I'm playing Honkai Impact 3

Page 1078

It was understandable that Qiong couldn't bear to see her old friend's son dressed in rags, hungry and dirty, but the fact that he sent away his guards and had to face him alone in a foreign land still made Rival take a second look at Qiong.

The person on the other end is clearly not stupid.

So you have something else to rely on?

"Excuse me, Liu Chengjue, how do you plan to verify this?"

“Mr. Qiong, the wind and snow are getting worse, the weather is freezing cold, and the review process is lengthy and takes a long time.”

"This is not a place to linger and talk. Let's move to the Senate and wait there. There is a fire there."

In any case, Lival had no intention of letting any of the blue-haired girls go.

If the person in front of you is sensible, that's fine; otherwise...

Well, we still need to confirm their identities first.

……

Inside the administration hall, which was covered with thick carpets, the guards were dismissed, and exquisite silver platters were filled with seasonal fresh fruits.

The guards were dismissed, and fruit was served.

After a friendly exchange, Rival felt he had figured out the details of the Dome.

At first, he thought that Qiong was the son of a nobleman from another country, but he never expected that he was a wealthy merchant with a private guard who came from a distant country.

In Onphalus, the social status of merchants was far lower than that of officials and nobles.

Money may be all-powerful, but heroes are judged by their origins.

The nobles considered it lowly to toil for money, as it was beneath their dignity.

The lords all used their own slaves as agents to run their businesses, while they themselves hid behind the scenes and enjoyed the profits.

The same goes for Lival.

However, the disdain stemming from his status as a merchant was quickly redeemed by the alchemist.

There are even poets and authors.

Lival's expression was a bit strange; it was the first time he had ever seen such a bizarre combination of identities.

A poet who doesn't aspire to be a wealthy merchant is not a good alchemist.

Forget it, no matter how many identities Qiong has, Rival doesn't care or concern himself with it.

As long as it is confirmed that the other party has no connection with the imperial nobles or the royal family, that is sufficient.

The fact that he had a private guard made Rival temporarily put aside his idea of ​​a forced attack.

Although he felt that Qiong's claim that "my knight can fight against ten thousand men" was just an exaggeration typical of merchants, the other party's confident composure made him choose to be cautious.

This matter should not be blown out of proportion, otherwise we will be putting the cart before the horse.

But, a businessman?

Yes!

Merchants pursue profit like vultures chasing carrion.

They'll do anything if there's enough profit to be made.

They are willing to trample on conscience and morality as long as there is a 300% profit.

"Mr. Qiong, I have a business opportunity here. I wonder if you would be interested?"

"Oh? I'd like to hear more about it."

Qiong pretended to be very interested.

"I'd like to buy the daughter of your old friend, sir. Her name is... Lamperouge, right? I wonder if Mr. Qiong would be willing to part with her?"

"Liu Chengjue, what do you mean by this?"

Qiong's expression immediately changed.

“I put this amount of balance coins on the scales of Tarranton.”

Lival smiled and drew a number.

Qiong's angry posture froze for a moment, and Rival's lips curled into a smile upon seeing this.

"how?"

"This...no! This isn't a problem with the pound sterling."

Qiong, still looking angry, argued.

"How could this be..."

Before he could finish speaking, Rival drew another number on the table.

"What about this amount?"

"..."

This time, Qiong fell silent, the anger on her face gradually disappearing, and she instead asked:

Why is Liu Chengjue so fixated on that child?

To be honest...

Rival sighed and put on a sorrowful mask.

“Her appearance reminded me of my youngest daughter who died young. Perhaps this was Tarantun’s guidance that led me to meet her in this snowstorm to comfort a father’s broken heart. I want to keep her by my side and treat her as my own daughter.”

This is a lie.

It's just giving Qiong a ladder to climb down, so that he can let go of his morals and conscience.

"Oh, I see."

Qiong suddenly realized what was happening and felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders.

