The Well-Meaning Swordsman, Li Aozi
The conversation with Andreu wasn't exactly pleasant, but at least it provided a result. Although their relationship was mediocre, they remained on the same side. With Andreu's power behind her, Naliya found him an acceptable choice.
As for Leoz.
In the past, at Delta-tier strength, he made a huge stir in the Vanlenkov Autonomous State, expelling Velazi with a series of tactics and then swaggering away.
Whether it was his path's potential, his personal charisma, or his discernment, he showed exceptional qualities.
'I can't allow someone like that to be recruited by another Narrative-level civilization. At the same time, he can't belong entirely to Andreu. If necessary, I wouldn't mind sleeping with him a couple of times to win him over.'
Twirling a lock of her hair, Naliya did her calculations:
'I'm quite cute and still young. Men can't resist, even if it's borderline… Though I don't know what Leoz looks like, just a little flirting and throwing some spending money around should leave him head over heels.'
Certainly, her elder brother Andreu—blessed by the Red-Gold Goddess—had an eye for talent, but the goddess didn't lavish favor on just one or two people. Naliya was younger and entirely qualified to compete.
Besides, offering Leoz to the goddess might be a fine move. The goddess adores valuable treasures. Legend says Red-Gold's divine realm is the universe's grandest collection, holding nearly a third of all treasures dating back to the dawn of the cosmos and the wars outside the Abyss.
Of course, Naliya wasn't deliberately fawning on the goddess simply for treasure or rewards. Her faith in capital and finance was genuine, and her reverence for the goddess sprang from a sincere love at the level of consciousness.
Naliya returned to her seat, ready to resume her stock-market maneuvers. After all, earning profits was the best way to garner the goddess's favor—especially making money from money, playing with finance, that intangible concept that pleases the goddess far more than industry could.
In some sense, this was akin to how the Pale Gold Priests connected with the goddess.
However, the moment she reopened the page, she caught a glimpse of the pair beside her.
Something was off.
Moments earlier, Antifa Molodiya had been proudly lecturing his senior classmate. Now, his fists were clenched, his handsome face slightly contorted, his expression dark and terrifying. His gaze darted restlessly, as though evading something while fearing detection.
Opposite him, Wendi Destis wore an equally grave look, eyes fixed on the auction website, clutching her skirt, beads of sweat dotting her forehead.
Although Naliya didn't particularly care about her nominal fiancé—dragons being immortal, it was perfectly natural to have hundreds of partners—especially she, who served the goddess devoutly, taking Antifa as a fiancé was simply a way to access the Crystal Tower civilization's market.
Even so, this man was her property. If something went wrong, it would impact her earnings.
"What's going on with you two?"
Naliya asked coolly:
"I just stepped out for some air. Did something unpleasant happen between you?"
"Huh?"
Wendi, visibly startled, clearly hadn't expected Naliya to return so soon. She turned stiffly, alarm flashing across her rose-hued eyes, then waved her hands:
"No…nothing really happened."
Antifa forced a smile, letting out a hollow chuckle:
"Yes, we were just talking about the Remaining Moon attack. Our school and classmates took a serious hit in that disaster five years ago, so I was just telling Miss Wendi how sad I was for our departed classmates and teachers…"
"Remaining Moon?"
Wendi seemed taken aback.
She hadn't been at the academy then and knew nothing about the incident.
But quickly, she wore a look of regret, cupped her cheek in her hand, and said sorrowfully:
"Ah, yes. I once had a very good friend, Senior Mordot in the Applied Magic Academy. He was so dashing, charismatic, incredibly strong, fantastic grades. But after the Remaining Moon incident, I lost all contact. A real pity—I wonder how he's doing now…"
Without blinking, Naliya replied coldly:
"'Remaining Moon,' a major criminal in the Layered Abyss, holder of the Calamitous Omega Energy 'Remaining Moon.' Original name: Mordotkertel Husseil ."
"Cough…"
Wendi was stunned that she'd been so abruptly contradicted. She quickly waved a hand, feigning annoyance:
"Ah! I never imagined Mordot was actually Remaining Moon—damn it. I used to be on good terms with him. It's terrifying to think of it now. Who knows if that guy was just a hunk of colonial soldier gear…"
"Y-yeah." Antifa's face went pale. He picked up his wine, the liquid rippling as his fingers quivered.
As a Zeta-tier powerhouse, controlling one's body should be second nature.
His trembling hands were too out of the ordinary, instantly catching Naliya's attention.
She stared icily at her fiancé. For all her petite frame, she radiated overwhelming power. The draconic oppressiveness flared, and Antifa shuddered—his hairs stood on end, goosebumps rising all over him.
"My dear fiancé."
Naliya's rosy lips drifted near Antifa's ear, her voice soft:
"What are you afraid of?"
Hssaa—
Antifa jumped, his shoulders jerking violently, shrinking in on himself like a frightened young beast before its predator.
The two-meter-tall Zeta-tier (6) mage trembled under the hand of a childlike girl barely a meter and a half tall.
The scene was quite comical.
"My husband."
Naliya whispered gently.
