"Bang dang".

Glenn smiled and walked away with his hands behind his back, leaving only two closed doors, cutting off the sight of the people in the room, and for a moment, the entrance fell into an awkward silence, the servants lowered their heads and said nothing, and the travelers, the closed door and the wall of the entrance seemed to be particularly attractive at the moment, and the sighted three people stared at them seriously, as if they contained the most secret secrets of the edge.

"Doesn't look like he's hurt, well, just come back safely." The awkward silence lasted for a few seconds, and Emily, a cold middle-aged woman, broke the silence first. She stared at Matilda for a while, without the slightest anxiety mentioned by others, her expression was calm like a daily greeting, "After a hard night's work, let's rest first, if there is anything to rest after, we have come to this point, don't rush in these hours." Are these your new traveler friends? Your Excellencies, thank you for helping the patriarch of our Pinter family in times of crisis, the journey is hard, if you don't dislike it, please rest in the room, be sure to stay a few more days, and give the Pinter family a chance to express their gratitude."

"Mother, now is not the time to rest." Matilda bit her lip and said with a gloomy face, "I was in too much of a hurry to get Glenn in the morning."

"Are you sure you want to discuss this first in front of your new friends? Okay, then let me ask you, do you have a better way?" Seven or eight points of the two women standing together gives people the feeling of two sisters, Emily is still that widowed and indifferent, but there is a faint unhappiness in her tone, "You have someone you like, I understand, you want to pursue your goals, you want to work hard for it, I also understand, so although I have opposed your affairs in the past two years, I have never really stopped you from doing anything, you don't like to hear those words, I will try not to say them, just because I understand you, I also want to give you a chance, I don't want to interfere with your decision." But now the situation is different, they don't give us a chance, if we don't prepare in advance this time, maybe those people's conspiracy will really succeed, and then the three of us will have nothing." :

"It's not like there's nothing." Matilda sighed, "Whether it's an uncle or someone else, always follow the conventions between the families, and don't go too far."

"That's not going to work." The mature Emily said without question, "It's your thing, no, it's our thing, it's not their turn to take it."

"So, you're going to marry me to a Playboy of the Ritri family? Don't forget his deeds."

"But at least he won't turn you into Midnight City...... At least he won't let you lose everything, and with his support, he can help you keep what your father left behind, whether it's for the good of the family or for yourself, it's the best choice for you to continue to be the patriarch and control everything in the Pinter family." Emily sighed, "Yulia was sent out by me just now to rehearse the sacrificial dance drama for you and a few young ladies from the Dolma family. Declare in advance, this is not to prepare for you not to come back, just to let her probe the attitude of those few and see what the Dolma family thinks. So don't think about it, or I wouldn't have brought Glenn here. As long as the Dolma family doesn't object, and with the support of the Rittery family, we have a big chance of winning."

"So, if you don't have a better way, do as I say and announce your engagement to Glenn to the whole city. The sooner the better, preferably before the harvest deadline tomorrow night. If you don't want to, you can't help it, this is the price of a noble and prosperous life. Of course, now that you are the patriarch, if you are really fiercely opposed, I can't force you, but you usually know how to take care of the overall situation, and you are never willful in key matters, I believe you can understand that I am doing all this for your good."

"I never doubted that, Mother, and I appreciate your affection, but ...... This method, this kind of good, I don't like it. Forget it, this topic has been discussed many times, so let's put it aside for now." Matilda sighed and said softly, "Don't worry, if the time comes when there is no other choice, I will calmly fulfill my responsibilities and obligations, and put the interests of the family first, but, before that, I have some things to discuss with your Excellency Traveler, and I hope you can spare some time."

"Are you sure?" Emily's brow furrowed even further, "You're saying you're going to talk to me even if it's the way it is?"

」

"Yes." Matilda looked around and waved the servants away, but stopped Mondo again, and pulled out the list that Babu had made in the morning, "Uncle Mondo, you have a few people in private, James, Elliot, well, and Charles......

"Charles, no." Emily suddenly interrupted, "If you want to find the most loyal person to the family, Charles can't, he has weaknesses, and Paul is more credible than he seems."

"Then replace Charles with Paul." Matilda was stunned for a moment, but immediately continued without hesitation, "Prepare everything that Your Excellency Traveler wants, try to take what you have from home, and buy what you don't have. Remember, keep it absolutely secret, and spread it out from home, so that no one can deduce our purpose. In addition, you have more say than me in terms of manpower, you choose ten family warriors, and the strength is second, the important thing is loyalty and calmness, the specific requirements you understand, remember to be ready tonight, there is no room for failure."

