58: Chapter 58 Earl, Your Granary Now Belongs to the Li Family

Levi's fingertips tapped rhythmically against the cold scroll, a dull "thud, thud" sound, like a countdown to the coming storm.

He did not turn his head, his gaze still fixed on the small golden iris flag representing Ella Radiance on the sand table, but his words were addressed to Evelyn behind him.

"Go and invite Her Highness. Tell her I have a bill regarding her 'hometown specialty' that requires her personal review."

A flash of understanding crossed Evelyn's purple eyes. She bowed silently, her figure retreating into the shadows of the corridor like dissolving ink.

Before long, Ella Radiance walked into the dim secret room, wearing a look of guarded confusion.

She was clearly displeased by Levi's late-night summons, especially when she saw his relaxed posture, as if he had everything under control, which only fueled her nameless anger.

"Levi, what kind of game are you playing now?" Her voice carried a hint of imperceptible fatigue. In the past few days, the cold calculations she had witnessed had caused countless cracks in her previously solid worldview.

Levi did not answer, merely pushing the encrypted scroll in his hand to the other side of the sand table, in front of Ella.

"Radiant Empire Central Bank, Royal Special Envoy, secret channel." Levi's voice was flat and waveless, as if he were reading an irrelevant shopping list. "Your Highness, I don't recall my grain subscription vouchers being listed on the Imperial Capital's exchange. Your clansmen seem to have an extraordinary interest in my small Blackstone Territory."

Ella's pupils contracted sharply when she saw the familiar royal seal remnant on the scroll.

She stepped forward quickly, snatched up the scroll, and scanned the fragmented information deciphered on it.

The more she read, the paler her already bloodless face became. Her fingers gripping the scroll turned white at the knuckles from excessive force.

This was indeed the royal encryption method, a top-level commercial secret order that only a handful of people had the authority to use.

Her breathing became rapid, her chest heaving violently.

She looked up abruptly, her azure eyes filled with unbelievable anger and the humiliation of being betrayed.

"This is impossible... Father... how could he..."

"Why is it impossible?" Levi's voice was like a cold scalpel, precisely dissecting her last shred of fantasy. "Blackstone Territory is on the verge of collapse; that is everyone's consensus. In the eyes of your Emperor father, I am just a small border lord about to go bankrupt. Under the guarantee of his favorite daughter's reputation, he quietly acquired the 'waste paper' I issued at an extremely low price. When the payment date arrives and I cannot deliver the grain, and Blackstone Territory falls into riots, he can hold ten percent of the market's debt, and in the name of 'protecting the Empire's princess' and 'safeguarding creditors' interests,' openly send troops to intervene, and logically swallow this strategic location of Blackstone Territory, along with all my assets."

Levi paused, a mocking arc curling at the corner of his mouth: "Gaining reputation while securing real benefits, and even taking the opportunity to knock down those disobedient northern nobles. Three birds with one stone—truly worthy of the Emperor of the Radiant Empire. What a deep and far-sighted game of chess."

Every word was like a heavy hammer, smashing fiercely into Ella's heart.

She was powerless to refute, because she knew that every inference Levi made perfectly matched her father's cold, profit-first imperial statecraft.

She had been used as bait, the perfect bait that allowed her father to strike with justification.

Ella's body swayed. Her face was even colder than Levi's—a chill that seeped from her bones, mixed with despair and anger.

She did not look at Levi again but removed a seemingly ordinary silver pendant from her neck. Her fingertips traced the complex patterns on it, and a faint magical fluctuation dispersed.

Royal secret communication.

Her lips moved silently. The expression on her face shifted from anger and questioning to shock, and finally, into a deathly gray. Clearly, the cold fact coming from the other end of the communication was the one she least wanted to hear.

The communication was cut off, and the silver pendant dimmed.

Ella closed her eyes. When she opened them again, the last trace of innocence and fantasy belonging to the princess in those azure eyes had completely shattered, leaving only cold, hard fragments.

She looked at Levi, her voice hoarse: "...What do you need me to do?"

Levi smiled.

He knew that from this moment on, this princess of the Radiant Empire had truly become a "partner" he could fully trust.

At dawn on the third day, a pale gash was torn into the skyline.

Above the "Scar of Magic Breath," magic elements surged violently with unprecedented intensity.

Mia stood barefoot in the center of the scorched earth. Her waterfall-like green hair moved without wind. Her eyes were closed, and she was chanting an ancient and obscure Druid forbidden spell.

The ground beneath her feet was groaning and trembling.

Visibly, the earth lost its last luster, turning from the saline-alkali gray-white to a thorough, deathly ash black.

Countless cracks spread, as if the vitality of this land were being forcibly extracted from deep underground by an invisible hand.

And the majestic, ocean-like life essence extracted was transformed into streams of visible emerald light, crazily pouring into the small nursery protected by a magic barrier in front of her.

Those snow potato seedlings grew crazily at a speed that defied natural laws.

Breaking soil, sprouting, vining, flowering, fruiting... the entire process was compressed into just a few hours.

The vines tangled and intertwined, almost breaking through the restraints of the magic barrier.

When the first ray of morning light shone on the ramparts of Blackstone Territory, the ritual ended.

In front of Mia, the land covered by the magic barrier was piled with a hill of snow potatoes, each the size of a human head.

And she herself was like a flower drained of all moisture in an instant; her waterfall-like green hair turned withered and yellow, her fair skin lost all luster, and she fell straight backward.

At the moment before losing consciousness, she used her last bit of strength to whisper: "...I'm sorry, Mother Earth."