Her slender fingers were like blades, skimming across Antifa's scalp, sliding down his face, as if to peel away the skin.
"Don't be nervous, dear."
Lolita and a big guy?
His heart pounded wildly; his fingers dug into the arms of the chair. The faint perfume wafting off the girl's body brought him no comfort—rather, it was like the acrid smell of gunpowder or a poisonous fruit fragrance, making him all the more uneasy. Her absolute biological dominance bound him so thoroughly he didn't dare move.
—She was simply the dragon, and he the meal.
Rationally, he wanted desperately to struggle and resist, but the terrifying suppression in his bloodline forbade it. Two utterly conflicting impulses stormed his mind, shredding his composure.
"Antifa."
To him, it was crushingly overwhelming. The mental onslaught, plus Naliya's physical subjugation, produced a violent rebound, plunging Antifa into agony as if sitting on needles. His face grew more flushed, his mind fraying. The double stimulation of body and will left him incapable of coherent reasoning.
Naliya traced a divine seal in the air with one hand, then called his name, lifting his chin as her golden eyes peered down at him, devoid of emotion.
"Speak. What are you hiding from your loyal, loving wife?"
She chastised him calmly.
On the side, Wendi clapped a hand over her mouth. As rational as she was—despite the strong pressure of Naliya's bloodline—she didn't scream or break down. She just covered her mouth, forcing herself to remain silent.
Antifa gaped, his head drooping, gaze unfocused, until only Naliya's figure remained in his eyes.
Naliya clutched Antifa, lightly scratching his neck, threading her fingers through the knots in his hair.
On the surface, it resembled a caring gesture—a sweet little wife comforting a tall, sorrowful husband, battered by career and life.
Yet, to Wendi, it felt strangely off.
Like a master and her puppy.
"Talk."
Naliya's words carried divine power. For the sake of efficiency, she invoked the goddess without hesitation, issuing a command to her beloved fiancé:
"Tell me everything you know."
"Y-yes, as…as you command."
Antifa Molodiya, scion of Crystal Tower academia, heir to the Roulun Shipping Workshop, ordinarily a respected Zeta-tier figure in the Layered Abyss, with limitless prospects—
Now he was like a pitiful slave, face flushed, kneeling and licking Naliya's instep, meekly recounting his crimes:
"Right after you left, there was a planet on auction called Nobisi. According to the official intel we received, it's got decent resources, and it was listed at just 2.5 million Anjin."
"So?" Naliya demanded.
"I…I spent… 26.2 million Anjin. Overpaid so much—it's past the original value."
"An extra 40%? Still bearable. But I remind you: while I did agree to lend you 1.3 billion Anjin for support, you can't squander it."
Naliya paused:
"No, that's not why you're shaking like a leaf."
Her five fingers sank lightly into Antifa's scalp:
"Antifa Molodiya—what else are you hiding?"
"I…I don't know what happened. Please forgive me. Please, you have to forgive me! I don't have a clue what's going on!"
Antifa's face contorted miserably as he knelt, kowtowing for mercy, sobbing:
"It seems our identities have been exposed, and even our auction strategy is compromised."
"Our original plan was to buy planets Proto-11, Green Bay Star, Hailan-2… of the 12 we targeted, 9 got their prices hiked up, 2 were taken away from us, and the 2 we did get were each 60% overpriced. Another star soared beyond our prepared funds, causing us to lose it, but it's vital for our plan, so I had to contact the officials, paying a fortune in bribes to reacquire it privately…"
"Meaning," Naliya closed her eyes and tapped the air. A quick mental calculation later, she opened them again. "You made us pay at least 1290.83% extra?"
This was far beyond "major budget overrun."
For a devotee of Red-Gold, that was sacrilege!
Naliya's gaze dropped to zero degrees.
It was outright criminal!
"And…that's not even the worst part,"
Antifa added bitterly:
"We just got notified by the survey company: the two planets we secured each had a partial revolt."
"Andaro Planet, even though it already had a unified government, suddenly broke out in civil war over ethnic issues."
"Valoen Planet is even more bizarre. Practically overnight, they had some 'Qi Power Storm.' Their originally technology-focused society turned warped. Everyone went crazy, devolving into a brutal martial-cult civilization. The whole planet abandoned science and education, obsessed with immortality and martial arts."
"Those two planets…their value's plummeting. With these problems, there's no way to find a buyer."
Naliya shut her eyes, drummed the air, and then spoke:
"Two hundred thirty-six million."
"Because of your stupidity and shortsightedness, we'll have to invest 230 million Anjin to restore these planets to normal."
Looking at Antifa as though he were a talking corpse, she said:
"You'd best come up with a remedy, fast."
"Um…"
Watching silently for a while, Wendi Destis finally raised a timid hand:
"Actually, this isn't all on poor Antifa here."
She hadn't finished speaking before Naliya's blade-sharp gaze left her shaking, but she mustered her courage and elaborated:
"Because frankly…"
"Nearly everyone at this auction has been similarly burned."
"Why do you say that?" Naliya asked.
"Because…" Wendi gave a bitter smile, "I'm one of them."