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Lucius got the information he wanted, expressed his gratitude, and left.
The cigarette was finished, and Ajin lit up another one, took a deep breath, and leaned back in the recliner with a decadent look on his face.
He closed his eyes and thought about the past.
……
Xia Yi and Sera returned to Cavendish Manor.
"Miss, you're back!" Uncle Ya greeted her and asked the maids to welcome her together.
"Where's my father?" Sera asked.
"Grandpa Lu, he..."
"Hanging out again?"
"No, no, no, no, Grandpa Lu is back and is at the rooftop swimming pool."
"Okay, I get it now."
Sera said she knew, and her expression was obviously a little unhappy.
Xia Yi didn't understand at first, but followed Sera through the center of the manor and came to the rooftop of another small building, where she saw Lucius.
It was next to an extra-large swimming pool. Lucius was lying on a chair, wearing sunglasses and applying sunscreen, sunbathing.
This is really... how to enjoy yourself, you even fell asleep.
Xia Yi sighed in her heart.
Sera's face became increasingly worse, and the corners of his mouth were twitching. It was obvious that his anger had reached a critical point. He simply raised his hand, chanted a spell, and mobilized the water in the swimming pool to rush directly onto him, pushing his own father into the water.
Lucius, who was sleeping, woke up with a start.
"Waaaaaah! Daughter, what are you doing? Are you going to kill me?!" Lucius shouted.
"Your Highness the Princess is working hard to carry out the plan, but you are enjoying yourself here? Do you have the nerve to do that?"
"Ah, it turns out that Her Royal Highness the Princess has returned. I am so sorry for the rudeness."
Lucius climbed out of the swimming pool, put on a bath towel, bowed to Xia Yi, and then began to complain.
"Daughter, you really wronged me. Your father did his job well this time."
"Really?" Sera looked skeptical.
"Really? I've been to the downtown area. You have no idea how many vicious poor people I met along the way. Some even tried to rob me."
"…You didn't kill anyone?"
"No, I'm not one of those new nobles."
Lucius smiled happily, and then looked at Xia Yi.
"By the way, Princess, I have obtained some very impressive information."
117 Shadow King of Lower Town
Xia Yi was very much looking forward to hearing the good news from Lucius.
"What information?!"
"Please allow me to explain this slowly," said Lucius.
Sera narrowed her eyes and watched her father perform.
"The thing is, Your Highness, you asked me to investigate the poor people in the lower city, so I went there alone. In the lower city, I spent some money and asked the poor people about some strange phenomena. I found out that there was a special butcher shop in the lower city."
"Butcher shop?"
"Yes, it was a butcher shop. It was very strange. That butcher shop had been open in the downtown area for many years and had always sold meat at a low price. It had never encountered any business difficulties. I was very curious, so I went to that butcher shop and talked to the owner. As a result... I discovered a secret!"
Lucius drew out the last syllable, whetting the audience's appetite.
"What is it?"
"In fact, the owner of that butcher shop——"
"What's up with him?"
"Actually—"
Lucius thought carefully for a long time, as if he was about to reveal a shocking secret.
Xia Yi opened her eyes wide, concentrating her full attention, waiting for the answer to the mystery to be revealed.
What is hidden behind this?
"In fact, the meat he sells is injected with water, that's why it's so cheap."
"..."
Xia Yi was silent.
Sera's patience with this out-of-touch father finally reached its limit. She raised her hands and began to chant a spell to summon a giant puppet. A magic circle began to appear in the air.
"Wait, wait! Daughter, stop it!" Lucius was a little panicked, "Are you going to kill me?!"
"Her Royal Highness the Princess repeatedly asked you to go to the Lower City to carry out the mission, and you even made a convincing argument to complete the task. Her Royal Highness the Princess was so looking forward to it, and you just said something so inexplicable?" Sera said coldly, "Father, you will use your life to apologize to Her Royal Highness the Princess!"
"I haven't said anything just now! The butcher who sells water-injected meat told me that there are indeed rulers in the lower city!"
"Really?" Xia Yi asked quickly.
