69: Chapter 69 Before signing the contract, please read the force majeure disclaimer.

Levi's smile remained unchanged, a complex expression mixed with politeness, regret, and professionalism, as if Ella was not refusing a humiliating blackmail, but merely a regular commercial cooperation invitation.

He didn't even have the interest to reply, merely turning his head calmly to look at the center of the mire.

There, the wails and curses had gradually been replaced by a deeper fear.

"Hold steady! Everyone! Don't move!" Sir Kaelan roared hoarsely from the safe shore, trying to reorganize his proud knight order. "Grab each other's reins! Use your warhorses as driftwood! Inch your way to the shore!"

His orders were theoretically correct and the standard self-rescue procedure for cavalry stuck in a swamp.

But in front of the 'special mud' Levi had meticulously prepared, such experience seemed so pale and powerless.

This mud was not merely a mixture of water and soil; it was mixed with the unique, highly adhesive humus from the Crying Swamp, as well as some plant colloids simply treated by Natasha using alchemy.

Its density was far greater than ordinary muddy water, and its suction was astonishing.

A knight closer to the shore struggled to hurl his long spear forcefully onto the hard ground of the bank, attempting to create a leverage point.

However, the spear traced a powerless arc in the air, plunging headfirst into the mire, barely splashing any water before quickly disappearing.

Despair, like the stench of the swamp, began to permeate the hearts of the knights.

The finely crafted enchanted armor they wore, which usually protected them from blades and symbolized honor and status, now became a death warrant accelerating their demise.

Every mithril plate armor, every piece of steel chainmail, was frantically dragging them down, pulling them towards that cold, suffocating dark abyss.

A young knight's warhorse let out a final mournful cry, completely swallowed by the mud.

Having lost his mount, his sinking speed suddenly accelerated, and panic made him forget all training, causing him to frantically wave his arms, stirring the surrounding mud.

This futile struggle was akin to digging his own grave.

The mud quickly submerged him past his chest, soon reaching his neck.

"Help... help me!"

His cries for help were muffled and indistinct, filled with the fear of impending death.

His companions around him wanted to lend a hand but could barely save themselves, only able to watch as his helmet, bearing the family crest, slowly sank into the mire, leaving only a string of bursting bubbles.

The shadow of death, for the first time, truly enveloped this undefeated elite legion.

Ella's body trembled slightly.

Her azure eyes reflected the desperate faces of her subordinates.

Every knight was an elite trained by the Empire at great cost, the cornerstone of the Radiant family's rule.

Watching them being buried alive one by one, her heart felt as if an invisible hand was squeezing it tightly, making every breath painful.

Her last psychological defense, maintaining royal dignity, was crumbling inch by inch in the face of this ruthless reality.

Levi seemed oblivious to the tragedy unfolding. He raised his wrist, making a gesture as if checking the time, even though he had no pocket watch or other timing device on him.

He merely estimated the sun's angle, then, with a tone devoid of any emotion, instructed Evelyn beside him: "Director Evelyn, activate hourglass number one."

Evelyn smiled and retrieved a beautifully crafted wooden hourglass from her handbag, skillfully inverting it.

Golden fine sand began to flow downwards with a rustling sound.

"Your Royal Highness, I need to explain something," Levi's voice was as calm as if he were reading a weather report. "The price quoted in the contract you hold is a preferential rate based on Blackstone Heavy Industries' 'day shift standard working hours.' As it's getting late, in one hour, when this hourglass runs out, our rescue team will automatically enter 'night emergency duty' hours. At that time, all service fees will be calculated at one hundred and fifty percent of the original price."

Ella suddenly turned her head, looking at him in disbelief.

"Furthermore," Levi added, the curve of his lips just right, appearing professional yet revealing a cold cruelty, "to compensate our employees for their hard work during night operations and the risk of equipment wear and tear, every half hour thereafter, the total cost will increase by an additional ten percent based on the previous stage. Of course, we are a legitimate enterprise, and everything will be strictly executed according to the contract."

Ella's breathing instantly became rapid, her chest heaving violently.

She clutched the contract tightly, her knuckles white from the excessive force.

This was blackmail!

This was the most shameless blackmail!

"You... you are extorting! This is a crime!" She tried to find a breakthrough legally and morally. "You deliberately set a trap, murdered imperial knights, and then extorted under the guise of rescue! This is an open provocation to the Radiant Royal Family! When I return to the capital, I will ensure your name appears on the Empire's highest wanted list!"

