Chapter 019: Waste

Oscar nodded and said, “It’s only natural. Not to mention anything else, just considering how carefully Lord Gabriel has taken care of me these past days, Oscar must stand up for him.”
Gabriel laughed heartily. He pulled out a crystal card from his pocket and placed it on the dining table. With a slight lift of his finger, the card flew toward Oscar. “Please accept this small token from me, Lord Oscar. Please don’t think it’s insufficient.”
Oscar quietly took the crystal card and smiled faintly. “It’s only natural.”
The others exchanged glances, all wearing knowing smiles. This wasn’t exactly a transaction, but it had ended in a win-win situation.
They then chatted about some romantic matters. In less than half an hour, they all began to feel tired. Oscar was the first to give in. He bowed slightly and said, “My lords, I’m truly sorry… I’m used to going to bed early, and now I’m tired. So I must leave first. Please continue your conversation…”
“Wait a moment,” Du Fan said, waving his hand slightly. “I happen to have a few things to discuss with Lord Oscar. Let me accompany him. As for Lord Gabriel and Lord Evan, I hope you enjoy yourselves.”
Gabriel and Evan had no reason to stop them. With smiles, they saw Du Fan and Oscar off from the bell tower before slowly returning.
Gabriel sat down on his sofa. After a moment of silence, he said, “Angelina, you may go first. I need to talk to your uncle Evan about something.”
Angelina was already extremely tired. She even forgot to bow. She simply nodded, stood up, and staggered down the stairs.
Evan watched her graceful figure and couldn’t help but sigh softly. “Angelina has really grown up…”
Gabriel snorted. “Evan, don’t even think about pursuing my daughter. Look at your age—would you even agree to be my son-in-law?”
Evan laughed. “Gabriel, you’re joking. Becoming your son-in-law isn’t something an ordinary person can do. Whoever becomes your son-in-law will surely not have an easy life!”
His words were almost provocative, but Gabriel acted as if he hadn’t heard them. Frowning, he hesitated for a moment before whispering, “Evan, is it worth doing this?”
“What do you mean, worth it or not?”

“It’s naturally about Young Master Du Fan,” Gabriel whispered. “For our plan, I can afford these one million gold coins, but why do we have to offer so many conditions afterward? Do we really have to pay that much every year just to help the Northern Family train their troops?”
Viscount Evan’s expression darkened, and that lecherous look vanished instantly. He turned to look at Gabriel and sneered, “Gabriel… what do you know?”
Gabriel frowned and stroked his mustache. “I don’t know. But you, Viscount Evan, seem to know the most, don’t you?”
Viscount Evan snorted. He walked over to the dining table, sat down, picked up the half-empty cup of tea, took a sip, then said in a grim tone, “It’s not been a day or two since we’ve wanted to break away from the Gavin Empire. That old guy from the Northern Legion understands, those bastards in the capital understand, you and I understand, even that Oscar understands. Do you get that?”
“I certainly do, but…”
“There’s no but.” Viscount Evan took a breath. “We’re not even sure if this Young Master Du Fan understands or not. But as long as he’s willing to take all this and report back truthfully, then maybe we’ll have a better chance…”
Gabriel hesitated for a moment before saying, “My lord, what do you mean…”
Viscount Evan sighed. “How can you still not understand? The many benefits we offer this Young Master Du Fan—are they really for him? No… We’re not giving him benefits, nor are we giving them to the Green Family. Instead, we’re giving them a little trouble…”
“The Northern Legion of the Green Family has guarded the north for generations. We’ve both seen the strength of that army. Even if we united the entire North, we might not be their match. But we have something the Northern Legion lacks… that is… trust…”
At this point, a cold glint flashed in Viscount Evan’s eyes, which resembled those of a barrel. “The Northern Legion is strong, and Duke Green the Elder is an extraordinary hero—those are facts we must admit. In the North, the thing we fear most is the Northern Legion. But equally… besides us, there are others who fear this power too!”
Gabriel asked in confusion, “Who else besides us would fear the Northern Legion?”

