They don't want me to try anymore.

When Walter took a look, he saw that the first few sheets of paper contained evidence of his contacts with various pirate groups.

Well, it was a little awkward, but it was somewhat within his expectations.

After all, the ships of the Evil Wind Pirates had been captured, so it's normal that some secrets couldn't be kept.

He said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, the pirates' testimonies are not credible. There must be some misunderstanding involved. You should not be deceived by this..."

Richard shrugged: "Don't rush to explain, turn the page."

The mysterious silver-level expert also bent down.

Feeling the pressure, Walter could only grit his teeth and continue looking back.

then……

He saw several ledgers.

And some of his properties that should not have been known to outsiders, including shares in a fleet, several plantations, and a seaside castle.

These things combined are enough to prove that he embezzled company assets, and the amount was quite substantial...

Wait, how did these things get leaked?

Richard made a funny face at the sight of the shocked Walter.

He acquired all of this in the last few days.

As for the method, it mainly relies on the repeated use of his own disguise and deception abilities, plus Veronica's vampire powers to give it a little push—after the recent simulation, the latter consciously buried a blood slave inside the standard fruit.

Unlike the previous evidence of contact with pirates, this latest intelligence will not harm Standard Fruit Company.

But it would greatly harm Walter himself.

This director, who is seen as an "uncrowned king" by ordinary people, may seem powerful on the surface, but in reality, his status is similar to that of a professional manager.

In other words, he was essentially still controlled by the imperial noble shareholders, such as Dulles the Elder.

Once his actions that seriously harmed the company's interests are exposed, his fate will certainly not be good.

Soon, sweat appeared on Walter's forehead.

"...What do you need me to do?"

Richard smiled and said, "Don't be nervous, I won't let you ruin your future..."

After a frank discussion, Richard and Walter reached a deal.

Richard would withhold information detrimental to Walter, and even help cover it up, while Walter would also provide him with internal information about the future of Standard Fruit Company.

...Incidentally, he also secretly took some money from his own pocket and gave it to Richard to provide disability compensation for the laborers in Connaught.

To be honest, this is far from Richard's ideal state.

But he also understood that taking down one Walter wouldn't affect Standard Fruit; the key to this matter lay with the Empire itself.

Therefore, Richard is already quite satisfied that he can get Walter to work for him.

By taking this approach, he could first eliminate all hostile forces within Connaught...

After their secret meeting, with Veronica's dark creature magic, the two disappeared without a trace from Standard Fruit.

“My crew has been having a lot of fun lately, I need to go back and check on them.”

As soon as she came out, Veronica said she wanted to leave.

This female mosquito has been pestering Richard lately, testing his limits of shame in various ways, but ultimately she has her own fleet and business and can't stay in Connaught.

Richard blinked.

Finally, I can get rid of the days of being anemic every day!

He replied politely, "If there's anything I can help you with..."

"Don't worry, Your Highness, I won't be polite then, and... who knows, they might be back in a week~"

After saying this, the vampire planted a strawberry with a tooth mark on the prince's neck, then transformed into a bat and disappeared into the air.

“…This woman…”

Richard touched his neck, his feelings a mix of emotions.

Next, he planned to return to the palace and continue spending time in the library to decipher the three parchments of the necromancer Hyman.

However, as soon as he returned home, he was found by a group of palace servants and learned important news.

"...Luvia, the Sword of the Empire, is coming?"

“Yes, Your Highness. It is said that she is going to Divine Grace Island on military duty and will visit Connaught Palace on the way.” A messenger replied respectfully, “This is quite sudden, but His Majesty has already begun preparations for her welcome…”

Was it sudden? Thinking about it, it's not so sudden after all...

Richard thought to himself that he had been ambushed and killed in the recent simulation, and given Luvia's personality, she would definitely be unable to resist coming to visit him.

We should give them a proper welcome and put their minds at ease.

After discussing the matter with the others for a while, Richard returned to his bedroom.

But as soon as he stepped outside, his keen senses alerted him to what sounded like voices inside—and it seemed to be a woman's voice.

Wait, could it be that Luvia came secretly ahead of time?

Considering the fact that the two now have a secret relationship, it's not impossible.

Good heavens, the anemia crisis has just been resolved, and now my body is already facing a new challenge?

Richard subconsciously straightened his collar and carefully pushed open the door.

However, what appeared in the bedroom was a beautiful deep blue.

Alice gently stroked her hair, tilted her head and smiled, speaking softly:

"What, junior, are you surprised to see me?"

Chapter 124 Why did it turn out like this?

Can you not be surprised?

After a long day, I returned to my bedroom to find a beautiful woman there. Was this some kind of deliberate test for the cadre?

Richard swallowed hard, looking slightly embarrassed.

Alice, who had been sitting at the table by the window reading a book, stood up, put down the book, and went to the door.

Sunlight streamed through the curtains, casting a halo around her already porcelain-white and delicate skin.

With a mischievous grin, she pressed on, "Want me to guess who you originally thought was behind the door?"

Don't ask, don't ask...

Richard felt as if a section chief had possessed him for a moment, and waved his hands repeatedly. Then he chose to answer the question with a question: "Why did you come today, senior? You didn't even let me know to welcome you. I'm so sorry for being so rude."

"Sure enough, people become polite when you try to change the subject."

"Ah, no... I just think what you're doing is too dangerous."

That makes sense.

Alice narrowed her pretty eyes slightly, glanced at the vampire's teeth mark still on Richard's neck, then took a step forward, getting within a fist's distance of Richard.

She extended her jade-like fingers and gently straightened Richard's collar, smiling as she said, "But I believe in your strength, junior. You'll definitely be able to protect me, won't you?"

No, no, no, you're still stronger, aren't you?

Richard raised an eyebrow, sensing the immense, undisguised magical power within the beauty before him—only slightly less than William's. This was progressing so quickly.

Considering that the other party can participate in the simulation, it's not surprising that they're essentially cheating.

Speaking of simulations, in the last simulation, Alice and Luvia came together, and Alice suffered terribly. Is this scene going to play out earlier now?

While Richard was lost in thought, Alice's heart was also pounding.

The girl thought to herself: After so long (including the simulation time), Richard seems even more attractive now...

And it's not just his appearance; his recent achievements are also remarkable.

Hmph, no wonder he's the man I've set my sights on~

I really want to do everything I did in the simulation right now!

Pah! Pah! Pah! Alice, Alice, you have no shame!

However... we really should hurry up...

The younger student is becoming more and more charming, which means there are more and more women trying to steal his attention.

Those faint teeth marks...were they from that female pirate? Hmph, taking advantage of her lack of official rank and responsibility to seduce people! And Luvia, if she's going to Divine Grace Island, she should go to Divine Grace Island. The Imperial coastline is so long, why insist on starting from Connaught? Her petty scheming couldn't be more obvious...

The more Alice thought about these things, the wider her smile became, until Richard couldn't help but swallow again, and she softly said:

"I didn't come here secretly. I officially notified you. I just really wanted to see you, junior, so I couldn't wait and arrived a little early."

"As for the purpose of my visit, it's because I've recently formed two new merchant fleets and want to establish trading posts and transit warehouses in Connaught. You might not know, but I've acquired a new directly controlled territory in Vanderbilt and am thinking about expanding my sources of income..."

Richard breathed a sigh of relief as he smelled the warm, pleasant fragrance.

We've finally gotten around to the previous topic!