I'm in Terra

Victor smiled. It seemed that someone was taking advantage of him.

A New Day: 4 Party Invitations

Politics is never about a simple, one-punch-one-kick mentality. It involves a subtle shift in thinking and stance, a means to an end.

Victoria had been in Saint Jun Castle for less than three days, but he had already figured out the internal operating logic of Saint Jun Castle.

Fyodor was warm and trusting of him, but this was merely his basic performance as an emperor. In reality, the emperor felt a mixture of love and fear for Victory's arrival. He needed Victor to attract the attention of other factions and to leverage his military power to stabilize the situation. He also feared Victor's dominance would breed undue ambition.

The empty promises and the mess left behind by the First Army are proof of this.

If Victoria was a young man who loved his country, he might have been brainwashed by the so-called honor and trust, and foolishly helped Fyodor overcome these obstacles.

But alas, he is not.

Not only did he not intend to be this silly bear, but he also intended to be a venomous snake lying in wait for an opportunity.

But how can a target that is pushed out from the stage fade out of other people's sight?

This is the charm of politics.

Humans are creatures that only focus on their enemies. But Victory didn't intend to stand by Fyodor's side.

He has the largest number of soldiers in the Saint Jun Castle. As long as he is careful not to trigger the bottom line of those sharp blades, that is, he does not completely break up with the emperor, then he will be the player with the most capital in the entire Saint Jun Castle.

And having strong capital means...someone needs him.

In the Imperial Diet, Victoria's name was mentioned repeatedly by the members of the House of Representatives. Once the focal point of Saint Steed Castle, he had adopted a remarkably low profile after completing his garrison duties, avoiding participation in the Diet and refraining from expressing his views. These past few days, he'd either been training in the barracks or strolling around with his Sarkaz lieutenant, appearing completely indifferent to the world.

"The newly promoted young duke hasn't attended the parliament for three consecutive days. Does it seem like he has no intention of interfering in the center of power in the empire?"

"Don't be stupid. Even though he claims his title isn't worthy of reality, who really thinks he's a fool? My guess is that Fyodor is worried about him and doesn't dare let him participate in internal decision-making."

"That's interesting. How about we try to test the waters? Hold a banquet sometime and try to invite him?"

Hearing the murmurs of the councilors around him, Sayid, who was in charge of the empire's finances, coughed lightly. "Banquet? You're really well-informed. I was just about to inform you. My second son is having his coming-of-age ceremony today, and I'm planning to hold a banquet tonight. Would you mind giving me a favor? Oh, and by the way, the recently popular Duke Victoria will also be there. If you want to make friends, why not try at the banquet?"

Upon hearing this, several council members looked at each other in shock. But soon, their surprise was completely overshadowed by their uncontrollable excitement.

They knew that Sayid was well-connected, so it was normal for him to take the initiative to try to win over Victor. However, they did not expect Victor to accept Sayid's invitation so easily, even though it was just a private dinner.

I'm afraid the young duke's position is not as firm as it seems.

The councillors accepted Sayid's invitation without hesitation. Many well-informed individuals were already thinking about what gifts to bring; Victoria's preferences weren't too difficult to inquire about.

Perhaps it would be a good idea for them to bring along their carefully nurtured daughter?

Looking at everyone lost in thought, Sayid calmly sat back in his seat. He glanced at Witt who was looking at him calmly not far away and smiled gently in return.

The struggle between the various parties will not end easily because of an army group. At least, this army group itself is a good target to be won over, isn't it?

Watching the council members whispering in the distance, a sense of foreboding crossed Speaker Witte's mind. In truth, Witte had advised Fyodor to do his utmost to win over Victor. Unfortunately, Fyodor still harbored a lingering concern. He did follow Witte's advice and extended an olive branch to Victor, but the two men had some disagreements during the discussion about how to win him over.

Fyodor believed that Victor was an outstanding young man loyal to his country and that if he was given honor and respect, he would become the sword of the empire. Of course, he was also concerned that Victor would act recklessly due to his excessive power, but as an emperor, Fyodor could not express such a statement.

And now, the backlash has begun. Victory's attitude is ambiguous, but the nobles are vying for him. It's foreseeable that Victory will be bombarded with banquets and gifts. Can this young noble resist the temptation and remain true to his heart...

