It took the car some time to reach the mansion where Grandma Ann lived.
When Victor stepped out of the car he was greeted by a fat face that sat on a fat body.
“Young master, we meet at last.” The fat man said it was Kai.
“What are you doing here?” Victor asked him immediately making him skip the introduction he was planning,
“I went ahead to inform the mistress of your arrival,” Kai said proudly.
“And you were kicked out,” Victor said, looking at the dirt on Kai’s pants.
Kai quickly nodded with embarrassment, that slut ordered her servants to throw him out. Oh, he can’t say that out loud. If he did that, his fat head would be free to roll by itself on the ground.
“The matriarch didn’t want to see you.” Kai said, “She told me to tell you to just do your assignment, and marry Linda.” He added.
“Oh, then step aside and keep Lily company. I will reason with her.” Victor said as he headed to the manor, under Lily’s worried gaze.
“The mistress does not want to see you.” The guard said.
“Tell her, I have something that would change her mind. Something to do with the sword sect.” Victor said, making the guard look at the butler who was standing by the door.
The butler quickly went inside then returned and invited Victor in. Not forgetting to squint his eyes at him as he walked in.
…
It was the same drawing-room in which he met his grandmother the last time he was here. She was waiting for him while reading a book. It was a BL novel. He did find a full stack of those when he unearthed this mansion back then.
“So what deal do you have for me this time?” She raised her head and asked him as he entered the room.
“Something you can’t refuse.” He said as he used his appraisal skill. This time he could read her stats.
NAME: ANN VON WEISE CLASS: Dark Witch AUTHORITY: 09 Strength: 211 Luck: 42 SKILLS : EQUIPMENT: FATE STATUS FATE’S POWER: C+ TOTAL: C |
Wow, as expected of a family head. Too bad such status would become useless after the Reckoning.
“Oh, something I can’t refuse. You sound like some lousy salesman. What might that thing be?” She asked as she looked at him with interest.
“I need a promise first,” He said.
“About Aria?” She asked.
“Yes, and a few other things, think of it as a deal.” He said.
“That depends…What do you have?” She asked curiously.
“A treasure that can make a semi-player upgrade to a player under certain conditions,” Victor said.
“Really?” She asked with a frown in a surprised yet unbelieving voice. “do tell me,”
“It's called the Pendant of Armas, It can increase the authority of whoever wears it by one,” he said.
“What's the catch?” she asked. such treasures usually have huge penalties.
“It can only be worn by players below level 5.” He said as he helped himself to a seat. While Ann looked at him with curious eyes, waiting for him to further explain.
“I heard that young master Wang Ling from the sword sect was his patriarch’s only son and that his father lost the ability to have other children due to practicing a certain technique.” He said, “Wang Ling has only awakened as a semi player so he lost the qualification to inherit his father’s seat. He might want this treasure. I heard that their sect is on the brink of an inner war for succession in the absence of a suitable candidate. Victor said, making his grandmother throw the book in her hand to the table and then look at him.
“I already know that. Stop your mind games and tell me how this treasure can be useful.” She said with indifference, but he could see the fire of interest flickering in her eyes.
“The Mardik Curse,” he said, making Ann frown the smile then began to laugh, while clapping her hand.
In the depth of the Dawn valley, there exists a cleared dungeon. It was cleared and searched many times to the point where nothing of value remains there. But one in it there exists a demonic pond. If someone entered it with equipment, the thing would be permanently fused with the wearer's body. And that victim would be bald and lose the ability to have children. In addition to that, he would never be able to take off his equipment or wear another one.
Only desperate people would go through that. And usually to equip high-level treasure. As the curse totally ignores the equipping requirements.
Wang Ling was a pervert who had already fathered tens of children so his father would probably push him into the dark pond himself. As the elders of the sect were on the verge of deposing him as the patriarch.
“Well played.” She said, “This would be a good move. Ok, good, good. What do you want in exchange? I will not accept a request to nullify your marriage though, as this has something to do with family interests. Don't think that your little play at the party yesterday would make me change my mind. ” She said, with a smile.
