Transmigrated with a Demon-Refining Pot: Hehehe, Refine in an instant

That was obviously a joke. Marquis Mammon is already in his seventies or eighties, so his daughter-in-law must be in her forties or fifties.

Ron couldn't bring himself to eat it.

But Marquis Mammon did come up with a proposal that somewhat appealed to him.

His daughter-in-law won't do, but he has a granddaughter.

When Ron came to visit, he made sure to have several of his granddaughters make an appearance.

Ron can take whichever one he likes and start excavating that very night.

To be honest, two of the Marquis of Mammon's granddaughters are quite good-looking.

A girl saw Ron linger on her for a moment, and immediately showed a shy, adoring expression.

But Ron won't let the small head control the big head.

He could still tell the difference between the powerful and the weak. If he were to be bewitched by these noble ladies, he would be tied to Marquis Mammon's warship.

Moreover, these noble ladies are not simple people.

They all received special upbringing from their families from a young age, and their emotions and interests are tied to their families.

Even after being married for several years and having children, she might still bring Ron a bowl of medicinal soup, usurping his place.

He wouldn't dare let someone like that sleep next to him.

Ron politely declined Marquis Mammon's marriage proposal. He could see that the girl named Mary was on the verge of tears when she heard Ron's refusal.

It was as if she was about to lose her Prince Charming.

It was already dark when we left the Marquis of Mammon's mansion.

Magic lamps lit up the main street of Oak City, casting a dim, yellow glow on the damp, cold stone pavement. A deep winter wind swept in from the north, swirling a few withered leaves that stung like knives against the face.

Abadon followed behind Ron, his spiked club slung over his shoulder, his steps heavier than usual—he was in a bad mood.

"Sir, that old man is definitely up to no good," Abaddon said in a muffled voice.

"What do you mean by 'rising star of the principality' or 'young prodigy'? It doesn't sound like a compliment."

Ron didn't turn around: "You can tell this isn't a compliment?"

"I just think it's unreliable. He wrote you a threatening letter last time, and now he's smiling and asking you to marry him. He changes his mind faster than flipping through a book."

Ron smiled. Abaddon may be rough, but his intuition is not bad.

The Marquis's marriage proposal was a pretense; his real intention was to plant a spy by Ron's side.

He has shown his granddaughters to countless nobles.

Mary's disappointed expression was probably genuine. Ron was an earl, and so young. It was much better than marrying those old men.

"We'll talk about it when we get back."

The group quickly walked through several alleys and returned to their lodgings.

Ron has booked a large courtyard in Oak City, which is about the size of an estate. Of course, there is not enough room for Ron and his group, but it is quiet and peaceful.

Hart was standing at the door when he saw Ron return. He stepped forward and whispered, "Sir, the Marquis of Cologne has sent someone."

Ron paused. "Who's here?"

"Viscount Evan, and... the Viscountess."

Ron's expression remained unchanged, but a thought flickered in his mind:

"When did you arrive?"

"It was evening. They were traveling by sea, so it would only take them about ten days to reach Oak Town."

"They've just sent a messenger to their manor near the Grizzly Bear Merchant Guild, saying they want to see you."

Hart's voice was low, his gaze sweeping over Ron's face before shifting away.

Ron nodded.

"I'm going out for a bit. You all stay here and guard the yard; no one needs to come with me."

Ron boarded the carriage that Hart had prepared and headed south of the city.

He felt a restlessness in his heart; he hadn't seen Elena for over a year.

Over the course of the year, the two exchanged letters from time to time, and the Viscountess also helped Ron quite a bit.

Although Ron is not an animal controlled by his lower body, then again...

The Viscountess is different!

Her name, Narcissus, perfectly describes her—she's so radiant!

Especially since homegrown flowers are never as fragrant as wildflowers, let alone this wildflower which is someone else's homegrown flower.

Ron was determined to show the Viscountess the might of a proper knight.

Upon arriving at the manor where Viscount Evan and his entourage were staying, someone went in to report.

A moment later, Viscount Evan and his wife came out to greet him.

Ron's status is different now; before, he was just a pioneering baron with an uncertain future.

He is now a powerful earl whom even the Grand Duke wants to win over.

Ron spotted the Viscountess in the crowd at a glance.

Today she wore a light green silk dress with a low neckline embroidered with delicate leaf patterns in gold thread, which neatly framed the bright white lights. Despite the cold weather, her smooth, white calves were still visible.

I wonder who she was wearing it for.

The moment she saw Ron, her eyebrows arched and a faint smile appeared on her lips.

