Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

"Old Lei! Remember this—I'm not drunk—"

Felix could no longer continue his remarks, because at that moment, a dozen or so people rushed forward and helped carry the king, who was to be crowned the next day, to the back.

The title of Kingmaker isn't given lightly, especially not to Leslaufer! Who is this Doppel? He personally murdered the previous king and even twisted off the head of the legal successor! Although everyone knows what kind of people Marseille and Fachan are, one thing is one thing! He is the Kingmaker, so Felix's throne won't be comfortable for long!

What the kingdom needs is for all parties to work together to clean up the mess, not to slaughter all those who oppose it!

“…Um, Your Excellency Raslaufer,” when Felix sobered up the next day and faced Raslaufer again, his embarrassment was palpable. Although it was a ceremony, it didn't stop him from rubbing his hands and acting like a subordinate in Raslaufer's presence. “I'm very sorry about last night, but I…”

“I am not a nobleman. It is one thing for mercenaries to have nicknames, but it is unreasonable for the king to bestow any titles upon me,” Doble waved his hand, casually brushing aside what Felix could not say. “Besides, how can drunken talk be counted? As everyone knows, the more someone claims they are not drunk, the more drunk they are. Last night’s drink can not even be considered yours.”

“Uncle Raslaufer…” Angelita couldn’t help but feel a little dissatisfied. In her opinion, Uncle Raslaufer was perfectly capable of accepting the title, and Edward, who was watching the ceremony, shared the same view. However, since Doppler himself didn’t care, the matter could only be dropped. Hearing that this bloodthirsty warrior was so understanding, the surrounding crowd couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

But this made Felix feel somewhat guilty. He was a nobleman, and he understood the nuances of language; he knew that the best course of action at this moment was to gracefully back down and regretfully agree, but if he did that…

Felix believed that if anyone were to ask Raslaufer to overthrow him or Hunter in the future, the mercenary would agree without the slightest hesitation.

“I will always repay you; I am not an ungrateful person,” Felice grasped Reslaufer’s hand. “Tell me your terms, any condition, as long as I can fulfill it!”

This put Reslaufer in a difficult position. He thought for a while, and as his gaze fell on the money pouch at his waist, he suddenly had an idea: "Well then, my lord, after you ascend the throne, you should mint a new batch of coins, right?"

"Of course, you want that money? No problem!"

"Oh, no, it's not like that. You see, it doesn't matter to me which batch of money is used as a reward. What I'm thinking is, could you engrave my portrait and name on the first batch of coins?"

Leslaufer pulled out a few coins from his purse, gold and silver, of various styles: "Look, these are mostly from kings and bishops. I have no interest in the power and responsibility that come with such a status, but... I'd like to have my way with it."

The surrounding nobles and officials exchanged bewildered glances. The request wasn't excessive, but... there was no precedent. It wasn't that individuals hadn't issued their own coins before, but those were usually powerful spellcasters, and privately minted coins only circulated within limited circles, not widely recognized. The king approving the minting of coins for individuals?

Ettore stepped forward: "I think that should be possible. We can mint a batch of copper coins specifically for Lord Reslaufer..."

In the Empire, gold and silver coins were the primary currencies, with copper coins serving only as a supplement. In Inasas, even silver coins were considered a supplementary currency, let alone copper coins. For this Dobler to have his fun, copper coins should suffice.

“No, I have already broken my promise once, Sir Ettoré,” Felix said nonchalantly, adding a title to the commoner official. “If I break my promise to the same benefactor twice in a row, then I don’t think I’m worthy of being king. The gold coins will be arranged immediately after the coronation. Discuss the details of the coins with His Excellency Raslaufer. His will is my will.”

"Moreover, this money cannot be kept as mere collectibles, understand? It is to circulate in the market, while the coins belonging to me will be the second batch. I will not accept any excuses or mistakes; this is my first order—the King's order."

With that, there was nothing more to argue about, and Ettore could only step back on behalf of the civil officials and nobles. Felix, however, seemed to still have some lingering interest. He turned to the side and saw the crown that was about to be placed on his head being held on a cushion by a bishop of Aston, the god of light and fire, who would later crown him.

