“So, the Elf Clan and the Dwarves originally crafted two ‘kiss of rebirth’?”
“Yes, but this secret is known to very few. Now… everyone thinks the one we have at home is real, and the one at the auction is fake!”
The invitation letter from the Chamber of Commerce wasn’t an invitation to bid, but an invitation for comparison and appraisal.
Alice’s eyes suddenly lit up. She hopped onto Mil’s lap, her pair of brilliant golden eyes twinkling and trembling:
“We can buy that one back at the price of a fake, and then sell our fake as a real one! We can also explain it to Grandpa!”
“Exactly! As expected of Alice!”
Mil, excited, immediately agreed with Alice, but after thinking for a moment, he suddenly felt there was a loophole in Alice’s words…
He corrected her righteously:
“Alice… you didn’t understand what I said. Both are real, so what we’re selling is real, and what we’re keeping at home is also real!”
“I know~ But why would we sell the real one?”
“Hmm… wait a minute?!”
Mil suddenly felt as if he understood something. Alice spread her hands and shrugged:
“Since both real ones are in our house, no one will know what the real one looks like, right?”
“…Alice, be normal. You’ll get killed if you do that!”
Alice smiled sweetly, her adorable face like the warm sun in winter, speaking devilish words with an angelic face:
“Mil, don’t worry. The Elves and Dwarves I hired are all experienced artisans and are on their way! Besides, who would suspect a Holy Maiden of selling fakes?”
“You’ll be killed by Grandpa Count!”
…
Three days later, the siblings, by invitation, set off for the famous commercial capital, the port city—
“Aoleimaris.”
In principle, a Holy Maiden cannot travel freely.
But Alice was still young and didn’t have much real power; she was just a figurehead. After discussing with the Pope, she lied, claiming she had broken her leg and was recuperating at home…
The original reason was to say she was going to an orthopedic sanatorium in “Aoleimaris,” but Mil felt that wasn’t quite right.
After the lecture incident, Mil received a good amount of bonus money from the church, but after returning the money he stole from Alice, he didn’t have much left;
Although he didn’t really want to return it, he couldn’t let their relationship sour, after all, she was a true Holy Maiden.
However, he learned his lesson and still needed to be more wary of her; that girl was naturally his bane.
It was only about a day and a half’s journey, similar to going to the royal capital…
Aoleimaris is a relatively neutral city, the capital of the Duchy of Hypertra;
Its full name is the “Free Duchy of Aoleimaris and the Hypertra Alliance,” controlled jointly by seven major families.
The seven major families jointly funded the establishment of an army; furthermore, the seven patriarchs of the families are all incredibly powerful individuals.
If Mil remembered correctly, one of them, who wielded a giant axe, was also a Demon Lord;
If he could establish contact with him and recruit him as a subordinate, that would be very profitable.
On the first day of arriving in the city, Mil received a message through the succubus book—
Two high-ranking Undead had set off again, to be escorted to the Empire’s most secure prison.
There was nothing Mil could do; he was stretched thin. For now, he still needed to prioritize dealing with the “Blade of Blasphemy”;
Once he had Diana, the strongest Death Knight, he wouldn’t have to worry about his own strength to a certain extent.
Under the escort of the Pope Knight order, the two traveled by carriage all the way from Sermon Highlands to this commercial capital.
The city was built along the hillside down to the sea, spreading out in a fan shape…
The harbor was filled with merchant ships adorned with gilded figureheads. In the afterglow of the setting sun, the canals shimmered with fragmented golden light, earning it the reputation of “the treasure chest beside the Sea God’s pillow.”
The salty sea breeze swept through the dwarf pine forests on the saline-alkali land, carrying the creaking of ship masts and ropes, and the crisp sound of auctioneers counting gold coins, raising the yellowed flags on the castle rooftops.
The Sea God statue held high a bronze trident, upon which weary birds perched, cleaning the sea foam from their wings with their long beaks.
Upon arriving at the city gate, members of the Chamber of Commerce and family representatives came forward to greet them:
“Welcome to Aoleimaris! You two must be Lady Alice and Mil, right?”
After the carriage came to a stop, as soon as Mil opened the door, he saw the family representative and behind him, two busty, slender-waisted, long-legged, black-stockinged bunny girls;
The other world is truly wonderful. When Lilith falls, he’ll make her wear that too.
“That’s right, this is my adopted sister, Saint Alice, and also the Pope Knight order escorting us on this trip.”
“Thank you for your hard work, everyone! I am Viktor Marco, the family representative for the Chamber of Commerce. It’s getting a bit late, so let me take everyone to get something to eat first. Please follow me!”
Viktor, the representative, was robust and tall, with a scar on his left cheek running from his brow bone to the corner of his mouth;
One could tell that this person carried a fierce aura, the kind of character who could kill as easily as drinking water.
However, he spoke very politely and was very good at handling things, taking care of every single person in the Knight order, making them all look radiant…
After all, this was an opportunity to get acquainted with the Pope’s personal guards.
The family members in charge of the Chamber of Commerce also rushed over, meeting Mil and Alice and bringing gifts;
But most of them were very busy, just exchanging greetings and polite words before hurrying away.
Mil had researched this family beforehand. The “Umbra Serac” family started as pirates, later making their fortune through smuggling contraband and slave trading;
They were a local family here, maintaining close ties with demons, the church, and heretics.
Moreover, in this city, Elf Clan slaves are often traded privately…
Elf Clan flesh is also a treasure for feeding half-beast demons. If possible, Mil hoped to find a family to be a long-term partner.
However, the trade of Elf Clan slaves is strictly forbidden by the church; light offenses result in excommunication, and severe ones could lead to a city being banned;
Therefore, with Mil’s identity, gaining trust wouldn’t be easy. Disguise… might not fool them.
From the moment Mil and his group entered the city, family members had been appearing nearby. The carriage had also been unloaded and left outside the city.
In the evening, in the VIP room, Mil finally saw the other “kiss of rebirth”…
Besides looking identical, the blade also emitted an ominous aura.
Mil could clearly feel that this aura was very similar to the power of chaos…
It couldn’t be wrong!
The three sat on the sofa, with the “replica” displayed on the coffee table in front of them;
After some conversation, Alice was ready to take out the “kiss of rebirth” she had brought, but she was stopped by Viktor, the representative:
“No need! This item is extremely valuable. Please, Lady Alice, keep it safe yourself!”
Mil also noticed something amiss. They said they were here for appraisal and comparison, but there wasn’t even a proper appraiser here.
“Mr. Viktor, you don’t have to beat around the bush. Although I am from the church, I am not inflexible. We are very satisfied with your reception. If there’s anything, just say it directly.”
After hearing these words, the smile on Viktor’s face seemed to relax a little;
But even so, he still spoke in circles for a long time before finally revealing his true purpose:
“Actually, you two… just need to temporarily announce this item as real at the auction. After the auction ends, I will prepare a name, and you two can just say you were threatened by him at the time. We will arrange everything properly and give you a 30% commission!”
“So? Will you really threaten us?”
Mil smiled, but his eyes seemed to pierce through people…