Witte has reservations.

However, both of them were wrong. Victoria had no intention of rejecting the nobles' invitation, and he certainly wouldn't make a promise lightly.

Yes, he planned to get it for free first, and then wait and see how it went. Although this behavior was bad, he had the capital to do it.

"W, there's a dinner party tonight. Are you interested in joining me?"

"What dinner?" W tugged at the scarf around his neck and listened to Victoria's arrangements.

"A feast of pleasure." Victoria smiled and struck a dancing pose. "Wearing a sexy evening gown, drinking to your heart's content, enjoying yourself to the fullest, and then venting your desires to the fullest, like a mad beast."

W rolled his eyes, thinking that it was a waste of time for him to patiently listen to Victoria's invitation. "Forget it, let's have a cherry blossom party, and it's a hedonistic orgy. If you want to go, go by yourself. Just don't get too carried away by a woman's belly."

"Can I interpret your words as concern?" Victoria smiled slyly and patted W's butt gently. "Don't worry, I've always been the one to toy with them. Have you ever seen me lose?"

In response to Victoria, W gave him the middle finger.

That night, a grand banquet was held at Sayyid's residence.

The venue and setting were similar to Victoria's last time, except that Sayid and the others didn't retreat to a dark room to entertain themselves as they had before. As a formal social dinner, the proper procedures and etiquette still had to be observed.

Especially when more than half of the nobles in the entire Saint Jun Castle attended the dinner.

But...

Victoria glanced at the dance floor and the lounge area and found that the male guests were basically generals and nobles, but interestingly, they did not bring their families with them. Even if they did, they were all young and beautiful girls.

It was obvious that this party might be more interesting than Victoria had imagined.

PS: I have been working hard to update three posts a day these days, but I may not have time to write tomorrow.

I need to help with housework QAQ

A different day: 5 unexpected visitors

High-ranking officials, nobles, men, banquet.

What does this combination of keywords mean?

A cherry blossom party.

The girls who came and went at the banquet all had delicate faces and wore various evening gowns. Some of them were bold enough to wear revealing clothes, and they smiled at every gentleman who came and went.

For aristocrats like Victoria, this was just an ordinary dinner, but for these young girls who might not even be able to afford evening gowns, this dinner was an opportunity they would risk everything for.

Some of them are female students who have been selected through layers of selection, and some are young ladies who come to see the world.

But Victoria didn't care about these. He just put his arms around two girls who looked quite pleasing to the eye, then strode towards the VIP seats and sat down.

There, Sayid, with a rosy face, was greeting the nobles who had arrived early.

The sight of two women and one man standing side by side was quite eye-catching at the banquet, but that was Victoria's intention. The girls beside him, noticing the attention shifting to them, immediately and obediently embraced Victoria's arms. They had agreed to spend the dinner together because of his handsome face, but they hadn't expected to win the grand prize without even realizing it.

"It's been a long time since we last met, Mr. Sayid. Seeing you still looking so radiant, my mood has naturally improved."

With one arm around a beautiful woman, Victoria smiled and nodded at Sayid, a greeting that was enough. The girls around him, however, bowed repeatedly, clearly recognizing the host of the party.

As a cunning financial manager, Sayid had long seen Victor's high-profile entrance. Just as Victor was about to reach him, he stopped the previous topic and solemnly introduced Victor to the people around him.

"Long time no see, little Victory. The last time we met, you were still an earl, and I didn't expect you to be promoted to a duke in the blink of an eye. These people are in charge of consolidating the empire's finances. If you are interested, you can make friends with them. Of course, the most important thing is to have fun."

"I'll lend you some good words~"

Seeing that the nobles around him were all looking at him with smiles, Victoria naturally greeted them one by one. In fact, the information of these nobles had been sorted out by Miss Kashena for him long before arriving at the Saint Jun Castle, but this did not prevent Victoria from pretending to flatter and joke.

After a brief exchange of greetings, Victoria walked towards the buffet area with the girls in his arms. He wasn't in a hurry to get close to these dignitaries; on the contrary, they were the ones who were anxious.

After meeting each other and understanding each other's positions and background, future conversations and cooperation will be meaningful.