Despite her impeccable manners, Ron could still tell at a glance that she was a scoundrel.

She developed a fever from looking at him.

"Brother Ron... no, you should be addressed as Earl Ron now."

Evan walked over, opened his arms, and smiled broadly on his chubby face.

"Long time no see! Viscount, how have you been?"

Ron hugged him, not correcting him for calling him "brother." This was Viscount Evan's way of demonstrating his relationship with his men.

"What 'Viscount'? Call me Evan!" Evan patted him on the shoulder.

"Now that you are a count, I should address you as 'Sir'."

Ron smiled and quickly declined modestly, saying that Evan was the heir to the marquisate, the future marquis.

Don't let his current status as a court viscount fool you; a count like Ron still has to give him face.

To be honest, Ron couldn't understand why the Marquis of Cologne chose Evan as his successor. Was it just because he was the eldest son?

This reason is indeed very valid.

But Viscount Evan's strength was too weak; just a year ago, he was only a mid-ranking knight squire.

After surviving a life-or-death crisis, he began to focus on cultivation and is now only a high-ranking knight squire.

Even if he could break through to the first rank by using the resources of a marquis's family, he would still be nothing more than a mediocre player, with almost no hope of becoming a second-level Grand Knight.

Evan knew that he wasn't very talented in cultivation, so he devoted himself to business, and over the years he has actually made a name for himself.

Since he took over the Marquisate's business, the entire territory's revenue has almost doubled.

This made the Marquis of Cologne the richest marquis ever.

They can also afford to support the expensive Marigold Knights.

This may be why Viscount Evan was able to continue as the heir to the marquess.

But these alone are not enough; ultimately, the nobility must be judged by their strength.

If one day the Marquis of Cologne creates some younger siblings for him, some of them might have exceptionally high cultivation talent.

It's not impossible that they might remove him from his position as heir.

Therefore, Viscount Evan wanted to cultivate and invest in talented knights, and Ron was one of his favorites.

But Ron rose too fast; he's now an earl, a higher rank than him, so naturally he can't work under him anymore.

However, maintaining a good relationship with Ron would be of great help to him.

Viscount Evan brought his men to explore new territories this time in order to win over the lords with whom he had a good relationship.

Over the years, Viscount Evan has invested in many pioneering lords through commercial means and has good relations with most of the lords in the pioneering territories, having done business with them all.

Ron is the most important one among them. Ron also needs a pillar in the duchy, as the Broccoli family is too weak.

Therefore, he was still willing to maintain a good relationship with Viscount Evan.

This upheaval in the newly developed areas resulted in a complete redistribution of power.

Viscount Evans' business was also greatly affected.

His purpose in coming here was to contact the existing lords in the new territory and strive to ensure that his business would not be affected in the future.

The group walked into the manor and arrived at the reception room.

Elena poured him a glass of hot wine herself; the steam rose gently, and the wine was amber in color.

"The Grand Duke's intention is for the lords of your pioneering territories to stabilize the situation themselves first," Evan said, his smile fading and his voice lowered as he explained the current situation within the duchy to Ron.

"The Duke of Windsor values ​​the new territories, but his focus remains within the duchy. Those old nobles are not convinced by him, and he needs time to purge them."

Ron, holding his wine glass, asked, "What do the other high-ranking nobles in the duchy think of me?"

"Very interested." Evan stared into his eyes.

"A young count who fought his way up from the frontier, who was a mid-ranking knight's squire two years ago, has now transformed into a full knight and has even raised an army the size of an old count."

"Brother Ron, the Marquis is quite concerned about your rise to power. You should pay close attention."

Viscount Evan seemed to be giving Ron a warning.

But who knows if the Marquis of Cologne is among these marquises? Wasn't Viscount Evan curious about Ron's sudden transformation into a full knight?

Ron kept holding his wine glass, and Viscount Evan didn't seem to mind.

Evan continued, "But Brother Ron, you don't need to be too nervous. You are already an earl, and you have the strength of an earl."

"Some people are lucky enough to run into a fallen nobleman. So what if others are curious? What can they do to you? Strength is the key."

It's not hard to tell from Viscount Evan's words that someone in the Duchy has already found Liulichuan.

This is not surprising at all; the incident happened in the frontier area where Ron was, and a few people even escaped.

Later, Ron went on to build a magic tower in a grand manner, and some people had already connected the two events.

By following this association, it's easy to find clues.

According to their guess, Ron must have made a fortune from the runaway heiress of that marquis family.

This led to Ron's rapid rise to power.

