82: Chapter 82 She is my legal property, and even God has no right to interfere.

On the Terra Realm continent, imperial laws can be negotiated, noble interests can be traded, but the majesty of the gods is an absolute red line that brooks no form of touching or provocation.

Alarm bells rang in Levi's mind.

The thing he feared most had happened after all.

Economic problems can be solved with interests, but religious issues are a war of another dimension, almost unsolvable.

He saw a cruel, confident sneer curl the corner of Victor's mouth.

"I accuse you, Levi Byron!" Every word of Victor's was like a heavy hammer of judgment, slamming hard into everyone's hearts. "Colluding with Abyss creatures, blaspheming the Light; within his territory, he harbors a pure-blooded Succubus! His wealth is built upon filthy transactions with demons! This is not only a trampling of Imperial law but a blatant betrayal of our Lord's radiance!"

This accusation was like a real thunderclap, exploding in everyone's minds.

Harboring a Succubus!

This was no longer a simple violation of the law, but blasphemy!

It was a monstrous crime sufficient to send an entire family to the stake!

Princess Ella Radiant's face turned deathly pale instantly. She looked at Levi in disbelief, her jade-green eyes filled with shock and pain.

She knew Sylvie was not an ordinary person, but she had never imagined she would be... a Succubus.

Sheltering an Abyss creature was the most unforgivable crime in the royal education and religious teachings she had received since childhood.

Her hands were clenched tightly under her skirt, her nails digging deep into her palms. She struggled violently inside, her fiancé's safety and her deeply ingrained faith tearing at each other crazily in her mind.

On the high platform, a figure who had been resting with eyes closed, seemingly detached from the situation, slowly stood up.

The man wore a simple white linen robe, with the holy emblem of the Church of Light—a burning holy sword—embroidered in gold thread on his chest.

He was the religious authority Victor had invited, Inquisitor Martin of the Church of Light.

Martin's face was as handsome as a sculpture, but his expression was cold, devoid of any human emotion.

He stepped forward, and a faint, visible, milky-white holy light naturally radiated from his body.

The light was soft and warm, yet it made every noble present feel a chill that seeped into their bones.

"The Speaker's words are true." Inquisitor Martin's voice was cold and ethereal, devoid of any emotional color. "Just outside this Council Chamber, I can clearly sense a faint but pure Abyss aura. According to Article 7, Volume 3 of the Church Codex, anyone who has a contractual relationship with an Abyss creature and profits from it is a heretic. Their soul and property shall be purified to manifest the vastness of divine grace."

He turned to face all the council members, his golden pupils containing not a trace of impurity, yet also not a shred of mercy.

"I, Martin, in the name of the Inquisitor of the Church of Light, declare that a 'Purification Investigation' will be launched against Blackstone Territory immediately. All involved personnel and assets will be temporarily frozen until the investigation concludes."

The moment the word "frozen" was uttered, Duke Dupont and the others turned ashen-faced.

They had just been fanatical about the 300% expected return, but now they felt like they had fallen into an ice cellar.

A Purification Investigation?

That was merely a euphemism for the Inquisition raiding a home and wiping out a family.

Once initiated, let alone profits, the capital they had invested would vanish into nothing, and their own families might even be implicated.

A Victor's smile finally appeared on Victor's face.

He had won.

Before the majesty of the gods, all commercial contracts and all ties of interest were fragile and vulnerable.

Just in this desperate silence, Levi made a move that no one expected.

He turned to the side and gave a calm look to the maid standing quietly beside him, who was so beautiful she didn't seem mortal—Sylvie.

Then, he bowed slightly to Inquisitor Martin, his tone as calm as if he were discussing the weather: "Lord Martin, I think you may have misunderstood something. The one you sensed is neither my 'employee' nor my 'partner'."

Sylvie, who was Evelyn the Succubus in Victor's words, stepped forward at this moment.

She showed no panic at all, elegantly taking a rolled-up parchment document from the leather folder she carried, and handed it with both hands to Martin, who had walked down from the high platform.

Levi's voice continued clearly: "She is my legal property."

Martin took the document and opened it suspiciously.