As for now? He just had to be friendly and enjoy the party.

Arriving at the VIP lounge area, Victoria found a corner to sit down. With the seats and the dining table as a shelter, the girls around him suddenly became bolder. They had seen Victoria's greetings to the nobles just now. Whether it was his status as a duke or his friendly conversation with the host, it proved that Victoria was far more distinguished than they had imagined.

The two girls then treated Victoria with great care, acting as his personal waiters while engaging in playful tricks. One of the more daring girls even slipped into Victoria's arms before everyone else, then slid under the table.

This scene was also seen by the attentive nobles around.

"Haha, it seems that little Victory is still as charming and dashing as ever." Said smiled knowingly, turned around and presided over the banquet. The nobles beside him looked at each other and asked casually.

"It seems that the Duke likes beautiful women very much?"

"You talk as if you don't like it." Sayid raised his glass jokingly. "Who doesn't like fine wine and beautiful women? Little Victoria is still young, so it's normal for him to be more interested in these things. But my good-for-nothing son, he's already living a life of debauchery before he even reached adulthood. If he had even a fraction of Victoria's cleverness and wit, I wouldn't have so many headaches."

The nobleman who had spoken to him smiled faintly and offered a subtle compliment: "You can't say that. Your second son is also a brilliant and talented person. If he is considered idle, then my son is no different from a street urchin."

The group chatted and laughed, and soon found their respective groups to relax. Meanwhile, the news that Duke Victoria enjoyed wine and women and had a good relationship with Sayid had quietly spread to every noble.

As for Victoria, he had thought that tonight's party would be nothing more than a few drinks and some games with the girls. However, he hadn't expected those 'predestined ones' to be even more anxious than he had imagined.

Just as he was holding down a female student and kissing another, a low-key figure sat down opposite Victoria and coughed politely.

Victoria nodded slightly and slowly released the girl under him. At the same time, he used his superb kissing skills to kiss the clinging little elf beside him until her whole body was soft.

It was not until the two men were completely defeated that Victoria straightened his messy dress and looked at the man opposite him with a smile.

"Talking about business at a banquet doesn't seem like a good idea, does it?"

"That makes sense, but it's a pity that it's more troublesome to discuss it in private." The man took off his hat and saluted, then quickly filled two glasses of liquor: "You can call me..."

"Rishala, the Minister of Armaments Management. I just ran into him at Sayid's side." Victory took the glass with a smile and drank it down without hesitation. "I'm not that forgetful. Let's get straight to the point."

Risala smiled and also downed the wine in her glass. "I like people who are straightforward. Then I'll get straight to the point. The Imperial Military Forge is my subordinate department. I heard that Your Excellency the Duke is planning to replace a batch of advanced equipment soon?"

"Just call me Victor." Victor nodded with a smile. "What's the most important thing in the army? The first is quality, and the second is armament. As the leader of an army, and also responsible for defending the capital, of course I want to update the troops' weapons and equipment, but unfortunately..."

"It's a reasonable request, but..." Risala smacked her lips with some regret. "It's approaching winter, and the empire has been in turmoil lately. The capital's stockpile of fine steel has been used up, and the next batch won't arrive until after the New Year. It's a pity that this place is so far away from Luxembourg, otherwise this little bit of steel would never have been so difficult for the Duke."

"That's right. I think Mr. Resala has a solution?"

A New Era: 6 Truths from the Past

At a brightly lit dinner party, two elegantly dressed gentlemen sat opposite each other. They ignored the whispers and teasing of the girls beside them, and only had eyes for each other's smiling faces.

"It's not a solution."

After staring at each other for a long time, it was finally Resala who spoke first. He hadn't expected the young Victoria to have such determination, but that didn't stop him from making a killing.

Gazing at Victoria's serious eyes, Resala smiled slightly. "I've never felt very secure. Whether it's manpower or weapons and equipment, I'll always be fully prepared. Coincidentally, I have a batch of high-quality refined steel in my inventory. Although the quantity is small, it will definitely be enough to last until the New Year and replenish the concentrate."

Victoria's heart paused for a moment, but his face was full of smiles: "Really? That's really great. Can you give me a price?"