“I am not an idiot,” He said, “ I already know that you are using me as a decoy to divert the other power's attention from the real elite heirs. Can I ask why you are so insistent on this marriage contract? Those Von Rosens probably want to use me to infiltrate the family.” Victor added, hinting at the danger.
“Oh, not bad. You are not stupid after all.” She praised with a mocking smile. “Ok, I will tell you why. 16 years ago Amelia traded her daughter with three drops of purified blood from our family. I need to know what have they done with it, and if they got anything useful. If you can get me this information I can spare you the marriage and grant you all the rights of an elite disciple. If not, I want you to marry her then try to find the information I want, through her or her mother. She is her mother's only daughter after all. And their family is ruled by women.” Ann said, making Victor frown. He needs a change of plans.
“That means that you would never really give me any real position in the family, so as not to let them infiltrate us.” He said.
“Exactly. Not for the time being anyway.” She replied.
He frowned but was secretly really glad. Just as he wanted. Being given a family position would put him under the family’s strict surveillance. And he didn’t want that.
“Ok, First I need Aria.” He said.
“You can take her. She has already been branded by the family/s tattoo. So she would be your servant. Anything else?” She asked.
Victor hesitated, he wanted to ask for some COINs for the pendant before but not anymore, as he had just got a piggy bank at home and no longer needed the money.
“I heard from my sister that elite disciples have the chance to visit the vault. And I was not granted that right. So I would require the right to select one item from there.” He said, making Ann frown, she didn't expect him to know about those.
"Fine. It’s your right anyway. you have more?" She asked.
"Yes. I want the girls that were trained with my servant Lily in the assassin's hall" He said,
"Oh, those girls. Dick intends to sacrifice them as a tribute at his son's funeral tomorrow morning. You just got here in time. Such a waste of resources. You can go get them,” Ann said. making Victor frown. That bastard, he should get rid of him fast.
“If that’s all I would need the Pendant?” She asked impatiently.
Victor quickly took out the Pendant from his ring and threw it at her. He is no longer in the mood to talk.
She looked with interest at the two rings in Victor's hand, then ignored them and began to inspect the pendant. She would have to appraise it. But Victor would never dare to lie to her.
“Come here two days later to enter the vault.” She said as she threw him two jade tokens. “These are patriarchal command tokens, use them to get Aria and the girls.” She said then waving her hand and throwing him out of the window into the front yard head first.
“Bitch,” Victor screamed silently as he stood up and dusted his pants, then left the mansion.
“Is everything ok young master?” Kai asked. As Lily helped wipe the dirt off Victor's face.
“Yeah, The negotiation was a success. Get me a helicopter. I need to go on a quick trip.” He said looking at the setting sun.
I am not one to read the status properly but
Kissing A
can be a skill?
Judging by the fact that she's emasculating the men i'd say yes
also the class says witch and this here looks like a temptress kind of witch
She has multiple husbands
Honestly if I was him I wouldn't waste my efforts saving this family... it clearly needs some cleanup and hardships to trim the unruly bunch and start over.
The best you can do is cherry pick the half decent ones and let the rest die off...
I'd say maybe he can perform some heavy duty cleaning when the reckoning happens. Or maybe in just a few years he will have a bunch of people and a few scions under him making him effectively able to rule with an iron fist.
Kissing A
As kissing has been confirmed to be a skill, yet f*cking hasn't been listed. I can only assume her husband never enjoyed it.
Her cave might be too wide for it
Get me a helicopter.
Que BGM...Ride of the Valkyrie's!
So all the girls up to now like this:
-Lily
-Mana and Mina(twins)
-Alpha+7 others(come from baron)
-Alex (gender bender butler)
-Margret (enchantress)
-Aria (ex-sister)
-Mira(actor)
-Zoe(blond scion)
--Police, Iris
-Mia(iris sister), red car girl, assassins hall girls, 41 slave,
That's a good deal actually. Considering the item ha has is useless to him. Thanks for the two chapters by the way. I'm glad you didn't go for an April's fool. Hate that day
I was intending to. I wrote four lines of an april's fool chapter. But the thing was so disturbing that i cancled the whole Idea.
@Akaichi you know what? Just for that I'll buy you a kofi
What good deals?
