On the 15th day of the 4th month of the Light Calendar year 791, His Imperial Highness Prince finally had his first relaxing night in the free world. Nothing could be more blissful than waking up from a good night of sleep and noticing your adorable sister nearby, snoring and sleeping soundly. However, wonderful moments in life never lasts long. The sun itself had barely risen when little Fatty was dragged out of his comfortable bed forcefully by Madame Antonia Horman. Annie was unusually happy and excited today. However, the young man knew that an animated Annie would not accomplish anything exceptional.
This countess that was assigned to take care of the Young Master of family Andrew was never married. She was born into a family of eminent position but called into the palace at a young age to be the companion of Princess Mica Alfa Morisette. Annie was there for her during her childhood and early youth. She accompanied the Princess into Andrew family, and later she escorted the Princess’s son to the Damorga prison. Soon after the Young Master learned about love between man and woman, she then became his lover.
Everyone in the Andrew family had full respect towards this lady that earned the beautiful title of Countess from the emperor. Then again, not everyone would willingly accompany their master to the prison, especially not a prison as terrifying as Damorga.
Hence, when Annie set up and arranged the daily schedule of young Oscar, no one dared to make any objection. On the contrary, everybody thought that the Countess did a fair job with the Young Master’s schedule.
The only person who did not agree with her arrangement was the Young Master’s himself. Oscar wish he was still being locked in Damorga when he saw his fully packed daily schedule.
Only Annie had the ability to make young Oscar listen obediently. The little fatty finished washing himself at seven o’clock sharp and had his breakfast at 7:20am. Ten minutes into breakfast he was dragged by Annie to greet the Duchess before gathering at the main hall with his sister and his bodyguards. At eight o’clock on the dot, the excited Annie, the animated Sasha E, the enthusiastic Paladin-to-be, the thrilled butler Ricky the Liar, alongside the dejected and lack of sleep His Imperial Highness Prince O'Neil left the residence. Oscar did not even had enough time to finish his breakfast.
Mornings in Dulin were extremely busy. People rushed past each other on the streets. These people were not like the ones from eminent families. They could not afford the privilege to ride on horse carriages and appreciate the scenery as the cart rode slowly; they were forced to rise before the sun in order to secure their meagre earnings. Despite having to live life the hard way, deep down they knew that it was impossible for them to escape from being at the bottom of the societal hierarchy. The strict Titan hierarchy system and the exploitation from the aristocracy eventually made these labourers give in to the injustices of life.
His Imperial Highness Prince O'Neil was aware of the injustice faced by these commoners, but he also believed what the King of Assassins said about how the seemingly small and powerless people could have huge aspirations too. The people of Titans were adorable and each contributed in expanding the empire’s wealth in their own way. They would pray silently for the victory and wellness of the Narcissus Knights and also devote whatever sacrifices they could to the God of Light.
Oscar was curious about the lives of these commoners. He would like to know what kind of things they had to endure each day, although he knew clearly that he would never truly understand or experience their way of life.
Just as arranged in the schedule, the luxurious horse carriage arrived at Sunset Boulevard at 8:40am. The boulevard was situated at the east part of Dulin city, and it was connected to King Street of the aristocrat community.
The prosperity of Dulin could be summed up with all the business happening along Sunset Boulevard. The merchants gathered at both side of the walkways and various stores could be seen everywhere selling all sorts of interesting things. Western businessmen from all over the Westland regarded this particular street of Dulin as a "Business Heaven". The moment the carriage came to a halt all his companions dashed off the transportation except for Oscar himself.
Now that the carriage was empty, he chose a most comfortable position and laid down for a short nap. He was the prince for God sake! His Imperial Highness Prince! If he sees anything he like, he only had to shout his demands and the merchants would come running in an instant, presenting anything the Imperial Highness Prince desired.
With the accompany of the strong rickshaw boy, Annie and Sasha managed to shop through most of the clothing and accessories stores in Sunset Boulevard. All of the merchants noticed these two lady descended from the most prestigious carriage of the Andrew family. Madame Antonia and Miss Sasha were thrilled to have the chance to shop like a queen. As a result, there were only little Tis left in their purse at the end of the day.
Ricky the Liar, also known as Baron Erbe, originally intended to purchase some herbs and medicine for the Poison Doctor. However, he completely forgot about that when he met a gorgeous lady standing by the side of the boulevard. Only after three minutes of conversing, Ricky and that lady stepped foot inside a restaurant with extravagant exterior. No one knew what happened after that as no one saw Ricky for the rest of that day.
Kamille Rayen was a handsome young man. His striking colonel uniform attracted attention from a great deal of women. Similarly, his good-looking appearance was cursed by the jealous men. However, certainly no one dared to compare themselves with the Colonel when they saw the Paladin qualification gold medal shining bright at the front of his chest.
This Captain of the Narcissus Knight bought home with him four thin swords, ten flying daggers, and a wide blade sword. With all these weapons hanging around him he looked like a moving armor when he walked. The people nearby were afraid by just looking at him. They were not just frightened by the large amount of weapons, but they were also worried for the Colonel would hurt himself.
The only one who stayed behind with Oscar was Snowstorm. Even though the King of Assassins dutifully fulfilled his role, he had complaints about his Young Master that was snoring inside the carriage. He could not fathom why the lazy fatty would rather snooze in the carriage. Shopping with the ladies would be such a sacred and great task! Paul inattentively took a book entitled "Prenatal Care for a Sow" out of the shelves underneath the seat and began reading. Fortunately the book was much more entertaining than his sleeping master.
Everyone was busy with their own affairs throughout the morning. They only gathered again when it was time to leave as fixed on the schedule. Annie and Miss Sasha hired an extra carriage and went home pleasantly with their spoils of war. It was not that they did not want to accompany Oscar to his next destination, but the place was really out of their interest. Ricky was still nowhere to be seen, and no one cared about him enough to find out his whereabouts. Paul was still reading; he was planning to put together a pig farm when he retires. The idea itself excited him!
His Imperial Highness Prince arrived right at noon at the Fat Lords Club, where Madame Antonia had set him up with an appointment in advance. Even though Oscar had heard vaguely about the club, he could not suppress his shock when he saw the attendants outside of the door with his own eyes. They bodies were so round they resembled two big balls! The young man had never seen anyone as plump as them.
The current president of the Fat Lords Club was Almodovar Godzilla, who was also the finance minister of Alfa III His Majesty. The minister’s weight and his obsession with Golden Tis had always been the topics of gossip among the upper class society of Dulin. The first time Oscar heard of the minister’s last name he burst out in laughters. "Godzilla", just like the strange sea creature of the ancient myth.
Lord Sea Creature had been waiting impatiently for Oscar’s arrival at the front door. The moment the carriage came to a halt, he rushed towards it to welcome the Young Master. Oscar was rather confused to be greeted by the monster’s excitement and enthusiasm.
Of course the monster was thrilled! The finance minister Almodovar Godzilla was on cloud nine the moment he learned that His Majesty the Emperor had bestowed a little fatty as the Imperial Highness Prince! It had been a while since his club had enrolled any new members.
