Chapter 14: Hotel Gourmet (Patreon)

Bune Farmer

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 14: Hotel Gourmet

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- Mathias -

I watched as the staff went around, running from one place to another, taking care of the last minute preparations for today’s opening event.

The entire Underworld was anticipating the release of my products since the day of the interview. There was obviously a lot of hesitation among the normal people as the prices of the products were still not revealed and normal devils were wondering if they could afford it and if the price would even be worth it.

The first week’s sale was going to make a lot of difference.

All four Satans were going to appear at the opening of the hotel and I had sent invitations to all the Pillar Houses, even those which were declared extinct as well as all the Extra Demon houses to join the ceremony.

“So what’s going on in your mind, Matty?” Uncle Logan asked, as he approached me.

“Wondering how many houses will turn up for today's event.”

He let out a wry smile. “All of them. I doubt there would be any houses who would be absent today. Are you still angry about the funeral?” he asked, patting my shoulder.

“I was never angry at them for not showing up, Uncle. I mean it would be foolish to be angry at people because they did not consider me important when I was expressly trying to hide that very thing. What I am annoyed about is them pretending that they cared.”

“Don’t worry about them. Why even bother about them and give them a free room in your head when they didn’t give you the same courtesy.”

I nodded. “Yes.”

….

There was a moment of quiet between us.

“Do we need anything else, uncle?”

“Nothing for now. I have already arranged for everything I could and even added the things which your fiancé asked me for. Seriously, that girl has a good head on her shoulders. She said that she was going to arrive with her family today so she sent a list of things to me.”

“Yes. She tends to worry a lot.” I smiled.

“Probably a good thing for you.” He chuckled.

“By the way, you can move into the Buné family’s core area with aunt and Ladora. I will have a mansion built for you.”

“Eh, us? Moving there? No no. I am already comfortable in my new home in this place. The business will need me to constantly run around between the four cities and this place is the best to manage such things.”

“Well, alright. If you insist. Still, I would suggest that you send Ladora to train at the farm sometimes. It would be good if he gets to the Ultimate Class at least. As our business expands….so will the dangers.”

I suggested and a serious look took over his face as he nodded.

This was going to be a problem.

After my business expanded, people were going to target everyone in my family.

Right now, only Ladora and his parents qualify for that.

My peerage members rarely ever went out of the territory and when they are in the territory, they are always surrounded by the army of dragons and dryads. Not to mention, almost all of them were strong enough to put up a fight against an Ultimate Class being and they will only get stronger in time.

As for my fiances, I doubt anyone would try to go after them due to their families.

“Mathias.” He suddenly called me.

“Hmm?”

“....you don’t have to answer this if you don’t want to but….”

I looked at the man, feeling his hesitation. “What?”

“How strong are you? I mean I know you are stronger than what you showed in the Rating Game but I just….”

I smiled. The man was both worried and curious and still hesitated to not offend me.

“How long did that match take?” I asked.

He was taken aback at my sudden question.

“Around eight minutes.” He answered, unsure of my intentions.

“Let’s say if I were to go all out, even if it were Ruval Phenex instead of Riser… I could have ended it within the same time.” I smiled, reassuring him.

I was not boasting. I could indeed end the whole fight in eight minutes, even earlier if I went all out.

But there was no need to show off too many of my cards.

His mouth opened a bit at my reveal.

“So, don’t worry about anything uncle. You just do business with ease of your heart. I am here. Noone will bully us any more.”

His shocked face turned into a smile.

“Good. Good. Brother and Sister-in-Law would have been proud of you. Good.” His eyes watered a bit as he controlled his voice.

The Buné have really been looked down on too much and this was even worse for him, someone who married a human and had a half devil child. Although the guy never regretted his decision of marrying his wife, the constant taunts and shunning would get to anyone.

One last check later, it was almost time and my peerage members arrived first except Tia and Crom who were not at the farm.

As for the protection and security of the farm, there was a small army of Ultimate Class dryads and dragons to protect the whole place with Leafa as the last line of defence.

I looked outside the window and a large crowd could be seen waiting below.

“Let’s go. It’s time we start the event.”

I walked out, followed by my peerage members.

Magic Circles were lighting up one after another as people walked in.

The Glasya-Labolas Magic Circle appeared and Tobio came out and walked up to me.

“Armin’s not here?” I asked.

“He was called back by his father after he delivered the goods and will be accompanying them. He sent me to see if you had anything you wanted help with.”

“No. Nothing here. You can hang out with my peerage members and just keep an eye out for things.”

The Press was having a field day today but they maintained their distance.

After around twenty minutes, a crimson Magic Circle lit up the whole area and Sirzechs came out followed by the other three Satans.

The crowd parted as they walked up to me.

