GDK 438 - Delia's Hintings
Everyone at the party happily chatted with each other, with Dorcas and Jack presenting the current situation of Brettel City in detail. Naturally, Dorcas and Jack would reveal certain issues which wasn't public knowledge to Han Shuo, hence they told him the whole truth.
Gilbert must have had frequented Brettel City often in these last three years, as he seemed very familiar with the people here. He was talking cheerfully and wittily with Dick and the others, while putting a straightforward smile on his face, which seemed very calm.
From the words of Dorcas and Jack, Han Shuo became even more aware of the difficulties met by Brettel City. He realize that beneath the unbounded grandeur exterior, crisis secretly awaited Brettel City as well.
The Lancelot Empire had achieved stable internal politics. With Lawrence weiding the power, and after some purging, sounds of the rebels could no longer be heard in the Lancelot Empire. Therefore, it wasn't domestic problems that the Lancelot Empire was confronted with, but it was threats from the few surrounding nations.
Brettel City, being the easternmost major city, also faced threats from foreign cities and empires similar to the Lancelot Empire. As Brettel City grew stronger and stronger in their ability to threaten the seven grand duchies, with exception of the two duchies of Helen Tina and Burt Zili, the other five duchies made more and more frequent contacts with each other. Their fighting against each other also quieten down.
Other than the seven grand duchies' menace, the Brut Merchant Alliance, geographically separated from Brettel by the seven grand duchies, was also eying Brettel City covetously. On one hand it was because Han Shuo had killed Celt, the commander of Brut Merchant Alliance's Redbud Knights. On the other hand, Brettel City's existence severely threatened Brut Merchant Alliance's interests.
Prior to Brettel City growing so prosperous, overwhelming majority of supplies which the seven grand duchies needed were bought from the Brut Merchant Alliance. Certain specialties of the seven grand duchies was exclusively traded to the Alliance. The huge profit margin which Brut Merchant Alliance obtained from the seven grand duchies made a lot of merchants become filthy rich.
However, thanks to Brettel City's rapid development, those merchants from the seven grand duchies, who put profit before everything else, began to make frequent contacts with Brettel City. On top of that, most of the goods from Brettel City were far cheaper than those from Brut Merchant Alliance. More and more merchants from the seven grand duchies renounced their collaboration with the Brut Merchant Alliance, and began establishing cooperative connections with merchants within Brettel City.
Hence, Brut Merchant Alliance's interests had surely suffered damage. Brut Merchant Alliance is a country jointly controlled by big merchant guilds, and it goes without saying that the merchants in that country treasure gold coins above all else. Thus, Brut Merchant Alliance viewed Brettel City as an enemy, and started to secretly back those five grand duchies, with the intention to assist them in eradicating the menace that is Brettel City.
Unlike the seven grand duchies, the Brut Merchant Alliance, administered by multiple big merchant guilds, is one of the wealthiest nations on the Profound Continent. Not only that they have a mightily strong army, they also hold plentiful war equipments. Their strength was not in the least inferior to that of the Lancelot Empire. With the backing from this country made of united merchant guilds, Brettel City would obviously be met with a lot of trouble.
"Brut Merchant Alliance, Brut Merchant Alliance, hehe. That filthy rich country. I have yet to have make any moves against them, but unexpectedly, they are getting ready to take care of me. Interesting, very interesting!" Han Shuo laughed coldly after listening to Dorcas and Jack's presentation.
"Bryan, we need to be careful with this Brut Merchant Alliance. They are very much like the Lancelot Empire - a very powerful nation. With merely just our forces in the newly established Brettel City, we are absolutely no match against them," Jack advised Han Shuo when he saw the exuberant ambition on his face.
"Alright. You big fatty. Just take good care of your administrative tasks. The lord's ambitions are beyond what you could imagine," Dorcas gently groaned after shooting a glance at Jack.
"I'm very clear about Brut Merchant Alliance's real strength. Hehe, but Brut Merchant Alliance too are facing powerful enemies all around them, and so they won't put all their attention on our side. Now, all we gotta do is figure out how to take care of the seven grand duchies. For the time being, no need to worry about Brut Merchant Alliance," Han Shuo said with a faint smile.
"Lord Marquis, you've grown stronger and stronger!" While Han Shuo was conversing with Jack and Dorcas, Delia praised Han Shuo with a lovable smile while approaching him with a glass of dark red fine wine in her hand. She had an exotic gloss on her beautiful face. This beauty from the mountainous region had become a military officer who is brave and good at fighting.
Delia, who had a long and slender figure, wore a light-purple long skirt tailored to be skin-tight with a girdle. The mermaid-tail-like long skirt made her slender and perfectly straight legs give off a sense of beauty. The moving curves made the chiefs from the mountains linger a little longer in the hall, with their saliva threatening to burst forth out from their mouth.
With a faint smile, Han Shuo held up high the glass in his hand towards Delia, and courteously replied, "You are overpraising me."
