Early morning on December 22.

Before dawn, Joe, who had already practiced a round of hydra breathing and comfortably bathed with boiling hot water, was already wearing brand new home clothes and sitting comfortably in the dining room on the first floor.

"It seems that the four basic elemental qi veins have been opened, and my meal amount has become smaller." Waving a sterling silver knife and fork and cutting a piece of beef rib into small pieces, Joe looked at Hesse sitting on the other side of the table very solemnly.

"It's unreasonable...... How can that empty basic element replace delicious food? Joe sighed and stuffed a piece of juicy beef rib into his mouth and chewed it heavily.

While chewing, he said vaguely: "However, fortunately, this Hydra breathing method is good, even if I eat a little longer, I only need to take a few breaths, and the food in my stomach will be digested quickly, which allows me to eat more food, which is a good feeling." ”

Hesse, who was holding the "Imperial Capital Express" that had just been delivered, and carefully reading the headlines, raised his eyelids and glanced at Joe.

"Theoretically, there is no limit to the amount of food that can be eaten with the Hydra Pranayama...... Joe, it's good if you're happy. Anyway, even if you keep eating all day long, the income in your own name can support you. ”

Hesse reached into his pocket, pulled out a thick stack of filled out bearer traveler's checks, and threw them on the dining table, and with a flick of his fingers, the check slipped down the smooth table and came to a steady stop in front of Joe.

Joe dropped his knife and fork, grabbed the checkbook, and carefully examined the numbers one by one.

"Earnings in my name?" Looking at the terrible, frighteningly large numbers on the thick stack of traveler's checks, Joe blinked and looked at Hesse a little confused.

"Before I set out from the port of Tulum, Vigrar, I bought a new batch of new potions...... Duke Ross, along with the two dukes and four marquis who were friends with her, joined forces to buy an even more staggering batch of new potions. ”

Hesse shook his head, his eyes swept over the checkbook in Joe's hand, grabbed the milk cup in front of him vigorously, and poured two mouthfuls of fresh milk with a 'coo-dong'.

"You're my son, otherwise I wouldn't be able to resist eating black. You and I know the cost of these new potions...... But the benefits it brings, it's terrible......"

Hesse licked the milk foam from the corner of his mouth, threw the newspaper on the table, rolled up his sleeves, grabbed his knife and fork, and launched a fierce attack on a roasted beef leg that the cook had just brought from the port of Tulum.

Swallowing a few large pieces of fragrant beef shank, Hesse raised his head and pointed at Joe: "You're back, just in time...... I'll help you pick a big mansion next to Hydra Palace, you can go over and have a look for the next two days, and if you're satisfied, pay for it yourself......"

Wiping the grease stains from the corners of his mouth with a napkin, Hesse shook his head: "Remember, this is Duke Ross's favor...... That mansion is the private property of a member of the royal family who committed a crime, and if it weren't for the letter of introduction from Duke Rose, I wouldn't have been able to take this mansion down from the Royal Asset Management Bureau. ”

Joe's eyes lit up: "The house, how is it?" ”

"Apophis Palace...... Legend has it that Apophis is a terrifying serpent that inhabits the abyss of the earth, and is as famous as Jörmungård...... However, compared to Jörmungadr, Apophis collects souls, manipulates souls, and devours souls, making him a much more evil dark serpent. ”

Hesse shrugged his shoulders and gave Joe a deep look: "Apophis...... If you are not satisfied with the name, you can change the name after buying it. ”

"The palace, in the style of the Second Gallic Empire, is much more beautiful than the boxy boulders of the Delenian Empire. Covering an area of 500 acres, the main building is a three-storey palace, the underground is also three-storey, with twelve towers, the main building has 666 rooms, all of which are functional. ”

"If you add the guest rooms, guard rooms, servants' rooms, etc., in the annex of Apophis, there are more than two thousand three hundred rooms."

Hesse cut off a large piece of beef leg very calmly: "According to the information given by Hydrera, at the New Year's celebration at Hydrera, I will be promoted from a Junker to a Teuto...... The title was also promoted to the actual marquis, and the county of Upper Lockson in Wyndham Province, the fattest piece of fat in Wyndham Province, would become the family's fief. ”

"To become stronger, the Vetus need a decent stronghold in the Imperial Capital."

"So, the Apophis Palace will become the face of the family in the imperial capital, but its property rights will be clearly under your name, right?" Hesse munched on the beef shank.

Joe tucked the thick checkbook into his pocket, and he looked at Hesse a little dazed: "Of course, but ......"

For the first time, Hesse proposed that a certain family property belonged to him explicitly...... This made Joe a little unaccustomed and a little uneasy......

"A necessary procedure for family growth...... It is also a necessary procedure for growth. Hesse winked at Joe, "Joe, you and Gorkin have both grown up, haven't they?" ”

Jo picked up the milk cup and poured a few sips of milk into it.