“Congratulations Mathias. It looks like the preparations have gone well.” Sirzechs shook my hands as he congratulated me.

We had to pose for the press to click pictures.

“Obviously. I can’t wait for the main party.” Serafall said excitedly.

“Yes. The preparations are all great. I promise that you will enjoy the party today.”

I led them in.

My peerage members will take care of welcoming others with Uncle.

“So, how are things really coming along? Did you get any messages, invitations, proposals… death threats?” Euclid asked as we were out of the eyes of the camera.

“No idea.”

“Huh?”

“Was too busy. I will have to get to that can of worms later. Latia had arranged for them to be stored somewhere until we could check them for curses and stuff. She said there were hundreds of them… It hasn’t even been a full day since the entire Rating game fiasco. How in the world did these people get so much time to send me these letters.”

“Oh they were probably already prepared with the letters since your name came out on your birthday and were waiting to see things with their own eyes in the Rating Games before sending them in.” He chuckled at my incredulous look.

“You are underestimating these people too much, Matty. The first thing to learn when doing politics is… being shameless.” Serafall advised, making me turn towards her.

“Shameless?”

“Obviously. Most of them hate each other and would love for nothing more than to see them fall but they still work with each other for the sake of profits. You don’t have to like someone to do business with them.” She shrugged.

I looked at the other three who were quiet and Sirzechs shrugged too. “I sometimes wish I could throw a ball of destruction at Lucifer Castle and go out for a holiday.”

“They are annoying.” Ajuka added in his two cents which was already too much.

As for the last one. “Too troublesome.”

We came to the venue and they took a seat on a table at the front.

Ajuka looked at the empty tables and raised an eyebrow. “You have places for the Extinct Houses too.”

“Yes. Extinct or not, they are all Pillar Houses and have contributed to the Underworld. I don’t see why they shouldn’t get their own places.”

“Some people would be making noise.” Euclid commented.

“Well too bad for them it’s not their party.” I smiled.

The Buné and Zagan were treated the same way all this time and I was not going to forget this as soon as I got into a comfortable position.

“I personally think this is a good idea.” Sirzechs supported.

“Thank you.”

While we were talking the other guests had started arriving as well and I left to attend to them.

Armin and my allies came a bit later as they had to look over the opening of the shops in the other cities.

The Satan families appeared a while later and at the head of the Gremory Family was Runeas Gremory with someone I wasn’t expecting to see in a while.

The redhead skipped up to me happily. “Matty! Throwing a lot of parties, I see. Well good job. I like it when things are livelier. Not like Mr. Grumpy here.” She pointed towards Zekram Bael who was slowly approaching us.

“Lady Runeas….” I started to speak but she cut me off.

“Runi.” She then came to me and whispered. “I am planning to play some pranks on some kids. Just play along.”

I nodded and gave her a thumbs up and even patted her head.

“Then enjoy the party, Runi.”

She rolled her eyes for a fleeting moment.

“Still playing around, sigh.” Zekram spoke as he reached us.

“Obviously, I am not an old grandpa after all.” She stuck out her tongue and made a face at the old man.

I bowed lightly, “Lord Zekram.”

He nodded and then stared at me for a while.

“Congratulations on ascending to your Lordships. Unlike what some people would believe”, He threw a look at Sirzechs who had walked up to us seeing Zekram approaching me. “I do feel happy when the houses of my siblings become active.” He said while looking at the tables with the names of the Extinct Pillars on them. The voice was not loud but enough for both us and Sirzechs to hear.

The old man wasn’t bothered though and shook his head. “This business.” He looked around the building. “Of yours….will bring great changes to the Underworld….changes which will decide the direction our race takes from here on out. I just hope you will be careful to not harm the Underworld in any way.”

“That has never been my intention. This place is my home and I sincerely wish to improve the lives of people in the Underworld.”

“Oh.” He looked at Runeas. “You were right. He’s far different from Zagan. I guess the Buné part of him balances things.”

I looked at the two and raised an eyebrow.

“Zagan always kept himself shut in his lab and had to be dragged out even for the most important meetings unless ordered by Lucifer himself. Him opening a business like this would have been impossible. Any businesses the Zagan had were opened and managed by their son.” Runeas explained.

I just looked at the two with a slightly open mouth while adding hikikomori to my list of things which the original Zagan was.

“Anyways, come over for a tea sometimes. I heard that Sairaorg stays with you most of the time. Let us show you the hospitality of the Bael.”

I bowed. “I would be honoured.”

“Hey, would there be any good desserts today?” Runeas asked, excitedly.

“Desserts? Yes.”

“I have heard that you are planning to sell some rare alcohol at this place. I look forward to it.” Zekram asked with a glint in his eyes

“You will not be disappointed.” I smiled.

Now, I have to bring out my best wine.

They went back to their seats and I looked around.