"Your Imperial Highness Price, aren’t the ways of world difficult to comprehend!" The quinquagenarian said earnestly. "You know, the members of this club are people who have not achieved anything remarkable in their lives. They endured the stereotypical social conventions that society thrusts upon them, and they suffered discriminating stares given by the ladies. So please allow me to express my honour to have you here with us today."
Oscar was only a little fatty. He was shocked by the enormous body size of the monstrous lord and his attendants.
"The honour is mine, respectable finance minister. If I recall correctly, I should address you as Sir Marquis Godzilla."
"I could not have been more proud that I have made an impression on Your Imperial Highness Prince. If you would, please follow me, I would like to introduce you to my fellow companions."
Oscar was interested in finding out more about this Fat Lords Club. He had been to numerous clubhouses before, and none of them had such intriguing interior as this one. The lighting in here was overly dim. Even though its main gate was facing the bustling street, inside the building was drop dead silence. Oscar thought the architecture of the house imitated the ants cave; plain and simple on the outside but the inside hid numerous rooms and sally ports.
The young man exchanged glances with the bodyguard behind him. The young prince had noticed several secret trap mechanisms around.
The finance minister walked slowly and paused in front of the portraits of the club’s founding fathers, explaining with passion their history to the young prince. Oscar nodded at all appropriate times, while thinking to himself, ‘Damn right they were the founders of the Fat Lords Club. They all had the body size of monstrous sea creatures!’
Had they arrived at the third floor now? Oscar was getting a little dizzy strolling in the building of maze.
Finally the finance minister ceased walking when they arrived in front of a door. He tried to wipe away the beads of sweat falling down on the side of his face like a mini waterfall, while fumbling with the doorknob apologetically. He did not look down upon on the young prince just because he was yet an adult.
Oscar silently entered the living room. It was a rather spacious room, if not for the four fat lords and the young chubby prince.
"Alright my friends! I believe everyone is familiar with our respectable guest today. However, I would still like to formally introduce to you, His Imperial Highness Prince O'Neil Andrew Morisette, the youngest son of the Andrew family, the blood-related nephew of His Majesty the Emperor."
The three other fat lords bowed and saluted Oscar as expected by the social conventions. Nevertheless, he could sensed the fat lord on the furthest left did so unwillingly. He appeared a little hostile.
"Your Imperial Highness Prince, please allow me to introduce you to my friends. This is Marquis Barbara Thea, the Director of the Financial Secretary of the State Council; this is the Imperial’s Minister of Taxation, Marquis Yael Owen, he is my best friend and also my relative by marriage; last but not least this is Levis Sakya from Toules Province, the Sakya family holds account to several gold fields back in their homeland."
"Good afternoon all lords. I’m glad to be here by the invitation of Marquis Godzilla and it is my honour to be your acquaintance," Young Prince O’Neil realised that these were all of the members of the Fat Lords Club. They were definitely not ‘people who have not achieved anything remarkable in their lives’. These were the people responsible in contributing and operating the economy of the Titan Empire.
The four lords present here were indeed the masters with ability to manipulate and control the economy of Titan Empire. Maybe the God of Light had granted these four men monstrous body sizes as to show that their weight and authority were equal. In the young man’s opinion, these fat lords gathered here not because they suffer discrimination from the people. Instead, they were here to discuss their plan to obtain something bigger, something more delicious. And what was this sweet dessert that had the lords drooling with desires? The private money vault of His Majesty the Emperor, the national treasury of Titan, the empire’s fiscal tax, and the gold reserves of the Morisette Dynasty.
Madame Antonia had no clue of what she actually signed up for the young prince when she agreed to the finance minister’s invitation to the Fat Lords Club. She simply thought that the weight loss packages offered by the famous dieticians of the club would be beneficial in helping the young prince’s weight loss regime. The sudden situation caught Oscar by surprise. He was unsure how to handle the circumstances.
After the courteous greetings and small talk, the lords seated themselves in the living room. Young Oscar was naturally assigned to the host seat as he was the highest ranked noble out of all.
The overweight finance minister was seated on the right side of Oscar. That sea creature used tremendous effort to finally positioned himself comfortably on the seat. His enormous tummy was folded in multiples. At that distracting sight, Oscar almost demanded the fat lord to lie down.
The taxation minister was on the young prince’s left side. Marquis Yael Owen was full of curiosity towards the Imperial Highness Prince. He had been sizing him from the moment he came into the room.
Marquis Barbara Thea, the director of the Financial Secretary of the State Council, was the one who appeared hostile towards the young prince. He was seated furthest away from Oscar, reluctant to participate in their conversation.
Count Levis of the Sakya family was the most reserved of all. He was a foreigner with no government titles hence he was of the lowest rank and was seated on the sofa near the door. Levis was only 32 years old, making him the youngest among all the lords. Even so, Oscar had an instinct that out of all four lords the young Levis and sea creature would be the most difficult to deal with.
"Please don’t be surprised my prince. These lords present here today are a few of the most important people of our club. As of the other lords and the other members of my club, it would not be necessary to introduce them to you. I think my Imperial Highness Prince would not be interested to be acquainted to people who indulge themselves in strange fantasies and pervert behaviours."
Oscar understood perfectly what the minister was trying to say. It turned out that this clubhouse in fact did conduct some unusual business for those fat lord members. Pleasure services were given in secret mainly to satisfy those fat lords’ sexual fantasies. The young prince did not want to be involved in that affair. He had seen enough of it during his time in Damorga.
As a matter of fact the young fatty had no knowledge in that domain. The interior structure of the house was completely designed according to the layout of a brothel house. Of course, it was never called a brothel, but a "high class clubhouse" that was able to fulfil any services that the lords wished for.
It was obvious that Annie had been tricked by the lords. The news that the young prince signed up as a member of the Fat Lords Club would definitely spread around town latest by that night.
"I agree. Even though we don’t have the rights to criticise someone else’s hobby or personal interest, however as person with a normal healthy mindset, I have to admit that some activities our members engage in were indeed quite shameful to be known by others." Marquis Yael Owen picked up from where the finance minister left off.
"Indeed, my honourable taxation minister. During my times in Damorga I came across several men with some uncommon personal interests, and what they did were really not something worth complimenting," Oscar said coolly.
"Ha ha, you’re so polite. Only in the palace that we address each other with titles like that. I wish that Your Imperial Highness Prince would just address me by my name and speak to me casually."
It was at that moment that Oscar knew something was up with this old man. Judging from his ancient appearance, Marquis Yael Owen was old enough to be his grandfather. Besides, with his status and position in the empire, he had no reason to show so much respect towards some young prince who existed only in name nominal.
The young prince was not stirred by Yael’s cautious respect. He preferred truth and honesty and actual plans. He despised small talks that had no value or meaning. Even before during his meetings with the big brothers in prison they always only discussed about solid schemes and no nonsense.
