A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

Chapter 416: The Only Color - Four - III

"Ah, Ansel, found her!"

She heard approaching footsteps, the odd mutterings of a girl, but her frozen eyes did not move.

"Eek!"

The girl, crouching down and tilting her head, examined the puppet and exclaimed in shock, "Is she dead?! No... no, wait, she's still breathing, isn't she?"

She wanted to poke the puppet, but the young man behind her held her back.

"That's enough, Seri, you go on home," he said gently.

"Go home?" Seraphina paused, then said with utmost grievance, "Did... did I do something wrong again?"

"Of course not, it's just that there are some things... I need to settle with her."

"I see... then I'll be going back. Ansel, Ansel, make sure you come back soon too."

Once the cheerful footsteps had faded, the puppet heard that incredibly gentle voice again, devoid of any comforting intent:

"I gave you a chance to repent, Ravenna."

The young Hydral knelt beside the collapsed puppet, caressing her cold cheek: "Now, do you regret not seizing that opportunity?"

"..."

"You really are at your end, aren't you?"

He laughed, his index finger lightly tracing the puppet's lips: "This must be the worst day of your life, isn't it? But for me... it's not."

The long buildup and wait culminated in a climax before the finale.

Seizing the Tower of Babel, awakening Ravenna's emotions, causing her to waver in her attitude towards him, and then pushing her, no longer the cold and hard individual of the past but incredibly weak, into the abyss...

Her self-denial, her bewilderment about her ideals, realizing her own powerlessness, and finally, the collapse and falseness of everything, reignited all the despair she had previously experienced.

To achieve such destruction, Ansel had to thank his past self from three years ago.

He was grateful to his past self for not revealing the truth about Eileen's death to Ravenna from the perspective of a friend, a comrade, to spare her from immense sorrow.

Otherwise, this perfect destruction would have lacked its most crucial performance.

"Have you become indifferent to everything?"

Ansel whispered tenderly as he cradled the delicate puppet in his arms, his voice a soft murmur by her ear, "Even if I were to destroy you here, to humiliate and violate you, would you truly not care?"

Enveloped in his embrace, the puppet resting her head on his shoulder remained silent, her warm breath the only proof of her living essence.

"Heh... Just a jest. How could I possibly commit such acts upon my precious daughter?" he spoke with a gentle chuckle.

"Isn't that right, Helen?"

The youthful Hydral's low laughter accompanied the term of endearment, causing an almost imperceptible flicker in the puppet's eyes.

"I said earlier that this was the worst day of your life, but that... was meant for Ravenna," he confessed, planting a kiss on the puppet's cheek.

A teleportation scroll materialized in his hand, disintegrating into fragments as ether flowed into it: "For Helen, this will undoubtedly be the most splendid of days."

After the flash of light subsided, Ansel and Ravenna... found themselves atop the ramparts of a city.

"Do you recall this place, Helen?"

He set the puppet down, and she swayed unsteadily, only finding her balance when close to Ansel.

Reflected in her dull purple eyes was the vista of the city, sparking a flicker in her dormant consciousness.

This place was...

"Breeze City," the young Hydral declared with a smile. "Have you forgotten the other participant in our game?"

Breeze City... Breeze City...

Yes, another participant, another player.

The lifeless gaze swept over the surroundings, and as the puppet took in the scene, a thought emerged in her mind—

Is this… Breeze City?

The streets were clean and orderly, the houses intact and charming, the thoroughfares bustling and noisy, the passersby never-ending...

How could this be the same impoverished domain from just over a month ago?

"Well, due to those commotion in Pelican City, it seems you have not directed your attention here during the latter stages of the game, have you?"

Ansel inquired with a serene smile. "Are you curious about what has transpired?"

With a snap of his fingers, a figure who had been standing in the distance atop the city walls, dressed in opulent attire and appearing quite out of place with his hurried approach, came sprinting towards them.

Halting three meters from Ansel, the young man steadied himself, his face unabashedly displaying an almost fanatical adoration as he bowed deeply and said, "Greetings, Lord Ansel. I, Loran Byron, am honored to meet you."

Ansel waved dismissively, "Spare me the formalities. Do you know why I summoned you?"

"Yes!" the youth replied, puffing out his chest with pride as he reported to Ansel, "I am here to present the economic department's regulation of Breeze City over the past month!"

Ansel, casually leaning against the city wall with an arm around his puppet, gestured for him to continue.

"Yes, Lord! Starting from the day we implemented the soil enhancement potion in the fields, by the sixteenth day, with the second harvest and the influx of high-quality grains into the market, our department began its investigation, completing all inquiries within seven minutes and thirteen seconds."

"After ascertaining the specifics, we engaged in an hour and thirty-seven minutes of strategic discussion, finalizing our response plan. According to our strategy, we acquired all the grains circulating in the market and negotiated with the landowners, securing the purchase of all the modified fields' produce on the same day."

"Subsequently, we matched the price of all grains to their quality, not quantity. Through the actuarial valuation, we sold the grains in smaller quantities at a premium price across the empire."

"From this, we garnered a profit margin of three thousand two hundred and ten percent. Given the substantial excess over our projections, we returned the surplus to the landowners and reestablished the purchase price."

"The remaining profits were invested in Breeze City, accelerating infrastructure development by employing extraordinary beings. Additionally, a significant portion was allocated to creating new production positions for the local farmers and providing corresponding guidance…"

"Anticipating that, given the production pace of the modified fields, our sales strategy could not be sustained indefinitely, and external dumping would reach saturation, these grains would eventually dominate all markets. To mitigate the impact on native farmers, we needed to create more positions. Mr. Klein suggested multi-technical vocational training for the farmers.

For details on these initiatives, I regret that I cannot convey them verbally; I apologize for the inconvenience."

Though his cheeks were flushed, the young man's delivery was impressively articulate and breathless, filled with anticipation as he asked, "Would you like to review the relevant documents now?"

"No, there's no need," Ansel nodded approvingly. "Well done, Loran. Issue a six-month bonus to everyone involved in this grain market adjustment."

The youth's lips quivered with emotion—not from the latter part of the statement, for he had been visibly moved the moment Ansel uttered the words "well done."

"No, this is your doing... all thanks to your cultivation, Lord Ansel!"

What might have been a mere pleasantry to curry favor with a superior, this young man named Loran delivered with a conviction as if ready to defend it with his life.

If Ansel were to ask for his heart as proof of sincerity, he would not hesitate to comply.

"I have spoken of this numerous times, Loran," the young Hydral said, shaking his head and gently tapping the young man's shoulder with his scepter. "The status, wealth, knowledge, perspective, and abilities you, and you all possess... not all are derived from my benevolence."

He chuckled softly, adding, "To deny your own talent and effort is to inadvertently suggest that I... lack discernment, is it not?"

"No, no, no… certainly not!"

Loran replied, his head shaking in a fluster. "I harbor no such intention, Lord Ansel. I am genuinely… genuinely honored by the wisdom I possess and the transformative impact I have brought to the Hydral domain!"

As he spoke the latter part, the panic on his face faded, replaced by a sincere pride and a sense of honor that shone brilliantly.

Before him, the sixteen-year-old heir to the domain simply smiled warmly, "Enough, attend to your own matters. I shall not occupy more of your time."

"Yes!"

Loran responded crisply, without further ado. He bowed deeply once more and then turned to leave swiftly.

Once he had departed completely, Ansel cradled the puppet's cheeks, tilting her head back to gaze into her purple eyes with a smile.

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