Most of the guests had arrived and to my surprise, even the extinct house tables had several of them who were looking around nervously.

Today’s events had to be taken care of by me alone to show that I was not being controlled by the Gremory and the Astaroth apparently so I couldn’t count on them helping me out today.

Lavinia was watching over Gasper and Valerie and Shizuka and Natsume were taking care of other things so I asked Ingvild to come with me.

Ingvild followed me to every table as I welcomed them personally, even the Extinct Houses and Extra Demons were treated the same.

“You look as if you are serving some kind of punishment.” Leila rolled her eyes when we reached her table.

The Astaroth family was sitting on one table which meant she, her husband and Latia as well as Lady and Lord Astaorth. It seems they had left their prick of a son back at home. Good.

“Do I? And here I thought I was hiding it perfectly.” I smiled, causing her to shake her head with a smile.

“Your disguise skills still need some work, I suppose.”

“As you say, teacher.” I chuckled before turning towards Lord Astaroth who actually looked… dare I say tense and greeted. “Welcome to my humble place, Lady and Lord Astaorth.” I bowed.

“N-no. It was expected. You are Leila’s student and engaged to my grand niece Latia. At this point, you are practically family.”

“Thank you. I hope you will enjoy today’s party.”

“Obviously. And once more, congratulations Lord Buné Zagan.”

The Gremory family was sitting with just family.

I noticed that Runeas and Zekram had taken seats a bit away from the rest of the Pillars, with just the two of them.

Lord Bael looked more… hmm… what’s the word for it… contained. Perhaps due to the presence of his Ancestor.

He was accompanied by his wife… not Sai’s mother but someone else and his other son who looked like he wanted to talk to me but kept quiet seeing his father’s stern countenance.

With all the formalities done, I took the stage.

“I would like to welcome everyone to the opening of my hotel, my first business in the Underworld and thank you all for being a part of it.”

There were several people from the press at the back of the room and this scene was being played outside the hotel. In fact, this same thing was being played at all the other Satan cities and the peerage members of the Satans were actually watching over the ceremonies.

“I am sure most of you have already heard of this but for those of you who haven’t, let me repeat again. I plan to sell the special food products made by me. These products have different effects like increasing the physical and magical growth and even increasing the affinity and resistance to certain elements.”

Whispers ran throughout the place as I continued.

“My products are divided into several ranks, starting from F- to B+. Each of these Ranks is for a different level of strength, F being Low Class, E, Middle Class, D High Class, C Ultimate Class and finally B for the Satan Class beings.” I waved my hand and the waiters distributed brochures containing information about various products to every table.

“Some of these products can have other utilities apart from increasing strength as well. For example, a special type of berries called the Cuticle Berry in my shops can help increase hair growth as well as make hair quality better and Blood Berry which can serve as an alternative for blood.”

They looked over the list as I explained.

“But the best selling point of the products is without a doubt… their taste.” I looked at the people gathered in front of me. “I can bet you that by the end of the year, you will be buying my products not for their effects… but for their tastes.”

“Anyways, let’s get back to the explanations. First of all, let me clear out some misconceptions for everyone. My products will give a gradual boost to people if they eat it for a long time. That said, if they truly want to receive the best effects, they need to train and push their body and magic to the fullest. This can assure them a several times higher training speed than normal.”

I paused and let them digest the information.

“Second, the ideal food for someone would be the ones closest to their strength level. And yes, I mean strength level. So a kid from a Pillar family will have to eat F or E Class Products and not D Class because they are High Class by Rank. If they do so, they will only be wasting most of the nutritious properties and effects of the food items. Similarly if someone is an Ultimate Class by strength, they will need to eat C Ranked products for the best effects. There won’t be any danger if they do eat a higher ranked product or anything but I would like to think no one would waste the effects of such expensive products. A shout out to the reincarnated devils and other races living in the Underworld, people of other races can eat these food products too and receive the same advantages, so do try.”

I looked around the hall and saw the people discussing and let them calm down a bit before speaking again. I think I heard several discussions from the pillar side about the decision of allowing Reincarnated Devils and other races access to these things but paid them no mind.

“F to D Ranked products can be sold to anyone without any restriction. C Ranked Products are harder to grow and are in a shorter supply so they need to be ordered in advance. Finally, B Ranked Products are extremely rare and in extremely short supply and will thus be auctioned. I mean you need to understand, these are things which can even affect the powers of the Satans. Such things cannot be sold willy nilly.”

The noise in the venue grew instantly at the announcement.

I waited for them to get it out of their systems before clapping and attracting their attention.

“Now let’s get to the last and main part of today’s event. Where would all these items be sold? Well, my products are currently only being sold in the Satan cities in the branches of Hotel Gourmet run by the Zagan House. Each of these hotels have similar layouts so I will explain it for everyone.”

