116: Chapter 116 Your Highness, Welcome to the Real World

His fingers tapped lightly on the letter, producing a dry, rhythmic sound.

Fiancée?

This word stirred a faint ripple in his mind, only to be immediately drowned by a more turbulent surge of thoughts.

These were fragments of vague and distant memories belonging to the body's original owner: a golden figure as dazzling as sunlight seen from afar at a royal banquet, a symbol representing the family's last bit of political marriage value.

Then, there was nothing else.

No joy, no expectation, not even a hint of curiosity.

Levi's brain—a precision machine tempered by countless all-nighters and project deadlines in his past life—had automatically bypassed all meaningless emotional fluctuations and entered directly into project risk assessment and resource allocation mode.

Royal Princess, Royal Knights.

These terms rapidly transformed in his mind into a series of concrete requirements: food, water, housing, stables, fodder, servants, security... and most critically—cost.

He looked up at Evelyn, his gaze as calm as a bottomless lake.

"Evelyn."

"Yes, my Lord."

"I need a number." Levi's finger stopped on the desk, his index finger slightly curved as if calculating something invisible. "Based on our current intelligence—a standard Royal Knights formation, plus the Princess's entourage—the total number is estimated to be between five hundred and eight hundred people. Based on Blackstone Territory's existing material reserves and logistical capacity, assess how much extra daily consumption their arrival will bring us. I need you to quantify it into a specific financial indicator, a percentage."

His tone was devoid of emotion, as if he were discussing the iron ore procurement budget for the next quarter rather than welcoming his nominal fiancée.

Evelyn was long since accustomed to this.

Not even a hint of surprise flashed in her ice-blue eyes; she simply reached into her leather briefcase again and took out her data book and charcoal pencil.

To her, the Princess's arrival was essentially no different from a large-scale caravan moving in or a sudden engineering project requiring an emergency advance of funds.

They were all just variables to be broken down, analyzed, and eventually incorporated into financial statements.

"Scribble... scribble..."

The charcoal pencil flew across the parchment, leaving behind dense numbers and symbols.

Evelyn's brain worked like a high-speed Difference Engine, rapidly retrieving grain inventory from the warehouse, daily net inflow of the reservoir, the meat supply limit of surrounding hunters, the consumption rate of firewood... every seemingly insignificant number now became a key puzzle piece forming the final conclusion.

Levi waited quietly, his fingers tapping on the table again.

One, two... as if beating time for Evelyn's calculations.

His thoughts had already drifted further away.

The Princess's arrival was a huge variable; it was both a crisis and an opportunity.

Just like a sudden change in the market environment can bankrupt an ill-prepared company, it can also make a keen-scented speculator rich overnight.

And he, Levi, was best at finding order in chaos and discovering business opportunities in crises.

About three minutes later, the sound of the charcoal pencil stopped abruptly.

Evelyn looked up, her cold voice steady as ever: "Reporting, my Lord. Preliminary estimates show that, without lowering the current basic living standards of the territory's residents, hosting Her Highness and her party will cause our total operating costs for the next month to surge by at least eighteen percent. This is an optimistic estimate based on the assumption that they will bring some of their own supplies. If they plan to stay long-term, this number will continue to climb and will exhaust all our strategic reserves within three months."

Eighteen percent.

A clear, cold number, enough to make any lord's scalp tingle.

This meant that nearly one-fifth of the profits Blackstone Territory had painstakingly accumulated over the past few months would be swallowed up by this group of 'distinguished guests' in just one month.

Yet, not a trace of worry could be seen on Levi's face; he even nodded slightly, as if quite satisfied with the result.

"Very good. With data, we can formulate a strategy."

He stood up from his seat and walked to the window, overlooking the castle below—which, though still dilapidated, was beginning to show signs of vibrant life.

The hammering of craftsmen, the chants of guards, and the shouting of vendors intertwined into a vibrant symphony.

This was his asset, the foundation of his career, and he would never allow anyone—not even an Imperial Princess—to consume it for free.

