Kurt opened his mouth, then said somewhat speechlessly:
"How much do you want? How about five hundred gold pounds?"
If this had been the old Mozo, hearing that number would have made him agree on the spot. But things were different now. Mozo was already someone who owned property in the Fog Capital.
And if Mozo's guess was correct, this guy named Kurt intended to use this matter as his "witness" to join the Formless Courtyard.
If that assumption was right, then considering the scale and status of the Formless Courtyard, combined with just how absurdly wealthy Kurt's family was, five hundred gold pounds as an entrance ticket felt like a complete rip-off no matter how Mozo looked at it.
So Mozo directly said:
"I want an estate. A complete upper-class estate."
Kurt immediately shook his head.
"Impossible. That's too expensive. I absolutely cannot accept that."
Truthfully, Kurt actually could accept the price. But he didn't want to agree immediately in case the other side used the opportunity to push for even more.
After all, joining the Formless Courtyard had been the lifelong wish of the Kurt family for generations. For that goal, they were willing to pay a tremendous price.
But being willing and being careless were two entirely different things.
If negotiations failed, then they failed. Who would reveal their bottom line right from the start?
That wasn't something a smart man would do.
But what Kurt didn't know was that although Mozo couldn't say he completely saw through his thoughts, he had guessed seven or eight parts out of ten already.
Mozo might not understand the Kurt family's obsession with the Formless Courtyard, but he understood perfectly what the Formless Courtyard represented.
The Formless Courtyard had, and would only ever have, nine official members.
Very few. So few that among the countless secret organizations in the world, it was probably one of the smallest in terms of official membership.
But each of those nine seats represented a supreme path that led directly to Sequence Two!
And every generation's First Seat even possessed a Sequence One pathway.
All of this had originally been Mozo's own design and preparation. One of the hidden trump cards he had specifically prepared for his many Dream Operas.
The only unfortunate thing was that the Formless Courtyard's Nine had never once been complete in any generation.
Or rather, no generation had ever managed to have all nine members reach Sequence Two.
According to the Nameless Book, the most glorious lineup the Formless Courtyard had ever possessed was seven demigods and two angels...
But regardless, an official membership slot in the Formless Courtyard represented the possibility of founding an angelic family line.
So today, Mozo had him completely cornered!
"No estate? Then there's nothing to discuss."
With that, Mozo turned as though he truly intended to leave.
Kurt, however, remained calm. He believed Mozo wouldn't really walk away and assumed this was simply a tactic to force the price higher.
And then he watched as Mozo got up and left without the slightest hesitation.
That unexpected development left Kurt completely dumbfounded.
Why are you actually leaving?!
Shouldn't you be using this as leverage to continue probing my bottom line?!
Kurt was both a noble and a businessman. As a businessman, he had conducted countless negotiations with famous merchants before.
But he had never seen someone who genuinely walked away the instant talks broke down.
The other side wanted an estate, which meant he clearly lacked money. If he lacked money, then why was he so utterly unhesitating?
Wasn't he afraid I'd simply turn around and go to the Inquisition Bureau instead?
Wait...
He knows about the Formless Courtyard.
Following that logic, he might also have guessed that I'm trying to use this to join that great organization?!
So he knows he's already got me cornered?!
Kurt's expression changed several times in succession before he finally gritted his teeth and shouted:
"Wait! I agree!"
Only then did Mozo turn back in satisfaction.
Kurt quickly added:
"I can give you a vineyard estate on the outskirts of the Fog Capital. Its monthly income ranges between sixty and eighty gold pounds. The estate itself is worth around six thousand gold pounds!"
"How about it? This is the highest price I can offer."
Using his previous negotiating experience, Kurt pretended that this was his absolute limit.
If the other party tried raising the price further, he would either add a little more depending on the situation, or directly act like negotiations had failed and leave, while deliberately refraining from contacting Mozo afterward.
Then after a few days, the other side would genuinely believe this was his limit.
Of course, that strategy only worked if the other party didn't know that joining the Formless Courtyard was the ambition of his entire family, not merely his personal wish.
Otherwise, anyone with a brain would know that a powerful Earl family could spit out far more than a mere six thousand gold pounds.
Hearing this, Mozo appeared to ponder deeply for a long while before finally sighing, rubbing his hands together, and walking toward Kurt with a smile as he extended his hand.
"Then, happy cooperation."
Kurt likewise smiled sincerely as he shook his hand.
"Happy cooperation!"
"Hahahaha! Idiot commoner. I settled this with only six thousand gold pounds. What a complete fool! Young Master here is going to become an incredible future angel!"
"Hahahaha! Idiot noble. I'll gladly take these six thousand gold pounds for now. Work hard for me in the future! When I need you, I'll contact you to show your loyalty!"
And just like that, both men believed they had made an absolutely massive profit.
Thinking of this, the two of them couldn't help but excitedly embrace each other, enthusiastically slapping one another on the shoulders.
---
In the Fog Capital, the Imperial Capital itself, the ever-busy Count Hearn once again stepped into the Imperial Palace.
Inside the Audience Hall, the Count, dressed in magnificent court robes, knelt on one knee at the far end of the chamber.
Before him, beneath an intricate and exquisite mural, stood three luxurious thrones.
Those were the thrones of the Empresses!
The Loren Empire possessed three Empresses who served as the supreme rulers of the Loren people.
Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say... one.
Because within the pathway possessed by the Loren royal family, the highest Sequence was Sequence One: Eternal Monarch.
The characteristic of the Eternal Monarch was the division of one's youth, adulthood, and maturity into three separate yet interconnected existences.
All three were noble Sequence One angels.
The three cycled endlessly through one another to accomplish the great achievement known as Eternal Rule.
And to truly kill an Eternal Monarch, one had to kill all three angels within an extremely short span of time. Otherwise, so long as even one remained alive, the other two would rapidly regenerate.
That was why the Loren Empire possessed its almost unbelievable Tri-Emperor system.
However, throughout Loren's history, aside from the founding Great Emperor, only the current Empress had ever reached Sequence One.
And she was also only the third person in history to ever attain that level.
It was precisely because of this that the Empress had managed to carry out the Great Purge and restore order successfully when Cromwell and his rebel faction had once stood at the height of their power.
Within the silent yet magnificent Audience Hall, the waiting Count finally heard the crisp sound of three scepters striking the ground.
At once, the demigod lowered his noble head respectfully.
Then, the three Empresses successively walked toward their respective thrones.
At the center sat Daylight, the primary ruler.
To the left sat Evernight, who acted almost like a co-ruler assisting Daylight.
And to the right sat Dawn, who resembled an imperial heir.