“Who are you?” The person clearly didn’t recognize Liana, or rather, had never seen her before.

After all, the guards stationed here were from the Angus Territory, so it was normal that they hadn’t seen Liana before.

“Liana Venus,” Liana said.

“Oh! So it’s Princess Liana!” The person recognized Liana’s name. “But even Princess Liana must undergo inspection to pass through. Those are the rules.”

“...” It seemed that using her face as a pass worked better in her own territory. In other places, it didn’t seem to have much effect.

But Liana didn’t want strange people entering her carriage, nor did she want to stand outside in the cold. “Don’t you know who I am?”

“Of course we know the precious daughter of Duke Venus, Princess Liana. But as we said, to enter our Angus Territory, even Princess Liana must undergo inspection before entering. At the same time, you need to state the purpose of your visit to the Angus Territory,” the guard said.

“I’m just going to the Angus Commerce Guild to buy some things, and you don’t have the qualifications to inspect my carriage,” Liana said.

“These are the rules of our Angus Lord, approved by the King of Lisat. If Princess Liana truly doesn’t want us to inspect the carriage, then I’m very sorry. Even if you are Princess Liana, we’ll have to ask you to turn back,” the guard said.

Liana sat back in the carriage. “How troublesome... It looks like we’ll have to wake Tari up.”

“No need, Princess Liana,” Minoga took out a token, then walked out of the carriage and showed it to the guards.

Parting her red lips, her cold voice made the guards shudder. “Move aside.”

Upon closer inspection, they naturally recognized what the token represented. It was something only Judges could possess, meaning that to some extent, the bearer’s words represented the King of Lisat.

“Or do you still want to continue with the inspection?” Minoga wore a veil over her face, preventing others from seeing her expression, but from her tone, it was clear she was somewhat displeased.

They might not recognize a Judge, but they recognized the token. Surely no one could snatch a token from a Judge.

Why would Princess Liana have a Judge accompanying her?

Was Princess Liana’s status now that high?

“We apologize, Judge! I’ll let you pass immediately!” Let alone inspection, delaying a Judge for even a second was a serious offense.

They hurriedly opened the gates to let them through.

When they looked back, Minoga had already disappeared, as if she had never been there.

It was very mysterious, which was why they held such reverence for Judges. The unknown was always the most terrifying.

Of course, for Liana, who saw Minoga daily, there was naturally no such feeling. Moreover, Minoga had apologized to her before, which didn’t seem like what a Judge would do at all.

Liana watched as Minoga returned to the carriage, having removed the veil from her face. She appeared relaxed, completely different from her cold demeanor moments ago.

Honestly, if Minoga hadn’t demonstrated her power once before, Liana would have seriously doubted whether this person was really a Judge.

But Liana also knew that this was because Minoga doted on her too much, due to her relationship with Mephilia and because the two had known each other for a long time.

It was worth noting that with other Judges, let alone making them angry, even if they slapped you twice, you’d have to endure it. Not to mention expecting them to lower their status to comfort you or apologize to you.

“What’s wrong, Princess Liana?” Minoga noticed Liana staring at her and asked curiously.

“Nothing, I just feel that you’re completely different when you’re in front of others compared to when you’re with me and Mephilia,” Liana said.

“Which version of me does Princess Liana prefer?” Minoga asked.

“Do you think I’d say ‘as long as you’re Minoga, it’s fine’? But I won’t say that. If you really want me to choose, I’d definitely choose the latter, that is, when you’re in front of me,” Liana said.

Compared to the cold, distant Minoga, she preferred the more relaxed Minoga. At least then, there wasn’t too much pressure when speaking with her.

If Minoga treated her the same way she treated those people just now, Liana would definitely have many things she wouldn’t dare to say to Minoga.

“Indeed, Princess Liana’s answer is somewhat surprising,” Minoga nodded.

As a Judge, she represented the Lisat Kingdom to a certain extent, so naturally, she had to be more serious when outside.

“Is this necessary when visiting other territories?” Liana asked.