"My lords, I believe you all know how packed and occupied my daily schedule is. I will only stay here for an hour so let us get into the main point. I supposed we’re not here to try out your new weight loss set meals, are we?" Oscar intentionally sounded impatient and irritable.
The fat lords seemed a little surprised by the young prince’s reaction. They exchanged nervous glances with each others as they did not intend to dive straight into the main topic so soon. Although Oscar was unsure what was it that they were trying to ask him for a favour, but he figured that they were uncertain themselves and were still weighing the possible outcomes.
As expected, the one to break the silence was the modest and prudent Count Levis Sakya.
"Your Highness, you might not be able to understand the reason why we are treating this issue with such cautious and consideration. The things that we are going through might seem trivial and insignificant to you, but please have your trust on us, as this concerns the lives of many people."
"Oh la! Count Sakya, it’s true that life is the most valuable and no one would take it lightly. But so is nourishment. Could we discuss about whatever matters you want to raise over a good meal? To be honest, I’m famished," Oscar tried his best to take the lead of the conversation.
Just a few moments later, a feast was served. Exquisite huge plates covered with silvers filled up the arms of the poor waiters. Hiding underneath the silver cover was a suckling pig roasted to the perfect golden yellow. From his experience Oscar guessed that inside of the pig were stuffed with several ingredients. He doubted if this was one of the set meals as promoted in their infamous weight loss meal package.
The waiters placed an elegant handmade small table in front the lords. The suckling pig was thinly sliced and served on the plates of each lord’s alongside a generous amount of side dishes.
One of the waiters brought a beautiful wine bottle to the Imperial Highness Prince. That was the rule on the dining tables in Titan; the most distinguished person or guest have the honour to decide which wine to drink.
The young prince took a small sip and allowed it to linger in the back of his mouth and his throat as he enjoyed its aftertaste. It was the Rosette wine. It did not have too much alcoholic content, which meant that even though it was considerably a rare type of wine its taste was not the best or the most outstanding if compared to the others. However, Rosette wine could relieve fatigue and improves digestion. It was the best choice for the fat lords who consume greasy food on daily basis.
Count Levis Sakya was eating without really tasting the food. He was worried and he believed his friends were feeling the same. He had already received eye signals from his friends just now when he spoke to the young prince hastily. To be honest he was rather impetuous. Although he did not know the young prince O’Neil very well, but from all the information he heard from his friend from the Underworld, he reckoned this young man sitting in front of him was the only person who could save them from their troubles. Count Sakya was confident about his own judgement. Based on his observation of the young prince from the short conversation just now, he supposed the kid had already grasped the situation. It was always easier to have dealings with sharp and witty people.
Count Levis could not wait anymore. He had seen with his own eyes how powerful the people from the Underworld could be, he decided impulsively that he must take the risk no matter what.
He recklessly put down his cutleries and made a light cough and everyone turned to look at him. The waiters were sharp enough to get the hint and withdrew themselves from the room.
"Your Imperial Highness Prince, I was informed that you have with you a unique heraldry. One which has the coat of arms different from any known and famous sign. If you don’t mind me asking, is that true that you own such a special heraldry?"
Oscar was now skeptical about the lords’ motive. He imagined they must somehow associated themselves with the Underworld.
"That’s right, I do own such a special heraldry. However, I can’t present it to you due to some reasons. The only thing I can tell you is that most prominent sign on this coat of arms is a sign of balance."
"Your Highness, I sincerely apologise for my presumptuous. It is undeniable that what you have achieved in your league is something extraordinary that we would never comprehend. Anyway, would you be interested in listening to this major economic development that myself and the other ministries are currently working on?"
"Please fill me in with the project. I reckon it must be something of utmost importance if it requires the participation of all you lords," Oscar assumed this must be a truly profitable business for the fat lords.
"Your Imperial Highness might not believe this, but the financial situation of the empire has been completely different from that of two hundred years ago. In fact, the situation is constantly deteriorating. For instance, the current economical activities of the empire are generally rigid. The people of Titan have been living on a self-sufficient life; the aristocracy live off the income from their respective territories, and the leaders of the people were provided food and clothing by their masters. They simply do not lack anything," Count Sakya replied.
Oscar knew little about the economic situation of the empire, but he did learned loads of uncommon knowledge by being part of the Underworld. "I think Your Grace missed out an important detail, that is the shift of the economic centre, which happened after the closure of the main trading route in the East by the Persians. As a result, the treasures and goods being imported to Titan are gradually decreasing."
Everyone nodded at the young prince’s comment. Indeed, Dulin, as the capital of Titan Empire, has long ceased to be the main trading centre point of Westland. The lords were aware of this, but they were surprised that even the kid was well-informed about this too.
"You are certainly right," Count Sakya said emotionally. "The heart of the economy has shifted to the nations situated along the sea. Empires such as Italia, Faran, as well as the lone Engels that was located at the west side of the sea have been profiting well from all the maritime trades. Well, unfortunately for us, there is a huge kingdom sandwiched between Titan and the sea. Hence, to encourage the economical state of our empire Titan, we also invested in an offshore trade line not long ago."
Oscar smiled half-heartedly. Trade route investment for the benefit of the empire? Total bullshit. They probably set up the route to facilitate their personal trading businesses with the outside world.
Although the young man silently ridiculed the hypocrisy of the fat lords, he had to admire the courage and boldness of these men. Sea ports were nonexistent in the Titan Empire, so for them to construct a maritime business in a landlocked country they must have had spent loads of time and effort in gathering manpower, material and financial resources.
Levis could hear the hint of mockery in the young man’s chuckle. He reminded himself again to be careful with what he says as this young man was a sharp and smart one.
"So far we managed to find reliable agents in Italia and Faran empires. Their harbours, customs, and deliveries of goods inland are tested to be absolutely safe and efficient. But even so we still faced some difficulties which we have not yet found a solution."
Oscar already knew what kind of obstacles the lords encountered. Obviously, in order to be partnered with these powerful lords, their "reliable agents" from Italia and Faran must be some kind of high-ranked officials in their countries too. Technically, with their expanded network and connections there should not be any problems as long as the traded goods are successfully brought to the ports. Hence, the obstacles must be something on the sea, a place where no authority could have control over.
"My guess is that you encountered the pirates?"
The fat lords were again taken aback by the little fatty’s brightness. It encouraged the lords to try harder with the young prince. If he knew about the existence of pirates, the lords supposed that the young prince would have some connections to them in the Underworld.
"You are right again, my prince. Our merchant ships were confronted by the pirates. That encounter made us suffer a catastrophic loss." Count Levis Sakya said in devastation.
"Oh la! Tell me more, Your Grace. You all deal with millions of Tis on a daily basis, I am extremely curious how awful was the catastrophic loss!" Oscar was certain that the goods they delivered were problematic.
Levis felt his face burning with embarrassment. "Uh…Your Imperial Highness Prince, as you have known we are here to ask you for a favour. Regarding the goods, they are not something that were allowed in the legal codes of Titan empire. Please forgive me for that is all I can say. As I mentioned before, this situation involves the lives of many people, to be more specific, it affects the lives of my allies."
