As soon as Lux was properly seated inside the Princess' room, the brown-haired princess immediately got down to business.
"How much did my brother offer to pay for your services?" Anastasia asked. "If you work for me, I promise to double it."
The Half-Elf blinked once, then twice, before finally understanding what the Princess had just said to him. In short, Anastasia wasn't bribing him—she was poaching him.
"Really?" Lux was moved because doubling the required coins to build his Guild was a very tempting offer.
A day after his Guild was created, his Elysium Compendium received an update, and it notified Lux that more information was now available about his Mythical Guild.
There, he saw the required number of gold coins needed to build his Guild Headquarters, Bestiary, Alchemist Shop, Smithy, and other facilities.
Lux almost felt sorry for Nevreal when he saw that building his Guild Headquarters alone required him to pay ten million gold coins.
Of course, his pity for the middle-aged Dwarf only lasted for a few seconds before it was replaced by relief, knowing that the Dwarf would be shouldering the expenses of building his Guild Headquarters.
Lux and Nevreal had both signed a contract that was managed by the Will of Elysium.
This contract was similar to how duels were initiated, requiring the agreement of both parties before it was approved.
Since the Will of Elysium was supervising the agreement, Nevreal would have no choice but to pay for the exact cost of the creation of the Half-Elf's Guild Headquarters, even if the Half-Elf didn't succeed in solving the problem of the Wolfpine Barony.
"Let me get this straight," Lux said as he eyed the Dwarf Princess as if he was looking at a golden goose that was about to lay a golden egg. "You are going to double the amount that Nevreal promised to me?"
Anastasia nodded. "Not only will I double it, but I will also give you more benefits. For example, I can allow you to lick my feet as a reward for doing a good job."
"I see." Lux smiled. "So does that mean you're willing to give me twenty million gold coins? Okay, I agree to this deal."
He pretended not to hear the part about licking the Princess' feet as a reward because he didn't have that kind of hobby. The only thing that mattered to him was the funds, so he happily accepted the Princess' generosity with open arms.
As for his deal with Nevreal?
He would just break it!
The red-headed teenager didn't really care if Robin, his brothers, or sisters, became the Crown Prince or Crown Princess. But, while he had already known that Robin was someone with a big background, he didn't expect him to be part of the Royal Family.
He only managed to piece together the clues after his meeting with the green-haired Dwarf, as well as Princess Anastasia's opening remark. Now that he knew that this Merit System imposed by Anastasia's father was his way of deciding who had the right of succession, he might as well join the side of the one with the deepest pockets!
"Good. It seems that you are very sensible. I will immediately send you twenty millio–" Anastasia wasn't able to finish her sentence before her eyes widened in shock.
"D-Did you say twenty million?" Anastasia asked because she thought that she had misheard Lux's words.
"Yes," Lux replied. "Nevreal is offering me ten million to solve the problem in this town. Since you plan to double that amount then you will be giving me twenty million, right?"
"Twenty million is a bit…"
"What? You can't even afford twenty million? What kind of Princess are you? Even that old fart, Nevreal, has more money than you."
Anastasia was speechless because she wasn't expecting the chubby teenager and Nevreal to have this kind of deal.
Even if she was a Princess, she didn't have that much money in her personal account. At most, she only had two million, and even then, she thought that this was already a very big amount.
People usually did what she wanted, so she never had a need for money. Even the funds for this expedition, her escorts, as well as her other necessities, were paid for by her father.
"Can we settle this in some other matter?" The Princess was doing her best to act calmly in order to salvage the situation. "How about I give you a Knight Title? You can be my own personal Knight if you want?"
Lux snorted after hearing the Princess' statement.
Knight Title? Would that pay for his Guild Headquarters?
Thanks but no thanks!
"Okay, let's put the matter of you trying to poach me aside for the time being," Lux said. "Actually, I have something very important to tell you in regards to this drought that this Barony is experiencing."
Princess Anastasia's and Millie's interest were piqued because the chubby teenager took the initiative to tell them about his findings.
"I have every reason to believe that this is not a natural phenomenon," Lux stated.
Princess Anastasia nodded. She also thought that there was something unnatural about the drought, which was the reason why she had come here. She planned to solve the mystery and gain her father's praise in the process.
"Have you heard about the scandal of the Baron's second son?" Lux asked.
"Yes," Princess Anastasia replied while wrinkling her nose. "A very tragic story, but are you telling me that this drought is linked to the curse that the pregnant lady announced before leaving the city?"
Lux nodded. "I'd like to tell you more, but I'm afraid that you will think that I am crazy if you heard everything."
Princess Anastasia frowned because the person in front of her spoke in a very confident tone. It was as if he had already figured out the true cause of the drought, and it was only a matter of time before he shared this information with her brother, allowing the latter to gain the Merit Points for solving the mystery.
"I'll pay you a million gold coins if you share the information you know about this drought," Princess Anastasia said with a solemn expression on her face. She had come this far in order to solve the problem with the Wolfpine Barony because this was the most pressing matter of the kingdom as of this moment.
Lux almost smiled after hearing the Princess offer, but he caught himself before the grin appeared on his face.
'Should I really collaborate with her in order to make this mission easier?' Lux pondered. 'Boss wasn't too keen on sharing this information with anyone because he knew that no one would believe him. Should I take a gamble here?'
Lux knew that if he were to really tell Anastasia about the Creature of Ruin, the Princess would definitely not believe him. Even the Bearkin, Boss, who was responsible for maintaining the seals in the Dark Plains, was very doubtful of his claim that the sealed monstrosity had broken free from its shackles.
"You don't need to pay me anything, Your Highness," Lux said after organizing his thoughts. "Because, even after knowing the cause of the drought, there is still nothing I can do about it. However, let me give you a piece of advice. You should leave the Wolfpine Barony as soon as you can."
Princess Anastasia arched an eyebrow. "You're telling me to leave?"
"Yes. It is for your own safety."
"Very funny. Why would you worry about my safety when I have Rankers protecting me?"
Lux picked up the word Rankers because it hinted that the green-haired Dwarf beside the Princess was not the only Ranker under Princess Anastasia's envoy. This also meant that she had enough manpower on her side to keep her safe against normal circumstances.
Unfortunately, what they were dealing with was beyond the norm, and he knew that even Saints found it hard to contain what they faced.
