Edge of the Apocalypse
Chapter 554: With Good Intentions

"Indeed, it's not very good." Alan's gaze fell on the cup of black tea on the table, and the dark red liquid, stirred by the silver spoon just now, spun slowly, and gave rise to some slight foam: "But Mr. Roger, it's best not to inquire about these things, it's not good for you."

Roger nodded. Of course, he knew that speculating about a Count's health was like asking for secrets. If outsiders found out, there would naturally be no benefit. He changed the subject, "I've recently hooked up with a big shot, Lord Allen. My business is likely to grow to the capital. Even if I can't go to the empire, I can still enter Granier's circle."

The imperial capital, Oliska, or Granier, was a major northern region. They were the political and economic centers of the empire, the heart of the empire. Every businessman wished that his business could be done in such a city. Now that Roger had found his way, it was no wonder he was so excited. He was not an easy person to express his thoughts, but the harvest was too great for Roger to hide.

"Oh, who is it?" Alan asked casually.

Roger smiled and said, "His name is Rhine. He seems to be from a big family in the imperial capital."

"Rhine? It's him?" Ellen was surprised. If it was Rhine, it wouldn't be difficult to take care of Roger's business. He didn't know if this Rhine and Roger were working together by chance, or if Roger had a relationship with him, which was why they had such an arrangement.

If it was the latter, it meant that Rhine knew a lot about him, but his relationship with Roger was not confidential. As long as there were people who wanted to know, they could dig out their relationship by inquiring a little bit about it.

"What, Lord Allen knows him?"

Alan nodded, "Well, I did know this man through Count Oban's introduction."

Roger was even more relieved to hear that Ou Ban also knew him, so that Ryan's identity would at least be fine. The two of them chatted a little more, mainly about the details of their business dealings in the territory in the future. Allen intended to support Roger as a commercial agent in his territory. Allen intended to set up a chamber of commerce to facilitate the management of the merchants in the territory. The first president of the Chamber of Commerce was Roger. This was a great opportunity for Roger.

One had to know that Allen's territory was no longer much smaller than an Earl's. A territory that was large enough would naturally bring about enough business opportunities. Roger knew exactly what the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce meant. While Roger was happy, he felt a bit of reverence for Alan again. Even he knew how powerful the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce was, so how could Ellen not know?

Just like a Chamber of Commerce in a Count's territory, the chairman of the Chamber would normally be the Lord, so that he could personally capture the economic lifeline of the territory. Take the Ark Harbor as an example, the main character of the jade pearl was Ou Ban himself. After Ou Ban died, this position was naturally inherited by Gills. Even though the Earl of Oban was like this, Allen delegated the whole power to Roger. There were only two possibilities for Alan to do so.

First, he had no idea how important this position was. Second, he asked himself if he could control the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce. Roger believed that Alan was the second type, and he didn't want to think about where his confidence came from. Allen's courage alone was enough to make Roger feel awe.

After sending Roger away, Alan received an invitation. The invitation was sent by Gills to invite Alan to a small private dinner hosted by him tomorrow night. Alan gave the messenger a definite answer, and he would certainly attend.

It was obvious that the young Earl of Gills had already begun to deal with the affairs of the territory. Tomorrow night's banquet would be his first formal social event, and Ellen, who was clearly a vassal, naturally had no intention of refusing. It could be imagined that Gills would use the banquet to test his ideas, and Alan could naturally figure out the young count's future plans for the territory.

In any case, there were still two days before the merchant ship set sail. Alan did not want to miss this important banquet.

The next evening, Alan put on a well-tailored, elegant dress. Originally, Adele had suggested that he should change into armor and show himself as the commander of the army, to remind people that he was an invincible general, capable of shocking people. However, Lucy opposed the proposal. Lucy's opinion was that if Alan acted too strongly, it would have a bad effect on the transfer of power now.

For example, Gills would feel Allen's threat, which would affect his attitude towards Allen in the future. Alan's idea was simpler. He didn't want Ou Ban to look aggressive before he left. So she chose Lucy's plan, put on a gown with a knighthood, and put on a gorgeous fine sword, as Lucy said. An elegant, low-key and powerful image is the perfect role for tonight's banquet.

The banquet was held in White Castle, and the venue was a large hall in the inner castle. The hall was carefully arranged and partitioned at the entrance, taking care of the privacy of most of the guests. After all, there weren't many people attending the banquet tonight, but everyone was an important person, so they naturally didn't like to look around too much. After walking through the partition, you can see the banquet hall.

