Chapter 280 Stride (Part III)
Appearing before me was an old man from the Rise family. I could sense that he was nervous, and he should be. Otherwise, he would be looking down on me, and that wouldn't be good for him.
"City Lord, I'm Homer Rise, head of the Rise family." He spoke with great pride about his status.
"Mr. Rise, what pleasure do I owe you for coming here?" Homer Rise was genuinely confused by my tone. The top noble was unsure of what to say.
"Mr. Rise, what do you think about the Cross family? Did you think what I did was too excessive?" If he wouldn't speak, then I would have to myself.
"If I were in your position, I would have done the same." I didn't know whether he agreed because he would have done the same or whether he was just a yes-man in this situation.
"It's a shame. I heard that a child is exceptionally talented among those of noble status. However, his attitude is less desirable." Despite my dislike for him, I did hear that his talent among his peers was high, and his ranking was also the highest among the noble kids I saw on my first day in the city.
"Yes, he is talented. His talent may be significant in any other noble house, but his older brother has more talent." Homer Rise's news brought me a shock. I didn't think Sheldon had a brother. Was that why the head of the Cross family was willing to sacrifice him so easily?
Since Sheldon is gone, will his brother try to avenge his younger brother? I have heard that siblings in a noble family tend to hate each other. The right of succession is the reason for it.
If the head of the Cross family can't keep his other son in check, all I need to do is eliminate their family and take their wealth.
"Mr. Rise, I have heard that the Rise family lacks an heir. Do you have a way to solve that problem?" Knowing that I would have to deal with the noble families, I noted all the important ones.
The Rise family lacked a capable heir, and I wondered how their family would solve that problem.
From what I could see, the only way for them to solve this problem is to adopt a puppet child or get a competent person to marry their daughter.
"City Lord, that's something our family has to deal with. I'm sure you wouldn't find it interesting." He looked away, not saying anything more.
"Even if I don't find it interesting, it is an important matter for my city. Especially the stunt you pulled on my first day in this city." When I mentioned the last few words, he froze in shock.
"You came here to mend our relationship, did you not?" I glared at him for wasting my time.
"Yes, I did. Our Rise will do whatever it takes to seek forgiveness!" Getting one of the top nobles to surrender so easily was much easier than I thought.
"Whatever it takes, huh?" I sounded like a thug saying that. I could sense the old man's nervousness when I worded it like that.
"How about it? Work under me, and I forgive your family for what you have done." I know this is too much to ask, but I wanted to see this old man's bottom line.
Whether he decided against it or not didn't matter at the end of the day. This city is already mine, and no one could stop me from controlling it.
The Rise family was just like the Cross. They couldn't defy me, and doing so would only get them on my bad side.
"City Lord, I agree to your terms. However, can you grant me one request?" I was interested in hearing what he had to say to have the balls to ask in a situation like this.
"Interesting. Go ahead and ask." I permitted him to grant the request. I will blow his head up into bits if it is something unreasonable.
"Regarding your previous topic, about an heir for my family, my granddaughter should be the same age as you. If you can grant my family a child, no one in my family should go against your order." He said it without any shame.
I was speechless at what he had said. He had used his loyalty against me. Before I spoke my thoughts, the old man spoke first.
"Don't reject it without giving it a try. My granddaughter is known to be a beauty." I don't know if he was desperate or bragging about his daughter.
Anyway, I was caught off guard by this old man's request and decided to put the whole thing on hold.
"Just go. I will be visiting all the nobles within the week. As for your allies, ensure they aren't too incompetent, or they will be removed." Annoyed by his attitude, I sent him off without any warning.
After the old man, I was left alone. Today's been an eventful day if I have to say so. As for tomorrow, I still have to finish the talk with our neighboring city.
Done with all the meetings, I went to the castle's library and checked out all the ores that could be found.
Finding a book and flipping the pages until I found Luminite, I discovered why people would start a war over them.
Luminite was basically coal, an energy source that was a thousand times more effective. It's essentially a glowing stone that gives off a lot of energy, and with how many magical tools there are, the Luminite would improve the living conditions of a city—even a country.
The Alliance tomorrow will be interesting, to say the very least. I had a plan in mind, and nothing would stop me.
I wonder if my greed would be my downfall, this city didn't mean much to me, and if I ever did fail, I would just start all over again.
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