5: Chapter 5 Old Butler, Please Call Me Venture Capital Expert

The next second, the muscles on Klaus's face, which had briefly stiffened in shock, came back to life, squeezing out an incredibly dry and mocking sneer.

The laughter sounded like two pieces of rusty iron rubbing together, sharp and piercing.

"Crazy. You've completely lost it, Young Master." He threw those sheets of parchment covered in scribbles back onto the table as if they were some kind of filthy waste.

"Financing? Shares? Partners? Which bard's third-rate story did you hear these ravings from?"

He leaned forward slightly, his withered fingers almost poking Levi's nose, his cloudy eyes swirling with condescending contempt and a hint of irritation at being toyed with.

"Don't think that just because you've swindled some foolish noble, you can change the reality that you're a piece of trash. My duty is to stand here, watch you, and record every stupid decision and every laughable failure of yours, word for word. In three months, when you can't produce those hundred gold coins, I'll take this detailed report back to the capital and hand it to the Master personally."

He straightened up, deliberately distancing himself from Levi, his posture becoming aloof and cold again, like a judge pronouncing a final sentence.

"And this territory, this broken castle, and those pathetic 'employees' of yours will all be reclaimed by the family and allocated to a truly worthy heir. As for you," he paused, the malice in his words almost tangible, "your life ends here."

The air in the hall seemed to freeze.

The enthusiasm that had just been ignited in Evelyn, Iron Hammer, and Morg by the gold coins was instantly extinguished by this bucket of ice water.

They looked at Klaus in fear; this usually taciturn old butler was finally revealing his fangs as the family's watcher.

However, Levi's expression didn't change in the slightest.

He didn't even look at Klaus, simply smoothing out the crumpled "Business Plan" on the table with his fingers, his movements as gentle as if he were handling a rare treasure.

"You're right, Butler Klaus," Levi spoke, his voice calm and level, devoid of any emotion. "Logically speaking, what you just said is impeccable."

He looked up, his black eyes clear and deep, like two still ancient wells, staring straight into Klaus's cloudy eyes.

"So, let's do a simple deduction."

"Assume I fail." Levi held up a finger. "Three months from now, I haven't gathered the hundred gold coins. You return to the capital with a perfect report of failure and report to my father—your master. What will you get?"

Klaus instinctively wanted to speak, but Levi cut him off.

"You'll get a verbal commendation. 'Klaus, you've done well, thank you for your hard work.' Perhaps even a few gold coins as a reward. And then?" The corners of Levi's mouth curled up slightly into a cold arc. "And then you lose everything you have now. Blackstone Territory might be barren, but here, you are the de facto ruler. You can decide the guards' rations, the servants' employment, and even my life or death. You enjoy this power, don't you?"

Klaus's face twitched, but he didn't argue.

"But once I'm deposed, the family will send someone new. A real Byron branch member, perhaps one with a talent for Battle Qi. Will he need an old man like you? He'll bring his own confidants, his own butler. And you, your best outcome would be assigned to guard some remote warehouse, spending your final years in the cold and damp. The control over this territory you've built up over decades will vanish overnight."

Levi's words were like a sharp scalpel, precisely dissecting the deepest fears and resentments in Klaus's heart.

"That's the first possibility. Now let's look at the second." Levi held up another finger. "Assume you report to the family right now, saying I've come up with something profitable. What happens? The family will immediately send people to take over the entire 'abyss kiss' business. The credit will be yours, but the profits won't have a single copper's relation to you. And I will be taken away immediately. Blackstone Territory will likewise no longer be under your control."

He watched Klaus's face gradually darken, lowering his voice, full of temptation: "See, Klaus. Whether I fail or you snitch now, your final outcome is the same—losing control of Blackstone Territory and the invisible power you've cultivated here for half a lifetime."

Levi picked up the Business Plan, turned to a page, pointed his finger at a line of small print, and pushed it in front of Klaus.

"Now, let's look at the third possibility. You, invest in me."

Klaus instinctively looked down at where Levi was pointing.

There was a heading there—[Risk Control Clauses].

"As the project's Angel Investor, Mr. Klaus will have the 'Audit Rights' over all capital flows in the territory, as well as 'Supervisory Rights' over every stage of 'abyss kiss' production and sales."

Levi's voice sounded like a devil's whisper in Klaus's ear: "See? 'Audit Rights,' 'Supervisory Rights.' This is no longer your clandestine spying, but a legitimate power I am granting you. Every expenditure of the territory, every bottle of wine sold, every gold coin earned must go through your review and signature. You'll know exactly what I'm doing and how much I'm spending, and you can even offer suggestions. You're no longer a watcher hiding in the shadows, but a... Regulator standing in the light."

"Control"—this word was like a red-hot iron needle, stabbing deeply into Klaus's heart.

What Levi was offering was exactly what he craved most—a legitimate identity to control everything.

His breathing became somewhat heavy.

Levi keenly captured this, but power alone wasn't enough; he also needed naked profit.

He turned the Business Plan to the last page, which contained only a simple table titled [Equity Dividend Model].

"Power is to guarantee interests. Let's talk about money." Levi picked up a piece of charcoal from the table and began calculating below the table. His movements were steady and clear, every number carrying unquestionable persuasiveness.

