Earl Hall had barely returned home when his daughter arrived with his "granddaughter" in tow.
"Father, how did it go?"
The Earl couldn't help feeling puzzled.
Whose mouth is this fast? I just stepped inside and haven't even warmed my seat, and Audrey already knows I'm back.
(Susie: I swear on my honour, it wasn't me.)
"The matter of weapons is easy to resolve. But food…that's much more troublesome."
Earl Hall frowned, his voice deepening. "You may not have realised it yet, but even Backlund may soon face a food crisis. Trying to acquire grain at a time like this will be very difficult."
Audrey froze. "It's already that serious?"
"This is war—touch one strand, and everything shifts. His Majesty clearly intends to settle old and new scores with Feysac this time. Even the troops stationed in the overseas colonies are being recalled."
"At present, the entire nation is pouring all its strength into preparations for a full-scale war. Most food supplies must be prioritised for the front-line soldiers. Naturally, grain merchants are hoarding stock and inflating prices."
He continued, "If the war doesn't end soon, it will even affect this summer's wheat harvest. When that happens, things will become even more dire!"
"How did it become like this…?"
Earl Hall's voice sank. "Audrey, you suddenly asked me to help you acquire these supplies. What exactly are you planning to do?"
"I…I have an important use for them."
She didn't dare reveal the truth. After all, part of the enemies Mr. Moon planned to overthrow in the Southern Continent were precisely Loen's colonists and military forces.
"If you find it inconvenient to say, then I won't ask." Earl Hall nodded. "But the current situation truly doesn't allow for optimism."
Audrey bit her lip. "Father, I remember our family has always kept a considerable stock of grain, hasn't it? If the day truly comes…will you…"
Earl Hall lowered his gaze. "As I said just now, none of us know how long this war will last or what its final outcome will be. We must reserve plenty of food to face whatever comes."
"I know you're very kind, Audrey—especially after meeting Edward. You've seen many things even I have never seen, and that has only encouraged your kindness further. But reality is often cruel. I must consider our future."
"What I'm about to say may sound selfish…but compared to the pitiful people you care about, I value the survival and future of our family more. Only when those are not threatened can I show generosity and compassion. So…I'm sorry."
Earl Hall's words left Audrey silent. She was never naïve—she understood perfectly what her father meant. She also knew that mere persuasion would never change his mind.
"Father, I understand."
Earl Hall smiled. "Good. That's enough."
Audrey took a deep breath, her expression suddenly solemn.
"In that case…I want to discuss a business deal with you."
The Earl's smile froze. "A…business deal? With me?"
Audrey nodded seriously. "Father must be very curious about why I've asked you these past few days to help me acquire weapons and food, right?"
"…"
"Perhaps you think I simply want to help some poor, suffering people out of kindness. But have you ever considered—if that were the case, why would I need weapons?"
Earl Hall frowned. Indeed, that had puzzled him.
"To be honest…Edward and I have been busy with something major during this time!"
As she spoke, Audrey rapidly organised her thoughts.
"We…have supported a separatist faction in the Southern Continent. We let them fight on our behalf. We let them help us seize vast amounts of land and wealth from the Eastern Bayam region all the way up to Loen's colonial territories!"
"???"
Earl Hall was utterly stunned.
Lilith was stunned as well.
Who am I? Where am I? What in the world are you saying?
"But right now, the problem we face is that land and wealth, no matter how plentiful, cannot immediately be turned into food and weapons. That would hinder our continued expansion. That is why I asked Father to purchase supplies—to sustain my army so they can hold even more territory and population, faster and farther!"
Audrey's lips curved upward into a confident smile.
"The business proposal I want to discuss is this: no matter how much material Father helps me obtain…I can repay you at double—no, FIVE times the amount in the future."
"…"
Earl Hall remained silent for a long moment before asking, "Then…where did you obtain the supplies to support this military faction in the first place?"
"The Rorsted Archipelago!"
Audrey delivered her prepared explanation calmly.
"Perhaps you've heard that among the more than one million natives of the Rorsted Archipelago, about half believe in a deity called the Sea God. Around two months ago, Edward…became a Blessed of the Sea God, second only to Him in authority, able to issue divine commands to the believers."
"In other words, Edward now has hundreds of thousands of devout followers in the Rorsted Islands. These faithful believers would give him everything—including their lives!"
Earl Hall felt numb. Reason told him that everything his daughter said was utter nonsense, but…his intuition told him it might all be true!