“I have no intention of criticizing the Church, but the Aston Church did not participate in the cause of justice when fighting against the tyrant. Besides, the crown has nothing to do with you, Bishop,” Felix withdrew his gaze from the bishop, looked around again, and finally focused it on Raslaufer. “Lord Raslaufer, since you shot down this kingdom, how about you lend a hand?”

"Come on, put it on me."

Chapter 634 The New Route

The brand-new coin twirled between his fingers before being held up to Raslaufer's eyes for inspection.

This is a newly minted gold coin. The reverse depicts a slanted, flame-shaped greatsword, three equidistant circles, the mint's mark, and the denomination "100" in the lower center. The obverse, however, features a profile of Reslaufer himself, with his full name spelled out around the edge.

"Hey Annie, look, this is my name and face!"

“Well, at least the workmanship is much better than counterfeit money. Felix certainly put in the effort,” Angelita shrugged, a hint of resentment in her voice. “But those corrupt officials still managed to pull some tricks, making a face value of one hundred?”

Similar to the "counterfeit" coins like Valu and Essen, the exchange rate between Felix's newly minted gold coin "Leso" and the Imperial gold coin was roughly between ten and twenty. However, since one was worth one hundred, such a gold coin would be impossible to spend even if someone wanted to.

This is clearly the wicked idea of ​​those nobles and civil officials.

“Well, if they don’t spend it, someone else will,” Leslaufer said nonchalantly, glancing at Dieter beside him with a smile. “You agree, right?”

When the young businessman saw Leslaufer looking at him, he immediately smiled with a mixture of humility and pride: "I don't have much ability, but I can still do this little thing."

This time, he signed a large number of agreements with Felix, and needless to say, he will make a fortune. Not to mention helping to spend money, even if he buys all the money to collect, no one will dare to say a word against it—when he returns, he will undoubtedly be the first in line to inherit the throne.

With Riha, Ironforge, and now this place, in terms of scale and prestige, which heir can compare to him? If Louise doesn't have any surprises, she's no match for him at all.

“I should also go back to my family,” Dieter said, tipping his hat to Leslaufer and Angelita. “Such a big change must be causing a huge uproar within the family, and I need to explain the situation to them as soon as possible.”

On the river beside them, several longboats glided swiftly from behind, with Ironjaw and her companions standing aboard the lead boat: "Lord Raslaufer, we also need to return to Ironforge as soon as possible! Would you like to come with us?"

Although the route by air seems to be a long detour compared to a straight road, it is actually much faster.

"No, I'm not ready to be that fast!" Leslaufer waved to them. "Go ahead, and give my regards to Skadi!"

From his participation in Felix's war to the minting of his coins, time has almost come to an end. This trip has lasted quite a while, but compared to Raslaufer's past experiences, it's nothing. He has no intention of returning so soon.

"Oh, a long journey!" Daisy exclaimed. She was still using the lyre, but the string of the matte was broken. Although spells like Restoration could fix it, since it was a magical item, doing so would dissipate its magic. So she preferred it to remain broken, since it didn't really matter. "Are we going to retrace our steps this time? Or are we looking for something new?"

“Of course we should take a different route!” Angelita said quickly. “What’s the point of going back and forth along the same path? Don’t you agree, Uncle Leslaufer?”

Dubler put away the gold coin engraved with his own image and hummed contentedly, "Of course, of course, why not?"

"However, this place is close to Western Inassus, and there are countless routes to take to the east. Which route do you plan to take, and where do you plan to go?"

"No matter how you turn around, we're going back anyway!" A shrill but cheerful voice rang out from the other side. Everyone turned to look and saw Jinmian and Edward and the other four. After all, West Inasas was their home, and they still had things to do there. They had to go back no matter what—even if there was an invincible and powerful enemy.

"Hey! Want to hire us to come along?" Daisy's eyes darted around, and she quickly called out, "Didn't you say you had enemies to face?"

Edward turned around upon hearing this, but shook the Black Dragon's head: "Thank you for your kindness, but I still can't! Some things I still need to solve myself."

"Don't worry, even if we can't solve it, we can always run to Ironforge and seek refuge with you!" Jinmian laughed and waved to Leslaufer and the others. "Don't turn us away then!"

