Chapter 61 - 59: No News in Yanxi City

The Houston Duke put down his fork, picked up his wineglass, and took a sip. The sweet yet tart wine caused his throat to tighten slightly. He looked up from his glass at the Rosario Duke and asked, "So... what exactly is the ’Flower of Abundance’?"

The Rosario Duke’s gaze grew even sharper. Those gray pupils reminded the Houston Duke of the freezing rocks of the Cold Bone Mountain Range. Just picturing the concept in his mind sent a chill down his spine.

Houston averted his gaze from Rosario and turned to look at Chief of Staff Quentin. This short man—who sported a shrewd little mustache and bore no visible scars of war on his well-maintained face—was still chewing the beef in his mouth. Quentin chewed very slowly, as slowly as an executioner carefully wiping his blade before a beheading ceremony. The Imperial Army Chief of Staff simply kept chewing while sizing up the Houston Duke, his eyes carrying a hint of a smile. The Houston Duke felt sweat seeping from his palms.

"What on earth are you talking about?" Houston discreetly gritted his teeth, forcing a smile to maintain his previous facade. "What exactly is this ’Flower of Abundance’?"

"Oh? You don’t know what the ’Flower of Abundance’ is?" Seeing that the Rosario Duke’s gaze was gloomy and he had no intention of speaking, Chief of Staff Quentin swallowed the meat in his mouth. Gripping his fork, he spoke composedly, "That’s strange, because my informant told me he saw a group of Mercenaries from Yanxi City transport the ’Flower of Abundance’ all the way from the Eastern Territory to your turf."

"I know absolutely nothing about this ’Flower of Abundance’ you mentioned." Suppressing the trembling in his knees, Houston shrugged as naturally as possible. "My dear Chief of Staff Quentin, to be completely honest, I’ve also been worrying about those bastard Mercenaries in the Wilderness. Those bloodthirsty lunatics are capable of anything... Why, have they caused trouble for you?"

Chief of Staff Quentin, still holding his fork, leaned back against his chair. The smile on his face didn’t change, but his eyes became arrogant and deeply meaningful. "Oh, my dear Houston Duke, you might not believe me if I tell you, but this is a very, very big trouble..."

Houston raised his wineglass to Quentin, muttering a "wish you the best of luck," and then used the motion of drinking to conceal his inner panic.

Beside them, the Grimm Rosario Duke finally spoke after a long silence. His voice was just like his appearance—steady, powerful, and carrying a unique magnetism belonging to a middle-aged man who had endured the baptism of war. "Houston Duke, I hope you can understand that Chief of Staff Quentin and I traveled all this way from the Eastern Territory just to recover the stolen ’Flower of Abundance.’ If—and I mean if—you have any clues regarding the ’Flower of Abundance,’ Chief of Staff Quentin and I will pay you a more than satisfactory reward."

The Houston Duke barely dared to look into the Rosario Duke’s eyes. Even though the other man was a generation younger and merely a rising junior in imperial politics, the Houston Duke genuinely feared meeting his gaze. The sharp stare, honed on the battlefields of the Eastern Territory, was far beyond what a wealthy landlord confined to the south like the Houston Duke could withstand.

As the Houston Duke sliced the beef on his silver plate with his table knife, he weighed the current situation in his mind, "Do Rosario and Quentin know that I sent people to bring the ’Flower of Abundance’ back from Eternal Day City? No, not necessarily. No clues were left behind during the entire process... Grand Commander Mustafa has always been clean in his work, and the purchase of the ’Flower of Abundance’ was done entirely on the black market under the name of the Mercenary Corps. As the Duke of the Southern Territory, I shouldn’t have exposed any flaws. Right now, the ’Flower of Abundance’ is safely hidden in the basement of the Holy Light Peak Monastery. Even if these two sly old foxes, Rosario and Quentin, noticed something amiss, they’re merely suspecting me at most. There’s nothing to be afraid of."

