"He Pu is a good friend of his?" Xu Huo wiped his hands.
"Not exactly close friends, but Duke Tal is a very good channel," Mr. Dong said. "Mr. He Pu’s baron title was bought with money, so it cannot be inherited. After his death, the title will be stripped. If you want to obtain the baron title, you had better establish a good relationship with Duke Tal."
As he spoke, Xu Huo had already gone up to the second floor. Next to the spot where He Pu’s portrait used to hang, there was an additional reserved space for a new painting, obviously waiting to be filled.
"I have a question, do you consider me the heir to Rose Castle?" he asked, turning around.
"Do you want to inherit Rose Castle, sir?" Mr. Dong countered, "If you were to inherit the castle, you would inherit everything of Mr. He Pu’s."
"Including those props and potions?"
"Those are my private collection, gifts from Mr. He Pu," Mr. Dong said. "They are not included in the items to be inherited."
Xu Huo looked at him and smiled. "Are you a Super Prop?"
Mr. Dong closed his mouth and did not respond to the question.
"It seems we have yet to establish trust between us," Xu Huo added. "Does He Pu have any requirements for his heir?"
"No," Mr. Dong answered. "You can freely dispose of the castle, selling, gifting, or destroying it."
This surprised Xu Huo a bit, but then he listened as Mr. Dong continued, "But I will not allow you to damage the castle."
In this castle, Mr. Dong was the true controller. His birth must be closely tied to the castle, which meant that even if this place was no longer a copy, he could still freely control these buildings.
"What procedures are needed if I want to inherit Rose Castle?" Xu Huo was unclear about Mr. Dong’s intention in transferring the castle, but it was a good opportunity to gain a foothold in Zone 011.
"I will have someone deliver the relevant documents tomorrow," Mr. Dong said with a hint of a smile finally appearing on his usually impassive face. "So, will you personally entertain Duke Tal and Madame Butterfly this afternoon?"
Xu Huo nodded. "Place a bouquet of purple roses in Madame Butterfly’s room."
"I will personally select them," Mr. Dong promised.
At 3 p.m. in Zone 011, Duke Tal’s car arrived at Rose Castle on time. The portly middle-aged man carefully assisted Madame Butterfly out of the vehicle and into the castle while saying, "At this time, Rose Castle is the most beautiful place in the Ancient City District. A flower-like beauty like Madame should stay where flowers bloom. Those smelly men’s houses are not fitting for Madame."
The fawning adoration on his face was obviously not for the purpose of offering condolences.
Mr. Dong welcomed them inside and introduced Xu Huo’s new identity: the distant nephew of Mr. He Pu, who had written a will when he bought the castle to leave it to his distant nephew after his demise.
Duke Tal expressed his regret for He Pu and his anger towards the fake He Pu, then patted Xu Huo’s shoulder, saying, "I was a good friend of your uncle’s, if you have any difficulties, just speak up."
With a countenance of sorrow, Xu Huo thanked him, "I heard from Mr. Dong that you were of great help to my uncle. When he first arrived in Zone 011, unfamiliar with life here, you provided assistance and were a gentleman of high integrity. My uncle always considered you his only true friend."
"I’ve been wanting to visit, but I feared it would be presumptuous..."
Duke Tal burst into hearty laughter, interrupting him, "Presumptuous? You are He Pu’s junior, and so you are my junior. My house has children not much different in age from you. I quite like you young people, come anytime, anytime!"
As the two conversed, the purple pupils of Madame Butterfly remained fixed on him. Xu Huo looked up to greet her, "This is..."
Madame Butterfly chuckled lightly, "Don’t you recognize me?"
Her tone was thick with playful teasing. Pretending not to understand, Xu Huo averted his gaze as Duke Tal’s own moved back and forth between them, "Do you two know each other?"
"Handsome people tend to look alike, lacking novelty and distinction." Madame Butterfly’s fingers grazed the edge of her Butterfly Mask, "They look so similar, it’s as if I saw the same face yesterday and the day before."
"Madame has quite the unique perspective." Duke Tal loudly agreed, pretending to support her waist, "There’s a Labyrinth Garden behind here, just planted with new flowers. Would Madame like to take a look?"
"Will Mr. Xu join us?" Madame Butterfly extended the invitation.
Xu Huo glanced at the two bodyguards who had followed him in. Under their gaze, he backed off, "I am going to check on the ingredients. To host the two of you, I plan to cook some hometown dishes myself."
Of course, Duke Tal applauded the idea. Excited by the prospect, he reached for Madame Butterfly’s shoulder but was swiftly brushed aside before he could touch her.
Madame Butterfly used a small fan to deflect his hand, "Aren’t we here to admire the flowers?"
Duke Tal nodded happily and had Mr. Dong lead the way in front.
The idea of cooking was just a casual remark. Xu Huo stayed on the second floor to watch the two of them perform.
In an effort to please Madame Butterfly, Mr. Dong’s newly planted flowers were nearly pulled bare by Duke Tal. The conversation revolved around topics of no value, and in the midst of it, the Duchess contacted the bodyguards once. Without uttering a word, Duke Tal had the bodyguards dismiss her, his eyes never leaving Madame Butterfly.
Seeing that the time was about right, Xu Huo sent Mr. Dong to inquire if the two had any dietary restrictions or meat preferences. Duke Tal, who had brought his own chef, enthusiastically introduced his family’s signature dish to Madame Butterfly.
"I’ve been vegetarian these past few days," Madame Butterfly said, twirling her fan, giving no face to his enthusiasm, "Each cultist of the Xīnlún Church has a period of vegetarianism."
Duke Tal was not upset, "I’ve heard Visen speak of this. If Madame eats vegetarian, I will too."
With that, he waved the chef away.
Madame Butterfly covered her mouth to laugh, "The Duke is not a cultist, why bother eating vegetarian with me?"
The Duke, smitten, immediately declared, "I could join the Xīnlún Church."
"Becoming a cultist is not so easy," Madame Butterfly glanced at him with a veiled hint.
"I could fundraise for the Xīnlún Church among the nobles," continued Duke Tal, eager to please, "and do so in Madame’s name."
Madame Butterfly’s laughter was pleasant to the ear, "There’s no need for donations, I want a batch of weapons."
The two players acting as bodyguards instinctively looked at Duke Tal, who hesitated, the amiable fat gentleman saying, "This..."
"I can pay," Madame Butterfly said, "Everyone knows Rongxin Group has special channels to acquire Class A weapons capable of destroying a city within ten seconds. However, Mr. Meni doesn’t seem to have the authority. Therefore, I hope the Duke could facilitate."
"In return, the Xīnlún Church will maintain a good relationship with Rongxin Group. I’ve heard that Rongxin Group wants to expand a new business district in Zone 009. It just so happens we have cultists from Zone 009. It would be mutually beneficial."