Whose world-class drama are they criticizing?

Jasmine emerged from the shadows, slowly opening her deep gray eyes, and calmly said, "Your Grace, Duke."

His tone was as cold as ice.

The housekeeper was a little confused.

Miss Jasmine is quite famous in the manor. At only seventeen years old, she has become a third-ring assassin and is about to be promoted to the fourth ring. She is outstanding in the entire Eden.

Jasmine and Ryan were very close, but little did they know that everything was arranged.

"How's your consideration of that matter I mentioned?"

Archduke Lawrence was unfathomable.

Jasmine said calmly, her eyes devoid of any extra expression, "Your Grace, as you know, going to the Land of No Light as a spy is a death sentence."

“I know it will be tough,” Archduke Lawrence smiled confidently, “so your allowance will be doubled.”

“Your task is simple,” Lawrence said impartially. “While ensuring Ryan’s safety, you must regularly report to Lu Ming. That is your first task.”

"Your Majesty the Duke."

After a moment of silence, Miss Jasmine shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't do it all by myself."

“Simple.” Grand Duke Lawrence waved his hand. “I will select ten skilled men from the secret service to lie in wait and be under your command.”

"The second task."

As the sun began to darken, Lawrence's face was half-hidden in shadow. He said coldly, "While ensuring Ryan's safety, you must do everything you can to trip him up, incite the masses, manipulate public opinion, and undermine his confidence!"

It got dark at Lu Ming's house. The butler only thought it was dark, but he never expected that Grand Duke Lawrence would play such a dirty trick, even launching a propaganda war.

Miss Jasmine said sternly:

“Your Grace, as you know, I grew up with Young Master Ryan. We have been like siblings since childhood, and are each other’s closest friends and family.”

"Add more money." Lawrence used his power to persuade them directly. "Your funding will be doubled, and you'll receive an extra two hundred gold coins per month as a subsidy."

Since we no longer need to give Ryan living expenses, we can use those funds to monitor him.

“Manipulating public opinion is also a considerable expense…” Miss Jasmine said, “Sir.”

"You write the report."

Lawrence succinctly stated, "I'll approve the note."

"The third task has a higher priority than all other tasks."

Lawrence lowered his voice and said inscrutably, "Our family has had this handsome face gene for generations, we can't let it die out. If we're in danger, you have an obligation to become everyday necessities!"

Jasmine: "...Then I'll just have to make do."

Lawrence had three sons. His eldest son inherited his martial prowess, his second daughter inherited his intelligence, but only his youngest son inherited his good looks.

That's how society is; only strength determines everything.

He has plenty of strength and resources.

Everything was under his control. Archduke Lawrence revealed a confident smile. As the father of a tiger and the son of a tiger, he would not show any mercy. This is how society is. Everything is a scheme orchestrated by capital.

Son, this is the first lesson I'm teaching you.

.....

One hour ago.

Before Ryan even stepped into the meeting hall, he already guessed that Grand Duke Lawrence was very angry and that his family would not give him any support.

Without money or manpower, even if he knew Wuguang perfectly, he couldn't cook without rice.

Without start-up capital, he couldn't even afford to pay salaries, let alone anything else.

All he could give Miss Jasmine was a branch.

Do you think I'm an easy woman to deal with?

Miss Jasmine said, her slender fingers gently picking up the olive branch, her fingertips tracing the leaves. She said she disliked it, but her movements were very gentle. Finally, she placed it into a clear glass of water.

"You think you can just fob me off with a twig?" she said. "Aren't you afraid I'll betray you?"

“This salary is indeed a bit low.” Ryan crossed his arms, determined to refuse. “But I will not give you the shirt, you half-human aunt.”

"I've already said I'm a half-elf girl!" Jasmine snapped, puffing out her nose and glaring. "You have to be judged by elven standards!"

"We didn't have much money at the beginning," Ryan said without much confidence. "However, I have a plan."

"What?" Jasmine tilted her head.

“Based on what I know about my father over the years,” Ryan said, “he would definitely try to bribe you with money to make you defect and become a spy.”

"Do you think I'm such an easy woman to deal with?"

Jasmine chuckled, taking Ryan's words as amusing. "In this situation, of course I..."

Before she could finish speaking, Ryan said directly, "Of course you have to agree."

...Why.

what?

Jasmine blinked her eyes.

She doubted that she had heard correctly.

"Wouldn't that provide the initial funding?"

Ryan's smile grew even brighter. "Of course, you can't just agree directly. You have to agree very tactfully and reluctantly, preferably by saying that you are my dearest friend or something. That way, he'll give you more money!"

Jasmine tilted her head to the left and then to the right, listening alternately with her two pointed ears to make sure she hadn't misheard.

“Not only do you have to agree, you also have to say ‘we don’t have enough manpower,’” Ryan said loudly. “That way, we’ll have our first batch of men, won’t we?”

It seems to make sense.

Jasmine felt that something was wrong, but upon closer inspection, it didn't seem like there was anything wrong.

"Based on my understanding of my father's methods, it's not just that."

Ryan continued, "He will definitely use propaganda tactics to manipulate public opinion and use public opinion to criticize me and Wuguangling."

"So...?" Jasmine was confused again.

"The harsher the scolding, the better," Ryan said excitedly, seeing a vast blue ocean of job opportunities.