Is…is this the scale on which Beyonders operate?
For generations, the Hall family had climbed its way up to its current position—one of Loen's great bankers, among the richest in the kingdom. And now his daughter and son-in-law had quietly expanded into overseas territories and the Southern Continent?
Wait! That can't be right…can it?
He still couldn't fully believe it—after all, despite all her claims, Audrey hadn't shown a single piece of concrete evidence.
At the same time, Audrey was panicking internally.
Oh no…Father only recently advanced to Sequence 9—he's still half a "normal person." Why is his willpower this strong? How did he single out the flaws even when I am trying to lead him subtly with cues?
Just as Earl Hall was about to speak, Alfred strode in angrily, waving a sheet of paper. "Idiot! Useless morons! Incompetent fools!"
Earl Hall's attention immediately shifted to his second son. "What's wrong?"
"I just received a telegram from the Southern Continent. Most of the kingdom's colonial territories there were seized by a newly rising faction! After taking the colonies, this faction immediately clashed with the forces of West Balam, and both sides are locked in a stalemate."
"???"
Earl Hall froze and stared at his daughter in bewilderment.
Audrey was just as surprised.
Mr. Moon is… actually this amazing?
Ah! Thank you, Alfred, for the perfect assist!
Audrey straightened her back, adopting an expression of serene calm as she met her father's eyes.
The sight of the father–daughter pair made Alfred halt in confusion. "Father, Audrey…what's going on?"
Audrey answered, "I'm discussing a business deal with Father. A very large business deal."
Alfred: "???"
If Hibbert had said such a thing, he wouldn't have been surprised in the slightest.
But Audrey?
Business? You should stick to romance, little sister.
Earl Hall's expression grew complicated. After thinking for about a full minute, he spoke again for confirmation, "Audrey… is everything you said true?"
Audrey nodded earnestly. "Of course."
I'm sorry, Father. Even though everything about the Southern Continent is fabricated, once I return to Hogwarts with Edward, I'll definitely find a way to earn double—no, quintuple—the supplies in that world and pay you back. Food prices over there are far cheaper!
At the side, Alfred asked again, "Father, what exactly are you two talking about?"
"Audrey just told me…"
Earl Hall lit a cigar, took a slow puff, then briefly repeated Audrey's story. Afterwards, he looked at his shocked second son and asked calmly, "Alfred, do you think I should make this deal with Audrey?"
Alfred was silent for a moment. Then he looked at his sister and said, "Why not? Emperor Roselle once said: 'When profits reach 50%, someone will risk their life; at 100%, they will trample all human laws; and at 300%, they will not fear the gallows.'"
"And this is fivefold profit."
Earl Hall exhaled a stream of smoke and looked meaningfully at Audrey. "Very well. Then the future of the Hall family…will rest in your hands, my dear."
"Huh? I don't think it's—"
Audrey instinctively began to refute but immediately corrected herself. "…Alright!"
After watching his daughter leave with her "granddaughter" and golden retriever Susie, Earl Hall crushed his barely smoked cigar into the ashtray. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he fell into deep thought.
Alfred asked, "Father, do you really believe…?"
"I don't know."
Earl Hall sighed. "But the fact that Audrey went so far as to say all this means she's already made up her mind. And ever since she was young…whenever she wanted to do something, she would find a way to accomplish it."
"So… let it be, for now."
Then he asked, "By the way, why did you suddenly come home?"
Alfred's expression turned solemn.
"Father, we just received intelligence—Feynapotter has also declared war on Loen."
———
Back in her room, Audrey collapsed onto the sofa as though all strength had left her. Her cheeks flushed red as she thumped her chest repeatedly.
"You have no idea…I was terrified just now."
Susie sat in front of her, head tilted in confusion. "But you're clearly quite pleased right now."
Audrey bolted upright, her face growing even redder. "No, no, I'm not!"
Lilith leaned against the wall, giving Audrey a long, amused look. "Audrey, since when did you start lying without even drafting your lies first? Miss Lilith was completely stunned earlier~"
"I—I was just telling a harmless lie!"
Audrey sighed. "Actually, I'm very lost right now. At first, I only wanted to help Mr. Moon. But Father said that Backlund—and even all of Loen—may soon face severe material shortages."
"And suddenly… I don't know what I should do. Should I help Mr. Moon? Or the pitiful people of Backlund?"
"No matter what, I am a Loen citizen. Shouldn't I think of Loen's people first?"
———
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