Vol. 1 - Ch. 57 - Yin-Yang Contract

What an outrageously greedy lion’s appetite.

Yet, that very audacity was exactly what befitted the heir of the Elcas Noaredi family.

At least, that was what Viscount Milangel thought.

Just as Lynn was certain that he was not making empty promises, the viscount was equally certain that Lynn was not joking.

The young man truly wanted everything he possessed.

His response was:

“...Wonderful.”

If Lynn had demanded nothing at all, or merely requested a trivial reward, then there was no way the viscount could have trusted him to keep the secret of the Dark Witch.

The risks Lynn would be taking and the benefits he would receive would have been completely disproportionate.

A promise without equal value was nothing more than charity. Unless someone was a saint, no one would risk offending the Church merely to offer charity to another person.

But if Lynn truly intended to take everything from him, then this would become an exchange of equal value.

And the viscount believed that Lynn would absolutely honor a fair transaction.

At that moment, Viscount Milangel felt as though a heavy burden had finally been lifted from his shoulders.

Watching the obvious relief on the viscount’s face, Lynn found it rather amusing.

What a strange man.

As a noble, he cared so little about the territory that represented his family’s honor.

Yet, as the head of his household, he found it impossible to abandon those insignificant emotional attachments.

Then again, Lynn did not seem qualified to criticize him.

Everyone had something they were determined to protect and something they desperately desired.

Perhaps, to the viscount, love and family were the same as wealth was to Lynn.

If that was the case, then setting such a price was not greed—it was a form of respect toward the viscount.

“Mr. Milangel, the banquet is still ongoing. If the host remains absent for too long, the guests will inevitably become uneasy.”

Lynn looked at him calmly.

“I’ll stay here and draft the contract for our transaction.”

“Once tonight’s banquet is over, we’ll officially sign the agreement.”

“Oh, right. Let’s also include the premium charcoal order we discussed earlier as one of the clauses. As for the remaining payment, there’s no need to pay it anymore.”

“After all, this transaction is already more than enough to cover that small business deal from before.”

Seeing Lynn’s completely serious expression, the viscount suddenly felt the urge to complain.

Under normal circumstances, shouldn’t you return the deposit I already paid first?

Even so, he sincerely appreciated Lynn.

Because if it were anyone else, there was absolutely no chance they would risk defying the Church just to help him.

“I truly owe the Elcas Noaredi family another debt of gratitude.”

“You owe me nothing. This is an equal exchange.”

Lynn looked at him and continued:

“I trade what I value for what you value. Nothing more.”

After the viscount left the room, Lynn skillfully took out the pen and paper he always carried with him.

With swift and practiced movements, he began drafting the contract.

However, as he wrote, he suddenly realized there was a problem.

What exactly was the true purpose behind Baron Rose and the Blood Serpent Society’s attempt to poison the son of the White Pine Viscount?

They had married their daughter into the White Pine Viscount’s household.

Then, they had gone to great lengths to continuously poison the child left behind by the viscount’s first wife.

What benefit could possibly justify such an elaborate and painstaking scheme?

There had to be a deeper reason behind it.

If they had simply wanted to kill him, there was no need to make things so complicated or repeatedly use the Veil of Interference.

Through the process of elimination, the only reason they would choose such an inefficient assassination method was to make it appear as though the child had died from a mysterious illness.

And if the eldest son of the White Pine Viscount died from an illness, who would benefit the most immediately?

The answer was obvious.

The legal inheritance of the territory would fall to Lilith.

Combined with the Blood Serpent Society’s goal of seizing control of the Northern Frontier, the conclusion was easy to reach.

If everything went according to their plan, then the next person to die of a so-called “illness” would be the White Pine Viscount himself.

Just as they had attempted to use Blackstone Territory as their base of operations, the Blood Serpent Society also coveted the far larger White Pine Territory.

That meant even if Lynn successfully dealt with Baron Rose, their ambitions would not disappear.

