Chapter 174: Killing Three Birds with One Stone

Lu Wei didn’t care about Furen’s “happiness.”

In his eyes, Furen and Clara were just a “chance collision between two lonely people.”

Even without Freya getting in the way, they were bound to break up sooner or later.

Whether Furen went back to inherit his family business or truly became a Professional Adventurer, Clara would struggle to be a “qualified” wife.

She couldn’t offer any help with his career.

Nor could she fight on the battlefield alongside Furen.

According to Lu Wei’s rating system, she’d score 6 points at most—

Being a woman: +5 points.

Parents still alive: +1 point.

Not even as good as Bai Ya.

So, his reason for helping Clara was purely based on his own interests.

1. He could make Furen and Clara owe him a favor.

2. He could earn a nice fee.

3. He could make it harder for Freya to take Furen away, which would in turn raise the price she’d have to pay for his intervention.

Killing three birds with one stone, so to speak.

‘Tsk, tsk, I’m just too devious.’

‘Even Zhuge Liang reborn wouldn’t be this good.’

After bidding Clara farewell and indulging in some guilt-free self-praise, Lu Wei walked smugly out of the musty, poverty-stricken Mill Lane, planning to grab some lunch first.

Then, in the afternoon, he would go find Mirana and get back the 5 Gold Coins she owed him.

‘Speaking of which, she should have enough points by now.’

‘I wonder if the Adventurer Association is willing to recommend her to that Count.’

‘I hope so.’

‘Otherwise, goodness knows when Kairos’s legs will heal.’

Mulling over Mirana’s situation, Lu Wei casually walked into a small tavern by the roadside called “Big Mouthfuls.”

He sat down at an empty, grease-stained table and ordered the house special: a combo of half a pound of roasted meat, corn chowder, and fried onion rings, plus a mug of fresh beer.

He didn’t stay idle while waiting for his food; he was earnestly eavesdropping on the chatter of other patrons.

But after listening for a long while, he didn’t hear anyone discussing the Golden Sword Hu Grocery Store.

It seemed the buzz wasn’t that high.

In contrast, the most popular topics were still the “Silver Scale Merchant Association” and the “Gelan Trade Route.”

“Did you hear? A lot of out-of-town merchants have shown up recently, looking to buy property all over the place.”

“Hm? Why?”

“Are you stupid? Once the trade route is built, Heitai Town will definitely be more prosperous than it is now, so property prices are sure to go up!”

“I get it! They’re trying to profit from the price difference!”

“Exactly. So, are you interested? A local I know happens to have a property for sale. We could go in on it together. You just give me the money…”

At the next table, two men who clearly didn’t know each other well were plotting to “flip houses.”

If things went as expected, one of them was about to get scammed.

However, the part about “out-of-town merchants looking to buy property” was true.

When Lu Wei went to Old Yor’s to order goods that morning, the old man had mentioned it.

He said that several people had already offered to buy his grocery store in the past few days.

And each offer was higher than the last.

‘Maybe I should expand my own little cabin.’

Taking a sip of the bland chowder, Lu Wei suddenly had a new idea.

It couldn’t be helped; a shrewd businessman never misses an opportunity.

*On How to Be a Qualified Crafty Merchant*

6. Treat every business opportunity with the sensitivity of a young maiden!

…

…

Adventurer Association, Heitai Town Branch.

Second floor, reception room.

The room, about a dozen square meters, wasn’t spacious, but the ceiling was high enough. Thick, exposed log beams gave it a very rugged feel.

A heavily worn bearskin rug was spread in the center of the room. Several low-backed armchairs were arranged around a table made from a polished slice of a massive log.

The only window was on the south side. Sunlight filtered through the not-so-clean glass, illuminating the dust motes slowly drifting in the air before landing on a large map.

It was a detailed, hand-drawn map of the Northern Forest and its surrounding areas, densely covered with markings of various colors and shapes that represented known monster territories and resource points.

Mirana could even see her own contributions on it.

Including the parts based on her “reasonable imagination.”

Besides the map, many specimens also hung on the walls—

The head of a python, the skull of a Giant, the claws of a bear goblin.

And a row of fangs from various monsters, arranged from smallest to largest.

To be honest, compared to other branches, the stuff hanging in the Heitai Town branch was rather shabby.

Even the most presentable item, the Giant’s skull, wouldn’t even make it into the “exhibit space” at other branches.

But it couldn’t be helped.

It was like when Lu Wei was a child; because he couldn’t qualify as a “model student,” Father and Mother Lu could only hang up awards like “Little Hygiene Sentinel” on the wall as a small consolation.

Even though, in Lu Wei’s opinion, it was better not to hang them at all.

“Miss Mirana, about your request…”

“Sigh, I’m afraid I have to disappoint you.”

Across the table sat a burly man of about fifty.

The years had not diminished his authority. The Warrior Badge pinned to his chest, though slightly worn, was polished clean, symbolizing his past glory and status.

“Although the Count has confirmed he will attend the opening ceremony for the Gelan Trade Route, he is coming at the invitation of the Silver Scale Merchant Association. It has nothing to do with the Adventurer Association, so I really have no way to introduce you to him.”

Looking at Mirana, he explained with a wry smile:

“To be honest with you, I might not even get a chance to speak with the Count myself.”

“Of course, if you still insist, I will do my best to try.”

“But I can’t make any promises right now. I hope you can understand.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Across the table, Mirana’s expression didn’t change as she just nodded lightly.

“In that case, I’ll have to trouble you to do your best when the time comes.”

“Alright… but are you sure you don’t want to consider a different request?”

The man, out of kindness and not wanting to see a precious opportunity wasted on a slim hope, couldn’t help but remind her again:

“You could ask for a suitable Weapon, an Inlaid Gemstone, or even just take the cash equivalent. That would be no problem.”

“No, unless you have a way to heal my companion’s legs,” Mirana said, shaking her head.

“…”

“Ahem, well, in that case, I’ll just do my best to get you an audience with the Count.”

The man’s expression was a little awkward. He added a few more perfunctory words, then stood up to see Mirana out of the room.

But just as she was about to leave, he seemed to remember something and said suddenly:

“By the way, regarding what you mentioned, you might not have to trouble the Count. There’s someone else who might be able to help you.”

“Oh?”

Mirana immediately stopped, her eyes showing surprise and urgency. “Who might that be?”

“A noble lady. You may have heard of her father, Viscount Delaroca of Kalin Port.”

The man replied with a smile, “The young lady has come to Heitai Town to handle some business. She only just arrived a few days ago and is currently staying at the Silver Moon Corridor Inn.”

“If you need help, I can take you to see her.”