Lord of Mysteries: Return of the Stars!

But now, judging by Greg's tone, it sounded like he already had some improper relationship with Lady Germani?

How could someone's good name be tarnished out of nowhere like this?!

------------------------

Hastur wore a grim expression and said seriously, "Greg, you should trust my taste and morals."

There's no way he could take the blame for something so inexplicable!

"You really haven't gotten involved with Lady Germani?"

"No!"

"But when someone asked Lady Germani about you, she said with a satisfied look: you are a man far more mature and reliable than you appear."

"..."

Hastur was momentarily speechless. That response from Lady Germani was a masterclass in the art of speaking!

Even if he was dissatisfied, there was no way to cause a scene over this. After all, on the surface,

Lady Germani was complimenting him.

But combined with that satisfied expression, it easily led people to imagine and misunderstand things. He didn't believe Lady Germani was unaware of this.

Hastur didn't want to discuss the matter any further. When it came to things like this, he was no match for Lady Germani.

"Greg, don't you have things to take care of today?"

"I'll deal with them this afternoon, after having lunch with you."

"I don't have a chef at the moment…" Hastur was a bit embarrassed.

Greg smiled. "I was just thinking of trying some Intis-style lunch."

"…Greg, are you trying to further burden my already struggling finances?"

"As a proper nobleman, it's worth paying a little price to maintain necessary dignity," Greg said, his smile growing even brighter.

"Greg, do you know where I can sell blood?"

"There should be places offering that service over in the East District."

"Sigh…"

…

The two chatted for a while longer, during which several wealthy merchants and minor nobles from the area came to visit.

Greg didn't bother avoiding suspicion; instead, he enthusiastically received the guests together with Hastur.

Hastur understood his intention, Greg wanted others to know that even if the Campbell family had fallen, they still had the solid backing of Greg Negan from the Negan Family.

By noon, the two had seen off all visitors and boarded Greg's luxurious carriage to head to an upscale Intis restaurant.

Greg was clearly a regular there and easily ordered a lavish spread. Hastur added two desserts.

The restaurant was said to preserve the hometown flavors of Emperor Roselle, and its cuisine stood apart from the culinary desert that was Loen.

Hastur greatly enjoyed the food, especially pairing the delicate side dishes with a bowl of rice, it left him very satisfied.

After the meal, Greg naturally had his attendant pay the bill, not further straining Hastur's already fragile finances.

"I'll arrange a legal consultant position for you at Bavart Bank. You don't need to show up daily, go when you feel like it."

"As for the weekly salary, hmm, let's make it 10 pounds for now."

"No need to rush to refuse. I have my reasons for arranging it this way."

Greg had realized that Hastur's financial situation was far worse than he'd thought. As a friend, he felt he had to help in any way he could.

"No, Greg, you've still overestimated my financial situation. I really had no intention of refusing…" Hastur sighed inwardly, his gaze complicated, remaining silent.

He had come to terms with it. Since he couldn't refuse, he might as well lie down and enjoy it.

A weekly salary of 10 pounds, over 500 pounds a year, that was enough to support a family of three with a relatively decent life. He could work when he wanted and didn't need to apply for leave if he didn't.

This kind of job was practically a bowl of soft rice handed to him, gently fed into his mouth.

Seeing that Hastur didn't refuse, Greg smiled. At the same time, he regretted not offering a higher salary to help his friend get through these hard times.

But if he had, Hastur might not have accepted his goodwill so easily.

Sigh, Hastur was fine in every way, except for that pride of his.

Otherwise, he could've gifted him a house in the Queen's District and a plantation with fixed annual income.

…

After Greg left, Hastur checked the time. 2:20 PM. He still had time to go to court and observe a trial.

But before that, he needed to buy two stained glass windows, he was still used to sleeping in his original bedroom.

He shopped around and eventually bought them. The total cost: 6 pounds and 8 soli!

No matter how expensive, it had to be paid.

After paying, he brought two workers home to install the windows, then locked up and left.

Sitting in the carriage, Hastur began thinking about what he needed to do next.

Digesting the Lawyer Potion was the top priority.

Attending Professor Wayne's lectures and observing court sessions could help with digestion, but ultimately, nothing beat actually playing the role of a lawyer.

That's also part of why he didn't refuse Greg's arrangement today.

Bavart Bank was one of Loen's major banks. Becoming a legal advisor there clearly meant he could come into contact with and handle some commercial cases.

