Abyssal Chronicles

Chapter 448 - 449: Negotiations [2/2]

Pierre’s Illustration is out, and it’s in chapter 01, leave a like if you like it *^

"It’s not that simple!" Moshi retorted without hesitation. "Our Luminous Royal Academy may be independently operated, but one of our biggest sponsors is the royal family of the Red Lotus Leaf Empire! You know the relationship between the Red Lotus Leaf Empire and the Sadik Empire. By letting someone from the Black Rose family become a teacher, you’re practically inviting the Red Lotus Leaf royal family to have a ’chat’ with me!"

"What’s wrong with having a chat? It could even improve relations" the young man, who was also the captain of the third team of Ghostly Flame Group, known as Mr. Three, said with a playful smile.

"Enough jokes. You don’t have to worry. Luminous has always talked about diversified teaching, right? Hiring a teacher from Sadik Empire is no big deal. I believe our smart and capable Vice-Principal Moshi can easily handle any questions from the royal family."

Hearing this, Moshi’s veins popped, and his eyes filled with rage. The short old man angrily raised his cane and pointed it at Mr. Three’s nose. "You make it sound so easy!"

"Is it not?"

"Of course not! Hiring someone from Black Rose is one thing. If it were a talented scholar, there would be a reasonable excuse. But the person you’re talking about is an ignorant, useless noble... wait, what?!"

Before he could finish, a strange chill and a killing intent suddenly made Moshi stop talking. He froze, swallowing the words he was about to say.

’What’s going on?’

Moshi was surprised to find that the always-smiling captain of Ghostly Flame still had a smile on his face, but his slightly squinted eyes were now emitting a bone-chilling coldness, making Moshi shudder in fear.

The suffocating aura of a Seventh-Level Mage suddenly dispersed, making it difficult for Moshi to breathe as if an invisible force was pressing down on him.

Not only did the atmosphere around Mr. Three change abruptly, but the elderly butler from Black Rose family, who was leaning against the window sill, also revealed an extremely cold expression. Although his power was not as great as Moshi’s, the pressure he exerted was indescribably immense.

What was even stranger was that Moshi felt a murderous intent coming from behind him. Wasn’t there no one there?

A cold sweat trickled down Moshi’s forehead, and his heart pounded as if it would burst out of his chest.

’Did I say something wrong?’

Realizing this, Moshi took a deep breath, quickly set down his cane, and immediately changed his previous statements. He felt that if he continued along the lines of what he had just said, he might not only be forced out of the educational circle but also face other dire consequences.

"I... I... I didn’t mean that... What I meant was, the young lady from Black Rose family has never taught at any academy and doesn’t have any teaching credentials. To others, she’s just a noble young lady from the South. Appointing her as a teacher at Luminous Royal Academy, especially as the leader of the Star class, would likely upset many people. It just doesn’t make sense."

"I see," Mr. Three chuckled and waved his hand dismissively. "Don’t worry about it. Our Miss Yu has special talents. According to the rules of Luminous Royal Academy, people with special skills can be exceptionally hired, can’t they?"

"Special talents? What... what special talents?"

"It’s written in the document, knowledge, and skills related to abyssal demons."

"What? You’re joking. How would a noble young lady know about such things?"

"Please, Mr. Moshi," Mr. Three’s eyes grew colder and filled with undeniable certainty, "How she knows it isn’t something I can easily explain. Just know that she does."

"No, no, if she doesn’t have this ability and I let her in, I’ll be held responsible later on!"

After some internal struggle, Moshi shook his head repeatedly, "I’m sorry, Mr. Three. Please tell Lady Kalina that I really can’t agree to this request. It’s just too reckless."

"Request? Mr. Moshi, it seems you’ve misunderstood something."

"Huh? What... what do you mean?"

"Lady Kalina is not requesting your assistance; she’s ordering you to do this. If you refuse to cooperate, evidence of your embezzlement from ten years ago and the evidence of you causing the death of the former Vice-Principal two years ago will appear before the Heavenly Gate. You might want to think this over carefully."

(Heavenly Gate: The law enforcement agency of Red Leaf Empire)

"You?!"

Hearing this, Moshi’s eyes narrowed sharply, a mix of frustration and anger filling his face. Trembling, he pointed at the blue-haired young man in front of him. "Are you... threatening me?"

"Hmm? No, it’s just a suggestion."

