Two Worlds: Snickers Bars for Cow Maids

However, the reactions of the audience were somewhat strange.

There was silence in the conference room and no one applauded.

The nobles' expressions became more subtle, some showed jealousy, while others were worried and uneasy.

"What? Is there any problem?" Zhang Luan looked at everyone in surprise, his eyes sweeping across the complicated faces.

The nobles present finally woke up from their dream and hurriedly applauded, but the applause seemed extremely perfunctory, as if they were just completing a necessary etiquette.

Chapter 188: Promotion to Earl

Leon suddenly kicked Zhang Luan's calf with his boot under the table and said in a low voice, "I'll tell you later!" His handsome face was full of anxiety.

"Deputy City Lord Leon, if you have anything to say, just say it directly. There's no need to play tricks!" Groot's voice was a little teasing, but his eyes were extremely sharp.

"This..." Leon used to be a playboy, but now he suddenly

Chapter 169

Since he became the deputy city lord, his identity changed, and his behavior naturally attracted much attention.

For a moment, I didn't know how to start.

"Let me do it!" Brad coughed lightly, and his old but majestic voice broke the awkward atmosphere.

A helpless smile appeared on his wrinkled face.

"Yellen City is an important city in the south of the empire," Brad began to explain in detail. "It's close to the Lizard Tribe's Diska Empire and the southern area where monsters are rampant. The previous city lord died at the hands of monsters, and the one before that, and the one before that..."

As he spoke, his old fingers kept counting the number of deceased city lords.

The atmosphere in the conference room became increasingly solemn, and even the candlelight seemed to become dimmer.

"There are currently no surviving city lords," Brad continued. "Also, Yellen City is located on the border. Thanks to the passing caravans, Rulin's Adventurer's Guild, various material and weapons vendors, and so on, the tax revenue is extremely considerable, so Yellen City has never lacked a city lord!"

"Is that so!" Zhang Luan nodded thoughtfully, a gleam in his eyes.

With the teleportation array, it is not difficult to travel back and forth between Yelen City and one's own fiefdom village.

Moreover, its location close to the Lizard Empire and the Monster Zone not only allows him to continue to improve his strength, but also makes it convenient for him to find out about Freya.

This hot potato that would hurt others is actually a great opportunity for him.

"I know that Yellen City is very important, and being the city lord is difficult," Groot said with a meaningful smile. "So, brave Zhang Luan, if you need any support, whether it's personnel, troops, or supplies, you can ask for them, and I will do my best to meet your needs!"

Brad narrowed his cloudy eyes, a shrewd look flickering across his face. "I should have mentioned it," he said slowly, his voice dripping with experience. "I heard that the monsters overwhelmed the Yellen City defenses a while ago, and the city lord was killed in that battle. The Golden Griffin was supposed to go to support them, but then this happened..."

When he spoke of the golden griffin, he deliberately emphasized his tone, and his deep gaze lingered on Grote's face for a moment.

Obviously, the old city lord never believed that the Golden Griffin Knights would betray him.

The nobles around the conference table exchanged knowing glances.

"So!" Grote immediately raised his voice, interrupting this sensitive topic, "We need a strong man to guard Yellen City. To this end, the royal family is willing to provide full support!"

Zhang Luan rubbed his hands together, deliberately showing an eager look: "Whatever I want is fine."

"Of course, as long as the Empire has it!" Grote raised his head and said confidently.

"Okay, first of all, I want all the assets of the former deputy city lord Grum, and all the assets of the previous city lords of Yellen City," Zhang Luan said, his eyes sweeping over the faces of everyone present. "I also want an army of 5,000 men, 10,000 sets of weapons and armor, and 10 million gold coins..."

Before he finished speaking, there was a sound of gasps in the conference room.

Some nobles' faces turned ashen, shocked by these exorbitant demands.

However, Zhang Luan continued: "Also, I need Kakaro to assist me!"

This last request stunned everyone.

Fitz looked incredulous, as if he was looking at a madman.

"Me? I want to defend the city of Arcadia!" Kakaro's voice was filled with undisguised anger, and his fingers drummed hard on the table.

He had just been appointed city lord, and before he had even had time to warm up to the chair, he was being transferred away by Zhang Luan to be cannon fodder. Who could stand this?!

"Yellen City is the barrier of Arcadia City," Zhang Luan said with an enigmatic smile, patting Kakaro's shoulder. "As long as Yellen City is safe, there's no need to defend Arcadia City. Besides, my fiefdom is here too. Don't worry, I won't let Arcadia City suffer even the slightest bit of damage!"

"Great! Really great!" Leon's eyes lit up and he secretly gave Zhang Luan a thumbs up.

