The outer city of the Green Shade Territory hadn't been this lively in a long time.
One after another, luxurious carriages passed through the inner wall, entered the outer city where the commoners lived, and finally gathered at the foot of the High Wall.
The nobles who had been drinking and celebrating with Lian at the Lord's Mansion just yesterday were now all waiting inside their luxurious carriages, unwilling to come out.
Hearing that the ball had been moved to the High Wall, only a third of the nobles and wealthy merchants had come. This, however, was within Lian's expectations.
Through their carriage windows, they whispered and exchanged opinions with old acquaintances, each of them wearing a mask.
"Are you sure the ball is on the High Wall? There's no mistake?"
"I've never heard of a ball being held on a High Wall. Are you all really going to attend?"
"We're already here. Are we supposed to just go back?"
"I actually find this quite unique, novel, and exciting. As expected of the young Lord Lian, his ideas are truly one-of-a-kind."
"Then why don't you get out of your carriage?"
"I'm not getting out. You get out."
The nobles looked at each other, refusing to budge from their carriages.
A breeze swept over the High Wall. A small stone fell from the top of the thirty-meter-high wall, happening to smash right through the roof of the luxurious carriage belonging to Romayada, the richest man in the Green Shade Territory.
Fortunately, Romayada wasn't hit in the head, but the incident left him thoroughly shaken.
He scrambled out of his carriage in terror, understanding it was a warning.
Seeing that even the wealthiest man, Romayada, had gotten out, the other nobles and merchants also alighted from their carriages. They tilted their heads back timidly to look at the people on the High Wall.
A six-petaled ice crystal drifted down.
A wide ice bridge formed, stretching out from their feet.
The bridge led directly to the top of the High Wall, glittering brilliantly in the sunlight and capturing everyone's attention.
The nobles' faces lit up with surprise, especially the noblewomen and young ladies in their magnificent gowns.
They had no resistance to such a Fairy Tale-like scene. Supported by their attendants, they stepped onto the ice bridge.
Seeing the ladies step onto the bridge, the gentlemen, not wanting to be outdone, could only steel themselves and follow.
"As expected of Lord Lian, to have the Ice Witch build an ice bridge."
"I've never been on the High Wall before."
"Yes, this ball is truly special."
Standing on the ice bridge and looking down at the curious commoners below, they couldn't help but adopt expressions of arrogance.
They saw this, too, as a symbol of status. Only the rich and the noble could walk on the ice bridge to celebrate with the Lord atop the High Wall.
Until they reached the top of the High Wall.
The moment these pampered, wealthy people set foot on the thirty-meter-high wall for the first time, their legs instantly turned to jelly.
Without their servants to support them, they couldn't even stand steadily.
"It's so high up here! It's terrifying."
"Why is the top of this wall so narrow? I want to go down."
The ladies and young misses were pale with fright. If not for the exquisite masks they wore, their loss of composure would have surely left an indecent impression.
Although the High Wall was three meters wide, the ladies and misses were wearing Crinoline Skirts with hoops four to five meters in diameter. A single woman took up the space of four or five men.
Standing on the High Wall, they looked like rootless flowers growing on a cliff face; a gust of wind could send them tumbling down.
And the ice bridge from before had vanished as if it had never been there. Such was the Charm of Magic—even if it was a one-time use, it was very environmentally friendly.
"Lord Lian, didn't we agree the ball would be at the Lord's Mansion? Why was it moved to the High Wall?"
The balding old gentleman, Romayada, held tightly by his young mistress, voiced his dissatisfaction.
"Ladies and gentlemen, don't you think holding a ball atop the High Wall is more interesting? From here, you can see not only the entirety of the Green Shade Territory but also the vast world beyond the wall. Only by holding the ball here can we highlight our distinguished status, can we not?"
Lian said with a smile. He was seated on a red leather sofa, flanked by the twin Maids and Sophie. Completely unconcerned about accidentally falling, his demeanor was perfectly calm.
Fortunately, the Maids Annie and Anna, as well as Sophie, were not in the habit of wearing Crinoline Skirts. Otherwise, the three-meter width would have felt quite narrow indeed.
The people around him saw Lian's composed appearance and, while admiring his courage, also began to feel the illusion that 'perhaps this place isn't so dangerous after all.'
They murmured their agreement with Lian and tried to stay as close to the center of the wall as possible. As long as they weren't near the edge, it wasn't quite as scary.
Unfortunately, the more frightened people are, the more they tend to crowd together. And the more they crowded together, the more frightened they became.
"Lord… this… this place, while the view is nice, isn't it also a bit too dangerous?"
Baron Carlson said nervously.
"Oh? How is it dangerous?"
Lian asked.
"It's too high, and there are no guardrails! Our legs have gone weak just from standing here. How are we supposed to dance?"
