The next morning, in Yuto's office, a burly man in a black cloak sat cross-legged in front of Yuto.
He first surveyed the office environment, then couldn't help but exclaim:
"Tsk tsk tsk... What on earth could make you throw away all those old papers that have been piled up for who knows how many years? What happened?"
Hearing this, Yuto slightly raised his eyes to look at the teasing, burly man in front of him, and sighed helplessly.
"What would the Meropide guards think if they saw your office in a mess, Duke?"
"If it weren't for hiring people, I wouldn't bother cleaning this place."
As Yuto spoke, he pushed a cup of black tea towards Wriothesley, then asked:
"What made you come here today? Are the Noclan Family still not making trouble with appeals?"
Hearing this, Wriothesley chuckled and shook his head, picked up the teacup in front of him, took a small sip, and then continued:
"They indeed caused quite a stir on their first day inside, but it was useless."
"With the way they were making trouble, they couldn't even get the lowest-tier privileged meals. Under the pressure of life... they naturally gave up making trouble."
"Of course, I also came here to tell you something."
Wriothesley said, placing the teacup aside, his expression changing from his previous carefree ease to a serious one.
"Those people you asked me to keep an eye on... they've made a move."
"Although other nobles also want to get involved in the Fontaine Opera culture... the Noclan Family's intentions are undoubtedly the most obvious."
"Last night, their acting head of the Noclan Family went to a playwright who specializes in writing scripts for nobles, seemingly discussing something."
At this point, Wriothesley placed a file bag on Yuto's desk, his eyes sharp as he said:
"This playwright is named Nelson. According to the information my people gathered... he has a deep conflict with Claude."
"And now... Claude made a huge profit from the Fontaine Opera a few days ago, which led to these guys, who only rehash old ideas and write mundane stories, having no business at all."
"I wonder... if they are planning to target Claude."
"Of course, this isn't without basis. From what I've found... a large sum of money suddenly appeared in the Noclan Family's account, flowing into Nelson's account."
"The amount of funds far exceeds the mora needed to commission ten scripts. I just feel... they are plotting something."
At this point, Wriothesley stopped speaking. He slightly raised his head, his gaze deep as he looked at Yuto, who was also deep in thought, seemingly waiting for his conclusion.
Yuto, after a brief silence, finally spoke:
"Continue to keep an eye on the Noclan Family, and then assign some people to watch that playwright. If that playwright makes any unusual moves..."
"Then let them be utterly destroyed."
Before Yuto could finish speaking, Wriothesley chuckled and uttered a terrifying sentence, then grabbed the cloak hanging on the back of his chair and said:
"I'll have my subordinates do it, rest assured."
With that, he lightly patted the dust off his shoulders, then left Yuto's office without looking back.
For Wriothesley... there were two fundamental reasons why he was willing to help Yuto do so many things that were inconvenient for him personally.
Firstly, he was repaying a kindness.
Yuto and Neuvillette saved him and gave him corresponding status and recognition. In a sense... it was a benevolent encounter.
Secondly, it was related to his interests.
As the controller of Meropide, the manager of Fontaine's underworld, and a major taxpayer in Fontaine, Wriothesley was unusually sensitive to commercial dynamics.
—Otherwise, he wouldn't have earned the title of "Duke."
When he helped Palais Mermonia, he could also seize some profits and industries through this process.
Take the last time he dealt with the Noclan Family, for example; Wriothesley, as the intermediary, also gained a lot of benefits from it.
For instance... those disposed shops of the Noclan Family were basically acquired by him immediately.
Yuto was aware of this, but he didn't have any particular objections.
After all, for him... this matter was truly a case of moving things from the left hand to the right.
Rather than letting outsiders gain this portion of the profit, it was better for Wriothesley to take it directly, killing two birds with one stone.
This way, Palais Mermonia wins once, and Wriothesley, as the executor, also wins once, which can be considered a win-win.
As for Yuto...
He not only received dividends from Meropide but also managed to completely clear away matters unfavorable to him.
Winning twice, in another sense, isn't that also a win-win?
...
After Wriothesley left, Yuto once again fell into thought.
He slowly stood up, habitually walked to the office window, and pondered these actions, which seemed somewhat abnormal to him, while looking at the street view outside the window.
"If they really want to use the cultural market to make a comeback... why don't they choose to invest in Claude, but instead choose one of his arch-enemies?"
"Behavior that violates commercial operational logic... What exactly do they want to do?"
"Could it be that they really think a noble like them can contend with Palais Mermonia? They shouldn't be that stupid, right?"
"Or... they genuinely want to contend with me, but the key to the problem isn't here, but within their own ranks?"
"Contention is just a facade; do they have deeper intentions? Is Nelson, who was pushed out, merely a scapegoat?"
Yuto slightly furrowed his brow, a deep look flashing in his sea-blue eyes, as if he found the current situation difficult to decide upon.
Wait?
Selling off ancestral homes, selling off large amounts of property—they are trying their best to reduce their traces in Fontaine, and then they found an actor to perform on stage...
"Do they want to use this incident to attract my attention, and then use it to plan a larger asset transfer?"
"Or... is this not just a large-scale asset transfer, but a dying elite monster's death rattle before it perishes?"
"They don't want everything I do to go smoothly, nor do they want me to easily ascend another step in the hearts of the people of Fontaine..."
Yuto's lips curved slightly upward, and a stern look flashed in his sea-blue eyes.
"The things you don't want to see..."
"I insist on making them fully come to fruition."
"Understand this: the current Fontaine belongs to the people of Fontaine, not the old Fontaine where you fools could call the shots."
"Since I gave you face and you don't want it..."
"Then don't blame me for being impolite."
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