Chapter 335 The man who sold his soul to the devil
The next morning, the Dantès family got up early, hurried to the meeting place agreed with Lumil, and took a carriage to King Street, located in the core of the Holy City, to see their future new home.
The carriage stopped at the entrance of the street, and the coachman looked at the people in the carriage with a troubled expression.
"Sir, cars without family crests are not allowed to enter here... You see, why not get off here."
Most wealthy areas in the Holy City prohibit outside carriages from entering, and the reason is that untrained horses will poop at will.
This is actually inaccurate.
After all, Edmund had seen with his own eyes that a carriage with a unique family coat of arms fell off a big lump when passing through Loyalty Street, and he had to wait for several days before a neighbor who couldn't stand the smell finally picked it up.
"That's it."
Lumir handed the two coins to the coachman, and with the latter's thanks, he motioned for the Dantès family to follow him and walked towards the destination.
The bright sunshine shines on the wide and neat stone road. The tall oak trees and flower beds on both sides of the street are surrounded by gorgeous and elegant single-family villas, which is very eye-catching.
The villas behind the green lawns are all built with light-colored stones, with clean windows, carefully cut potted plants placed on the balconies, and occasionally young servants wearing long skirts can be seen.
The environment here is simply two completely different worlds compared to Zhongcheng Street.
Although the person living on this street is not a king, at least he is out of the class of leeks...
Probably?
Edmond Dantès looked at the street scene around him with mixed feelings in his heart, including yearning and timidity. He subconsciously pulled his collar, trying his best to look more respectable...at least not to look like he was delivering newspapers.
At this moment, a newsboy ran past him, shouting loudly as he ran.
“Extra! Extra! Regent Granville Botha hosted a banquet at the Valencia Manor for His Highness Roxsay Colin from the Cana Continent! Huge news was released at the banquet, right on page 2 of the newspaper! This piece of news worth tens of thousands of gold coins is only available now. It’s 5 copper coins! Ladies and gentlemen, what are you waiting for? Buy one now! It’s really not expensive!”
The gentlemen and ladies passing by threw coins into the newsboy's hat, took the newspapers and stood on the street to read them carefully, with their own wonderful expressions on their faces.
Looking at the attentive look of those people, Edmund, who was still a little inferior at first, was instantly filled with the divine grace bestowed by Saint Sith, and his sunken chest quietly lifted up again unconsciously.
His wife Anna followed him, breathing rapidly, holding the silk handkerchief nervously with both hands, and kept telling the children: "Lucien, Sophia, Francois, you must be polite when you go in later, don't run around, understand? Especially you, Emily!"
Little Emily tugged on her sister Sophia's skirt tightly, opened her curious eyes, and nodded vigorously.
"Yeah! Got it."
Lucian tried his best to pretend to be calm and showed the spirit of an eldest son. However, the fists that were constantly clenching and unclenching still revealed his inner excitement and uneasiness.
His younger brother François looked even shyer, looking around as if looking for a crack in the ground to hide in.
Sofia raised her head, but there was not much confidence in her timid eyes. She looked at the pedestrians on the road from time to time, for fear that they would realize that her family did not belong here and be thrown out of the street by the patrolling guards.
Of course it was impossible for the guards to do this, but they still couldn't help but the glances from time to time made the family feel uneasy.
The only one who looked normal was Lumil.
That face that had seen big winds and waves was unruffled, as calm as a windless lake.
This is the skill he learned after carefully observing the Demon King——
No matter what happens, he must keep the expression on his face, imagine himself as a part of the surroundings, and completely integrate into the surrounding environment.
“It looks like we’ve arrived.” Lumir stopped in front of a chic milky white villa and stopped to admire it, with a certain degree of satisfaction in his selective eyes.
Edmund's breathing was obviously quickened. Looking at the gorgeous door inlaid with copper door plates, he hesitated for a moment.
lumir asked him to choose a house at random. He didn't know where to choose so as not to disgrace His Highness the Prince and not make the other party feel that he was too greedy. So he remembered that he had always heard people say that the powerful and wealthy businessmen in the Holy City lived here.
