They don't want me to try anymore.

Fortunately, I'm good at improvising. After saying this, I hope the Sword Saint sister has calmed down.

He looked up and saw...

Luvia's face was as red as an apple, as if it would bleed if pricked. Her shoulders trembled slightly, and she lowered her head, the shadows of her stray hairs obscuring her eyes, making it impossible to see her gaze. She murmured to herself:

"He's so good, really, I can't hold back anymore, I want him so much..."

Ah!

This shouldn't be happening!

Brain, brain, think of a solution!

dong dong!

The sudden knock on the door broke the awkward silence.

In an instant, Luvia straightened up and resumed her usual cold expression!

Richard quickly wiped the sweat from his forehead and used ice magic to soothe his body.

"Please, please come in!"

David, covered in bandages, peeked out from the doorway.

"Your Highness..."

He was about to speak when he saw Luvia, and his voice froze.

There was no way around it; when bandits meet officials, especially officials of the level of a half-step sword saint, things inevitably turn out this way.

"...Should I wait a bit before coming in?"

"Need not."

Luvia stood up abruptly and said, "Richard, I'll come see you again later."

She realized her earlier lapse in composure, and after regaining her composure, she didn't dare stay in the room for a moment longer. After speaking, she left behind a fragrant breeze and disappeared into the corridor.

"Truly worthy of being called the Sword of the Empire, so decisive and efficient."

David came to the bedside with a sigh.

Richard rolled his eyes.

Then he said, "Thank you for bringing people out to fight, otherwise I might not have made it to the hospital alive."

"Please don't say that. You've done so much for us, and that monster is everyone's enemy."

"No matter how much I do, it can't buy back my life... Will your brothers who were injured or killed receive any compensation?"

"Your Highness..."

David was moved, and then he and Richard discussed the specifics of the bandits, including what to do with the dead and wounded, and what to do with those who wanted to have their warrants revoked to atone for their crimes...

Finally, Richard asked directly:

"David, do you really want to be a bandit for the rest of your life?"

David was silent.

Richard continued, "For the mountain people, this incident is actually an opportunity..."

This is what it looks like after maxing out the regional reputation in Chapter 75.

"Opportunity?"

"That's right, and in some ways, it's also a chance for survival before a crisis."

David tensed up.

Richard said in a deep voice, "I'm not trying to scare you. Think about it, if something big happens in a place like Nion, do you think the Empire wouldn't react? Luvia and the Griffin Knights are just appetizers. Next, a permanent elite force will likely be added to this region to search for the aberrant desires of the Void Order and eliminate the invading creatures from other worlds..."

Richard didn't say the rest, but David understood it himself.

That's right. The new troops certainly won't just be here to exterminate the germ beasts. Since they're already here, it wouldn't be surprising if they also killed some bandits, would it?

Of course, Richard did not believe that a few strong crackdowns would eliminate the bandits in the Abarania Mountains—their existence was based on deep-seated contradictions, and they could not disappear unless all the residents of the mountains were relocated.

But whether David and his men can survive this calamity is another matter entirely.

Moreover, if we take a longer-term view...

Will the coal industry decline a hundred years from now? No. Will agriculture in mountainous areas have a future? No.

Therefore, the profession of bandit is just like coachman after the invention of the internal combustion engine—a complete trap.

"Your Highness, what is your suggestion?"

"Two."

Richard brought out paper and pen, indicating that David should listen and take notes.

"First, while the Baron family is dead and Nyon is in a power vacuum, and while the relatively friendly Miss Luvia is still around, you should quickly put on a legal facade, even if it's a facade that's easily punctured, it's better than nothing."

"Hand over the imperial weapons you have, destroy the ones you don't need. Don't worry about it. Next, set up a security company, then bribe the local officials to get some work. I can give you some start-up capital..."

"Secondly, we need to proactively engage with the coal mining industry. Don't always think about blasting mines and destroying shafts; that's useless. We should try to see if we can monopolize a certain aspect of the mining process, whether it's security or transportation. This way, we can seize some profits, and then use these profits to unite more mountain people, thereby consolidating our monopoly. If necessary, you can also contact the Earth Church..."

The so-called Earth Church refers to the church that worships the goddess of the earth, harvest, and fertility.

This goddess is also one of the seven main gods. Although she doesn't hold the same dominant position within the empire as the Order, she is still a legitimate entity, and she is particularly adept at dealing with land pollution issues...

By the way, this one also has the best figure among the Seven Gods...

"I won't go into more specifics; you're practically a local, you know more about the details."

"at last."

Richard grasped David's hand and said seriously, "Never forget that you are mountain people. After you start the company, you must still be rooted in Abarania and fight for the mountain people, just in a different way."

"This is not a suggestion, but an order. Do you remember our agreement? Perhaps one day in the future, I will come looking for you."

David looked into Richard's deep eyes and nodded solemnly.

The two chatted about trivial matters until new footsteps echoed in the corridor. David reluctantly stood up, gave Richard a slightly awkward but sincere bow, and said goodbye.

Watching the tall man's retreating figure, Richard sighed softly. He knew that the man had many difficulties to overcome.

To be honest, even he himself couldn't guarantee that the suggestion he just made was completely correct. If David wanted to make it work, he wouldn't be able to avoid any of the problems, such as the corruption of his accomplices, infighting over distribution, or the Imperial Army deliberately causing trouble.

Even if all succeeds, the struggle between the mountain people and the nobles will not stop, it will only take on more diverse forms.

But what in this world is easy to do?

I pray that he succeeds, so that I can say I've planted a small seed within the empire.

Richard then received many more waves of visitors.

They were basically representatives of public opinion from all walks of life in Nyon, such as the chairman of the chamber of commerce, socialites at balls, and respected scholars and gentlemen, etc.

To express their gratitude to Richard for saving their lives, they brought many gifts—one socialite even offered herself as a gift, but Richard firmly refused.

Anyway, look at that!

David's seed funding has arrived, hasn't it?

not only that.

When Benjamin arrived last, Richard handed over half of the gifts, instructing him to do so:

"Give this money to the soldiers and civilians who defended the tower with me that day. They were all great. Without them, I definitely wouldn't have made it to the end..."

Benjamin praised, "This is a noble act; the goddess will surely bless you."

“...Oh, right, remember to set aside two hundred gold coins to book the brothel for three days. I, Richard, am a man of my word. If I said I would open an impart, I will definitely open an impart.”

"..."

Benjamin rolled his eyes.

This thing can't be described as noble!

Finally, just as the nurses in the hospital, who were captivated by Richard's good looks, were about to lose their temper, everyone left the ward.

Richard was finally able to enjoy a quiet night.

But that night, others also couldn't sleep.

Inside the church of the goddess of order, Benjamin, covering his face, secretly instructed his subordinates to go to a brothel. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he encountered an unexpected guest.

"Anderson?"

He looked at his former classmate from the church school in surprise and asked, puzzled, "Why did you come to Nyon?"

"To test a junior student who has performed exceptionally well, and to see if he is qualified to join us."

A man named Anderson walked into the room with a stern face, took off his clean black priest's robe, and placed a small iron cage on the table.

He continued, "Have you heard of the blue gloves?"

Benjamin glanced at the color of Anderson's gloves and immediately understood: "That rumored elite organization that carries out secret missions for the church? You're a member of it too?"

"He just joined the company the year before last, but he's qualified to be your examiner."

Anderson examined Benjamin's equally impeccable attire, nodded and smiled, then lifted the gauze curtain over the cage to reveal its contents.