socalfunplaces Chapter 46 Long-Distance Relationship
Chapter 46 Long-Distance Relationship
Anyone would be startled to see a guy quietly leaning against the doorframe without saying a word as soon as they step out, and Ventara was no exception. Her pupils contracted sharply, and she almost stood on end.
However, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief after recognizing who it was, and coughed lightly to cover up her earlier lapse in composure.
The person who startled her, however, was completely oblivious to her reaction, even seeming somewhat smug. Looking at her with interest, they raised an eyebrow and asked, "Did I scare you?"
You know perfectly well why you're asking this!
Untara didn't bother to reply, only asking, "Was it you who lured Vladimir and the others away just now?"
Actually, he didn't need to answer. Just from Leosley's familiar rusty bartender attire, Ventara guessed that he was just trying to change the subject.
Leosley understood her plan but said nothing. After all, no man would hesitate to take credit for something, especially in front of his sweetheart.
The black and white "big dog" had bright, sparkling eyes and looked very proud.
Untara was caught off guard by this childish side of his and couldn't help but chuckle softly.
She patted Leosley on the head as a reward before handing him the ledger and getting down to business.
The man listened to her explain the contents while flipping through the records inside.
"Good stuff indeed," Leosley praised generously. "Looks like we both got a lot."
Ventara glanced at him, puzzled. "What?"
Leosley's lips curled into a smile: "I've found the missing Melosens."
To make the smuggling operation less conspicuous, Vladimir cleverly avoided having his men bring Melusin directly to Softlight Harbor, instead storing him temporarily at the Rusty Tavern, a relatively remote location.
Rusty accepted a large sum of money from him and helped hide the Melos in wooden boxes, secretly transporting them in two batches under the guise of delivering wine.
This should have been a foolproof plan, after all, who would suspect that these wooden crates containing wine actually contained more than just wine?
Unfortunately, one of them couldn't resist having a drink at the rusty turret and happened to run into Leosley, who had an extra schedule to go there to gather information because of a new mission in Ventara.
His attention was drawn to Zhi Dong's appearance, and he naturally followed the clues to discover the Melushin hidden in a cave near the Rusty Rudder.
Even so, if Vladimir could harden his heart and abandon his men, they would not be able to successfully convict him. So they simply went along with his original plan and let things develop as they were.
However, the Melosens have been properly settled, and what is available here now is indeed just alcohol.
Ventara hadn't expected Leosley to make so many discoveries while she was away, and something felt off.
So why did she come all this way, and even put on such a good girl act?
Before she could figure out whose fault it was, Leosley said, "It's time to go. It's time to see a good show. After Vladimir left, I signaled the special patrol team sent by Navelette. They should have already made their move."
Ventara nodded and followed him toward the banquet hall.
Sure enough, it was already in complete chaos.
The gilded brigade employed by Vladimir was not to be underestimated, and the special patrol team had to go to great lengths to take them all down.
Vladimir, now surrounded by his escape attempt, could only glare at Charlotte with feigned bravado: "What are you doing! Is this how you Fontaine's laws arbitrarily arrest honest, law-abiding merchants? We Winterspeople are not pushovers!"
Seeing that he was trying to bring the matter into the realm of diplomacy, Leosley stepped forward and chimed in: "An honest and upright businessman? Mr. Vladimir, you should look at your conscience before you speak."
Vladimir recognized him as the young man who had just called him to his room and immediately realized something was wrong. However, there was no time for him to think it through, so he could only grit his teeth and insist, "Conscience? I have far more conscience than your Rusty Helms boss!"
"Hmm... I admit, the owner of Rusty Rudder isn't exactly a saint, but if you're no less so," Leosley scoffed. "Save your stubbornness for the trial court. But don't worry, Melo Petersburg won't let any of you get away with this."
"I look forward to seeing you there."
Vladimir's expression changed several times, clearly indicating that he had finally realized who he was.
Without giving him any further chance to argue, Xia Worei directly ordered her team to take all the people involved in the case away and keep them under guard.
Ashpar is the only one who is currently unscathed and standing by watching the show; his ignorance and subsequent attempts to make amends are enough to extricate him from this case.
Ignoring the malicious glares from his colleagues, after everything was over, he stretched and walked over to Ventara, hooking his arm around her shoulder and glancing at Leosley: "Hey, you've got quite the presence."
Before Leosley could reply, Ventara slapped his hand away without any hesitation.