He had already seen the merit of Zhang Luan's strategy of cutting off the source of the problem: it not only suppressed Kakaro, but also gave him, the deputy city lord, actual control of Arcadia City. The young man couldn't hide his excitement.

"Well..." Groot fell into deep thought, obviously weighing how to tactfully tell Zhang Luan the difference between proposing conditions and asking for exorbitant prices.

At this moment, a black bird suddenly flew in from the window and landed on the table in front of Grote.

Its feathers glowed with strange rainbow colors in the candlelight, and a black feather fell lightly.

"Hmm?" Groot reached out and touched the raven, and immediately felt a surge of magic power flowing into his palm.

Then, his brows furrowed and his expression became solemn.

Seeing this, Leon leaned over to Zhang Luan's ear and whispered, "This is a raven. Normally, when the magic power is stable, we use the portal to transmit messages. However, if a war breaks out and the magic power is too disturbed, we can only use ravens to transmit messages."

"Wow!" The raven let out a shrill cry, spread its dark wings and flew out of the conference room, leaving behind a few colorful feathers.

Groot gathered his thoughts and said with a smile, "My lord, everything else is easy to discuss, but five thousand soldiers and ten thousand armors? If you were the royal family, would you agree to allocate so many troops at once?"

The Empire's total military strength was just over 20,000, scattered across various cities to maintain law and order. Deploying 5,000 soldiers at once would be enough to spark a rebellion.

But Zhang Luan pretended to be ignorant and asked, "So you agree with the rest?"

"Monsters have been active frequently recently, and a lot of money has been put up as rewards for their capture. Ten million gold coins is a bit tricky, but three million gold coins is no problem!" Groot said cautiously, carefully observing Zhang Luan's reaction.

"As for the other city lords' assets, I can give them all to you. And I promise," Groot said with a sincere smile, "all of Yellen City's year-end taxes will belong to you personally! What do you think?"

"I can only get the money by the end of the year?" Zhang Luan frowned slightly and thought to himself.

Goodness me, I don't have to be a slave in this other world anymore, but I'm still being promised a rosy future. Isn't this just options? You can make a fortune by listing your company.

But if he couldn't hold on in Yellen City until the end of the year and was killed by monsters, then everything would be in vain.

Leon saw Zhang Luan's hesitation and gently touched his leg under the table, signaling him not to go too far.

Brad watched the bargaining with a meaningful look on his face, as if he was recalling the scene when he took over as the city lord. Compared with Zhang Luan, he was simply begging.

Chapter 189 Make a fortune

"I agree!" Zhang Luan nodded decisively, a glint of insight in his eyes. He knew the negotiations had reached their sweet spot, and further bargaining would likely backfire.

"Okay, it's settled then!" Groot's expression suddenly relaxed, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothed out.

"Lord Groot!?" Kakaro stood up suddenly, and the chair made a harsh sound as it scraped against the ground.

His face, which had always been calm as water, was now filled with solemnity, and his eyes flickered with anxiety.

"Oh, by the way, Kakaro," Groot said in an unquestionable tone, "You must assist the brave Zhang Luan until the end of the year, and then you can come back and continue to be the lord of Arcadia!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the conference room suddenly became subtle.

Kakaro's fingers unconsciously gripped the back of the chair, and his knuckles turned white from the force.

He knew he had no choice. This was a game of gambling with his life. If he won, he could return to the position of city lord. If he lost, he might just be a cold corpse.

After the dinner, the lights in front of the City Lord's Mansion were brightly lit.

Fox-eared girl An An followed Zhang Luan closely, her faint fragrance drifting in the night wind.

The pair of furry white ears stood up proudly, the fluffy tail swayed gently, and there was a gleam of happiness in the eyes.

Chapter 170

The other animal-eared girls gathered at the door stared at An An with jealous eyes.

They either have cat ears or rabbit ears, and although they are dressed gorgeously, they cannot hide their inner jealousy.

After all, An An not only became Zhang Luan's exclusive maid, but also won the favor of this young and handsome earl.

"No need to send me off, just come here!" Zhang Luan said to Brad and Leon with a smile. His smile under the moonlight made the animal-eared girls around him even more itchy.

An An puffed out her chest proudly, and amid the angry gazes of the other beast-eared girls, she moved closer to Zhang Luan more intimately.

Leon patted Zhang Luan's sturdy arm and said gratefully, "Thank goodness, my good brother helped me. Otherwise, Arcadia City would have been caught up in another political struggle!"

"We're all brothers, so there's no need for politeness," Zhang Luan said with a smile. "I feel more at ease with you guarding Arcadia City. After all, my fiefdom is still here!"

Brad took out a staff emitting cold air from his arms: "I have an ice staff here that can amplify the power of ice magic. It was originally left by a comrade who fought against monsters together with me before. Now I give it to you!" The diamond-shaped sapphire on the top sparkled with a faint blue light in the moonlight.