"Evelyn," he commanded without turning his head, "immediately draft a 'Territory Temporary Tax Increase and Resource Rationing Act during the Royal Visit.' There are three core points: First, an additional five percent 'Royal Reception Tax' will be levied on all commercial activities. Second, a rationing system will be implemented for all non-essential goods, such as alcohol and high-end fabrics, with a thirty percent price increase. Third, while maintaining basic survival standards, the food rations of all subjects will be reduced by ten percent, with the savings used to 'Support the Glory of the Empire'."

His voice was calm and cold, every word like a nail driven precisely into the core of the territory's operations.

"Do not announce this act yet," he added. "Wait until after the Princess arrives and find a suitable moment—for example, when she expresses 'concern' about our financial situation—then 'respond to public will' and introduce it. We want everyone to understand that providing a decent reception for Her Highness is a glorious duty that every resident of Blackstone Territory should fulfill. And the cost of fulfilling this duty should naturally be shared by everyone."

Evelyn's pencil tip danced on the paper, recording his instructions word for word without the slightest hesitation or questioning.

In her logic, since there was an eighteen percent cost increase, wiping it out through increasing revenue and cutting expenditures was a matter of course.

As for whether the means were gentle, that was never within her scope of consideration.

Levi turned around, his gaze falling on a corner of the desk—the letter from City Lord Valerius of Silvermoon City, and his draft of a 'management consulting' reply full of temptation.

He walked over, picked up the two pieces of parchment, and without even looking, slowly crumpled them into a tight ball, turn by turn.

The Princess's arrival was like a heavy royal weight suddenly added to one side of the scale.

The delicate balance of power between him and Valerius was instantly and completely shattered.

The current Valerius had been downgraded from an opponent requiring tactical maneuvering to an insignificant nuisance that could be dealt with at any time.

Spending time on him was now a matter with an extremely low return on investment.

With a "thwack," the paper ball was accurately tossed into the wastebasket in the corner.

"Send for Sir Kaelan to see me."

A moment later, Sir Kaelan, dressed in stiff leather training armor, strode in. He still carried the scent of sweat and dust from the training grounds, and his face bore a hint of irritability from being suppressed by tedious paperwork for too long.

Clearly, he had just temporarily escaped from his struggle with the budget reports.

"My Lord, you were looking for me?" He gave a standard military salute, his voice as loud as a bell.

"Yes, Director." Levi smiled and made a gesture for him to be seated. "That guard training plan you submitted earlier is scrapped."

Kaelan was stunned, his brow instantly furrowing into a knot as he asked in confusion, "Scrapped? My Lord, that plan was the most efficient one I could devise based on our current personnel and equipment! Just give me two more months..."

"There's no time." Levi interrupted him. "We have a more urgent and important task. I need you to immediately abandon all training content related to actual combat, wilderness survival, and tactical coordination."

Kaelan instinctively clenched his fists. He felt as if his newly ignited ambition had once again been doused with a bucket of cold water.

"Then... what do we need to train for?"

A look appeared on Levi's face that Kaelan had never seen before—the kind of look a top-tier merchant uses when scrutinizing his own goods.

"I need you to re-formulate a plan, a 'Royal Etiquette Special Training Program' centered on 'parades' and 'honor guards'," Levi said emphatically. "I don't care what methods you use, but in the shortest time possible, I want every person in this unit to be able to walk with the most uniform steps on the entire continent, to stand with the most upright military posture, and to shout the loudest slogans. Their armor must be polished until it reflects shadows, and their weapons must be so bright they can blind. What I want is an honor guard that looks invincible and is so disciplined it's suffocating."

Kaelan was completely bewildered. He looked at Levi in disbelief, as if looking at a madman.

"An honor guard?" he almost roared back. "My Lord! You paid a fortune for me not to train a bunch of actors to march in a ceremony! Those flashy things won't last a second on the battlefield! Facing a bandit's scimitar or an orc's battle-axe, uniform steps are meaningless!"

