Chapter 016: Ten Times the Ransom

“You!” Marquis Fernando was so enraged he could hardly speak. He pointed at Du Fan, his eyes seemingly blazing with fury.
“Bernis, gather the city guards and surround this place. I want to see just how extraordinary the renowned Duke Du Fan really is.” Marquis Fernando’s plump face was severely distorted by anger as he glared at Bernis and gave orders.
Bernis froze for a moment. Usually, at the mere sound of Marquis Fernando’s command, he would rush off to carry it out immediately. But today was different—he knew this matter absolutely could not be handled in that way, otherwise, Marquis Fernando would be finished.
Seeing that Bernis dared to disobey his orders, Fernando became even angrier. He grabbed Bernis by the collar and stared fiercely at his old friend who had followed him for decades.
“Marquis, please calm down. You’re being…” Bernis trembled as he spoke, then glanced at Du Fan, who was smiling wickedly, and swallowed the rest of his words.
Although Bernis was also angry, he was much calmer than Marquis Fernando under these circumstances. He knew all too well what would happen if private troops were used to attack a duke—whether Du Fan was killed or not, Marquis Fernando would surely lose his life, and even he, as the supervisor, would be executed. By then, not even Duke Wade or Prince Fisher could save him.
Seeing Bernis on the verge of crying, Marquis Fernando did calm down somewhat. He threw Bernis aside, glared fiercely at Du Fan one last time, and then left the inn without looking back.
Bernis quickly got up and ran after his master out of the inn. Strangely enough, he even smiled and nodded at Du Fan before leaving.
“Young master, didn’t we go too far this time? I’m afraid Marquis Fernando would rather give up this entire commercial district than come after you again,” Old Mark said worriedly, frowning.
After all, Fernando was also a marquis. With his noble pride and anger, he would never return to confront Du Fan. Moreover, Du Fan had already spent all his gold coins on purchasing these shops. If he couldn’t recover them in time, construction in City Doha would stop immediately—there was no doubt about that.

“He?” Du Fan sneered and said, “Grandpa Mark, don’t forget—he’s not a real noble. He’s just a dog, a dog raised by Duke Wade and the Lionheart family. Think about it—what dignity does a dog even have? Once he thinks things through, he’ll kneel and beg me. And even if he doesn’t want to, his master, Duke Wade, will force him to.”
Du Fan’s words were so confident that Old Mark didn’t know how to refute them. Still, worried, Old Mark said, “How could Duke Wade be aware of what’s going on here? Even if Marquis Fernando really changes his mind, it will take a long time. But the construction of Doha City can’t be delayed for too long.”
“Grandpa Mark, why are you getting more and more confused? How can Duke Wade allow Marquis Fernando to act freely here? There are probably already spies from Duke Wade in the city hall. News of what’s happening here will reach Duke Wade soon. If he doesn’t want to strain relations with me right away, he’ll send Marquis Fernando over immediately.” With a sigh of resignation, Du Fan turned and entered the house.
Old Mark was indeed stunned for a moment, but then realized Du Fan was right. Shaking his head in confusion, he lamented that he had truly grown old. In the past, how could he have gone unnoticed in such matters?
…
“Marquis, calm down. Although Du Fan is just a young noble and a charlatan, don’t forget he’s still the third young master of the Green family. Recently, he’s even become a favorite of Prince Fischer. If you really have the city guards kill him, Old Green will likely order the northern army to march south immediately. Even Prince Fischer might not be able to turn things around by then, let alone Duke Wade, who certainly won’t intercede for you.” Still in that luxurious carriage, Bernice bowed low and expressed his views, trying to persuade Marquis Fernando to calm down—after all, it involved his own life.
Actually, Bernice didn’t need to explain anything. Marquis Fernando already understood the stakes. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have stepped forward silently. But the anger kept pressing on his chest, making him feel restless.
“Call Diana over. I need to vent. Damn it, it’s so frustrating! Kid, I’ll make you pay for this sooner or later.” Slamming his fist against the bottom of the carriage, Marquis Fernando spat angrily.

Thinking of that lustful girl Diana, Bernice couldn’t help swallowing hard. At this moment, finding that lustful girl would definitely allow him to vent his anger properly—Bernice agreed with this. However, there were still some issues, and Bernice had to ask for guidance: “My lord marquis, what about those shops? After all, the city guards can’t delay things for too long. If Du Fan shows up again, we’ll probably have to let him arrange for them to be moved away.”

