### Chapter 147: Act 80 – The Turmoil and the Story of Fish (Part 2)
Antinna watched the young man, who was limping away, and the calm figure of Yula beside him. Unable to contain herself, she finally asked, “Are you just going to let them go, Lord?”
“What else can I do? It’s better to keep things simple,” Brendel replied succinctly.
“But I can’t shake the feeling that you’re plotting something,” the noble lady said, glancing at him skeptically.
Brendel couldn’t help but smile bitterly as he rubbed his nose. “I can’t be that terrible in your eyes, can I? Everything I’ve done before has been above board.”
“Yes, but I believe you never do anything that is merely as simple as it appears, is that not a fact? You arranged for Miss Freya to go to the Royal Academy under the pretense of supporting each other as friends, yet privately, I think you’ve noticed the struggle between the royal faction and the local aristocracy, haven’t you?”
“If I remember correctly, the Royal Cavalry Academy is on the territory of Her Highness the Eldest Princess; and among the current descendants of His Majesty, only she is rumored to be the most outstanding. Not to mention, I’ve heard that the Eldest Princess has acted as both an older sister and a guardian to the sole heir to the throne—the timid young prince.”
“Therefore, following tradition, it’s not impossible for Her Highness to gain power and become regent after the current sovereign. In that case, your actions, Lord, turn into a form of invisible investment.”
Romaine, hearing the word “investment,” quickly nodded in agreement.
“In other words, these covert investments might not have an immediate effect. But once you have your own territory, you will naturally become part of Her Highness’s faction; of course, most people wouldn’t think that much. But judging from your actions, Lord, perhaps others might not realize it, but those close to you certainly do—your ambitions are clearly more than just a little simple.”
Antinna raised her head. “Am I right, Lord?”
After finishing her remarks in one breath, she finally exhaled. She had merely dumped her suspicions from the past several days all at once, as Brendel’s recent actions had become increasingly inscrutable, and she didn’t want to lag behind him.
Especially as his chief aide.
Brendel blinked after listening, “Close enough.” However, he knew the noble lady had not completely grasped the entire situation.
While she spoke of investments, it was more about forming connections. He didn’t need the title of righteousness; he just needed to focus on cultivation, for players were fundamentally different from the lords in this world, especially since he controlled that piece of territory.
Once the civil strife entered its most intense phase, he could seize the opportunity to expand—when Madara fully invaded Erluin, and when the princess couldn’t hold the situation any longer, he could emerge at that moment to reap the greatest benefits.
But he hadn’t done that.
It was his emotional ties from the past game that led him to send the future Valkyrie beside that Princess. He believed that these two outstanding women in Erluin’s history would not disappoint him. Thus, even if his predictions were off, at least there would be no regrets.
However, he hadn’t expected Antinna to understand his intentions so well, and he couldn’t help but smile without revealing anything.
Getting to this point showed the cleverness of this young lady.
He glanced back at Romaine, who returned his gaze—she seemed to find this amusing. However, there was no surprise on her face—because she didn’t need to understand why Brendel was doing this—she would simply do her best to help him.
That was the biggest difference between Romaine and Antinna.
Brendel thought that sometimes being overly clear-headed might not lead to happiness. Thus, he looked at Romaine, at her perpetual expression of understanding, and found it somewhat entertaining.
“Well, next,” Antinna replied, “let’s participate in the auction to raise funds to support Miss Romaine’s involvement in the celebrations after the war. Below the surface, this is a conversion of funds that allows for deep integration and infiltration into a region. For the first time, I realize that gold coins are indeed a good thing; with their omnipresent power, Miss Romaine’s influence can subtly penetrate the lower citizens controlled by the aristocrats and thieves’ guilds.”
“We can even hear voices from all aspects without needing to operate meticulously. In Bruglas, I initially thought of dealing with the Thieves’ Brotherhood to gather these insights, but it seems that such a means has become obsolete in your eyes,” she looked up and asked.
“That is one of the aims for establishing a merchant association,” Brendel nodded honestly. “However, it’s the power of interest—not merely money—that causes people to unconsciously align themselves within a system. Even if it’s merely for selfish motives, the actions often end up benefiting others, much like the flow of goods—it’s a marvelous phenomenon.”
“Collecting information isn’t that difficult, my aunt once said that rumors are everywhere,” Romaine interjected, evidently interested in this topic.
“That’s because our criteria for the quality of information are not high. The most challenging part of processing information isn’t collecting it; it’s distinguishing the valuable information, which requires a lot of expertise,” Brendel smiled.