Compared to the other members, Shuanghai appeared much more composed. She stepped forward and patted Mary on the shoulder: "Remember to come to us if you need anything. We will definitely lend a helping hand as long as it is within our capabilities."

Perhaps due to some similarities, she and Mary shared a considerable sense of resonance, to which Margaret responded with a faint smile: "I would suggest this to Lord Reslaufer, but I think you are the ones who need it more—don't be stingy, Lord Reslaufer would love to have a war every day."

“Then we’ll have to go crazy,” Lightning Stone interjected. “Alright, alright, let’s part ways here. We’ll see you again another day!”

The five dragonborn spoke, then turned and headed southwest without a backward glance. There, a pass stood since Felix was still a serf, still belonging to Western Inathas. However, it was said that the lord there, whose power had waned and whose descendants were not particularly capable, seemed inclined to relinquish the pass after hearing that Felix had replaced the previous royal family.

Whether it's a peaceful handover or another battle, they need to get through there as soon as possible to avoid getting involved.

As for the others, Sylvielan and Erwin would return by land with Dieter as soon as possible, and the old mage Pol could naturally fly, so there was no need to worry. After saying goodbye to Felix, Raslaufer and the others also left and headed east.

Their ultimate destination remains either Zebrecht or Ironforge, but before that, taking Angelita to see the places that Reslaufer often talks about would be an interesting trip.

For example... Arkent, which calls itself a "little kingdom," has silver mines around it that have always been a good tourist attraction. In particular, there is a waterfall and stream located at the intersection of three silver mines. Under the influence of a large amount of metal elements, it presents a dreamy luster with seven colors and is known as the "Dream Waterfall."

Whether there's a war going on there now, or who owns the waterfall and the surrounding silver mines, are really trivial matters. The important thing is that Anne wants to go and see for herself.

Chapter 635 Escape from Arkent

"Sister, do you really think that newly enthroned king will help?"

The thick curtain was lifted by a hairy hand, and the sliver of light filtering in from outside caused the pupils of the two people inside the carriage to shrink to pinpoints. But compared to the younger man's confusion, his sister scoffed.

"Whether it succeeds or not, we should at least try, shouldn't we? It's better to make a mistake than to do nothing."

"Like when we gave him those gold coins?"

“It’s like…” his erect ears drooped. “Shut up, Rosso. How could we have known in advance that the finance minister, who had always appeared so loyal, was actually thinking of using money to overthrow the king he served, instead of helping him solve his problems?”

“So we shouldn’t have gotten involved in this!” the spotted cat brother vented his frustration, completely disregarding the fact that there was another person in the carriage who was listening to their conversation. “We should have handed her over. If you ask me, we should have handed her over to Sistine. Our last employer treated us well, giving us identities, money, and the opportunity to access more interesting things and stories. Why should we give all that up to help someone we don’t even know?”

“Because she came to us!” Spruce Hessian, also known as Sistine, raised her voice, then repeated it again, word by word, “Because she came to us. Rousseau.”

“She’s desperate. If we don’t help her, she won’t even be able to save her own head! Minister Griffin is planning to poison her, simply because she’s grown up and uncontrollable!”

“…That’s why I don’t want to bring her along,” Rosso muttered under his breath, but didn’t continue. He just wanted to vent his emotions, and he had already gone too far.

For a child who has lost everything and is considered as good as dead.

But didn't the siblings also lose a lot because of this? After leaving that tomb and returning home, they made a lot of money from antiques and calligraphy rubbings, completed the task of the treasurer of the small kingdom of Arkent, and received a lot of rewards, which was enough for them to get rid of their status as rangers and live a rich and free life.

Until the third person in the carriage came to them. Because of her overly cautious nature, because she stumbled upon the minister's plot—how much better it would have been if she had known nothing and had simply been poisoned by the finance minister?

At least that way he and Sistine could continue to go their separate ways without the burden of conscience that would lead him to secretly hide her away and abandon their hard-won life to flee across the wilderness in a carriage!

Sitting between the two spotted cat-people, the girl in the drab gray dress lowered her head even further, subconsciously rubbing a centimeter or two closer to Sistine. She received an arm from one of the spotted cat-people around her shoulder, but at the same time, she heard a sigh from the older sister of the siblings.