First try to take his maid and make him work , after that try to keep his sister and his rewards and make him pay again.
Taking things making pay him ransom. Even after that he is forced to marry.
Grandma is only good for troubling and kissing.
I don't understand? He was mad at her and called her a b!tch but Like he could have gotten more ? He pretty much got ripped off again 😥
Everything he got had almost zero actual value, while he traded something valuable ?
aria and the girls
Uhhh, I think he did all of that just to save his sister Aria. The assassin girls are just a bonus. Also, he can get something from the vault or something.
@eliteman56 Exactly.
@Demon79 But to his grandmother and the family they have basically no value. They are just servants after all
@eliteman56 But the vault was something he was already entitled too, and aria at this point is just a servant and worth hardly anything to the family ?
@Rexharris I think you're forgetting about a few things. First, as he said a few times before, Aria was one of the people who helped him in his previous life.
Second, his grandmother wouldn't just give him Aria even though she is just a servant since he isn't even treated as properly as an elite member. Same with the assassin girls.
Third, as I said, he isn't treated properly as an elite since his grandmother
That means that you would never really give me any real position in the family, so as not to let them infiltrate us.” He said.
“Exactly. Not for the time being anyway.” She replied.
“That means that you would never really give me any real position in the family, so as not to let them infiltrate us.” He said.
“Exactly. Not for the time being anyway.” She replied.
He said it himself, he wasn't given that right.
@eliteman56 I'm not forgetting that, but these are all minor things, where as he gave up a major piece for negotiation
think of it this way, the sect leader desperately needs something like this. So it's possible to get a lot of resources and Concessions for it. Like if victor traded with him directly he could have gotten tons of resources.
Airs and the girls were only valuable to victor. To the family and his grandmother they are basically worthless. So she gave up basically nothing in the negotiations.Now the hier privilege was technically already his so he probably could have pushed for it and gotten it without negotiating at all. After all short changing him is harming.
So basically I'm this trade his grandma gave up nothing. And victor gave up a valuable piece for negotiation with a big force.
So far in all his negations with her he basically has gotten ripped off. I wonder if it's because she has skills for it, but you would think with his knowledge he could do better .
@Rexharris That's why she qicked him out in a hurry. She doesn't want him to think of anythink valuable. And Victor will not just be obideient in the vault.
@Akaichi I mean I guess but would it make more sense to just add that too the negotiation? Idk but if he trying to do it low key it makes sense
@Rexharris ohhh, I see your point.
He could've but he got what he needed and he's prolly just being careful to not ask too much as she could get mad at him trying to get a even price for the necklace keeping her happy that she got something for pretty much nothing in her eyes maybe?
@Rexharris @Akaichi I agree with Rexharris perspective that the deals between Ann, Victor's grandmother, and Victor are one-sided to an extreme. But remember the power differential between the two. Victor is, from his grandmother's point of view as one of, if not the most politically powerful woman on the planet, still an absolute nobody.
He is getting anything at all from her in return, because he is family, somewhat interesting, possibly useful, and she is likely a little fond of her surprisingly intriguing grandson. She could and would have enslaved and tortured him to get her hands on her white lily poison cure, and she might do so for a bargaining chip with the sword sect.
Victor needs to find things to trade with his grandmother that interest her sufficiently to even make any deal with him in the first place, let alone spend political capital for.
Angering the head of Assassin training, Guy's father, by taking his intended funeral sacrifices carries a political cost even for Ann that she wasn't willing to spend just to prevent some regrettable personnel waste. She probably sells her personal favours extremely highly to anyone in the family, to keep her personal interventions few and powerful, and not to be bothered constantly.
There is a reason, why Theodore didn't just save Aria himself or as a gift to his son, Victor. He would have had to spend sufficient political capital, i.e. favours or resources to his grandmother, that appeared to have been higher than any love he had for his not-daughter.
@marconjecture Idk because for the second negation he is protected by the agreement for the first one so she can’t just threaten him. He is also being forced into that marriage which should give him some leeway in other ways. The first time he really had her where he could get almost anything from her, she was almost dead by that point and was so weak if it was made known she would instantly be deposed so he really did have a good position.