And he was also making plans for his own future. To him, the real way to make money should be in the investment industry.

After all, he knew about the major events that would occur in Loen and other northern countries over the next few years. Few places offered easier access to the latest news than banks.

He also needed to confirm the barbarian potion formula, might as well do it tonight. The sooner he verified its authenticity, the sooner he could start collecting the required ingredients.

According to the latest information from Sheriff Reed, Andrew Wilson still hadn't been caught, this was something that deserved serious attention.

He had a hunch that Andrew Wilson was likely a Beyonder.

Now that he had a stable weekly salary, it was time to hire a suitable butler to handle all household affairs. Two or three maids would suffice; the chef was the most important.

Soon, the carriage arrived at the courthouse.

After paying the fare, Hastur took out his pocket watch and glanced at the time.

Then, based on past experience, he stood away from the crowd and waited until he heard the familiar voice of the Judge from inside before slowly walking in.

"Huh..."

Hastur glanced at the last few rows of seats and found that all the empty spots had been taken.

This time, the attendees were no longer mostly noble ladies, a good number of noblemen had come as well.

It looked like something major was going to happen today.

Hastur looked around and finally found an empty seat in the third-to-last row.

After listening for a while, Hastur finally understood why so many nobles had come to court today, both the plaintiff and the defendant were nobles.

One represented the interests of the traditional aristocracy, the Conservative Party, while the other represented the interests of capitalists, the Liberal Party.

Given this dynamic, even a minor conflict could easily escalate into a major event.

The dispute revolved around a coal mine.

It started when a coal mine was discovered on the land of a Conservative noble.

He leased the mining rights to a capitalist for factory use, earning a handsome profit, something that should have been mutually beneficial.

But the issue arose with the rent for the mining rights.

Beforehand, the Conservative noble had hired professionals to survey the size of the coal mine and based the rent on their findings.

However, as mining progressed, it turned out the coal deposit was twice as large as estimated. The Conservative noble no longer wanted to lease the mine at the originally agreed rent, while the Liberal noble presented the signed contract and insisted on honoring the agreement without arbitrary rent hikes.

Multiple rounds of negotiation failed to resolve the issue.

In the end, the Conservative noble directly sealed off the coal mine on his land, while the Liberal noble filed a lawsuit in court.

This case was like a landlord renting a property to a businessman. Later, when property prices skyrocketed, the landlord wanted to significantly increase the rent, but the businessman refused and demanded that the lease be honored as agreed.

Critically, the lease term was twenty years, cleverly negotiated by the businessman, and less than ten years had passed.

Naturally, the landlord didn't want to lose out on such a huge profit.

With negotiations failing, he locked up the shop to prevent the businessman from operating. But the businessman wasn't to be trifled with either and took the landlord to court.

Understanding this, Hastur could already guess how the dispute would be settled.

Most likely, the court would hand down a compromise ruling, punishing both parties equally and finding a middle ground both could accept.

Keep the peace, minimize the conflict, this was a common method of resolution.

But what Hastur didn't expect was that the Judge ultimately ruled in favor of the Conservative noble, stating:

"A noble possesses full ownership of all property within their domain. This right is sacred and inviolable. Even if a commercial contract is signed, this right takes precedence."

In short, noble rights trump everything.

With the verdict announced, some rejoiced while others worried. Some wore grave expressions, already sensing that the competition between the two parties would intensify in the future.

The Conservative noble smiled the brightest. This ruling meant he could re-lease the mining rights at a much higher price.

The Liberal noble, however, looked grim. Naturally, he couldn't accept such a verdict, but he had no power to change it. Only two options remained:

One, admit defeat, end the deal, and shut down the coal factory.

Two, apologize to the Conservative noble, concede, and agree to the previously proposed rent increase.

But either choice meant he would have to give up more benefits.

In the end, he chose the second option.

Shutting down the factory would render his earlier investments worthless. Sacrificing profits for a moment of pride wasn't a rational decision.

By the end of the hearing, Hastur also gained a clearer understanding of the relationship between nobility and the law.

For now, the old and new nobles might compromise over profits, but eventually, the old aristocracy would be swept away, that was the tide of history.

Laws always serve the current of the times. In the future, the legal system would certainly place greater value on the sanctity of contracts.

If such a dispute happened again, the court might rule in favor of the businessman and force the landlord to abide strictly by the contract.

"What a fulfilling and interesting day."

With a smile on his lips, Hastur stepped out of the courthouse, feeling the potion inside him digesting a little.