Lord: Starting with Biological Modification

Chapter 118: Chapter 113: The Art of Delay

At the banquet in the Lord’s Mansion, the food was simple and rustic.

Large chunks of roasted meat sizzled with grease, the white bread was cut thickly, and wooden mugs were filled to the brim with foaming ale.

Banaby Minas Hill disdainfully prodded the venison on his plate with a silver fork, as if it were something unclean.

He didn’t take a bite, merely dabbing his lips once more with an immaculately white silk handkerchief.

"Oh, what a... rustic flavor."

His voice echoed in the less-than-spacious dining hall.

"This reminds me of the banquets at the Marquis’s estate. Did you know, Lord Klein, that every one of our dinner plates comes from the Porcelain Capital of the East? And as for chefs, we have three just for handling poultry. They can prepare a single lark in twenty different ways, each with a completely distinct flavor."

Velin quietly cut the meat before him, offering no response.

He had deliberately seated Ola next to Banaby.

The Half-Dwarf’s burly frame, like a wine barrel, made the envoy look even more corpulent by comparison.

Banaby’s gaze finally shifted from the food to Ola beside him.

"Baron Stonebeard, I hear your harvest this time was extremely bountiful?"

He lowered his voice, adopting a tone of slick familiarity.

"The Lord Marquis is never stingy with rewards for capable vassals. If you were to provide some... useful information, I believe His Lordship would be more than happy to help you repay some of your unnecessary debts."

Ola’s chewing paused for a moment.

He looked up, his eyes—which didn’t belong to a Dwarf—meeting Banaby’s probing gaze.

In his mind, however, flashed the image of Velin throwing the Blood-sucking Vine, and the promise of a plan called the "Strengthening Program."

He cracked a grin, revealing teeth stained yellow from the meat.

"HICCUP—"

A loud, boozy belch, reeking of ale, sprayed across Banaby’s face.

Ola snatched the remaining half of a roasted chicken from the table and began to gnaw on it, his throat making muffled gulping sounds. He didn’t spare the envoy another glance.

The fake smile on Banaby’s face froze. He turned to the other side of the long table, his target now the silver-haired lady who had maintained her elegance from the very beginning.

"Miss Channing, your beauty is truly the only bright spot in this marsh."

He tried to force a sycophantic smile.

"I truly don’t understand. With the Golden Sail Commerce Association’s power and your wisdom, why would you invest precious funds in such a... Pioneer Knight with an uncertain future?"

Caroline was gently tracing the side of her crystal goblet with her fingertip.

The deep red liquid in the glass rippled in tiny circles with her movement.

She lifted her eyes, her gaze cool and detached.

"The Golden Sail Commerce Association’s investments are based on returns, not origins."

Not a hint of emotion could be heard in her voice.

"That is the creed of the Golden Sail Commerce Association."

「The next day.」

The morning mist had yet to dissipate, but Banaby had already lost his patience.

"Lord Klein, I believe I have now fully appreciated the local customs of your territory."

He stood at the entrance of the Lord’s Mansion, his tone thick with impatience.

"Now, I demand to inspect the warehouse for the spoils of war."

Velin wore a perfectly humble smile.

"Of course, Lord Envoy. We would be delighted to show you our achievements."

He shot a meaningful glance at Barrett, who was standing to the side.

"Barrett, please be sure to give the Lord Envoy a thorough tour of the foundations of our Newly Town."

A flicker of understanding passed through Barrett’s single eye.

He stepped forward and gave Banaby a stiff military salute.

"This way, please, Lord Envoy."

The next two hours were a long-drawn-out torture for Banaby.

He was taken to see the black city walls being reinforced, the muddy training grounds, and was finally led to the edge of the farmland outside of town.

Barrett pointed to the freshly turned black soil, describing the results of their land reclamation in a flat monotone.

Banaby’s complexion went from its initial pallor to the color of pig’s liver.

His portly body struggled forward over the bumpy ground, his breathing growing heavy and labored.

"Enough!" he finally stopped, roaring at Barrett’s back. "I want to see the giant crocodile carcasses! The Demon Crystals! The Scale Armor! Not this wood and mud!"

He felt like he was being played for a fool.

Velin appeared nearby at just the right moment, a look of "concern" on his face.

"Lord Envoy, what seems to be the matter?"

"What’s the matter?" Banaby trembled with rage. "You’re deliberately stalling for time!"

Velin’s expression turned to one of "difficulty." "Lord Envoy, you misunderstand. It’s just that... regarding the division and appraisal of the high-value Magical Beast materials, we have fully entrusted the matter to the professional Golden Sail Commerce Association."

He sighed. "They said the process is extremely complex. To ensure the maximization of value, they still need... two more days."

When Banaby went to ask Caroline, the answer he received extinguished all his hopes.

"That’s correct." Caroline was holding a silver-edged notebook.

"According to the Association’s internal regulations, the warehousing of Level 4 or higher Magical Beast materials must undergo at least three independent appraisal procedures. This includes a Magic Power activity test, a material integrity assessment, and a market rarity comparison. This is to ensure the fairness and authority of the final valuation. No one may interfere before the process is complete."

Banaby was hit with a dizzying barrage of professional jargon.

No matter how foolish he was, he knew he absolutely could not publicly question the professionalism of the Golden Sail Commerce Association.

That was a behemoth that even the Marquis Minas Hill himself was unwilling to offend lightly.

Banaby’s chest heaved violently. He felt like his lungs were about to explode from rage.

He whirled around, pointing a trembling finger straight at Velin.

"Don’t play games with me, Klein!"

His voice became shrill and distorted.

"I’m warning you! The legitimacy of this pioneer territory of yours requires the Lord Marquis’s final confirmation! With a single word, he can take it all back!"

This threat was his final trump card.

The air instantly froze.

The veins on the hand Barrett had on his sword hilt bulged.

Fury ignited in Ola’s large, bell-like eyes.

Even a trace of worry flashed in the depths of Caroline’s eyes.

The color drained from Velin’s face, perfectly displaying the alarm of a young lord facing a figure of power.

But the moment he bowed, his lowered, wine-red eyes showed no ripple of emotion, only the calm confidence of a plan proceeding as scheduled.

"Yes, yes! Please calm your anger, Lord Envoy! I... I will immediately go and urge the Commerce Association to speed up their progress!"

Seeing Velin’s appearance of having his lifeline completely grasped, the anger in Banaby’s heart was replaced by the smug satisfaction of being in control.

He snorted coldly and adjusted his disheveled collar.

"Hmph. As if you’d dare do otherwise."

He decided to give this country bumpkin two more days.

He wanted this fear to slowly ferment in Velin’s heart until he could squeeze the most profit from it.

「Nightfall.」

In the office of the Lord’s Mansion, Velin stood alone before the window.

Outside, the Gray Sea Marsh was filled with its eternally unchanging tranquility, broken only by the chirping of insects and the sound of the wind.

All of Newly Town had fallen into a repressive silence.

Everyone had seen how their Lord had "retreated step by step" before the Marquis Envoy.

This immense pressure hung over everyone’s heart like a dark cloud.

Velin gazed eastward, in the direction of the Royal Capital.

He muttered to himself.

"By my calculations, it should be about time."

What he was waiting for was Caroline’s albatross, which could travel a thousand miles a day.

And that bird would bring the key that was enough to turn the tables.