“Then let him move them. At worst, I’ll spend ten times as much to transport stone materials from those eastern provinces and rebuild them.” Marquis Fernando didn’t want to face Du Fan again; otherwise, he really didn’t know if he could hold back his anger.

Bowing his head, Bernice fell silent. Indeed, he also didn’t know what to do. But one thing was certain: the annual taxes from Province Els would be completely spent, and maybe that wouldn’t even be enough.

……

“Barty, if Fernando hasn’t arrived by nightfall tomorrow, take these contracts and my seal and forcibly take back those shops. Hmph, I wonder what he’ll do then.” Du Fan’s face was full of cunning—there wasn’t a trace of a clergyman’s demeanor left.

Barty was shocked. He didn’t know what this lord was thinking. Such a meticulous plan was beyond even someone like him, who often had to navigate between bandit groups and other nobles of the Laney Empire. And Du Fan was still so young—unless he was a genius, he must be a monster.

Du Fan pondered for a moment before sharing all his subsequent plans with Barty. After all, he still had to stay here, and someone needed to carry out these tasks.

They talked until midnight before Barty returned to his room, his face filled with terror.

“Young master, young master! Marquis Fernando is here again.” With a smile on his face, Old Mark gently shook Du Fan, knowing that everything was now proceeding according to Du Fan’s plan, which also reassured him greatly.

Du Fan reluctantly got up, washed up briefly, and then went to the outer hall. He knew he couldn’t let Marquis Fernando go this time.

“Duke, I apologize for my rudeness yesterday. Please forgive me.” Upon seeing Du Fan appear, Marquis Fernando immediately bowed low to show his sincerity.

“It’s a crime that Du Fan didn’t go to greet you personally with your arrival.” Du Fan sat down on the chair with a smile, speaking in a sarcastic tone.

But today, Marquis Fernando wasn’t so easily angered. Still smiling, he went over to Du Fan, took out a diamond card from his pocket, and handed it to Du Fan with both hands, saying respectfully, “Please accept my apologies, My Duke. You must take it, you really must.”

Du Fan curled his lips in disgust and signaled Old Mark to take the diamond card, then said, “Marquis, you’re too kind. Did you come this early for some reason?”

After saying that, Du Fan glanced outside. The sun was already high in the sky—far from early morning; it was already noon.

“My Duke, you’re right. I indeed came a bit too early and disturbed you. But some matters are extremely urgent, so I had to seek your advice,” said Marquis Fernando. As an experienced politician, he could lie without showing any expression on his face.

“What matters? Go ahead and tell me,” Du Fan said, too lazy to argue with Marquis Fernando. For someone who acted like a fawning dog, if it weren’t for certain matters, Du Fan would find even speaking to him disgusting.

“My Duke, I heard that you’ve acquired all the shops in Mendesa City. But transporting them to your city of Doha would be too troublesome. How about I use gold coins to buy them back, so as to spare you the hassle?” Marquis Fernando said, looking at Du Fan respectfully.

If there were an award for best acting here, Du Fan would definitely choose Marquis Fernando. Even such a lie sounded plausible coming from him, and his eyes were filled with flattery.

“Hmm!” Du Fan pretended to ponder for a moment, then asked Bati, who was beside Old Mark, “How much gold coin did we spend acquiring these shops? Since Marquis Fernando is being so considerate, we must ensure he doesn’t spend an extra coin.”

Suppressing his urge to laugh, Bati solemnly gave the price—but it wasn’t the original amount. It was the price Du Fan had told him last night, ten times higher.

This time, Marquis Fernando couldn’t hide his reaction. Upon hearing the price, his brows immediately furrowed. After all, this amount was equal to the total revenue of Province Els over three years. Normally, he could never accept such a condition. But thinking of the secret letter he received yesterday, his body trembled. Pretending to think for a while, he then said respectfully, “Thank you, My Duke, for your kindness. I’ll immediately order my subordinates to deliver the diamond card to you.”

After saying that, Marquis Fernando wanted to leave. Having much experience in politics, he knew that this was the best time to go; otherwise, any questions Du Fan might ask next would be ones he couldn’t accept but still had to agree to. But Du Fan wasn’t going to let him leave so easily.