novelODS Chapter 72: Becoming a Member of the Duke's Family?
Chapter 72: Becoming a Member of the Duke's Family?
[Holy crap, is this for real? Han Du has become a wanted criminal?]
[Guaranteed authentic. The wanted poster has been issued in Mirandil. Those Koreans are incredibly audacious; they actually dared to assassinate a diplomat from the Beth Empire. The Duke has given a death order: there are bounties on everyone in Han City!]
[I just saw it. The chairman of Han Du City said he committed suicide in court. Do you think it would be possible if we caught him after he was resurrected and then used him to claim the reward?]
[Would that kid reveal the players' secrets?]
So what I mean is, if you encounter someone you can kill, kill them. Taking their head to collect the bounty has the same effect, and it can also silence them!
[Brother Chicken is a genius! What do you guys think?]
Chinese players in the Milan-Dil region responded enthusiastically, while members of the Korean community scattered across various regions were struck dumb.
Especially the members of Han Du City who are far away from Milan Dier, none of them dared to speak on the public channel. For a time, they were like frightened birds, unable to contact the higher-ups. They didn't know if the news was true or false. If it was false, why didn't anyone from Han Du City come out to refute it?
If it's true... does that mean they'll soon be wanted as well?
Thinking of this, many guild players scattered throughout the region felt like the world was collapsing. Han Du City has been established for more than ten years. Most of those who chose to develop in cities outside of Milan and Dill have lost their ambition and just want to live a peaceful life. With proper jobs, many of them have even gotten married and had children.
Now that this arrest warrant has been issued, the immediate result will be the separation of wives and children, and if they escape, their wives and children may even suffer.
More than a decade of stability has made them consider themselves natives, and many have lost the player mentality they once had. Now that everything is about to collapse, how can they bear it?
Many people wrote letters immediately, wanting to get an explanation.
Meanwhile, the lower-level players, those unregistered individuals, immediately set their sights on the mid-level guild members.
After the Han City region developed, it became very domineering, constantly squeezing the space of ordinary players and forcing them to join. However, after joining, their treatment was far inferior to that of the native Korean players in the Han City region. They were given priority in status and profession, while these Chinese players not only had no status, but also had to do dirty and hard work often. For more than ten years, they lived a precarious life, and their lives were not much better than those of refugees.
Now that members of Han Du City are wanted, they who thought they were going to be caught in the crossfire suddenly realized that they were unregistered and had no identity, so they were not considered Han Du City members at all. Moreover, if they took the initiative to report them or even helped to arrest them, there would be a reward.
Suddenly, the massive lower-class population began to stir, while the middle-class players who had enjoyed the benefits of Han Du City for over a decade were about to face a backlash!
Of course, Bright didn't have time to worry about these things for the time being.
He was about to undergo a life-altering surgery. At this moment, under the arrangement of his butler, he arrived at the Duke's mansion to undergo a surgery that would determine Mirandil's fate, and of course, his own.
If the surgery is successful, I will be able to obtain the title of viscount as I wish, and through the exchange, I will be able to take my position from Eliza and thus control my own destiny.
"I've already prepared the official seal for you!"
In the mansion's main hall, on a dining table crafted from black crystal, a fiery red jade stone shimmered with dancing flames, appearing incredibly beautiful and causing Bright's heart to pound.
"This is a viscount's seal of the highest rank. The original owner was hanged for treason, and the seal was taken back. The seal is very clean and has no trace of his former profession."
Bright was taken aback, but instead of feeling happy, he felt a little sad.
"Very clean" means that the professions appointed by this seal of authority have either been purged or... removed!
A viscount, if calculated at the highest level, can appoint tens of thousands of farmers. If converted into professions such as warriors, workers, doctors, and merchants, that would amount to several thousand. "Clean" means that tens of thousands or several thousand professionals have lost their jobs. They may have wives and children to support, or they may have lived honestly and peacefully for decades. But just because their nobleman made a mistake, they and their entire families may become refugees!
This is the cruel world. Even if you do nothing bad and work diligently, you may still be struck by misfortune!
"Thank you, sir!"
"Can you guarantee the success of the surgery?" Duke Os asked again.
"If I can't, I probably won't be able to get out of here," Bright said calmly.
