Mysterious: The Innate Sacred Body of Destiny

Chapter 370 A Generous Gift

That evening, the Negan family's main house was brightly lit.

This was a social event held in the form of a dinner party. Many guests attended, but most were prominent nobles. They represented various factions. Earl Hall, Marquis of Losente, Earl Gross—

As soon as Lorne entered the banquet hall, he attracted everyone's attention. His reputation as the "Hero of the East," the "Lone Warrior Who Dared to Fight an Assassin," was well-known.

His aura made him the most eye-catching focus tonight.

Dela Negan came to greet him personally, his face showing just the right amount of gratitude and respect.

"We've been waiting for you, James."

Soon, the party officially began.

Agushid Nigan, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Rune, stood on the high platform in the center of the banquet hall and first informed everyone of Duke Nigan's condition. He explained that the Duke's injuries had stabilized and his life was not in danger, but he still needed to rest for a while.

Subsequently, Lady Della, the wife of the Duke of Negan, whose relationship with her husband was strained due to his numerous lovers, also came forward to confirm the news.

Upon hearing the news that the Duke was alright, the guests reacted in various ways. Many conservative nobles subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, while others revealed expressions of barely concealed regret.

Then, Agusid Negan solemnly announced that, in order to express the Negan family's gratitude for the heroic act of "East Side Hero" James Scott, the Negan family would give this brave friend a generous gift.

"Two hundred thousand pounds — and several villas in different neighborhoods of Backlund — suburban estates — 450,000 acres of land — and a large amount of colonial property —"

Lorne almost couldn't hold back his laughter when he heard those numbers and the assets! Although he had expected the so-called thank-you gift to be generous, this was just too extravagant!

Although these things are insignificant compared to the Duke's life and the Negan family's vast assets, the sheer generosity is still incredibly shocking. He even had the urge to put on the "Calm Ring" in public and give himself a "Mental Storm."

Not only Lorne, but the guests present also showed the same astonishment.

"hiss-"

Someone gasped first, and then suppressed gasps and whispers erupted like a tidal wave after the silence!

Two hundred thousand pounds! For most of the nobles present, this was a huge sum of cash that required serious consideration! Not to mention the prime real estate, vast tracts of land, and colonial properties! The combined value of these assets was simply immeasurable! Enough to instantly elevate a commoner to the ranks of Backlund's true wealthy, even surpassing many impoverished nobles who possessed only titles and ancestral property and were struggling with cash flow!

With these, he would no longer be just a somewhat famous East End hero, but a truly wealthy and successful Mr. Scott, and if the Negan family were willing to help, even Sir Scott—

Oh, Goddess above—he looks even more charming—some young noble ladies gaze at Lorne with strange gleam in their eyes.

This made Lorne somewhat relieved that this was Rune and not Intis, because he noticed that, apart from some young ladies, many noblewomen licked their lips, and their expressions were somewhat subtle—

Almost all the guests' eyes were fixed on Lorne. Some were so envious their eyes turned red, some were so surprised their jaws almost dropped, some were so jealous they wished they could take his place, and some even looked at him with admiration and love.

He forced himself to control his facial muscles, maintaining a humble and flattered expression, and bowed to Agushid and all the guests.

Under the combined influence of the atmosphere of being the center of attention and his inner excitement, he truly felt a sense of "winning," and at the same time, something inside him began to loosen.

The "Winner" potion is being digested at lightning speed! The digestion progress bar, which had been stagnant for a long time, is now suddenly surging forward as if it has been injected with fuel! The digestion is fast and intense, giving a feeling of exhilaration, like something bursting forth after a long period of buildup!

Unfortunately, Lorne couldn't calm down and focus on his own state, because the party was still going on.

Soon, the atmosphere in the banquet hall became lively again. Nobles and dignitaries from all walks of life flocked to Lorne to offer their congratulations and engage in conversation.

Testing, inviting—

"Congratulations, Mr. Scott!"

"Such admirable courage and enviable good fortune!"

"What are Mr. Scott's views on the recent financial market situation?"

"Mr. Scott, does your factory need a new partner?"

Some nobles were calm, showing genuine understanding and appreciation. Others, however, displayed the arrogance typical of nobles, merely wanting to probe his background. Still others clearly showed disdain for Lorne's commoner status in their eyes.

Lorne straightened up, behaving neither servilely nor arrogantly, speaking as appropriately as possible, neither showing excessive favor to any party nor making any promises lightly. Just as he finished dealing with another wave of visitors and was feeling slightly tired, Dela Negan sent a waiter over with a message, hoping that he would stay after the party.

