"It seems they have managed to take down a Tier 7 beast." The old man Vina brought had returned, reporting everything he had found.
"…" The old man let out a long sigh. "I admit my defeat. I originally thought their group was extraordinary, but I never expected them to be monstrous. When you told me you were going to bet your future on them, I thought you were joking.
"But for such a group to be able to kill a Tier 7 beast… From what I can see, there's nothing on that base that could be used to kill the Tier 7 beast. In other words, it was through their strength alone they could take down such a powerful beast."
Vina harrumphed. "Of course, I know what I'm betting on. Don't you know I hate gambling? However, I just like my odds so much that I can't help it."
"That's what gambling addicts usually say before losing even more…" The old man looked away.
"…" Vina's eyebrows twitched as she kicked the old man's butt. "Shut up. You have lost! Now, do you have any more objections to my decision?"
"No. I shall fully support you in taking the successor seat."
"That's more like it." Vina was satisfied with the answer. "In that case, let's begin. They will be busy soon, so we have to create misinformation to stop anyone from realizing it as long as possible."
"Well, creating a base in a newly built city is easy, but having a connection with its sole owner is hard."
Meanwhile, Hana seemed to have changed completely after hearing Clovis take down a Tier 7 beast.
"My darling. You must have been tired. Do you know how much I was worried about you?" Hana's voice was so sweet that even her assistant, who was separated by a door, couldn't help but feel chills down her spine.
"You really changed your tone so easily…" Clovis shook his head helplessly.
"Hehehe… I can change it to the way you like it. Do you want me to be more seductive?"
Clovis pinched the bridge of his nose. "Well, whatever. It's not like I need it. I just want the essence and to store it somewhere. For the materials, you can handle it."
"Hehehe. I love you so much!" Hana winked playfully.
"And the city should have been cleaned up…"
Hana nodded. "Of course. I will send a few experts to help Kanaria measure the cost of the construction. The most important infrastructure is the Sky Lift. Hence, we will focus on it.
"However, to build such a massive thing, we probably need a lot of workers. And because you want it to be fast, we might need more workers.
"We might be exposed …"
"I know. It's something I have prepared. For now, my plan is to somehow get closer to Tier 5. In the meantime, I want you to focus on calculating the cost and creating the plan for the development."
"Yes. To calculate and even create a design will take at least a few months, especially a simple one. We also have to check the condition of the wall and equipment there to stop any outbreak." Hana thought for a moment. "To do all that before starting the construction… it might take 6 months… even with all my and my grandfather's connections. We can't go faster than that since we wish for it to be sustainable."
"Indeed. That should be enough time. Although it won't take me to Tier 5, I should be pretty close to it. There is an ample amount of essence from the bank and the number of beasts here is pretty high." Clovis nodded.
"You don't have to worry about property rights." Hana stuck out her tongue. "What's mine is yours, what's yours is mine. If both of us go our separate ways, you can have the city, but your management will probably mess up, and the city will most likely go into decline sooner or later.
"On the other hand, I will be branded as a ruinous woman who lost your protection, which would make me targeted." Hana shrugged. "That's why you give me money. I'll build you a world you want."
"This greedy little goblin." Clovis sighed.
"Hehehehe. That's not entirely correct. You should call me my greedy but beloved goblin." Hana smirked.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Clovis facepalmed. She truly couldn't stop flirting. "Tell me how you plan to sneak people into the city? You're being watched right now, no?"
"Don't worry. I have a plan ready. For now, I will be sending my agents to multiple places like normal, but I'll switch my first group to go to that city alongside some experts in their fields to handle the projects.
"I will send one group after another accordingly to avoid the public's eyes," explained Hana.
"That should be good enough. I guess the rest of the discussion will have to wait until they meet Kanaria."
Hana agreed. "Indeed. No worries. I know Kanaria's personality. I will make sure that these people don't look down on her and teach her if she doesn't know something instead of scolding her."
"Yeah. I will leave it to you." Clovis paused for a moment, staring at Hana mysteriously.
"What's wrong? Is there something on my face? Or maybe you have finally noticed my charm?" Hana had a smug smile on her face.
Clovis chuckled. She really liked Erwin, but unlike Erwin, she had everything needed to claim that confidence. He paused for a moment before saying, "In the next few months, you will probably hear some weird reports… Just wait a bit, will you?"
"!!!" Hana understood what he meant. The weird reports meant Clovis planned to introduce Reolf gradually. And asking her to wait meant he was steeling his resolve to tell her about the artifacts and other items.
Hana's eyes lit up. "You don't have to worry about it. I'm very patient…"
"Say that with a poker face. You're really going to suck me dry at this rate." Clovis sighed.
"Oh my. Well, I wonder which of the two meanings you are implying in your words… I am ready for both."
"We know which one I'm talking about."
"Eh? Which?" Hana played dumb.
"Bye. Take care of everything!" Clovis hung up, escaping. He truly couldn't handle this girl, but at the same time, he left with a smile.