Chapter 253: He's Noticed! Joy, So Let's Have a Fight
Tang Zheng's voice fell upon the ears of the crowd, causing the already quiet great hall to become even more silent.
Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra and the others looked at Tang Zheng with expressions of incomprehension and surprise.
Renner, on the other hand, showed no sign of disappointment. She simply nodded with the same polite humility, though the light in her eyes had dimmed considerably.
"Why?"
Suddenly, a somewhat agitated voice shattered the atmosphere.
Climb's eyes widened. He couldn't help but take a step forward, his fists clenched as he spoke loudly, "You could obviously help so many people... Why?"
By the time he uttered the last three words, Climb had noticed everyone looking at him and realized his gaffe.
On an occasion like this, a subordinate should not express any opinions. Just look at Miss Leinas, whose position was far higher than his; she had stood behind Renner from beginning to end without saying a word.
"My apologies for the rudeness."
Climb's cheeks flushed red as he bowed deeply.
"He is Climb, a very outstanding young man. Please don't mind him, Lord Tang," Lakyus said, composing the surprise on her face.
"My instruction was inadequate," Renner said with an equally apologetic look.
Tang Zheng glanced at Climb and gave a wry smile. "No, Your Highness has taught him very well. He is a very righteous person."
"Could you explain your reasons?"
Renner placed her hands on her lap, which was covered by her long skirt, and sat upright with curiosity.
"First, setting aside the issue of raw materials, with my personal ability alone, I cannot supply potions for an army of thousands, or even tens of thousands, especially for a long-term collaboration."
"Second, I am not short on money."
"Third, as an adventurer, according to the guild's regulations, I cannot interfere in wars between nations. While I'm not sure if providing assistance with potions counts as interference, I hate trouble."
As Tang Zheng spoke, he glanced at Lakyus, leaned back, and continued slowly in a soft voice.
His three reasons left everyone momentarily speechless. While not entirely irrefutable, they were indeed hard to argue against.
"Hahaha."
Gagaran suddenly let out a hearty laugh, her sharp eyes narrowing as she stared at Tang Zheng.
"I knew it. The two of you are just too naive."
Lakyus turned her head. "Gagaran."
"Got it, Captain," Gagaran said with a chuckle, looking away and leaning back into the sofa.
Lakyus pursed her lips. She felt there was still room for negotiation and was just about to speak.
Renner had already raised her slender arm and placed it on Lakyus's hand. A brilliant smile appeared on her fair cheeks. "It's alright. Many of my previous proposals have been rejected as well."
Tang Zheng's gaze swept over the two of them, and he sneered inwardly.
Lakyus was completely under Renner's thumb.
However.
What exactly was Renner's objective?
Tang Zheng was certain that Renner didn't care whether the proposal he had just heard succeeded or not.
"Lord Tang, regarding the Regeneration Potion, there is one more small, private matter I'd like to ask you about," Renner said in a low voice, her expression somewhat troubled.
Tang Zheng replied, "Your Highness, please speak."
"Climb, if you would."
"It is what I should do, Your Highness." After this brief exchange, Climb quickly departed.
This made Lakyus curious as well. It was clear that, apart from the first matter, she had not been told about this so-called small matter beforehand.
"I often hear Lakyus talk about her experiences during her adventures."
"Sometimes I dream that I'm on the grasslands or in the jungle under the starlight, but as a princess, I cannot leave the Royal Palace."
Renner picked up the black tea from the table. Her crimson lips parted slightly as she took a sip, the fingers holding the cup handle swaying gently. She spoke in a soft voice, "Lord Tang is acquainted with Leinas. You must have had some extraordinary adventures in the Baharuth Empire, right?"
A glint flashed in Tang Zheng's eyes, but he calmly shook his head.
"An adventurer's life may not be as wonderful as the princess imagines."
"I did indeed experience some interesting things in the Baharuth Empire. Speaking of which, some of the Baharuth Empire's policies bear some resemblance to a few of Your Highness's proposals."
Tang Zheng feigned a look of puzzlement as if he had just remembered something.
Renner's fingers, holding the cup, paused. She revealed a look of surprise. "Is that so? I've heard that King Jircniv is a rather capable monarch."
"If there are similarities, perhaps merchants or adventurers from the Kingdom passed the proposals on."
Tang Zheng seemed to nod in agreement, then added a somewhat cryptic sentence, "That monarch, it seems he doesn't have a formal wife yet."
Although the Blood Emperor currently had a large number of concubines, none of them held the position of a formal wife. This was not only true now, but it would remain so even three years later.
Because of the reforms the Blood Emperor had initiated, it was not suitable for him to marry a formal wife from within the country. This meant he could only choose a woman of suitable status from abroad.
To the others present, this sentence seemed like a mere piece of trivia, or something of no consequence.
However!
Renner's eyes trembled for a rare moment. She subconsciously looked up at Tang Zheng, her gaze meeting his pair of smiling, yet not quite smiling, eyes.
He's noticed!
This thought flashed through Renner's mind. A moment of astonishment was followed by an indescribable joy that came from the bottom of her heart.
Tang Zheng's words had just been a guess, but the moment he saw Renner look at him, he knew he had guessed correctly.
Renner had deliberately let some of her proposals fall into the hands of the Empire. No matter how unconventional her ideas were, at a certain point, they must have had a specific purpose!
The subsequent conversation became much simpler.
Lakyus interjected a few sentences from time to time. The brief words among the three of them made the atmosphere in the great hall much more peaceful again.
