Deposed Crown Prince: After three years of service on the frontier, the entire court knelt and begge

Following William Armiten's announcement of this price.

Everyone present gasped in surprise.

After hearing this, Xiao Ce couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

I thought there was some kind of expert here, but now it seems like it's really funny.

They're all such incredibly stupid idiots.

They are all people whose actions are controlled by their emotions.

The reason these people here have these advantages is entirely due to the benefits of the Industrial Revolution.

However, for Xiao Ce, this might not be a bad thing.

John Jonard, who had been so arrogant just moments before, didn't look too pleased.

Because this price isn't just inflated, it's extremely high.

He intended to scare these people away.

However, they chose to argue with him.

And because John Jonard made a gesture of lighting a sky lantern.

So this will be started by the host talking about choosing to increase the price.

William Armiteng and Sean Jolton glanced at it and both chose to give up.

After all, they actually have a bottom line of two billion.

However, they dared not gamble anymore.

They just want to drive up the price; they don't actually want to buy the castle.

Now, they have achieved their goal and have already swindled them out of a large sum of money.

that's enough.

As the host finished the final countdown and announced the successful auction...

John Jonard did not feel the thrill of a successful auction; instead, he felt like he had been tricked.

Even if this kind of thing was anticipated.

Actually, when John Jonard made the sky lantern earlier, he was giving them a chance.

As a result, they ignored me and just wanted to argue with me.

Moreover, they set an extremely outrageous price. It felt like someone was showing off in a situation, saying, "Anyone who makes a scene is disrespecting me."

As a result, he was chased around and slapped three times hard across the face, and was also called an idiot.

John Jonard was putting on a brave face, but Xiao Ce could clearly see that they were gritting their teeth.

In fact, although this auction resulted in an astronomical price.

However, the process did not go as everyone expected.

After the auction ended, Xiao Ce and Boudica naturally wouldn't miss such a good opportunity to watch the show and fan the flames.

They were all resting in the lounge, waiting for them to arrive.

It was obvious that the atmosphere was somewhat subdued.

"Congratulations, esteemed lords! Congratulations! Agent, you were absolutely stunning just now, you completely dominated the scene." Xiao Ce said with a smile.

Otherwise, everyone present would have thought he was mocking them...

John Jonard looked at Xiao Ce with a very sincere smile: "Mr. Ce, I always thought you were a smart man... Can't you see that we're not actually that happy? Congratulations? Just because we have prepared sufficient funds doesn't mean we're going to use this money! Now their malicious price gouging makes us look a bit foolish, doesn't it?"

"After all, this is the worst-case scenario! Even though I had considered it, buying such a castle is still a bit foolish!"

Xiao Ce quickly waved his hand and said, "No, no, no, John Jonard, you yourself said I'm not a fool. Since I'm congratulating you, I naturally have my reasons! Actually, gentlemen, you're just being influenced by the atmosphere. Because it's so quiet, you feel like everyone is mocking you..."

John Jonard said to Xiao Ce, "What? Isn't that right?"

Xiao Ce shook his head and said, "No...of course not...Actually, everyone who came today is as the agent said, a smart person. You all feel like you've been tricked, that's why you're so downcast, and that's what they think too. That's why they don't dare to cheer, afraid you'll think it's a provocation..."

“If you were the agent, and you had acted more excitedly, everyone would have cheered. Actually, agent, you yourself said… this isn’t just a simple castle auction. It’s a power struggle between two guild leaders. They may seem to have played you, but in reality, they lost the battle!”

"At least you've established a persona: that is, no one can take away what the Western president, including his agent, has his eye on. In the future, when the two sides are vying for power, on crucial matters, do you think they will support those East Asian presidents and agents who use tricks, or support you who are willing to pay any price to win!"

"Actually, in the eyes of outsiders, it seems that William Armington is playing you, but in reality, William Armington and his group were betrayed by the East Asia Association President. What kind of image does the East Asia Association President's agent have?"

John Jonard's eyes lit up immediately after hearing Xiao Ce's words.

He gave Xiao Ce a thumbs up: "Mr. Ce, you're right... They'll definitely support me. Because we won't abandon our allies for personal gain. But they will abandon their allies for personal gain!"

John Jonard was immediately in a good mood after hearing Xiao Ce's words.

Xiao Ce quickly said, "Agent, you see, I congratulated you, didn't I? How could you have lost? You won! And you won big!"

Some people were overjoyed, and they all chimed in with agreement.

Xiao Ce looked at these people, so mindless in their agreement, so easily fooled.

They really have no brains.

John Jonard said to Xiao Ce, "Mr. Ce, why didn't you tell me beforehand? Did I lose my composure just now?"

Xiao Ce rolled his eyes inwardly as he listened to John Jonard's words.

Thinking to myself, who knew you guys were such sore losers? I thought that after borrowing 20 billion soles, they were prepared for this.

Who would have thought they would be such a sore loser?

"No, of course not. After you do this, have someone prepare a gift for them later. It's to express your gratitude for giving you face by not bidding..."

Upon hearing Xiao Ce's words, John Jonard immediately retorted with displeasure, "Are they letting me win? They just don't have the money to compete with us..."

Listening to John Jonard's answer, Xiao Ce was truly exhausted.

Honestly, if I didn't need to use them, I really wouldn't bother explaining myself to them...

It's really impossible to carry it.

"Even so, the fact that you said that means you still feel like you got a great deal! You're in a good mood and didn't forget to thank them, which shows your magnanimity..."

John Jonard nodded and gave Xiao Ce a thumbs up again.

"Indeed, Mr. Ce, you are a very intelligent man..."

Xiao Ce thought that the groundwork had been laid enough and it was time to set a trap for them.

