Chapter 850: Negotiation
The nobles of District 011 who could stand above the government were certainly numerous, and many of them had been gradually marginalized because the main combat forces of their families had died one after another, but these families were also nurturing new players, only that compared to clans bound by blood ties, family power appeared somewhat weaker.
Lady Lily's maiden family originally had mediocre strength, just as she had said, many of her parents and brothers had died in their prime before they could rise. She married into the Duke's family, and the two families became in-laws through marriage, elevating their combined strength while also granting them greater say. However, her husband had just died, no new duke had been selected to fill the position, and her own brother was suspected of being a "traitor." The leader among the new generation of players had brought people directly to surround their home, which did seem somewhat like bullying the weak.
But this was, after all, the Duke's residence, the face and head figure of District 011. This kind of behavior also seemed to be sending another signal: without strength, even a duke could be dragged down from his position.
If even a duke was treated this way, what about the other nobles?
Lady Lily had shown weakness first before questioning them, which was also a way of reminding nobles in similar situations.
"Women really cannot be underestimated," Serin murmured in admiration. "This is a battlefield completely different from the players'."
In truth, ever since the Rongxin Group's arms purchase, internal forces in District 011 had already begun covert struggles. The assassination on the ship was one surface-level conflict, the newly risen New Wheel Church being kicked out represented the forces that wanted to promote this new religion being eliminated, and Ahsis and others stood at center stage, fellow nobles themselves, turning their spears toward other nobles.
Xu Huo's gaze swept briefly over the Enforcement Department formation in the distance: similarly, the Black Epaulets had grown stronger, and the White Epaulets were out.
"I'm not targeting you or the Duke's residence," Ahsis said to Lady Lily in the living room. "My only goal is to maintain the stability and prosperity of District 011."
"Traitors absolutely cannot appear within District 011, especially nobles who hold the fate of the entire district in their hands. We are all in the same boat, and I will not allow anyone to secretly bore holes in the hull."
"No one can erase the Mireille family's contributions to District 011, but if Rayton Mireille truly did something contrary to District 011's interests, the glory of the fallen hero cannot wrap around this stain!"
This blonde man stood up, looking down at Lady Lily from above. "Please cooperate."
The several elderly men present said nothing more and instead averted their gazes from Lady Lily one after another, their stance clear.
Lady Lily let out a cold laugh and stood up. "Rayton is not here."
"Search," Ahsis said as if he had lost all patience, but just as his players moved, the players behind Lady Lily also stepped forward, the two sides facing off. No one knew who made the first move, but in an instant, the entire ancient castle, including the garden outside and the surrounding roads, was plunged into a strange silence.
The ancient castle itself had not changed much, but looking from inside out, the space nearby seemed to have vanished, darkness pressing close.
At that moment, everyone inside and outside the garden turned their eyes toward the main building of the ancient castle.
"Coming into my home to search, this is going too far!" Lady Lily snapped her fan shut with a decisive air. "If you want to force your way in today, you'll have to leave a few heads behind!"
The moment she finished speaking, the floor beneath her suddenly bloomed open like a flower, instantly widening the distance between her and Ahsis. At the same time, the interior of the entire ancient castle seemed to keep expanding, yet the exterior walls remained unchanged, so comparing inside and out, the space presented a bizarre sense of division.
Xu Huo faintly sensed the castle space splitting toward two sides, but his naked eyes could not directly capture the change in space. Just as he was about to move closer, the flower-like floor suddenly contracted, and then a person stepped out from underground.
"What are you coming out for!" Lady Lily shouted in fury.
Rayton Mireille smiled at his sister. "How could I let two families be dragged down because of me alone?"
"This isn't just about you!" Lady Lily strode forward two steps. "They've clearly decided to swallow us up, just using any excuse!"
Rayton Mireille simply waved his hand to send her back, nodded to the players who caught her, then turned to look at Ahsis. "I can accept the review, but if the final result is that I'm innocent, you will face punishment under noble law."
Ahsis's expression did not change in the slightest. The player behind him raised a hand, and Rayton Mireille automatically moved to their side. They weren't worried about him escaping; these people hadn't even bothered to put items on him.
After Ahsis and his people left, the government players withdrew together with the Enforcement Department. Several times, the players behind Lady Lily tried to make a move to rescue him, but she stopped them.
This woman watched them leave, her tone cold and hard. "Since this is Rayton's decision, I can only respect him. As a member of the Mireille family, he is worthy of this honor. I will not let anyone wrong him!"
The flight devices had traveled far into the distance. She turned back and murmured a few words to the players beside her. Five of them left one after another, and then Lady Lily returned to the living room, leaving the remaining matters to be handled by the members of the Mireille family.
At this time, the nobles willing to come and help were all allies. The Mireille family greeted each of them individually and sent them off privately. As for the other players, they directly promised verbally that they would receive generous compensation.
"Boring, I thought there would be a fight," one player muttered.
"How could there possibly be a fight?" Serin said with hidden meaning. "Lady Lily's side only has a few players. They were just taking a stance. Once Rayton's matter is settled, the Vilner family might have to compensate the Mireille family quite a bit."
Seeing that he seemed to know the inside story well, Xu Huo asked, "What's this about Rayton Mireille colluding with the Holy Sword Society?"
"How would I know about that?" Serin smiled and gestured with his chin toward a Mireille member walking over. "Why don't you go ask Lady Lily yourself?"
"Mr. Xu, Lady Lily would like to see you," that Mireille member said politely.
Serin looked at Xu Huo with a meaningful expression.
Xu Huo ignored his gaze, followed the player into the ancient castle, and met Lady Lily on the second floor.
The woman, completely different from the frail yet resilient one from earlier, lounged on the sofa, swirling her glass to signal him over.
"Aren't you worried about Rayton Mireille?" Xu Huo sat down across from her.
Lady Lily gave a light smile. "They can't produce evidence. This time, I'm going to make the Vilner family take a huge fall."
Xu Huo raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were allies."
"Of course we're all good friends face to face." Lady Lily said contemptuously. "But some people finish eating the meat and want to smash the pot. We who are drinking the soup naturally have to hold the pot steady."
"The matters within your ranks don't interest me," Xu Huo said.
Lady Lily smiled and said, "Right now, the nobles of District 011 have split into two factions. One faction advocates plundering in all directions as before, and the other advocates establishing trade relations with higher wormhole points. Which one do you think is more promising?"