nChapter 209 “Afraid of change!” (part one)

nUndeniable, Du Wei is somewhat annoyed.

nAnd what caused him to be so angry is that he himself realized his “heart” was moved!

nSpeaking from heart, with the Marquise’s beauty, it’s unlikely to find a man that wouldn’t be physically and psychological tempted by this woman!

nIf he had to say a rude word, then it’s: she is so **ing beautiful, so beautiful that no man can refuse her! Don’t mention anything else; just thinking of that body and face favored by even the gods is enough….. A goddess yearned by every man in the empire… And now he is able to embrace such a goddess in his arms!

nMore importantly, not only is she a stunning beauty with immeasurable wealth, she is also usually wise. Du Wei is certain if he marries her, she will be the most loyal person to him…..

nFor Such a woman, who wouldn’t be excited?

nDu Wei may not be a lecherous scum, but he is still a man with normal bodily functions.

nMost importantly, it’s the last word spoken by the Marquise.

n“In the future, the Lister family will support you without reservation and be your most loyal supporter!”

nSuch a promise…… Or “deal”, holds a very special meaning for Du Wei!

nDu Wei knows that if he wants to gain a proper foothold in Northwest and prepare for the coming crisis in the next few years…. He will need large amounts of money!

nLots and lots of money!

nHe needs do large amounts of construction projects in the Northwest because the City of Miracles is only the beginning. Being the closest frontier to the prairie natives of the desert puts his Desa province at the greatest risk! With only a single fortress city like his Loulan City is not enough! In his plan, he intends to establish a batch of cities across the province to deal with the native Calvary!

nJust imagine it, back in Governor Bohan’s Mansion, even a whimsical small tribe scared off their wits by Longbottom could so easily bring out tens of thousands of the finest warhorses….. So then, how much warhorses and fighters would the entire prairie desert have?

nAlthough he managed to establish his city if miracle with the help of the spring’s water and horn of life from the treants, but he spent millions of gold in the process! And what’s more, the water from the spring is not unlimited! That damn spring is in the Northwest part of the frozen forest. Each run is troublesome and only someone like Hussein could possibly make the trip successfully…… Don’t forget, that damn spring is not always there! According to the treants, it’s not uncommon to find it in a dry state for decades!

nSo, Du Wei can’t completely rely on the spring to help me through the Northwest’s construction projects. With each drop of water consumed, it would mean one drop less for him.

nThinking up to here, Du Wei began to sigh because Hussein is still not back yet from his mission. Let’s hope he can bring back some water from that blasted spring.

nNevertheless, even if Hussein does indeed bring back what he wanted, Du Wei already made up his mind to never use the water again unless he absolutely must. Who knows when it will be that the spring fills up again…..

nBack when he used the water to create a big harvest and build the city of miracle is because he had ulterior motives.

nAchieving all of that within three month is to showcase his “power”! This is the quickest and most direct method for him to get everyone to yield!

nLooking at the outcome, he got what he wanted. Throughout the entire Northwest region, the story of his City of Miracle runs so rampant that even the other parts of the mainland is rumoring with his story.

nHowever, such “miracles” can only occasionally happen once or twice, anymore is beyond his capability.

nTherefore, after deterring all those who doubted him thus far with the two miracles, Du Wei will hence forth need to look for alternative methods to reinforce his strength!

nThe answer is: Money! Lots and lots of money!

nMillions of and even tens of millions of gold coins!

nWhether it is the prisoners from Sin City, buying warhorses through Longbottom, or procuring slaves for his factory, everything thus far is only small stuff….. If he wants to gain a firm foothold in the Northwest and have enough capital to go up against the warlords of the Northwest, he needs to build up his private army first!

nAnd it just so happens that the army is the most expensive thing there is!

nThe Northwestern Corps is nearly 200,000 strong with an additional 30,000 personnel in the back for logistic…. This is one of the more elite Corps within the empire! To be able to go up against such a powerful force, Du Wei needs to have at least 100,000 elite soldiers under his banner to put up a front!

nThen there are the prairie natives with a deep seated hatred outside the Northwest Corridor! Despite their population being only at a million, just about every citizen can become a soldier with a little training!

nIf Du Wei wants to fend off such an awfully strong enemy, how much troops would he really need?

nEven more so, how many sturdy walls will he need to construct? Then there are the weapons and fodders needed for the horses……

nJust relying on the income of his business in the capital is absolutely not enough.