At this moment.
Evileye, who had remained silent and seemed to have a low presence, frowned behind her mask. Her gaze peered through the slit of the mask, looking at Tang Zheng and Renner.
Out of some kind of intuition.
She felt that the two of them had engaged in some sort of cryptic conversation, and that their leader was completely in the dark.
Before long.
Climb, who had left, returned to the great hall, leading two figures dressed in maid uniforms with masks on their faces.
Judging by their figures and attire, they were likely maids from Renner's staff.
Everyone watched this scene with some confusion.
Renner said nothing. She just stood up gently, reached for the Regeneration Potion she had placed on the table earlier, and walked toward the two maids.
Under everyone's watchful eyes.
Renner carefully and gently pulled up the sleeve on one of the maid's arms.
The next moment.
All the members of Blue Rose frowned in unison.
On the maid's arm were nothing but wounds.
Renner opened the Regeneration Potion and poured it onto the wounds. Under the potion's effect, new flesh quickly grew, and the wounds healed completely.
The other maid was in a similar situation.
Amidst this atmosphere, the two maids were led away again by Climb.
Renner returned to her seat on the sofa.
It was only at this moment that Lakyus, who had been silent, showed an angry expression and spoke in a cold voice, "Who did this?"
Those maids were nobles, and they were specifically responsible for taking care of Renner. How dare they...
Lakyus's furious expression froze. Looking at the silent Renner, she quickly realized something, and her face turned ugly.
"Those nobles!"
Lakyus gritted her teeth.
"How vile. But this is normal, isn't it?" Tina said in a flat, faint voice.
"Captain, you're a noble too, you know," Tia followed up immediately.
Gagaran bared her white teeth and grinned. "If you two keep talking, watch out, or you'll get a good beating from the devil Captain."
Tia and Tina glanced at each other, then simultaneously crossed their arms and closed their mouths, their movements perfectly synchronized, like shadows.
Lakyus, long accustomed to her team members' sharp tongues, sighed.
But then.
What did this matter have to do with Lord Tang?
"Your Highness is worried about the slaves, right?" Tang Zheng said faintly.
"You are truly remarkable, Lord Tang."
Renner's deep blue eyes looked deeply at Tang Zheng, and she forcefully squeezed her hands hidden under her skirt.
The scene just now could have been interpreted in multiple ways, yet Tang Zheng had immediately pinpointed the thought that was truly on her mind.
Renner's heart raced with excitement. Her legs rubbed together gently, yet her expression became even more sacred and solemn. "When I think that even the maids are affected like this, the persecution suffered by the slaves of even lower status must be even more severe."
"The effect of the alchemy potion you created is so good, but for the slaves, it might not necessarily be a good thing."
The corner of Tang Zheng's mouth twitched. He suddenly understood why the Blood Emperor had ranked Renner as the most detestable woman in his heart.
"Eight Fingers!" Lakyus said, as if a light had dawned on her. The two words left her mouth, and her green eyes grew stern.
Gagaran's expression changed. She immediately realized that their devil Captain was probably getting lost in her own emotions again.
That would be one thing, but she was worried that Lakyus might rashly agree to something that violated the Adventurer's Guild regulations.
Gagaran raised her thick arm and nudged Evileye, who had been quiet all this time.
"Captain, you forgot about Tina," Evileye's peculiar, accented tone sounded from behind her mask.
"Oh!"
Lakyus snapped back to her senses and couldn't help but slap her forehead. She first looked apologetically at Renner, then said, "Before this, there was something I forgot to explain to Lord Tang."
"As a sign of good faith, regarding the Ijenia assassination organization, all pursuit of you has been completely canceled. In the future, they will not pursue members of the Free Will adventurer team either."
Lakyus's sudden announcement also gave Tang Zheng an opportunity to change the subject.
"I see. That explains why no more assassins have shown up recently."
Tang Zheng wore a look of realization.
"So, can we exchange for that set of assassin's equipment?" Lakyus glanced at Enri, who was sitting at the edge.
Tina's voice, neither loud nor soft, spoke faintly, "The Captain finally remembered the real business."
This remark made Lakyus look a little embarrassed.
Enri stiffened, subconsciously tightening her grip on the assassin's magic items she was wearing. These were things the Lord had given her.
"That is our loot."
Tang Zheng glanced at Enri and shook his head. "Sorry, I refuse."
Lakyus was stunned for a moment. She felt that she now understood what Renner must have felt when she was rejected.
He looked so easygoing, but in reality, he was not easy to deal with at all.
"Honestly."
Evileye stood up from the sofa, her black-patterned mask facing Tang Zheng directly. "Adventurers should really talk like adventurers. Loot, you say?"
"Then let's have a fight. If we win, it'll be our loot."
"Huh?" Lakyus was dumbfounded.
Gagaran and the others also looked completely surprised. They never expected that Evileye, who was usually indifferent to everything, would make such a move.
Just then.
*Knock! Knock!*
With two knocks, the door was pushed open directly.
Two figures walked in from outside. Renner, who had been sitting on the sofa, narrowed her beautiful eyes and immediately stood up, a look of reverence on her face.
"My two elder brothers," Renner said with a bow.
The sturdy and burly First Prince and the portly Second Prince both had smiles on their faces.
"It looks very lively in here, Lana."
The Second Prince, Zanac, stood behind the First Prince, the corners of his mouth turned up.
(end of chapter)