

"Lord Rid. No matter what, please stop that, just that."

The desperate voice came unexpectedly from our side.

Looking over, Chris was holding her head with an expression as if the world was ending.

"Why? If we get the Rabbit Tribe's cooperation, we can make more of these."

"Th-that might be true, but. Currently speaking, just one of those 'golden pearls' has enough value to easily buy prime real estate in the Imperial Capital's noble district."

"Prime real estate in the Imperial Capital's noble district, you say...!?"

At Chris and my exchange, Shia was speechless, his mouth agape.

Prime real estate in the Imperial Capital's noble district refers to the scarce land around the Imperial Castle in the capital.

Basically, only ducal families, marquis families, and wealthy count families with enormous assets in the Empire are said to own them.

If you absolutely want the land, you have to ask the owner to sell, but the land prices are so outrageous that only a handful of people can actually buy them.

In terms of my previous life, it would roughly equate to prime real estate in Tokyo at a low estimate, or land prices in places like Switzerland, Singapore, or New York, USA at the high end.

"Certainly, Chris has a point. Keeping this pearl might be convenient for various things."

"That's right, so..."

"But that's precisely why, Chris."

The moment I increased the output of Body Enhancement - Retsuka and applied force to my fingertips, the 'golden pearl' shattered into pieces with a 'crack.'

Golden particles danced in the air, glittering in the light, creating a somewhat fantastical scene.

"Eh...?"

"Ah...?"

Chris and Shia froze with identical expressions.

Soon both held their heads, stood up vigorously on the spot, and screamed.

"Aaaaaaaaaah!? Such a precious, precious peaaaaarl!?"

"You fooooooooooool!?"

"Didn't I tell you? Time is money. Time passes by while you hesitate, and it never returns. Now, do you understand that I'm serious?"

When I narrowed my eyes with a smile, the blood drained from the faces of everyone present.

"No way, I never thought Rid was this crazy. I know it's something to say about myself, but I think I'm more reasonable..."

"Once Rid decides on something, he shows no mercy. He absolutely has a personality you don't want as an enemy."

Vene was completely taken aback, and Amon sighed deeply in utter amazement.

"Why, how come? There were other pearls too. If you were going to break one anyway, you should have used another color instead of deliberately choosing the most valuable one..."

"Lady Chris. It was Lord Rid, so stopping him was useless. From the moment Lord Shia didn't readily agree to cooperate, that pearl was destined to be shattered."

"Such a thing..."

Though encouraged by Emma, Chris was crying and collapsing onto the table.

"Sigh. Everything Lord Rid does is truly bad for the heart."

"That's right. But I've gotten somewhat used to it."

Tink held her forehead, slumped her shoulders dejectedly, and let out a deep sigh.

But among everyone, only Capella remained unfazed and expressionless.

"...It completely contradicts all my experiential rules as a tribal chief. Common sense and worldly logic don't apply to Lord Rid. That's why he's been given nicknames like 'unconventional prodigy' or 'unconventional stormbringer.' Yes, that must be it. Haha, ahaha..."

Shia, who had turned completely pale, muttered something while weakly plopping down into his chair.

Somehow, I feel like I'm being somewhat insulted.

"Now then, Lord Shia. May I hear your answer soon? If you still can't give me an answer, all the pearls here will turn to dust and shatter. Is that still acceptable?"

When I smiled at him, Shia started at my voice and came to his senses.

"F-fine. Enough, I fully understand that Lord Rid is serious. I'll believe your words about having deciphered the mechanism of pearl production too. Like Vene, I also swear to promise full cooperation with all resources for Lord Rid's plan."

"Thank you, Lord Shia. I believed from the bottom of my heart that you would say that."

"Haha, ahaha..."

When I thanked him with an innocent smile, Shia's face twitched into a bitter smile.

"Amazing. He's completely crushed the old man, leaving him speechless."

"Lord Shia has united the Rabbit Tribe territory with steady policies. Rid's words and actions, which completely contradict experiential rules, might have been too stimulating and shocking for him, Lady Vene."

"Haha. Certainly, even I was surprised and shocked. The impact on the old man must have been tremendous."

Hearing Amon's answer, Vene shrugged as if to say "What can you do."

Actually, people like Shia often become surprisingly cooperative once you break their fixed concepts.

So there was a part of me that deliberately went this far.

Well, it's like... this much was 'according to plan.'

I cleared my throat to gather attention, then changed the subject.

"Then, let me explain the pearl mass production plan again."

"U-uh. Understood, let me hear it."

As Shia straightened his listening posture, I explained the information obtained from the sea inspection.

And then discussed the future developments regarding pearl mass production.

I explained that cultivating White and Black Magic Butterfly Shells likely requires calm seas with sufficient depth, and requested that part of the sea shown by Vene be lent out under 'Baldia name.'

"...Why under Baldia name? You're not planning to take all the profits after requesting our cooperation this far, are you?"

"Old man, that's going too far."

When Shia emitted a sharp gaze, Vene frowned.

"Politics isn't settled with pretty words. Trusting the other's goodwill or deciding based on uncertain emotional arguments will definitely cause trouble later."

"Ugh...!?"

Vene was at a loss for words, but I smiled.

"I think Lord Shia's point is well taken. The main reason for using the Baldia name is to improve information management and prevent information leaks due to external pressure."

"...Improving information management, preventing information leaks due to external pressure. I see, that's what it is."

"What do you mean, old man?"

While Shia seemed to understand, Vene was tilting his head.

"Our Rabbit Tribe ultimately belongs to Zubera. If we succeed in pearl production and catch the Beast King's attention, we might be forced into a situation where we have to provide information to resolve matters. However, if it's produced in sea areas lent to Baldia, it gives us an escape route."

"Ah, I see. Even if they ask us to teach the production method, we can pretend we don't know since it's being done by Baldia."

"Exactly. It's a remarkably shrewd, cunning method. As expected of the rapidly developing Baldia. You seem to have thoroughly researched information management methods too."

Shia shrugged and relaxed his mouth, but I remained unfazed and bowed slightly.

"Thank you. Our house trades with various places, you see. We're somewhat clever about such matters."

"...Even sarcasm doesn't get through to you."

Shia shook his head as if to say "What can you do," but I paid no mind and continued my explanation.

"...That's all. However, even if this plan progresses smoothly, we won't flood the market with pearls. We'll accumulate a certain number of produced pearls and only release them to the market gradually."

"Why? The demand for pearls is strong. The more we release to the market, the more should sell."

When Shia tilted his head, I grinned.

"To increase their value and obtain sustainable profits."