Chapter 547
Either this path inherently has a demand for "concealment"...
Aivina and Tara had tried nearly every method available. Even if Charles himself were to come, he would likely do no better than they had. Originally, he had asked them to see if they had overlooked any approaches...
Now it seemed that finding the inheritor of that path was akin to searching for a needle in a haystack.
Even if Charles were to capture everyone in Ansu and brainwash them one by one, he might still not find anyone connected to that path—after all, it was entirely possible that no one in Ansu was linked to it.
"Fifteen paths should be enough, right? We don’t have to be fixated on that one path. What about the others?" Aivina asked, glancing at Charles, who was deep in thought.
She was a bit worried that Charles might get stuck on something that might not even exist. In Aivina's view, Charles could easily find the most suitable option among the fifteen known paths.
There were plenty of paths that would suit Charles, at least the ones Aivina knew of.
What about the other paths...
Aivina's words sparked a light in Charles's mind.
Yes... what about the other paths?
The system only mentioned that I needed to gather sixteen paths, without specifying which sixteen... As long as I fill the No. 16 slot with different paths, wouldn’t that suffice?
As for where to find other paths?
The Order of the God of Order had gone through great lengths to obtain a false path from the Pure White Knight, hadn’t they?
In other words, the "Crown Guard" could actually be considered a separate path.
I don’t need to exhaust myself searching for the path corresponding to the "Butcher." I just need to switch from "Lawgiver" to "Crown Guard" and save both of them...
However... if that’s the case, this simulation might not allow for a direct switch to "Crown Guard." I would have to drink from "Detective" and "Lawgiver" first, then consume the unstable Crown Guard.
I fear that the moment I drink from "Crown Guard," I might become a tin man like Nia.
If I could obtain the prerequisite path for "Crown Guard"... perhaps it would be possible.
But Charles could only save two slots at most in a single simulation, so there was no need to rush into trying.
Knock, knock, knock—
As Charles pondered what to do next, the knocking at the door sounded again.
Upon opening the door, he found the maid from his household standing there. He recognized her as someone who had been assigned by Lucy from the very beginning.
"Miss Charles, Miss Silufa is here to see you. Do you have time to meet with her?" The maid slightly bowed her head as she spoke.
Lucy, huh?
After a moment of thought, Charles replied, "Please take her to the study."
"Yes."
The maid exited the room and closed the door behind her.
Aivina and Tara were close enough to Charles that talking in the room was fine, but with Lucy, the parlor felt too formal and distant. The private study was just right.
"Do you want to join me to meet her?" Charles asked, looking at Aivina and Tara as he stood up.
"Sure," Aivina said without hesitation, following Charles. After all, she had no intention of attending her remaining classes.
The teacher had skipped class, so what was wrong with her doing the same?
"I... actually don’t have anything else to do right now..." Tara said, lowering her head.
In truth, she was usually swamped with work, but she decided to push her tasks to the late night and cherish this rare opportunity to be by Charles's side.
"Then let’s go together," Charles said as he walked toward the door, opening it and heading down the stairs. Aivina walked alongside him, while Tara lagged a step behind, following Charles.
Tara was merely expressing her utmost respect, not trying to catch a whiff of the faint scent of soap lingering in Charles's hair as he walked.
When Charles reached the study door, he saw the maid standing there. Upon noticing Charles's arrival, she stepped aside slightly and said, "Miss Silufa is already inside."
"Thank you," Charles nodded to the maid and then pushed open the study door.
As soon as he entered, Lucy stood up, turning to face Charles with a smile on her face.
Lucy looked vibrant now, her facial injuries completely healed, and even the scars were no longer visible. Aside from a slight stiffness on one side of her face when she expressed herself, it was hard to tell that she had once had her face torn apart.
She had also tied her short hair back, looking even more capable.
"Miss Charles, Miss Aivina, Miss Tara," Lucy greeted them in turn, smiling, "It’s been a while."
"Long time no see." Charles sat down across from Lucy and asked, "What brings you here?"
"Oh... I heard you left early today because you weren’t feeling well, so I wanted to check if there’s anything I could do to help," Lucy said, smiling as she looked at Charles after sitting down.
Hadn’t she just returned not long ago? Lucy was quite well-informed; she must have rushed over the moment she heard the news.
However, Charles was sure that Lucy wasn’t just concerned about his health; she was using that as an excuse to discuss something else.
Charles didn’t call her out on it, simply smiling as he replied, "I’m fine, just wanted to come back and rest a bit. How have you been, Miss Lucy? I imagine things are busy with the board?"
"Not really," Lucy waved her hand, looking a bit weary. "As an executive director, there’s just too much to manage... It’s not what I expected. I thought I could just be a hands-off manager and make decisions when necessary."
Though it sounded like a complaint, it was clear that Lucy was quite satisfied with her new role.
"However... there is something I think I need to discuss with you, Miss Charles."
"What is it?" Charles asked, curious.
"Well, the senior directors have learned about your position as a special advisor and want me to talk to you about a promotion... what do you think?" Lucy said, looking at Charles with a hint of caution.
"What’s the purpose?" Aivina interjected, asking for Charles.
Anyone could tell that the Dutton Group had something to gain from Charles.
"Um..." Lucy chuckled awkwardly at Aivina. Knowing that Charles preferred straightforwardness, she turned back to him and said, "The group hopes to obtain permission to open casinos in all of Ansu’s colonies, and they want me to discuss it with you."
Permission to open casinos in all colonies?
"That’s something you should discuss with Charles, not me," Charles shook his head.
Lucy paused, looking a bit taken aback. She cautiously replied, "You don’t agree, Miss Charles? The higher-ups know that you have the final say in Ansu now."
"To be honest, I’ve only managed to establish my footing among the higher-ups thanks to my connection with you."
The phrase "you have the final say in Ansu" felt quite niche.
To other major powers, it seemed that Charles had completely replaced the previous strongman, and in terms of "taming" these organizations, he was doing even better than the strongman had.
Moreover, because Charles was currently presenting himself in a calm manner, he hadn’t aroused any resentment from these powers—though the Dutton Group seemed a bit worried about being sidelined due to their relationship with Charles, which was why they sent Lucy to negotiate.
However, the Dutton Group had grand ambitions... raising suspicions about their intentions behind such expansion.
"Let’s hear the terms," Charles didn’t rush to reject Lucy but instead wanted to know what the Dutton Group was willing to offer.
"The Dutton Group has a large territory in the New Frontier," Lucy said, looking at Charles. "If we can obtain permission to operate the casinos, we are willing to give this territory to you, Miss Charles... or to the Ansu government, as Ansu’s overseas enclave in the New Frontier."
An enclave in the New Frontier?
Ever since the New Frontier fired the first shot for independence half a century ago, it had remained a scar that Ansu could not heal, a source of shame.
Subduing the New Frontier was something even the strongman had failed to accomplish, and an enclave could open up countless possibilities...
If it were the strongman, he would have certainly agreed to this request and tried to use that enclave as leverage to spark another war across the ocean—but unfortunately, the one making the decisions now was Charles.
She had no interest in expanding Ansu’s territory, nor in instigating war.
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