Oscar enjoyed being challenged. He tried his best to put together pieces of what the lord had said and those informations that he was keeping from him.
"Ha ha Your Grace, I think there are some flaws in your words earlier. The codes of Titan could not affect anything that happens on the far side of the sea. Be truthful my lord, was it some illegal smuggling business that you all were conducting in the name of expanding the empire’s maritime trade?"
Count Levis Sakya could not look the young prince in the eyes anymore. Eventually, he nodded awkwardly as a reply to the question. It was not easy for a noble gentlemen to admit to his wrongdoing, especially when it was something illegal.
"Alright, now that you have admit to operating an illegal smuggling business, it makes it easier for me to think this through. Hmm let me guess… things like tea leaves, silk, and porcelain are nothing for you lords. Besides, trading of these merchandises is still legal under the codes of our empire. What would be appealing and profiting enough for you honourable lords to risk your own lives…" Oscar paused for more dramatic effect and looked into Levis’s dazzling eyes. "Count Levis Sakya, if I remember correctly, the finance minister vaguely mentioned that your family is in control of several gold mines."
"Ye…yes," his voice was trembling with fear.
"Oh la! I got it! I remember both Faran Empire and West Percy Kingdom are not blessed with gold mines, hence gold can be sold at an outrageously expensive price. Is it gold that you lords were trying to smuggle to these countries?"
This time even Count Sakya did not have the courage to answer the young prince’s question. For the past centuries outflow of golds from Titan had been strictly prohibited, anyone who was found exporting gold would have their whole clan exterminated as a punishment.
"Oh la! Since no one has spoken I would take it as you all agreed tacitly. Relax! Don’t get all tensed up, I will not inform the authorities. Ha ha, let me guess once more. The route is just newly opened, so I bet you all have already profited the sweetness of the smuggling business. Every trader on the sea has been robbed by pirates before, and you lords are definitely not innocent enough to not have any preparation for that beforehand. It is not a wise choice to invest all your fortune at once, which means that you all would have controlled the amount of smuggled gold within the possible loss. Since you mentioned that the losses were catastrophic enough to put your allies’ lives in danger, it must have been a grave mistake made in the most important part of the plan? Right? Marquis Barbara Thea?"
The Director of the Financial Secretary of the State Council totally changed his perception on the young man. He now completely believed all those rumours he heard about Oscar. The young prince had in fact earned the Imperial Highness title and his status in the Underworld by his own capability.
"Why would you think I was the cause to the problem?" The Marquis finally spoken after keeping quiet the whole time.
"Why not? You have kept silent and stayed in the corner of the room with a cynical expression the whole time. I have all the reasons in the world to believe you’re the unlucky one who brought this disaster upon your friends and allies," Oscar ridiculed the Marquis without any trace of politeness.
"Ha ha ha! I would like to apologise for my rudeness. Honestly, I am truly sorry. And yes, I am the unlucky one. I had made sure this batch of gold would never appear on the official record book of the finance minister, but only God knows how it turned up in my Financial Secretary record at last. I can not complain about my subordinate’s sense of responsibility, but I also know that I have brought upon myself and my friends a calamity."
Oscar finally understood the whole incident in detail now. The Sakya Family did not have the audacity to privately mine the goldfields whereas the Finance Minister and the Director of the Financial Secretary of the State Council had the ability to make a huge amount of Golden Tis vanish from the official records without leaving any trace. However, both the ministers handling the affairs could not see eye to eye with each other on certain matters. Inevitably, disputes would definitely occur whenever both the organisations attempted to keep their original working methods. One of the main purpose the late Titan Emperor had established the Financial Secretary of the State Council was to control and regulate the operations of the Ministry of Finance.
His late Majesty Emperor’s strategy proved to be effective in instances like this. The large sum of Golden Tis that had been cleared off the finance minister’s office book had reappeared in the official record of Financial Secretary. This allowed His Majesty the Emperor the advantage of supervising both ministries at the same time. The amount of gold in the national treasury will be reported to the emperor at the end of every month, and Marquis Barbara Thea did not have the power to modify the official record book of the empire treasury. And now, they had really lost the Golden Tis to the pirates. If the missing gap could not be filled in as soon as possible, the young prince believed this would be the end of the Fat Lords Club.
Oscar came up with the countermeasure for this tough situation almost immediately. Practically all the pirates of the coast of Italia and Faran were under the protection of the Sirsi Mafia, which meant that the leader of the gang Lord Emmanuelle Beart could easily demand the pirates to return around seventy percent of the stolen golds. Of course, as a return for his favour ten percent of the returned gold would have to be spared by the Lord Bears himself. In other words, the fat lords could only possibly recover sixty percent of their gold. Oscar thought this idea was entirely in line with the rules of how things work. He did not even considered claiming a portion of the gold for himself as remuneration.
The fat lords agreed to the little fatty’s suggestion unanimously. They had doubts with the young prince’s idea initially but Oscar made an oath and assured them that they would reclaim their stolen gold in just a month’s time. Oscar had thoroughly weighed this through.
Seeing it was already mid of April at the moment, it would already be the beginning of May by the time His Majesty the Emperor perform his monthly check to the national treasury. Oscar proposed another brilliant idea. The governor-general of the East Border of Empire Duke Dortmund Andrew Nedgabel could use his title as the marshal to officially and legally request an emergency support of military fees from His Majesty the Emperor and the military headquarters. Even though he had not yet thought of what excuse to use for that request, he believed that the Emperor would not reject the demand of the Duke. If he could successfully obtain the gold using this strategy and use it to fill in the missing gap of the national treasury, the problem would then be solved entirely.
All the fat lords and the little fatty were overjoyed at the idea. The former were elated because they found a solution to save their own lives, and the latter was excited because he could retrieve pennies from the heaven, literally. Even though the Golden Tis would be used to replace the position of the stolen gold in the national treasury, the fat lords vowed that they would return the batch of gold to Family Andrew as soon as they could. Oscar was not a total gentlemen, after all. He would not give out free advice and receive nothing in return.
The fat lords did not mind to spare thirty percent of the benefits to the little fatty and that Lord Beard if they could save them out of their arduous position, what they valued more was the stability of incoming fortune in the future. Sometimes at the sea, getting the protection of the pirates was much better than having the support of a fleet. The pirates did not belong to any nations, but they had influence all over the wide stretch of the sea.
In the midst of their heated discussion, a poorly-behaved servant burst into the room out of the blue. He rushed towards the finance minister and whispered something inaudible to Oscar. Although the young prince could not hear what was the exchange he felt both of them throwing a suspicious glance towards his way.
"Okay gentlemen! It seemed like we could end our meeting and call it a day. I hope that everyone is satisfied with the outcome of our discussion today. Your Imperial A distinguished guest is out there waiting for you. Trust me Your Highness, you would not be disappointed, this lady is the most attractive lady in the whole Dulin."
