Old Gods, Rapid-Fire Guns, and Prohibition

Chapter 129 [Divine Gift]

The kingdom grows in the black mud. Its foundation is solid, and its branches are breaking through the ground. It longs for sunlight and longs for the day when it can grow a towering shadow.

That evening, a real banquet was held at the Pauletta family estate.

Although there were not many people present, it was still a grand event.

Because this banquet gathered the most important figures in the Winster underground.

Except for the core members of the Pauletta family, Ethan, Anya, Vincent, and Veron.

Palen is still on the list.

Because he showed enough determination in this incident.

Even at the end, he did not choose to surrender to Sandro.

So Ethan and his men entered Sandro's castle through him.

He can be considered a hero in a sense.

In addition to Palen, Eugenides naturally also received an invitation.

This made him ecstatic, because he had finally entered the real core as he wished and was noticed by the young master.

However, this is completely what he deserves.

Because in this incident, his performance was perfect enough.

He completed Ethan's plan 100%.

Although this guy is overly enthusiastic and seems flattering, he is really good at practical matters.

Besides Eugenides, there was another person who came, Walter.

His wine also performed well in this incident.

In the living room, a soothing waltz is flowing.

At the dinner table, Eugenides was already a little drunk. His nose seemed very sensitive and turned red when stimulated by the alcohol. He smiled and raised his glass to Ethan, saying loudly: "Master, I want to pay you my deepest respect. I admire you so much. It is you who has brought our Pauletta family to unprecedented heights!"

This guy never forgets his passionate heart even when he is drunk.

But Ethan didn't mind. He raised his glass and responded, "You are amazing, Eugenides. You deserve all the praise tonight."

"Really? Master, hey, can I ask you for a wish?"

Eugenides seemed to have become particularly bold under the stimulation of alcohol.

"You said, as long as I have it, I can satisfy you."

"Master, I have had a dream since I was a child. I want to open a bank and become a banker!"

Eugenides seemed to really have this dream, because when he talked about it, his eyes were surprisingly clear.

"Bank?" Ethan put down his cup. "I'm afraid I can't satisfy you for now. However, I can promise you that if I ever plan to open a bank, you will definitely be the first president."

"In fact, banks may not be a bad direction."

At this moment, Palen, who had been drinking in silence, suddenly spoke.

Palen actually rarely expresses his opinions because of his status and personality.

Before, he was cowardly, inferior, and fearful. In addition, as Joan's younger brother, his status in the Pauletta family was like a proton.

But after a series of events, Palen also changed.

For example, now he has become a little deep, introverted, and has more thoughts of his own.

So Ethan looked at him.

"Why do you say that?"

"Some time ago, I was drinking with the treasurer's son, and he mentioned that the kingdom seemed to be interested in reactivating the wartime military tax bureau system to curb the current widespread tax evasion and money laundering."

After taking a sip of his wine, Palen continued, "Given Winster's location in the north, news is always a step behind. I suspect this plan has been revived, and we need to be prepared for it."

It was obvious that he said this after careful consideration.

So everyone thought it made sense.

After all, although the business in the black mud makes money, it is all black money and must go through the channels of money laundering. There are also huge problems and risks in taxation.

Previously, the kingdom did have a very broad scope of jurisdiction, but that was also because the economic boom in the past few years had made it difficult for the means in this regard to keep up.

Now, the kingdom has decided to take action.

Palen's concerns are not unfounded.

Especially people of a certain age like Velen have a more intuitive impression of the Military Tax Bureau.

It was a kingdom machine of astonishing power, even more powerful than the current Prohibition Bureau.

If that machine restarts, it will be a big trouble.

The point that Palen inadvertently raised forced Ethan to start thinking about opening a bank or preparing some more legal means of money laundering.

But that's not the topic tonight.

Tonight is still about celebration and reward.

After completely killing Sandro, with the newspaper reports, with more and more people starting to join Ethan's camp, and with the actual death of George, the era of the five Winster families came to an end.

Pauletta became the only surname.

Ethan's 'True God's Name' also underwent new changes.

It has changed from the previous 'controller and protector of violence' to the new 'controller and protector of violence'.

At the same time, new branches split out, and Ethan gained new true names that could be given, and two of them.

Tonight, he decided to give these two true names to Eugenides and Palen.

As for Walter, Ethan naturally had his reasons for calling him.

Because in addition to the change of the 'Name of the True God' that produced a new true name, the branch 'Researcher and Changer of Fine Wine' also changed, and it also split off a true name that can be bestowed.

It is likely that the recent booming grape brick business has caused the change.

Ethan naturally gave this unexpected surprise as a reward to the person who deserved it.

At the end of the banquet, Ethan stood up and tapped his wine glass lightly with his spoon.

"Everyone, let us toast to Clay, who is far away in Hell. May he remain as vigorous as ever in the flames of Hell."

After finishing the wine, Ethan went to the gramophone and changed the music.

The waltz became a grand symphony.

Ethan stood in the middle of the living room. The lights suddenly dimmed, leaving only the huge Pauletta family crest behind him shining.

The entire living room seemed to have turned into a solemn and dignified temple, and Ethan began to call out the names of the people at the table one by one.

"Paren."

"Eugenides."

"Walter."

When the three people's names were called, although they didn't understand why, they had a feeling that they couldn't refuse. They stood up involuntarily and walked towards Ethan.

Then, the moment Ethan stretched out his hand, they slowly knelt on one knee, allowing Ethan's hand to hover over their heads.

He began to recite the most sacred words: "From this day forward, I grant you the name of my family, the power to share all my glory, the qualification to follow me forever, and the name... Pauletta!"

As he finished speaking, the emblem on his finger also quietly changed, as if something was about to grow out of the thorns.

(End of this chapter)