Damn, that felt incredible!
Feeling the gazes from everyone around him, Lynn felt utterly relaxed, as if he were about to ascend to heaven in the next second.
But outwardly, he showed no sign of smugness; he stood solemnly beside the chest of gold coins as if he had merely done something trivial.
It took a while before people could reluctantly recover from the shock of the two million cash bounty.
Their faces still wore a stunned expression.
Aphia's little face, however, was inexplicably flushed, and her cat ears twitched from time to time.
Because all of this was just too shocking.
Noticing that Ivyst's gaze remained fixed on him, Lynn couldn't help but clear his throat, "Your Highness?"
His prompt brought her back to her senses, and she took a deep breath.
The full chest beneath her military coat heaved for a moment before settling down.
Ivyst tried to make her voice sound very calm.
But no matter how much she disguised it, the tone mixed with a hint of unusual emotion, was captured by Lynn.
From the somewhat bright sparkle in Ivyst's eyes, it was clear that she was extremely pleased at the moment, even somewhat beyond her usual character.
Anyone would be over the moon if they had a subordinate who could rake in two million in ten days.
Ivyst always felt that she didn't love money, nor was she a money-grubber.
But now, looking at that entire chest of gold coins that almost covered the lawn, she realized how wrong she had been.
Hearing Ivyst's question, the subordinates behind Lynn also cast complicated glances at him.
It seemed everyone was curious about what exactly he had done.
Upon hearing this, Lynn answered nonchalantly, "Oh, it was nothing. I just pressured those churches into paying a protection fee."
"Also set a fire and killed a bishop."
"And by the way, I raided the Heavenly Principle Church."
Before people could come to terms with the sensational first and second statements, Lynn's light third statement immediately silenced everyone.
Bro, was your life this colorful in the past ten days?
And... what did you say?
You raided the Heavenly Principle Church??
Many felt darkness creep before their eyes, nearly fainting.
Because among them were many Transcendents who worshipped the Lord of Billion Stars.
Ivyst frowned and looked toward Duke Tierus.
"Uh... in some ways, he's not wrong."
Duke Tierus twitched the corner of his mouth and honestly replied.
At this point, Ivyst truly became restless.
I was away for just a few days, and you stirred up such a big mess in Orn City?
That's... impressive!
The next second, Ivyst's figure flickered, appearing before Lynn.
Then she grabbed his collar and dragged him toward her study.
"Duke Tier the Uncle, come as well."
"Anyway, that's more or less what happened."
After a brief narrative, he had explained the recent events to Ivyst.
At the moment, Ivyst leaned against the window, looking out at the vista, and fell into an unprecedented silence.
After a while, feeling the somewhat awkward atmosphere and the suggestive glances from Duke Tierus, she finally snapped back to reality.
"Well done," Ivyst said, looking at Lynn, and then, feeling it insufficient, she added, "Very well done."
"I will properly reward you afterwards."
"As long as I have Your Highness' approval, all this is worth it."
Lynn flashed a forced smile.
Ha, as if I need your approval.
He scoffed internally.
Just then, Duke Tierus suddenly glanced toward a corner, as if something had briefly caught his eye.
But he quickly came back to the present.
"How is the progress on Your Highness' mission?" Duke Tierus remembered the reminder from Saint Laurent VI, "Did you retrieve that item?"
Seeing that, Duke Tierus's eyes suddenly grew stern.
Even Ivyst was at a loss, indicating that the current state of that object was very dangerous, to the point of being a really thorny issue.
But for now, with Lynn still around, he wasn't ready to delve deeper.
If all else failed, they would just have to leave it to the professionals of the Church.
Realizing that Ivyst's earlier good spirits had suddenly diminished, Duke Tierus couldn't help but offer reassurance, "Your Highness, there's no need to worry."
"Even if that object wasn't recovered, the commotion this lad has caused lately is enough to earn you a decent score at the Holy Oak."
Upon hearing this name, Lynn pondered thoughtfully.