[The curse of ignorance and delusion: Your words will have a certain chance of being misunderstood]

Jasmine was immediately shocked. She hadn't expected that Ryan not only liked tomboyish men, but also enjoyed being scolded. What a strange fetish!

"If you enjoy being scolded..."

Jasmine tucked a stray hair behind her ear and said confidently, "Actually, I can curse your whole family to the heavens all by myself."

That foul-mouthed, half-human auntie is speechless; she has absolutely no manners.

“The more people, the better,” Ryan said.

What's this? Is it a group sex?

“If I were to bring in immigrants, employment would become a major problem,” Ryan said with a smile. “But my father pays salaries to the rebels, which directly solves my employment problem, doesn’t it?”

“My father solved the publicity problem, and I solved the employment problem. It’s a win-win situation.”

Ryan's smile was incredibly bright and sunny; he had plenty of energy and resources.

As the son of a dog's father, Tiger, Ryan will not show any mercy. That's how this society is; everything is a scheme orchestrated by capital.

Old Deng, this is the first lesson I'm going to teach you!

Ryan said confidently, "I have a feeling that the rebel business will become a pillar industry in our Lightless Territory."

I've really gotten on a sinking ship.

Miss Jasmine confirmed this fact once again.

Whose pillar industry relies on receiving dog food for a living?

Chapter 18 Ryan's Ability to Judge People

Having resolved the funding issue, Ryan immediately set off to make other preparations before dusk and nightfall.

The so-called pioneering work always starts from scratch, involving intelligence, miscellaneous tasks, logistics, and other aspects.

In addition to Jasmine, Archduke Lawrence will also send ten undercover agents.

With this, Ryan now has intelligence personnel, general staff, cooks, and more. He still needs two more: a blacksmith shop and a supplier store. Both of these require skilled workers.

All that's missing is a pair of Zhuge Liang and Feng Qiu.

The shop can wait, but the blacksmith shop is a must.

To become a witch's apostle, you must prepare a blacksmith shop in advance.

[Eden's first closed beta test launch: 3 days]

Time is tight. We've assembled the team today, and we're heading to Wuguangling tomorrow morning. The players will arrive the day after tomorrow.

"Young Master Ryan."

The butler explained, “That’s right. Whenever you expand your territory, you first need a blacksmith. Whether it’s forging farm tools and weapons or repairing buildings, you can’t do without a blacksmith’s shop. And the dwarves in the Blacksmiths’ Guild have the best skills. You can go to the Blacksmiths’ Guild in the city to take a look.”

He paused halfway through his sentence before adding, "Of course, the fees are all quite high, and they may not even be willing to go to the border."

That's a very tactful way to put it; the masters definitely won't go.

Grand Duke Lawrence had already spoken to all the named craftsmen, and no matter how generous the salary promised by Ryan, no one would go.

Moreover, Ryan didn't have any money to begin with.

"You can go and see the blacksmith's apprentice."

The butler was kind and honest, but the apprentices' skills were mostly uneven, and at such a young age, young master Ryan probably couldn't tell the difference.

The ability to recognize talent is a lord's most important skill.

This was also a test given to Ryan by Grand Duke Lawrence, who monitored the entire process while the butler was in charge of overseeing it.

"Don't worry, I have the ability to judge people."

Ryan said with a smile.

He changed into casual clothes, boarded a magic carriage, and turned onto the Kingdom Avenue along the courtyard path. The wheels crushed the night dew and drove straight to Radiant City, the largest city in the entire Western Territory. The Blacksmiths' Guild was located in the center of the city. Pushing open the metal gate, a wave of heat swept over him.

The blacksmithing trade is mostly monopolized by the dwarves.

Dwarves made significant contributions to the forging industry. Previously, armor consisted only of breastplates; leg guards were developed after dwarves went to war with other nations.

After looking around the blacksmiths' guild, Ryan couldn't help but sigh.

It's unbelievable that a prestigious blacksmiths' guild would be so depleted of talent, with hardly any skilled individuals.

"Mr. Ryan."

Jasmine observed Ryan's strange expression. "I think... you're thinking about dwarf jokes, which is very impolite."

“I never talk about that stuff.” That was a serious accusation, and Ryan dared not accept it. “Why would you think that?”

"Because when normal humans see dwarfs, a dwarf joke will pop into their minds."

Miss Jasmine's answer was perfectly natural.

"That's the purest dwarven joke..." Ryan's face darkened, speechless. This was typical half-elf girl thinking.

“You’re wrong.” He shook his head. “I have always respected the wisdom of the dwarves.”

"For example?" Jasmine asked.

"Once upon a time, there was a dwarf lord who made things difficult for his craftsmen, demanding that they make 100,000 spears within three days. So the clever dwarf craftsmen took advantage of the thick fog, led a group of straw men to the city of the elves, and the elves, unaware of their plan, fired wave after wave of arrows at them."

"So the clever dwarf craftsmen handed over a sufficient number of spears."

Ryan looked on with admiration.

The butler's face darkened, and he tried his best to keep from laughing. He admired his young master's courage and sense of humor for daring to tell dwarf jokes in the blacksmith's guild.

If it weren't for the negative impact, he might have wanted to join in.

As Miss Jasmine said.