"Say whatever you want...... Gorkin and I are brothers. Joe snorted, "This Apo...... What's it and how much is it worth? ”

"Fifty million gold marks." Hesse's face twitched violently: "The most expensive property in the history of the imperial capital...... But, Joe, it's worth the price, I've seen it, the furniture, the furnishings, and all the other details, it's worth the price. ”

"If it weren't for the relationship of its old owner, it would have been idle for a long time, and the imperial family would have to invest more than three million gold marks a year in order to maintain it...... If it weren't for a letter of introduction from Duke Ross...... No matter how rich you are, you can't take the palace of Apophis. ”

Joe blinked and lowered his voice.

He remembered the knights he had seen with Gorkin as a child who had recorded certain court secrets.

He asked softly, "Where is this Apophis Palace?" Could it be, a little ...... It's a bit ......."

"Transgression?" Hesse glanced at Joe and laughed out loud: "Apophis, just east of the Hydra Palace, less than a mile away, the most core and best location in the entire imperial capital, tsk...... The core area of the imperial capital, 500 acres of land, 50 million gold marks, in fact, this land price is worth this price. ”

"This time, we have taken a big advantage...... You don't have to worry about anything else, though. Hesse smiled at Joe, "Trespassing? No, no, no, Apophis is not a royal property in the true sense of the word, he is just the private property of the old highness. ”

"That old highness, if he hadn't frozen to death, he would have been hunting or fishing on some small island in the far north of the ice sea, some kind of pleasant scenery, right? Provided, of course, that he can find a shotgun on that island, or a fishing rod. ”

"Since the Royal Assets Management Bureau has clearly marked Apophis at a price, and no one has taken over the emperor...... We spent the money, and the house is ours. ”

Hesse split the cow leg bone in front of him with a knife, grabbed half of the large bone, and began to suck the cow bone marrow inside.

The sound of brisk steps came, and Gorkin, wearing a lieutenant colonel uniform, strode into the dining room, rubbing his palms vigorously and shouting: "Ah, you must not believe it, I was awakened by the smell of seafood soup...... Dear Father, you brought seafood from Tulun Port? ”

Hesse put down the corbel bone and laughed loudly: "Ah, Gorkin, your dog's nose is so smart...... Chilled, chilled, not really seafood, though...... In the imperial capital, you can't expect too much, can you? ”

A large pot of seafood soup was brought up by the cook, and Gorkin didn't care about anything else, so he quickly sat down next to Joe and feasted heartily: "Yes, it's good to have chilled food...... Hmm, you're right, in the imperial capital, you can't expect anything...... Ah, what it tastes ......."

The corners of Gorkin's mouth drooled, and he was so intoxicated that he poured three bowls of thick soup in a row.

Hesse and Joe looked at Gorkin with pity, and Hesse muttered, "It's good that Leah didn't come over, after all, she has to stay in Tulum Harbor to take care of the family...... Gorkin, look at you like this...... When I was in Tulum Harbor before, I didn't see how much you loved seafood soup. ”

The sound of messy footsteps was heard.

Dressed in a white nightdress, Weima walked into the restaurant as if she were sleepwalking.

There were a few dull hairs on the top of her head, and Tifa, who was also wearing a nightdress, took a comb and a headband, and followed behind Weima step by step, helping Weima with her hair.

With a headband in his mouth, Tifa snorted coldly between his teeth: "Weima, you little gluttonous cat, you will get up when you smell the aroma...... You haven't ...... yet Yes? ”

Tifa's eyes widened as she stared straight at Gorkin, who was sitting at the dining table with a large bowl.

"Aha, who is this, this beautiful big girl, is it my sister Tifa?" Gorkin waved the large soup spoon in his hand and greeted Tifa very exaggeratedly: "Official, Tifa, I heard that many of my old acquaintances in Tulum Harbor have been sent by you to the islands of the Northern Ice Sea to mine?" ”

Tifa, who has always been as cold as ice, has a smile on her pretty face.

She shaved Weima's hair vigorously with her comb, causing Weima to let out a scream, and then nodded to Gorkin with a smile: "It's not a lot, but basically, those old acquaintances of yours have been sent to mine by me...... Seeing that your facial features are sound and your limbs are perfect, I will go to St. Maya's Cathedral and donate you more incense money! ”

"Sure enough, it's my own sister." Gorkin giggled, then squeezed his eyes at a dull-looking Weima.

"This should be my little sister Weima, right? Joe's letter was right, it looked like a bean sprout......"

Weima looked at Gorkin blankly, and pulled Latifah's sleeve a little timidly: "Tifa, who is this guy who is as thin as a stray dog?" How does it feel, a little familiar? ”

Gorkin's face stiffened.

Hesse and Joe banged the table frantically and laughed hysterically.