"Yes, master." Mondo bowed to Matilda and Emily with his hand, bowed deeply to the travelers, and then turned and walked away briskly.

"It's a big deal to have Mondo run for this kind of chore." Emily's faint but unquestionable attitude gradually became serious, and when Mondo left, she made a gesture of invitation to the travelers, and said as she led the way, "Your Excellency, please move to the lounge, where it has been specially handled, and there is no need to worry about anyone listening. Susan, you go and prepare refreshments for the guests, just put them at the door, Marian, you stand at the top of the stairs and don't let anyone in. A few guests, please."

Follow Emily and Matilda all the way up to the third floor, all the way to see, can only be said to be worthy of the big aristocratic family of a large city with a population of 80,000, the whole main house is elegant and solemn, the dark brown wooden floor is smooth and clean, the light is visible, the light blue walls reveal a solemn atmosphere, the dark and narrow corridor on both sides, hanging different styles of character paintings, the corners of the corridor also erect exquisite statues, in Babu's opinion, whether it is a statue or a painting, the technique is quite famous.

The lounge is spacious, one room is about the size of Bab and Anna's entire home in Sol Town, and the faint scent of lavender wafts in the room, which makes people's mood unconsciously calm.

Emily let everyone into the house, cautiously closed the door, and then said suspiciously, "It's okay now, what the hell must be said now."

"You just asked me if I had a better way." Matilda sat down across from Emily, on the same couch as the travelers, bowed her head and whispered, "Actually, there is a way to be absolutely sure, and I really don't. Actually, there was one before, but it failed after a little accident."

"That's why you made excuses to meet that person?" Emily's face sank, "It seems that you don't care about the overall situation and only care about your own selfish desires."

"Actually......" Matilda stopped talking, looked at the travelers, and finally shook her head, "Anyway, I hope that Mother you can delay the announcement of the engagement for a while, at least until the Presbyterian Council counts the harvest, well, I really don't have a way to be absolutely sure, but I want to fight again, for my future, and for the future of the Pinter family."

"I don't think you need to remind you how important timing is." Emily said with a calm face, "Take the initiative to announce it before the deadline tomorrow night, and there is no hope that you will have to get engaged in the future, sincerity is completely two concepts, it will be directly related to the treatment you will receive in the future, and even affect the relationship between the two families."

"Well, I know, but I still want to fight again." Matilda glanced at Babu and smiled slightly, "Besides, I've already started betting."

"Are you sure you know what it means to fight once?" Emily asked, "Fight with your own destiny and the fate of your family?"

"Yes, I'm sure." Matilda and her mother looked at each other, without evasion, and said in a firm tone, "So, on the one hand, the interests of the family, and on the other hand, it is the gambling that may have the greatest impact on my life, mother, do you think the engagement matter can be postponed until after the harvest statistics are collected tomorrow night?"

"How did I give birth to such a daughter?" The mother and daughter looked at each other for a long time before Emily muttered a few times, and then said with a straight face, "No

Yes."

Matilda smiled and didn't speak, still staring directly at her mother.

"Originally, it was said to be five days, but then it became four days, and now it has been changed to three days, and it is too targeted, let's not open our mouths to object, how many of them really regard the Pinter family as a sculpture on the street?" Emily sneered, "Since you need time, you should simply buy time at the root. It's not just a few of them who have the ability to influence the Elders' decision-making, as long as they give up some of the family's interests and influence the Elders' Council to delay the time of the statistics, they can give you plenty of time, and you don't need to worry about being bullied in the future if you really marry Glenn, then what is there to hesitate."

"Thank you, Mother." Matilda's eyes narrowed, and her smile was extraordinarily bright, "Actually...... We've got the statue back."

"Oh." Emily was still thinking about how much she would have to pay to achieve her goal, and she casually responded, only to suddenly react after a few seconds, watching her daughter blink blankly, "From that man's ......"

"No, it's Monica and the members of the Babu Chamber of Commerce who are helping out, they are powerful and well-established marginal travelers." Matilda no longer spoke as lonely and helpless as before, but said quite briskly and confidently, "It's a pity that there are only statues, and there is only a chance, not 100% sure, if you find a sacrifice that is enough to please the gods and win the favor of the gods, then I believe that those families who may hinder us will change their minds wisely."