· This is indeed the case. The coats of arms printed on several house numbers are the standard of the nobility... or at least the title of baronet.
He didn't know the housing prices here, but just looking at the elegantly decorated gate and the neatly manicured lawn, he knew that the price here was definitely something he couldn't consider.
Saint Sisius is above...
Edmund couldn't help but groan in his heart, trying hard to maintain his expression that was almost unbearable.
The stables in the yard are almost bigger than his original house!
The real estate agent who showed the house to everyone was a neatly dressed young gentleman whom Lumil had contacted in advance through the address in the newspaper.
The man in a tuxedo stood at the door and glanced at the Dantès family's clothes. The smile on his face suddenly froze, and then turned into a polite but distant expression.
"Good morning, everyone," he bowed slightly, his tone was calm and professional, "Excuse me...are you the guests who have made an appointment to see the house?"
Edmund's heart tightened, and he quickly squeezed out a smile and nodded: "Yes, yes, we are here to look at the house... Well, this is the one listed for sale, right? Are you the landlord?"
The agent raised his eyebrows, smiled on his face, but his eyes were unconsciously cold.
An unnatural blush suddenly appeared on Edmund's face. His mouth moved and he was about to explain. However, Lumil, who was standing behind him, took a step forward in time. He calmly took out a business card from his arms and handed it to the agent in a tuxedo.
The agent lowered his head and glanced, his expression suddenly froze, as if he was under a petrification spell, and his eyes were completely glued to the dazzling and noble Purple Moon badge.
It's not wrong——
This is the medal of the Colin family!
He just saw it in the newspaper this morning, and he had seen it more than once before that!
In just a moment, his expression seemed to be cast by magic, glowing with unprecedented enthusiasm and enthusiasm.
"It turns out to be a guest of the Colin family! Sorry, sorry! I thought I had the wrong person just now..."
He quickly put the business card carefully into his breast pocket and bowed respectfully.
"Excuse me for being rude... Gentlemen, please come in!"
As he spoke, he hurriedly took out the key, opened the door of the villa, and stepped aside to make way.
The meticulous care that filled his face at that moment was as if the cold attitude just now had never existed.
Lumir did not care about a small person, but just set his sights on Edmund.
The latter quickly came to his senses, regained his solemn expression, and gave his wife a squeeze with his elbow... as if she was the one who was embarrassed just now.
"Let's go!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Edmund regretted it, fearing that the tigress would fall out because of his unconscious harsh tone, and end up losing the face of the Colin family.
However, to his surprise, Anna, who had always been so fussy, said nothing this time and was as quiet as a sheep.
She hummed slightly and snuggled up behind him, like a noble lady who cares about others.
This...what's going on?
Who adjusted his wife to be like this?
Edmund's mouth opened wide in surprise. He looked suddenly more than ten years younger... It was as if he was back to the lady he was when they first met. For a moment, he felt a little strange.
"Is there something on my face?" Anna frowned slightly and reached into her bag to find a mirror.
That frown instantly allowed Edmund to recover his lost memory, and he was sure that the person standing next to him was his wife.
Not wanting to get into trouble, he spoke quickly.
This is a three-story bungalow, with the same number of floors as the house on Zhongcheng Street, but the space is different from the latter.
It’s more than that.
Although no one lives here, there are servants cleaning it all the time. The clean floor is spotless, reflecting the light passing through the windows like a mirror.
The moment they stood in the hall, the Dantès family immediately felt the elegance and comfort that was completely different from the outside world.
And the intermediary was unstinting in his flattering tone and enthusiasm, like a bard in a tavern, taking the trouble to guide them around the room.
Not only that, he also blew every brick and tile here into the sky, and used words both inside and outside to hint to them that everything here was so suitable for them, and even tailor-made for them!
"There are two living rooms on the first floor, one for home enjoyment, and one for entertaining guests. The smaller one is smaller than the larger one, and the larger one is more atmospheric and has excellent light! You see, this fireplace is made of fine white marble, so you won't be afraid of the cold in winter..." Over there at the corner is a study room, which is very suitable for the owner to read quietly.