“I suppose so. They need to register the reason for the visit and check for prohibited items. Of course, I don’t believe everyone adheres to this. There are always some who slip through,” Minoga said.

“Indeed, especially in the current situation,” Liana nodded.

The Commerce Guild was where all sorts of people gathered most, and it was the easiest place to gather intelligence, with the highest flow of people.

For other territories seeking to seize the Lisat Kingdom, the simplest and easiest way to obtain intelligence was through the Angus Commerce Guild.

The Angus Commerce Guild prioritized profits above all else. They didn’t care about anything else. As long as they weren’t caught, it was as if they hadn’t done it.

Moreover, they didn’t care who the king was. As long as it didn’t interfere with their money-making, it didn’t matter. They had always operated this way, since the time of the previous king. They had no sense of belonging.

“The Darriss Territory and the Angus Territory are territories that have been preserved since the time of the Darriss Kingdom. The Laurent Family is the sharpest sword of the Lisat Kingdom, guarding it. The Venus Territory is the surgeon of the Lisat Kingdom, treating its hidden ailments. And Minagado is the most solid support for our Venus Territory, providing various forms of assistance.

I can understand why the Darriss Territory and the Angus Territory might have crooked thoughts, but why the Laurent Family? Like the Venus Family, the Laurent Family has been a long-time friend of the Lisat Family, together overthrowing the rule of the Darriss Kingdom.

At that time, the Laurent Family, like the Venus Family, was granted the position of Duke together, but the Laurent Family refused, giving the opportunity to the Venus Family.

Is it a misunderstanding? Or did they follow the wrong person? After all, Second Prince Oester does have some devious thoughts. Or is it like the Venus Territory? Harmed by the current person in power?”

“That’s unclear,” Liana shrugged. Right now, she doesn’t have the spare time to deal with this.

Soon, they arrived at the headquarters of the Angus Commerce Guild.

By the time they arrived, it was already late at night. Despite this, the lights of the headquarters were still very bright.

And the scale was completely incomparable to the small branches they had seen before. Just the reception area alone was on a scale that branches couldn’t match.

Tari woke up at this point. She looked out the window, her tail and ears standing up at once. “I’m sorry, Princess Liana! I overslept!”

Liana gestured for Tari to calm down. This person was so jittery, it was really too noisy.

“Princess Liana, did they give you any trouble?” Tari asked quietly.

She knew very well how much the people of the Angus Commerce Guild liked to make money. Even if your documents were complete, you still had to pay a considerable sum as an entrance fee.

Just the price of the entrance fee was the annual income of an ordinary noble, or even more.

Liana shook her head. With Minoga present, they had entered without much trouble.

“From here on, I’ll leave it to you,” Liana said.

She really couldn’t stand places with so many people coming and going.

“Leave it to me,” Tari nodded. Before coming, Tari had already contacted the people at the headquarters. “Now, should we go to the hotel to rest first, or directly go to see Number 314?”

“Let’s go directly,” Liana didn’t want to waste too much time on this. Quickly resolving Sephirena’s matter and returning to her own little room would be the most comfortable.

“Alright.”

Tari led them into the building, and Minoga once again wore the white veil.

“Do you have more?” Liana looked at Minoga and asked.

“Princess Liana, do you mean this?” Minoga pointed to the veil on her face.

“Yes,” Liana nodded.

After all, in such a setting, if she revealed her identity, there would be more or less some trouble. Especially since what she was going to buy wasn’t ordinary—it was an elf.

Plus, in the meeting room, she had unintentionally shown some concern about Sephirena, so someone might have noticed this point, which would be troublesome.

“Of course,” Minoga waved her small hand.

【Create, Mask】

A red mask was placed on Liana’s face. “You haven’t told anyone about me yet, right?”

“Yes, ensuring client privacy is also a rule of Angus Commerce Guild,” Tari said.

Liana didn’t believe this rule was effective. After all, this was a rule set by the Angus Commerce Guild, which could be changed at any time, and Tari was also a member of the guild.