"I thought that Liu Chengjue was attracted by her blue hair and golden blood, and planned to have her impersonate the missing princess of the empire, inherit the vacant Lionheart Throne under the banner of legitimate blood, while you would hold power behind the scenes and play a trick of using the princess to command the princes."

"Haha, how rude of me!"

"cough!"

Rival, who was sipping his wine, was choked by Qiong's words and began coughing wildly.

She suddenly looked up at Qiong, who still had a faint smile on her face, her eyes filled with disbelief.

How can it be!

The other party actually guessed what I was going to do!?

“Mr. Qiong… this joke is not funny.”

He couldn't admit it verbally, but a sharp, cold glint flashed in Rival's eyes.

"Liu Chengjue, your eyes don't look like you're joking."

Qiong tilted her head innocently, her words directly exposing Rival's exquisite disguise.

Upon hearing this, Rival no longer concealed his intentions, leaning back slightly, fully revealing the sharpness and coldness characteristic of an ambitious man:

"Who exactly are you?"

Rival couldn't understand.

He never showed the slightest abnormality from beginning to end, and didn't even mention the matter. How did Qiong know?

Could he possibly read one's own thoughts?

Qiong, who possesses the divine title of Feathered Dust, can read minds, but Rival is not worthy of Qiong's power-up.

With the king gone, the empire fell apart due to the lack of a successor, and a civil war ensued.

Blue hair and golden blood are the marks of a king.

Rival was also an ambitious nobleman who could influence the situation.

With these conditions set out, even a seasoned fool could easily come up with a clever trick to switch the pieces.

Moreover, Qiong had already directed a similar script when she was in Yalilo.

"Just a pioneer passing through."

Qiong took a sip of her fruit drink, her smile bright, her tone casual.

"The Trail Blazers? Just passing by?"

Rival frowned.

What is the Trail Blazers?

A name I've never heard before.

He's more concerned about passing by.

The other party has no intention of staying here any longer?

But this might be an excuse to escape. In any case, as long as the person in front of him and his troublesome guard are eliminated, the blue-haired girl will still be within easy reach.

He must get that key with blue hair and golden blood!

Rivard had been planning this scheme for a long time: to have an orphan impersonate a princess to inherit the throne, use her as a puppet, and thus control the kingdom.

He had even secretly begun training a fake princess.

However, the puppets being trained so far are not convincing enough. They have extremely rare blue hair, but their blood is not golden, but bright red.

It would be easy to slip up, and it would be difficult to pass the identity verification of other nobles.

Only those who possess both blue hair and golden blood can qualify.

Rival has been searching for a more suitable doll for a long time.

Lampelu, she was truly a gift from the Titans.

We cannot afford to fail!

Now that the truth had been revealed, Rival was no longer going to pretend. Just as he was about to resort to the risky tactic of force, Kyō's attitude suddenly became serious and solemn.

"Liu Chengjue".

"Ok?"

Rival was completely bewildered by Dome's attitude.

Now that you've already called me out, why are you still making that face?

"You know, Lampeluge is the only reflection of the bright moon in my life that remains in this world. Now she is also my daughter. To me, she is more important than life itself. She is the most precious treasure in my heart!"

"so what?"

Lival's brow furrowed even more.

That sounds a bit strange.

After a long silence, as if after a fierce internal struggle, Qiong gritted her teeth and said:

"You need to pay more!"

Rival was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter.

He suddenly found these profit-driven businessmen to be...adorable!

How straightforward, how pure!

If you pay enough, you can even set a price for your daughter.

"no problem."

Rival readily agreed.

"But, Mr. Qiong, how can I be sure that you will keep quiet after accepting this generous compensation?"

If Qiong had pointed out his intentions before asking for more money, Rival would have readily agreed to the deal.

But now.

If the other party guesses it and makes it clear, then the situation is different.

What if they get the money from me and then sell the matter to other nobles?