The guests gradually dispersed, and the noise subsided.

De La Negan personally invited Lorne into his study. After closing the door, he mysteriously took a document from his pocket and handed it to him.

"Although I've said it many times at the banquet, I want to thank you again, James. Thank you for saving my uncle."

"This is also part of our thank-you gift to you."

-

Lorne took the document and examined it in the dim light of the study.

The title of the document, "Backlund Arms Group—", surprised Lorne.

This is currently one of the largest arms companies in Backlund.

As Lorne continued reading, he discovered it was a share transfer agreement. Although the shares were small, only three percent, their impact on Lorne's future arms business would undoubtedly be enormous!

After reading it, Lorne put down the document, looked at Dela Negan, and narrowed his eyes slightly.

From the start of the party, he had a subtle feeling. Could the Negan family really want this sudden, unpredictable feeling of being completely bound to him by money and status in front of everyone?

"This doesn't seem to be—the Negan family's property, does it?"

"That's not true." Dela Negan nodded.

"But it can be your asset."

"A gift? Or rather—another form of gratitude?" Lorne pressed.

"Yes." Della nodded.

"But more accurately, it's my investment. Like we discussed at the party, I'm very interested in your design for the Ripper and your factory concept. I see potential in the arms industry and—your unique ideas."

He paused, his tone becoming more meaningful: "I can use my resources to invest in you, help you integrate resources, expand production scale, and explore a broader market."

"Of course, these are all my private investments and do not involve my family."

"It won't involve the family," Lorne sneered inwardly, not believing it at all.

As a young man, it's normal for Dela Negan to be interested in arms, but how could it be possible that such a large-scale investment had no family influence whatsoever?

He could roughly guess the reason—

As a pillar of the conservative wing, the Negan family needs to maintain its traditional image and avoids openly investing heavily in emerging industries to prevent a backlash from other more conservative forces within the party.

On the other hand, they also keenly sensed the changes of the times, saw the huge potential and benefits of new weapons and industrialized production, as well as the potential decline of conservative forces, and wanted to take precautions and carry out a certain degree of transformation or planning.

He himself, a commoner who suddenly appeared, possessed skills and ideas, had the aura of a "hero" to protect him, and had just "saved" the Duke, was undoubtedly an excellent collaborator, or rather, an agent.

Lorne's brain started working at lightning speed.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing for me. With their help, my arms business will definitely take off—the Negan family has considerable influence in the military, so selling weapons will be no problem at all.

Moreover, in the secular world, I also have a powerful backer.

"This is a very constructive suggestion —"

"You have a very wise eye."

"I think so too," Della said with a smile.

In short, Lorne largely accepted the offer, but the specific terms were still unclear. However, Della promised to give Lorne considerable autonomy in the company's future development and to respect his technical and business philosophies.

In return, Lorne will invest a portion of the cash reward he receives from the Negan family into his arms business.

In key matters, Della herself needs a say, and at the same time, the collaboration between the two should be kept as secret as possible.

A conditional thank-you gift? It was expected, and acceptable—Lorne understood this; he had anticipated Della's conditions.

If there were no conditions at all, he would find it strange.

The two chatted about related topics for a while and even signed some memorandum-like agreements.

On the carriage back, Lorne was finally able to calm down and assess his own condition.

"The potion is almost fully digested, just one more step away—" He wasn't particularly happy; in fact, he seemed a little puzzled.

"That's not right. Given my previous state and what I've accumulated, I should have been able to digest it directly—why did it stop—?"

"Will Onsetin?"

The name resurfaced in my mind. Was it this "monster" being, a higher-sequence being, secretly interfering with my advancement? Or was there something special about the "winner's" digestion process that prevented it from being processed normally? Or was someone else behind this?

"Ugh—headache." Lorne rubbed his temples. "I don't want to think about it now. The most important thing is to get this pile of things done right now."

The pharmaceutical factory needs to be started, the large-scale production of allicin needs to be put on the agenda, the secret cooperation agreement with De La Negan needs to be refined, and the integration and expansion of the arms industry is imminent.

Moreover, it is foreseeable that after tonight's high-profile thank-you dinner, his visibility in Backlund will undoubtedly rise to a new level.

-

In terms of political leanings, he may already be categorized as a Conservative.

"A factory owner within the Conservative Party, a New Party member within the Conservative Party—" Lorne even started to come up with nicknames for himself in a self-deprecating way.

"Handle these urgent matters quickly and get things organized. Then—get out of here and lay low for a while."