Probably, if Tari hadn’t secured her deal that day, the Angus Commerce Guild would have exposed her, making Tari reveal her identity.

“That’s good,” Liana nodded with satisfaction.

“However, how should I introduce Princess Liana later?” Tari asked.

Liana thought for a moment. “Just call me Jacaranda.”

“What, is it a flower?” Tari found the name a bit awkward to pronounce.

“Jacaranda,” Liana repeated. This was a flower she had liked before, but it seemed this world didn’t have it.

“Jacaranda?” Although Tari was somewhat confused, finding the name strange, she nodded. Liana was now her direct ancestor. If Liana said one, then it was one. Besides, the stranger the name, the safer it was.

They went in and sat in the waiting room.

The temperature in the room was very comfortable, and the sofa was made of high-quality materials. The dining table was also set with freshly baked pastries and tea.

There were also some magical entertainment devices to prevent clients from getting too bored while waiting.

Soon, a person in charge walked over. She wore a light purple formal dress, looking very noble and elegant. “Hello, I am Felicia, Felicia Angus, the person receiving you this time. Are you the Lady Jacaranda that President Tari mentioned?”

Angus?

But thinking about it, it made sense. Someone at the headquarters would naturally have a significant status.

“Are you the genius who invented the makeup remover and lotion?” Felicia didn’t hold back her praise. “To create such impactful products in the already stabilized cosmetics field, you are truly an outstanding genius.”

“Just something I made casually, nothing rare,” Liana’s tone was flat, appearing very indifferent. “I didn’t expect you all to like it so much. That’s somewhat surprising to me.”

Liana wasn’t stupid. She knew how much the other party cared about the word “monopoly.” So she had to downplay the makeup remover ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) and lotion that they surely viewed as their biggest competition, telling them that she might have other products even better than these two.

“I didn’t expect this to be just a casual product of Lady Jacaranda? We are willing to provide comprehensive assistance, including manpower, materials, and sales in various aspects...”

“I didn’t come here today for this purpose,” Liana said somewhat impatiently.

“I apologize, Lady Jacaranda. I was a bit too eager,” Felicia bowed in apology. “I just wanted to say that geniuses like Lady Jacaranda are rare now. Our Angus Commerce Guild is very willing to cooperate with someone like you. With us, your name could spread throughout the Lisat Kingdom.”

Liana nodded and directly asked, “I’m not interested in this matter right now. What I want to ask is, where is she?”

“Number 314, right?” Felicia also knew that continuing would be impolite. Now was the time to make Lady Jacaranda comfortable, and then consider cooperation. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

“Yes,” Liana nodded.

“I didn’t expect Lady Jacaranda to be so interested in elves.”

“In this world, I fear there’s no one who isn’t interested in elves.”

“Indeed, but correspondingly, elves have very peculiar personalities. Taming an elf would require a considerable price,” Felicia reminded.

“Don’t say so much nonsense. Take me to see her. How to tame her is my concern,” Liana said impatiently.

“I understand,” Felicia nodded. “However, her identity is very special, and she’s also a slave of the elf race. To purchase or see her, there’s a prerequisite, which is to become a gold-level member of our Angus Commerce Guild.”

Liana looked at Tari.

Tari hurriedly stood up. “Felicia, since when has there been such a rule? And hasn’t Number 314 always been ordinary merchandise? Since when did she become something only gold-level members can purchase?”

Tari truly didn’t know about this. Because Sephirena was already quite special, purchasing her didn’t require money, as she had already paid the Angus Commerce Guild herself. So there shouldn’t be any threshold at all.

“President Tari, I know that Lady Jacaranda was brought by you, and I also know how powerful Lady Jacaranda’s abilities are. But these are the rules. Number 314 has a special identity. After our observation, we discovered her uniqueness, and she has now been elevated to gold-level merchandise.”

Don’t ask what special characteristics. You just need to know that she’s now at the gold level. If you want to purchase her, you can only come back when you reach that level.