The Duke immediately laughed: "If you are not lying, you will gain the friendship of a duke, just like Michel."
"Thank you very much." Bright stood up and bowed.
"As far as I know, you're not married yet?"
"Huh?" Bright was taken aback. In fact, he had received many hints from the earl's butler in the past few days. Many noble ladies were interested in him.
After all, for many daughters of earls, becoming a super doctor is already a very good outcome. Not all daughters of earls are qualified to become countesses. A viscountess, especially a highly respected super doctor viscountess, is far more ideal than marrying a nouveau riche merchant or even a rude warrior!
Bright knew he was in high demand these days, but he didn't expect it to be this high. Did the Duke even have such plans?
"Don't be surprised," the Duke chuckled. "If your medical skills can truly solve my health problems, then becoming family is a must. I have many children and beautiful granddaughters; you have plenty of choices. Don't doubt the genes of my family; every single one of them is no less than your Lady Eliza!"
"Um... I have no relationship with Mrs. Eliza."
"Is that so?" the Duke said calmly. "Lady Eliza's child did not show any extraordinary power, but my high-level sorcerers, through tracing the source, unexpectedly discovered that the child's relationship with you is not simple..."
Bright: "........"
"To have risen to this level as a corpse collector, Mr. Bright, it seems you have quite a few secrets."
Bright's expression remained unchanged, but a cold sweat broke out on his back. Even though he had learned from intelligence that the Duke had investigated him before he came, he still couldn't help but feel terrified.
The power these big shots wield is indeed not something I provoked; in just a few days, they investigated my background thoroughly!
"Well then, let's begin, Mr. Bright. As you said, if you can't complete the surgery, you won't be able to leave here. But if you succeed, congratulations, you'll be one of my most valued family members!"
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"doctor?"
Most of the girls who were summoned looked dissatisfied.
As granddaughters of dukes, they are considered to have a noble status, but in reality, many granddaughters are treated worse than some earl's children.
The reason is simple: Duke Oss has too many children. There is only one dukedom. Even if some outstanding children can be allocated some noble titles, in order to maintain the noble circle of Milandil, even Duke Oss cannot give a large number of noble titles to his children, especially some unworthy children.
Therefore, the Duke of Os's children were very different. Some were generals on the battlefield, some were regents of Milandil, and some were even the largest shareholders of Milandil's banks. But there were also merchants who could only barely maintain the dignity of the nobility by relying on some family businesses, or scholars who devoted themselves to the construction of Milandil Academy.
Their social standing was worlds apart!
For example, their second uncle, the finance minister of Milandil, had several daughters who either married local marquises or married outside Milandil and became the wives of city lords. Their second uncle's pearl, the eldest daughter Fiona, even married into the royal family.
Their fathers, whether scholars from academies or merchants from family businesses, were not necessarily willing to form marriage alliances with even local earls; the difference was extraordinary.
However, as a ducal family, most of the granddaughters were arrogant and had witnessed the extravagant life of the nobility. None of them wanted to marry a merchant or a poor scholar or teacher. When they heard that the old duke had summoned them, they were all eager to show off.
If your parents aren't helpful, your grandfather is a real lifesaver. If he could get even a little attention from you, your fate might be changed.
But unexpectedly, the purpose of gathering them was to win over a doctor?
Immediately, many of the granddaughters' faces darkened.
The old butler had been watching closely and had quietly eliminated quite a few people for his master.
The master has many children, and there are hundreds of unmarried granddaughters. How could they all possibly marry into noble families? Although the family is large, its resources are not unlimited. The granddaughters who are not valued may never even have the chance to speak a word to the master in their entire lives. The fact that the master has taken the initiative to summon them here is because they have value to him. In the steward's eyes, this is already a great honor.
However, these little girls still don't recognize themselves; they are truly foolish.
His Excellency the Duke said that the woman chosen for Bright should not only be beautiful and charming, but also clever...and intelligent!
And those children who didn't even understand the situation and were prepared to deal with it passively just because they heard that he was a doctor, could be eliminated immediately.
These children have given up their only chance to change their fate.
They didn't even consider that if they were just ordinary doctors, would the Duke really be willing to personally summon them?