Chapter 55: The Marquis of Grolante was a very good man

  When the moist sea breeze sweeps across the black land, when the golden sunlight falls on the silver coastline, the Ivory Island, which has been sleeping for a whole night, begins to show its prosperity and vitality, just like every morning for thousands of years.

  At around eight or nine o'clock in the morning, the prosperous port of Ivory Island has already presented a scene of fiery bustle. Merchant ships from all over the Horn Sea are loading and unloading cargo in the deep blue harbor. Tourists and merchants of different races and skin colors disembark here and set foot on the land of Ivory Island, officially starting their rich lives.

  Along the bustling commercial street, heading south to the central area of Ivory Island, stands a majestic silver-white building. Twelve massive round stone pillars support the vast hall, resembling a sailboat at sea. White lilies are spread out in front of the hall, symbolizing the free and democratic spirit of Ivory Island.

  There is no doubt that this is the parliament that holds the highest power on Ivory Island. Every legitimate citizen of Ivory Island will come here on election day and cast their solemn vote, while those who want to compete for the highest power will also regard this as their own battlefield, making campaign speeches on the free platform in front of the parliament.

  At this moment, there was a count with silver-white wig standing on the six-meter-high stone platform, passionately waving his arms to hundreds of gathered people.

  "Citizens, citizens, I, the honest Earl Anderson, solemnly promise you here that if I become the next member of parliament, I will definitely propose a bill to greatly reduce taxes and let everyone get more benefits. And form the strongest fleet to eliminate that damned pirate clown..."

  "See that? That's a politician." Lin Taiping stuck his head out of the carriage window, looking at the passionate Earl Anderson and concluded very seriously, "If politicians' words were reliable, mother pigs would climb trees, no, they'd even go to the moon."

  Just a few hours ago, he had just arrived at the port of Ivory Island. With the help of the Waltz Night Cloak, a large group of Minotaurs and Dark Elves disguised themselves as ordinary human attendants, allowing him and Kirsten to pass through the check smoothly and enter Ivory Island as tourists, heading to the Council to apply for registration.

  In front of the parliament building, where crowds surged, this ordinary carriage looked unremarkable, so when they stepped onto the parliamentary steps, apart from a few nobles subconsciously turning their heads, stunned by Kristin's beauty, no one else noticed them.

  "Hasn't everything here changed at all?" Kristen looked around with mixed emotions, the familiar scene in front of her involuntarily plunged her into a daze, recalling many good memories.

  Many years ago, when I was still a naive girl, my favorite thing to do was to sit on the steps of this hall and daydream. My serious and brave father would be busy dealing with various government affairs in his office, while my gentle and kind mother would quietly smile and gaze at me tenderly from the balcony.

  But all of this, like fragile crystal, was shattered into dust in just a few short years... I will never forget the moment when that uncle with a benevolent smile on his face walked through the family gate like a savior, and all the good things were reduced to rubble, and the nightmare began from that very moment.

  "Don't worry, from now on, we'll be that guy's nightmare." Lin Taiping gently patted her hand and then revealed a devilish smile, leading the way into the conference hall.

  Next to the fountain in the marble hall, a middle-aged clerk with a self-satisfied expression, holding a cigar, boasted his investment vision to several nobles: "Yes, yes, I just bought that small island, including all the industries on the island... Hmm, 5,000 gold coins, it's indeed a bit expensive, but it's a very good investment, maybe in a few years I can sell it for double the price?"

  With a self-satisfied smirk, he was boasting for only a few seconds when he saw Lin Taiping and Kristen walking towards him. He immediately put on a straight face and asked in his bureaucratic tone, "Good morning, sir. How may I assist you?"

  "Of course." Lin Taiping handed over a cigar and then pushed Kirsten forward, "This is my fiancée, who was once a citizen of this island. Now she has returned here, hoping to apply to the council to inherit the legacy left by her father."

  "Unmarried wife?" Kristen's face suddenly turned red, and she had a sudden urge to grit her teeth in anger. As for Ye Ge following behind, he raised his pointed ears with a hint of resentment.

  In fact, even the middle-aged clerk couldn't help but be a little stunned and lost in thought. It wasn't until much later that he suddenly came to his senses and picked up his pen: "No problem, as long as the documents are complete, this young lady can inherit the estate at any time... So, respected miss, please register your basic information. May I ask what your name is?"

  "Phillip Christian." Kristen replied softly.

  "Alright, Philaret..." The clerk subconsciously made an entry, writing only two words before suddenly looking up in astonishment, his stern face filled with incredulity. "Wait a minute, the Philaret family? You are... you're that Philaret from the Philaret family?"

  No wonder he was so surprised, thanks to the recent rumors, many people have recalled the past of the Philbert family again, and as the eldest daughter of the Philbert family, Kirsten's name has also been mentioned several times.

