"Lord Ozz is actually coming to the Golden City?!"
Stella's mouth opened in surprise.
"Yeah."
Tesoro answered casually, as if he was not particularly surprised by Ozz's arrival.
After all, the Gran Tesoro was known as a paradise for the strong and the wealthy. Every earthly pleasure could be found here.
For someone like Lord Ozz, who loved enjoyment, coming here was only natural, right?
"And to put it another way, isn't it precisely because Lord Ozz is coming that the Gran Tesoro becomes even safer and more stable?"
Tesoro's hand, covered in golden rings, suddenly clenched. A playful smile appeared on his face.
"It's not as if Lord Ozz's arrival would make the Gran Tesoro and me even more dangerous, right?"
"Hahahahaha!"
A nearby underling, seemingly trying to lighten the mood, took the obvious sarcasm as a joke and laughed very enthusiastically.
But after laughing for a while, he realized something was wrong.
A few drops of cold sweat seeped from his face.
Because other than him, there was not a single other laugh.
When he turned his head, sure enough, Tesoro was calmly looking at him.
Tesoro poured the wine in his glass onto the floor. Then, with his fingers interlaced, he looked down at the underling.
"Can you answer one question for me?"
"Why did you dare laugh before I did?"
"In this city, who decides what can be laughed at?"
The underling was terrified and quickly answered,
"Of course it is Lord Ozz... and Lord Tesoro!"
Hearing this, Tesoro's eyelid twitched. He looked at the underling with a meaningful gaze.
This one was rather good with words.
In principle, there was nothing wrong with the answer, because the person mentioned in it was the principle.
Trying to make it so I cannot target you?
"I see. So you do understand."
Tesoro removed one of the rings from his hand and made as if to toss it out.
Controlling gold to kill was Tesoro's usual method of dealing with those who defied him.
"Tesoro!"
When Stella saw this, she could not bear it and tried to reach out to grab the ring back.
At her core, she was a kind and gentle person. Otherwise, she never would have fallen in love with the destitute young Tesoro of the past.
But before she could rise, several traces of lightning from golden friction appeared in Tesoro's hand.
The golden ring on Stella's left ring finger changed shape and pulled her back down. Tesoro reached out and caught her.
"For the sake of the child in your belly, you should be a little more careful, Stella."
Tesoro smiled as he spoke.
"Take Stella back to rest."
"Yes!"
Stella's movements were restrained by the golden ring on her left ring finger. Even though she wanted to say something, she could only helplessly withdraw.
In many moments, she had no power to change Tesoro's personality after he became a tycoon.
As a pregnant woman, the only thing she could do now was protect the crystallization of love between her and Tesoro.
...
Far across the sea.
A gigantic divine bird flew through the sky, sweeping up storms and tidal waves.
Its sharp eyes locked onto the enormous golden ship moving across the distant sea, and it began to dive downward.
At the entrance strait of the Gran Tesoro, countless members of Tesoro's forces were driving away the ships and people lingering there.
"Hurry up and get lost! Can't you hear me, you bastards?!"
"How many times do I have to repeat myself?!"
The underlings held guns and threatened a noble cruise ship that had stopped there.
A king from a New World nation was aboard that cruise ship, having just arrived at the Gran Tesoro.
When he heard the underlings cursing, he was instantly furious.
"What are you people rushing us for?!"
"I am a king! I came here to spend money!"
It was the first time he had ever seen official service staff treat guests with such an attitude.
Not far from the royal cruise ship was a strange, magnificent vessel flying the flag of the World Government.
A man wearing a bubble helmet, his head wobbling back and forth, also heard the underlings driving people away.
"What are those lowly insects making noise about?"
"Report, Saint Hamoel. Tesoro's subordinates are clearing all ships and personnel from the harbor!"
When the swaying Celestial Dragon heard this, he lost interest. Or rather, he felt it was only natural.
Was that not how it should be?
To welcome a noble Celestial Dragon like him, all those other lower-world commoners should be driven away. Tesoro knew how to behave.
"Sorry, but the World Government ship over there must also leave the center of the harbor immediately!"
The next second, however, the underlings' voices came over.
Although their tone had softened somewhat, their intent to drive the ship away was extremely firm.
This instantly shocked both the Celestial Dragon and the World Government personnel aboard, who then began cursing loudly.
"You lowly commoner! Do you know who you are speaking to?!"
"I am a descendant of the gods, a Celestial Dragon..."
But Tesoro's subordinates remained calm when they saw the Celestial Dragon sticking his head out from the deck.
Celestial Dragon?
So what?
Did Celestial Dragons grow extra hair or something?
But they did not argue with the Celestial Dragon, nor did they attack. They merely waited until the other side was cursing furiously, then coldly said,
"This is to welcome Lord Ozz."
"..."
Upon suddenly hearing that name, the Celestial Dragon and the World Government personnel froze in place.
Because they remembered that Celestial Dragon who had supposedly died of illness on Duramos Island, but in truth had been stepped to death by Ozz.
Without daring to say another word, the Celestial Dragon's ship sailed away from the center of the harbor.
These reactions did not seem to surprise Tesoro's subordinates at all. They curled their lips and continued clearing the area.
Until the gigantic bird wrapped in storms descended.
It shredded all the falling gold dust, and under the impact of a massive gale, it steadily stopped before the center of the Gran Tesoro's harbor.
At that moment, everyone stood perfectly straight and bowed to welcome the most honored guest aboard the Gran Tesoro.
The first to step down was a woman in a black robe and grayish-purple shirt, her hair slicked back. Her face was gloomy, and a cigar hung from her mouth.
"So this is Tesoro's territory? It really is ridiculously extravagant..."
Next came a cold-faced man in a white floral shirt, aristocratic trousers, and boots. His sharp gaze swept over the surroundings before he looked toward the figure beside him.
"How noisy and gaudy."
"If you had not called me here, I would be practicing swordsmanship right now."
And the last person was a tall figure standing between the two of them, wearing a black-and-gold inner shirt and a golden-red coat.
His handsome, careless face carried a faint smile.
"It has been a long time, hasn't it?"
"This place is quite fun..."
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The tides are shifting, and secrets linger in the dark... Step into the shadows early on P@treon, where the next chapter awaits before the world sees it.
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