"Really? I guarantee it with my daughter's life!"
Lucius's words simply added fuel to the fire.
"Um... Sera, how about you stop and listen to Lucius's information?" Xia Yi asked tentatively.
My own personal maid was in a terrible state of rage.
But for Xia Yi's sake, Sera stopped and cancelled the summoning magic circle.
"Ahem, actually, the princess's inference is correct. Even in the chaotic Lower City, there are people who maintain order," Lucius explained. "Among the poor people in the Lower City, there is a special person. The poor people call him the Shadow King of the Lower City, or simply the Shadow King. Just like his title, the Shadow King never appears in the public eye. He has a large number of followers around him who obey his orders, take the initiative to maintain order in the slums, and resolve disputes within the slums."
"Sure enough, there are such people." Xia Yi sighed.
"If there was no Shadow King, the slums would be a hundred times more chaotic than they are now, and would become a purgatory. Therefore, the poor people also respect the Shadow King very much, and his reputation is very high."
"I told the butcher that I wanted to help the poor and improve their lives. I had a lot of money, so he told me how to contact the Shadow King's cadres."
"So, the butcher told me that I could go meet the Shadow King's cadres and told me the method, but I couldn't bring too many people with me. One person is the limit."
Lucius told Xia Yi the information he had learned.
"Thank you, Lucius, you've been of great help," Xia Yi said with a smile, "This is very important. If we can get in touch with the Shadow King, then we can negotiate with him and use the power of the poor in the lower city."
"It's nothing. After all, it was an order from Her Royal Highness the Princess. It has been our Cavendish family's duty since ancient times to share the worries of the Dragon Clan's royal family."
Lucius looked at his daughter proudly.
"Sera, what do you think? Dad said he would not disappoint Her Royal Highness the Princess."
Sera looked at her father's smug face and admitted reluctantly, "It's kind of useful, I guess."
"Oh, daughter, you are so arrogant. You obviously approve of me but you are unwilling to say it out loud. You are shy now. You are so cute. Haha!" Lucius laughed heartlessly.
Sera lowered her head and clenched her fists. It would not be surprising if she exploded the next second.
Xia Yi was stunned.
This, this...is not tsundere.
In a sense, Sera is really amazing to be able to get along with Lucius until now.
……
After resting for a day in Cavendish's manor, Xia Yi left the central city and went to the downtown area.
In order to express her sincerity, Xia Yi did not bring anyone else with her as agreed.
At first, Sera was still a little worried about her safety and said that she could follow her secretly and protect her.
But Xiayi refused and ordered Sera to stay on standby at Cavendish Manor and wait for good news from her.
Since she wants to express her sincerity in cooperation, then taking risks is inevitable. She wants to do something big, so she needs courage!
Thinking back to the time, I broke into the monster's lair alone, killed seven people and went in and out seven times in order to save the kidnapped child. What's the problem with going to a downtown area where poor people gather now?
I am a dignified human swordsman.
Xia Yi came to the lower city alone, this time during the day.
During the day, it was much better than the last time at night, and there were more people on the streets, but most people looked at her with strange expressions, as if they were looking at a rare animal running out of a zoo, with ill intentions.
There was even someone secretly following her from behind.
Xia Yi noticed all of this, but she wanted to avoid conflict, so she quickly came to the agreed location.
It was a chess and card hall, and she could hear the sounds inside even at the door.
"Can you defeat me in one second with just seventeen cards? Can you kill me in one second? If you can defeat me in one second with just seventeen cards today, I will! Eat! This! Table! On! The! Spot!"
"airplane."
"..."
"Eat, brother."
"..."
The atmosphere in the chess and card hall fell into a subtle state. Xia Yi felt that she could make her debut, so she opened the door and walked in.
There weren't many people inside. There were only three dragons playing cards at the table, and the rest were empty.
On the sofa at one side, a dragon was lying and looking through miscellaneous things, and at the counter, the boss was counting the bills.
As soon as Xia Yi came in, everyone's eyes were on her.
So, she cleared her throat and the first words she said made everyone's faces change.