Published: March 12, 2025
CHAPTER 163: The Turmoil Settles
At this point, the internal turmoil within the Versailles Family had completely passed. What surprised everyone was that the final winner turned out to be Ivan, someone who had been so low-key that he was often looked down upon.
No one dared to voice any objections to this outcome because the meeting had been held under the witness of the Primordial Sword Saint. To oppose this result would mean opposing the Primordial Sword Saint himself, and no one in the Versailles Family had the guts to do so.
At the same time, the die-hard faction of the three elders finally realized that Ivan had unknowingly gained strength equivalent to theirs, making their defeat this time completely justified.
The three elders chosen by Ivan were quite interesting; two were from the neutral faction, making them the backbone of Ivan's supporters, while the last one was Stern from the Grand Elder's faction.
Everyone in the Versailles Family knew that, although Stern was the elder of external affairs, he had been very close to Grand Elder Caesar, almost to the point of being obedient to him. Now, he had unexpectedly been elected as the third elder, which was truly beyond everyone's expectations.
However, they quickly understood why Ivan had made such a choice. By electing Stern as the third elder, Ivan swiftly took over the original power of the Grand Elder. Now, his loyal faction in the Council of Elders occupied more than sixty percent of all seats, a truly terrifying number. Even the former Grand Elder had not wielded such power.
At this point, Caesar and the other three retired elders finally realized Ivan's capability: with a simple appointment, he had drawn away more than half of the Grand Elder's power. Such decisive moves could only be made by a political veteran.
The outcome of the Versailles Family's Council of Elders also left the big merchants stunned. They had never expected that both individuals they supported would ultimately fall, while the overlooked Ivan suddenly rose to power.
This caught the big merchants off guard, and even more shocking events occurred right after the Council ended. Ivan suddenly announced that the Versailles Family had transported a large quantity of grain, which would be sold at a low price to the commoners of the Versailles Principality. Once this news broke, grain prices plummeted.
Moreover, Ivan was not lying. As soon as he finished speaking, carts filled with grain were seen entering Casa City. Although it was mostly bamboo rice, people had learned how to cook it, and many nobles also consumed it, not to mention the commoners.
The big merchants calculated that the amount of bamboo rice brought into Casa City was nearly one hundred thousand pounds, and about three hundred thousand pounds were sent to other cities in the Versailles Principality. With over four hundred thousand pounds of grain flooding into the Versailles Principality, there was no way the prices could rise.
At this point, the big merchants realized they had been outsmarted by Laura. If they couldn’t see such an obvious situation, they might as well not be in the business.
However, they couldn’t express their grievances. They had initially agreed to Laura's conditions with ulterior motives, intending to join forces against her once their supported individuals gained power. They hadn’t anticipated that Laura would outmaneuver them and take them down first.
The big merchants also understood that the situation was deteriorating. Continuing the fight would likely offend the Versailles Family, making their lives even harder. Thus, almost immediately after the grain began entering the city, the grain prices in the Versailles Principality dropped back down.
By this time, the food crisis caused by the locust plague and its series of chain reactions had truly passed. The biggest winners this time were only two: Laura and Ivan.
What no one knew was that there was actually another winner hidden in the background, one who had profited the most: Zhao Hai.