Chapter 101: More Worlds

Chapter 101: More Worlds

Sir Bai Ruide wore a hollow smile.

"Mr. Aji De, you jest. Just a bicycle production line alone has already put me at risk of losing my head. Add an ironclad warship production line to that? Ha! I guarantee you, if I dare nod today, the Empire’s navy will sail into port tomorrow and bombard Pu'en."

Yu Sheng'an relaxed into his chair.

"Don’t make it sound so serious! As an arms dealer, the more chaotic the times, the more gold coins you can rake in. How could a mere bicycle production line stir up enough chaos?"

Sir Bai Ruide narrowed his eyes and straightened slightly.

"Mr. Aji De, I’ve always considered you a clever man. Don’t push your luck."

His earlier excuse about "not harming his business" had been nothing more than a flimsy pretext.

His true motive, as Yu Sheng'an had pointed out, was exactly that.

Having his intentions laid bare left Sir Bai Ruide both embarrassed and stunned by Yu Sheng'an’s foresight.

Yu Sheng'an chuckled lightly and turned to Ben Keming. "See? There are only individuals who betray their class, never classes that betray their interests. In the end, his actions all boil down to profit."

Whoosh!

Sir Bai Ruide abruptly stood, his aged face twisting with fury.

Yu Sheng'an met his gaze with a mocking grin.

"I hear you worship the Storm Lord. I’m curious—if the Storm Lord stood in the way of your profits, would you find a way to kill him?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Ben Keming’s face paled in horror.

"Get out!"

Sir Bai Ruide roared, though a flicker of contemplation flashed deep in his eyes.

While he seethed, Yu Sheng'an only smiled meaningfully.

He rose, elegantly removed his gentleman's hat, placed it over his chest, gave a slight bow, and turned to leave.

Ben Keming followed in stunned silence.

Once the two had departed, Sir Bai Ruide left his seat and began pacing the reception room, his expression shifting between dark and uncertain.

His willingness to meet with Ben Keming—even secretly fund them—was precisely as Yu Sheng'an had said.

On one hand, to stir chaos and profit from arms dealing.

On the other, to use this force to crush competitors and seize more assets.

How could a man of his humble origins rise to such power through mere lawful and honest business?

But Aji De’s piercing insight sent a sudden chill down his spine.

He realized he might not be able to control this monster.

If Aji De could see through his schemes, he would surely play all sides, growing his influence until it became unstoppable.

Today’s events left him hesitating.

Should he report them to the church and crush this threat in its infancy?

Or feign ignorance, let them grow, and gamble on extracting greater profits from the chaos?

Sir Bai Ruide paced the reception room for a long time.

Reason and greed waged a fierce battle within him.

Finally, he took a deep breath and left the room.

Attended by his servants, he sat down for supper—though his appetite was poor. After barely tasting a morsel of the snowflake beef delivered via Wagner live transport, he set down his knife and fork, too unsettled to eat, and retired for a bath.

The hot water soothed his nerves, easing his troubled mind.

The night was still young. Holding a goblet of crimson wine, he strolled onto the open-air balcony, gazing at the distant lights of Pu'en City, his thoughts churning.

"What would the citizens of Pu'en think if they knew that Sir Bai Ruide was actually a vampire?"

The faint voice caused Sir Bai Ruide's pupils to dilate abruptly.

He jerked his head up, following the sound, and saw Aji De—whom he had parted with not long ago—standing atop the eaves, looking down at him with a faint smile.

"They wouldn’t react at all. Commoners have no right to voice their opinions!" Sir Bai Ruide sneered.

Yu Sheng'an leaped lightly, landing on the balcony.

"So, have you considered my proposal?"

"What?"

"Adding another ironclad warship production line!"

"You think I would betray the Empire?"

Sir Bai Ruide scoffed.

Making money was one thing, but he still had a sense of the bigger picture. Otherwise, how could he have climbed to where he was now?

"Oh, so the benefits aren’t enticing enough?"

"Hah, are you suggesting you can offer me more?"

