The Road to Power

Chapter 94 The Road to Power

Eileen's face flushed instantly, her large amber eyes widening like a startled doe, completely unprepared for such a comment.

What does it mean to say whether you are a widow whose husband has been dead for many years?

But why does he always start with "widow"? Can't he be a little more romantic, like in a chivalric romance where a rescued noblewoman falls in love with a valiant knight whose life is completely different from her usual one?

Fortunately, her good manners and the joy of being rescued prevented Eileen from revealing her true feelings. After much deliberation, she explained, "Strictly speaking, I am still a young lady."

"You?" Marcus looked Eileen up and down. She had a mature charm that was almost like a patina, especially the beauty mark at the corner of her eye. Her alluring expression was so captivating that it could steal one's soul.

Okay, whatever, I can't let pretty women fool me anymore.

Lorthera tricked me out of my cloak of intelligence with a hundred gold coins, Trissy freeloaded with her breath and silver hair and red eyes, she's not like a man at all, Houqin fooled me but he did leave me some good stuff, and then there's Bardin, he's coy and unwilling to tell the truth, but he always gets a lot of help from the dwarves on every adventure.

"Forget it, your condition is none of my business. After you get back to town, go find your brother and go back to Silver Mountain City to be a proper young lady. Don't wander around in the rainforest anymore."

"————" This time it was Eileen's turn to fall into silence. She opened her mouth several times to ask about her brother, but without a doubt, the people of Linhe Town would not have any good feelings towards the Visi family.

"I was given to the snake people by Moraz."

"Why? Do snake people also like pretty girls? I never noticed they had this kind of fetish before."

"I don't know—about two months ago, Moraz, who had been wandering around for years, suddenly returned to Silver Mountain City, saying that according to the law of the kingdom, when a baron is determined to be incapable of governing and the heir is a minor, his younger brother should take over the power of the family." Eileen responded with a sense of unforgettable memories; she still remembered what Moraz looked like when he returned to the family.

Once a handsome and dashing young master who was the center of attention for young girls in Silver Mountain City, he disappeared for nearly fifteen years and became a man with exotic tattoos on his head and exuding the aura of a thug.

She could barely understand his accent when he spoke; all she remembered was that he brought a group of mercenaries back home, feasted and drank lavishly at the manor, seized the family's property, colluded with disgruntled members of the merchant guild, and together they overthrew President Eileen's rule.

Then, Moraz summoned the people from the noble notary office and demanded to exercise the power of the second son to take over everything in the family.

Finally, she was sent here by Moraz, who colluded with the snake people.

After Eileen finished recounting the whole story, Marcus smiled and gazed at the twinkling stars in the sky: "The silver of Riverside Town, that's quite an interesting thing."

"What do you think of Moraz?" Eileen suddenly asked.

"I don't have any particular opinion. If they want to recruit people to mine silver, then I'll take them on."

Even if this invites suppression from the Griffin Kingdom.

"Listen, Miss Eileen, you haven't seen those people who suffer from mercury poisoning. In their later years, they can't even sleep well. They cry out in pain every time they go to the toilet. They get chattering and convulsions when they encounter any stimulation. And they are considered lucky because the unfortunate people have already died in the mine."

"I have the right to inherit the Vichy family." Eileen bowed and stood up, walking slowly to Marcus.

She stood there, bowed slightly, and first touched her chest to express her gratitude for the rescue. Without his help, she would definitely have died there.

Then, still bowing, she extended her right hand, wrapped in linen, to Marcus: "I need your help to get rid of Moraz, and—Moraka."

Looking at the slender hand with a cut, Marcus didn't immediately reach out: "You owe a huge sum of money. I don't know why, but this money must be paid. Otherwise, it's just robbing Peter to pay Paul. I don't care why you were willing to kill two brothers, but how are you going to make up for this debt? I think the Visi family in Silver Mountain City doesn't have enough resources to satisfy the investors' terrifying appetite."

"There's always a way. What difficulty could be more troublesome than being tied to a stake for who knows how long? But I need help now." To make her more convincing, Eileen explained, "The Griffin Kingdom's inheritance law follows an ancient tradition: before the heir reaches adulthood, an appointed guardian exercises power on their behalf. Moraka's eldest daughter, Sally, has just turned fifteen. She is my niece and is naturally fond of poetry and music."

I can regain power from the Vixi family through the notary office, provided that—”

"The premise is that both of them have to die, but you still haven't answered my question: what method will be used to make up for the debt? I think it must be a huge sum of money."

"One hundred and twenty-seven thousand six hundred and thirty-two gold coins, I remember it very clearly." Eileen spoke calmly, as if she were talking about a few copper coins.

But even selling Linhe Town might not be enough to raise 120,000 gold coins.

Marcus was so shocked by the staggering amount that he swallowed hard. Looking at the incredibly calm Eileen, he felt a pang of regret. It must have been tough for her to have these two awful brothers.

"Why did you owe so much money? Was it from gambling, drinking, and whoring?"

"I don't know. After Moraz took control of the Chamber of Commerce, he sold off most of the assets and even used his credit to get loans from banks. The intelligence I found out is that the funds flowed into a mysterious mage organization. Now that I think about it, it might be a snake people in disguise."

Eileen stretched her hand forward slightly, her tone laced with coercion and a palpable unease within her, pleading for help.

The soldier extended a helping hand once again: "I won't let you help me for nothing. No matter how much money you owe, I will pay you your reward as soon as possible as a token of my gratitude."

"Help me this time."

"We can talk about the payment later. I'm used to doing hard labor, but I need a commitment."

"Please speak."

"Riverside is about to face an impact from the Old World. I understand that this is inevitable. Kuran, Roca, and I all hope that the town can remain peaceful and stable, where everyone can happily worship the Water Queen and go to the Rift to play cockfighting after work. We will not pay our respects to the nobles, nor will we hand over our freedom. Do you understand what I mean, Eileen Visey?"

"I am a businessman, a profit-driven businessman. Only a well-ordered social environment can allow businesses to flourish."

Marcus smiled with satisfaction, gently grasped Eileen's slender hand, shook it a few times, and said in a cheeky tone, "Your mind is as outstanding as your beauty."