“That’s another matter. But to say I suspect you, Lord, of having ulterior motives seems quite normal, doesn’t it? You never engage in anything without benefits, after all.”
Antinna’s eyelashes fluttered lightly as she stared at him.
“Two things don’t necessarily mean anything; it’s merely coincidence,” Brendel didn’t plan to get into a lengthy discussion with this clever girl on this topic, as his secrets were numerous, and one lie often requires many more to cover it.
“Less talk leads to fewer mistakes.”
“Then about the ‘Bronzesteeldragon’ mercenary group retreating behind the scenes, it seems on the surface that it’s for low-key action. But it has since been proven to arrange for Freya’s entry into the Royal Academy; Lord, it seems you’ve always been aware of those slots at the Royal Cavalry Academy…”
The girl blinked, suspicion deepening: “No, not only that. You seem to see further than the average person. While we fixate on immediate benefits, you appear to have already seen the final result… I don’t know if this is a kind of talent, but it certainly puts a lot of pressure on me.”
She sighed and couldn’t help but complain.
“Okay, okay,” Brendel waved his hand quickly. “I understand. Let’s take it as such. You’re correct; this is a talent. However, a person’s considerations can inherently be lacking…”
He looked up; the battle at night always involved fire attacks. Flames had started to rise from the camp, and the northern sky faintly glowed, gradually transforming into a beautiful light red.
As the battle entered a heated stage, their location became increasingly unsafe.
After all, it was just a temporary refuge.
“… It seems I’ve said too much that is irrelevant; let’s hurry and leave this place before we are caught up in the fighting,” Brendel scanned the surroundings before shifting the topic.
Finishing his words, he didn’t give Antinna a chance to ask further and fled with his longsword that he had previously lost in combat. Honestly, Antinna’s sharpness exceeded his expectations, and he genuinely worried that if she continued to press for details, she might end up uncovering everything about him…
Who knows why he had this foresight about events happening in this world?
Could it be that he belonged to some kind of transmigration sect? And not just any ordinary kind?
Brendel clearly wouldn’t make such a low-level mistake.
However, his crude attempt to change the topic certainly didn’t escape Antinna’s notice, though it seemed the noble lady had realized she had spoken too much. If it weren’t for her increasing questions over the past few days, she wouldn’t have vented her concerns.
But she also understood that there are limits; it’s natural for those in power to keep certain things hidden from their subordinates. Moreover, Brendel’s foresight had always been a source of her confidence in their little group.
With that in mind, she obediently followed.
Yet when it came down to it, she couldn’t help but turn back and ask quietly, “Mr. Husher, is it alright for us to leave from the east?” She remembered the previous conversation where that white-haired young man, Leidi, seemed to have something he was hiding from them; though everyone’s attention was on Brendel at the time, the cautious noble lady hadn’t overlooked that detail.
Husher glanced at her, his eyes filled with admiring laughter.
“Of course,” he replied, almost as if that wasn’t enough—he patted his left arm, guaranteeing like a true Lubis mountain man, “Miss Antinna, I’ve never seen a young person as familiar with these ‘lowly creatures’ as Lord.”
“To speak candidly, we frequently deal with them. The Blackfire cultists have a long-standing habit of making feints, but seeing through their setups isn’t a simple task.” The seasoned mercenary looked at Brendel’s silhouette, praising, “Even I have to deduce their ambushes from the direction they are attacking now, figuring that they should be located somewhere between the south and west. Yet compared to Lord, I’m still vastly inferior.”
As Husher answered, he nodded towards Brendel’s back: “Did you see his hands? I bet he dealt with that high-level demon in less than a minute, possibly within ten strikes. Only someone experienced knows to focus on the attack patterns of the chain lord to close in quickly—this clumsy beast, while it has an extensive range of attack, loses its threat once you get too close.”
Antinna listened, somewhat bewildered, but it was clear to her that this veteran mercenary greatly admired Brendel. Initially, she didn’t quite understand, but seeing how the young knight seemed unconcerned with the wounds on his hands and back—she seemed to grasp something.
As far as she knew, many of the current noble heirs in Erluin had little experience with hardship like their ancestors.
Brave and wise, decisive and resilient.
Such a lord?
She truly wanted to see what kind of achievements he would make.
Antinna couldn’t help but take a gentle breath.
(PS: It’s happened again; today I’m in great form. Everyone sees how hard I’m working…) (To be continued; for more chapters, please log in, support the author, support legitimate reading!)