"You were also involved in the assassination two years ago. If you expose me, aren’t you afraid that Red Leaf authorities will trace it back to you?"

"Hmm? What are you talking about? I can’t understand a word you’re saying." Mr. Three shook his head innocently. "Our Ghostly Flame organization has always been law-abiding. Why would we be involved in assassinations? Mr. Moshi, are you getting confused due to your old age?"

"You..."

’Damn it. You were the ones who committed murder in the first place; I just provided some information! And now you’re acting so innocent?’

"You’ve got some nerve..."

"What’s there to be ashamed of? So, have you made your decision? If you cooperate, Lady Kalina guarantees that for the next ten years, no one will know about anything you’ve done. If you don’t, you might find yourself assisting an investigation at the Heavenly Gate in a few days."

Moshi fell into a brief silence.

At that moment, Sebastian, who had been leaning against a stone pillar in silence for a long time, finally spoke, "Vice-Principal, if you agree to cooperate, Our Black Rose will provide some sponsorship to Luminous Royal Academy, and to you personally, as a token of our gratitude."

Upon hearing this, Moshi’s eyebrows twitched again.

"I’ve told you, I don’t need any sponsorship or— What?!"

However, when Moshi turned around and saw what was behind him, he was stunned. The words he was about to say were swallowed back down. Dozens of boxes of raw gemstones had been neatly arranged in the office hall by Sebastian, who had taken them out of his spatial ring. In addition to the massive number of gems, numerous precious antiques and treasures were also displayed before Moshi.

Especially when he saw a jade gemstone that was crystal clear and emanated an aura of dragon majesty, Moshi’s eyes widened in disbelief.

’A Dragon Orb? Such a precious item is also... there?’

Looking at the treasure he had long coveted, Moshi’s old eyes began to sparkle. He became visibly agitated, as if he had the urge to rush over and hug the Dragon Orb.

Seeing this, Sebastian said, "So, Vice-Principal Moshi, if you agree to work with us, all this can be yours. If you want the Dragon Orb, we can even throw in a couple more."

"Really? Are you serious?" Moshi asked, eyes widening.

"Absolutely," Sebastian confirmed.

"Alright!" After weighing the allure of the treasures and the pressure from Kalina, Moshi finally nodded.

"I’ll make Miss Yu a teacher at Luminous Royal Academy and also the head of the Star class."

"A wise choice, Vice-Principal"

"But..." Moshi hesitated.

"Yes?" Sebastian prompted.

"If anything goes wrong later, the Duchy of Black Rose has to ensure my safety and a comfortable life!"

"Of course," Sebastian said, smiling gracefully. "Then it’s settled, Vice-Principal. Oh, there’s one more thing I’d like to ask of you."

"What else is there?" Moshi asked, puzzled.

"The confidential files about Miss Yu that I showed you earlier..."

"Oh, those. Don’t worry, I’ll destroy them all. No one will know," Moshi assured him.

"No, you misunderstand," Sebastian interrupted.

"Huh?" Moshi frowned, confused. "Then what do you mean?"

Sebastian patted Moshi’s shoulder meaningfully. "What I mean is, I’d like you to ’accidentally’ leak those confidential files to the royal family of Red Leaf Empire."

"What?!" Moshi couldn’t believe his ears. "Leak those secrets to the royal family? Are you serious? Aren’t you guys enemies?"

"That’s not something you need to worry about. Oh, and if you could, please also ’accidentally’ leak it to the Church."

"What... what are you guys planning?" Moshi was more confused than ever.

--

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As night fell, the moonlight covered the earth. Yumo, who had been exploring the Royal Academy with her little daughter, returned to her luxurious apartment.

Vice-Principal Moshi had arranged this place for her, and she came back after getting a message from Sebastian.

When the front door slowly opened, Yumo walked into a cozy, art-filled living room.

"Is this where I’ll be staying? Is this my temporary home?"

"Yes, welcome home, Milady," Sebastian said, putting his hand over his heart and bowing respectfully.

As Sebastian bowed, two maids and a butler also greeted Yumo together. "Welcome home, Lady Yumo"

After the quick Welcome, Sebastian took some teaching materials and small toys and snacks for Yuan’er from Yumo’s hands.

"Milady, we’ve cleaned and set up the whole apartment for you. We’ve also made sure there are no hidden recording systems or magic traps. You can move in without worries."