Sistine never considered herself a good person; after all, she and her brother had both joined the Rangers, so how good could they be?

It was just a case of reaping what you sowed because of a moment of weakness.

“Don’t worry, Kendall,” she reassured her. “We will get you to your destination no matter what. His Majesty Felix is ​​now known as the ‘Rebel,’ and he will surely help you. Even if he can’t help you reclaim the throne, he can at least let you live the life of an ordinary person.”

There was no crown, no throne, no innate nobility or power, but there was also no poison, no intrigue, no powerful ministers or schemes manipulating behind the scenes. Just ordinary—perhaps that was better for this queen with only a title.

"……Thanks."

Kendall Jenner nodded reluctantly, then sat back down in her original position, as stiff as a doll. She had maintained this posture for almost eight years, and she would probably continue to do so from now on—even if she really could be taken in by His Majesty Felix, as Sistine had said, and live as an "ordinary person."

Can she really do that?

What should she do if someone comes to her, intending to overthrow the Chancellor of the Exchequer in her name? What should she do if "rebels" come to her, intending to seize an enclave in her name in order to acquire a silver mine that has recently returned to the small kingdom?

She was no longer the seven-year-old girl who had been placed on the throne; she understood many things. But it made little difference. If she had a choice, she would rather know nothing, so that even if Minister Griffin made her drink that cup of wine, she could go to the Land of the Dead without any burden, and from there go to Shuni's divine kingdom.

Death isn't that scary for mortals... what's truly terrifying is that she doesn't want to die.

Life in the material world is so unbearable.

Suddenly, the violent shaking of the carriage interrupted Kendall's confused and chaotic thoughts. This was followed by the neighing of horses and the shouts of the driver outside. These were all ominous signs, and Kendall's face turned pale.

Griffin announced his death, but he certainly wished he could die completely.

"We're under attack! Attack, it's an attack!" The shouts outside were replaced by a scream, followed by a "thud" as an arrow pierced the thin wall of the carriage, its tip peeking out from inside.

"Do you even need to tell me?!" Rosso cursed in the native language of the Spotted Cat People, quickly grabbed his longbow and quiver, and rushed out. "Kendal, put your hands under the stool and squat down until we let you out!"

On the other side, Sistine also grabbed a dagger and jumped out of the other window. Her amber eyes reflected the figures of more than a dozen assassins. Without hesitation, she immediately threw a bottle of grease, smashing it at the feet of one of them. Another bottle filled with flammable colloid was immediately thrown towards that spot, igniting with flames upon impact with the grease and the ground.

"Coming to provoke us is the biggest mistake you've ever made!" As the fire rose, Rosso casually flicked his arrow through the flames. With a twang of the bowstring, an assassin who couldn't dodge in time had his cloak set ablaze by the arrow and could only roll on the ground. But this was only enough to deal with a very limited number of people. The siblings could only defend themselves back to back. Around them, the servants and coachmen who had no fighting ability fell to the ground one after another, losing their breath.

“Why do you have to get involved in this mess instead of being a perfectly good nouveau riche?” one of the assassins sneered, throwing a row of knives. One of them struck Sistine’s thigh, forcing the spotted cat-man to crouch down. “Since you’re so ‘loyal,’ then die with her!”

As he spoke, he raised the throwing axe in his hand, preparing to chop off Sistine's head. However, just as the axe spun and flew out, there was a sound of smoke and powder exploding. The side of the throwing axe was hit and it flew off in a different, skewed trajectory, landing directly in the still-burning oil.

"Who is it?!"

Chapter 636: People Gone, Car Empty?

“I told you I could hit it!” Angelita stood up, casually slung her pistol over Verunara’s shoulder, and stretched out a hand toward Daisy. “A bet's a bet, one leso!”

As if completely ignoring the tense situation not far ahead, the bard muttered as he pulled a gold coin from his pocket and shoved it at him: "Old Lei's head is worth a hundred, I should have known better than to bet with you..."

Mary said nothing, just stood there with a hint of schadenfreude in her eyes—she was the one who hadn't made the bet with Angelita.

