PFC Chapter 568 Speculators
Chapter 568 Speculators
When Ian changed into his suit and came out, he found that his friends were no longer in the store. When he walked out to look for Lilith, he heard Lilith's voice.
"Mr. Fred, I deeply sympathize with your situation—"
"Your Highness, Your Highness should be held responsible for this!"
More and more people gathered on the street, surrounding Fred, Lilith and the others to watch the excitement. Fred became more and more agitated, like a trapped animal that had fallen into a trap and was unable to save itself, eager to bite anything around him that he could grab.
"I told you, the princess isn't here! You should have listened to me from the beginning. That was just gambling..."
Lucas had never been so embarrassed. He tried to break free from Fred's grip, but he grabbed his collar and his bloodshot eyes were almost touching his face.
"Think about your sister, Lucas!" Fred gasped like an angry bull.
Lucas glanced at his companions and clenched his fists.
Lilith blinked and exchanged glances with her companions: "I don't understand what you mean, Mr. Fred. What do you want to do with Katherine?"
"I bought all my potions from Gladia's students. They all said they were made according to the academy's standard procedures!"
Fred waved his arms, trying to make the crowd around him hear, "But the quartermaster said it was inferior and didn't meet military standards at all! Miss Lilith, is this how the students you teach at your academy do business? To rob honest people like us of our money?!
You and Your Highness, the Princess, are the presidents of that student union, right? Aren't you responsible for the students' behavior? Or did you simply condone this?!
"Fred, you need to calm down." Lucas almost begged.
"I think he's very calm." Lilith looked at the injuries on Fred's face.
Lucas, his brother-in-law, had apparently suffered a great loss at the hands of the quartermaster, even being beaten during the dispute. However, he did not dare to go to the barracks and argue with those heavily armed knights who had seized his property. Instead, he kept on pestering Catherine, apparently believing that the young and cheeky princess would be easier to talk to.
Jaina frowned and stepped forward:
"Is what the quartermaster said necessarily true? You don't have the ability to distinguish the effectiveness of potions. Excellent pharmacists will not cooperate with you. Why don't you tell us how cheap it is to buy potions from magic apprentices?" She was speaking up for the younger students who worked so hard.
"I admire your keen sense of how to make money." Lilith took over the conversation. Her voice was clear and calm enough for everyone watching to hear clearly.
"But you may not be familiar with the complex laws of the Empire, such as eminent domain.
The military, especially the quartermaster, has the right to forcibly requisition any supplies under the pretext of 'urgent wartime needs,' often with minimal compensation or even IOUs. This is legal and reasonable, Mr. Fred, and I think you understand the consequences regardless of the quality of the potion.
Seeing Fred's face turn pale as she spoke, Lilith couldn't help but sigh. This shrewd businessman had risked his entire fortune, yet he didn't even understand the rules of the game. In the face of true power, speculators like him were nothing more than fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
When the situation changes, everyone thinks that they will be the lucky one to ride the east wind, but more people are like Fred, who are smashed into pieces by the huge waves of war, and no one cares.
How can it be so easy to make money from war?
"What you should do now is to sort out your assets as quickly as possible and minimize the losses." Lilith gave him final advice.
"But, but..." Fred's eyes were red, and he held Lucas tightly as if he were a lifeline. "Princess, can't you help me? Miss Lilith, Ozler's crisis is no longer a secret. My family is working for her!"
"enough!"
Lucas couldn't bear it any longer and struggled to break free from Fred's pull. The latter lost his balance and fell to the ground, looking at him with disbelief.
Damn these sea people! Maybe it's because of these siblings that he's in such bad luck!
"Golatia Academy has never been a vassal of the princess. You're mistaken!" Lucas seemed to have mustered up all his courage, his voice trembling slightly. "I've never risked my life for her either. She doesn't owe me anything."
"You ungrateful idiot!" Fred gritted his teeth. "If I go bankrupt, your sister will—"
Hearing him mention his sister as a bargaining chip again, the tight string in Lucas' heart snapped.
"I will support my sister if it becomes a burden to you in the future." Lucas abruptly interrupted Fred. He was fed up with this combination of coaxing and intimidation.
A strange sense of relief even made him raise his voice a little, "I'll take her away now! She won't have to hide back home when you entertain guests just because you don't want others to know that you have an ominous seaman wife!"
Every weekend, Lucas would almost always run into Chloe when he returned home. He used to be happy that the whole family was together, but he later discovered that Fred entertained his new friends every week, while Chloe, as the hostess, never had to entertain guests together.
"The gentlemen of High Court are all devout believers of light, and they are more concerned about these things that may bring bad luck... Can you understand, Lucas?" Fred took off his hat and smiled helplessly.
But Fred no longer had the composure he had at that moment. The family scandal was exposed in public, and everyone looked at him with contempt. He was filled with anger, and when he saw Lucas pushing through the crowd and about to run out, he got up and tried to chase him.
"Wait! Wait—"
Fred hurriedly tried to catch up, but bumped into the hard and cold black armor. He trembled all over and froze in place.
This type of black armor… He had seen it several times in Highgarden, each time accompanied by a suffocating atmosphere and the whispers of the "Princess's Guards." They were completely different from the noisy Knights of Light, silent as a group of black ghosts.
As if pushed aside by an invisible hand, the crowd quietly opened a gap. A modest carriage adorned with the royal crest had stopped at the corner. A slender, silver-haired girl, supported by a red-haired knight, slowly alighted.
It seemed like she hadn't made a public appearance in Gloria for a long time. Everyone felt that she was even more beautiful than they remembered, and had a breathtakingly cold majesty.
All the words Fred had prepared were forgotten when he met the sharp eyes of Her Royal Highness the Princess. He opened his mouth for a long time, but in the end he could only mumble.
"Kai, Her Highness Catherine..."