Chapter 183 – Grounded
Laura was about to say something when Karen waved his hand to stop her. ”I, your father, was very cautious throughout my life as I feared that your grandfather and the Great Lady might hurt me. That’s why I decided to not study that much. Even in the military arts, I made sure to show that I didn’t have potential. As such, it was impossible for me to get revenge for your grandmother.
“You, however, are different. You’ve shown extraordinary business talent, and adding in Uncle Quinn John’s guidance, you had the ability to back it up. Now, you’ve grabbed onto a great foothold here in the Purcell Duchy. Don’t forget that even before you met Mister Zhao Hai, we didn’t have any backing from the inner members of the clan, nor would the people of the Purcell Duchy have backed us up if we offended the Markey Dell clan.”
Karen’s eyes s.h.i.+ned with rays of wisdom as he continued to explain to Laura, “The situation now is different. Mister Zhao Hai has the food commodities, so surely he can control the food prices here in the Purcell Duchy. The Purcell clan also owes him a debt, and Mister is a powerful magician. To sum all of this up, do you think the Purcell clan would have given us face just because you helped them? I don’t deny the existence of this reason, but it also might be due to our relations.h.i.+p with Mister Zhao Hai. These great n.o.bles show kindness only if they can get benefits from it.”
Quinn John and Laura were both shocked as they stared at Karen. They never thought that Karen, who had only wholeheartedly conducted magic research, would be able to a.n.a.lyze their situation. And unexpectedly, one after another, they were all reasonable deductions.
Karen looked at their appearances and smiled. “Well, I’ve told you everything, so you can figure things out. Laura, this isn’t just an opportunity to befriend the Purcell clan and Mister Zhao Hai, but similarly, it is the best time to completely cut off our relations.h.i.+p with the Markey Dell clan.
“Although the Markey Dell clan is powerful, in the end they are still just a merchant clan. The methods they can use can only be attributed to their commercial aspects, while in other aspects they are very weak. Moreover, don’t forget that on the continent, it is not only the Markey Dell clan that calls itself a merchant clan. These past few years, the Markey Dell clan has offended several merchant clans due to the expansion of their businesses. If they are going to receive a big loss, then those people won’t let this chance slip by. If the Purcell clan is fat, then the Markey Dell clan is the bigger fat, isn’t it?”
Quinn John and Laura hadn’t thought of this point. They had both thought of the Markey Dell clan as a colossal power, one that wasn’t affable. They’d forgotten that a monster could only be fought with another monster. One wrong move from them will cause their deaths to become more miserable than those of shrimps[1].
Karen looked at the two, then continued, “One more thing. These past few days, although I’ve been researching, I have also been in contact with magicians, pharmacists, and alchemists I know. If they move, such a force wouldn’t be a small one. If you need my help for anything, so long as the matter isn’t about any aspect of the market, which I don’t understand much about, just look for me in the office[2].”
Karen stood up and patted Laura’s head, saying, “You don’t need to be worried about anything. Even if the Markey Dell clan is strong, so is my daughter. Now that we’ve left the nest and got into conflicts and disagreements with them, don’t be afraid and don’t worry; your father supports you.” He turned around and walked out, then continued, “The magic I’ve been researching doesn’t feel right, I must go back and have a look.” He completely disappeared from the study room.
Laura looked at Karen’s back with teary eyes. Only when Karen had completely disappeared from her sight did she wipe her tears away. She turned to Quinn John and said, “Grandpa Quinn John, arrange a meeting between me and Alodia for tomorrow. I will give him my last warning. If he doesn’t give me face and still continues, then he shouldn’t blame me for being impolite.”
Quinn John nodded and replied with a gratified expression, “I had been thinking that the Second Young Master didn’t understand these matters, but it turns out that the Young Master has a very clear understanding. Ha-ha. No wonder, back then, when Young Master had asked to be placed in the Purcell Duchy, I thought that he’d just completely lost hope. I hadn’t thought that the young master was actually scheming something. Young Master’s move is very fierce, especially since the influence of the Markey Dell clan in the Purcell Duchy was the weakest. So long as we’re here each day, the Markey Dell clan will probably have no way of dealing with us. Oh yes, this is good.”
“Father isn’t stupid,” Laura replied with a smile. “It’s only that he hadn’t used his time to think about this matters. I looked into his research once, and after that I felt dizzy. Ha-ha.”
Karen’s transformation today made them both happy. They hadn’t thought of letting Karen help them, but with Karen’s att.i.tude, they now would. Sometimes, a person’s att.i.tude was a lot more important than their other aspects.
Quinn John showed a faint smile as he said, “I’ll arrange your meeting with Alodia tomorrow. Go and strike at him. If he doesn’t know the good from the bad, then don’t be polite and tidy him up well. Then you must go to Grand Duke Evan, wait for things to settle down with the Grand Duke, then personally go to Mister and clearly discuss this matter.”
