Chapter 488: Chapter 488: A Big Win

"Ahem! There must be something wrong with my memory. Wait a moment—I’ll fix it."

After saying that, Sylvia began to recite another spell. However, no matter what she did, nothing changed.

The magic-formed screen remained as dark as before.

Glarvic sighed deeply and shook his head.

"I trust you, Tower Master. But you don’t need to go that far. The contract, after all, must be signed according to my agreement with Prince Nolan."

His words made Sylvia upset and angry. Of course, she wasn’t angry at him, but at Nolan.

She felt that things were not this simple. It was impossible for someone as powerful as her, someone who had reached the Beyond the World level, to make such a mistake.

Unfortunately, she had no evidence or arguments to present. If she spoke carelessly, she would only embarrass herself in front of everyone.

In the end, she shut her mouth and said nothing more.

"Master..." Jisha called out sadly.

At the same time, she stared at Nolan with an annoyed and dissatisfied look.

Sensing her gaze, Nolan simply blinked innocently, as if he didn’t understand her meaning, which only made Jisha even more upset.

Olivia, who was sitting beside her, remained silent, her eyes fixed on Nolan with a meaningful look.

Nolan took the contract and read it carefully. Once satisfied, he did not sign it immediately.

Instead, he took a pen and changed some of the terms on the spot.

Seeing this, Leina and Glarvic were stunned. Leina was about to speak, but Glarvic stopped her.

Fixing Nolan with a sharp gaze, he asked, "What does this mean, Prince Nolan?"

Nolan ignored him, signed the contract on the table, and handed it to Glarvic.

"Read it yourself."

Glarvic frowned, then took the contract and read it.

Instantly, his eyes widened, and the hand holding the contract began to tremble violently.

"This..." He looked at Nolan in disbelief. "Prince, are you certain about this change?"

Leina, Sylvia, Jisha, and Olivia looked confused and exchanged uncertain glances.

"Yes, I’m sure," Nolan replied casually as he sipped his tea.

Glarvic seemed dazed for a moment before slowly regaining his composure.

He then handed the contract to Leina. She read it and was immediately stunned.

"Twenty percent of the Netherium mine’s annual profits, as well as a 70:30 profit share from the ports of Sevarn and Nalvos? This..."

Her mouth opened and closed, as if she didn’t know what to say.

Although it was only twenty percent and thirty percent in each agreement, the outcome was far better than the previous terms.

The difference was like heaven and earth.

Not only Sylvia, Jisha, and Olivia were shocked, but Sharon, Cassiopeia, and Draco were equally stunned.

They didn’t understand why Nolan had changed the conditions he himself had proposed.

Nevertheless, they said nothing and chose to trust him.

"All right, then. Our cooperation is officially underway. May everything go according to plan, Your Highness Glarvic," Nolan said softly as he extended his right hand.

Glarvic composed himself and flashed a smile, one that had never been seen before.

"It’s a pleasure to work with you, Prince Nolan," he replied, extending his hand as well.

The two shook hands firmly, marking the official cooperation between the Great Velmora Empire and the Kingdom of Kaldarion.

Soon after, they began chatting amiably. In politics, where interests were at stake, there was no such thing as eternal enemies.

The changes to the contract that benefited the Kingdom of Kaldarion had clearly won Glarvic and Leina’s goodwill toward Nolan and his entourage.

Even Sylvia, who had been annoyed with him, began to look at him in a more favorable light.

"By the way, Your Highness, are you returning tomorrow?" Glarvic asked.

"Yeah, we’ll be back tomorrow." Nolan nodded as he picked up a grape and ate it. "We’ve been on the northern continent for too long and need to return as soon as possible to report to my father."

He was lying. He simply wanted to go home and laze around. Playing tactics and conspiracies was exhausting and mentally draining.

Glarvic smiled and suggested, "How about you, Princess Sharon, Mage Cassiopeia, and Mage Draco stay here tonight? We’ve prepared rooms for you."

Actually, even if Nolan hadn’t changed the contract terms, he would have offered this hospitality anyway.

In any case, the Kingdom of Kaldarion still needed cooperation with the Great Velmora Empire, especially regarding the contract clauses related to their territory.

Fortunately, Nolan had changed the terms of the contract, giving both him and his kingdom greater benefits.

As a result, his attitude and tone naturally softened.

Hearing the offer, Nolan did not respond immediately. He glanced at Sharon, Cassiopeia, and Draco, who each nodded.

"Since you’re being so generous, how can I refuse?" Nolan chuckled softly. "All right, I’ll accept."

***

Nighttime...

Nolan stood casually on the balcony of his bedroom, staring at the sky ahead, completely covered by winter clouds.

In truth, even without winter, the northern continent was blanketed in eternal snow.

With the arrival of winter, however, the snowfall became far heavier and thicker.

Nolan glanced down and saw soldiers and servants clearing snow from the front yard.

There wasn’t much snow thanks to the magical protection surrounding the palace, but it was still enough to spoil the view.

"What’s wrong? Do you want to talk about what happened earlier?" Nolan asked suddenly.

Behind him, Sharon, who had intended to surprise him, froze in place.

"How did you know I was here?"

Just moments ago, she had used silent magic to conceal both her presence and the sound of her footsteps.

Nolan turned around and leaned his back against the railing.

"Nothing can be hidden from me," he replied casually.

Sharon pursed her lips in dissatisfaction. However, she said nothing and immediately changed the subject.

"Explain to me why you changed the conditions you had previously proposed."

She walked over to his side, looking at him with curiosity.

All she wanted was an explanation, not to oppose or get angry at Nolan’s actions.

After all, the final outcome was still beneficial to them.

Nolan lifted his head. The winter wind blew from his right, sending his black hair flying wildly.

Strangely, it only made him look more charming. Even Sharon lost her focus for a moment.

"I did it to keep Glarvic loyal. He was already deeply frustrated because he knew he was at a disadvantage in this cooperation. Although it wasn’t visible yet, no one knew when he might explode. So it was better to give him a little honey and remove that possibility," he explained indifferently.

Cooperation was, in essence, mutually beneficial, though often unbalanced.

Nolan had no intention of being overly cruel to the Kingdom of Kaldarion.

Otherwise, why would he have advised Leina to return to Glarvic’s side and help him?

Everything had been neatly arranged, like a chessboard moving according to its rules.

His goal was simple: maximize profits without leaving scars that could threaten greater gains in the future.

People in his previous world called this a true capitalist mindset...