"Thank you, old city lord!" Zhang Luan took the staff and felt the powerful magic contained in it.

Brad lowered his voice and said solemnly, "Yellen City is strange. Although there are monsters around, they attack the city at irregular intervals and don't occupy it after attacking. No one knows why. If Mr. Zhang takes office, please pay a little attention to it! Perhaps we can find a way to successfully defend Yellen City here!"

The night breeze blows gently, bringing a chill.

An An followed Zhang Luan obediently, looking at Zhang Luan's tall figure with her beautiful eyes, immersed in happiness.

At this moment, Zhang Luan had a lot of thoughts in his mind.

Brad's reminder made him realize that the problems in Yellen City might not be as simple as they seemed. The city seemed to be hiding some unknown secrets.

"I understand. I'll keep an eye on it!" After saying goodbye to the two of them, Zhang Luan boarded the carriage inlaid with gold and silver.

In the flickering candlelight, Mira's tall figure stood by the window.

She was dressed in a tight black outfit that perfectly outlined her slender and toned figure.

Her neat short hair sets off her pair of black cat ears, exuding a heroic air.

As a Guardian instructor, she exudes a cold and capable temperament, but the presence of cat ears adds a bit of cuteness.

The muscle lines faintly visible under the tights show the results of her years of training.

However, when she secretly looked at Zhang Luan, a hint of imperceptible softness flashed in her amber cat eyes.

The baby-faced girl in the corner was in stark contrast to Mila.

She was only wearing Zhang Luan's shirt, which was too big for her and hung loosely on her body.

The girl didn't seem to care about her clothes, and casually left her collar open, revealing her fair skin and faintly visible curves.

The hem of the shirt barely covered the important parts, and the two white thighs shone in the candlelight.

"Master, I am your gift, please do with me as you please!" the girl said timidly. The moment she saw Zhang Luan, her face turned red.

The nobles I had met before were either fat or rough, nothing like the handsome and elegant master in front of me.

"What's your name?" Zhang Luan asked gently.

The carriage swayed gently, and the candlelight cast a warm color on the girl's tender face.

"I don't have a name. I'm a gift, and gifts don't need names!" The girl shook her head, her hair fluttering gently with her movements. Her shirt also swayed, revealing more of her beauty.

"Then you should call yourself Ningning from now on. An'an Ningning, for good luck!" Zhang Luan said with a smile.

"Okay, master!" Ningning's voice was sweet and moving, as sticky as if it were covered in honey.

Mira sighed softly, the moonlight streaming through the car window onto her handsome profile. Her cat-like eyes, always alert, now gleamed with a tenderness she herself hadn't noticed.

"And you, Mila! I'm so glad you're here, or I'd have fallen into that old scoundrel Groot's trap!" Zhang Luan walked over to Mila and gently placed his hand on her waist. Through her tights, he could feel her strong, flexible waist.

Mira's cat ears trembled slightly, and the black tights outlined her perfect figure. She was sensitive to the warmth of Zhang Luan's palm through the fabric, and her usually calm heart suddenly panicked.

Subconsciously, she forced the black tail down again.

"This is my duty, Master, no need for praise!" Mira lowered her head, her neat short hair covering her flushed cheeks. As a guard instructor, she was accustomed to a meticulous image, but in front of Zhang Luan, this self-confidence always unconsciously collapsed.

"Do you want any reward?" Zhang Luan took a step back and looked at the heroic cat-eared girl in front of him seriously.

The black tights wrapped around her slender body, revealing the lines of her muscles, but she looked particularly attractive because of her dignified temperament.

Zhang Luan still maintained some respect for the instructor guarded in black.

Unlike An An and Ning Ning, the purpose of their existence is to please me, so it is only natural for me to play with them and take advantage of them in various postures anytime and anywhere.

"I don't need any reward. The master's recognition is my greatest reward!" Mila pretended to be calm, but her amber eyes couldn't help but glance at Zhang Luan's lower body.

When she found that there was nothing unusual there, her delicate brows frowned slightly, and her whole body exuded an air of loss.

"An An knows! An An knows what kind of reward her sister wants!" Fox-eared girl An An playfully jumped in front of Zhang Luan and put her little mouth close to his ear.

Her breath was warm, with a hint of cunning: "This sister wants the master's love. Her tail has come and her butt is wiggling slightly. This is a signal, but she hides it well. It's hard to notice if you don't observe carefully!"

"Is that so?" Zhang Luan looked at Mila in surprise. Mila was pretending to arrange the weapon hidden on her wrist, but her pair of pitch-black cat ears were trembling with nervousness.

Under the tights, her graceful waistline twisted slightly, as if expressing her deepest desire.