I pulled open the curtain behind me and revealed the layout of the Hotel. “The first four floors will contain shops with Unranked to D Ranked Products. Above that will be the place where you can place your orders for C Ranked Products.”

The press people were noting everything down while the rest were looking into their brochures as I explained along.

“The four floors above that are the Restaurants which serve the delicacies made from our products. They are divided into Low Class, Middle Class and High Class and need devils to be of the rank or be accompanied by people of said rank to enter. The eighth floor will be a VIP Floor. The ninth floor would be a bar.” I pointed to the floor and threw a glance at Zekram.

“Finally, the tenth floor, the place where we all are gathered right now, is the auction hall. This is where auctions for B Ranked Products will be held. For auctions, a public notification will be given a month prior to the auction date. Every house will be given a seat for the auction and as these products are a bit sensitive, only those who pass the security and identification tests will be given access to the auctions. For these cases, the decision made by Hotel Gourmet will be final and no arguments will be entertained.”

Looking at the crowd busy in their discussions, I waited for a minute before speaking. “Any questions?”

And boy did they have questions.

Several people raised their hands.

Surprisingly, the first questions came from the Press side and no one from the Pillars raised any hands.

They are the ones who are behind the Press.

“Yes. The one in purple.”

The man stood up and bowed. “Many congratulations for opening such a grand establishment, Lord Buné Zagan. I am sure this will be great addition to the culture and power of the Underworld”

I nodded and waited for the man to come out with the actual dirt.

Leila has taught me that when someone praises me too much on such occasions, they are probably going to be throwing a lot of dirt on me.

And it did come.

“It’s just that what you said about your products, such things….are completely unheard of. So you can understand if people are a bit….hesitant in trying these products.”

“And their worries are understandable. I had already anticipated such cases and made a joint effort with the Research and Development Department to have each and every one of the products tested before bringing them to the market. The reports have already been made public and people can procure them from any of our stores or from the DevilNet. You don’t think the Satans would allow such products in the underworld without even verifying the effects, do you?”

“Ah….that’s….reassuring to hear.” I waited.

Surely they knew this fact wouldn’t do anything, then what.

“Still, there is a chance that all products may not be as effective or may lose their effects later on.”

I stopped him with a raised hand. “All the products for the said tests were picked up at random from my farm and each and every test gave the same results.”

I observed him closely and saw his lips twitching.

“That’s good to hear but many people would still like to know if there will be any procedures if they do not achieve any results from your products.”

….

I looked at the man for a second.

Seriously?

What does he want me to do?

Refund?

A simple look over the halls and Senjutsu gave me the idea about the moods of the people from the Piliar Houses, mostly the active ones who were actually anticipating the answer.

Discrediting the products of their rivals is a simple and extremely effective strategy which has led several businesses to ruin. This is even easier for these people who have control over the media and economy of the Underworld for literally thousands of years.

Is this their warning?

Very well then.

- Runeas -

“See and you were wondering why Sirzechs was keeping the kid hidden.” She snorted.

Zekram shrugged. “This is the very basics. He is coming in and taking away their profits. Obviously there would be people who would be opposed to it. You can’t blame them either. And if the kid cannot even face these small tactics then he has a long way to go.”

They looked at the kid who stared at the reporter for a second and then turned towards the Pillar Houses. “This is a very reasonable doubt for anyone to have. Do any of the Pillars of the Extra Demon Houses have the same doubts?”

The Pillars were taken aback at the sudden question but collected themselves quickly and one of them, Shax, got up and replied. “The Shax house has been one of the leading distributors of food products for the entire Underworld and in our branch of trade, the quality of the product is always a matter of concern.”

The boy nodded and then turned towards the rest.

One by one several houses stood up.

Zekram had probably already made it clear to not directly get involved in any moves against the boy, seeing as the kid from the Bael house was not among the ones standing. He probably wanted to see what the kid was made up of before deciding any stance.

All of them waited for his answer.

When no one stood up, Mathias looked back at the reporter.

“As I was saying, I can understand the doubts of people, especially the Low Class and Middle Class individuals. In that case, let me explain a few things about selling the products. First, every individual or family will be allowed to buy only a certain amount of my products every month. This will be done by issuing everyone of them with a card connected to their official id to keep a record. There are several reasons for this. First, till now, I haven’t been able to expand my farm freely due to my need to hide it. Second, we do not want people to hoard and resell them outside.”

She watched as several people’s faces turned into a frown, especially the houses which had stood up.

The kid didn’t stop though

“Third, when the business expands, it will make contracts with the owners of the territories to operate shops there. The contracts will include several things like the prices at which the products will be sold in those territories and stuff. Now, if someone has any problems regarding the effects of the products, which I had already explained, will not be instant, they can take it up with the Lords of the said territories. They can investigate and if they find that the fault is from our side, provide us with adequate evidence and I will do the required.”