Romayada said.
Lian nodded. "You're right. How can there be no guardrails here? Karel Dennis, why weren't guardrails built for the High Wall?"
Karel Dennis stepped forward and said gravely, "Lord, we already spent a great deal of money building the High Wall. There were no extra funds for guardrails."
"I see."
Lian put on a regretful expression. "Well, if there's no budget, then I suppose we'll have to forget about the guardrails. But don't worry, everyone, there are Guards nearby. They won't let you fall. Please, dance to your hearts' content."
The words had barely left his lips when a noblewoman in a beautiful long dress was jostled by the lady next to her and fell, letting out a piercing scream.
The noblewoman's Maid nervously peered over the edge to look for her mistress and ended up tumbling off the High Wall as well.
This completely extinguished any desire in the onlookers to watch the spectacle or offer aid. They stood frozen in place, too tense to even move, not daring to even tilt their heads, afraid the heavy ornaments on their hair would shift their center of gravity and send them tumbling off the High Wall too.
"See? I told you, nothing will happen. It's very safe here."
Lian smiled. "Everyone, please, dance freely."
"Lord, please stop joking," Romayada said, swallowing hard.
"I am not joking with you. From now on, all balls will be held on the High Wall," Lian said.
"However much it costs to build the guardrails, we'll pay for it!" Romayada finally couldn't take it anymore and shouted. "But before they're built, can you please let us down first?"
"Yes, we'll pay for the guardrails! Lord, let's cancel today's ball for now, or move it somewhere else."
The nobles chimed in with their agreement. In the midst of their chatter, the screams of noblewomen rang out again as two more ladies in wide-skirted dresses unfortunately fell from the High Wall.
Down below, the crowd of commoners who had gathered to watch the spectacle also screamed.
The sounds from above and below echoed each other, creating a symphony of life that struck terror into the hearts of the nobles.
"How could I possibly let you pay? This is an expense the Lord's Mansion must bear. But I truly cannot afford it, so my only option is to take out a loan from a bank."
Lian said, feigning distress. "However, we already owe the Empire Bank too much money. They certainly won't give us another loan. Unless... we can find another bank."
"There are no other banks in the Holy Empire besides the Empire Bank! Lord, please don't fret over this. We can pay to have the guardrails built."
Romayada, the richest man in the Green Shade Territory, didn't think building guardrails would cost very much. To him, it was a mere drop in the bucket. He could consider it a contribution to the Green Shade Territory.
Besides, he wouldn't be the only one paying; all the nobles would be splitting the cost.
His biggest worry right now was whether he would get back alive. He didn't want to die; he hadn't even spent all his money yet!
The other nobles shared his sentiment. They had no desire to be blown off the wall by the wind, one by one, like the noblewomen.
"I also plan to widen the wall by three meters. That way, the ladies won't have to fear falling when they stand on the High Wall. Will you pay for that too?"
Lian asked.
Without hesitation, the nobles said,
"We'll pay."
"I also plan to build a new fifty-meter-high statue of the Lord, so that all can gaze upon my magnificence. Will you pay for that as well?"
Lian continued to ask.
The nobles hesitated for a moment. A few more people were jostled off the edge—this time, there were men among them.
"We'll pay."
"I also plan to renovate the outer city. Look at those people down there. Their homes are dilapidated. Compared to the inner city, it's a world of difference. My goal is to unify the architectural style of the inner and outer cities and to double the width of the roads. Will you pay for that too?"
Lian grew more and more shameless with each demand, making the nobles' scalps tingle. How much would all that cost?
Seeing their predicament, Lian smiled and said,
"I appreciate your kind intentions, but I can't let you pay for all this. If there's no bank, why don't we just build a new one?"
"Build a new bank? What do you mean?"
"The Green Shade Territory's own bank. With our own bank, the Lord's Mansion can take out loans to build these public facilities and will repay the principal and interest to all of you."
This time, Lian had truly mastered the art of coercion and enticement.
The nobles and wealthy merchants looked at one another, whispering back and forth. They negotiated with Lian for half an hour, risking life and limb, and were ultimately persuaded.
Only after they signed the share subscription agreements that Lian had long since had the Minister of Finance prepare did Lian have Sophie create the ice bridge again.
The nobles hurried down the bridge, terrified that if they were a moment too late, they'd be left on the High Wall to admire the view.
It was only when they reached the bottom of the bridge that they discovered the noblewomen who had fallen earlier were all standing on the ground, completely unharmed.
They were still excitedly sharing with their friends the wondrous experience of being saved by a giant ice crystal.
Lian looked at Sophie with satisfaction, waving the subscription agreements in his hand—a symbol of newfound wealth.
"Miss Sophie, what would I do without you?"