On the 15th day of the 4th month of the Light Calendar year 791, His Imperial Highness Prince finally had his first relaxing night in the free world. Nothing could be more blissful than waking up from a good night of sleep and noticing your adorable sister nearby, snoring and sleeping soundly. However, wonderful moments in life never lasts long. The sun itself had barely risen when little Fatty was dragged out of his comfortable bed forcefully by Madame Antonia Horman. Annie was unusually happy and excited today. However, the young man knew that an animated Annie would not accomplish anything exceptional.
This countess that was assigned to take care of the Young Master of family Andrew was never married. She was born into a family of eminent position but called into the palace at a young age to be the companion of Princess Mica Alfa Morisette. Annie was there for her during her childhood and early youth. She accompanied the Princess into Andrew family, and later she escorted the Princess’s son to the Damorga prison. Soon after the Young Master learned about love between man and woman, she then became his lover.
Everyone in the Andrew family had full respect towards this lady that earned the beautiful title of Countess from the emperor. Then again, not everyone would willingly accompany their master to the prison, especially not a prison as terrifying as Damorga.
Hence, when Annie set up and arranged the daily schedule of young Oscar, no one dared to make any objection. On the contrary, everybody thought that the Countess did a fair job with the Young Master’s schedule.
The only person who did not agree with her arrangement was the Young Master’s himself. Oscar wish he was still being locked in Damorga when he saw his fully packed daily schedule.
Only Annie had the ability to make young Oscar listen obediently. The little fatty finished washing himself at seven o’clock sharp and had his breakfast at 7:20am. Ten minutes into breakfast he was dragged by Annie to greet the Duchess before gathering at the main hall with his sister and his bodyguards. At eight o’clock on the dot, the excited Annie, the animated Sasha E, the enthusiastic Paladin-to-be, the thrilled butler Ricky the Liar, alongside the dejected and lack of sleep His Imperial Highness Prince O'Neil left the residence. Oscar did not even had enough time to finish his breakfast.
Mornings in Dulin were extremely busy. People rushed past each other on the streets. These people were not like the ones from eminent families. They could not afford the privilege to ride on horse carriages and appreciate the scenery as the cart rode slowly; they were forced to rise before the sun in order to secure their meagre earnings. Despite having to live life the hard way, deep down they knew that it was impossible for them to escape from being at the bottom of the societal hierarchy. The strict Titan hierarchy system and the exploitation from the aristocracy eventually made these labourers give in to the injustices of life.
His Imperial Highness Prince O'Neil was aware of the injustice faced by these commoners, but he also believed what the King of Assassins said about how the seemingly small and powerless people could have huge aspirations too. The people of Titans were adorable and each contributed in expanding the empire’s wealth in their own way. They would pray silently for the victory and wellness of the Narcissus Knights and also devote whatever sacrifices they could to the God of Light.
Oscar was curious about the lives of these commoners. He would like to know what kind of things they had to endure each day, although he knew clearly that he would never truly understand or experience their way of life.
Just as arranged in the schedule, the luxurious horse carriage arrived at Sunset Boulevard at 8:40am. The boulevard was situated at the east part of Dulin city, and it was connected to King Street of the aristocrat community.
The prosperity of Dulin could be summed up with all the business happening along Sunset Boulevard. The merchants gathered at both side of the walkways and various stores could be seen everywhere selling all sorts of interesting things. Western businessmen from all over the Westland regarded this particular street of Dulin as a "Business Heaven". The moment the carriage came to a halt all his companions dashed off the transportation except for Oscar himself.
Now that the carriage was empty, he chose a most comfortable position and laid down for a short nap. He was the prince for God sake! His Imperial Highness Prince! If he sees anything he like, he only had to shout his demands and the merchants would come running in an instant, presenting anything the Imperial Highness Prince desired.
With the accompany of the strong rickshaw boy, Annie and Sasha managed to shop through most of the clothing and accessories stores in Sunset Boulevard. All of the merchants noticed these two lady descended from the most prestigious carriage of the Andrew family. Madame Antonia and Miss Sasha were thrilled to have the chance to shop like a queen. As a result, there were only little Tis left in their purse at the end of the day.
Ricky the Liar, also known as Baron Erbe, originally intended to purchase some herbs and medicine for the Poison Doctor. However, he completely forgot about that when he met a gorgeous lady standing by the side of the boulevard. Only after three minutes of conversing, Ricky and that lady stepped foot inside a restaurant with extravagant exterior. No one knew what happened after that as no one saw Ricky for the rest of that day.
Kamille Rayen was a handsome young man. His striking colonel uniform attracted attention from a great deal of women. Similarly, his good-looking appearance was cursed by the jealous men. However, certainly no one dared to compare themselves with the Colonel when they saw the Paladin qualification gold medal shining bright at the front of his chest.
This Captain of the Narcissus Knight bought home with him four thin swords, ten flying daggers, and a wide blade sword. With all these weapons hanging around him he looked like a moving armor when he walked. The people nearby were afraid by just looking at him. They were not just frightened by the large amount of weapons, but they were also worried for the Colonel would hurt himself.
The only one who stayed behind with Oscar was Snowstorm. Even though the King of Assassins dutifully fulfilled his role, he had complaints about his Young Master that was snoring inside the carriage. He could not fathom why the lazy fatty would rather snooze in the carriage. Shopping with the ladies would be such a sacred and great task! Paul inattentively took a book entitled "Prenatal Care for a Sow" out of the shelves underneath the seat and began reading. Fortunately the book was much more entertaining than his sleeping master.
Everyone was busy with their own affairs throughout the morning. They only gathered again when it was time to leave as fixed on the schedule. Annie and Miss Sasha hired an extra carriage and went home pleasantly with their spoils of war. It was not that they did not want to accompany Oscar to his next destination, but the place was really out of their interest. Ricky was still nowhere to be seen, and no one cared about him enough to find out his whereabouts. Paul was still reading; he was planning to put together a pig farm when he retires. The idea itself excited him!
His Imperial Highness Prince arrived right at noon at the Fat Lords Club, where Madame Antonia had set him up with an appointment in advance. Even though Oscar had heard vaguely about the club, he could not suppress his shock when he saw the attendants outside of the door with his own eyes. They bodies were so round they resembled two big balls! The young man had never seen anyone as plump as them.
The current president of the Fat Lords Club was Almodovar Godzilla, who was also the finance minister of Alfa III His Majesty. The minister’s weight and his obsession with Golden Tis had always been the topics of gossip among the upper class society of Dulin. The first time Oscar heard of the minister’s last name he burst out in laughters. "Godzilla", just like the strange sea creature of the ancient myth.
Lord Sea Creature had been waiting impatiently for Oscar’s arrival at the front door. The moment the carriage came to a halt, he rushed towards it to welcome the Young Master. Oscar was rather confused to be greeted by the monster’s excitement and enthusiasm.
Of course the monster was thrilled! The finance minister Almodovar Godzilla was on cloud nine the moment he learned that His Majesty the Emperor had bestowed a little fatty as the Imperial Highness Prince! It had been a while since his club had enrolled any new members.