She raised an eyebrow.

The reporter was not expecting this kind of reply and asked further.

“May I enquire what kind of step you will take?”

“Of course. I will compensate for any purchases made in that month.”

“And there he fell for the trap.” Zekram sighed. “He still needs to learn more.”

She had however heard a lot about him from both Venelana and Zeo so she kept listening.

It was just not like anything she had heard.

And sure enough he continued.

“And then I will ban their cards….forever. They will not be allowed to purchase my products from then on.”

….

There was a moment of quiet in the house before the entire place burst into a cacophony of noises.

No one was expecting this kind of answer.

“Oh I am very serious.” A smile formed on his face. “I am not exactly a businessman. All I want to do is sell good products to the people of the Underworld and share my talents with them but if they are not satisfied with the quality of my products even after the reassurances and certifications of the Research and Development itself….then I’d rather not sell to them.”

The boy turned towards the Pillars who had stood up. “In fact since all of you do have doubts, I will have my people recheck the quality of the lots I send to your territories a few more times to prevent such things but as you know….such procedures will take extra expenses on my end so I apologise for the increased prices. As you know….I never compromise with the quality of my products. Hmm….actually, since this is the first time, let’s make a fifteen year period for these extra checks. After that if you gain enough trust in the quality of my products, I will remove these checks and the price can go back to normal.”

“Lord Zagan, you don’t mean….” Shax started speaking but Mathias raised his hand.

“No no Lord Shax is indeed right. As someone who has been in the food industry for so long, I know you cannot tolerate any compromise with the quality of products and I as a junior have learned a very important lesson from you today….So….so just let me do this.” he turned to the rest of the audience. “Everyone, a hand of applause for Lord Shax for correcting my mistake and guiding me into making these changes.”

After that no matter who tried to speak or say anything to the kid, he blatantly pretended to be affected by Shax and didn’t budge from his stance.

“Hahahahaha see see I told you. He was different.” She elbowed Zekram. “Just look at Shax's face. He looks like he would burst a nerve at any moment.”

The drama went on as the Pillar Devils all sat down, gritting their teeth and he looked at the reporter again.

“So….anything else.”

The man looked completely out of it from the sudden turn of events.

“Lord Mathias….I mean Lord Buné Zagan….isn’t your decision very hasty. You know this will cost you a lot of business. It probably isn’t the best thing for someone in your position who is starting to raise both his houses from the brink of extinction.” He tried to reason, already sweating from the whole debacle.

“And what of my houses?” He asked, as she saw a glint of light in his eyes.

“Your houses will need a lot of investments and capital and moves like this will be extremely disadvantageous for your business. Don’t you think that will be bad for the development of your territories?”

She scoffed mentally.

Yeah, as if he would lack money. This was a guy who could grow gemstones on plants.

Zeo had told her about the actual gold mine he had kept from them in the last tour.

The kid just chucked at the reporter’s question. “Can I ask you a question, Mr. Reporter?”

“Eh….yes?”

“What was my title….I mean what was my nickname before my full heritage was revealed?”

The face of many people blanched at his question.

She didn’t know about it either so she looked at the guy beside her. “Do you know?”

Zekram kept staring at the kid and replied. “The Farmer Noble, Penniless Dragon, Beggar Noble and several others on the same line.”

“Oh….”

“Go on. Tell me. Don’t worry, I won’t be angry.” The boy prodded.

The reporter sweated more but didn’t answer.

The boy finally sighed and looked at one of the tables. “Armin, what was I called?”

All eyes turned towards the Glasya-Labolas table and the heir who could be seen rolling his eyes at the question before replying. “The Beggar Noble,the Peasant Noble, etc.”

“Exactly!” He clapped. “And have I ever refuted those titles….even in private?”

“No….none that I recall.”

Mathias turned towards the reporter but not before throwing a narrowed glance at every pillar who had been standing a moment ago.

“See….I have been poor since the moment I was born Mr. Reporter. I had nothing….zero.” He spoke as his eyes became serious when facing everyone. “And thus….even if I start getting one Lilith now instead of a hundred….I would still be earning more than I was.”

And with those words the serious look in his eyes disappeared and an honest smile came to his face. “See, I was never rich….so I don’t mind staying poor for a while longer.”

The full venue became pin drop silent at this as the boy continued.

“And while it may take a bit longer to reach there….I know for certain that I will reach there. You see, I am not good at business and I absolutely suck at politics….It’s because I am not a businessman or a politician. I am a farmer. The reason I know I will reach there is because I have absolute confidence in the crops I grow, in the animals I rear, and I’ll be damned….if I let someone question the quality of my life’s work.” He spoke directly to the crowd. “I know many of you have doubts. As I have said, it is normal to have such doubts, but at least try it once and I bet it will be the best thing you will ever taste. You might buy these for the special effects but I can bet my name that you will stay for the taste. This is my….Mathias Buné Zagan’s confidence in my work.”

