Chapter 68: Win-Win Strategy

“Mmm… ah…”

Leaning in Julian’s embrace, the woman slightly parted her lips, letting out soft moans of pleasure. She actively swayed her hips, gently rubbing her full, round buttocks against his sensitive areas. Her face was flushed, and her eyes were filled with uncontrollable desire. As a professional, she certainly knew how to seduce and arouse men. In this aspect, the woman always looked down on those high-class women from South Street. Those women who charged several hundred gold coins just for touching their hands always acted so arrogant and high and mighty, but weren’t they still just goods to be ridden by men? Of course, this was merely jealousy. Unlike the women from South Street, the clients these women from North Street received weren’t so wealthy – sailors, farmers, and even some ordinary soldiers who couldn’t afford much. But so what? Clients were clients after all. However, even the woman herself hadn’t expected that one day she would be serving such a young nobleman. In her view, those nobles usually preferred the pretty women from South Street who dressed up like ladies, not someone of low birth like herself.

But doubts aside, since he had specifically chosen her, she had to do her job well. And… frankly speaking, this young nobleman wasn’t bad-looking either. Being with him wasn’t exactly a waste.

Julian leaned back on the soft sofa, embracing the half-naked woman before him. He reached into her clothes, kneading those firm mounds. It had to be said that Kaister had a good eye. Although this woman wasn’t particularly beautiful, her figure was excellent. Her full breasts had a heavy, substantial feel, along with a silky soft texture. Her wheat-colored skin complemented her fiery figure perfectly, making her indeed quite a desirable creature popular among men.

“Mmm…”

Under Julian’s kneading, the woman half-closed her eyes and let out a low muffled groan. If earlier she had been deliberately seductive, now under Julian’s caresses, she truly felt a sense of burning desire. This young nobleman’s technique was quite skilled, always keeping her within an acceptable range of teasing. This made the woman feel somewhat unsatisfied. Usually, when facing those men, she was the one in control. But now, somehow the initiative had shifted to the other party. Originally, in her view, Julian was just an inexperienced noble pretty boy who could be made to lose control with just a few casual moves. But the plan clearly didn’t go as smoothly as she had imagined. At first, Julian was quite susceptible to her seduction, but after further contact between the two, the initiative shifted to this young nobleman. Now, she had become like a doll, made to feel aroused whenever he wanted, and stopped whenever he wanted. This neither here nor there feeling made the woman extremely uncomfortable. But even so, she could only grit her teeth and endure. After all, Julian was the client, and she had no right to complain.

“My lord.”

At this moment, Kaister walked up the stairs. Seeing the scene before him, he was stunned for a moment. Although he thought that even if Julian wanted to do such things, he would surely do them in his own room, he hadn’t expected this lord to directly pull this woman into the second-floor corridor rest area and start… Did this lord enjoy outdoor activities?

Thinking of this, Kaister felt somewhat awkward. He hadn’t expected to see such a scene, but now that he had already spoken, it wouldn’t be appropriate to turn around and leave.

“My lord, we…”

“Ah…”

Faced with Kaister’s slightly awkward and questioning gaze, Julian forcefully pinched the woman in his arms, then casually and nonchalantly pursed his lips at Kaister. Seeing Julian’s signal, Kaister could only inwardly sigh, then steeled himself to walk up the stairs. Then, he walked straight down the corridor without looking sideways, came to a room on the second floor, and knocked on the door.

“Who is it?”

An attendant opened the door, looking somewhat surprised to see Kaister.

“Oh, it’s Mr. Kaister. May I ask what brings you here?”

“It’s like this,” Kaister complained inwardly while forcing out an enthusiastic smile.

“My master feels somewhat guilty seeing you all cooped up in your rooms all day, so he specially prepared some entertainment for everyone, hoping you all can relax a bit.”

How did I, a dignified captain of the guard, end up acting like a pimp?

Kaister was truly on the verge of tears inwardly, but he had no choice but to follow Julian’s orders. After all, this was the first time this lord had ordered him to do something. If he did it well, he would naturally gain his favor. For this goal, let alone lowering himself to act as a pimp, even if he was asked to be a human trafficker, Kaister could only grit his teeth and bear it.

“We are currently protecting the young master. Please tell your master that we appreciate his kind intentions.”

Faced with Kaister’s enthusiastic invitation, the other party clearly didn’t appreciate it. However, this didn’t make Kaister back down. After all, over these many days, he had thoroughly understood these people’s temperaments. Persuading them wasn’t a difficult task for Kaister.

“But gentlemen, although the current situation is indeed not very good, it’s not a solution to always be so tense. My master once said that only by alternating between tension and relaxation can one maintain the best state. If you are always so tense every day, then if the enemy really attacks, your strength will be greatly reduced. Therefore, appropriate rest and relaxation are necessary. Seeing your complexions these past few days, they really don’t look good. If you don’t relax and rest a bit, your bodies won’t be able to hold up.”