Having reassured himself, the Houston Duke raised his head again, his tone much calmer now. "I am very sorry, but I don’t have any clues about what you’re looking for. If I obtain any information regarding... er, the ’Flower of Abundance,’ right? If I get any news about the ’Flower of Abundance,’ I will certainly notify you right away."

The Rosario Duke glanced at him sideways for a moment but said nothing. However, Chief of Staff Quentin across the table continued with thinly veiled sarcasm, "Oh? I just hope your information channels are as strong as your psychological fortitude..."

"Enough!" Slamming his hand on the table, the Houston Duke, no longer willing to endure this torment, masked his panic with anger. "I am here to enjoy a proper dinner with you lords! I don’t care what happened to you in the Eastern Territory, Chief of Staff Quentin, nor do I care what use you have for that ’Flower of Abundance.’ Since I said I don’t know, then please drop this topic and enjoy your meal!"

However, Chief of Staff Quentin, who appeared gentle and refined on the surface, was clearly a ruthless man to the core. Facing the furious host, Quentin crossed his legs and sneered, pointing his fork at the Houston Duke from across the table. "Houston Duke, I have experienced countless battles and planned countless operations in my life, and the one thing I don’t believe in is ’coincidence’! Our Eastern Corps just found the ’Flower of Abundance’ in the mountains, and then it bizarrely gets stolen? The moment the ’Flower of Abundance’ appeared on the black market of Eternal Day City, a team of Mercenaries from the southern Wilderness immediately rushed from the Eastern Territory to your turf? Houston Duke, I’m warning you, the ’Flower of Abundance’ is not only incredibly precious but also concerns the overall tide of the empire’s war. I don’t want anyone attempting to hoard it for their own selfish interests!"

"I! Said! I! Don’t! Know!" The Houston Duke completely lost his temper, slamming his table knife onto the table with his palm.

The Delifert Pope, who had been intimidated by the imposing presence of the other high-ranking figures and had kept his neck tucked in silence, only now weakly spoke his first sentence since the banquet began. "Ch-Chief of Staff Quentin, the Holy Spirit will surely bless you in recovering your lost item..."

But this empty platitude, meant to smooth things over, had absolutely no effect. Quentin, already feeling the buzz of the alcohol, even sneered, "The Holy Spirit? How many corps does He have? Our Imperial Military Department has always relied solely on itself to hunt down culprits and catch thieves!"

Choked off inexplicably, the plump Pope’s face flushed and paled in quick succession. He sadly realized that with the changing times, the Holy God Faith—whose prestige had been waning steadily due to the lack of divine miracles—held absolutely no authority anymore, especially to these battle-hardened officers from the Eastern Territory! This filled the old Pope, who had already suffered constant bullying from the Houston Duke in the Southern Territory, with infinite sorrow.

"In summary!" The Houston Duke slammed the table heavily, his voice booming. "Chief of Staff Quentin, I want this topic about the ’Flower of Abundance’ to end here!"

Quentin snorted coldly, wanting to say more, but the Rosario Duke stopped the argument with a deep voice. "Alright, let’s leave it at that. Houston Duke, the ’Flower of Abundance’ is incredibly important to our military operations. If Yanxi City receives any information related to it, please pay close attention."

"Of course, of course," the Houston Duke quickly seized the opportunity to back down, sitting back in his seat with an angry huff.

However, before he could come up with any excuses to ease the tension with Chief of Staff Quentin, a maid hurriedly barged into the dining room. The Houston Duke was about to reprimand his servant for her insolence, but his attention was caught by a secret letter she slipped to him. A partridge feather was stuck to the envelope, indicating that it came from a Mercenary of the "Desolate Wind" Mercenary Corps.

The Houston Duke excused himself from his guests, walked to the corner, tore open the secret letter, and began to read. Then, this old noble—who had plotted for a long time and spent a fortune to obtain the "Flower of Abundance"—was left completely dumbfounded on the spot by the shocking news that the Holy Light Peak Monastery had just been robbed.