The goddesses attempted to gain my salvation.

They are better than me.

Ryan looked at Antovia, and after noticing her tension and wariness, he smiled calmly.

"do not be afraid."

"I am Ryan, and I have come to Irkutsk at your invitation."

"I wonder...where is Tracy now?"

------

In the main city of Irkutsk, inside the council hall, a waiter served the three men hot tea.

That's right, there are three people.

Ryan, Antovia, and... Yvette.

However, unlike Ryan and Antovia, Yvette did not have a seat.

Standing quietly behind Ryan, he exuded no murderous intent, his eyes never leaving Ryan.

It's like a harmless little animal.

Antovia was very puzzled by Yvette's change.

You know, when we released her from the dungeon, she had a look on her face that said she wanted to eat people alive.

Antovia even anticipated that the enemy would launch an attack immediately while she was removing the bomb from Yvette's chest.

Therefore, Antovia had a backup plan.

But when Antovia saw Yvette's current appearance, she even felt as if her soul had been replaced by someone else.

Even when they were disarming her, there wasn't a single trace of resistance in her eyes.

That's a bit strange.

"So, Tracy went to the capital?"

Ryan's voice pulled Antovia back to reality.

"Yes."

"I think you've heard about what happened in Magadan City. At Lord Alvin's suggestion, the king selection ceremony has been temporarily postponed, and the members of the Thiel family have gathered in the capital to discuss countermeasures."

"I think Lord Tracy should be back in about a week."

One week...

Ryan rested his chin on his hand, thinking that seven days was a bit too long.

He couldn't guarantee he could stay here until Tracy returned.

What if I missed it...

I wonder when I'll have the chance to appear in Irkutsk again.

Ryan remembered the daffodil in his room...

Finally, Ryan made his decision.

"Now that Tracy has left, who is in charge of this main city now?"

Antovia nodded: "It's me."

“Until Lord Tracy returns, I will have full authority to manage the Irkutsk region.”

"In that case, I formally request to stay in Irkutsk for the time being."

Antovia was secretly delighted after hearing this.

Even if Ryan didn't say it, she was already planning how to keep him here.

Antovia stood up and shook hands with Ryan.

Taking this opportunity, they wanted to subtly probe the extent of his strength.

But just as the tentacles of magic touched Ryan's magic circuits, before they could extend any deeper, a terrifying pressure burst forth from the very beginning of Ryan's magic circuits!

In a daze, Antovia saw a woman's figure behind Ryan.

The other person looked down at her, scrutinizing her as if she were a maggot. Their eyes were filled with icy coldness.

Then, the figure slowly raised its finger and pointed it at Antovia's brow.

Oops!

will die!

Antovia quickly withdrew her magic, took a half step back, and looked in horror at Ryan's back.

The figure vanished without a trace, as if it were a figment of imagination.

"Ms. Antovia?"

Ryan's voice jolted Antovia back to her senses.

Ryan squinted as he sized up Antovia.

From Ryan's perspective, Antovia shook his hand, and then seemed to want to find out more about him.

It is perfectly normal for magicians to use handshakes to probe each other's backgrounds.

Once mages have reached a certain level of trust with each other, they will use this method to show their strength and sincerity.

It's a generally accepted, conventional rule.

In fact, Ryan had just figured out Antovia's strength by probing her.

Earth element, six magic circuits.

However, as Antovia explored her magic circuits, she seemed to be blocked by something. Then, she looked behind her in alarm.

It was like seeing a ghost.

Could it be that Consort Yan made it?

Does she dislike being probed by others?

Ryan turned around to look behind him, but there was nothing there.

"Ah... I'm sorry, I was a bit out of line." Antovia quickly composed herself, trying her best to regain her composure.

However, the cold sweat on his palms was impossible to hide.

"Mr. Ryan, what did you just say?"

"What I want to ask is..."

"How many artisan workshops are there in the entire Irkutsk region? Where exactly are these workshops located?"

Antovia thought for a moment and replied, "There are currently twenty-three workshops in the region. Seven of them are in the main city of Irkutsk, including the Grudos Merchant Guild located in the city center. The rest are scattered in various towns."

"Mr. Ryan, is there any reason for you to ask these questions?"

Ryan smiled knowingly. "You'll find out then."

"All I can say right now is that this is a very important matter for Tracy, for Irkutsk, and for the entire Empire."

------

After leaving the council hall, Ryan did not wander around, but went to the Grudos Merchant Guild in the center of the city-state, which Antovia had mentioned.

Upon entering the trading company, the scene before him left even the well-traveled Ryan deeply moved.

The Groodo Chamber of Commerce is truly wealthy and powerful.

The entire trading company was almost the size of a cathedral in a major city.

There are three floors in total, from top to bottom, and countless people walk through each floor.

Crowded.

The atrium was extremely spacious, like a small town square. The floor was made of mosaic-patterned, gold-edged bricks. A luxurious crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, making it even more magnificent than a royal palace.

It's a completely different world from the frozen ground and desolation outside.

At the entrance, employees of the Groodo Chamber of Commerce, dressed in black and blue fleece-lined uniforms, introduced Ryan to the new products that had just arrived that day, as well as the new merchants who had moved in.

She was a very elegant girl with outstanding looks.

"Sir, please write down your name and mailing address here, as well as the type of goods you need or are interested in recently."

"Once you find anything of interest in our new products, we will notify you by letter as soon as possible."

I never imagined that this world would have big data analytics that records personal preferences and recommends corresponding products.

Undoubtedly, this personalized push notification will maximize the influence of the merchant. Many people who are used to this kind of push notification will automatically block other merchants and choose to shop at Groodo Merchant.

However, this project requires a large amount of manpower and financial resources to support it.

Only the Grudal Chamber of Commerce on the entire continent has the capability to do this.

Ryan didn't think much of it. He wrote down his name, mailing address, and what he wanted, and then went straight into the shop.

Looking at the documents in her hand, the girl pushed up her glasses.

“Heber... Ryan”

"The mailing address is... the Papacy of Besma."

Then, the girl called over a staff member, leaned close to her ear, and whispered a few words to her.

The staff member nodded solemnly, took the documents, and walked to the administrator's room inside the business.

------

The first floor of the shop was the area selling daily necessities, mainly grains, meat, and fruits of various colors.

The prices of all goods here are set by the Gruda Chamber of Commerce and are not subject to local control.

Grain is the most expensive commodity here, followed by fruit, and then meat.

The price of staple grains is even nearly three times higher than that on the market.

Even so, many people still choose to buy it.

The low-price grain recently distributed in Irkutsk is enough to sustain the residents for a while. However, no one can guarantee that the next grain supply will arrive on schedule.