….

No one spoke anything and then there was a clap.

She looked and it was her own descendant. Rias clapped and was soon joined by the Astaroth girl, the Glasya-Labolas boy and even the Bael kid and slowly by many of the houses of his supporters and even the Satans.

She smiled and clapped and looked at Zekram who snorted a laugh. “I take it back. He is nothing like that shut-in geek. That guy couldn’t speak two sentences in a row, let alone something elaborate like this. He’s a typical Buné, probably the one with the largest pair of balls in history but still a typical Buné.”

But despite his words, he clapped too.

The clapping stopped after sometime and he looked at the crowd gathered. “Thank you all. I think this should be enough for the questions. Let’s get to the best part now. Food.” He smiled.

“Yes! Now we are talking.” She yelled, attracting a few eyes but they didn’t stare more than a moment, probably because of Zekram beside her.

- Mathias -

I watched as the food was served to the tables by the waitresses.

The system with the card was something we had planned in advance because we wanted to prevent hoarding.

The main advantage other houses had over us was their funds.

They could always buy out goods in large quantities from us and resell them at an even higher price when we are out of stock, completely destroying the goal of providing low priced products for the Low and Middle Class devils.

A card system will bypass this.

The reason given for it was not bad either.

We didn’t want to spread the crops to outsiders that soon.

Right now I don't have the capacity to do so….which was the whole reason for all this over the top acting.

I still need around five million points to upgrade my Farm Rank and with me selling stuff like this, increasing my farm size, the increased use of fertilisers, feed for my farm animals and providing for the people who enter my territory….I would have next to nothing left to sell to the System for a while.

That was something which I couldn’t afford to do.

I needed to Rank Up my Farm to at least A Rank and unlock the limits on my stats before I could relax.

The biggest reliance in this world is my own power.

If I am strong, I can have the confidence to face all of their plots without any fear for my safety.

With this tantrum and increased prices in the territories of a dozen houses, the sales will probably be a bit less at the start.

But as I said, it will definitely pick up speed as more people find out the effects of the food items. I will get there in time.

I mean it’s not like I have any fear of my produce going to waste.

Moreover, the customers I gain like this will have more trust in my products and will be less likely to be swayed by empty rumours.

The people had already started eating and I could see their expressions. It was working.

I walked to the balcony to see the crowd outside who were being given free snacks to try by the staff.

This was suggested by Natsume. She said that the common people could get over their nervousness if they tried some samples for free.

It was a simple but great idea and I agreed.

Currently all four hotels are doing the same.

They give free samples of the snacks to anyone who registers with us to get our card.

One by one, people were increasing and that’s exactly what I wanted.

__________________________________x___________________________________

After eating, the Pillars all left to check out the rest of the hotel and to buy things for themselves and we finally got some room to breathe.

I saw Runeas and Zekram were waiting in a certain corner.

They hadn’t followed the rest and were staying back to have a talk with me. Incidentally the Satans, at least Sirzechs and Serafall were staying back too.

Ajuka, Falbium and Euclid went down with the crowd, probably because they have worked on my products and had vouched for it.

“Ingvild. Call Lavy and bring the Rainbow Fruit Wine and the Emerald Wine.” I told the girl.

She nodded and contacted Lavy while I approached the group waiting for me.

“So, did you all enjoy the party? If not then perhaps I could make up for things with some wine from my best collection.” I smiled.

“That does sound wonderful.” Serafall smiled.

Others nodded simply.

“Great. In that case let me take you to a more….private place.” I led them up to the top floor, to my office.

Uncle Logan was outside and saw us coming and bowed, opening the door.

Everyone took their seats and just a moment later Ingvild and Lavinia came with the wine, closing the door behind them.

“Ingvild! How have you been? Matty is not bullying you is he? If he is then you can tell me and I will steal you away from him. My offer still stands, you know? You could join my peerage anytime or even become a High Class Devil of your own!”

My eyes twitched slightly at her blatantly trying to steal my peerage member even when I knew that she was joking.

I wasn’t bothered by it at first but as the two of us got closer, I was starting to feel more…. possessive maybe I guess.

“Will you please stop trying to steal my peerage member, Serafall.” I sighed before signalling Lavinia to pour the wine for everyone.

“B-b-but we suit each other so well. Ingvild even wants to become a singer. She can totally sing in my concerts with me. It would be awesome. Even our names match, you know.”

Ah….I see. So this was her plan.

To disclose her identity in front of these two old monsters to prevent any future problems.

