PNB Chapter 60 Fiefdom
Chapter 60 Fiefdom
Chapter 60 Fiefdom
Faced with such a humble attitude, Nan'an and Suiyue exchanged a glance, puzzled.
"What exactly do you want us to do?"
"Praise my performance in Kren."
Nan'an instantly understood: "You weren't a bottom-ranked student at Tears of Fire, were you?"
"What are you thinking? I'm at least in the top 5 of the Potions school."
"But your tone sounds like a guilty student who has done something wrong and is pleading with the teacher to be lenient and say something that will save you from being scolded."
Suiyue blinked: "What is a home visit?"
"Well----"
Nan'an's conversation with Corella was interrupted by Suiyue's bewildered question.
Just then, footsteps came from inside the courtyard.
A middle-aged woman, who bore a striking resemblance to Kola Ramen but possessed a more dignified and gentle demeanor, quickly stepped into the courtyard to greet her.
She wore a simple yet exquisite dark blue dress, and her hair was neatly styled in a bun.
"mom!"
Coralina immediately stood up straight, her voice returning to normal volume, though her fingers were still waving slightly behind her back towards Nan'an and the others.
"These are the friends I mentioned to you, Suiyue and Nan'an, whom I met in Elu."
Her straightforward introduction earned her a glare from her mother.
Don't forget to use honorifics.
"Ugh, this is so troublesome. We're friends, we don't care about these things."
Clara's nonchalant attitude made the woman sigh in front of the two of them.
"Thank you both for taking care of my daughter. Please come with me."
Nan'an wanted to refuse, but seeing Clara's fingers almost dancing in the air behind her back, she chose to accept the kindness.
The family's six maids, who were busy moving about in the vast mansion, seemed somewhat flustered by the sudden arrival of guests.
They were of different ages and were hurriedly preparing tea and snacks. Because of their haste, the porcelain cups made a series of soft, crisp sounds as they touched the tray.
In the Gray Star era, this would have certainly drawn a reprimand from the master, but considering their current dire situation where they could only cut costs and had no way to increase revenue, Nan'an guessed that the maid was probably picked up by them in some way.
The furniture is mostly made of dark wood and carved with intricate patterns, showing its former beauty. However, there are some signs of wear and tear on the edges and corners, and the plush surface of the cushions has become somewhat dull.
Even the most obvious vanity projects are full of flaws, no wonder Corella is scrambling to find ways to make money.
Coralina's mother, Lady Tica, personally took the tray from the maid and served the two of them tea and refreshments.
"That girl, Coralina, always says strange things. After returning from Kren, she said she became friends with the people of Elru—"
"mom!"
Mrs. Tica glanced at her, her eyes forcing Corella to sit back down, where she poked at the pastry with her fork.
"I thought she was just trying to coax me again, but I didn't expect—I'm sorry to have made you two laugh."
Nan'an and Suiyue sighed in unison, their gazes drifting towards Corella, who was peeking from a distance.
Putting everything else aside, Nan'an can understand Corella's mindset and is even more sympathetic to her behavior.
A nobleman who has only a title, maintains his dignity by paying blood taxes, and has no property, can lose his fiefdom, which is his place of residence, with just a little accident.
The family fell into decline, and the father passed away, leaving all the pressure on the mother.
Her younger sister and brother were still too young to share the burden, so as the eldest daughter, she barely managed to stand firm amidst the tears.
But that's not enough.
The Tica family lacks money, a stable future, and friends who can lend a helping hand in critical moments.
No wonder Corella can become the queen of the Tears and Fire Clique, with all the young ladies around her forced to do so.
"Your Excellency Nan'an, you must be quite special."
"Oh?"
"Oh~~~"
Lady Tica smiled and said, "Although Corella is popular, they are all noble ladies. You seem to be the only male friend she has brought home."
Nan'an tried very hard to stop the corners of her mouth from twitching.
Why are they all the same sex? It seems you have no idea, madam!
Of course, he now has reason to believe that Coralina is doing this because it's easier to make money off the young ladies.
As I said before, it was all forced upon us.
Coralina's forehead was beaded with sweat, and where Lady Tica couldn't see, her mouth was already forming —
"Help me! Help me! Help me!"
Nan'an quickly smoothed things over: "I was impressed by Corella's potion expertise. Thanks to the services she provided in Kren, we Erlu were able to successfully complete our mission."
Since everyone was drinking tea, he couldn't say outright that Corella was particularly good at dissecting corpses and was an expert at using corpses to research potions.
For some reason, after Nan'an finished speaking, Lady Tica seemed a little flustered.
Corella stood up.
"Alright, alright, you've had your tea and snacks." She walked over to Nan'an and Suiyue, practically pushing them to their feet. "Let's—let's take them to the carriage and talk slowly. There are some details we need to check."