Saying this, Kaister paused for a moment before continuing.

“Moreover, I think you all know that with my master’s abilities, he can naturally protect your young master safely. What else do you have to worry about? Or is it that you don’t trust our master’s strength?”

Hearing this blunt question, the man’s expression changed slightly. In fact, after the assassination attempt that day, their thoughts had already changed. Several of them couldn’t stop the assassin’s attack, and if it weren’t for Julian helping them at the critical moment, their young master would probably have lost his life. It was precisely because of this that they became even more desperate to protect their young master in the following days, not even allowing him to step out of the door. However, as time went on, they indeed became somewhat tired. After all, although these attendants were not weak, they were still human. Keeping guard day after day naturally left them exhausted. Moreover, for safety reasons, they hadn’t rested in separate rooms like Kaister and his subordinates, but several people crowded into one room. This naturally greatly reduced the quality of their rest. Even if they didn’t say it, Kaister could observe the fatigue and dark circles under their eyes, which was why he said this.

“Well…”

Hearing this, the man didn’t immediately refuse as before. He hesitated for a moment, then turned his head to look at another person.

“Mr. Kaister’s words do make sense,” the other person nodded, then looked somewhat helplessly at the excited young boy who had perked up after hearing Kaister’s words.

“We should rest a bit too. With Mr. Julian here, I’m sure the young master will be safe.”

Saying this, everyone stopped refusing and quickly left the room, following Kaister towards the staircase. They didn’t notice that the closer they got to the stairs, the more uncomfortable Kaister’s expression became. He really couldn’t understand what his master was thinking. Although Julian had indeed ordered him to do this, he hadn’t told him why he should do it. Just like earlier when he was told to find women, and then this series of actions… Kaister really couldn’t understand Julian’s thoughts. Especially now, he couldn’t be planning to play some kind of exposure game in front of everyone, could he? No matter what, he was still a nobleman. This… hobby should at least be chosen with consideration for time, place, and occasion, right, my lord?

“Ah!”

Unfortunately, just as everyone reached the corner of the staircase, a low moan suddenly rang out, immediately attracting everyone’s attention.

“Oh, long time no see, everyone.”

At this moment, the woman in Julian’s arms had already taken off her clothes, revealing her full, seductive body. She curled up in Julian’s arms like a naked lamb, her face becoming increasingly flushed and full of spring-like desire. And in this situation, Julian still maintained a calm and leisurely expression. While his hands roamed up and down the woman’s body, he didn’t forget to greet everyone, as casually and leisurely as if he were having afternoon tea.

My lord, what on earth are you doing?

Kaister’s face had already stiffened, completely at a loss for what to say. What should he do? Immediately take these people downstairs? Or…

“Lord Julian, you are…”

After hearing Julian’s greeting, the leading man finally came back to his senses from the shock, asking in surprise and curiosity. However, at this moment, there was a hint of contempt in his eyes.

“It’s just play, a game, nothing special,” Julian said, reaching out his hand to continue kneading those exceptionally full breasts, while glancing at the boy standing among the guards. The boy was staring at the woman in Julian’s arms with shining eyes, revealing a greedy expression.

“Young master, let’s leave,” the man seemed to have noticed the boy’s expression and frowned in displeasure, speaking up. However, unexpectedly, the boy shook his head and curiously asked,

“Respected sir, are you playing a game?”

“That’s right, a very interesting game,” Julian revealed a gentle smile and replied.

“Would you like to join and play?”

“Lord Julian!” As soon as Julian finished speaking, the leading man angrily shouted. He stared intently at the young nobleman before him, his eyes burning with a hint of anger.

“You’ve gone too far!”

“Too far?” Hearing this, Julian raised an eyebrow.

“This is just normal and reasonable interaction between nobles. What’s too far about it? Or have I done something that displeases you all?”

“Well…” Hearing Julian’s question, the man was instead stunned. Indeed, among those degenerate noble sons, such lewd games were quite popular. Let alone one woman, even a group of women, they could play with without hesitation. But the man had never thought that this young nobleman, who always looked so elegant and full of grace, would be such a person. But no matter what, he couldn’t possibly let his young master join in playing such a boring game. After all, the young master was still young. Once he learned these messy things, how would they explain it to the patriarch?

Thinking of this, the man didn’t say anything more and reached out to take the boy’s hand.

“Young master, let’s go.”

“Now?”

“Of course.”

Noticing the young master’s gaze, the man frowned. He didn’t say anything more but forcibly pulled the young master downstairs. Watching their figures disappear, Julian finally stood up and pushed away the woman beside him.

“My lord?”