I sensed Ingvild stiffening a bit but relaxed almost instantly.

Zekram seemed to have caught on while Runeas was still out of it.

He looked at Ingvild and then at Serafall. “Really?”

“It was a happy coincidence.” Serafall smiled.

I can see what she meant by being shameless was the key to winning in politics.

Zekram looked at her and questioned. “What is your name girl?”

I looked at her from the corner of my eyes and gave her a slight nod of my head.

“My name is Ingvild Leviathan, Sir.” She introduced herself with a bow.

Runeas finally caught on to the conversation.

“Leviathan….what is your mother’s name?”

“Ingrid Leviathan.”

“Ah the youngest of the Leviathan. I remember her. She was still a kid during the Great War. Very different from that snorty elder sister of hers. Leviathan used to tell me about her sometimes when we drank together. How is she nowadays?”

“She passed away while I was in a comatose state.” She replied in a sombre tone.

“Ah….I see. Was it during the….”

“Ingrid Leviathan didn’t participate in the Civil War.” Zekram interrupted. “In fact, she was against it and left the underworld and was not heard about….till now. Who is your father, child?” Zekram asked, far more kindly this time.

“I….my Father was a human.”

“....I see. Do you know how your mother passed away?” He asked and she shook her head.

“I had fallen into the Sleeping Sickness and was sent outside for treatment. When I awakened, I was informed that she had passed away.”

“You woke up from the Sleeping Sickness?” He asked, stunned.

“She awakened her Sacred Gear and it jolted her awake.” Sirzechs interrupted and explained.

“Sacred Gear….half human. I see. So what do you intend to do now?”

“I….I just want to work for….” She took a look at me and then steeled herself. “I just wish to work for my King and help him achieve his dreams.”

“I see. Then I wish you best of luck. Having the bloodlines of the Satans is indeed a thing to celebrate.” He nodded.

I couldn’t resist slightly raising my eyebrow, especially because I didn’t sense any lie from him.

The man saw this and let out a sigh. “Just what kind of boogeyman do you all think I am? I have no problem with these things. If anything I welcome such additions as it helps restore the previous strength of the Underworld. I have nothing against it as long as it doesn’t become a danger to the Underworld. Having a Satan’s bloodline back with us is a blessing. Even if the kids almost never inherit the Traits of the Satans themselves, just the insane amounts of Demonic Power they possess could grant us another peak Ultimate Class Devil or with some luck even a Satan Class with proper training.”

“Wait, what do you mean by they don’t inherit their Clan Traits?” Serafall asked and even I was a bit confused.

“Satan Bloodlines are different from ours, probably due to being demons originally and not created by Lilith and Lucifer. All of them have several times more Demonic Power compared to even other Pillar Clans which put them in a class above any common devil.”

“There are several other traits to nuances to their bloodlines too like all Leviathan Clan members being born as girls and all Asmodeus being boys.” Runeas added.

I wanted to reject her theory as the actual Leviathan, the father of Satan Leviathan was actually a guy but then I stopped myself. There could have been changes in the time she was hiding in the pits. Probably something changed in her bloodline after she became a devil which was carried forward.

Zekram continued. “It is however their Clan Traits which are almost never passed down to their children. The ‘Demonic Brilliance of Evil Light’ of Lucifer, ‘King of Flies’ of the Beelzebub, ‘Starsent Moment’ of the Asmodeus and finally the ‘Sea Serpent of the End’ of the Leviathan. These were powers beyond any Clan Traits of the Pillar Clans bar perhaps my own and….” he threw a look at me. “The Life Magic of the Zagan.”

This got raised eyebrows from both the Satans present.

“It was for this reason I was given the title of the Great King of the Underworld and Zagan was considered for the second Great King.” He dropped a bomb.

“Say what….” I blurted before I understood what was going on.

“Yeah that actually happened.” Runeas added. “It was actually proposed by Lilith probably because Zagan was her favourite. They were both users of Life Magic after all. Too bad Beelzebub was a prick about the whole thing because Zagan could create hundreds of types of organisms compared to his own bees. Talk about petty. Even Leviathan thought he was being a whiny bastard, told me and Lilith herself when we were drinking. Mom almost never joined our drinking sessions but she was absolutely pissed that day and had drunk Leviathan out of her entire bar.  That day….I learned that the first lady of the Devil race could swear bad enough to make angels bleed in the ears.”

“Zagan himself was actually happy that he wasn’t dragged into even more work and could spend more time in his lab. Seriously….sigh. I never understood that guy’s mind.” Zekram added as he picked up his glass of wine and took a sip. “Oh, this is indeed fine.”

All of us were listening to stories no one had any idea about.

“Coming back to the topic, those clan traits were almost never inherited by their children. Even Rizevim, despite his insane power didn’t inherit his father’s power so he created a magic of his own, his so-called Sacred Gear Canceller.”