The guards who had been waiting on the side immediately rushed in, carefully lifted her onto a stretcher, and sent her to the medical room.

And Levi's order was conveyed coldly and efficiently at the same time.

"Transport team, depart immediately! Transport all snow potatoes to the Lord's Square! Not a single one can be missing!"

Almost at the same time, Old Jack, with trembling hands, pasted a huge notice, just written with wet ink, onto the most prominent bulletin board in the square. The content of the notice was simple and brutal, yet it exploded like a thunderclap in the minds of all onlookers.

"Lord's Decree: Starting today, all holders of grain subscription vouchers can go to the Blackstone Fair-Price Supermarket to redeem an equal amount of 'high-yield snow potatoes' according to the face value! Also: Blackstone Territory has ample grain reserves. Starting today, we will purchase wheat, rye, and all other grains at a high price. Price negotiable, no ceiling!"

After three seconds of deathly silence, the crowd erupted completely.

"Snow potatoes? What are those? Can you eat them?"

"Oh my god! We can really redeem grain! The Lord did not lie to us!"

"And purchasing grain at a high price? How much reserve does he actually have?"

The speculators holding the subscription vouchers had their minds go "buzz" and blank.

A moment ago, the vouchers in their hands were precious futures, golden eggs that could make them rich overnight.

But the moment this notice was posted, their financial value instantly returned to zero, turning into ordinary grain tickets that could only be exchanged for an equal amount of grain.

All the hyped-up premiums, all the inflated bubbles, were smashed to pieces in front of the Iron Hammer of physical redemption.

Inside Count Augustus's castle, the atmosphere was so heavy it could drip water.

The gaunt Count's eyes were bloodshot, staring fixedly at the emergency intelligence in his hand. It clearly stated: Blackstone Territory Square, snow potatoes piled like a mountain, physical redemption has begun.

He looked up abruptly, scanning his study filled with files.

In the corners, on the tables, in the crevices of the bookshelves, everywhere was stuffed with grain subscription vouchers he had purchased by bankrupting himself and taking on high-interest compound loans.

These, which he once regarded as treasures, the ultimate weapon that could completely destroy Levi, had now turned into piles of waste paper mocking his stupidity.

He had lost.

Lost completely, lost everything.

A fishy, metallic taste surged up from his throat. Count Augustus felt the world go black, spinning around.

"Puff—"

A mouthful of blood sprayed out in a fan shape, staining the thick stack of subscription vouchers on the table.

He reached out, as if trying to grab something, but finally fell backward powerlessly. His heavy body hit the floor with a dull thud.

The financial officer, Sophie, stood quietly at the door, watching all this with a blank expression.

She watched the arrogant Count convulsing like a dead dog and passing out. There was not a shred of pity in her eyes, only a calm that looked like relief.

She slowly took out a stack of documents from her bosom and began to organize them carefully.

These were copies of the loan contracts for which Augustus had mortgaged all his assets, as well as a detailed list of assets. Now, it was time to meet the new owner of these assets.

Levi did not, as people imagined, send troops to show off and take over Augustus's assets. He did not even take a step out of Blackstone Territory.

Evelyn, with a small team of capable legal personnel and guards, took the high-interest loan contracts signed by Augustus himself, which were irrefutable, and walked openly into Count Augustus's castle as the largest creditor.

No flashing swords or bloody conflicts.

In front of a group of dumbfounded nobles and merchants, Evelyn used the gentlest tone and the most legal procedures to begin counting, sealing, and transferring them one by one.

All the granaries, mills, farmlands, and shops under Augustus's name... the grain empire he had spent his life building, just like that, in one day, peacefully and legally, changed its surname. The old king of the northern grain market exited the historical stage in the most shameful way.

Three days later, the central square of Blackstone Territory was bustling with noise, the atmosphere more enthusiastic than any holiday.

Carts loaded with fine white flour drove in from outside the city and stopped in the center of the square. This flour all came from Count Augustus's granary, snow-white and delicate, exuding an enticing wheat aroma.

Levi stood on the high platform and personally handed the first bag of flour to an old woman with a wrinkled face. The crowd erupted in thunderous cheers.

"Long live Lord Levi!"

"Long live Blackstone Territory!"

Levi raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet. He cleared his throat, and his voice clearly spread throughout the square through the amplification magic array.

"My citizens of Blackstone Territory! This grain does not belong to me; it belongs to you!" His voice was steady and contagious. "Count Augustus, for his previous shortsightedness and greed, apologizes to all the people of Blackstone Territory! He voluntarily donated all his grain to make up for the mistakes he caused us! Let us 'thank' the Count for his generosity!"

The crowd was stunned at first, then erupted into even more violent cheers mixed with laughter and mockery.

No one would delve into the truth behind this; they only knew that it was their Lord who, in a way they could not understand, defeated that greedy "Grain King" and won them real food.

On the terrace of the castle, Ella Radiance stood by the railing, the cold wind blowing her golden hair.

She watched the fanatical crowd in the square below, watching the man standing on the high platform, revered by everyone as a god.

Using the enemy's wealth to buy people's hearts, whitewashing a cruel commercial annexation into a "passively accepted donation."

This... was Levi's method.

No killing, yet it could kill the heart more than any slaughter.

For the first time, Ella felt a deep wavering in the education she had received since childhood regarding "justice" and "order."

Perhaps, in this chaotic world, so-called justice is just rhetoric written by the winners. And order is merely a tool used by the strong to bind the weak.

Her heart was unprecedentedly lost.