Sensing Julian’s change in attitude, the woman looked at him somewhat dissatisfied and confused, waiting for his answer. However, faced with her questioning gaze, Julian just smiled, then bent down and lightly pinched the woman’s nose.

“It’s not good to play here. I’ve already prepared a room. You go to the room first and wait for me obediently.”

“…Mm.”

Julian’s repeated teasing made the woman’s expression not look too good, but after recalling the generous reward, she still nodded and then turned to leave. Julian stood up, smiling as he adjusted his collar, then turned and walked to the door of another room, gently knocking.

“Miss Ophariel?”

“I thought you would play to your heart’s content, my lord.”

The door opened, and Ophariel appeared at the doorway with a dissatisfied expression, looking at her lord with a faint blush of embarrassment on her face. Unlike Kaister, this princess had already guessed his intentions, but guessing didn’t mean she could necessarily accept it. Although she was once a prominent figure in the entire kingdom, she was after all just an inexperienced young woman. Listening to Julian and that woman’s “live broadcast” outside, even Ophariel found it somewhat hard to bear. All along, she had been educated that women should be reserved and gentle. And the kind of wanton cries like that woman’s were simply products of another world to this former princess.

“It’s just a game, nothing to take seriously,” faced with Ophariel’s slightly accusatory gaze, Julian just shrugged, not minding at all.

“But, my lord, will your strategy really be effective?”

“As they say, man proposes, God disposes… And I do have some confidence.”

Saying this, Julian stopped and looked at Ophariel.

“As for you, Miss Ophariel, are you ready? Our next negotiation opponent is not someone who can be dealt with easily.”

“Please rest assured, I am ready,” hearing about business matters, the hint of embarrassment on Ophariel’s face immediately disappeared, replaced by a serious and earnest expression.

“I have drafted all the transaction details according to your requirements, my lord. Now, it remains to be seen whether he will accept these terms.”

“Very good,” Julian snapped his fingers.

“Next, it’s time for us to make our appearance.”

A foul odor.

Sitting in this dirty room before him, Kaister’s expression was somewhat helpless. He never imagined that the other party would specifically name such a dirty and narrow place. In fact, the meeting place Julian designated wasn’t the reception room or a guest room. On the contrary, he unexpectedly set the meeting place with Kaister in the inn’s kitchen. On this continent where the drainage system wasn’t very advanced, places like kitchens naturally couldn’t be considered clean and tidy. Especially since it hadn’t been used for several days, the smell of rotten vegetables and raw meat was unbearable.

“My lord, you…”

Standing behind his master, Della spoke up somewhat worriedly, but before he could finish, Kaister waved him off.

“No need to say more. I know what you want to say, but don’t worry, this isn’t a bad thing.”

“Not a bad thing?”

Della frowned. He didn’t quite understand why his master would say this, but he followed his orders and didn’t say anything more. Kaister had always been intelligent and cautious, and possessed considerable ambition and strength. That’s why Della acknowledged him as his master. Otherwise, in this increasingly declining and fragmented family, how could Della have any interest in staying?

“Your master is indeed correct. This isn’t a bad thing,” at this moment, Julian’s voice suddenly rang out.

When everyone looked towards the source of the voice, they couldn’t help but be secretly surprised. Because just now, on the originally empty table opposite them, Julian’s figure had appeared out of nowhere. And behind him stood a girl completely shrouded in a cloak.

Is this the rumored royal family member?

Kaister couldn’t help but look at her a couple more times, but under the cover of the cloak, he couldn’t see anything. According to the intelligence he had obtained, this young lady seemed to possess very powerful magical abilities, even defeating a court mage… Could it be that she was a master? But in the royal palace, there was no royal family member with such powerful magical abilities. And what was her relationship with this young swordsman?

“The conditions aren’t very good right now, as I think everyone can see. So let’s not waste words and get straight to the point, shall we?” Julian spread his hands, revealing an elegant smile.

“So, as my clients… what kind of conditions are you willing to offer to purchase my goods?”

Hearing this, Kaister’s expression immediately became much more serious. This middle-aged man first adjusted his collar, then looked straight at the smiling young nobleman before him, calmly and composedly speaking.

“That depends on your price, respected sir. You are the holders of the goods. I think you should know the value of the goods you possess.”

“We certainly do know,” faced with Kaister’s nonchalant return of the ball, Julian didn’t seem surprised.

“However, we have so many clients… Honestly, their purchasing power varies greatly. And as a merchant, after judging the other party’s purchasing power, recommending suitable products to them is the correct choice, isn’t it?”

“That’s natural, but I think you might already have your own price. What we need to do is discuss based on this price… I’ve come here with enough sincerity. I hope you won’t disappoint me.”

Another return of the ball.

“Well said.”

“These are our terms. I think this shouldn’t be considered excessive, right?”