There were two long dining tables in the hall, filled with exquisite dishes. Occasionally, waiters would push dining carts forward and change the delicacies on the tables. There were even waiters carrying silver plates of fine wine through the hall to ensure that the guests in any corner could enjoy the wine. There were also a few hidden card seats in the hall to facilitate the host's secret conversation with some important people, which could be said to be considered thoroughly.

When Alan walked in, he was immediately baptized by many gazes. There were many meanings in these gazes. There weren't many guests in the hall, but who could stand here was an unknown character? Although they had not been able to witness the entire process of Count Orban's making of his will, they had found out everything through all sorts of channels. The level of detail wasn't much less than what he had personally participated in.

Therefore, they naturally knew that the young baron in front of them had been entrusted with the responsibility of supervisor by Ou Ban and had complete autonomy over the territory. It was no exaggeration to say that he held no less power than the new Earl. In terms of actual power, he was even more powerful than Earl Gills, much more powerful!

Thus, there was envy in these gazes, not to mention jealousy and resentment towards such information. After all, the greater Allen's power, the less benefit they would receive.

"Sir Allen."

In the crowd, Gills, who was dressed in a silver gown, warmly welcomed him. He had a sincere smile on his face, and his face was even rosier than usual because of the good wine and the light. He slightly opened his hands and gave Ellen a kind hug. Allen keenly noticed that the gazes that were cast on him immediately became more concealed. Most of the people's faces were replaced with false smiles, and they raised their glasses to him.

But what surprised Alan was still Gills, the young man who had shown some resentment towards him in the count's bedroom yesterday. Tonight, however, it was as if someone else had changed, like an old friend he had met at the end of many years, so enthusiastic that he was a little overzealous.

'It seems that Gills has a good social mentor,' thought Alan. At this moment, Gills released him and snapped his fingers. Naturally, a waiter brought him some good wine. Gills personally picked up a cup and handed it to Ellen, then said to the other guests, "Everyone, Sir Ellen's bravery and ability should be seen by everyone during this period of time." It was this knight who had taken down Marquis Daniel's territory in less than half a year. That's right, that Marquis of strength has already become a thing of the past. And I'm glad that I have such a strong and friendly ally in the future. "

"Therefore, I would like to propose a toast to Sir Allen. May our friendship last as long as the sun and moon."

Gills said excitedly, raising his glass and gulping it down. His movements were so intense that his handsome face turned red after drinking a cup. Alan frowned slightly, his enthusiasm for Gills somewhat unbearable. However, he still politely raised his cup and drank all the liquid in it, causing applause to resound in the surroundings. The other guests also drank all the wine in their glasses to show their respect for Gills and Allen.

The young count laughed heartily and took Allen's shoulder intimately. The two of them walked towards a card seat in the corner.

Sitting in this private card socket, the nearby screen blocked out a lot of sight and sound for them. Gills poured another glass of wine for Ellen and said, "I was rude yesterday. Please believe Sir Ellen, I didn't mean to say it." Actually, I talked to my father after that. Indeed, Sir Allen was the most suitable manager for the territory. "I am too young and have no prestige. Even if I reluctantly accept that territory, I will not be able to suppress the people below. It will only become a joke."

"Only people like you, Sir Alan, can suppress them. After all, you beat down these territories from Viscount Daniel's hands. That's why only your name has a deterrent effect on the people in that territory." Gills had a serious expression on his face and didn't compliment him. He just seemed to be telling the truth.

And what he said was indeed the truth.

Ellen took the wine from the young count and said in a low voice, "Earl Gills, please rest assured. As I promised Earl Oban, I will be your faithful ally. You will soon discover that with me by your side, you do not need to worry about matters outside your territory."

"Then I'm relieved." Gills smiled and raised his glass. "Sir Allen, please give me more pointers in the future," he said.

"You flatter me."

The two wine glasses collided in the air, representing the establishment of a minimum friendship between the old and the new. After that, Gills asked Allen for many things. This revealed some of Gills' plans for the management of the territory in the future. These plans showed that he carefully bypassed Allen's territory and tried to follow Orban's decision not to interfere with Allen's autonomy.

Ellen noticed that Gills' words were more an obscure expression of his intentions than an inquiry. To this young Count, he had put in a lot of effort.