Game World: I Can Share Talents

Westheid didn’t consider himself a womanizer. This claim might sound dubious coming from his own mouth, but it was the truth, and he wouldn’t deign to argue the point.

What he truly enjoyed was the thrill of conquest and victory. It was the feeling of being obsessed over, adored, and worshiped like a god. No matter how many times he experienced it, Westheid found it utterly intoxicating.

Now *that* was what it meant to be powerful! *That* was what it meant to be glorious!

’Isn’t this the very reason I so tirelessly pursue power?!’

Therefore, whether in battle or in any other aspect of life, he had to adopt the stance of a conqueror. Absolute power, and the loneliness that came with it...

For the next two days, the "developer’s conference" continued, reminding Westheid of his days in the Imperial Capital. As he indulged himself wantonly, Duke Qinghui couldn’t help but feel a pang of emotion—

’Thank goodness Reiya and Mivana aren’t home.’

After all, either one of them was a terrifying Demon God capable of making Duke Qinghui break out in a cold sweat. He wouldn’t dare hold a "developer’s conference" with them around. ’You want to be drained completely dry?’

Fortunately, their lives didn’t revolve around Westheid 24/7.

Take Reiya, for instance. As a member of the Imperial Royal Family, she had been inevitably swamped with duties from the moment she regained her status, weighed down by countless missions and tasks.

The moment the war ended, a pile of official documents arrived from the Imperial Capital, requesting Reiya to go put out fires in other places.

The fact that the Silver-haired Dragon Lady could remain by Westheid’s side was already the result of her making a desperate effort.

If the Royal Family’s power hadn’t been so beneficial to Westheid’s ambitions, Reiya might have actually done something as drastic as renouncing her royal status.

As for Mivana, being a Ranger Knight, she would periodically go out to uphold justice—helping the locals deal with stray Demon Beasts and clear out bandits holed up in the mountains.

The territory’s reconstruction was still in its infancy. Outside of a few key strongholds, chaos reigned.

To that end, Westheid had granted the Lady Knight unrestricted, supreme authority of arbitration. She could act first and report later—or not report at all. She could kill whomever she deemed necessary.

When they were both away, during that brief window of opportunity, Westheid was an unrivaled existence!

But the moment Mivana returned from the border of Qinghui Territory, Westheid immediately reverted to his calm and composed persona.

However, no matter how he put on an act, the Wolf-eared Maiden merely had to take a sniff around the mansion before making her sharp critique:

"Teacher West, you’ve marked your territory all over the place. That’s good. It makes it feel more like a home."

"You’re being a bit too blunt," Westheid said. "Even if it’s true, you could have phrased it a little more gently."

Westheid found that Mivana’s greatest strength and greatest weakness were one and the same: her sincerity. She was incapable of lying.

When they were still strangers, she would observe certain courtesies, but once they became close, she threw all that to the wind and simply spoke her mind.

If Mivana weren’t a Beastman, Westheid would have assumed she was being passive-aggressive and insulting him.

The Wolf-eared Maiden tilted her head.

"Is that so? I’m not sure I can change that. A lot of falsehood is hidden behind tactful words."

"Don’t change. I was just making an observation. I love your straightforward personality; it’s like a lotus rising unstained from the mud."

Westheid glanced at the clock and said,

"The Floating Battleship from Yuanxi Palace is arriving this afternoon. I’m heading over to see it now. Speaking of which, why isn’t Reiya back yet? Can she really be this busy? It’s not like her."

A moment later, Westheid understood why Reiya was late. At the simple docking area on the Ying Riverbank, two Floating Battleships were descending simultaneously.

Luyetan and Reiya had arrived together.

After disembarking from her Floating Battleship, the Silver-haired Princess strode quickly to Westheid’s side before turning to look back at the elegant figure descending from the Yuanshi Territory’s ship.

Dressed in an exquisite, simple white coatdress, with soft, long hair of brown and dark gold, the Branch of Prosperity of Yuanshi Territory rested a hand on her cheek. A characteristic, enigmatic smile played on her lips as she spoke to Westheid.

"I ran into Her Highness Reiya on my way here, Duke Qinghui. I had already heard about this from Rozana, but I never expected so many people would be gathered in your territory for such a grand occasion."

Westheid greeted her with a smile. "A just cause will always attract supporters, while an unjust one will find few. Doesn’t this just prove how much trust I’ve earned? In this day and age, confidence is more precious than adamantite."

"Ha, that’s certainly true. But I must admit, I wasn’t so trusting in the beginning."

Luyetan sighed with a hint of regret. "It’s such a pity."

"A pity about what?" Reiya asked.

"A pity that I didn’t get to witness such an interesting event with my own eyes. What else could I mean?"

Yuanxi Palace replied with a meaningful smile.

Reiya said coldly, "And here I thought you were lamenting the fact you didn’t get to put a collar on West."

Luyetan immediately clapped her hands, her smile sweet.

"Ha! What a wonderful idea. Why don’t we do just that!"

The White-haired Dragon Lady rarely hated anyone, but Luyetan was unquestionably one of the few. To Reiya, even Mivana was merely a rival with conflicting ideals. They were competitors, but could still, perhaps, be considered comrades.

Yuanxi Palace, however, was a genuinely detestable person.

It was for no other reason than Luyetan’s flippant attitude—how she used her filthy lucre to force Westheid to swallow his pride and do things against his will.

Reiya was still brooding over it.

"Alright, alright, that’s enough," Westheid interjected, seeing the temperature rise the moment they met. "Let’s head back to the mansion and talk things over."

After that, he led Luyetan to the mansion, and they took their seats in the reception hall.

Perhaps due to Reiya’s comment, Luyetan dispensed with the pleasantries. She immediately called for Rozana and, in her capacity as the primary investor, began to audit the loans made to Qinghui Territory.

"The procurement of the Floating Fleet and hiring of professional personnel upon departure from the Imperial Capital, plus supplies..."

"The various construction materials and Extraordinary Materials used for the Qinghui defense line..."

"Basic living supplies to maintain Qinghui Territory..."

"..."

As the head of finance, Rozana’s ledgers recorded every single income and expense. When Miss Half-Elf spent a moment to calculate the final amount owed, both Luyetan and Westheid sucked in a sharp breath.

"Approximately 1,145,140,000 silver leaves."

The Yuanxi Lord covered her mouth with her hand, stifling a laugh.

"My, my, how astonishing. In less than a year, you’ve spent three years’ worth of Yuanshi Territory’s surplus. Duke Qinghui, you certainly didn’t hold back, did you?"

"...These were necessary expenses. The choice was to throw money at the problem or pay with time and lives. If money can buy you the other two, it’s an absolute bargain."

That being said, even Westheid hadn’t expected to be so deeply in debt.

Perhaps this astronomical sum would mean nothing to his future self. By then, for an Ascender, mortal wealth would be little more than numbers on scrap paper.

But right now, Westheid hadn’t even reached the Legendary Celestial Rank. He was still bound to the worldly monetary system for the time being.

Thus, for now, he had to suffer the plague of poverty.

’Sigh... is it too late to become a Star Fury?’