The Blood Serpent Society itself would still remain.

More importantly, if the contract he was currently drafting was truly carried out, he would become both the Baron of Blackstone and the Viscount of White Pine at the same time.

With the benefits of two major targets stacked together, there was no way the Blood Serpent Society would simply ignore him.

By then, Milangel could take his wife and children back to the Northwind Barony he had retained and live a peaceful life as a baron with his family.

Meanwhile, Lynn would become the Blood Serpent Society’s primary target.

Wouldn’t that mean I’m the one being left with all the trouble?

The satisfied smile that had appeared on Lynn’s face moments earlier—after successfully securing the larger share of the deal—vanished instantly.

It was replaced by cold sweat running down his forehead.

No. I have to find a way to swallow the entire White Pine Territory while minimizing the risks as much as possible.

An ordinary person would probably have given up immediately after realizing the danger.

But everyone knew Lynn was neither ordinary...

Nor entirely human.

In fact, even if he understood the risks involved, if someone offered him the title of White Pine Viscount directly without any preparation, he would still accept without the slightest hesitation.

If there was a 10% profit to gain, he would actively pursue it.

With a 20% profit, he would work day and night.

With a 50% profit, he would willingly take risks.

With a 100% profit, he would ignore every rule in his way.

And if there was a 300% profit...

He would dare to take any risk.

Besides, his terrifying intellect had already created the perfect solution to eliminate those dangers.

Without hesitation, Lynn crossed out the clause titled “Unconditional Transfer of Territory.”

To prevent anyone from discovering and exploiting the document, he tore the dangerous draft into countless pieces and threw them into the oil lamp.

The paper quickly burned into ashes.

You want me to become the obvious target in everyone’s eyes? Keep dreaming!

He was about to apply the wisdom of modern finance—

A simple combination known as the Variable Interest Entity (VIE) Structure and the Yin-Yang Contract.

In simple terms—

Someone else would hold the title.

While he collected the benefits.

Lynn’s pen moved rapidly across the paper as he drafted two completely different contracts.

The first was the “Yang Contract,” the document that would be publicly displayed for everyone to see.

Its title was:

“Comprehensive Defense and Economic Mutual Assistance Agreement Between White Pine Territory and Blackstone Territory.”

On the surface, Milangel would remain the noble Viscount of White Pine—the one and only lawful ruler of the territory.

However, the second document—the one that would actually be signed and sealed—was the true agreement.

The “Yin Contract.”

Its title was:

“Confidential Agreement on the Comprehensive Economic Trusteeship and Absolute Authorization of White Pine Territory.”

Under this secret agreement, all taxation rights of White Pine Territory, mining rights, and even the actual command authority over its guards would be transferred completely into Lynn’s hands.

Of course, this transfer would be disguised under terms such as “management outsourcing” and “debt collateral”.

Even so, from a legal perspective, Viscount Milangel would still remain the sole lawful lord of White Pine Territory.

After carefully reviewing every clause, Lynn could no longer suppress the grin spreading across his face.

A cheerful, villainous laugh escaped from his mouth.

“Kehehehe...”

“My Lord Lynn, has something good happened?”

Suddenly, Griffin’s voice came from behind him.

“You scared me to death! Could you knock before entering next time?!”

Startled so badly that he almost hissed like an angry cat, Lynn nearly tore the parchment in his hands.

“My apologies. It’s an occupational habit...”

Griffin paused briefly before continuing:

“Besides, there is an urgent matter that I need to report to you immediately.”

Hearing this, curiosity appeared on Lynn’s face.

“What is it? Does it have something to do with Lilith?”

Griffin’s expression turned serious.

“No. Surprisingly, she has remained completely calm and has simply stayed alone in her room...”

“However, I have been keeping watch over everyone in the manor outside the banquet hall.”

“And I have become certain of one thing.”

“Ever since we returned to the estate, one of the servants has disappeared without a trace.”

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