"So you just ...... How did I give birth to such a daughter?" Emily gritted her teeth, but finally sighed, "That's right, in that case, it's more shocking to make it public together, since you say so, you must already have a goal and a plan."

"Well, Uncle Mondo ...... with the help of some of the Travelers," Matilda briefly recounted last night's experience, "I have spoken carefully with His Excellency Babu, and with his level of expertise, I have confirmed that there are probably many high-value works of art remaining, and that under their guidance, we may be able to find them. I think they are credible in terms of character and strength, and they have the ability and willingness to become the strongest help of the Pinter family and help the family through difficulties, so I would like to send them a formal invitation to cooperate in the name of the entire family, and at the same time tell them in detail about the situation in the city and the predicament that the family is facing now."

"It's up to you to decide, right?" Emily said lightly, "You are the patriarch of the Pinter family, why are you asking me?"

"Yes, I'm the patriarch, but you're still the patriarch's mother, why can't I ask you?" Matilda grinned and said, "Mother, the more I learn about their professionalism, the more I have the illusion that if the time is right, I can even fulfill your long-cherished wish."

"How dare you think about it, but don't dream." Emily's cold gaze turned to the travelers, especially at Babu's face a few more times, and finally shook her head, "Your Excellency Travelers, since my daughter has requested, then I will join her to formally invite cooperation on behalf of the Pinter family, and as for the price of cooperation, with my understanding of this child, I must only give you a promise that you do not have to pay. Under normal circumstances, I have no objection to such conditions, but the Pinter family does not like to owe favors, and in the current situation, your help is an extremely precious gift to the Pinter family, and it is likely to affect the future of our family of three, compared to her promises, her promise is far from enough."

"Huh?" The three Babu asked curiously, "So critical?"

"Yes, because Midnight City is special." Emily said, "The Council of Elders in Midnight City has six elders, from the city's ten families. The deceased husband used to be a member of the Presbyterian Church, but died on the brink of war five years ago, and the only direct descendants were Matilda and her sister Yulia, but they were too young to be eligible for nomination, so the position of elder fell into the hands of the Scott family. Ten days ago, Elder Dominic of the Dolma family died of illness, and according to Midnight City tradition, a month after his death, a candidate would be nominated from among the remaining five family patriarchs who were not elders, and after the candidates were approved, a new elder would be voted on from among them."

"So, it's to rely on this harvest to make Matilda an elder?" Monica looked at Matilda in surprise, "This kind of thing shouldn't be decided by one or two sacrifices."

"Of course, it is not for her to become an elder, that is indeed my long-cherished wish, but her age and qualifications are really insufficient, and it is impossible to achieve it in the near future unless Lord Jerue speaks directly." Emily sighed regretfully, "But it's one thing to be an elder, it's another to get nominated. With Matilda's age and qualifications, if she wants to not be rejected at this step of the nomination list, or to get credit that most people cannot question, the ten families who are selected in order to serve the public do not dare to veto, or through the exchange of interests, forcibly let the nomination pass. Otherwise, once the nomination list is rejected at the time of voting due to seniority and age, then give the other clans an excuse to ask Matilda to give up the position of patriarch to other clans with more seniority and age."

"For example...... Her uncle?"

"Claus is indeed one of them, and if there is no such thing as a new elder, they have no excuse to question Matilda's age and prestige, and if Matilda is given a few more years to grow, he will be able to secure the position of patriarch. Now that Dominic has died suddenly, time does not allow her to grow slowly, and if even the nomination is rejected and the Pinter family loses the opportunity to participate in the general election, then those branches will definitely take the opportunity to make trouble." Emily sneered, "Actually, this early statistics harvest is the trouble caused by the families behind their branches, although they are not good at making trouble openly, but they will try their best to create obstacles for Matilda, as for whether they were rejected because of their trouble, they will not ......

"Knock knock."

As she spoke, there was a sharp knock on the closed door, and when Emily opened it, she saw the maid who had been ordered to stand guard standing in the doorway with an anxious face.

"Madam, eldest miss, no, there are a few families and many people from the outside family, gathered around the door, and demanded that the eldest lady explain why the dangerous traveler was brought into the city, and if there was no reasonable explanation, the traveler should be expelled."