Ashpar was already used to her personality and didn't mind. Instead, he leaned closer and asked her when she planned to go back: "Anyway, this deal is off. After I've done my witnessing, I should go straight back to Sumeru. Do you want to come with me?"
Leosli immediately sensed a crisis and, before Ventara could say anything, stepped between the two: "Although it's not appropriate to say this now, you have betrayed your employer after all. If the news gets out, it will probably be difficult for you to get another job. Ventara has a stable and high-paying job in Mello Petersburg, so perhaps staying is a better choice."
The implication was that he was worried Ashpar wouldn't be able to support his daughter.
The words may be rough, but the principle is sound. Although they may not sound pleasant, they are quite honest.
Although Ashpar has saved up a lot of money over the years, living off his savings is completely against the life values of desert people, and he has long been worried about what way to make money in the future.
Those who break the law and commit crimes are obviously out of the question, so the only way seems to be to join the group of thirty people and work for the Little Auspicious Grass King in Sumeru City.
Ashpar had no intention of doing this, but hearing Leosley's words, he couldn't help but be tempted. He turned to look at Ventara and asked her for confirmation.
The latter nodded noncommittally.
To be fair, the salary offered by the Mello Petersburg is indeed high, even twice that of ordinary civil servants at the Moman Palace. I wonder if it's because the working environment is, after all, a prison, which provides psychological comfort.
She explained the situation to Ashpar, which made the man look at Leosley with suspicion.
He had reason to suspect that this guy was offering such generous terms just to woo her daughter.
Although he no longer mentions it, Ashpar has long remembered what he saw when they first met and has labeled Leosley as someone who corrupted his precious daughter.
His thoughts were written all over his eyes, and Leosley saw it almost immediately.
The man shrugged helplessly: "So this is how you see me? Don't worry, this is indeed the salary level recorded in the Mo Mang Palace. Besides, as a duke, I am a very fair person."
Ventara lowered her eyebrows, her doubt written all over her face.
"That's really going too far, Ventara—" Leosley complained, but then changed his tone, "However, if you're willing to stay, I wouldn't mind taking some from my savings to double your salary."
A blatant temptation! This is downright blatant temptation!
However, Ventara, the person involved, remained indifferent, while Ashpar was the one who was tempted.
He could almost hear the crisp sound of Mora colliding with each other. His eyes gleamed, but he still coughed with feigned modesty and patted Ventara's shoulder in a serious tone: "In that case, Ventara, you should stay here and do your job well. The Duke is a good man!"
Leosley stood beside him, turning this "fatherly instruction" into a salesman's pitch.
Untara crossed her arms speechlessly, and after a long pause, replied, "I never intended to go back in the first place."
Although she initially only wanted to come to Fontaine to see how her childhood friend was doing, and didn't even plan to stay for long, so she didn't mention it to Ashpar, she has now changed her mind.
"Long-distance relationships are much more annoying than office romances."
This statement can be seen as a way of giving Leosley a proper identity in front of her adoptive father, and even thoughtfully giving Ashpar a heads-up about the possibility that she might continue to stay in Fontaine in the future.
Leosley loved her answer; his eyes were practically overflowing with affection, making Ashpar shake his head.
He now felt it was absolutely impossible for this kid to have corrupted Ventara; he was clearly completely under his control. It was already the best thing that Ventara wasn't betraying him!
Sure enough, the next second Wentara said without any politeness, "That's what you say, but the salary can't be reduced by a single penny."
The logistics of goods in Mero Petersburg are all done through concessions. Leosley, who has been staying there for many years, naturally has no place to spend money. He has a lot of Mora that he can't spend, so he is naturally not stingy in spending money on Ventara. He even generously gave Ashpar, who was watching the show from the side, a sum of money.
So, after finishing up the rest of the business and returning to Fontainebleau, he spent the night in a tavern.
Meanwhile, in the Duke's villa, Winta stretched and took out her pajamas to take a shower, but she happened to bump into Leosley, who had just finished writing a report, as she passed through the living room.
His greyish-purple eyes swept over her, and the man, with a knowing smile, asked, "Ready to take a shower?"
His smile immediately gave Ventara a clue that he was probably up to something shady, but when she asked this question at this moment, she could only think of one possibility—
"What? Does the Duke want to come with me?"
(End of this chapter)
The author says: Hehe, I know this update time is really weird, but it's probably because I haven't written in so long that my update speed is super slow now. I only managed to finish writing this now, so I had to post it now _(:з」∠)_