Chapter 7: On Huskies and North American Gray Wolves
Anything... Talulah fell silent.
She didn't pick up the champagne, but she did pick up the commercial list.
Flour, pure water, edible salt, canned goods, antibiotics, cotton coats, Originium... These things were readily available to anyone living in modern society.
However, for Talulah, who was currently wandering the snow plains of Ursus's northern frontier, they were quite precious.
Aside from not having Oripathy suppressants, almost everything Talulah needed was printed on it.
"..."
Talulah was silent.
The items printed on this list were too astonishing, and the prices listed afterward were also quite low.
A two-hundred-gram bar of pure gold could be exchanged for fourteen tons of flour.
This was a rather astonishing figure.
If all this flour were steamed into one-hundred-gram steamed buns, it would be approximately 210,000 buns.
In the northern frontier of Ursus, this was completely unimaginable.
"..."
"What do you want?"
Talulah fell silent, looking at Luo Su once more, her eyes filled with unprecedented caution.
She had initially thought she might be severely exploited by Luo Su, who knew she was short on grain.
But, as it stood, she seemed to have encountered a philanthropist.
There was no goodwill in the world without reason.
Behind every sudden act of kindness, there was surely the gaze of desire.
Talulah disliked her adoptive father intensely, but she had to admit that many of his words held some truth.
[Hurry up, go for it! He who steals a hook is executed, he who steals a nation becomes a lord!]
[Quickly trick her over to your side, ideally seduce her or sleep with her, then you'll have the qualification to become Regent or even King!!]
The prompter was still chattering, offering lewd suggestions.
Luo Su rolled his eyes directly.
This damn prompter was truly a capitalist blinded by greed, only seeing profit, not risk.
Leaving aside whether Victoria even wanted this crown prince, this person herself still carried a vengeful spirit.
If it weren't for the promise of a gacha draw if he pulled this person into his faction,
Luo Su would have closed the door and sent her away long ago.
"Please state your intentions."
The Red Dragon girl gazed at the fellow who was busy despising the prompter in his mind, her expression growing more solemn.
"Prices that are almost free... This is not the style of an Ursus noble. What exactly are you craving?"
She used honorifics.
Rumor had it that Luo Su was Batman's arch-nemesis, the Red-nosed Baron.
However, he now displayed such terrifying financial and material resources that Talulah found it hard not to believe this guy was a ferocious wolf disguised as a Husky.
Hmm.
Actually, half of the marked price was profit.
Besides, I'm quite interested in you.
Whether it's the gacha mentioned by the prompter or your appearance.
If someone capable of mind-reading were here, their expression would surely be complicated.
Luo Su's mind was as active as a jumping Husky, but his face held a calm, unfathomable smile.
"You're worth it."
"Red Dragon... The number of Red Dragons I know of is only four, and you are one of them."
Talulah's expression immediately showed understanding.
Indeed.
Victoria is a dual monarchy.
The Red Dragon and the Lion are their monarchs.
In a previous upheaval, the Lion's King, through a coup, killed almost all of the Red Dragons, becoming Victoria's sole royal family.
However, the death of the Red Dragons also led to their positions of power being seized by Dukes outside the royal family; the rising Dukes sent that monarch to the guillotine and carried out a major purge of the royal faction.
Currently, the Kingdom of Victoria has no monarch on the throne.
Talulah happens to have the qualifications to ascend.
"Investing in me... that's not a good choice."
The young girl felt a slight sense of relief.
The wolf tearing off its sheepskin was coming for her, not trying to exploit the Reunion Movement.
"Investment never comes with a guarantee of no loss."
The young man's tone was somewhat flippant.
"If I truly lose terribly, I can choose between the guillotine, a rope, or a rooftop, and start a new game, investing anew in a new life."
"..."
Talulah gazed into his eyes; the emotions in those beautiful ice-blue eyes were truly unfathomable.
After a long while, she spoke.
"So... you and your forces want to support me to become King?"
She didn't think she could become King, but if merely accepting someone who called himself a subject could exchange for enough supplies to feed and clothe the Reunion Movement, it would be a very cost-effective deal.
Luo Su rolled his eyes internally.
Damn it.
If I become your subordinate, the prompter won't give me gacha opportunities!
Even if you're very beautiful and cause me to lose gacha opportunities, I won't let you off!!!
I'm here for only one thing!!
That is to make you my personal secretary... bah, my subordinate and secretary!!
While Talulah waited, the young man slowly spoke.
"Why not, you support me to be King?"
As if current surged through her veins, Talulah abruptly looked up at Luo Su.
"You don't have the bloodline of the Red Dragon or the Lion."
She said.
Luo Su was not of royal blood.
The young man was still smiling, but beneath that placid smile lay a burning ambition like fire.
"He who has strong soldiers and horses is Augustus."
"Talulah, my dear friend, do you understand what I mean?"
Talulah remained silent for a long time.
She seemed to recall history.
Victoria was not a closed-off, friendly independent kingdom in history; the Draco, or the Red Dragon clan, was once the sole ruler of this land, and then Lions who migrated from distant lands waged war with the Draco clan.
The Red Dragons were forced to cede half of the throne.
Yes.
Her ancestors could become the monarch of Victoria because they were powerful.
The Lions could seize the throne because they possessed the power that forced her ancestors to compromise.
Luo Su could certainly become King.
As long as he could repel Victoria's Eight Dukes, storm the royal palace in Londinium, others could only accuse him.
If she were to crown him... then even accusations would lose their legal basis.
He would become the King of Victoria.
This plan was as ridiculous as a madman's dream, yet it had feasibility.
Talulah looked at Luo Su again; the strength he currently displayed was like a small shrimp before the Eight Dukes.
But this guy seemed a little different.
To say nothing else, now that the Red Dragons have been declared extinct, he actually knows the whereabouts of three other members of her clan, information she herself doesn't possess... This ability clearly requires a vast intelligence network... Perhaps he truly can recreate a corner of Victoria's history.
She was silent for a long time before speaking.
"Openly, I will not acknowledge myself as your subject... At least, not until you enter the royal palace of Londinium."
She didn't like schemers.
But she clearly couldn't stop the man's plan—he knew the whereabouts of the other three Red Dragons... He probably came to her first because her situation was the most difficult and she most needed external help.
Refusal was meaningless.
Taking this opportunity to exchange for some provisions was the best she could do.
Luo Su's expression became extremely cheerful, appearing to Talulah as the sinister grin of a schemer.
So, what was this schemer truly thinking?
"Yay!!!"
"I can do gacha now!!!"
The Husky in wolf's clothing grinned foolishly.