Chapter Thirty-Three: Return to Mnemosyne

  As September draws near, white clouds roll across the sky and the scorching Mediterranean heat finally cools down with the arrival of autumn.

  As I watched Big Brother single-handedly handle the audit, I slacked off a bit. But unexpectedly, Alexander took advantage of everyone's free time and called everyone over. He wanted to announce that I was about to embezzle all the funds for our military unit. Originally, everyone was very dissatisfied, but once they heard it was to take revenge on the French, their dissatisfaction turned into enthusiasm!

  My idea is not complicated, anyway one sheep is also driven, two sheep are also released. Since the French are so ruthless, I won't show mercy either! Taking advantage of the news that Dion Street is being demolished spreading everywhere, I want to buy properties from all French businessmen near that street at a low price! 15 million, plus the money from our construction corps, adds up to over 30 million. If successful, this fund will become even more next year!

  Since everyone is gathered here, I've got another literary girl, so I have some things to say.

  "Dion's involvement has brought too much trouble. Even if it were my father, Caesar, who wanted to tear us down, it would still provoke a great deal of public anger. But since we've already spread the word, we absolutely cannot let this matter end in defeat! A few days ago, I was fortunate enough to make contact with one of those noble girls, and that small connection has made my work much easier. Listen up, after you return to your lodgings, I think it won't be long before many noble misses use their imagination to come up with all sorts of excuses to find you. They'll try to persuade you with a tolerant heart, enduring the disgust in their hearts. Remember, this is a probing attack by them! Our goal this time is to grit our teeth and not let go, but also to give them hope! Remember not to make those girls resent us for life!

  The plan has progressed to this point, I'm not afraid that the girls won't put in effort, what I fear is that these guys who have been scared half to death by the old man will overreact and turn those delicate noble misses into cripples... I've already given the literary girl a heads up, as long as they don't provoke a certain Maurice, their lives will basically be guaranteed. So, please God... bless this bunch of wretched virgins to spark intense fireworks with that group of girls... bless them to bloom and bear fruit, and don't let things develop in the direction I least hope for!"

  "Hmm, why?"

  "You're stupid, they'll get married sooner or later, who knows who they'll marry in the future. What if one day you're unlucky and her husband is your superior, you'll be done for?" Konstantin cursed under his breath.

  "Isn't that very difficult?"

  "It's precisely because it's difficult that there is value in victory!" Morris said, his eyes gleaming with excitement... Unfortunately, he hardly had any chance to win anything.

  "But will it really work?"

  "It seems you still haven't grasped the essence of Niketas' plan! Those women, because we're going to demolish their precious things, must be very disgusted with us. But they have to swallow their pride and come to persuade us again and again, which will only make them more resentful towards us. The key point is, if we really do demolish their precious things, for the next few decades, all the noblewomen of Constantinople will be our enemies. But we didn't..." Konstantinos shook his head and said.

  "Give someone a slap and then offer them a sweet date?"

  "Right, when the whole thing is over, we'll be disliked but not hated."

  This kind of talk is just to fool the military nerds who have never been in contact with women, I pulled my gaze back from Konstanze and said: "This plan is not just a deception. For you, this is also a test, a difficult pass for your ability to adapt randomly, and a test of your ability to keep secrets. The comprehensive test of the military academy is simple, but this is not, so don't disappoint me!

  I won't mention the consequences of failure. I don't like people with low abilities, and neither would Alexander.

  I have to say, I'm really a genius... Such a plan that kills two birds with one stone... Tsk tsk, is there anything in this world that can stump me?

  "Now, who still has a question?" Alexander looked around and then gazed at them with a profound meaning, "Since none of you have any, it's my turn to ask!"

  It's a bit spine-tingling.

  "Who knows how to help Nikis deal with that woman called Wendell?"

  I appreciate Alexander's concern for me, but he should also take a look at the emotional intelligence of those military nerds... Let them help me conquer a 25-year-old woman, I'd rather go to church and discuss it with the priest, maybe there's still a chance to trigger events like discovering the Imperial Emperor's strategy or something. By the way, I'm really puzzled why my past can't be more colorful, if I had hooked up with a few girls before crossing over, **some things**, I wouldn't have lost my composure because of this.

  "Why don't we go to Dion Street, there are a lot of materials there, we can refer to them!"

  "Huh?" He looked up, what did someone just say? Was it an auditory hallucination? Or was God whispering the answer in his ear?!

  "Dion Street is a place where many couples come and go. We can go there to collect data, write it down, and use it as a reference."

  My mouth is agape, I'm speechless! How could I have not thought of this?! Is it because I've been following these military enthusiasts for too long and my brain has become numb?!

  "Damn it, he's a genius!" Someone beat me to the punch, I glanced sideways and found it was Valens.

  "I couldn't agree more." Even Alexander was impressed!

  The power of the masses is indeed immense!

  Better to seize the day than wait for it, I sent those military otakus back home to change clothes. Alexander and I slightly changed our attire, wearing a jacket with an inner shirt, then putting on a long cloak with buttons in front, and wearing a triangular hat to disguise ourselves as Western tourists. This time, Alexander and I did not repeat the feat of kicking Dionysus' horse, but instead found a place nearby to tie up the horses and walked slowly over.

  Last time I walked too hastily and didn't have a chance to appreciate this street that makes artistic girls' souls flutter. This time, taking a closer look, the scenery of this street isn't stunning, but those couples walking hand in hand make the air here filled with sweet love.

  "I saw Maurice and them, they seem to be doing all right." Alexander pointed to a person next to a couple on a bench who were pouring out their hearts to each other. This guy was one of our military otakus, holding a book in his hand, if you didn't look closely, you'd really think he was just reading a book on the side.