"Corella!" Lady Tica's voice finally carried a clear reproach.
As Corella pushed the two guests toward the door, she turned back to her mother and quickly said, "It's really important, it's related to Ellu's upcoming arrangements, and I have to help."
Upon hearing this, Lady Tica became even more nervous. Nan'an could tell that she wanted to chase after him to see him off, but she stopped at the door.
As they boarded the waiting carriage and the doors closed, Suiyue couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "Why the rush? Your mother seems to have something else to say—"
Clara lifted the curtain of the side window and waved to the owls standing silently in the trees at the entrance of the manor.
Only when the carriage slowly started moving and entered the road adorned with lights in the night did she lower the curtain, lean back in her chair, and let out a long breath.
Nan'an bluntly asked, "Your family doesn't want you to join El Lu, right?"
"The old man is truly astute," Coralina said. "After all, the Elu are on the front lines against gods and demons, making it the easiest place to achieve results."
After a moment of silence, Coralina put her hands behind her head.
"After my father's death, my mother's family kept eyeing the Tica family's fiefdom. According to the laws of Solitz, if Lady Tica, who was in charge of the household, were willing, the family could be legally and legitimately taken over by my mother's family—but my mother didn't agree."
As the carriage rounded a bend, the lamplight shone briefly across her face through a gap in the curtain.
"It's not just my mother's family that's eyeing the fiefdom; countless emerging forces are also eager to gain a foothold in the Twin Crowns. Can you imagine how many people tried to persuade her, only to be rejected each time?"
Nan An lightly touched her chin with her finger, lost in thought: "In this kind of environment, as the eldest daughter, it's impossible for you not to be drawn in. But since you're still managing to thrive in the academy—does that mean those people have changed their tactics with you?"
"As expected of a senior, so experienced!" Coralina clapped her hands. "Guess how many suitors I have at the academy?"
Even Suiyue understood: "So, they want to inherit the Tika family's fiefdom directly through you?"
Coralina said, "As the eldest daughter, with no other direct bloodline in the family reaching adulthood, I have the same rights as my mother. As long as you can tie me to the bed, the problem is solved."
Nan An sighed, "Don't tell me you went to those young ladies as cover just to avoid this situation?"
"That's not entirely true, I had a lot of fun myself."
Nan'an clapped: "As expected of you."
"In short, joining Elru is actually the best option if we want to protect our fiefdom. Both Raven and Lord Gunn are known for protecting their own. If I officially join Elru and our family is still being pressured over the fiefdom issue—Raven will probably just come knocking on our door with a knife and try to reason with us in his own way. As for Lord Gunn—" She paused, "that would probably mean that someone from the Palka family would be speaking up for our Tika family in the Senate."
Nan'an suggested, "Perhaps we could come see you again during the day, so that your neighbors and potential snoops can learn who we are?"
Clara smiled slyly: "With you being so eager, senior, you wouldn't happen to be eyeing our family's fiefdom too, would you?"
"Before you say these words, you must understand one thing: I am a summoned creature."
"Oh right, no wonder you didn't react no matter how I teased you," Coralina said belatedly.
The left wheel of the carriage seemed to have run over something slightly raised, causing the entire carriage to lurch upwards before falling heavily back down.
The three people in the carriage swayed violently and nearly knocked each other over.
Nan'an lifted the curtain and looked outside.
The carriage was turning and crossing the stone bridge over the stream. In the distance, a vast expanse of warm yellow and orange lights had spread out like a painting, burning brightly in the night.
Seeing the carriage behind him also stumble, Nan'an laughed and shrank back into the carriage.
"Um?"
He subconsciously pulled out the card containing the "fly mist" and, somewhat confused, extended his magic into it.
Nan An made no attempt to avoid suspicion. After testing, he discovered that the smaller Rubik's Cubes spawned from the giant Rubik's Cube, as well as the cards formed from those smaller cubes, were invisible to outsiders.
It seems to belong exclusively to Nan'an and Suiyue?
Or perhaps, it simply belongs exclusively to Nan'an, but Suiyue, as the provider of magic, is firmly bound to Nan'an and thus has gained some "authority".
Suiyue asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
"No, it just seemed like the flies stirred for a moment, then suddenly quieted down."
The car came to a stop, and Coralina pushed open the door and stepped out first: "Since you're so generous, senior, tonight I'll show you the underground world of the Twin Crowns."
Nan'an asked curiously, "Are you trying to tell me that the scrolls Ivila gave me on the black market are just as useful?"
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"Let's cash out first." Nan An laughed in exasperation at Corella's lapse in judgment. "Buy some stuff to resell on the black market."
"What are you planning to buy, senior?"
"Anti-demon dust, purchased openly and legally." Nan'an stood tall and proud. "This time, we have the money, so we'll get the best quality!"