"The owner here told me that his favorite thing is to read here for an hour before going to bed and taste a glass of wine produced in the Kingdom of Lane Winery in 970 A.D., which will help him think."
Drinking wine can also help with thinking?
Edmund was startled and glanced at his wife secretly.
Seeing that the latter did not frown, he secretly jotted down this useless piece of knowledge, but he forgot all about the year and place of origin of the red wine.
Anna didn't even hear what the agent had just said to her husband. She had been completely distracted by the fairyland-like environment in front of her.
Hand out his hand to gently touch the soft velvet curtains in the living room, his fingers trembled slightly, and he murmured to himself: "This is... velvet? Then what is the one in our house?"
Sophia whispered.
"Maybe it's duck down...but it's actually quite warm."
Anna blushed and glared at her daughter.
"I know! Also, don't mention this matter in the future... especially not to Mr. Colin."
Sofia blushed and nodded, and said "hmm" softly, indicating that she knew.
His mother had hinted at her, and she also knew that relying on her father alone was unreliable. She had to make some sacrifices for the family, and whether it was justified or not was not important at all.
Besides, this is not considered a sacrifice.
The nobles do this, and then use their integrity and morality to restrain the poor.
It is precisely because of reading that she is particularly sober.
Emily was curious and wanted to touch the swan's feathers. She had only seen it in a picture book, so she could tell it to her good friend little Margery when she returned to school.
But thinking of her mother's warning, she quietly took her hand back.
Edmund walked into the study cautiously, looking around at the neatly arranged bookshelves on the walls and the beautifully carved mahogany desk, feeling a burst of eager excitement in his heart.
He suppressed his joy and maintained his composure on the surface, but he spoke unconsciously.
「Not bad...very good...」
The man in the tuxedo was overjoyed, and continued to lead them to the second floor, and continued: "The second floor is the bedroom area. The master bedroom is on the south, with plenty of sunlight and good ventilation. On the north side is the piano room, equipped with a top-notch piano, which is suitable for young ladies to learn music."
Sofia slowly walked into the piano room, her fingertips gently gliding over the black and white keys, and the sound was crisp and sweet.
Her eyes were full of joy, and she whispered to her mother: "Mom, the piano here is much better than the one in the academy...Will the owner leave it to us?"
"Of course! Everything here is yours!" The man in a tuxedo said enthusiastically, "The owner of this place is going to develop in the new world soon. I heard it is the continent of Janna...Maybe this is fate."
"Be careful, Sophia, don't break it!" Anna's tone was full of nervousness, but she couldn't hide the pride and expectation in her heart.
After visiting the interior of the house, everyone returned to the yard again, because the eldest son Lucien, who was full of dreams of knights, insisted on seeing the stables here.
This seems to be a separate yard. It is different from the main yard in front of the door. The lawn is lusher and softer. Even if it falls on it, it will not kill you. Most likely, some magic is used to accelerate the growth of plants.
Edmund doesn’t understand either. He just heard that this thing is not good for growing crops, but it is first-class for growing grass.
The stable is on the side of the small courtyard and is well maintained. There are three empty horse troughs with hay and wood piled next to them.
Lucien ran to the stable excitedly, opened the small door, put his head in, and turned around again, his eyes shining.
He said impatiently: "Father, this is much better than the one in the suburbs! I really... like it here so much!"
Edmund nodded to his son slightly cautiously, but a trace of satisfaction and joy quietly appeared in his eyes, but he could not hide the trace of embarrassment and uneasiness.
He secretly observed Lumir's expression, but could not figure out what the latter was thinking at all.
This guy is obviously a butler, but he feels like a priest in a church.
And it’s the most old-fashioned kind.
“The servants’ quarters and the miscellaneous warehouse are behind the stables. They can not only raise horses, but also some harmless monsters, such as hybrid unicorns or large-antlered deer,” the man in a tuxedo said enthusiastically. Continuing the introduction, "The overall design is very considerate, and daily life is very convenient... Is there anything else you need me to show you?"
The latest ⊥ small stories are published for the first time!
"No, no need, I've already chosen it." Edmund's heart was already filled with excitement and excitement, but he still tried to maintain a calm and calm posture, cleared his throat, and asked casually: "Well, the house... looks pretty good, so, what's the price?"