  "Dressing up and following those couples to silently record, but the efficiency is a bit slow." I blinked my eyes, and suddenly discovered a very strange scene! I quickly pulled Alexander.

  At the corner to the left in front, a couple parted ways, seemingly heading home separately. At this moment, scattered bookworms holding books in their hands exchanged swift glances! Next, the scene I least wanted to see unfolded: that hapless man had only taken a few steps when three or five figures closed in on him. In the second everyone was distracted, he vanished... and was pushed into a small alley by the street.

  The two of us rushed over to take a listen.

  "Don't even think about shouting loudly, I guarantee that I can cut your throat before you shout! If you understand, nod your head!"

  "Alright, come on, tell me how you seduced that young lady! Honestly and thoroughly recount the whole process!"

  "Who are you? Don't kill me!"

  "It doesn't matter who we are, what matters is which finger you want to lose?"

  In the dark alley, several figures surrounded the unlucky man. One of them flashed a dagger in his hand and sneered, "There are more outside, holding a notebook ready to take notes."

  "Sorry, I didn't know you were her family members. Spare me, I still have some money, I'll give it all to you... Ugh, why are you hitting me?"

  "How did you hook up with that girl? You're talking nonsense! Who should I beat if not you?"

  "Sorry... Ah, oh, why did you hit me again?"

  "Hurry up and answer the question, how did you hook up with that girl?"

  "We met at a coffee shop by chance..." "Slap!" "Damn, you really are asking for it! I asked you to explain the process, what's with the coffee shop?"

  "Mom..."

  I really can't bear to watch anymore....

  "Want to go up and take out those bastards?" Alexander suggested, staring at me with a black expression.

  In the end, Alexander and I didn't manage to take down those arrogant bastards one by one. One reason was that we couldn't bring ourselves to do it, another reason was consideration for internal stability, and most importantly, Alexander and I saw two suspected victims who were humanoid creatures with faces swollen like pig heads - I really can't describe these creatures as human beings when they're walking around with pig-like heads, and those two humanoid creatures were being accompanied by two security personnel asking questions on the street.

  …..

  "Don't do such annoying things next time, okay?" I was speechless. I've seen daylight robbery, grain robbery, and even women being robbed, but I've never seen anyone robbing a dating secret recipe!

  "We're just gathering information." At the worst of times, there's Maurice, who can be reckless and unfeeling. What a guy!

  Alexander stared back at Maurice who had stood up: "Is this how you people gather information? What if you get caught?"

  "Don't worry, the security guards can't beat us. In case of an emergency, I've assigned four people to each group." Konstantin explained.

  Today, even Constantinople has learned its lesson: "We dodged it this time, what about next?"

  "Really? Next time?" A group of people looked at each other in sudden realization, then turned to me and said, "How many more times do we have to come here? Isn't once enough?"

  Ma Lai Go Bei, it seems that these bastards all think of this as a one-time deal, like hitting the autumn wind and then leaving. For some reason, I feel a bit angry, but where exactly this anger comes from, I'm not quite sure how to say.

  "It's not because we think it's too slow, is it? Look at those couples who can't stop talking as soon as they lean in together. I'm afraid by the time the sun sets, we won't be able to gather anything." Valens rubbed his hands nervously, avoiding eye contact with me and instead glancing at Alexander.

  "You! This way of eavesdropping won't gather any intelligence, can't you use your brains? Not far from here is the university district of Constantinople, can't you pretend to be students there? There are so many philosophical theories in the university, surely there will be some philosophical research on love? You say your instructor is a student of that aspect, and was assigned an investigation called 'How Women Fall in Love with Men', couldn't you just ask openly like that? Is it necessary to go to the extent of bringing people to the streets for questioning?"

  Everyone stared in amazement, their faces pale and stunned. After a long while, Maurice finally blurted out from his wide-open mouth: "Good God, you're a genius!"

  Nonsense!

  According to the Bible, geniuses are created by God, isn't God a genius?

  "Never mind," said Alexander. "I think they did it because they were in a hurry. Although the means are not very bright, the starting point is still good."

  All thirty or so people involved in the case were sent back home to avoid trouble, leaving only me and Alexander.

  But before they had gone far, Maurice returned with two others, Constantine and Valens.

  "What again? Want to stir up trouble?" I glanced sideways at those two goods, "Today's mood is bad, don't provoke me."

  Maurice looked at Alexander with a very wronged expression, the latter shrugged his shoulders very unscrupulously, and finally he suggested: "Want to go for a walk around?"

  Alexander's proposal is good, since we're out, let's take a look at the local prices here.

  As a tax district located in front of the outer harbor of Constantinople, Pera is famous for its tailors, jewelers, restaurants, cafes, perfume shops and porcelain stores. Whether it's French perfume from Paris or authentic silk and porcelain from the Far East, any luxury goods related to women can be found here. After all, this is a golden area with high-ranking officials and wealthy merchants coming in and out, even the lowest of whom are small-time rich people who like to show off their wealth. So, if I buy land cheaply here, I don't have to worry about not being able to sell it, local businessmen will rush to buy it up.

  Alexander and I walked down one street, then headed towards another nearby district. Everything we saw and heard was developing just as I had imagined it would. However, the effect was a bit disappointing - although the merchants were panicking, they also had the idea of selling off their goods, but to get the lowest price, some means still needed to be used!

  "Have the Imperial Assessors come here and evaluate the price of each plot of land in the district. Then, spread a message that we will be fair to the Imperials and other nations, but not so much for the French!"

  I strongly agree: "Scaring them is always good."

  Maurice said at this time: "We've walked for so long, let's find a place to rest?"

  "Go to Mnemosyne."