Kaister didn’t immediately answer Julian’s question. He cautiously took the paper, carefully observing and examining the clauses on it. Then, his expression changed slightly.

“Don’t you think this price is really too excessive, Mr. Julian? Although I admit that the goods are indeed very important to us, the price you’ve proposed is already beyond the range we can bear.”

“I don’t think so,” Julian held up one finger and shook it lightly.

“I think you should understand that this item itself is already half-sold, half-given… As for the price of hiring me, it’s not that cheap.”

“As the lord of Twilight Forest, it doesn’t seem very appropriate for you to stay outside for long periods, does it?”

“My subordinates are all trustworthy and capable helpers. I don’t think I need to worry about anything in that regard.”

“We cannot accept this condition,” Kaister shook his head and pushed the paper back.

“You’re a smart man, Mr. Kaister,” but Julian didn’t show any intention of taking back the contract.

“Can you really not accept this condition? Don’t pretend not to understand my meaning. This isn’t good for you or for me.”

Kaister opened his mouth but couldn’t answer. Indeed, the contents of this contract weren’t something they couldn’t accept. In fact, it could be said that this was the most acceptable reasonable price for them. But precisely because of this, Kaister became suspicious. After all, this price was clearly targeted at him, which meant that this young nobleman was very familiar with the internal affairs and operations of the Zach Family. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to propose such conditions. Originally, Kaister had planned to haggle over this, but now it seemed that this young nobleman had already seen through everything.

Kaister certainly didn’t know that this contract was drafted by Ophariel based on her memories. As a former member of the royal family, Ophariel’s mind contained information on all the great noble families, including their family structures, family histories, territory sizes, and all the methods and routes by which they had become rich and powerful. Of course, the current Kaister Zach was just an ordinary collateral member, and there were many things he couldn’t get involved in. But once the transaction was successful, he would definitely become the new patriarch of the Zach Family.

As for Julian, he had never minded delivering goods first and collecting money later.

“Mr. Julian is indeed a smart person,” seeing that Julian had made things as clear as possible, Kaister could only nod in agreement. But he immediately put on a serious face and spoke solemnly.

“But please forgive my rudeness, I still have a few questions.”

“Please speak.”

“Regarding the part of the contract that allocates a portion of the Zach Family’s profits from certain Golden Trade Routes to you… I think you should understand that currently, your territory only includes Twilight Forest and its internal areas. Our Golden Trade Routes are already at the edge of Twilight Forest, and in terms of distance, our Golden Trade Routes don’t border your territory, but rather the Bird Family’s territory. Even if you indeed have the right to receive profits from this part of the Golden Trade Route, legally speaking, we cannot cede this part of the trade route to you. This kind of cross-regional division is explicitly forbidden by the royal family.”

“So you’re saying that if my territory doesn’t border yours, I have no right to receive this part of the profits?” Hearing Kaister’s words, Julian didn’t even raise an eyebrow, as if everything was within his control.

“That’s correct, sir,” Kaister nodded, while secretly clenching his fist. This transaction was also a risk for him. The other party’s appetite was large, but indeed reasonably priced. If he succeeded in taking this risk, then this reward would definitely be worth it. But even so, he had to consider the legal issues. Of course, Kaister himself understood that after becoming the family patriarch, he would naturally have the right to mobilize those resources, but this didn’t mean that everyone would obey his orders or follow his propositions. If any problems arose, they could potentially report to the royal family in the name of violating regulations and laws, which was absolutely not what Kaister wanted to see. So Kaister’s concerns and refusal weren’t without reason. However, did this young nobleman really understand? Or did he actually have some relationship with the Bird Family? If he demanded that the profits from that section of the Golden Trade Route be divided to the Bird Family…

“So you’re saying that as long as the profits from that section of the Golden Trade Route belonging to the Bird Family are under my name, there won’t be any problems on your end?”

“That’s correct.”

To be honest, Kaister didn’t hold any hope that Julian would obtain ownership of that trade route from the Bird Family. Because that section bordering the Zach Family was one of the most profitable parts of the entire Golden Trade Route. Even if he was really a high-rank swordsman, the Bird Family wouldn’t possibly hand over such a lucrative piece of land to him.

“Leave that part to me to figure out,” saying this, Julian stood up.

“If I don’t get that part of the trade route, then we’ll automatically give up that part of the contract… How do you feel about these terms?”

Automatically give up?

Hearing this, Kaister’s heart sank slightly. Had he still underestimated this young nobleman? Was he really that confident he could snatch this biggest piece of meat from the Bird Family’s hands?

But even so…

Thinking of this, Kaister didn’t say anything more. He also stood up, then put away the contract on the table, and extended his right hand to Julian.

“Mr. Julian Felix, on behalf of the Zach Family, I invite you to bring young master Zach back to the land that originally belonged to him. Do you accept my invitation?”