nEven if he did plan to thoroughly blackmail the United Kingdom, the small fortune that came his way is likely far from enough in his squandering.

nWithout tens of millions of gold coins, he can forget about truly building up in the Northwest!

nDu Wei’s biggest issue is…… If it is anywhere else, a family would have decades or even centuries to develop…. But Du Wei doesn’t. At most, he will only have around a few years… Or even short if things comes to push!

nThe only way to speed up the process is money.

nJust now, Du Wei can faintly hear the last words spoken by our wealthy lady again.

nAfter dinner, the majority of the guests were mostly dispersed, especially that Totoro of the Northwestern Army. His departure was very urgent, but before he left, his attitude was exceptionally polite. Confused by the odd behavior, Du Wei later learned from the other guests that the Northwestern Army Head Rugaard is also an admirer of our fine Marquise.

nThe Roland Empire’s custom can still be considered open. Whether it is from the legal or religious standpoint, it does not prohibit a woman to remarry, and within the noble circle, this is even more common. The reason why there was such an outpour of surprise is because of our Madam’s sudden intimacy with our Duke. Also, for many of the people that was originally aiming to bond their families with our young duke can only sigh at this point.

nDu Wei’s upsetting heart can never be overlooked by our guests. In their eyes, they only thought the young Duke is simply too eager to ditch them for the lady.

nIt wasn’t until midnight did the party come to the end. While the majority of the guests were already gone, some remained and was escorted to the guest rooms by a servant.

nUnlike how his guests were being accompanied by a servant, Du Wei dispersed his people so that he quietly go back up to his room to think the matter over:

nAccept or not to accept?

nThinking about it reasonably, binding the Lister family with him is indeed a good choice. The wealth from their family is something he needs urgently and there are also the connections they have. While others may revere him as Duke, but his standing is still too shallow in other peoples opinion. Turning around, they might not actually pay him any heed!

nThe empire is waning day by day and even the emperor himself cannot be compared to before, so let’s not mention a young Duke like him. For example: even a governor like Bohan is not taking him seriously!

nHowever, the Marquise is different. She’s been in this circle for a very long time and her methods are very skilled; otherwise, her family wouldn’t be so well off right now.

nBut does he really have to accept such a disgusting thing like a political marriage?

nDon’t joke…… This is not my personality!

nAs Du Wei moved down the hallway, he suddenly heard a hurried stepping sound coming from the door in front of him. Taking a closer look, this is the room Vivian is asleep in. After the girl got drunk last night, he carried her into one of his bedrooms, that’s why she’s been asleep all day and night. If she was present in tonight’s ball, then just maybe he wouldn’t have encountered such a dilemma.

nApparently, Vivian is already awake and when she heard the fast footsteps coming from the door, she took a peek outside to realize it was the person she least wanted to meet. Hurrying to close the door behind her with a flustered face, a foot was already interlocked between the doors.

nShe may be awake, but her head was still having a major migraine from the hangover. Nonetheless, flashes of what transpired last night would occasionally flash across her mind.

nAh!!…… I did something very bold last night!

nAfter a series of scenes pieced together in her mind, everything became clear. With her heart beating uncontrollably at the fear and regret of what she did, Vivian would even use the advance spell “Wheel of Time” to undo all that has happened last night.

nJust as she was freaking out at what to do, Du Wei had already forced the door open and was standing before her with a smile on his face: “You awake?”

nBouncing between red and white on her face, Vivian can only nod and make an ‘umm’ sound to reply.

n“How did you sleep? Looking at your face, it seems your full of spirit.” Walking in, he backhandedly closed the door behind him like he had just closed off the last escape route.

nVivian jumped in surprise and her body instinctively recoiled backward…. Right now, her body was already leaning against the wall: “You-you… What are you doing?”

n“Do what?” Du Wei smiles joyously: “Who was it last night that said she wanted to be my wife? Who was it that said she wanted to sleep with me?”

nNot only did Vivian’s face turn blood red, her head was so low that her chin nearly touched her chest. Then disregarding the girl’s reaction, Du Wei took two steps forward and completely picked her up. With him sitting on the bed and her on top of his leg, he then told her not to move.

n“Vivian, don’t move.” Du Wei’s voice suddenly showed a trace of weariness: “Let me hold you for a while. Aigh, I’m really stumped right now.”

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