"Talking about money is a bit vulgar." Risala raised an eyebrow and lowered her voice slightly. "Which official who can survive in the imperial capital doesn't have some capital? Mr. Duke is no fool. He should know that this is never about money."

"I'd like to hear more about it." Victoria nodded, as if he was being taught a lesson. "Arming the troops has always been a top priority. If the Minister's conditions are suitable, I will certainly not be stingy."

"Really? Even if it means having these two beauties by your side?" Upon hearing this, Risara's expression relaxed and she picked up the wine glass and joked.

"What's the difficulty? Although these two girls share my interests, I'm not the type to overbear if the Minister is interested. Let alone these two budding beauties, if the Minister has the opportunity to visit Luxembourg, I will definitely let you see the true beauty."

Victoria smiled, his words showing no regard for the girls around him. His impudent words caused dissatisfaction among the girls around him, but facing two nobles of far higher status than themselves, all they could do was endure it with an unpleasant smile.

"If I have the chance, I will definitely go to the Duke's territory to have a look, but I won't disturb His Excellency the Duke's interest today. See you next time." Risara picked up the wine glass and drank it all, then said a simple hello and returned to her small group.

But just as the two greeted each other, Victoria clearly heard a whisper.

"Contact me tomorrow night. Besides this business, I'll also give you a surprise."

Clearly, with so many people and eyes at the banquet, Resala had no intention of closing the deal right there. Even so, Victoria had already sensed some of the minister's intentions.

Regardless of whether the steel that he was preparing to arm the "＆＆" troops was really seized by this minister, his attitude just now alone showed that the Minister of Armaments Management had big plans.

Based on this, Victoria decided to have a serious talk with Mr. Resala. After all, the bigger the commotion, the easier it would be for him to do things.

But first things first. When he returns, he'll have Black Snake thoroughly investigate the source of the steel from the Imperial Capital Workshop. If it was truly prepared secretly by Resala, then it's fine. But if this greedy minister took the initiative to withhold the prepared supplies...

Victoria didn't mind operating on him and letting the other nobles see what he was capable of.

Putting down his wine glass, Victoria took the initiative to comfort the two girls who were mentally injured. He knew that what he had just said hurt the girls' hearts, but he knew even more clearly that communication at the negotiation table must not reveal even the slightest flaw.

Even if there is, it must be Victoria who exposed it on his own initiative.

Fortunately, there were no other guests to disturb them tonight. Aside from greeting each other and getting to know each other, the nobles maintained a certain degree of restraint. They all tacitly chose the girls they liked and experienced their own carnival.

After eating and drinking to their heart's content, Victoria hugged the girls and greeted Sayid. He knew that there were private rooms and lounges in the banquet hall specially prepared for VIPs, which were perfect for relaxing.

So Victoria randomly found a maid that he liked, asked her to lead him all the way to a luxurious private room, and then threw him and the maid onto the bed.

As a veteran playboy, two fledgling female students could not possibly satisfy him. Even with a maid, the three-person battleship could not compare with Victoria, but it was barely enough to kill time.

The frenzied dinner party lasted until the early hours of the morning. When the clock struck one in the morning, Victoria had already taken a shower, sorted out his slightly disheveled clothes, and left the banquet venue. When the maid who was cleaning the room walked into Victoria's room, even though she was experienced, she couldn't help but feel her legs weaken at the sight of the room.

Three beautiful girls collapsed on the bed, their mouths and bodies a mess. Scraps of dresses and maid outfits lay scattered around the bed. Someone might have believed they'd been at a sakura party, but the maid remembered it vividly. Victoria was the only man to enter the room, and he was the only one to leave.

That is to say......

Looking at the miserable scene on the bed, the maid subconsciously clamped her legs together.

Of course, these were just minor incidents for Victoria. While he was having fun, he had already memorized the information and addresses of several girls. Afterwards, the host of the party would give them a generous reward, and if Victoria felt like it, he could also find them directly through communication.

The dinner party did not cause much disturbance, but the attitude and evaluation of Victoria among the nobles changed in an unknowing way.

The handsome and charming new Duke once again became the topic of conversation among the nobles, but this time, they were thinking about how to win over this seemingly easy-to-understand young man.

As for the various upcoming invitations, Victoria will not refuse them all. He will use his actions and attitude to tell certain people who holds the initiative.