The man in a tuxedo answered with a smile.
"The selling price is 5052 gold coins, but I think if the owner of the house hears about your distinguished status, he should be willing to make friends with you... I can negotiate for you!"
Hhis words passed into Edmund's ears lightly, but exploded in his heart like a thunder, and a thin stream of sweat broke out uncontrollably on his forehead.
Fifty million copper coins!
This money can buy half of Zhongzhong Street!
"Fifty million...cough, I mean five thousand gold coins is not much," Edmund tried to keep his voice calm, barely revealing that he was a poor man who usually bought things with copper coins.
He was silent for a moment, trying his best to hide the panic in his heart, and forced out a smile and said: "The house... is indeed good, but my waist has always been bad, and the lawn in this yard may not be easy to take care of..."
Hearing that his father seemed to want to give up, Lucien suddenly became anxious and said quickly: "Dad! I can clean the lawn, I can definitely do this!"
When he went to the farm to practice equestrian skills in the summer, he would occasionally help his father with some farm work. This small task was nothing to him!
The agent was stunned for a moment, then he smiled uncontrollably and explained politely: "Sir, you are really good at joking... This kind of work is of course the responsibility of a servant. Of course, unless you are particularly keen on such activities, that is another matter."
Edmond's face became redder and redder, and he was embarrassed,
"I, I do have this hobby..."
The intermediary immediately said enthusiastically.
"Then this house is even more suitable for you! You will have exclusive access to the 2,000 square meters of lawn and become the most distinguished guest on King Street, and everyone on this street will be impressed by your hard work!"
This sentence is by no means sarcastic.
Keeping an innocuous eccentricity appropriately can help deepen your impression in the minds of distinguished guests and serve as a source of conversation to resolve embarrassment. This is something that many nobles do.
In any case, "hard-working person" can be considered a positive nickname, which is so much higher than the nickname "shoe-loser"!
However, Edmund was not from this circle after all, and he couldn't even tell whether the other party was a sincere suggestion or a sarcasm.
Just when he was hesitating and speechless, Lumil took a step forward gently and spoke slowly and slowly.
"I don't think I have to choose. Along the way, I didn't see any house bigger than this one..."
He paused and said.
"That's it."
As soon as he finished speaking, Edmund was stunned for a moment, and everyone had a look of disbelief on their faces.
He looked at Lumil dumbfounded, opened his mouth, and after a while he managed to say: "Mr. Lumil, how can this be done..."
Lumil smiled faintly, without revealing his subconscious embarrassment, and said casually: "I will make arrangements for the servants and gardeners, you don't need to worry about these trivial matters."
“This, this makes me so embarrassed...” Edmund’s voice became softer and softer, and the corners of his mouth could not help but raise, revealing uncontrollable ecstasy and emotion.
This is human instinct.
It’s not just him—
His children too!
The young people could no longer restrain their inner joy and hugged each other excitedly. Even the youngest Emily joined in the fun with silly joy.
Looking at the warm scene, Anna kept wiping the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, and sighed in a low voice: "Holy Saint Sis, thank you, Your Highness...Thank you, Your Highness..."
Lumiel looked at the lady who kept praying, and nodded with a smile.
"I think it is precisely because of the gift of the gods that Mr. Colin and Mr. Dantès, who have been separated by blood for five hundred years, are reunited. I hope you will continue to be as pious as ever."
In addition, he asked the housing agent not to mention the name of the Colin family and just pay the original price.
It’s not that I’m worried about the owner raising the price, it’s just that it’s too low a price to make friends with Mr. Colin just because of 52 gold coins.
5052 gold coins is definitely an astronomical number to ordinary people, even to ordinary nobles, but to His Majesty the Demon King, it is just a number.
Besides, it might not take long before the money will be back in the hands of that gentleman.
In the next few years just after the big storm ends, there will be no project in the entire vast ocean that is more suitable for investment than "Jana Dream".
When Edmund saw his name on the contract, he still felt as if he was in a dream.
Standing in the living room, he watched his wife and children happily discussing their future life, and he couldn't help but feel deeply in his heart.
