Subaru Natsuki, who returned from the new Three Kingdoms

Tippi did not nod immediately.

He looked at Subaru Natsuki, his gaze still scrutinizing.

"You can't read, how can you do accounting?"

"Read it to me, my mental arithmetic skills are still pretty good!"

Subaru Natsuki said quickly.

"I'll give you the names and written records of the goods. I'll just focus on calculating the numbers, checking the totals, and finding any errors."

Tibi pondered for a moment, then picked up the ledger.

"can."

“Mimi will read it aloud, and Heitaro will check the original invoice. I'll write down the goods and their destinations. Flügel, you just answer with numbers.”

"it is good."

The first set of accounts was laid out on the table.

Mimi immediately began to read. At first, she was a little worried, so she spoke very slowly, listing the quantity of goods purchased, the unit price, the shipping cost, and any losses incurred during transit.

As soon as he finished speaking, Natsuki Subaru announced the total amount.

Tibi paused at the tip of his pen.

He picked up the pen and paper again and calculated it from the beginning.

Exactly.

"Next one."

Subaru Natsuki's expression turned serious.

This was ultimately a tough battle fought for Miss Anna's fine wine.

Now that we've resorted to the most shameful subject of mathematics, we absolutely cannot let this humiliation go unpunished.

The second set of accounts was read.

Natsuki Subaru gave the answer once again, then added:

"The third item was missing a shipping fee, which is seven copper coins short."

Tippy's eyes finally changed.

He flipped back to the original invoice and, sure enough, found a record that had been omitted from the calculation in the insert.

Black Taro put down the ledger in his hand, and his gaze toward Natsuki Subaru showed obvious surprise.

Mimi cheered and almost jumped onto the table.

"Amazing!"

Ricardo, who had been leaning against the wall, slowly sat up straight.

The third, fourth, and fifth copies.

Tibi began to pick out the accounts that had been piling up for the longest and were the most complex, and he reported the numbers faster and faster.

He originally wanted to verify just how much real skill this white-haired youth possessed, but unexpectedly, the answer was already revealed as soon as he finished reading each account.

After several repetitions, Tippi's fingers unconsciously tightened around the pen.

This is not "knowing a little".

This level of calculation ability is even more efficient than that of the original accountant in the Hexin Chamber of Commerce.

The atmosphere inside the room changed without anyone noticing.

The ledgers that had been piled up like small mountains were moved aside one by one, and the checked receipts were neatly placed into wooden boxes.

The numbers that had been weighing on everyone's minds for days finally began to decrease at a visible rate.

Mimi became more and more energetic as she read, and Heitaro no longer had a stern face when he was in charge of handing out the order slips.

Tippy completely abandoned his probing and began to proactively organize the next batch of items that needed to be accounted for for Subaru Natsuki.

Natsuki Subaru became increasingly uneasy as he calculated, his hands trembling uncontrollably...

With each answer he gave, he felt as if he had returned to Liu Bei's army, to the time when Guan Yu and Zhang Fei surrounded him and mocked him for being "proficient in mathematics".

What's so surprising about that?

It's just the most useless skill.

If it weren't for the desire to stay in Anastasia's camp and eventually share a drink with Ana, how could he, the lord of Rem, have suffered such humiliation?

As the sun began to set, the last backlog of ledgers was finally closed by Tibbie.

The accounting office was quiet for a couple of breaths.

Then, Ricardo burst into hearty laughter.

"Hahaha!"

He strode over to Subaru Natsuki and slapped the white-haired youth's shoulder with his thick hand.

"Good lad, you've got some skills!"

"It all depends on you to clear these accounts today."

Natsuki Subaru was swayed by the slap and was about to humbly say that it was just a trivial matter of mathematics when Ricardo waved his hand generously.

"Come on, I'll take you for a drink!"

"After cleaning up all these ridiculous numbers, we absolutely have to have a proper celebration!"

Upon hearing the word "drinking," Subaru Natsuki's eyes lit up.

His Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily, and he temporarily forgot the grief and indignation he had felt from being humiliated by mathematics.

He had originally planned to take advantage of the end of the accounting process to follow the scent of wine in the air to find Anastasia and try to get close to her using his new identity.

But Anna is right there; she's not going to grow legs and run away.

If we miss this drink now, we may never have another chance.

"drink wine?"

Natsuki Subaru immediately straightened his back.

