From sailboats to star destroyers (Source: Web)

Chapter 49 The Manor Under the Moonlight

Before I knew it, there were far fewer guests in the hall.

Behind the heavy curtains, shadowy figures entangled, suppressed moans and the rustling of fabrics seeping intermittently into the elegant music like a hidden tide.

The cloying sweetness in the air seemed to have mixed with a hint of unsettling indulgence. The few remaining dancers on the dance floor moved with a distinctly languid and provocative gait.

"Leo will always remember Your Excellency's hospitality." Miao Meng turned to Earl Gerry, his voice steady, yet carrying an unmistakable distance.

"However, I still need time to process what I saw, heard, and traded today. In addition, I've been studying a difficult alchemy problem for several days, and I'm feeling a bit mentally exhausted right now."

He nodded slightly, his posture impeccable, yet clearly conveying his desire to leave. It was less aversion than a deep sense of alienation.

The atmosphere here, the marriage proposal using a young girl as a pawn, the decadence and indulgence permeating beneath the luxurious facade—all these are far removed from the pure power and knowledge he seeks.

A barely perceptible hint of disappointment flashed in Earl Grylls' eyes, but the seasoned politician's smile remained warm:

"Of course, of course! The worst thing in studying is being distracted. Leo, you should go and rest. You can leave the remaining handover details to your butler."

He looked at the Black Earl, who immediately bowed in agreement.

Miao Meng said no more, greeted Shirley and the Earl respectively, and turned to walk towards the side door.

The Black Earl readily accepted the responsibility of handling the subsequent social interactions, standing firmly between his master and this overly noisy and viscous world of extravagance, like the most loyal rock.

Leaving the brightly lit hall, step into the corridor paved with cold, hard stone bricks.

The night breeze carried the cool scent of grass and trees in the courtyard. Miao Meng took a deep breath, as if to cleanse his lungs of the lingering fragrance and the turbidity of desire.

The castle's clamor was shut out by its thick stone walls; behind it lay a quagmire of power struggles and hedonism, while ahead lay an unknown road shrouded in night.

He pressed the Wind Sword at his waist, the cool touch bringing a sense of sober comfort.

Instead of wasting time, it would be better to deduce the newly acquired protective rune array again. The deep sea of ​​knowledge is far more worthwhile to indulge in than the salons of nobles.

Miao Meng had hoped that leaving the hall would bring some changes, but the commotion behind the bushes in the manor still shattered the tranquility that belonged only to him.

With a slight headache, Miao Meng rubbed his forehead. He hadn't expected that the Middle Ages in this world would be so licentious. Did they have no other forms of entertainment besides matters between men and women?

The sweet moans coming from the bushes made him blush. After all, Miao Meng was just a college freshman, and in this area, he had too much theory and no practice.

After listening for only a couple of sentences, his thoughts suddenly started to wander. The level of this continent was indeed not high, so did that mean that the entertainment industry from another world could be moved here and the profits would be huge?

Using these cultural knowledge and entertainment methods requires far fewer resources than being a middleman, which means there is less chance of exposure and incompatibility.

"Forget it, there's no point in thinking about this now. Let's just treat it as a side move. After all, my ultimate goal is to improve my strength, not to be limited to traveling between these two worlds."

If his cheat ability could only travel between the continent of Galtilan and modern society, he might put in some effort to build a vast commercial empire on this continent.

However, the online community is not a weak entity. There are many individuals in the forums whose individual strength surpasses that of civilizations, and whose great power is attributed to themselves.

These resources that are sold or resold are ultimately just initial accumulations; in the end, it all comes down to one's own strength.

If you're only focused on running a business and making money, you might as well find a god related to wealth and worship them, like the goddess Vol'jin, who can become powerful simply by spending money.

"Sir Leo, I never expected that you, the protagonist of this banquet, would be in a place like this."

A voice, laced with feigned flattery and surprise, suddenly rang out from not far behind Miao Meng. It came from a young man holding a glass of champagne.

What's even more eye-catching is that a lady with a huge treasure chest is leaning against him, and her dress is almost falling off.

Following Miao Meng's gaze, the young nobleman also noticed the movement in the bushes not far away, and then looked at his female companion beside him.

"Jazz, would you like to come along?"

"No, thank you. I have other things to do, so I won't bother you any longer."

Miao Meng left in a slightly hurried manner, giving the impression that he was fleeing in panic.

"Darling, I feel like this adorable little jazz singer is still a fledgling."

The woman with the large treasure chest stuck out her bright red tongue and licked her lips, her tone slightly provocative.

"Indeed, I don't know how such an important person could still be a virgin? His head maid must be very irresponsible. Oh well, let's ignore him and go join the fun over there."

The young man downed the drink in his glass in one gulp, then grabbed his female companion's head and kissed her mouth-to-mouth, transferring the drink to her lips.

Distracted by the couple having their tryst, Miao Meng didn't linger in the castle. He boarded a carriage and headed straight for his inn.

My previous idea was indeed a good choice. This world has great potential, and I can't exploit it to the point of exhaustion in the short term.

In addition, given the home-field advantage that ship girl forms enjoy in this world, it would be better to treat this world as another main world and manage it accordingly.

In other words, it's best to establish a relatively stable base, use this base as a center to expand your influence to the surrounding areas, and connect the two worlds to make profits.

These benefits can provide some assistance in the initial stages, and even boost one's strength, enabling faster and more stable development.

Along the way, Miao Meng observed the pedestrians coming and going on the street. Even though the people living in the city were considered wealthy, they still looked pale and dusty.

Although one's own strength is not that great, it is still possible to protect a small area, and protecting the people is not a good deed without any benefit.

In the days leading up to the banquet, Miao Meng's team had gathered some crucial intelligence.

Soul crystals are a very special alchemical product. In addition to requiring a large amount of rare material, they also require an extremely rare but essential spiritual material.

That is the holy water of faith, which is created in churches through various prayers. This holy water is not limited to any one god, but it requires a sufficient number of people to produce it.

These old nobles and royalty control the largest territories and the most subjects, making them the largest organization to monopolize holy water.

If we want to obtain soul crystals continuously in the future, we cannot let others control our source; we must have our own stable production channels.

Needless to say, the materials used are also incredibly valuable, including rare pearls, unicorn horns, and red coral from the seabed—none of these materials are cheap.

Therefore, Miao Meng desperately needs money, and he also desires the faith generated by the people, so the original plan needs to be slightly modified.

It's not impossible for a simple alchemy master to become an ambitious noble descendant who wants to revive his family; that way, once he gains a reputation, he'll have far fewer troubles.