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Due to the death of the finance minister, the entire Laning Empire spent several days under a heavy, oppressive atmosphere. Eventually, the Holy Church issued a final statement on the case—stating that the finance minister had been assassinated by an assassin sent by the McCallen Empire, the largest rival to the north of the Laning Empire! This was deemed an international dispute, and the Church would not interfere!
Upon hearing this news, Du Cheng nearly burst into laughter. These politicians truly never blush when they lie in broad daylight. However, how the two empires would handle this "political dispute" was no longer his concern.
Du Cheng had initially planned to leave the Saint Cain Manor once he received the redemption money, but with the situation that had arisen, the redemption money was nowhere to be found, and now the Holy Church had its sights on him. He couldn’t escape just yet.
With Father Ferdinand's backing, Du Cheng moved from the tower to a garden attic and even had his allowance increased, truly living the life of a young master. But he continued to wonder who his guardian God of Fighting was.
He also inquired about Francis’s past but found no unusual details—Francis had been born fifteen years ago during Anges's expedition and had been deemed incapable of cultivating martial energy since birth, thus neglected. When he was three years old, the only person who cared for him, his mother, passed away, and he became the shame of the Saint Cain family. If not for the old servant Foye, who had been in charge of taking care of Francis, the poor child might not have survived.
Filled with endless curiosity, Du Cheng continued his cultivation of the Lotus Treasure Mirror.
One day, in the southern slums of St. John’s City.
The dilapidated, broken houses piled haphazardly together looked like cockroach nests, with cracked roofs and worn walls showing that their owners were not wealthy.
In front of one such house, Du Cheng pointed at an elderly couple, shouting, "You dare defy my orders? Do you want to die? Who am I? The third young master of the Saint Cain family, move out of my way, NOW!"
The couple he was scolding were none other than the old Mathew couple, whom Du Cheng had helped a few days ago.
Du Cheng’s voice was sharp, and in his hand, he held a large iron shovel. Behind him, Ariza stared at the old couple with a fierce expression.
However, the elderly couple didn’t get angry or afraid. Instead, they sighed and said, "Young master Francis, we won’t move!"
"Ariza, take them and throw them out of the way!" Du Cheng ordered.
"Got it!" Ariza, shaking his massive frame, picked up the Mathew couple, one in each hand, and ran over ten meters, tossing them aside.
"Young master, you can't do this!" Mathew shouted in panic, but Du Cheng was already on the roof, swinging his tool.
"By Sigru’s blessing, young master, you are of divine lineage; you should not be doing such dirty work as fixing the roof!" the old man cried.
"Shut up! Ariza, go door to door and tell everyone that I, personally, will repair their roofs from today. Anyone who dares oppose, you take them and throw them into the street!" Du Cheng ordered.
"Understood! Young master!" Ariza boomed as he knocked open the door of another house, not caring whether anyone was inside, and yelled, "Listen up, young master Francis will fix your roof..."
Du Cheng gave Ariza an approving look and was happily doing good deeds!
Sometimes, being the third young master had its perks.
The old Mathew couple, deeply moved, didn’t know what to say. "Young master, when I die, I will praise your virtues in front of the gods in heaven, asking them to extend your life!"
Du Cheng didn’t care about his life span. He was enjoying the tingling sensation in his rear end—thanks to his recent efforts, his second lotus was about 30% bloomed, and his inner energy had improved significantly.
After repairing three roofs, Du Cheng was about to head to the fourth house when his older brother Steve rushed over. "Francis, hurry, follow me to Verna Palace! His Majesty Balgrena wishes to see you!"
"His Majesty wants to see me?" Du Cheng was stunned. Seeing his older brother’s excited expression, Steve shouted, "You’ve forgotten, haven’t you? Friss is dead, but Father Ferdinand said that death does not erase sin. So, a portion of the finance minister's inheritance is to be used as your redemption money!"
Steve grabbed Du Cheng and said urgently, "Hurry! The Verna Palace is in an uproar over the finance minister's inheritance!"
Du Cheng suppressed his excitement and asked, "How much inheritance does he have? How much will I get?"
Steve exaggeratedly spread his arms wide and said, "Too much to count! That old bastard was a corrupt official, and his inheritance is so vast that it has all the ministers green with envy. Otherwise, would there be such a commotion at Verna Palace?"
"Doesn’t the money he embezzled need to be paid back to the national treasury?"
"God, my dear brother, you are so naive! Everyone in the capital knows he was corrupt, but where’s the evidence? Even if there was, it would be erased... Political matters are beyond your understanding!"
Du Cheng was overjoyed. He waved at the Mathew couple, saying, "I’ll go to see His Majesty first. Once I get the money, I’ll throw a feast for everyone here!"
"Praise young master Francis, your kindness... sigh, I don't know how to praise you. The virtues of St. John’s City cannot even begin to describe you!" Old Mathew said excitedly.
As Du Cheng walked out of the slums, people continued to smile and greet him. His reputation was now superb! At least, in the eyes of the people in the southern slums, he was loved by all.
Young master Francis, a good person!!
Verna Palace, as the imperial palace, was naturally grand beyond measure. Though the highest building in the capital was occupied by St. John’s Cathedral, the vast area of Verna Palace made up for its lack of height, and from a distance, it resembled a dark blue castle.
After being announced at the main entrance, Du Cheng crossed a large, bizarre plaza and passed the statue of the Laning royal ancestor, Bowen, before reaching the palace in the center. Before he could enter, he overheard the noisy voices from within.
"The warriors of the St. Bowen Legion haven’t had their armor replaced in years, I need the gold coins for this!" a stranger’s voice said.
"No, my Sigru Legion is facing huge pressure from the north with McCallen, we need more military supplies!" This was Duke Anges's voice.
"But the south of the Empire has been hit by floods. His Majesty must consider the disaster relief!"
"Dear father, don’t you think Verna Palace needs to be renovated?"
"Uh, everyone, part of this gold must be allocated to Francis, as per the Holy Church’s canon! Please wait for Francis to take his share before dealing with the rest of this large sum!" Ferdinand’s voice was also heard in the palace.
...
Oh my God, Du Cheng thought. How much inheritance does the finance minister have? Is it really enough to equip a legion or to provide flood relief!?
Just then, Steve made the announcement outside the palace: "Your Majesty, I’ve brought Francis, requesting your audience!"
The hall instantly fell silent. After a long pause, a very kind voice said, "Is the virtue of St. John’s City here? Please, let him in!"
Du Cheng straightened his clothes. Steve whispered, "Don’t be nervous, dear brother, how much gold we get today depends on your performance!"
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