"What, you don't dare?" Ricardo looked Natsuki Subaru up and down.

"The hero is so kind as to invite us with precious wine, how could we possibly refuse!"

"I just didn't expect to be able to enjoy such fine wine so soon after joining the Hexin Chamber of Commerce. I'm so excited!"

Ricardo burst into laughter again upon hearing this.

"You little rascal, you're clearly illiterate but you speak so fluently. If I didn't know our way of addressing ourselves, I'd think you were from Karalaki too!"

The more he looked at the white-haired young man, the more he felt a connection with him.

They both seem to have come from impoverished backgrounds, and they both take alcohol very seriously.

What's even more remarkable is that when Freugel looked at himself and the three siblings Mimi, there was not a trace of the contempt or aloofness that ordinary people usually show towards demi-humans.

Ricardo completely let down his guard against Subaru Natsuki and led him outside with a smile.

The three siblings, Mimi and her brother, also skipped and hopped along behind the two.

Although they didn't drink alcohol, Ricardo would often buy them juice.

The three of them walked all the way to a tavern owned by the Hexin Merchant Guild.

The tavern was located on the back street of the Hexin Merchant Guild. The storefront was small, but the interior was clean and tidy. Ricardo pushed open the door and waved to the counter as if he knew his way around.

"Boss, give me and my new family, Flügel, two large glasses of ale, and give Mimi and the others a glass of juice each."

Mimi immediately cheered and climbed onto the bench, with Heitaro and Tippi following behind and sitting down.

"Brother Freuger asked me to test your dosage, so please don't be shy with me!"

Natsuki Subaru stared at the sake pot the innkeeper brought over, slightly dissatisfied, and sneered:

"I won't stand on ceremony!"

"Come on! Change to a bigger cup!"

Ricardo paused for a moment, then laughed even louder.

"You really know how to drink, huh?"

Just as the sake cup touched his lips, Subaru Natsuki seemed to remember something, put down the cup, and asked:

"By the way, Brother Ricardo, what does Lady Anastasia usually like to do?"

Ricardo stopped in his tracks as he was holding the wine cup.

He turned his head and took a serious look at the white-haired youth.

A newcomer who had only joined the guild half a day ago suddenly asked about Lady Anna's preferences. If it had been this morning, he would have suspected the other party of having ulterior motives.

But after Flügel settled their accounts that had been piling up for days, he was so anxious about not being able to read that he almost cried.

Ricardo found it hard to associate such a person with an assassin or spy.

What family would let an illiterate person work as a spy?

But he still asked instinctively, "Flugel, why are you asking this?"

Natsuki Subaru answered matter-of-factly:

"I've heard that Lady Anna is a heavy drinker. We want to get on her good side, so let's drink together."

Ricardo was taken aback at first, then threw his head back and laughed.

"I thought you were going to ask me something!"

"I don't know where you heard that from, but it's true. Lady Anna is a great drinker, and her capacity for alcohol far surpasses mine. She used to bring me here to drink all the time."

He picked up his wine cup and took a sip, but his smile slowly faded.

"But she's been worried lately, probably because she won't be able to drink with us for a while."

Subaru Natsuki frowned.

What are you worried about?

"It's all about Wang's selection."

"Wang Xuan?"

Subaru Natsuki looked up.

Ricardo found his appearance rather strange.

"You still don't know?"

Subaru Natsuki shook his head; he had been in the forbidden library these past few days and naturally didn't know.

Ricardo then recounted to Subaru Natsuki everything that had happened in the capital in the past few days.

It all started when Crusch led his men to bombard the royal city late at night, turning half of the capital into daylight.

With the royal election postponed, Crusch completely took control of the capital and ruled over all officials.

At the same time, the city gates were strictly controlled, and the entry and exit of goods were restricted.

The Hexin Chamber of Commerce has a large amount of goods stuck in its warehouses and can't get out, which is causing Anastasia a lot of headaches every day.

Mimi, holding her juice cup, added:

"Lord Julius has been acting strangely lately."

"He seems to have a lot on his mind. With no one to help her, Lady Anna is even more overwhelmed."

Hearing that so much had happened in the capital while he was away,

Natsuki Subaru's expression grew increasingly solemn as he held the sake cup.

He led his men to bombard the royal city, turning half of the capital into daylight.

I never expected this! I really never expected it!

Crusch is just as heroic as Dong Zhuo!