It was an ownership certificate issued by the Imperial Central Slave Market, branded with the power of a powerful magic contract.

The edges of the parchment shimmered with faint golden magic runes to prevent any form of forgery.

And in the core content area of the certificate, it was clearly written in the Imperial common language—

[Item Name: Evelyn]

[Racial Identification: Half-demon bloodline demi-human (Succubus lineage)]

[Valuation: 3,000 Imperial Gold Coins]

[Owner: Levi Byron]

Below the certificate, not only was there the magic brand of the Imperial General Chamber of Slave Commerce, but also a family crest that made all the nobles gasp—it was the crest of Viscount Rodney, who had been annexed by Levi with thunderous means not long ago.

Levi explained unhurriedly: "In the territorial conflict between me and the former Viscount Rodney, my side achieved the final military victory. According to Article 213 of the 'Imperial War Law', 'Regulations on the Disposal of Spoils of War', all movable and immovable property of the defeated side may be legally possessed by the Victor as spoils of war. This Miss Evelyn was one of Viscount Rodney's... collectibles at the time. To make her ownership clearer and indisputable, I specifically went to the Imperial Central Slave Market to handle the formal ownership transfer procedures for her. Here are the transaction vouchers and tax payment certificates."

He took out a few more receipts from his pocket and showed them to everyone.

The entire Council Chamber was silent.

Everyone was stunned by this god-like operation.

To turn a Succubus, through war law and slave law, into a piece of "private property" protected by Imperial law, with a clear valuation and property rights!

Inquisitor Martin looked at the ownership certificate in his hand, and for the first time, a ripple appeared on his handsome face.

A flicker of disgust flashed in his golden eyes, and he threw the certificate, which he considered incredibly filthy, onto the ground.

"Absurd!" he scolded coldly, "Church law is higher than Imperial law! The will of the gods does not allow any secular law to defile it! I don't care if she is a spoil of war or merchandise; as long as she has the blood of the Abyss flowing in her, she must be purified!"

Before he finished speaking, he raised his right hand high, and a dazzling holy light began to gather in his palm.

The light became increasingly intense, the terrifying energy fluctuations making the air begin to slightly warp, and the temperature of the entire Council Chamber rose suddenly, with everyone feeling a burning pain originating from their souls.

"Prayer of Purification"!

This was the Inquisitor's signature divine art, enough to instantly evaporate a high-level demon into ashes!

"Lord Martin, please wait a moment."

Levi's voice was not loud, but it was like a sharp ice pick, precisely piercing into that fanatical holy light energy field, interrupting the chanting of the divine art.

Martin's chanting was interrupted; a flash of anger crossed his golden pupils as he stared coldly at him.

Levi did not look at him, but scanned the room, his gaze sweeping over every pale-faced, flustered noble council member, his voice becoming slow and clear, ensuring every word could knock into their hearts.

"I have a question I would like to ask you, my lords."

"If today, the Church can ignore an ownership certificate certified by Imperial law and forcibly purify my private property based on a single phrase of 'unclean bloodline'..."

He paused, giving everyone enough time to think, and then threw out the real question.

"Then tomorrow, couldn't they also confiscate your mines at will on the grounds of 'insufficiently pious faith'? Forcibly seize your manors on the grounds of 'soul stained with greed'? Or freeze all your family's assets on the grounds of 'suspicion of heretical thoughts'?"

These words were like a thunderbolt, slamming hard into the heart of every noble.

They had just recovered from the fear of having their assets frozen, and Levi's words instantly magnified this fear a hundredfold, firmly binding it to them!

That's right!

What was being purified today was a "Succubus commodity" with an owner.

Tomorrow, would it be their own "insufficiently pious" mine manager, along with the entire mining area, being "purified"?

Private property is inviolable!

This is the highest principle engraved on the first page of the "Imperial Property Law", the cornerstone upon which the entire noble class relies for survival!

Duke Dupont, who had been shrinking back in fear just now, jumped up first like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

His flushed face trembled slightly with excitement, no longer caring about reverence for the Inquisitor.

"Lord Byron is right! I question this! I seriously question whether the Church has the right to directly interfere with sacred private property clearly protected by the 'Imperial Property Law' without authorization from the Imperial Parliament!"