He then rubbed his hands together and said, "Actually, gentlemen, if you think it's too expensive, we can buy this castle. Of course, we certainly won't let you suffer a loss..."

After hearing Xiao Ce's words, John Jonard said incredulously, "You said you're going to buy this castle for 25 billion soles?"

Xiao Ce shook his head.

Seeing Xiao Ce shake his head, the representatives of the twelve families standing to the side immediately showed their displeasure.

"Mr. Ce, this is going too far... You're not trying to take advantage of our misfortune, are you?"

"That's right, we paid a hefty price for it. It was expensive... but you absolutely can't expect a lower price..."

...

Xiao Ce looked at these people, who seemed impatient and anxious.

I still feel utterly contemptuous; they really have no cunning or scheming whatsoever…

Actually, with their personality, they're not too hard to fool, and even harder to cooperate with.

That's absolutely awful.

Xiao Ce patiently said to them, "No...no...you've misunderstood...we've misunderstood...we're talking about 30 billion Sols, and I won't let you suffer a loss...if you think it's too expensive, I'll spend 30 billion to buy this castle."

Hearing Xiao Ce say this, the others looked at each other.

Xiao Ce's understanding of them was absolutely accurate; it was incredibly profound...

If you help them, they'll really think you're trying to take advantage of them.

Several people asked repeatedly if Xiao Ce wanted to buy the castle for 30 billion soles.

Xiao Ce nodded with absolute certainty.

John Jonard said to Xiao Ce, "Mr. Ce, you're a businessman, you wouldn't do a losing business, would you? How could you..."

Looking at John Jonard, Xiao Ce smiled and said, "That's true, but I still have a principle and belief in life: I can't betray those who help me. I'd rather suffer a loss myself than let my partner suffer a loss..."

"So, if you want to sell, I can take care of buying it. Even if it's a bit more expensive, money is just an external thing... making friends with you all is what's important..."

John Jonard looked at Xiao Ce suspiciously after hearing his words.

He didn't believe a single punctuation mark of Xiao Ce's words.

In fact, it wasn't just John Jonard who didn't believe it; those around him at that moment also didn't believe it.

After exchanging glances, Rust Negan was the first to smile at Xiao Ce and say, "Mr. Ce, we appreciate your kindness... Now that we've won the bid, it's ours... If we were to resell it to you after winning the bid, wouldn't that make people think we're short of money?"

"Yes, win or lose, we can afford to win, and we can afford to lose... Mr. Ce, you don't need to worry about that..."

Xiao Ce nodded when he saw that they had all taken the bait.

John Jonard said to Xiao Ce, "As for the money we borrowed from you, we will give it to you in a month at the latest, so you don't need to worry about that."

After listening to John Jonard's words, Xiao Ce smiled and said, "There's nothing to worry about... It depends on what's convenient for you gentlemen, whenever is fine..."

John Jonard smiled at Xiao Ce: "Well, Mr. Ce, that's very generous! However, we're not the kind of people who don't pay back what we owe..."

Seeing this, Xiao Ce changed the subject and said, "By the way, gentlemen, there is another question I would like to ask you."

John Jonard smiled slightly at Xiao Ce, then said, "Is it about the naming rights and renting that castle...?"

Xiao Ce smiled and nodded: "That's right, that's the matter. I wonder if you gentlemen have come up with a suitable solution?"

After listening to Xiao Ce's words, John Jonard smiled and said, "I was thinking of following you tomorrow or after leaving here... but since you've spoken up, we'll just follow you here and talk to you."

After Xiao Ce finished speaking, he looked around, seemingly seeking the opinions of others.

Hearing Xiao Ce's words, the others smiled slightly: "No problem... We'll have to talk about it sooner or later anyway. The auction house needs to complete some procedures, and we're just killing time anyway, so let's take this opportunity to get it done..."

After listening to what the others said, Xiao Ce smiled and nodded, without rushing to interrupt.

Instead, they were looking at these people.

John Jonard said to Xiao Ce, "Mr. Ce, Ms. Boudica, since you've been so helpful, I also like what you said. You don't like to betray your friends, and neither will we... You like to help your friends, and I like to help my friends too..."

"So, after our discussion, we've reached a consensus... that is, there's no problem with naming rights or leasing the property to you, and we can offer you a three-year lease for now! We won't charge you for that."

Xiao Ce was not pleased to hear John Jonard's words.

Instead, I felt a vague sense of unease, because these people were not good people at all.

If these words were spoken by the patriarchs of these families, it wouldn't be so bad...

However, these people are all representatives of their respective families, and they are all concerned with their own interests...

In other words, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they devour people without spitting out the bones.

They certainly wouldn't give him something for free... There must be something fishy going on behind their backs.

After all, Xiao Ce understood all too well that what's free is often the most expensive...

Xiao Ce didn't rush to respond, but just watched with a smile.

As expected, John Jonard paused for a moment, and seeing that Xiao Ce didn't respond, continued, "Of course, we also considered Mr. Ce's personality; he certainly wouldn't let us suffer a loss for nothing... However, we really don't want to accept money. After all, if we accept too much, we'd feel embarrassed. But if we accept too little, as you can see, the cost of acquiring this castle wasn't small... you wouldn't agree to that..."

"I was thinking, how about we become friends? You wanted to set up a Dark Light brand here, right? We could use the naming rights and rental fees to exchange for some equity in your brand. What do you think? You've always wanted to deepen our cooperation, haven't you? This could be a good opportunity..."

Xiao Ce sneered inwardly after hearing this; they really had a clever plan...

However, this also played right into Xiao Ce's hands; they wanted to gain an advantage...