Facing the Princess's outwardly fierce but inwardly timid accusation, Levi not only did not get angry, but instead showed a smile of "deep understanding."

He turned sideways, introducing another silent woman beside him.

She was an ordinary-looking woman wearing crystal spectacles, dressed in a well-tailored gray business suit, her expression as stern as granite.

In her arms, she held a law book thicker than a brick, bound in black dragon leather, exuding an aura of rigorousness that warned others to keep their distance.

"Allow me to introduce," Levi's tone was full of pride, "This is Ms. Sylvie, our newly appointed Head of Legal Affairs at Blackstone Heavy Industries. Her understanding of imperial law is deeper than most judges in the royal capital. Sylvie, Her Royal Highness has raised some questions about the legality of our operations; please clarify them for her."

Sylvie adjusted her spectacles, the lenses reflecting a cold light.

She stepped forward, not even bowing to Ella, and spoke in a dispassionate, machine-like precise tone: "Your Royal Highness. Based on your accusation just now, I will refute it legally from the following two points."

"First, regarding the accusation of 'trap.' The 'Welcome Avenue' constructed by our company is located within the private territory of Blackstone Territory. Before your army entered, our CEO, Mr. Levi Byron, had explicitly issued a verbal safety warning to your vanguard commander, Sir Kaelan, and submitted a written document, 'Welcome Avenue Project Progress and Safe Passage Report.' Sir Kaelan, despite knowing the safety risk of 'some road sections where the foundation has not fully settled and stabilized,' still issued the order to 'pass at full speed.' Therefore, the direct party responsible for this accident should be the on-site commander, Sir Kaelan, not our side. Our actions, at most, fall under construction quality defects, applicable to Article 27 of the 'Imperial Territory Construction Law,' which states that a lord has complete autonomy and final interpretation rights in infrastructure construction within their private territory."

"Second, regarding the accusation of 'extortion.' You and your knight order encountered a sudden 'accidental natural disaster' of 'foundation settlement' within Blackstone Territory, thus falling into distress. Our side, after confirming that your side had lost the ability to self-rescue, proactively offered 'paid humanitarian rescue,' which fully complies with the supplementary clause of Article 9 of the 'Territory Resource Requisition Law in Emergency Situations': 'When outsiders encounter life-threatening danger within the territory not directly caused by the lord himself, the lord has the right to demand equivalent and reasonable labor and material compensation from the rescued party after providing rescue.' The services and quotations we provide are all within the 'reasonable' scope. Therefore, the accusation of 'extortion' is not established."

Sylvie's speaking speed was not fast, but every word was like a precise scalpel, dissecting all of Ella's reasons for resistance, stripping away her last shred of dignity.

Ella was completely stunned.

Her proud royal status and legal knowledge were fragile and vulnerable before this logical, articulate woman.

She even had an absurd feeling, as if she were the unreasonable country shrew.

Law and reality, like two great mountains, pressed down heavily on her shoulders.

In the mud, another knight sank, leaving only a muffled, desperate sound.

She finally gave in, her voice hoarse and dry, filled with endless exhaustion and humiliation: "...Alright. I'll sign. However, the knight order did not carry enough funds to pay this enormous fee for this expedition. I swear on the honor of the Radiant Royal Family that I will pay all outstanding debts upon returning to the capital."

This was the last concession she could make, using the royal family's credit for a debt.

In her opinion, this was already a huge gesture of goodwill.

However, Levi revealed an even more brilliant smile than before.

"Of course!" He immediately agreed, his straightforward attitude as if Ella were his closest friend. "Her Royal Highness's credit is naturally worth a thousand gold pieces. Evelyn, please hand the second document to Her Royal Highness for review."

Evelyn stepped forward again, taking out another parchment document from the folder and handing it to Ella.

Debt Exchange and Strategic Investment Letter of Intent.

This peculiar name filled Ella with a strong sense of unease.

She took the document with trembling hands, quickly scanning its contents.

"Your Royal Highness, as you know, our Blackstone Territory has just started, with everything needing to be rebuilt, and our cash flow is very tight," Levi's voice was full of "sincerity" and "goodwill." "Therefore, rather than a distant outstanding payment, I prefer a cooperation model that is more beneficial to both of us."

He pointed to the document in Ella's hand: "The content of this letter of intent is very simple. I can waive all fees for this rescue, not a single penny."