At this time, he turned his head inadvertently and his eyes fell on Lumil, who was standing aside and waiting quietly.
The other party just nodded slightly, as if waiting for him to come over.
Edmund quickly collected his emotions and hurried to Lumil's side with a respectful expression.
"Mr. Lumil, do you have any other instructions?"
At the end of the day, he admired the butler next to His Highness Colin.
Lumir gently raised his hand and motioned for him to follow him to the corner of the room. Then he slowly took out a map cut from a newspaper and handed it over calmly.
"Do you remember what I said before? His Highness Colin hopes that you will help him manage his property in the Holy City... Recently we have found a good target, but neither he nor I can talk about it in person. At this time, you need to come forward."
Edmund quickly took the map and asked: "What orders does His Highness have, just say so!"
He knows very well who everything he owns comes from.
If the person wants to take it back, it’s just a matter of words.
A contract is only valid when both parties are civilians.
As for the nobility, that is another rule, and this rule has nothing to do with the Dantès family.
lumil said in a gentle tone.
"To put it simply, he plans to invest in a brewery in the Holy City, located in the outer suburbs about 50 kilometers away from the Holy City. It is not far from the port controlled by the Castellon family, with convenient transportation nearby, and the land price is relatively not that expensive."
The big storm affected not only the corn fields, but also the sugar cane fields in the New World were hit hard.
The hot and humid climate of Janna continent is just right for growing sugar cane. They can open a sugar factory in Deadwood Port, then transport the syrup to the Holy City to be processed into rum, and then use the profits earned to develop the real estate in the Holy City, harvesting the wallets of the middle class and the souls of the nobles.
As for the people who had nothing -
They got jobs.
To be honest, the Demon King doesn't really want to harvest them, but if they insist on doing so, they can wait until they have saved enough money, developed their skills, and then bought a ship ticket to switch from the empire to the continent of Janna to work.
The Demon King calls it "a simplified version of the Rum Triangle Trade". Since the empire's cattle and horses are in the empire, they don't have to go to Africa to find them.
Lumil didn’t understand the meaning of this sentence, nor did he understand what Africa was, but he was convinced that the Demon King was right.
The adult has often seen the last move when he makes the first move.
Waiting for Edmund to work hard to digest the huge amount of information, Lumil continued in a slow voice.
As for the payment for land purchase, taxes, etc., you don’t need to worry about it. You only need to do some things for him as the chairman when necessary, and then you can get a family dividend of 1% of the annual profit.”
“I understand!”
Edmund nodded solemnly.
Let alone such a trivial matter, even if His Highness Colin asked him to die, he would not frown.
He quickly unfolded the map and looked at it carefully. Suddenly he saw a familiar badge and was slightly stunned.
"Is this it? Barony of Devore?"
He had seen a carriage with this coat of arms on Loyalty Street before, and it seemed like... he just passed it in the morning.
But this is not important.
What Edmund was really alarmed about was that these country barons had always been the most difficult to deal with.
There are often two sets of laws in their land, one is the law of the empire, and the other is the law of the nobility. As for which set to use, it depends purely on which one is more beneficial to them.
In contrast, he would rather do business with the big nobles. At least those guys cherish their feathers, respect their rules, and look down on the cold and hard copper plates in his pocket.
Alternatively, it is relatively safe to do business on land directly under the empire's jurisdiction.
The bureaucrats in those places mainly come from church schools and are citizens. Even greed is moderate, and they rarely want both.
As for why he said this, it was because his ancestors and Baron Devore belonged to the same ecological niche.
Just when Edmund wanted to persuade him, Lumil just glanced at the map in his hand, and then pointed to the circled position.
"It's not it, it's next to it."
"Next to it? Where?" Edmund was confused for a moment and did not find the second mark on the map.
There is a lot of land next to it, covering dozens of square kilometers, which is equivalent to two or three baronies, or about the same as an administrative division of the Holy City.
Why does a factory need such a large area? !
However, as soon as he thought this, Lumil's next words made him froze in place.
"Of course it's all."
"You can talk about as much as you can."
(End of this chapter)