“I’ve heard that gold-level membership is very difficult to obtain. Even Tari doesn’t know the channel for promotion. How can I become a gold-level member?” Liana asked.

“Actually, there are many ways to become a gold-level member, but for Lady Jacaranda, the simplest way is to cooperate with our Angus Commerce Guild. As long as you can produce three hit products like the makeup remover, you can exceptionally become our gold-level member,” Felicia said.

Now she understood.

They found out in advance what goods she wanted to buy, then raised the price to gain favorable conditions.

After all, the Angus Commerce Guild was so large. If she didn’t buy, others would. They weren’t in a hurry.

“Is that so?” But Liana clearly wasn’t going to let herself be taken advantage of. “Then I’ll go look at other guilds. You’ve made me have false expectations.”

Liana stood up. “Lady Tari, it seems our cooperation ends here. I’ll give these two products to other guilds. Other guilds should be able to find me a good elf slave. They wouldn’t make me come all this way just to tell me the goods have increased in value, making me waste a trip.”

“I apologize, Lady Jacaranda, but these are the rules. And once a product is sold at our Angus Commerce Guild, it cannot be sold at other guilds unless Lady Jacaranda is willing to pay a very expensive fee, which can be considered our advertising fee,” Felicia said.

Liana waved her hand dismissively. “This amount is nothing to me, but my money doesn’t grow on trees. These two products, I’ll give them to you. After all, they’re just things I created casually. I’m just not sure if you’ve figured out how to replicate them yet? You wouldn’t want to run out of stock after this month. That wouldn’t be good news for those nobles who are expecting these products.”

“Lady Jacaranda, are you threatening us?” Felicia asked.

“Where’s the threat? I’ve voluntarily given up these two products. You’ve probably researched them. If you had really figured them out, you wouldn’t be so polite to me,” Liana shrugged. “Besides, didn’t I say? I’ve given these two things to you. What I give to others will definitely be the newest products. I wouldn’t care about things that have been bitten by dogs.”

Felicia’s expression turned ugly. If the people of the Angus Commerce Guild found out that not only had she failed, but she had also created a competitor for the Angus Commerce Guild, she might be exiled.

“Let’s go,” Liana stood up.

“Lady Jacaranda...” Tari’s expression also looked difficult. Everything she had now was because of Liana’s cosmetics. If it ended like this, it wouldn’t be good for her either.

But Felicia was definitely more anxious than Tari. “I apologize, Lady Jacaranda.”

“What’s there to apologize for? Business transactions are always mutually consensual. We just couldn’t agree on a price,” Liana walked to the door without looking back, extending her hand.

“Wait a moment, Lady Jacaranda,” Felicia’s face looked difficult. “Because of your special contribution to the Angus Commerce Guild, we can make an exception to let you purchase gold-level merchandise.”

“Not going,” Liana said indifferently. She was always the one who tricked others. How could others trick her? “Also, thank you for letting me know about some things in your Angus Commerce Guild. I’ll have to research my next cooperation partner carefully. I wouldn’t want my own things not to be my own in the end.”

Felicia’s expression was grim. “For all the unpleasant things that happened today, our Angus Commerce Guild will provide Lady Jacaranda with appropriate compensation.”

“Appropriate compensation? How much is appropriate?” Liana wasn’t stupid. These cunning merchants might change their attitude in the next second.

“Although we can’t make you a gold-level member, we can let you have some of the privileges of a gold-level member, that is, this time you can go inside our Angus Commerce Guild to purchase some goods,” Felicia said.

Allowing her to go inside the Angus Commerce Guild to purchase some items? Having such authority indicated that the person’s status was indeed not low.

But this wasn’t what Liana wanted. Liana came here this time wanting to buy only one thing.

“I don’t need this,” Liana shook her head. “If that’s all, then goodbye.”

“Then what does Lady Jacaranda need?” Felicia bit her lip.

“I want to buy some things that aren’t on the shelves,” Liana said.

“What is that?”

“Some... intelligence about the Darriss Territory,” Liana said with a smile.