"Any archbishop of the God of Love, when holding this sacred relic, can exert the power of a top-notch demigod."

"And this is a top-notch demigod enhanced by the power of the Love God."

"But do you know how much 'Destiny of Love' was auctioned for?"

"240,000 gold coins!"

"240,000! What kind of concept is that?"

"If we had known the hidden power of this piece from the start, we could have auctioned it, then turned around and negotiated with the God of Love Church, selling it for 2 million, even 10 million gold coins would have been possible."

Mr. ONE's eyes flickered with an uncertain light:

"Devoted followers from the God of Love Churches worldwide wouldn't mind spending a little gold to add some heritage to the church."

"Who can guarantee 'Snow Country Border' isn't the same case?"

The person in charge suddenly realized:

"You want to test Mayer Commerce Association's thoughts on this?"

Mr. ONE nodded, saying:

"If the royal family is involved behind the scenes, then this news needs to be told to FIVE. As you said, smoothing internal trade routes is more important than maintaining close ties with Mr. Mayer."

The person in charge showed a trace of deep fear in his eyes:

"Even though you highly appreciate Mr. Mayer?"

Mr. ONE openly smiled:

"Mr. Mayer is a person worthy of my respect. If he comes to Am Empire, I would prepare the finest wines and the best delicacies, welcoming him with treatment comparable to an emperor."

"But speaking in commercial terms, I'm a member of the O5 council, and I can't let FIVE's interests be harmed."

The wine glass swirled, reflecting his sharp gaze:

"Not to mention, if Ense truly has the method to use 'Snow Country Border', I don't want to trade away such an important thing."

"Why not just buy it?"

"Problems that can be solved with money aren't real problems."

…

[Location: Robert City · Louis' Temporary Office]

Louis turned off the communication device with the person in charge. Beatrice stepped out from behind the curtain, saying:

"It seems like they have some ideas."

Louis shrugged, saying:

"It would be strange if they had no ideas, but they're not that easy to deceive."

Beatrice was curious:

"What do you mean?"

Louis calmly said:

"I informed him with such an exaggerated tone that I must acquire 'Snow Country Border', and he didn't have much of a reaction."

"He didn't even show the expression of seeing a sucker, which is not quite like the character of the Am people."

Louis put down the wine glass, saying:

"I have dealt with the person in charge of Wealth Can Reach God before. His greed exceeds his ambition."

"During the waste disposal device incident, he lowered his head for short-term profit, eager to use his saliva to prove his sincerity."

"Such people value short-term interests over long-term ones."

"Even knowing that, in the long run, this deal might be the basis for his downfall, he still agreed without hesitation."

"Because Wealth Can Reach God's performance isn't enough for him to account to his backers."

"It's inevitable that Wealth Can Reach God won't go bankrupt, given the O5 council's involvement."

"But even if Wealth Can Reach God doesn't go bankrupt, if he's no longer in the responsible position, it wouldn't matter to him anymore."

Beatrice nodded, saying:

"So, someone who values short-term interests is unlikely to come specifically to inform us?"

Louis didn't reply immediately, just stood up and walked to the window, looking at the god-forged figure in the city's center, and said lightly:

"No, it's precisely because he pursues short-term interests that he urgently needs to contact me."

"Anyone who can navigate the Am Empire, acting as a white glove for the O5 council, couldn't possibly be an idiot."

Beatrice didn't quite grasp Louis' meaning for a moment.

Louis coldly said:

"While communicating via the crystal just now, there were silver-white decorative mirrors on both sides of his conference room."

"The direction those mirrors faced allowed an unseen view beyond the communication crystal, hiding a sofa in a corner."

"Although I couldn't clearly see the specific image, it's certain that someone was listening to our conversation in a place the communication crystal couldn't capture."

Beatrice furrowed her brows and finally sighed:

"Good thing you could notice such details, though I wouldn't have expected the O5's white glove to have so many little tricks."

Louis calmly said:

"It's not that he has many little tricks, but Wealth Can Reach God was originally an unaffiliated commerce association, becoming a white glove for the O5 later on."

He poured half a glass of wine, speaking slowly:

"Wealth Can Reach God once had a glorious era, and while it didn't match the five major commerce associations directly under the O5 council, it still counted as a first-tier powerhouse."

"However, compared to O5, it's like a candle in the wind, ever at risk of being blown out."

"Ultimately, Wealth Can Reach God voluntarily submitted and became the white glove; did they truly surrender?"

"No, they had no choice. Caught among top commerce associations, being a fence-sitter isn't easy."

"They can only submit to whoever offers more; they're strong but not strong enough."

"They can only choose to submit, even if it incurs animosity from the other side."

"They even have to act as a dog for the ones behind the scenes; they're not born as dogs, and they would rather tear into their 'masters.'"

"The reason they don't make a move is, one, there's plenty of bones, and two, they can't win."

"But... it doesn't prevent him from giving those behind the scenes problems."

Louis seemed a bit in a daze.

Wealth Can Reach God was like that, and certain countries from his past life's monster room were similar.

The world had turned upside down, but history always swings back like a boomerang.

"…Only this time, the boomerang won't easily hit me."

Louis turned to Beatrice, saying:

"The 1 million gold coins allocated by the royal family, withdraw about 50-100,000, and tell the person in charge of royal procurements to prepare for updating the Imperial Palace's gallery."

Beatrice nodded and said:

"The royal family does purchase a batch of high-quality works every year, occasionally supporting new artists."

"If we don't buy anything this year, it will raise suspicion instead."

Louis smiled and said:

"That's why we need to create some confusion and tell the procurement officer to follow the usual standards."

He pulled out a piece of paper from his dimensional bag, saying:

"This is the list of outstanding young artists Olivia and I discussed; you can procure more of their works."

"If you have any promising new artists in mind, add them to the list."

Beatrice nodded.

She didn't know that even for this small list, Louis had done a lot of preparations.

The list of new artists mainly referenced suggestions from Olivia.

The reborn Olivia, although she couldn't step out of the Imperial Palace back then, wasn't confined in her room either.

For the Second Princess, no one knows better than her which young artists will achieve significant accomplishments in the future.

Let the Am Empire exhaust themselves investigating!

The result of their investigation will simply be, "Indeed, they're supporting new artists, and the new artists are quite skilled."

Louis turned back and said:

"I can basically confirm this time that it will be a tough battle between us and the Am Empire."

O5 council's white gloves, unknown individuals lurking in corners watching the white glove, the deliberately hyped 'Snow Country Border' known across the continent...

Too many coincidences align, and he believes that while the Am Empire indeed wishes to sell, they also intend to test the Ense Empire.

He opened his hand, lightly clenched it, and finally broke into a radiant smile:

"It's coincidental; purely cash-wise, the Mayer Commerce Association can go toe-to-toe with anyone."

"Troubles that can be solved with money aren't really troubles."

At this moment, Louis and Mr. ONE reached a spiritual agreement.

Accompanied by the undercurrents stirring in the dark, the auction in the City of Art began.

…

The Robert Territory greeted the morning.

A young man gazed at Robert City from afar.

Wearing a mage's robe, he slightly lowered his hat, murmuring:

"Over a hundred years have passed, and it seems this city hasn't changed much."

He looked directly at the god-forged figure in the city's center and suddenly said:

"No, some changes have actually occurred."

Donning his mage robe, he adjusted his hat slightly lower on his head and said in a low voice:

"One thing has changed."

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