"Who said they were for the battlefield?" Levi remained unmoved. He walked around the desk to stand before Kaelan, his voice lowering a bit but carrying an irresistible force. "Director, you must understand that what we are facing now is not a war, but an unprecedented marketing opportunity."

"Marketing?" This word was as foreign and jarring to Kaelan as those financial terms had been.

"Yes, marketing." Levi's eyes sparkled with excitement, the kind of light a hunter has when seeing prime prey. "The arrival of Her Highness means that the eyes of the entire Radiant Empire, and even the nobles of the entire northern continent, will be focused on this godforsaken corner. What will they see? A barren, backward, chaotic border territory? No, I want them to see something completely different."

He extended a finger, tapping lightly in the air.

"I want them to see an army where even walking looks like a single person. When they see hundreds of people stepping, turning, and raising their spears in perfect unison, that visual impact will create an illusion—how terrifying must the management ability of a lord be to train such unruly warriors into precision machine parts? If even the army is managed so orderly, how stable and efficient must the business environment of the territory be?"

The corners of Levi's mouth curled up. "Discipline itself is the best advertisement. It demonstrates not combat power, but our 'management ability' and 'investment potential.' This honor guard is the first business card our Blackstone Territory will hand to the entire Empire, a living billboard. And you, Director Kaelan, are the producer of this top-tier advertisement. Now, do you still think it's meaningless?"

Kaelan opened his mouth, but not a single word came out.

He was completely stunned by Levi's shocking theory.

Comparing sacred military training to a merchant's advertisement?

Using a soldier's discipline as leverage to attract investment?

This was simply unheard-of blasphemy!

But he had to admit that this twisted logic seemed... damnably reasonable from a certain perspective.

Seeing Kaelan's expression of world-shattering shock, Levi knew he had convinced the pure soldier.

At Levi's command, the entire Blackstone Territory instantly transformed into a war machine operating at high speed around the core project of "Princess Reception."

Kaelan held back his frustration and poured all his military talent into the honor guard training. The sounds echoing from the training ground were no longer the clanging of weapons, but the uniform, thunderous sound of footsteps.

In the dwarves' forge, orders changed from Enchantment crossbow bolts to thousands of identical brass buttons.

Even the most skilled tailors in the territory were organized to work through the night to produce brand-new honor guard uniforms.

Evelyn's efficiency reached its peak.

Not only did she produce the full details of the tax increase act within a day, but she even designed a "Royal Visit Package" that could only be described as insane.

From the nightly price of the "Royal Suite" where the Princess would stay, to the bed fees for the "Elite Barracks" where the Knights would reside; from the price of every dish at the banquet to the "Special Security Surcharge" for every security service... everything was clearly priced, categorized, and made into a thick price list.

At dusk, the afterglow of the setting sun dyed the entire study a warm orange-red.

Levi leaned back in his chair, reviewing the "Royal Visit Package" price list Evelyn had just submitted, a smile of approval appearing on his face from time to time.

Professional, so professional.

Turning a political reception completely into a profitable business—Evelyn was practically the tapeworm in his gut.

Just as he reached the item "Princess's Exclusive Personal Maid Service - Succubus Special Edition," a sudden, sharp, and urgent alarm sounded from the castle's watchtower!

"Woo—woo—woo—"

This was not the daily trumpet for the changing of the guard, but the Eagle Whistle representing the highest level of warning!

Levi's brow instantly furrowed, and he set down the price list.

The study door was burst open, and a sentry responsible for lookout rushed in, stumbling and crawling, his face full of panic and confusion.

"My Lord! My Lord!" He gasped for breath, his voice cracking with fear. "Her Highness's convoy... they've appeared on the horizon!"

Levi's eyes narrowed. No, according to intelligence, they were still at least two days away.

"But..." The sentry swallowed hard and said with difficulty, "The situation is wrong! Very wrong! They... they haven't raised the royal banners, the entire formation is in total disarray, and all the carriages are accelerating madly. It looks... it doesn't look like they're traveling at all, it looks more like they're... fleeing for their lives!"