Darkstone Code

Chapter 1246 - 1244: Advanced Value

In November, the temperature in Gafura dropped significantly, and the damp air brought a chill that made even thick clothes seem laughable.

No matter how much you wear, if you stay outside long enough, the damp cold air can penetrate windproof clothes, seep through the skin and enter the body.

The chill is like stabbing needles, constantly drilling into the bones!

But if you wear just a little thicker, not too much, not a lot!

In a moment, you’ll break into a sweat, and then this sweat will merge with the cold air outside, becoming a headache-inducing and bone-piercing winter!

Winter is coming...

Yes, autumn is over, isn’t winter just coming?

Pedestrians on the road huddled up, heads down, walking against the wind in the cold breeze.

The quiet Imperial Capital seemed no different from the past, but beneath this cold, calm surface was an impending volcano!

"He was very close to my uncle..."

In a warm room, a fireplace burned with top-quality wood costing over a dozen pounds per kilo.

The biggest difference between this expensive wood and the cheap kind is that it produces less smoke when burning, while the oil it secretes smells more fragrant.

The room needs no incense; the unique woody fragrance from the burning wood lingers in the air.

It’s not as pungent as chemical fragrances; a whiff can last a long time, and as soon as people leave the room, they’re no longer influenced by those scents.

The fire in the fireplace burned vigorously as the young Count reminisced, "When my father was critically ill, I was young and didn’t understand what it meant he couldn’t get out of bed."

"I might have only felt he was pitiful, needing help even to sit up."

"At that time, my uncle often came to visit, helping my father by patting his body, saying it would make him healthier."

"He would also talk to him about their childhood—at which I felt a bit grateful back then!"

The young Count took a sip of wine, "When my father lay in bed, he was always in pain. Only when his brother came and spoke those words did he smile."

"I didn’t know what to do; perhaps that was the best gift he could give me."

"Until... until Father left this world."

The young Count sighed deeply, "Everyone started blaming me. Some accused me of not doing what a child should do while he was sick—that I didn’t do what I could for him."

"Others blamed me for not playing the role of a qualified heir during his illness, leading to many crises in the Earl’s Mansion."

"At the time, part of our industry was targeted, which became another excuse for them to attack me."

He looked at Lynch, as if discussing a story unrelated to himself, "I was only about thirteen or fourteen then. They demanded too much of me—I’m not a god. I certainly couldn’t do all that."

"Then, with that bastard’s help, family members like uncles, aunts, and my brothers and sisters started to strip me of my heir status."

"That scoundrel forged some fake evidence and found a worthless horseman to claim he had an affair with my mother, saying I was the horseman’s child..."

The young Count couldn’t help but laugh in anger, hiding his fury beneath the smile, "He said a horseman’s bastard wasn’t fit to be the heir, but luckily some people spoke up for me."

"They confirmed there was nothing wrong with my lineage, so those people began to find other ways."

"They wanted me to give up what was rightfully mine, to compete with them, and attempted to dismantle and secretly transfer away all family assets."

"Fortunately, my father had some good friends who helped me when I needed it most."

"I inherited his title, but I also lost many family assets!"

This is why, despite being a noble with considerable strength, the young Count has little industry besides some real estate and investment goods.

The entire family industry was stripped away by his relatives; when they couldn’t take the young Count’s title, they took the industry.

Then these uncles, aunts, brothers, and sisters pledged allegiance to other nobles.

The reason they did this was to prevent the young Count from reclaiming those assets.

"That bastard played a very disgraceful role in all this; my scumbag uncle is now married to his daughter!"

Lynch nodded, "We can give your uncle our regards first. I suppose it’s been a long time since you last met, surely there will be much to talk about..."

Meanwhile, in another warm room in the Imperial Capital, a middle-aged man in his forties was discussing some year-end work with his employees.

Gafura, being an island nation, has very limited resources. However, during the time of great maritime exploration, Gafura gained an advantage.

Their maritime technology also developed quite well, becoming one of the first groups to engage in world trade.

Many aristocrats have their own trading companies for conducting import and export trade, while some are not very good at business but know how to obtain stable returns.

For example, buying two ships and affiliating them under other trading companies, then just waiting for dividends every year.

In the past industries of the young Count, there was this part, about seven or eight ships, which was also an important part of the family’s revenue and expenditure.

Each quarter, these ships could bring in hundreds of thousands of Fla in profits, but after his uncle failed in the fight for the title, he took these industries away.

At that time, the young Count’s mother was only focused on helping him stabilize the title, thereby allowing many people to leave with the family’s industries.

Now, this portion of the industry belongs to the young Count’s uncle and his wife.

His wife holds half of the shares.

The young Count’s uncle rubbed his eyes; it’s the end of the year, particularly busy, every day he needs to work long hours.

He doesn’t only own this company but also some others that all need his personal attention.

Daily heavy work did not calm his mind, but instead made him more restless.

There are many reasons for his restlessness, such as... the young Count.

Logically, he shouldn’t have any troubles; he has an enviable status, noble lineage, a social status to be looked up to, and is very wealthy.

But he is just full of dissatisfaction, dissatisfaction with his nephew, dissatisfaction with his brother’s wife, dissatisfaction with his own wife, and dissatisfaction with his wife’s father!

His life is not as wonderful as people imagine; he has his worries.

He is dissatisfied with everyone and has his reasons.

Recently, the news that the young Count and his group made a fortune in Amelia reached the Main Island, inexplicably agitating him.

No matter the reason for the fallout, nobody hopes the other party lives better than themselves; "living better than me" is just a moral model used by those victorious in life to satisfy some boring quirks.

Only "You deserve to live poorly after leaving me" is people’s true thought and intention.

The better the young Count lives, the unhappier he becomes, also making his heart always filled with emotions ready to explode.

Watching his damn nephew become wealthy and enjoying various privileges brought by the title, the emotions in his heart almost explode, he needs to vent!

After tidying up his things, he left the company a little early.

It was somewhat cold today, he didn’t go straight home.

He is currently separated from his wife, that old aristocrat always wants to meddle in his work and life; he’s already paid the "protection fee," but the other side still doesn’t seem to let him go.

The old aristocrat also owns a trading company with about a dozen ships, wanting the young Count’s uncle to merge his company with the old aristocrat’s company.

He is unwilling, thus resents his wife.

Thinking about all kinds of displeasing things, the car slowly arrived at a famous district in the Imperial Capital.

This place is famous, not because it is a landmark or because it gathers a large number of aristocrats, nor is it the political, cultural, or financial core.

It is famous only because it is the designated entertainment district of the Imperial Capital.

In Gafura, solicitation is legal, and enjoying special services in private rooms is also legal.

He needs to vent his irritable emotions; there’s no place more suitable than here.

He has a familiar girl, in her early twenties, young enough to be his daughter, but he doesn’t care, nor does the girl.

He needs to vent, and the girl needs money; there is no issue of who is more noble in this transaction.

The young Count’s uncle got out of the car and walked into the roadside entertainment venue, asking for a vacant room, and then found the girl he was familiar with.

The girl entered his room not long after, familiar but not enthusiastic.

The right grasp of the relationship makes him feel not the cheapness of buying happiness but rather a faint feeling like returning home.

The girl is very clever, starting from talking about recent work, then to international situation and politics.

These are topics Gafura men like.

The two chatted and leaned against each other, starting from initial kisses, not rushed, the temperature in the room slowly rising, like the sudden rise of emotions.

They don’t seem like a client and a prostitute, but instead like a man and woman in the early stages of marriage.

Just as everything naturally continued, when the fire in the heart was about to be vented, suddenly someone knocked on the door.

Bang bang bang!