“So I said… you’re a good-for-nothing…” Viscount Evan sneered disdainfully, not noticing the flash of coldness in Baron Gabriel’s eyes. “After all, you rose from a commoner to the ranks of nobility. I can’t blame you for not seeing that… The Northern Legion is powerful, and the Green family is united—these are their strengths, but also their weaknesses. Over the years, countless people within the Gavin Empire have tried to join the Northern Legion, but the old Duke Green has used various means to stop them. So now, though the Northern Legion is nominally part of the Gavin Empire’s army, in reality, who else besides the Green family can control it? This ensures the strength of the Northern Legion, but it also casts a shadow over it… that of disloyalty.”
“For the royal family, no matter what army it is, only those loyal to the royal family are truly faithful. But the Northern Legion is loyal to the Green family. This allows the Green family to rely on the Northern Legion’s strength to gain power within the Gavin Empire. In other words, the prosperity of the Green family is built on the strength of the Northern Legion. As for the old Duke Green, the second most powerful figure in the military… frankly, he’s just a tyrannical noble!”
“What has the royal family feared throughout history? Not rebellion, not uprisings, and certainly not civil unrest. What they fear most are tyrannical nobles… History is full of examples of such nobles oppressing the emperor. Thankfully, in the current Gavin Empire, the four major legions are evenly matched, and the powerful families in the capital remain loyal to the royal family, so nothing has gone wrong. But if that balance is broken one day… then I’m afraid… we won’t be around to worry about anything anymore…”
“But what does this have to do with us?” Gabriel still looked puzzled. “It’s the nobles who should worry about the affairs of the Gavin Empire. Why should we worry about these things?”
Evan glanced at him with a very strange expression. “Don’t you understand? The primary purpose of the Northern Legion in the north is to prevent us from truly breaking away from the Gavin Empire. So then, what is it that the royal family fears the most?”
Gabriel thought for a moment and said, “Us rebelling?”

“Rebel! Get your ass moving!” Evan couldn’t help but curse. He smashed the teacup in his hand on the ground and snarled, “Idiot, still don’t you understand after I’ve made it this clear? We rebel? Even if we gather a hundred thousand troops, with the Northern Legion here in the North, would the royal family be afraid? They’d rather we step forward so they can have the perfect excuse to swallow us all up…”
“But…”
“No buts! You’re truly an idiot. Still don’t you get it after I’ve said this? What the imperial family of the Gavin Empire fears most is the Northern Legion colluding with local forces in the North. In that case, if the Green family tries to do anything, the empire would be utterly helpless… What do you know, you idiot?”
The insult of “idiot” enraged Gabriel greatly, but he knew deep down that, both openly and secretly, Viscount Evan held a much higher status than him. He didn’t dare show any other expression and instead said respectfully, “My lord, could it be that we’ve paid such a high price just to establish relations with the Northern Legion?”
Viscount Evan gave Gabriel a look as if he were an idiot, then finally sighed softly and said, “If it were that easy to establish relations with the Northern Legion, we would have done it long ago. Why wait until now? Not to mention establishing relations, in front of that shrewd old Duke Green, we wouldn’t even dare to fart too loudly. This young Master Du Fan is rare to appear here. Whatever his reason for coming, since we’ve figured out he’s just a spoiled brat, why not make use of him? If I’m not wrong, all these gifts will end up in this young Master Du Fan’s hands. The generous gifts we prepared won’t reach the Green family, but that’s not our goal here…”
“Then what is?”
Baron Gabriel asked with utmost respect.

Viscount Evan slowly stood up. His fingers tapped on the dining table for a moment, and the smile on his face appeared extremely sinister. “What truly matters is that agreement, the arms deal… Although on the surface it seems like someone is flattering the Green family, for the royal spies… this is invaluable information. The third young master of the Green family has formed ties with the local forces in the North. What does that mean? Once this news gets out, whether those people like it or not, a rift named distrust and suspicion will arise between the Northern Legion and the royal family of the Gavin Empire. Over time, this rift will grow deeper, and eventually, no matter how hard either side tries, it will be impossible to mend. This is why Oscar needs to be present in this deal. Don’t you know, Gabriel, that the most talkative people in this world are those useless bards?”