Chapter 102: Golden Investment

Chapter 102: Golden Investment

When Louis followed the butler into the dining hall, Earl Crowley came forward with a beaming smile. He then enthusiastically pulled Louis and Stuart into a conversation.

Not long after, the Bishop and the Mages also arrived and took their seats in the dining hall. Upon seeing Louis, Bishop John smiled, then shook his head slightly.

As more people joined the conversation, Miss Kate soon entered the dining hall gracefully and sat down. She kept her eyes lowered, appearing as if she was not very familiar with Louis. However, while eating, she kept her ears perked up, eavesdropping on her father’s conversation.

Since last night, Kate had already noticed something. Her father seemed to be planning a significant investment in Louis.

Louis had a natural connection with Her Highness the Princess, possessed strong personal abilities, and had a small but influential network.

If he could support the Princess, and her father helped as well, they could potentially tip the current balance of power. The probability of the Princess regaining her position as the Crown Prince in the future would greatly increase.

Of course, the risks were substantial. But if those in power in the future were not from the Princess’s faction but from the Queen’s faction, the risk to the family would be even greater.

If things succeeded, Her Highness the Princess would be the future Queen, and Louis would be a future high-ranking official with the merit of supporting her ascent to the throne—given Little Ocris’s gentle nature, she would be ‘unable to stand firm,’ and Louis would undoubtedly be her most crucial support, her table leg.

The Queen’s husband, the Regent, or even more…

Her father had always been a good judge of character; he must have seen the ambition in this young man.

As breakfast was nearing its end, Helen quietly asked Louis about his plans for the day.

“Sister said her father called her, saying her birthday is coming up soon, and he hopes she can come home and stay for a while this year. Sister told him she’ll be back tomorrow. Then she’ll stay here for a period before the semester starts.”

Hearing this, Louis glanced at Earl Crowley. He heard some thoughts in his mind and knew that Crowley had called the Royal Court that morning.

Crowley had informed the King about the Crowley Family’s matter, that it was resolved by his daughter’s good friend and colleague. He also mentioned that he had persuaded this gentleman to attend the birthday celebration with the Princess afterward.

The King, who already missed his daughter terribly, couldn’t help but call her again after learning this.

After that call, Little O couldn’t hold back her tears.

However, after crying, Little O did think things over.

Ocris felt that with Louis backing her now and the Crowley Family also supporting her, she wasn’t too worried about being married off to a foreign land anymore.

[Ocris: ‘Father surely wouldn’t trick me into going back just to kidnap and marry me off abroad, right?’]

Additionally, she heard from Helen that there had been changes in the Royal Court. After some consideration, she decided to return.

Helen’s words served as a reminder to Louis.

‘Could Ocris’s stepmother and the King really be planning to trick her back just to marry her off?’

Having stayed in this world until now, Louis had learned many things—because the Witch Queen currently sided with the Muggles, it made the Wizards fear the Muggles. With the Witch Queen present, the Kingdom of Sorrento’s weakness was gone. In the eyes of the Wizards, it had become a powerful force without any vulnerabilities.

But even so, if Muggles and Wizards went to war, it would likely end in mutual destruction—because aside from the Kingdom of Sorrento, the upper echelons of other kingdoms could mostly be controlled by Wizards.

Therefore, the current situation was a delicate balance.

However, the Dragon race was something that could break this balance.

Louis had seen the Dragon race at the Sacred Oak. They were few in number, each with a known name. Their Magic level was very high, and their bodies often reached a hundred meters in length. Moreover, they could take human form—the Dragonborn were the descendants of ancient Dragons and humans.

These beings, each one was a Boss-level entity.

In this current era, Muggles didn’t have such powerful air defense systems, so these Dragons still possessed the power to destroy a city.

Therefore, if the traditionally neutral Dragon race were to side with one faction, the scales would immediately tip.

Hence, the King of Sorrento was very concerned about relations with the Dragon race—if a marriage alliance could be formed, his biggest worry would disappear.

No wonder the King always wanted to marry his daughter to a Dragon.

But according to the situation Crowley revealed, if Ocris didn’t return, she might completely lose her chance at the Crown Prince position—the supporters of the Princess would be left without a leader.

‘If Ocris happily comes back to celebrate her father’s birthday only to find that her stepmother and father tricked her like luring a dog in to be killed, her little face would definitely turn pale with fright.’

Louis suddenly found it somewhat amusing. This birthday celebration had just become more interesting.

“Alright, let her come. We’ll go to the Train Station to pick her up,” Louis said to Helen as he cut a piece of steak for her.

“Since sister is arriving tomorrow, shouldn’t we… um… do some preparatory work here today, Louis?” Helen quietly clutched a small amusement park pamphlet and asked pitifully, shaking Louis’s arm.

Seeing Helen’s pitiful look, Louis almost softened and agreed immediately. But Louis was also in a bit of a dilemma. He had indeed promised earlier to take Helen out to play, but he had business to attend to today. It seemed he might have to postpone that promise.

“I can take you all to Englen City for a visit. There’s an exhibition there today,” Kate suddenly said with a smile. Knowing Louis planned to go to the Mage Association today, she offered a suggestion: “They have automobiles and the latest products from the Yordel Engineers of ‘Warhammer of the God of War.'”

This made Louis raise an eyebrow—that would kill two birds with one stone.

Helen also exclaimed excitedly, “Are there Yordle Ace Pilots?!”

“Of course,” Kate replied, patting Helen’s head with a smile. “There are also Ace Pilots from the ‘Son of Lant’!”

“Sister Kate is the best!”

After the meal, Louis first called the great banker, Kendrik Barriff. He told him about last night’s events.

After listening, Kendrik couldn’t help but exclaim over the phone, “I knew you could handle it! Thank goodness! My cash cow was almost uprooted! You truly are a lifesaver!”

“Cash cow?”

“Yes, cash cow. The Crowley Family is a good source of raw materials, and I have investments in the textile factory and that ‘Seventh Fleet’ with the Muggle royal privateering license. If the Crowley Family went under, all my investments would be ruined!” Speaking of this, Barriff on the other end of the line couldn’t help but wipe the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.

He continued, “My dear friend, now I can finally sleep soundly—Louis, what are your thoughts? If Crowley supports the Princess in the future, would you be willing, when the ‘Seventh Fleet’ encounters issues at sea, to help ‘your own’ fleet solve some minor problems—like the Sea Serpents blocking certain shipping lanes?”

“You really know how to scheme,” Louis said, understanding now. “I’ll definitely invest in this stock—if there are issues, the Mystery Affairs Office will surely send people. You can invest confidently.”

“That’s excellent. You have no idea how many ships loaded with ‘gold’ have sunk this year because of those damned things. The Wizards don’t have ocean-faring capabilities, those fools at the Ministry of Magic are always preoccupied with infighting and don’t do any real work. With your guarantee, the value of this privateering fleet is bound to double!”

A huge weight lifted from Barriff’s mind. Without Louis, this venture would be a losing investment! But with Louis, it was a golden investment!

The Barriff Family trusted Louis immensely. The Barriffs believed that while creatures like the Sea Serpent, a Dragon-class deep-sea overlord, were not easy to deal with in the ocean, they shouldn’t pose too much trouble for Louis.

In a way, the Barriff Family was the one who best understood Louis’s strength—even Little Conch had said things like, ‘Her Majesty Delphinia will have to move down a rank again.’

“By the way, Louis, my brother Archie’s Stogg Group has another matter they’d like to ask… Hello? Hello? Hello?”