Ella suddenly looked up.

"In exchange," Levi unhurriedly revealed his true purpose, "I need the Radiant Royal Family, in its official capacity, to become the first strategic partner for our 'Blackstone Territory Mithril Mine Joint Development Project,' and to publicly provide the highest level of credit guarantee for this project. You only need to sign your name on this letter of intent, and it will immediately take effect."

Ella's gaze shifted from the meticulously designed letter of intent in her hand to the knights in the mire, whose helmets were barely above the mud, and finally, landed on Levi's face, which bore a "sincere" smile.

She understood completely.

The trap, the rescue, the contract, the law... everything was for this final step.

What the other party wanted was never money, but the golden signboard of the "Radiant Royal Family" behind her.

She had no choice.

From the moment Kaelan ordered the charge, she had already lost, losing completely.

Ella closed her eyes, taking a deep breath of the cold air mixed with blood and decay.

When she opened them again, all the anger and unwillingness in her eyes had faded, leaving only a deathly calm.

"Pen," she said only one word.

Evelyn immediately handed over a quill dipped in ink.

Ella Radiance, the brightest pearl of the Empire, the proud Goddess of War, humiliatingly signed her name on an "Emergency Rescue Service Contract" and a "Strategic Investment Letter of Intent" by the edge of this filthy swamp.

The moment the pen tip left the parchment, it was as if a signal had been given.

Over a dozen giant wooden cranes, which had been waiting behind a nearby hillside, immediately started up amidst the synchronized shouts of orc laborers.

Thick hemp ropes with Iron Hooks at their ends were precisely thrown to the knights in the mire.

The orc workers skillfully operated the winches, hoisting those dying "iron cans," men and horses alike, one by one from the deadly mire, like strings of mud-covered radishes just pulled from the ground.

Sir Kaelan was among the first to be rescued.

As his feet touched solid ground again, he tore off his helmet, coughing violently and spitting out several mouthfuls of black mud.

He looked at his disheveled, armor-shedding subordinates, then at the young man smilingly supervising the "rescue work" not far away, and a surge of anger mixed with humiliation and lingering fear rushed to his head.

He stumbled towards Levi, roaring, "You devil! What are you scheming, going through all this trouble to toy with us?!"

Levi did not answer, merely smiling as he took a beautifully crafted, gilded invitation from Evelyn's hand and personally handed it to him.

"Sir Kaelan, please calm down. How can commercial matters be called toying?" His tone was as gentle as if he were placating an unreasonable child. "This is an invitation, sincerely inviting Her Royal Highness and you to attend the 'First Blackstone Mining Financing Roadshow' to be held at Blackstone Castle three days from now. At that time, you will understand everything I am scheming."

Kaelan instinctively took the invitation, its luxurious texture forming a stark contrast with his mud-covered body.

"Oh, right," Levi seemed to remember something, and took another identical invitation from Evelyn's hand, tucking it into Kaelan's hand. He then lowered his voice meaningfully, speaking in a volume only they two could hear, "Please, pass this invitation to the guest from the Shadow Guild among the accompanying royal delegation. I believe he will be very interested in our mining project."

Sir Kaelan's body suddenly stiffened, his pupils contracting sharply.

He looked up in horror, staring intently at Levi, as if seeing the young man for the first time.

Levi, however, merely gave him an enigmatic smile before turning and heading towards the castle, leaving the messy swamp and the disheartened Royal Knight Order behind him.

As night deepened, inside the study of Blackstone Castle, the fireplace roared warmly.

Levi finished processing the last batch of documents for the financing roadshow, gently rubbing his aching brows.

He stood up and walked to the window, looking down at the brightly lit temporary camp below the mountain.

There, Princess Ella and her knight order were "properly" settled, like a group of tigers with their teeth pulled.

A soft knock came from outside the door.

"Come in."

Evelyn pushed the door open, followed by a slightly plump, well-dressed middle-aged man whose eyes, however, showed shrewdness and unease.

"Boss," Evelyn bowed, "I've brought the person you wanted from Silvermoon City. This is Mr. Coaster, Silvermoon City's best financial broker."

Levi turned around, a gentle smile on his face, and extended his hand proactively.

"Mr. Coaster, I apologize for disturbing you late at night." He looked at the man's darting eyes and slowly said, "I have a big business proposition I'd like to discuss with you. A business that could make all the gold on the entire Terrarium Continent flow to this barren land beneath our feet."