Read Novel Full Chapter 688: Merciless Extortion
Chapter 688: Merciless Extortion
"You are the Singularity of Chaos itself. Why bring my name into it just to threaten him?"
That was what Malverna wanted to say. However, she quickly held herself back and could only shoot Nolan a dissatisfied glance.
Nolan certainly noticed her look, but he chose to ignore it.
With a playful smile still on his face, he said casually, "So, I hope you watch your attitude, Tower Master. I heard from Jisha that you greatly admire the Singularity of Chaos. You don’t want to be hated by him, do you?"
’A threat... that was clearly a threat!’
Sylvia clenched her teeth, forcing down the surging anger inside her. She was the Tower Master, respected by everyone on the mainland.
Moreover, after breaking through to the Beyond the World level, her status had risen, further solidifying her position as one of the strongest people on this continent.
And now, a mere prince dared to threaten her. It was tantamount to an open insult.
Still, after a moment, she forced herself to calm down.
As annoying as Nolan was, what he said wasn’t wrong.
Elina was a young woman backed by the Singularity of Chaos, and the woman beside Nolan was also incredibly powerful—perhaps even stronger than Sylvia herself.
If she acted recklessly, she wouldn’t just offend the Singularity of Chaos—the one she admired—but would also end up being humiliated in front of everyone here.
That would mean losing both the person she loved and her reputation at the same time.
Sylvia wasn’t foolish enough to put herself in such a disadvantageous position.
Meanwhile, Alex, who heard Nolan’s threat, felt a chill run down his spine.
He had almost forgotten that crucial fact. Elina’s name was already well-known in the kingdoms and empires neighboring the Great Velmora Empire, including the Ancient Kingdom of Eron.
It was said that she had gained the support of the Singularity of Chaos, which put her at an advantage over her siblings in the battle for the throne.
"I understand." Sylvia let out a long sigh. "Still, you must return with me. Your crime is too grave, and His Majesty Gulvar has ordered me to bring you back."
But Nolan shook his head and refused.
"I won’t. That would be like walking straight into the lion’s den. Even if you guarantee our safety, I’m still not going."
Sylvia’s mouth opened and closed, as if she wanted to argue. But in the end, her fear of being hated by the Singularity of Chaos—and being humiliated in public—outweighed her debt to the Ancient Kingdom of Eron.
She turned to Alex and slowly shook her head.
Alex’s heart felt as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand. His breathing grew heavy, and his clenched teeth let out an unpleasant grinding sound.
"I... understand."
Those words seemed to drain all the strength from his body. He knew it was impossible to bring Nolan and Seira back to the royal capital.
The mission entrusted to him by His Majesty had also ended in complete failure.
"Alright, don’t be so dramatic. Even if you can’t bring me and my sister back, you can at least bring your thousands of soldiers." Nolan’s casual voice snapped Alex out of his daze.
Alex took a deep breath and said weakly, "Thank... you."
"Oops!" Nolan raised his right hand slightly and smiled playfully. "Don’t thank me. As the saying goes, ’there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.’ I won’t just hand them over for free. There has to be a price."
He rubbed his thumb and index finger together, like a landlord about to collect rent from his tenants.
Alex: "..."
Sylvia: "..."
This was the first time they had ever seen someone so shameless.
However, what Nolan demanded actually made sense. The troops led by Erkan were hostages. If they wanted them back, there had to be an equal exchange—at least in the eyes of both sides.
Alex forced himself to calm down and asked in a heavy voice, "Tell me—what do you want?"
Nolan nodded in satisfaction. Truthfully, he didn’t need any money from Alex.
He owned the Blue Moon Trading House and the White Lotus. Those two trading companies alone were enough to make him one of the wealthiest men on the continent.
But Nolan was a realist. If he could get free money, why not?
"Ahem!" Nolan cleared his throat and stepped forward.
Seeing this, Malverna could only let out a long sigh and whisper sympathetically, ’The Ancient Kingdom of Eron is going to suffer a massive loss. What a pity...’
"Given the number—ten thousand people—the price will be quite substantial," Nolan said, wearing a helpless expression that was clearly fake.
Alex stiffened. A bad feeling crept into his chest, and his breathing began to grow uneven.
"And since your general is here too, I don’t think five hundred million Rune coins will be a problem, right?"
Those words exploded like a bomb. It wasn’t just Alex—Sylvia, Elina, Seira, and even the soldiers on both sides were stunned.
"F-Five hundred million Rune coins!? Nolan Lorian, are you trying to rob the royal palace!?" Alex roared, his eyes turning red, as if he wanted to tear Nolan apart right then and there.
"That’s right, Nolan Lorian. Your demand is excessive," Sylvia retorted, frowning. "Think it over carefully."
Elina, standing behind Nolan, could only shake her head and whisper, ’You’re really cruel, brother!’
Five hundred million Rune coins were equivalent to three hundred million Sharn. It was an astronomical sum—even for Elina.
With that much money, buying dozens of grand mansions wouldn’t be difficult.
But she had no intention of persuading her brother. She knew him better than anyone and understood that every action he took had a reason behind it.
"Is that a lot?" Nolan chuckled softly. "I don’t think so. Just imagine—ten thousand people came to hunt me down, and I was still kind enough not to kill them. Doesn’t my mercy have a price? What do you think, Tower Master?"
Sylvia fell silent. She hadn’t expected Nolan to throw such a question at her.
If she said no, it would be no different from calling herself stingy.
But if she admitted it, she would be helping Nolan secure an outrageous profit.
It had to be said—this young man had more than enough cunning tricks up his sleeve.
Seeing her silence, Nolan wasn’t surprised. He turned to Alex and said, "What do you think? Accept it or not, it’s up to you."
He wasn’t afraid Alex would refuse. After all, from the very beginning, Alex had been at a disadvantage.
Whether he liked it or not, he had no choice but to accept.
Otherwise, losing ten thousand soldiers along with an experienced general would be an enormous blow—far worse than paying five hundred million Rune coins.
Alex fell silent, unsure how to respond. He kept his head lowered for a long while before taking a deep breath and saying in a heavy voice, "I must report this matter to His Majesty first."
Nolan didn’t object. "Of course. Go ahead."
Alex walked to the rear and activated the magical communication device he carried.
Seira stepped closer to Nolan and whispered, "Do you think the royal palace will approve?"
Nolan simply smiled. "What do you think?"
Seira smiled back. "Then the answer is already obvious."