Steampunk Era: Mad Abield
Chapter 540 - 370: Continue (1)

Chapter 540: Chapter 370: Continue (1)

Win my heart? Malin smiled, a hint of helplessness in his demeanor. When had he, a half-blood who once roamed the streets, nearly starving to death, become a prize desired by everyone?

Life’s encounters are truly wondrous, filled with a sense of the absurd.

Malin hesitated briefly before ultimately opening his arms to accept the princess’s embrace.

The girl, joyful like a young animal, pulled away from Malin’s arms and, looking at him with a smile, said, "Malin, I told you, I would be your best investment, an asset you couldn’t afford to lose—all of this I learned from your handbook."

"That pamphlet I published internally in the group?" Malin asked with curiosity.

Nova nodded, giving a firm answer, "Yes, I wanted to understand you. I don’t have the time like Faye and the others, nor can I stay by your side like they do, but my father once said, with a heartfelt determination, anyone can be moved."

"Aren’t you afraid that my heart is as hard as stone or iron?" Malin looked at the young girl, feeling that her father was putting her in harm’s way.

"I can see your heart—it’s not carved of stone or forged of iron, but is indeed flesh and blood." After saying that, Nova stood on tiptoe and kissed Malin on the face, "I trust you, you didn’t abandon Matilda today, and in the future, you surely won’t let down me or anyone else."

After speaking, she stepped back towards the portal, waving at Malin in the process.

Watching her, Malin eventually waved back with a smile, "I won’t... let my assets depreciate."

The girl’s laughter rang out like chimes as she stepped back towards the portal, gesturing with a wave, and a messenger made of spiritual energy flew towards Malin.

As she entered the portal, the messenger alighted in Malin’s hand, scattering and then forming a line of text.

· To be honest, Mr. Malin, your sweet nothings are really quite stiff.

For some reason, Malin felt that this princess... had really touched him.

Turning around, he returned to Matilda’s sickroom, peeling an apple. He watched the girls chatting. Maya did not follow them. He listened as Matilda told her story, her voice faltering as she mentioned the zombie grabbing her arm, then pausing before taking the apple from Malin.

"I know what happens when you’re wounded by a zombie. My little aunt died because her wounds weren’t treated in time. In just one day, all her hair fell out, and she turned into a zombie..."

"So that’s why you wrapped your wounds with bandages. Why didn’t you tell me?"

"I... I didn’t want to die like that. I’d rather be consumed by holy energy than die as a monster. I didn’t want you to see me like that," Matilda said, her head bowed low.

"Silly fox," Malin glanced at Faye, who had reached the same conclusion, the unanimous agreement between them providing a sense of pleasure.

"Ah! Why are you all calling me stupid!" Matilda fluffed up.

"Wow, Matilda, your ears are so fluffy, just like Clovis’s," Maya pointed to Matilda’s ears.

Clovis looked up from her spell book and surveyed Matilda, "Wow, congratulations, Matilda, you’ve mutated."

"Hmm... there is some mutation, but it would be more accurate to say reversion." Jessica observed while noticing Matilda covering her lower back, "What’s up? Is your back hurting?"

"No, that’s not it! I think I’ve grown an extra tail!" As Matilda spoke, she turned to Malin, "Mr. Malin, please leave quickly! Do not watch me mutate into a monster!"

Malin shook his head, catching hold of the big-eared fox trying to escape through the window and also noticed the second tail that had sprouted from her coccyx area.

Well, it hadn’t grown fur yet, and seemed quite bare.

Matilda was struggling.

Faye leaned in to examine and cast a spell formation, and Malin saw the fur immediately start to grow.

"Twin tails, so cute," Jessica’s eyes gleamed.

Malin turned to glance at the wolf girl and then released Matilda, "Go look in the mirror, I think it’s beautiful."

Yes, now Matilda has beautiful and cute twin tails, and her ears are filled with white fluff just like Clovis.

The big-eared fox sprinted to the mirror, and upon confirming she didn’t turn into an ugly monster, she turned around, looking at Malin somewhat anxiously, "Does Mr. Malin think I’m ugly?"

"No, very cute, right in the sweet spot." The last sentence was in his native language; anyway, it’s now called Thainan language, considered a trendy foreign term.

"Really?" The big-eared Fox’s ears perked up high.

"Yes," Malin said.

So she stopped trying to climb out the window, and Matilda returned to the sickbed, looking somewhat secretly pleased.

Hmm, truly a simple and unadorned ideal.

Maya and Jessica happily stroked Matilda’s two big tails.

Clovis turned her attention back to the spellbook.

Faye smiled and sat next to Malin, while Lillim fed Malin with the peeled and chopped apples.

For a moment, Malin felt like he wanted to make this moment last forever.

But time flows like a river to the sea, every second, becomes history.

......

Matilda’s health began to improve, Malin stayed in Carterburg for two days, and after the big-tailed (yi) fox’s wound had fully healed, he took her away from the Church and back into the train carriage that had already docked the day before.

In the past few days, the elder who was in charge of taking care of the spare food and Spotty’s family finally broke free from the ordeal; after handing things over to Malin, he chose to escape through the train window—it looked like the stress was immense.

Malin looked at the spare food and Spotty and ultimately chose to praise them—at least they didn’t eat someone.

Knowing of Malin’s arrival, Paliya City’s City Lord made a point to meet Malin at the station—now the rumors about Malin were flying everywhere, and no one knew if he would become the princess’s husband. For a small Noble like the City Lord of Paliya City, it’s better to stand with the royal family than to ally with some Noble; for a small Noble like him, this was the least offensive option—at least on the surface, no one would resent him.

Since he could think like this, Malin didn’t mind giving him a hand; seeing Paliya City’s developed livestock industry, Malin decided to invest in a textile factory here—since he had decided to add a train trip on this railway line, it was a good choice to take the woolen textiles woven by the factory on the return trip.

Malin handled this directly—Paliya City already had a textile factory, on the verge of going out of business because its products couldn’t compete with those from Sydney’s textile factories.

Take blankets, for instance, the ones made in Sydney already outclass those from Paliya City’s factory in patterns alone, not to mention other issues with the weaving and stitching.

Malin took over the factory, but didn’t fire the old weavers; instead, he allowed them to retire, then had the younger kids in their families take over their positions. At the same time, he asked the old housekeeper from Sydney for a set of management staff and had the girls manage the other girls, teaching them the latest techniques for blankets and sweaters. This world had not yet seen the destroyer of weaving jobs, the power loom (of course, with Malin’s presence, it would not be possible to use one here; using one in Paliya City would result in at least one-seventh of the city’s women losing their jobs, and for Malin, the topic of hundreds of jobless female workers and their hungry children was obviously too heavy).

The factory might not make a lot of money, but for Nova, this was Malin’s promise to her.

A successful merchant would never let his most valuable good depreciate.

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