“Really?! I thought that was a power unique to him?” Sirzechs said, surprised.

“Nope. Now you see why these traits are so rare.”

“But….Ingvild did inherit her grandmother’s trait.” Serafall interrupted, making both of the older devils turn towards her, surprised. “And not only that, she is already a Satan Class Devil in terms of Demonic Power even when she was asleep for the last one hundred years. She’s a genius, isn’t she?”

“That’s….indeed very rare.” Runeas nodded.

The girl was apparently too embarrassed by all the attention on her so she looked at her feet.

“All the better for the Underworld.” Zekram spoke. “But let’s come to the main topic for today.” He looked at me.

Let’s see what he wanted to say.

- Armin -

“What do you recommend, Armin?” His mother asked as she looked around the place for what to buy.

Matty had offered him and his family his permission to directly get anything they wanted from his farm without any of this card business and he too preferred it that way but today was different.

Today they were here to promote his products in front of the whole underworld so he brought his mother, Lisbell and Lilitifa to buy things.

Even Euclid had followed them with his own family while his brother and Satan Beelzebub were answering questions about the safety tests done with the products to any who had doubts.

They were currently on the fourth floor with D Ranked products.

He personally needed C Ranked products but he could directly order it from the farm. Despite Matty’s offer, he didn’t want his friend to be at a loss.

These products were mostly for Lisbell and Lilitifa.

“I would recommend the fruits. Blue Hawaiiokan, Mirror Lychee and Saphialmond would be a good choice.” He showed them the items and they placed orders.

“Oh my, these things look like pure Sapphires. How pretty. Can we really eat these?” His mother asked, looking at the Saphialmonds.

Several people were watching them to see what they did so he picked up one of the almonds and took a bite in front of the whole crowd.

“Yes, obviously. These ones are my favourites. Actually I think you should get the Perfect Beauty Cattle meat and Smooth Skin Bean Sprouts. These two things are extremely good for the skin and body and will be out soon once people find out about it.” He advised while making sure his voice was heard by others around him.

“Is that true, Euclid?” The man’s wife asked him on hearing his explanation.

“Well yes. We did confirm it.”

And apparently that was all that was needed.

A crowd of ladies rushed towards the counters, leaving the men behind.

“I will never understand this. Can’t they use Demonic Power to retain their youth?” He asked Euclid.

The man just gave him a smile and patted his shoulder. “You have a lot to learn, Armin. A lot to learn.”

….that explained nothing.

He walked around to the other floors to check if there were any troubles and was approached by several reporters.

Today however, he didn’t run away and faced them head on.

“Heir Glasya-Labolas, how do you feel about these products?”

“You have been a friend of Lord Buné Zagan for a long time. What can you tell us about him?”

“Do you think his claims are true?”

“Can his products really do what he says?”

“When will we see you in another Rating Game?”

“There are rumours that you have been undergoing some kind of secret training from Lord Asmodeus in this time that you were away. Is it true?”

Say what?

“Kyaa~ Armin, marry me.”

….

And then there were such people.

He let out an internal sigh as he got ready to answer their questions.

Matty better appreciate this.

“No. I haven’t been getting any special training from Lord Asmodeus. I just have been spending more time gathering a good enough peerage and training them. I can’t win all the Rating Games alone, can I?” He answered.

“Yes. Mathias and I have been good friends for a long time. He is one of the most dedicated and talented people I have had the fortune of meeting and knowing.”

“Also yes, Mathias’ products are indeed just as he claims. I….personally have tried them and can attest to their effectiveness.” He accepted.

And with it the press grew even louder.

“Are you saying that the secret behind your strength are the Special Zagan Food Items?” Several of them asked.

“My growth in power in these last few years is almost inseparable from these products. But I want to remind everyone again that these products only give the best results when the people push their body to their limits. Please always remember it. While they do provide an increase in even natural growth, it would be nothing compared to truly pushing yourself and training hard.”

With his admission, the crowd went wild and the sales increased almost instantly.

He just hoped things went on smoothly for the rest of the day too.

___________________________________x_____________________________________________________________________x__________________________________

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Author’s Note:

I finally completed this.

It was turning out to be far longer than I was planning it to be so I had to cut a scene and change it with another or I would have had to leave it in the middle of a scene.

Still, Matty’s products are out for sale.

Till now, it was just his claims but now the products will be out and other factions will be able to test and verify its results.

How will they react?

What will the other houses do?

What does Zekram want to talk to Mathias about?

And what is going on with the rest of the world.

The fun part is finally starting.

We will see everything in the next chapter.

Damn….now I want to write another chapter of this one instead of ‘The Deal’.

Enjoy the new chapter.

Good Day, Peace Out.