"Who exactly are you people?!"

Before taking action, assassins usually don't want to be noticed, but the situation is exactly the opposite now. These unexpected guests have completely ignored them, and no one likes such a cold reception.

The assassin who had just thrown the axe raised another axe, his bewildered gaze finally settling behind the three girls.

He couldn't tell what kind of strength Annie and the other two possessed, but if he still couldn't discern the true nature of the man standing there like a golem, he might as well just gouge his eyes out.

"We are the arresting officers of the small kingdom of Arkent, acting on the king's orders. Do not interfere with official business!"

The other party is clearly not an ordinary person. First, use the orders of the kingdom and the king to put pressure on them. Even if they don't care about order, they will at least be willing to talk about interests. This will make things much easier.

But he clearly didn't recognize Raslaufer, otherwise he would have known what had happened to the previous king not long ago.

"Miss Anne!" To the assassins' surprise, the spotted cat siblings, who had no connections in the small kingdom, immediately became agitated upon seeing these people, even calling out their names, "Save us! They're not acting on the king's orders, but private assassins hired by the finance minister!"

Although they had already foreseen the situation, Sistine and Rosso's words still slightly surprised Leslaufer and his companions. If they remembered correctly, weren't these siblings previously employed by that minister? How come they were now the targets of their pursuit?

If the minister was not satisfied with the completion of the previous task, then this reckoning is a bit too late—how much time has passed since they parted ways with the siblings?

“Meeting acquaintances is always a pleasant experience,” Raslaw couldn’t help but laugh. In fact, their encounter with Sistine and her brother here was not entirely accidental. When they passed by, it was Daisy—or rather, the devil beside Daisy—who noticed their presence. Raslaw and the others took the opportunity to change their route and approach. “Don’t worry, you there, you can’t kill these two today.”

Dubul pointed at the assassin, showing no intention of actually attacking, but it was enough to send a chill down the assassin's spine.

These assassins were nothing special; they were just ordinary people. Not to mention Raslaufer, whose hands had been stained with blood many times over in recent years, even before he met Annie, he was enough to make these people tremble. They might not be able to see the spirits surrounding Raslaufer, but their keen senses were enough to remind them that this person was not someone to be trifled with.

“Since you…you put it that way…” The assassin leader didn’t want to cause trouble for no reason. The money his employer gave him wasn’t worth it for him to fight against someone like this. “Fine, you can take these two people away.”

"But there's another one hiding in the carriage, and we have to catch her and bring her back to complete our mission. It's not easy for us to meet, and we'll give you face, but I also hope to get something in return."

One more?

Leslaufer glanced at Daisy, or rather, at the devil over there. Needless to say, judging from how readily she agreed, it was clear that the two spotted cat-men were just a side thing; the real main event was what was happening inside the carriage.

But sometimes, rules are rules. Although it would be easy for Raslaufer to kill these people, the words had already been spoken, and it would be a bit awkward to go back on them.

"Lord Raslaufer?!" The surrounding assassins made way for Sistine and Rosso, who rushed over. Seeing Raslaufer's strange expression, Sistine said urgently, "We must not let them have their way, this is very important!"

They weren't some newbies fresh out of the spotted cat village. Leslaufer was probably thinking of having the assassins take Kendall away first, then double-crossing him from behind. But how could these assassins not have foreseen this? As soon as Kendall was handed over to them, he would be killed immediately—the minister had no intention of living!

Seeing the two spotted cat-men in such a hurry, Leslaufer pretended to be troubled and clicked his tongue: "But I've already said it... How about this, both of you come here, let me see who you want to take away first before deciding, okay?"

As he spoke, Raslaufer drew his Black Flame Greatsword. Seeing the deadly weapon, the assassins' eyelids twitched uncontrollably. But things had come to this point, and Raslaufer wasn't the only one in a difficult position. The assassin leader had no choice but to steel himself and step forward, joining the others in surrounding the carriage.

“Your Highness Kendall, please come out!” he called out into the carriage. “I won’t try to fool you with sweet words, but we all have to deliver on our promises. Everyone has their own destination, and your journey is only a tiny bit shorter than most… Are you ready to ascend to the Kingdom of God?”