"Haha, Delia oh Delia. There are so many talented and handsome mountainous men pursuing you, but you had been aloof to them all this time. Could it be that you have been waiting for this guy all along?" Jack teasingly said to Delia as he chuckled. It seemed that Jack had grew close to them during the past three years.
Delia pursed up her lips and gently laughed, and only after lingering one round on Han Shuo's body with her eyes, that she replied Jack, "Lord Jack indeed has great insights, you have found me out. Hehe!"
"Eh? So that's the case. Haha, but Delia, you're going to get disappointed. This brat has lots of ladies around him, so perhaps you have no chance for that anymore. You must have heard of those three powerful ladies. Bryan wouldn't dare to continue his womanizing ways anymore," Jack said to Delia in all smiles.
"Well, not necessarily. For a man like His Lordship, I believe that as long as he has his mind set, perhaps no women could restraint him. Hee hee, my Lord, am I right?" Delia replied first Jack, and then asked Han Shuo and looked at him with her bright hot eyes.
Last time, during the way down from Mount Silk, Delia had revealed her true feelings to Han Shuo. Mountainous people are always outspoken and straightforward in temperament, and Delia was especially so. As soon as she settled on a target, she will strive to fight for it without a bit of secretiveness. Her work method was very straightforward.
When Han Shuo met with Delia again after three years' time, he thought the Delia would had long found a sweetheart. But unexpectedly she was single even till now. Han Shuo faintly understood something through Delia's spicy hot gaze. The sexy and wild Delia, who remained to be the number one beauty of the mountainous people, had some hard-to-describe temptative power on Han Shuo, who had now advanced to the Carnal realm.
"Ahem! I don't just set my mind on just anyone," Han Shuo said with a faint smile as he looked Delia, who had her eyes fixed on him.
Jack who was originally joking with Delia, at that moment, he couldn't help but took a careful look at Delia. The Jack now had been tempering in political circles for three years, and so with one quick look with his vicious eyes, he could see the fire in Delia's eyes. All of a sudden, Jack realized that the mocking joke he made just then was actually the truth.
While in his heart he was admiring Han Shuo's luck, Jack couldn't help it but feel worried for Han Shuo. He was well aware of a certain event that happened in Ossen City last time, and he also understood the backgrounds and capabilities of the three women. And besides, Jack knew that Han Shuo certainly isn't someone who is well-behaved. With Delia's own superior qualifications and her recklessly tempting Han Shuo, Jack need not to think to know what will happen.
As the most beautiful woman amongst the mountainous people, Delia is an influential figure in the hearts of mountainous people in Brettel City. If there comes a day that she had disputes with Han Shuo and/or the three ladies of Han Shuo, that will certainly cause a certain impact to those mountainous people. As to how much of an impact it would be, Jack started to inwardly calculate that in his heart.
"Oh then, my Lord, how do you feel about me? Hehe, if your Lordship does have his mind set on me, I could never resist your Lordship's charm," Delia said to Han Shuo with a gentle smile, but her tone already carried a not-so-subtle hint.
"Ahem….. Ahem….." Dorcas made two light coughts. He then frowned in displeasement and said to Delia, "We are right in the middle of a conversation. If there's nothing else please go stroll somewhere else!"
Even for Dorcas, someone rather sluggish in this aspect, could tell that there was some other flavor in her talk. After getting a cue from Jack's eyes, he immediately came to his senses, and berated Delia.
Dorcas, as Delia's superior, held a supremely frightening power in the army of Brettel City. Even the usually bold and fearless Delia was somewhat afraid of him. When he saw Dorcas berated her in a displeased expression, she thought that they really have something important to discuss, and so she apologized to the three and left. But right before leaving, she turned her head to take another look at Han Shuo. Her eyes were completely filled with seductive provocation and enticement.
"Bryan, you now have a beautiful and tempting trouble. I don't know if I should feel happy or worried for you!" Jack waited until Delia left the three to themselves before he mockingly said to Han Shuo.
"Mind your own business, you don't have to worry about me. I know what's going on!" Han Shuo smilingly toasted to Jack, finished the fine wine that was left in his glass, and he then said to the duo, "I'm going to leave Brettel City for a while to take care of a certain things. But it won't be too long."
"Go ahead, my Lord. Don't worry, we will manage the Brettel City well," Dorcas stated immediately in a respectful voice.
"You left for three years and there wasn't much trouble in Brettel City. The Brettel City now will still function even if you leave it. Just go ahead and do whatever you need to do," Jack said smilingly.
Han Shuo nodded and did not give them any lengthy parting speeches. He knew that with Jack and Dorcas there, Brettel City definitely will not suffer any sort of great calamity. Previously, sacred knight Blount who had heavily injured him and his earth elite zombie, managed to escape death. Now that Han Shuo is in Carnal realm, he had absolute certainty that he could kill Blount. Therefore, he decided to finish Blount as to take revenge for his earth elite zombie.