"Your Imperial Highness Price, aren’t the ways of world difficult to comprehend!" The quinquagenarian said earnestly. "You know, the members of this club are people who have not achieved anything remarkable in their lives. They endured the stereotypical social conventions that society thrusts upon them, and they suffered discriminating stares given by the ladies. So please allow me to express my honour to have you here with us today."
Oscar was only a little fatty. He was shocked by the enormous body size of the monstrous lord and his attendants.
"The honour is mine, respectable finance minister. If I recall correctly, I should address you as Sir Marquis Godzilla."
"I could not have been more proud that I have made an impression on Your Imperial Highness Prince. If you would, please follow me, I would like to introduce you to my fellow companions."
Oscar was interested in finding out more about this Fat Lords Club. He had been to numerous clubhouses before, and none of them had such intriguing interior as this one. The lighting in here was overly dim. Even though its main gate was facing the bustling street, inside the building was drop dead silence. Oscar thought the architecture of the house imitated the ants cave; plain and simple on the outside but the inside hid numerous rooms and sally ports.
The young man exchanged glances with the bodyguard behind him. The young prince had noticed several secret trap mechanisms around.
The finance minister walked slowly and paused in front of the portraits of the club’s founding fathers, explaining with passion their history to the young prince. Oscar nodded at all appropriate times, while thinking to himself, ‘Damn right they were the founders of the Fat Lords Club. They all had the body size of monstrous sea creatures!’
Had they arrived at the third floor now? Oscar was getting a little dizzy strolling in the building of maze.
Finally the finance minister ceased walking when they arrived in front of a door. He tried to wipe away the beads of sweat falling down on the side of his face like a mini waterfall, while fumbling with the doorknob apologetically. He did not look down upon on the young prince just because he was yet an adult.
Oscar silently entered the living room. It was a rather spacious room, if not for the four fat lords and the young chubby prince.
"Alright my friends! I believe everyone is familiar with our respectable guest today. However, I would still like to formally introduce to you, His Imperial Highness Prince O'Neil Andrew Morisette, the youngest son of the Andrew family, the blood-related nephew of His Majesty the Emperor."
The three other fat lords bowed and saluted Oscar as expected by the social conventions. Nevertheless, he could sensed the fat lord on the furthest left did so unwillingly. He appeared a little hostile.
"Your Imperial Highness Prince, please allow me to introduce you to my friends. This is Marquis Barbara Thea, the Director of the Financial Secretary of the State Council; this is the Imperial’s Minister of Taxation, Marquis Yael Owen, he is my best friend and also my relative by marriage; last but not least this is Levis Sakya from Toules Province, the Sakya family holds account to several gold fields back in their homeland."
"Good afternoon all lords. I’m glad to be here by the invitation of Marquis Godzilla and it is my honour to be your acquaintance," Young Prince O’Neil realised that these were all of the members of the Fat Lords Club. They were definitely not ‘people who have not achieved anything remarkable in their lives’. These were the people responsible in contributing and operating the economy of the Titan Empire.
The four lords present here were indeed the masters with ability to manipulate and control the economy of Titan Empire. Maybe the God of Light had granted these four men monstrous body sizes as to show that their weight and authority were equal. In the young man’s opinion, these fat lords gathered here not because they suffer discrimination from the people. Instead, they were here to discuss their plan to obtain something bigger, something more delicious. And what was this sweet dessert that had the lords drooling with desires? The private money vault of His Majesty the Emperor, the national treasury of Titan, the empire’s fiscal tax, and the gold reserves of the Morisette Dynasty.
Madame Antonia had no clue of what she actually signed up for the young prince when she agreed to the finance minister’s invitation to the Fat Lords Club. She simply thought that the weight loss packages offered by the famous dieticians of the club would be beneficial in helping the young prince’s weight loss regime. The sudden situation caught Oscar by surprise. He was unsure how to handle the circumstances.
After the courteous greetings and small talk, the lords seated themselves in the living room. Young Oscar was naturally assigned to the host seat as he was the highest ranked noble out of all.
The overweight finance minister was seated on the right side of Oscar. That sea creature used tremendous effort to finally positioned himself comfortably on the seat. His enormous tummy was folded in multiples. At that distracting sight, Oscar almost demanded the fat lord to lie down.
The taxation minister was on the young prince’s left side. Marquis Yael Owen was full of curiosity towards the Imperial Highness Prince. He had been sizing him from the moment he came into the room.
Marquis Barbara Thea, the director of the Financial Secretary of the State Council, was the one who appeared hostile towards the young prince. He was seated furthest away from Oscar, reluctant to participate in their conversation.
Count Levis of the Sakya family was the most reserved of all. He was a foreigner with no government titles hence he was of the lowest rank and was seated on the sofa near the door. Levis was only 32 years old, making him the youngest among all the lords. Even so, Oscar had an instinct that out of all four lords the young Levis and sea creature would be the most difficult to deal with.
"Please don’t be surprised my prince. These lords present here today are a few of the most important people of our club. As of the other lords and the other members of my club, it would not be necessary to introduce them to you. I think my Imperial Highness Prince would not be interested to be acquainted to people who indulge themselves in strange fantasies and pervert behaviours."
Oscar understood perfectly what the minister was trying to say. It turned out that this clubhouse in fact did conduct some unusual business for those fat lord members. Pleasure services were given in secret mainly to satisfy those fat lords’ sexual fantasies. The young prince did not want to be involved in that affair. He had seen enough of it during his time in Damorga.
As a matter of fact the young fatty had no knowledge in that domain. The interior structure of the house was completely designed according to the layout of a brothel house. Of course, it was never called a brothel, but a "high class clubhouse" that was able to fulfil any services that the lords wished for.
It was obvious that Annie had been tricked by the lords. The news that the young prince signed up as a member of the Fat Lords Club would definitely spread around town latest by that night.
"I agree. Even though we don’t have the rights to criticise someone else’s hobby or personal interest, however as person with a normal healthy mindset, I have to admit that some activities our members engage in were indeed quite shameful to be known by others." Marquis Yael Owen picked up from where the finance minister left off.
"Indeed, my honourable taxation minister. During my times in Damorga I came across several men with some uncommon personal interests, and what they did were really not something worth complimenting," Oscar said coolly.
"Ha ha, you’re so polite. Only in the palace that we address each other with titles like that. I wish that Your Imperial Highness Prince would just address me by my name and speak to me casually."
It was at that moment that Oscar knew something was up with this old man. Judging from his ancient appearance, Marquis Yael Owen was old enough to be his grandfather. Besides, with his status and position in the empire, he had no reason to show so much respect towards some young prince who existed only in name nominal.
The young prince was not stirred by Yael’s cautious respect. He preferred truth and honesty and actual plans. He despised small talks that had no value or meaning. Even before during his meetings with the big brothers in prison they always only discussed about solid schemes and no nonsense.
