The Lord Demon King is Unfathomable!

Chapter 1165 - 349: The Dust Has Settled (Part 3)

On the contrary, it was precisely because Andre valued the friendship between the two families that he agreed to give "Roxey Colin" a chance to prove himself—

The Colin family not only possesses honor and tradition but also the present.

Looking at his distressed daughter, Andre didn't tease her further; his eyes, which had seen all worldly experiences, became profound.

"Don't worry, he will be fine."

He paused, and explicitly stated his judgment word by word.

"Not only will he be fine, but this moderately sized drama unfolding before us is entirely his own arrangement."

...

The reports from "Holy City Daily" continue to ferment, and now the citizens across the city are hotly debating just which bigshot Prince Colin has offended.

As for how those truly esteemed figures view this matter?

Naturally, they regard it as a joke.

In this matter, Holy City and Demon City are shockingly similar, even akin to two sides of the same coin.

In the study of Dantes Villa, the atmosphere is distinctly different from the external clamor, quiet except for the faint crackling of firewood burning in the fireplace.

Edmond Dantes sat behind his grand desk, his expression complex.

Like Duke Andre, he also had those two newspapers that stirred the entire Holy City placed before him, but his thoughts had already transcended the surface wave of public opinion, gazing beyond the chessboard to see the hand moving the pieces.

And his two "guests"—Ticky and Lumier, sat leisurely on the opposite sofa, as if everything was under their control.

"I understand now..." Edmond finally let out a long breath, muttering to himself, a hint of clarity finally showing in his cloudy eyes.

He finally understood what Lumier meant by "putting the loan 'on hold'" and couldn't help but acknowledge there is still much he has to learn.

Yet there is one thing he pondered for a long time but couldn't figure out—the outcome, how this wave of trouble would end.

Now the nobles in White Dew District are being pushed to the edge by land speculators, with one foot already at the cliff's edge.

But regardless of whether he has the chance to push them off, even if he does, what benefit would it be to Prince Colin?

So far, it seems that only the townspeople of White Dew Town are enjoying the situation; those hillbillies who know when to quit have truly made a profit.

After contemplating for a long time without results, he finally voiced his confusion.

"I mean if, if those barons... like Baron Devor, have abundant funds, even with the land prices dropping, they choose to tightly grip the land, preferring to withstand the pressure rather than sell it to us, wouldn't we just abandon the plan and move it to another province?"

He couldn't understand the purpose behind Prince Colin's actions, nor did he believe there was a better place in the Empire than Holy City to carry out that plan.

It's not just about having a piece of land.

As if predicting he would ask this, Ticky laughed and leaned back on the sofa, replying with a teasing tone, "Change places? Why change? Now, nowhere in Holy City can you find a piece of land with a better price-performance ratio than in White Dew District."

Hearing Ticky's words, Edmond became even more perplexed.

Lumier didn't mock him, instead lightly shaking "Holy City Daily" in his hand, speaking leisurely.

"Hogan Nora, the manager, says you're 'grasping at straws,' and the ridiculous thing is, the real straw grasper is currently at large... Don't you think we should represent Saint Sis and punish these lawless parasites?"

This seemingly casual sentence cut through the fog in Edmond's mind like lightning. He suddenly awoke, his eyes widening as he said: "You mean... Baron Devor's funds for buying those lands have issues?"

Lumier gave a reassuring smile, nodded lightly, and said.

"That's inevitable. Since he knew early on that the land prices in White Dew District would rise, how could he willingly mortgage it at the original price to Huck, the district manager?"

"But...even with a mortgage, they shouldn't be unable to repay such a small amount, right?" Edmond swallowed hard.

That's a baron, after all!

"I guess you're thinking, 'That's a baron,' right?" Looking at the astonished Edmond, Ticky slowly spoke, breaking through his humble fantasies about the aristocracy in one sentence.

"Everyone believes he can repay it easily, including Huck, the manager you met, and that's why he could smoothly get a loan from the Imperial Royal Bank. You cannot fathom how easily he secured the loan; maybe it's just over a meal, or perhaps a mere greeting, with the cost being nothing but a promise. You might not even believe it if I tell you; I bet Devor family's Land Deed is now definitely in their own safe at home, and not at all in the bank."

"That's impossible!" Edmond instinctively exclaimed, "That doesn't align with the Imperial Royal Bank's loan procedures, and...why would he do that? It's just a piece of paper!"

"Rules are made to constrain you; he certainly can do that easily. As for why do it? Because with that paper, he can repeat the process, re-mortgaging land already mortgaged, even doing so thrice... And that's why he can live in a sprawling estate, without a hint of the smell of money, yet owning everything. Meanwhile, you can only cling to depreciating Gold Coins, with a whole family cramped at the waste barrels on Loyalty Street."