Laura nodded. “Alright, I will start the arrangements. Grandpa Quinn John, do those people sound like they’re coming towards us? This is our mansion, so they shouldn’t make too much noise when they come. Our faces wouldn’t look good.”
Quinn John’s eyes brimmed with a cold light as he replied, “Rest a.s.sured, in our mansion, they can’t afford to stir up a storm for no reason. It seems that they’re coming with some news.”
The voices faded as a servant stopped before their door. Looking towards Laura and Quinn John, the servant said, “Young Lady, Steward, this small one has something to report.“
Quinn John nodded. “Come in.”
The servant bent his body while walking in and stood quietly in front of Quinn John.
Quinn John ordered, “Speak.”
The servant replied, “Steward Alodia has called for three people to enter his room. Although these three people looked to be part of his entourage, from my point of view their movements and mannerisms aren’t that of ordinary people. They seem to place an emphasis on watching how they look[3].”
Quinn John nodded. “Anything else?” The servant shook his head and Quinn John beckoned away with his hand, allowing the servant to draw back.
Laura turned her head to look at Quinn John and asked, “Did they investigate the status of those three people thoroughly?”
Quinn John shook his head and said, “They didn’t as those three were new faces. Evidently, they were characters that already had blank backgrounds. The fluctuations of their battle qi also isn’t obvious. Seemingly, Young Master Carlo has recruited new men.”
Laura nodded. “First, let’s make them seem optimistic. From now on, if Alodia brings in more people, we cannot let them leave our mansion. Grandpa Quinn John, look into those people who had come into contact with them. So long as they had contact, no matter who it is, they’re suspicious.”
Quinn John nodded, stood up, and went to arrange those matters. Laura walked to the door of the study and looked up at the already darkened sky while muttering, “Since father doesn’t have any issues, then we must give them a good play.”
* * * * *
The next morning, after breakfast, Laura arrived in the study. Quinn John had led Alodia as they too entered the study. Alodia immediately gave a salute to Laura, showing his etiquette in such a normal situation.
Laura nodded while her eyes still looked at the files on the table and said to Alodia, “Oh, Steward, today I was looking for you and wanted to tell you something. Just recently, the Purcell clan had survived through a food crisis, and much of the populace is still on guard. Because of that, the streets aren’t as peaceful as they once were, so I hope Steward Alodia wouldn’t allow those who came with you to move around. This is the Purcell Duchy, which isn’t comparable to other places and is near the Beastfolk Prairie. The social practices are different here. If an accident were to really happen, then I wouldn’t be able to easily confess it to Fifth Uncle.”
Respectfully complying, Alodia drew back. Quinn John remained and watched Alodia as he left, then told Laura, “Young Lady, it seems like your warning wasn’t effective.”
Alodia’s expression was obviously perfunctory. In his heart, it was impossible to do what Laura told him.
Laura coldly snorted. “In the past, we didn’t even rely on the Markey Dell clan. Hmph. Grandpa Quinn John, convey my message to everyone; don’t permit any of them to leave the compound. If they dare to insist on leaving, then break both their legs. Prepare the carriage, I’ll head over to the Grand Duke’s Mansion.”
Quinn John complied immediately and went down to prepare the carriage for Laura. Now that she was certain that Alodia couldn’t leave their mansion, he will have placed the job onto some other people. One must know that dealing with Alodia wouldn’t be that easy.
As Laura stepped her left foot out of her home, one of Alodia’s people tried to go out as well. This man was one of those that had been seen with Alodia last night. As he walked in front of the gate, a servant stationed inside stopped him and asked with a smile, ”This big brother, may I know where you’re going?”
The man was surprised for a moment. He looked at the servant and said, “It’s my first time in Casa City, so I wanted to go and stroll around for a bit. Does little brother need something from me?”
The servant looked back at him and slightly chuckled. “Ah, I have no issues with you. But today, the Young Lady ordered that no one may go out of the mansion, otherwise we will be forced to break both their legs. This little brother is only concerned for big brother. It wouldn’t be good to be punished.” The man smiled, but his features were actually ice-cold.
Laura’s people within the residence were all trained by her throughout these years. That was why their loyalties to her was also very high. Adding in the current situation, although they seemed big, compared to the aristocrats they were just a small household. Moreover, in the hierarchy within this household, she was naturally the one present with the most power and wouldn’t be disputed on this sort of thing. The servants’ hearts were all for their master which, of course, meant that all of that honor went to Laura.
As soon as the man heard what the servant said, his complexion couldn’t help but change. He refuted angrily, “This is absurd. We aren’t people from your household, so why do you limit us? You also dare to cut our feet? I have chosen to go out today, so I am going to look and see how your steward will punish me.” He lifted his foot to step out after saying that.