"My lords, I believe you all know how packed and occupied my daily schedule is. I will only stay here for an hour so let us get into the main point. I supposed we’re not here to try out your new weight loss set meals, are we?" Oscar intentionally sounded impatient and irritable.
The fat lords seemed a little surprised by the young prince’s reaction. They exchanged nervous glances with each others as they did not intend to dive straight into the main topic so soon. Although Oscar was unsure what was it that they were trying to ask him for a favour, but he figured that they were uncertain themselves and were still weighing the possible outcomes.
As expected, the one to break the silence was the modest and prudent Count Levis Sakya.
"Your Highness, you might not be able to understand the reason why we are treating this issue with such cautious and consideration. The things that we are going through might seem trivial and insignificant to you, but please have your trust on us, as this concerns the lives of many people."
"Oh la! Count Sakya, it’s true that life is the most valuable and no one would take it lightly. But so is nourishment. Could we discuss about whatever matters you want to raise over a good meal? To be honest, I’m famished," Oscar tried his best to take the lead of the conversation.
Just a few moments later, a feast was served. Exquisite huge plates covered with silvers filled up the arms of the poor waiters. Hiding underneath the silver cover was a suckling pig roasted to the perfect golden yellow. From his experience Oscar guessed that inside of the pig were stuffed with several ingredients. He doubted if this was one of the set meals as promoted in their infamous weight loss meal package.
The waiters placed an elegant handmade small table in front the lords. The suckling pig was thinly sliced and served on the plates of each lord’s alongside a generous amount of side dishes.
One of the waiters brought a beautiful wine bottle to the Imperial Highness Prince. That was the rule on the dining tables in Titan; the most distinguished person or guest have the honour to decide which wine to drink.
The young prince took a small sip and allowed it to linger in the back of his mouth and his throat as he enjoyed its aftertaste. It was the Rosette wine. It did not have too much alcoholic content, which meant that even though it was considerably a rare type of wine its taste was not the best or the most outstanding if compared to the others. However, Rosette wine could relieve fatigue and improves digestion. It was the best choice for the fat lords who consume greasy food on daily basis.
Count Levis Sakya was eating without really tasting the food. He was worried and he believed his friends were feeling the same. He had already received eye signals from his friends just now when he spoke to the young prince hastily. To be honest he was rather impetuous. Although he did not know the young prince O’Neil very well, but from all the information he heard from his friend from the Underworld, he reckoned this young man sitting in front of him was the only person who could save them from their troubles. Count Sakya was confident about his own judgement. Based on his observation of the young prince from the short conversation just now, he supposed the kid had already grasped the situation. It was always easier to have dealings with sharp and witty people.
Count Levis could not wait anymore. He had seen with his own eyes how powerful the people from the Underworld could be, he decided impulsively that he must take the risk no matter what.
He recklessly put down his cutleries and made a light cough and everyone turned to look at him. The waiters were sharp enough to get the hint and withdrew themselves from the room.
"Your Imperial Highness Prince, I was informed that you have with you a unique heraldry. One which has the coat of arms different from any known and famous sign. If you don’t mind me asking, is that true that you own such a special heraldry?"
Oscar was now skeptical about the lords’ motive. He imagined they must somehow associated themselves with the Underworld.
"That’s right, I do own such a special heraldry. However, I can’t present it to you due to some reasons. The only thing I can tell you is that most prominent sign on this coat of arms is a sign of balance."
"Your Highness, I sincerely apologise for my presumptuous. It is undeniable that what you have achieved in your league is something extraordinary that we would never comprehend. Anyway, would you be interested in listening to this major economic development that myself and the other ministries are currently working on?"
"Please fill me in with the project. I reckon it must be something of utmost importance if it requires the participation of all you lords," Oscar assumed this must be a truly profitable business for the fat lords.
"Your Imperial Highness might not believe this, but the financial situation of the empire has been completely different from that of two hundred years ago. In fact, the situation is constantly deteriorating. For instance, the current economical activities of the empire are generally rigid. The people of Titan have been living on a self-sufficient life; the aristocracy live off the income from their respective territories, and the leaders of the people were provided food and clothing by their masters. They simply do not lack anything," Count Sakya replied.
Oscar knew little about the economic situation of the empire, but he did learned loads of uncommon knowledge by being part of the Underworld. "I think Your Grace missed out an important detail, that is the shift of the economic centre, which happened after the closure of the main trading route in the East by the Persians. As a result, the treasures and goods being imported to Titan are gradually decreasing."
Everyone nodded at the young prince’s comment. Indeed, Dulin, as the capital of Titan Empire, has long ceased to be the main trading centre point of Westland. The lords were aware of this, but they were surprised that even the kid was well-informed about this too.
"You are certainly right," Count Sakya said emotionally. "The heart of the economy has shifted to the nations situated along the sea. Empires such as Italia, Faran, as well as the lone Engels that was located at the west side of the sea have been profiting well from all the maritime trades. Well, unfortunately for us, there is a huge kingdom sandwiched between Titan and the sea. Hence, to encourage the economical state of our empire Titan, we also invested in an offshore trade line not long ago."
Oscar smiled half-heartedly. Trade route investment for the benefit of the empire? Total bullshit. They probably set up the route to facilitate their personal trading businesses with the outside world.
Although the young man silently ridiculed the hypocrisy of the fat lords, he had to admire the courage and boldness of these men. Sea ports were nonexistent in the Titan Empire, so for them to construct a maritime business in a landlocked country they must have had spent loads of time and effort in gathering manpower, material and financial resources.
Levis could hear the hint of mockery in the young man’s chuckle. He reminded himself again to be careful with what he says as this young man was a sharp and smart one.
"So far we managed to find reliable agents in Italia and Faran empires. Their harbours, customs, and deliveries of goods inland are tested to be absolutely safe and efficient. But even so we still faced some difficulties which we have not yet found a solution."
Oscar already knew what kind of obstacles the lords encountered. Obviously, in order to be partnered with these powerful lords, their "reliable agents" from Italia and Faran must be some kind of high-ranked officials in their countries too. Technically, with their expanded network and connections there should not be any problems as long as the traded goods are successfully brought to the ports. Hence, the obstacles must be something on the sea, a place where no authority could have control over.
"My guess is that you encountered the pirates?"
The fat lords were again taken aback by the little fatty’s brightness. It encouraged the lords to try harder with the young prince. If he knew about the existence of pirates, the lords supposed that the young prince would have some connections to them in the Underworld.
"You are right again, my prince. Our merchant ships were confronted by the pirates. That encounter made us suffer a catastrophic loss." Count Levis Sakya said in devastation.
"Oh la! Tell me more, Your Grace. You all deal with millions of Tis on a daily basis, I am extremely curious how awful was the catastrophic loss!" Oscar was certain that the goods they delivered were problematic.
Levis felt his face burning with embarrassment. "Uh…Your Imperial Highness Prince, as you have known we are here to ask you for a favour. Regarding the goods, they are not something that were allowed in the legal codes of Titan empire. Please forgive me for that is all I can say. As I mentioned before, this situation involves the lives of many people, to be more specific, it affects the lives of my allies."
