Published: March 12, 2025
Chapter 340: Schemes
In fact, Zhao Hai deliberately mentioned Duke Ryan to Defian. He wanted to let Defian know that he wasn't completely oblivious, and at the same time, make it difficult for Defian to gauge his true capabilities. This was merely a simple deception technique.
Sometimes, people should refrain from speaking too much, but at other times, talking can obscure one's true intentions. Just like Zhao Hai did this time; by mentioning Duke Ryan, Defian was at a loss about Zhao Hai's actual strength. This way, when Zhao Hai engaged in any cooperation with them in the future, he wouldn’t be at a disadvantage or looked down upon.
After returning to the room, Laura frowned and said to Zhao Hai, "Brother Hai, those cavalry left today, but I'm afraid they might not let us off easily. We should prepare early."
Zhao Hai smiled slightly and said, "Of course, they won't let us go. Even if those cavalry don't dare to act against us, Duke Ryan won't spare us. Don’t forget that Defian just mentioned our cooperation outside the shop, and there were quite a few people around. They must have heard about it, and Duke Ryan will certainly use me to establish his authority. However, as long as they don't use official power against me, I’m not afraid."
Laura furrowed her brows again and said, "Do you think Defian intentionally led us to say that? That way, he could connect us with the Shelley family. Even if Ryan doesn't want to deal with us, he'd have to, and then we would have no choice but to rely fully on the Shelley family."
Zhao Hai laughed and said, "Actually, there's nothing wrong with that. We have no ties with Duke Ryan, and his methods are too overbearing for my taste. I don’t wish to cooperate with him. Though the Shelley family has some schemes against us, their methods are relatively gentler. Collaborating with them wouldn’t put us at a disadvantage. I intentionally let those people outside know that I have dealings with them, which would make the Shelley family uneasy if Ryan came after us. This way, our relationship with them would deepen."
Upon hearing Zhao Hai’s plan, Laura sighed in relief, but she still expressed her concerns, "We’ve just arrived in the Roson Empire and have offended Ryan, which isn't good, is it? What if the Shelley family loses in their conflict with Ryan?"
Zhao Hai smiled slightly and said, "I’ve considered that. We are essentially gambling now; if the Shelley family wins, we can pursue further cooperation with them. If they truly lose, it won’t matter. Don't forget, we are heading to Tianshui City, where we can still connect with the Karlqi Family. They are in the same alliance as us, and we are cooperating with Ibel. They won't leave us to fend for ourselves. With the Karlqi Family negotiating in between, Duke Ryan shouldn’t go too far."
Seeing that Zhao Hai had everything figured out, Laura stopped pressing the issue and nodded, "What about Ryan? If Duke Ryan can’t deal with us, will he make things difficult for Ryan?"
Zhao Hai nodded, "That’s a possibility. But regardless, Ryan is the princess of the Versailles Principality, and she is going to school there. I’ve heard that the schools in the Roson Empire hold a high status in their country; Ryan should be fine, right?"
Laura nodded but didn’t say anything more. She merely mentioned it because her impression of Ryan wasn't very good. However, out of respect for Duke Ivan, they couldn’t completely disregard Ryan.
Although Zhao Hai reassured her, Laura still voiced her concern, "What if those people make things difficult for Ryan at school? After all, she’s just a girl and unfamiliar with this place. If something happens, she might not even find someone to discuss it with. If anything serious happens to her, it would be difficult for us to explain to Duke Ivan."
Zhao Hai sighed, "Then there's nothing we can do to help her. Duke Ivan letting her come out this time is meant to allow her to face the world independently and to see what it’s really like. If we handle everything for her, it would go against the Duke’s intentions."