"We just got lost in the stone cave..." He looked a bit embarrassed.
Cao Xing was stunned, "Lost?"
"Yes."
Kandar said dejectedly, "We underestimated the complexity of the passages inside this stone cave. After entering one of the passages, we wandered around a few tis and then completely lost our way."
Cao Xing’s eyebrows slightly furrowed, "Do you need to bring people over?"
"No, that won’t be necessary."
Kandar quickly replied, "Harati Saint is currently mapping. We’ve decided to rest in the passage tonight and then continue exploring tomorrow."
"However, it may take another three to four days to explore the entire stone cave."
Beside him, Harati also replied, "Please rest assured, Lord, I will lead the centaurs out."
Cao Xing breathed a sigh of relief, "Alright, then proceed. Rember to contact if you encounter any problems."
"Understood, strong Lord!"
Both parties ended the communication.
Then, Cao Xing went straight to the tavern area of the territory.
He pushed open the tavern’s wooden door, and a spacious hall imdiately appeared before his eyes.
The air was filled with a faint scent of wine, and the wooden tables and chairs were arranged with an elegant randomness.
So ancient paintings and weapon decorations hung on the walls, and dim oil lamps with flickering flas were suspended from the ceiling.
Plus, the crackling sound of the burning fireplace.
Cao Xing exclaid in admiration, "I must say, my tavern really has that kind of atmosphere now."
At one of the tables in the hall, several strangers dressed in luxurious robes sat.
Their clothes were adorned with various exquisite decorations.
Seeing Cao Xing enter, Rach, the bartender, spoke first, "Good evening, esteed Lord."
Upon hearing Rach’s voice, those few fallen nobles suddenly reacted, and they promptly stood up from their chairs.
When they saw Cao Xing’s face, the four n’s eyes lit up imdiately.
One of them, a young man in his early twenties with a high-top round hat, spoke.
"Oh! Lord, you’ve finally returned!"
"Did you know? We’ve been waiting for you here all day."
Beside him, another middle-aged man urgently interrupted him, "Jasper, is that how you speak?"
"This is the Lord of this sacred and prosperous territory; his affairs must be very busy."
"Being able to spare ti to et us fallen folks is already an honor for us."
The young man seed to realize this as he slapped his forehead.
"You’re right, Uncle Vern, look at my mouth."
The two of them played a conversational duet.
Cao Xing’s face showed a faint smile.
Then he scrutinized them closely.
There were four people in total, three n and one woman.
The three n all wore dark yellow luxurious robes with various exquisite patterns.
But the decorations on these clothes had lost their forr luster due to long exposure to the elents.
The golden thread patterns at the cuffs and collars were worn, so threads were loose, and a few holes had appeared on the back and hem.
The other woman, around thirty years old.
Wearing a blue dress, the fabric of the dress appeared to be made of gauze, now covered with wrinkles and stains.
Facing Cao Xing’s scrutinizing gaze, the four people seed a bit uneasy.
After all, his power had grown stronger, and a re glance could instill fear in ordinary people.
"I heard you’re fallen nobles. From which country did you co?"
The middle-aged man said, "Yes, respected Lord."
"We are from the distant Aisphis Kingdom."
"I used to be a Viscount, and this is my wife, Maggi, along with two nephews, Jasper and Kami."
His tone held an unmistakable pride.
But soon, he lowered his spirits, "But for certain reasons, our kingdom fell into decline, and the entire nation declared bankruptcy."
"Our forr noble status did not bring us convenience, but rather disaster."
"So we sold all our possessions and began wandering in neighboring countries..."
Cao Xing listened and slightly nodded.
Then continued to ask, "So you ca to my territory—is it to join or for so other purpose?"
The middle-aged man who ntioned he was once a Viscount quickly replied, "Esteed Lord, we happened to pass by this place, and from afar, we saw your territory."
"We were amazed by the scale and prosperity of this territory."
"It has great potential for developnt in the future..."
Cao Xing waved his hand, interrupting, "Just get to the point."
The middle-aged man sensed a hint of impatience from Cao Xing and laughed sheepishly, "It’s like this."
"We are not prepared to join your territory at the mont; we are more interested in collaboration with you."
"Collaboration? What kind of collaboration do you propose?"
"We’ve stayed in this kingdom for a while and conducted thorough research and investigation, discovering that business here is booming, but there are few investnt institutions."
"To us, this represents a vast untapped blue ocean."
"Just provide us with sufficient funds, along with our business acun."
"We can quickly leverage the entire kingdom’s comrcial system!"
Listening to his passionate statent.
Cao Xing’s face showed an intrigued expression, "Oh? What do you need from ?"
The middle-aged man solemnly replied:
"We want to borrow so money from you and then invest in the nearby city!"
"With our acun, I am confident that within a year, we can double our assets, and the borrowed money will be repaid double!"
Cao Xing’s face showed an intrigued expression, "Within a year, repaid double?"
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