Oscar enjoyed being challenged. He tried his best to put together pieces of what the lord had said and those informations that he was keeping from him.
"Ha ha Your Grace, I think there are some flaws in your words earlier. The codes of Titan could not affect anything that happens on the far side of the sea. Be truthful my lord, was it some illegal smuggling business that you all were conducting in the name of expanding the empire’s maritime trade?"
Count Levis Sakya could not look the young prince in the eyes anymore. Eventually, he nodded awkwardly as a reply to the question. It was not easy for a noble gentlemen to admit to his wrongdoing, especially when it was something illegal.
"Alright, now that you have admit to operating an illegal smuggling business, it makes it easier for me to think this through. Hmm let me guess… things like tea leaves, silk, and porcelain are nothing for you lords. Besides, trading of these merchandises is still legal under the codes of our empire. What would be appealing and profiting enough for you honourable lords to risk your own lives…" Oscar paused for more dramatic effect and looked into Levis’s dazzling eyes. "Count Levis Sakya, if I remember correctly, the finance minister vaguely mentioned that your family is in control of several gold mines."
"Ye…yes," his voice was trembling with fear.
"Oh la! I got it! I remember both Faran Empire and West Percy Kingdom are not blessed with gold mines, hence gold can be sold at an outrageously expensive price. Is it gold that you lords were trying to smuggle to these countries?"
This time even Count Sakya did not have the courage to answer the young prince’s question. For the past centuries outflow of golds from Titan had been strictly prohibited, anyone who was found exporting gold would have their whole clan exterminated as a punishment.
"Oh la! Since no one has spoken I would take it as you all agreed tacitly. Relax! Don’t get all tensed up, I will not inform the authorities. Ha ha, let me guess once more. The route is just newly opened, so I bet you all have already profited the sweetness of the smuggling business. Every trader on the sea has been robbed by pirates before, and you lords are definitely not innocent enough to not have any preparation for that beforehand. It is not a wise choice to invest all your fortune at once, which means that you all would have controlled the amount of smuggled gold within the possible loss. Since you mentioned that the losses were catastrophic enough to put your allies’ lives in danger, it must have been a grave mistake made in the most important part of the plan? Right? Marquis Barbara Thea?"
The Director of the Financial Secretary of the State Council totally changed his perception on the young man. He now completely believed all those rumours he heard about Oscar. The young prince had in fact earned the Imperial Highness title and his status in the Underworld by his own capability.
"Why would you think I was the cause to the problem?" The Marquis finally spoken after keeping quiet the whole time.
"Why not? You have kept silent and stayed in the corner of the room with a cynical expression the whole time. I have all the reasons in the world to believe you’re the unlucky one who brought this disaster upon your friends and allies," Oscar ridiculed the Marquis without any trace of politeness.
"Ha ha ha! I would like to apologise for my rudeness. Honestly, I am truly sorry. And yes, I am the unlucky one. I had made sure this batch of gold would never appear on the official record book of the finance minister, but only God knows how it turned up in my Financial Secretary record at last. I can not complain about my subordinate’s sense of responsibility, but I also know that I have brought upon myself and my friends a calamity."
Oscar finally understood the whole incident in detail now. The Sakya Family did not have the audacity to privately mine the goldfields whereas the Finance Minister and the Director of the Financial Secretary of the State Council had the ability to make a huge amount of Golden Tis vanish from the official records without leaving any trace. However, both the ministers handling the affairs could not see eye to eye with each other on certain matters. Inevitably, disputes would definitely occur whenever both the organisations attempted to keep their original working methods. One of the main purpose the late Titan Emperor had established the Financial Secretary of the State Council was to control and regulate the operations of the Ministry of Finance.
His late Majesty Emperor’s strategy proved to be effective in instances like this. The large sum of Golden Tis that had been cleared off the finance minister’s office book had reappeared in the official record of Financial Secretary. This allowed His Majesty the Emperor the advantage of supervising both ministries at the same time. The amount of gold in the national treasury will be reported to the emperor at the end of every month, and Marquis Barbara Thea did not have the power to modify the official record book of the empire treasury. And now, they had really lost the Golden Tis to the pirates. If the missing gap could not be filled in as soon as possible, the young prince believed this would be the end of the Fat Lords Club.
Oscar came up with the countermeasure for this tough situation almost immediately. Practically all the pirates of the coast of Italia and Faran were under the protection of the Sirsi Mafia, which meant that the leader of the gang Lord Emmanuelle Beart could easily demand the pirates to return around seventy percent of the stolen golds. Of course, as a return for his favour ten percent of the returned gold would have to be spared by the Lord Bears himself. In other words, the fat lords could only possibly recover sixty percent of their gold. Oscar thought this idea was entirely in line with the rules of how things work. He did not even considered claiming a portion of the gold for himself as remuneration.
The fat lords agreed to the little fatty’s suggestion unanimously. They had doubts with the young prince’s idea initially but Oscar made an oath and assured them that they would reclaim their stolen gold in just a month’s time. Oscar had thoroughly weighed this through.
Seeing it was already mid of April at the moment, it would already be the beginning of May by the time His Majesty the Emperor perform his monthly check to the national treasury. Oscar proposed another brilliant idea. The governor-general of the East Border of Empire Duke Dortmund Andrew Nedgabel could use his title as the marshal to officially and legally request an emergency support of military fees from His Majesty the Emperor and the military headquarters. Even though he had not yet thought of what excuse to use for that request, he believed that the Emperor would not reject the demand of the Duke. If he could successfully obtain the gold using this strategy and use it to fill in the missing gap of the national treasury, the problem would then be solved entirely.
All the fat lords and the little fatty were overjoyed at the idea. The former were elated because they found a solution to save their own lives, and the latter was excited because he could retrieve pennies from the heaven, literally. Even though the Golden Tis would be used to replace the position of the stolen gold in the national treasury, the fat lords vowed that they would return the batch of gold to Family Andrew as soon as they could. Oscar was not a total gentlemen, after all. He would not give out free advice and receive nothing in return.
The fat lords did not mind to spare thirty percent of the benefits to the little fatty and that Lord Beard if they could save them out of their arduous position, what they valued more was the stability of incoming fortune in the future. Sometimes at the sea, getting the protection of the pirates was much better than having the support of a fleet. The pirates did not belong to any nations, but they had influence all over the wide stretch of the sea.
In the midst of their heated discussion, a poorly-behaved servant burst into the room out of the blue. He rushed towards the finance minister and whispered something inaudible to Oscar. Although the young prince could not hear what was the exchange he felt both of them throwing a suspicious glance towards his way.
"Okay gentlemen! It seemed like we could end our meeting and call it a day. I hope that everyone is satisfied with the outcome of our discussion today. Your Imperial A distinguished guest is out there waiting for you. Trust me Your Highness, you would not be disappointed, this lady is the most attractive lady in the whole Dulin."