Victor was trembling with rage. He pointed at Levi and scolded: "Shut up! You are confusing concepts! How can a filthy demon be mentioned in the same breath as the sacred property of the nobility! This is an insult to us all!"

"Is that so?" Levi smiled slightly and snapped his fingers.

The side door of the Council Chamber was pushed open. Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, Evelyn, dressed in a well-tailored black women's business suit, walked in calmly, wearing high heels.

She wore exquisite light makeup, her long purple hair pinned up at the back of her head, looking capable and elegant.

She held a thick sales report in her hand, ignoring the hostile gaze of Inquisitor Martin that almost wanted to burn through her, and walked straight to the center of the hall.

She first bowed deeply to the Speaker's seat and all the council members, then opened the report and began to report in a clear, pleasant, and highly professional tone:

"Respected Speaker, my lords and council members. I am Evelyn, Director of the Luxury Goods Sales Department of Blackstone Territory. I am now reporting to you the performance of the department I am responsible for in the last quarter. This quarter, our department's total sales reached 780,000 gold coins, with a profit margin as high as 62%. Among them, for Duke Dupont's family silk products, we opened up the high-end market for the northern barbarians, causing their profits to increase by 315% compared to the previous quarter."

Duke Dupont's eyes widened instantly.

"...Provided a brand-new 'gift set' marketing plan for the Alchemy Marquess's Enchantment potions, clearing out his unsalable inventory within two months and bringing in 120,000 gold coins in net profit."

The Alchemy Marquess subconsciously straightened his back.

Evelyn's voice echoed in the hall. She did not offer a single word of defense, nor did she show any fear; she only used a series of irrefutable, cold numbers to clearly prove to everyone present her tremendous value as an "asset".

The hearing had completely changed its flavor.

It was no longer a trial, nor a board meeting, but had evolved into an unprecedented debate about the boundaries between "Church power" and "private property rights".

Inquisitor Martin's face became increasingly ugly. He tried several times to re-condense the holy light, but was forcibly interrupted by Duke Dupont, the Alchemy Marquess, and a dozen other great nobles on the grounds of "protecting our core commercial assets".

Under the joint opposition of the majority of the nobles, his purification action was, unprecedentedly, unable to be executed.

Finally, after hours of fierce arguing and compromise, the council reached a landmark ruling in the history of Imperial legal system:

Levi Byron, for holding "dangerous bloodline assets", must pay a "sin-redemption coupon" fee of 100,000 gold coins to the Church of Light for Evelyn, to show repentance to the gods.

At the same time, Evelyn must wear a "Holy Light Inhibitor" specially made by the Church for life, as a form of supervision.

The moment the ruling was announced, Levi's charges were completely cleared.

He smiled, took out a gold note issued by the Dwarf Bank from his pocket on the spot, and respectfully handed it to Inquisitor Martin, his posture as humble as the most devout believer.

He had successfully used money to tear open a gap worth 100,000 gold coins for the legal existence of an Abyss creature in the Empire.

Victor Augustus sat on the high Speaker's seat, watching the young man who calmly paid the "fine", and watching the nobles who crowded around to chat enthusiastically with Levi and discuss cooperation plans for the next quarter, he felt a bone-deep powerlessness for the first time.

He realized that he had lost, lost completely.

He had not lost to Levi's eloquence, nor to the greed of those traitors.

He had lost to a ghost named "Capital" that he could neither understand nor resist.

When Levi walked out of the Council Chamber surrounded by the crowd, Victor remained sitting withered on the cold Speaker's seat, motionless.

The hall was empty, the magic starlight on the dome gradually dimmed, shrouding his aged figure in deep shadow.

He suddenly remembered the words Duke Dupont had almost roared during the final argument.

"Speaker! Today, for a nebulous charge, you abused the Council's power, nearly causing all of us to lose our investments! Have you thought about whether your actions are triggering suspicion and opposition from the entire noble class against the Council's credibility?!"

At that time, he only thought it was nonsense.

But at this moment, in this dead silence and darkness, these words echoed in his ears like a curse, making him shudder.