Ron was silent for a moment: "Viscount, you are right. In the end, it all comes down to strength."

"If I were the former minor baron, I would naturally be afraid of the other nobles' covetousness; now they should be the ones afraid of me."

Ron did not deny Viscount Evan's words, letting them feel that it was a treasure brought by Liulichuan.

This will save them from further investigation.

Although Ron hid Margaret very well, he couldn't withstand constant surveillance.

At that time, the silver he sold to other countries might be discovered.

After Viscount Evan and Ron exchanged information, Ron got up to take his leave.

Elena remained silent. She sat at the table, watching them talk, her fingertips unconsciously fiddling with the tassels of her skirt.

When Ron said goodbye, she gave him a look.

Ron received it immediately.

His main purpose in coming here was this lovely girl in front of him. Did he really think he was here to listen to Viscount Evan's nonsense?

It's just giving him a chance to perform.

Ron had already planned everything before revealing his strength and resources.

Margaret is about to advance!

At worst, Ron could find a secluded spot and take the women to the small garden for a while.

When Margaret wakes up, she knocks all their heads off.

Ron waited outside the manor in his carriage for a while, and then the Viscountess came out with a maid.

She stood at the street corner and glanced around. When she saw Ron waving at her from the carriage window, she immediately walked over with a beaming smile.

As soon as Elena entered the carriage, Ron roughly pulled her into his arms:

"Hey, aren't you cold dressed like that in the dead of winter?"

As Ron spoke, he gathered fire-attribute battle aura in his hand and reached inside to warm the Viscountess's body.

The enclosed space of the carriage blocked out the cold wind, and the embers of the stove inside flickered, swallowing the chill and casting intertwined shadows of the two figures.

Elena sat coquettishly in Ron's lap, ignoring the mischievous pair of large hands.

He stared at Ron with fascination:

"You've become even more charming; you truly are the little puppy I discovered."

"Are you hungry?" she asked provocatively, with a seductive tone.

"The little puppy has grown into a big wolfhound, but it is indeed hungry."

"I can't stand seeing others go hungry."

Come......"

It's snowing in Oak Town.

Ron was completely buried and had difficulty breathing, but he still refused to leave.

Elena looked at Ron with maternal affection, her hands busy pinching his ears and touching his face.

After a short while, Elena touched it again in disbelief, then looked down at Ron.

"How did it become an eggplant?" she said.

"Becoming a full-fledged knight involves such changes?"

"Don't you like it?"

"I love it so much!"

The carriage fell silent, save for a few suppressed sobs.

Ron instructed the maid to stop in a secluded corner and had the coachman roll down to keep watch.

His battle with the Viscountess has officially begun.

The carriage finally found a secluded spot where no one was around, and the maid blushed as she got off to stand guard.

The fighting inside the carriage continued, once, twice, three times.

The Viscountess had no idea how she had woken up.

I only remember that I was fed a potion before I slowly regained consciousness.

She had regained some strength and her complexion was rosy, but she was severely dehydrated.

Finally, Ron escorted her back to her post. The lady's figure was trembling, and she looked as if a gust of wind could blow her over.

Ron couldn't help but blame himself for driving too aggressively.

I don't know if the Viscountess will recover by tomorrow; she'll have to be careful with her now.

For the rest of the time, Viscount Evan was busy contacting the lords of the settlements and couldn't find a soul in sight.

Ron and the Viscountess met secretly every day.

They don't have many chances to meet again, so they naturally want to cherish every minute.

That day, the two chatted together afterwards.

"Tomorrow is the Marquis's banquet. Do you think Marquis Mammon will use someone as an example to establish his authority? Not long ago, no one took him seriously," the Viscountess casually remarked.

"I think it's possible, it just depends on who's unlucky," Ron replied casually.

"I'm not going to touch you, my little Earl of the River Bend."

"Don't call me that. Don't you know my strength?"

"Then I'll call you the mighty Count Beast~, come and tear me apart! Hahaha."

As she spoke, she brought her red lips closer and seductively addressed Ron.

Ron said with a hint of disgust, "Go away, you sound so childish."

The Viscountess, somewhat deliberately, insisted on getting closer, as if saying, "If you don't want it, I'll take it anyway."

"It's all yours, and you're still complaining."

After playing around for a while, she suddenly became a little sad: "After this banquet, I won't be able to see you again."

"So what? Horse-toothed bug."

Elena suddenly switched to a mature, older-sister voice and spoke in a drawn-out tone.

"So...it's me!"

Ron, of course, would not defy the will of a woman!

......