"Of course. A small factory owner like you, even if you work your whole life, will at best become an oligarch. Some people could crush you as easily as swatting a fly. But now, things are different. If you help Ben Keming overthrow the Empire of Infer, you’ll become a dragon-following minister, a founding elder. You could pick any ministerial position you want in the new dynasty."

Yu Sheng'an spoke casually, as if discussing the weather.

"A ministerial position? Hahaha—"

Sir Bai Ruide burst into laughter, but then abruptly cut himself off, his expression turning mocking.

"You really think you can overthrow the Empire’s rule? What a joke!"

"I admit, your action plans and slogans are stirring, even thrilling. They almost got to me."

"But let me tell you this—even if you armed every last worker with the newest weapons, even if you handed them the entire navy, it wouldn’t mean a thing!"

"You will never succeed!"

His words rang with finality. He didn’t know why he was saying so much—perhaps just to refute Yu Sheng'an.

He hated that all-seeing look in his eyes!

"Why not?"

"Because of the church! Do you think the Four Primordial Gods are just spiritual beliefs?"

Yu Sheng'an chuckled at that.

"Then tell me—when the Empire of Infer conquered these lands, did the church lend it any help?"

Sir Bai Ruide’s pupils dilated again.

"You’re just lambs of the gods. The gods don’t care who tends their flock—whether it’s a man or a dog. Once the tide has turned, do you really think the church would slaughter all their lambs just to save a mangy sheepdog?"

Sir Bai Ruide shuddered violently.

Yu Sheng'an saw further than he’d imagined—even piercing the motives of the gods themselves.

Were the gods truly as he described?

Thinking back, throughout history, though the church had left traces of interference in dynastic changes, the final outcome always seemed to align with his words.

When the tide of history was unstoppable, even the gods would not intervene.

Sir Bai Ruide’s expression darkened, shifting unpredictably.

He had to admit—he was tempted.

As a rising industrial noble, all he relied on was opportunism and the power of money.

Compared to those old-blooded aristocrats entrenched in the capital, who had merchants throwing wealth at them just for indulging in falconry and hounds, he was still far, far beneath them.

Even though he wielded immense power in Pu'en, once he entered the capital, he would still have to cower like a dog, tucking his tail between his legs and groveling.

But could he truly bear the cost of failure if he fully supported Aji De and his cause?

Selling some arms, even a bicycle production line—these were hardly major issues.

To some extent, the Empire was even allowing the workers' uprising to simmer.

It was like boiling water—some had to spill over to make room for the obedient, tepid water that remained.

His so-called support was merely adding a little fuel to the fire.

But if he truly threw his full weight behind it, he would be gambling everything he had right before his eyes!

Most importantly, as one of the Empire's arms dealers, he knew better than anyone just how terrifying the Empire's military power truly was!

"Still hesitating? Seems the offer isn’t high enough! If the position of minister doesn’t satisfy you, how about I give you the entire Empire of Infer?"

Sir Bai Ruide was stunned.

Was this man serious? It sounded like a reckless, empty promise just to win him over.

Sir Bai Ruide's gaze sharpened abruptly.

"Still not satisfied with the Empire of Infer? How about I give you the whole world?"

Sir Bai Ruide’s expression changed completely!

Was this bastard some kind of deranged cultist?

"One world still not enough? Tsk tsk tsk, seems I underestimated your ambition. I can give you even more worlds—but you’ll have to prove your worth."

"More worlds? Are you an idiot?"

Sir Bai Ruide couldn’t hold back anymore and cursed outright!

Had he just wasted his time seriously discussing matters with a lunatic?

Or was this man so brilliant that he’d gone mad? Like so many engineers in his factories—the smarter they were, the crazier they became.

Snap!

Yu Sheng'an suddenly seized Sir Bai Ruide’s arm.

"What are you doing?!"

Sir Bai Ruide paled in shock, instinctively summoning his vampire strength to resist.

But at that moment, intricate magic runes abruptly emerged beneath their feet, spreading and intertwining until they formed a glowing portal.

The portal flared to life—and in the next instant, both figures vanished.