In the original work, this institution was specifically established for the King's election and had a very long history, passed down through an entire family generation by generation, and dedicated to serving the Royal Family.
This family would add or deduct points for each person based on the daily behavior, achievements during the King's election period, and reputation among the populace of both princes and princesses.
Initially, there was a baseline score, and how much one could get after that was entirely up to their own ability.
After the King's election ended, the Holy Oak would consider the comprehensive scores of each prince to elect the new ruler of the Saint Laurent Empire.
This was a very interesting setup.
It was uncertain how much support from an elector and assisting the Empire in recovering taxes would add to this woman's score.
Lynn thought quietly to himself.
Upon hearing this, Ivyst nodded, "I know, but..."
As she spoke, her gaze shifted back to Lynn.
"I'm still somewhat puzzled," Ivyst slightly furrowed her brows, "It just doesn't seem like something you would do."
If one were to describe Lynn's approach, it would be like cutting through a mess with a swift blade.
Much like gunning down the heir of the Mosgla family during the banquet.
It looked wildly arrogant, but there was a deeply logical rationale behind it.
In contrast, Lynn's actions over these ten days, except for the fundraising effort, which was a stroke of genius, seemed to exceed his usual mode of conduct.
Duke Tierus wanted five hundred thousand Gold Coins.
In theory, after looting those eleven churches, they had already acquired far more than the target amount.
Yet not only did he not stop, he risked it all, driving Moselle to desperation.
If it was for the subsequent income of over a million Gold Coins, Ivyst didn't quite believe it.
Taking the risk of assassination, foregoing the strategy of lying low, and choosing this time to reveal his hand in a hard clash with the Heavenly Principle Church?
Although it resulted in a sweeping victory, it was bound to attract the enmity of the Imperial Capital.
Moreover, he didn't seem like someone who would eagerly curry favor with Uncle Tierus.
So, there was something amiss with the logic here.
Lynn must have had an unknown reason for targeting the Heavenly Principle Church to such an extent.
A woman's intuition could be frighteningly accurate.
Especially since there was another woman involved.
Strictly speaking, they were actually the same person.
Thinking this, Ivyst's twisted character flared up again.
As a master, even if her adorable pet dog kept a secret from her, it would make her very sad.
So sad that she would want to wring his neck tightly and hold him in her embrace.
"Tell me, your real reason for going after the Heavenly Principle Church."
Ivyst's expression seemed calm, but it was indeed laden with danger.
Of course, it was for the Witch Miss.
But he knew very well that such an honest answer would most likely get him killed in an unpleasant way.
Sensing this danger, a drop of cold sweat rolled down Lynn's forehead.
But his exterior remained as composed as ever, "Of course, it's because of hatred. Having been deprived of the Divine-given factor in my body, I am so filled with hatred that I can't sleep night after night, and the mastermind behind all this is none other than the Cardinal of the Heavenly Principle Church."
The rationale was a bit strained, but it was still passable.
With Duke Tierus still present, Ivyst, despite her doubts, decided to let Lynn save some face.
But just then, Duke Tierus, who from the start had been glancing frequently towards the corner of the room, finally asked the question that was on his mind.
"Why is there a ring in the corner that keeps emitting red light?"
As soon as the words fell, the atmosphere instantly froze like ice.
Duke Tierus immediately realized that he might have said something wrong.
He stood up hastily from the sofa, ignoring Lynn's murderous glare and laughed awkwardly.
"Well, you two talk, I'll be leaving first."
Ivyst revealed a sweet, polite smile, "Goodbye Uncle Tierus, and remember to close the door on your way out."
With the sound of the door closing, the vast study was suddenly left with only two people.
Looking at Lynn's solemn expression, Ivyst regained her composure.
She took off the military coat draped over her shoulders, revealing her shapely figure, walked to the desk, and allowed her pert bottom to press out an enticing curve against the edge of the table.
Then, with legs crossed, she gently lifted her long beautiful legs wrapped in boots.
"A few days not seen, and someone seems a bit naughty again, doesn't he?"
For some reason, her breathing became somewhat rushed.