"Your investment of fifty gold coins will account for a 10% 'original share' of the project. Based on today's transaction price, one bottle of 'abyss kiss' is worth twenty gold coins. My goal is to increase production to fifty bottles within the first month. This means the total revenue for the first month will reach one thousand gold coins."

"One... one thousand gold coins?" Klaus's voice trembled uncontrollably; the number exceeded his imagination.

"Yes, one thousand." Levi continued calculating without looking up. "Excluding almost negligible raw material, labor, and packaging costs, our net profit will be at least nine hundred gold coins. Based on a 10% share dividend, you, Butler Klaus, will receive a dividend of—ninety gold coins in the first month."

"Ninety gold coins..." Klaus muttered to himself, his mind going blank.

As a butler for the Byron Family, his annual salary was only twelve gold coins.

This amount was equivalent to him working for seven or eight years without eating or drinking.

"This is just the beginning." Levi's voice carried a fatal magic. "When our reputation spreads through noble circles, the price will be higher and production will be greater. Perhaps in less than a year, the dividends you receive will exceed the sum of your lifetime's salary serving the Byron Family. All you need to do is take out that pension money molding in your chest and exercise your power as a 'Regulator' by doing what you're already doing—watching me."

Having finished, Levi put down the charcoal and spoke no more.

He had given Klaus the title he most desired and then hit him in the face with an irresistible, subversive profit figure.

He didn't offer any more persuasion, simply waiting quietly.

The hall was deathly silent, except for Klaus's heavy, suppressed breathing.

Iron Hammer and Morg didn't dare breathe loudly, staring blankly at the exaggerated numbers and then at the young lord who seemed to have everything under control, feeling like their brains couldn't keep up.

Evelyn stood silently in the shadows, a complex light of fear and curiosity flickering deep within her dark red pupils.

Looking at Levi's back, she felt for the first time that this man was more like a devil than any Abyss Demon she had ever seen.

Time passed second by second, each one as long as a century.

The expression on Klaus's face shifted wildly, from suspicion to greed, from struggle to resolve; his wrinkled face was like a stage with constantly changing masks.

His fingers gripping the parchment turned pale from the excessive force, his knuckles cracking.

He knew it was a scam, an incredibly realistic-sounding one.

But what if... what if it was true?

Ninety gold coins a month...

This thought was like a wildly growing demonic vine, instantly wrapping around his heart and making it hard to breathe.

Wasn't wealth and power what he had pursued his whole life?

And now, this young master whom he considered trash had bundled these two things together and placed them before him in a way he couldn't understand yet found incredibly tempting.

Finally, as if he had made a decision, a trace of fierce resolve flashed across his withered face.

He jerked his head up, staring intently at Levi, and squeezed out a single word from between his teeth: "The agreement."

"Of course." Levi smiled, pulling out another already prepared parchment and a small bottle of ink from his robe.

It was a simple investment agreement, with precise wording and clearly defined rights and responsibilities.

Klaus took the agreement and read it word by word, over and over, every word feeling as if it were carved into his brain with a knife.

Finally, with a trembling hand, he picked up the pen and wrote his name on the signature line.

After signing, he turned without a word and walked to an inconspicuous fireplace in the corner of the hall. After fumbling for a moment, he dragged out a heavy, dusty iron chest from behind a loose stone brick.

With a loud "thud," he threw the iron chest onto the table in front of Levi.

Opening the lid, rows of dull gold and silver coins were stacked inside, emitting a stale metallic smell.

This was his entire fortune, scavenged and accumulated over decades.

He counted out fifty gold coins from it, then took out several bags of silver coins to form a heavy purse, which he tossed onto the table.

"This is the first investment." His voice was as raspy as sandpaper. "I'll be watching you, watching where every single copper goes. If I don't see the 'Return on Investment' you mentioned in a month..."

He didn't finish, but the ruthlessness in his eyes said it all.

"You'll see it." Levi handed him the signed agreement, his tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather. "Welcome aboard, Mr. Klaus. From now on, please call me... a Venture Capitalist."

Klaus grabbed the agreement and, without even looking at Levi, turned and dragged his half-empty iron chest away, disappearing like a ghost down the dark stairs leading to the cellar.

Only when the heavy footsteps had completely faded did the atmosphere in the hall loosen slightly.

Evelyn stepped silently out of the shadows and came to Levi's side.

She looked at the heavy bag of gold coins on the table, but there was no joy on her face; instead, there was a hint of solemnity.

"Young Master." She lowered her voice, a trace of unease flashing in her enchanting red eyes. "Just now... I couldn't help but probe his thoughts a little."

Levi raised an eyebrow, gesturing for her to continue.

"The moment he decided to take out the money, what he was thinking was..." Evelyn's tone became somewhat strange. "Once the 'abyss kiss' business is truly as profitable as you say, he will immediately take this agreement and the ledgers to snitch to the Main House. At that time, not only can he swallow all our results in the name of 'protecting family property,' but he can also use this agreement to pin you down completely on the charge of 'defrauding colleagues and embezzling territory assets.'"

There was a hint of chill in her voice: "What we've brought on board isn't a partner, but a venomous snake ready to bite back at any moment."