  So at this moment, when the middle-aged clerk confirmed that the beautiful young lady in front of him was indeed the eldest daughter of the Phillet family who had been said to have gone missing, he couldn't help but be shocked and doubted his own hearing.

  "Yes, I am the eldest daughter of the Philbert family and the true first heir." Kristen replied calmly, her previously flustered and hesitant emotions suddenly becoming calm and resolute as the name of the Philbert family was brought up again.

  At this moment, the entire hall was slightly chaotic, and the nearby noble merchants all turned their heads in shock, with several people whispering to each other, revealing a smile of schadenfreude: "Hmph, it's really interesting, if Duke Glangta knew about this...".

  "Lord Galante!" Just then, a surprised cry came from outside the government hall.

  What a coincidence? In an instant, all the people present looked at each other with strange faces, and then they turned their heads to look in the same direction.

  Just outside the government office, a dignified old nobleman had just stepped down from his carriage and was being supported by his steward, with a faint smile on his face, slowly entering the hall.

  This silver-haired elder has a noble and elegant aristocratic demeanor, with an impeccable appearance that is both refined and majestic. His eyes contain a warm and dignified light, yet he remains calm and unafraid under the gaze of hundreds of pairs of eyes, smiling serenely as he exudes an aura that inspires both affection and reverence.

  In short, he is a gentleman who can make people trust him at first sight, and in fact, when he walks by slowly, the ordinary people around him spontaneously give way and salute him with their hats off.

  "Mr. Grote, you are a great kind man, thank you for your help last month, it helped us get through this difficult winter."

  "Your Excellency Marquis, thank you for everything you've done for the nursing home. Dozens of elderly people have entrusted me to express their most sincere gratitude to you."

  "Mr. Galantai, do you remember me? A few days ago when I was treated unfairly, it was thanks to your righteous words that I was able to stand up for myself. I swear that in next month's election, I will definitely cast a sacred vote for you!"

  And so, in a distance of less than thirty meters, Grote was welcomed by hundreds of civilians with applause and cheers, and he maintained a warm and humble attitude, politely responding to each one.

  "Is that your uncle?" Lin Taiping stroked his chin, looking at the stern-faced Kirsten beside him. "Wow, he looks very popular, a paragon of virtue and a national idol."

  "Don't be deceived by his appearance." Kristen clenched her fists tightly, her fingernails even digging deep into the flesh due to extreme anger. "That hypocrite is so despicable that you can't even entrust a toothbrush to him."

  Not surprisingly, Lin Taiping nodded in agreement. If a person is too perfect, it's too fake. The Marquis of Groteus in front of him was no longer just perfect, but only needed to put on some holy light behind him to directly play the role of a messenger of the gods.

  In fact, the civilians' admiration for Marquis de Glangta had reached a crazy level. A blond-haired man even rushed up to him and gave him a respectful hand kiss: "Lord Glangta, you are truly a great person, thank you for your generous help. If it weren't for you, I don't know what would have happened to my mother..."

  "It didn't have to be this way, child. It didn't have to be this way." Groteus smiled warmly and patted the blond man's shoulder. "It was your mother's devotion that moved the gods, and I merely listened to their will in the darkness and did a tiny, insignificant thing."

  What a kind and humble old man, the ordinary people around him were even more moved, and the blond-haired man was so touched that he took out a bag of gold coins with trembling hands: "Respected sir, I know this little money is not enough to pay for your medical expenses, but it's what I've earned from my hard work over this period of time. Please accept it, or else I'll feel guilty for the rest of my life."

  "No, child, I don't need your repayment." Groteus continued to smile warmly and firmly refused the repayment, but then let out a soft sigh. "Actually, if you insist, then I suggest you donate this money to those orphans, and I'd also be happy to add another 5,000 gold coins as consolation for those poor children..."

  Benevolence! Humility! Kindness! Justice! Wisdom! Generosity!

  At this moment, as the Marquis de Glanz's radiance unfolded, the entire hall suddenly fell silent. The commoners' eyes moistened involuntarily, while the merchants retreated in shame. Even a few nobles who had been gloating earlier couldn't help but reveal a hint of embarrassment, feeling that their own hearts were too base.

  Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

  But just in this solemn and sacred silence, a crisp applause suddenly sounded, and people who were immersed in emotion couldn't help but be slightly stunned, subconsciously turning their heads to look.

  At this moment, under the gaze of hundreds of astonished eyes, Lin Taiping rushed up with tears in his eyes, grabbed the Marquis de Glangte's hand and shook it vigorously with a face full of worship.

  "I'm so touched, Marquis-sama... You're really a great person... Um, would you like me to send a small golden statue to you?"