The Cornflower Witch

Book 3: Chapter 57: A Changing Plan

Asra District · Tulip Street —

Neat red bricks, layers of vines climbing the walls, the luxurious manor was very quiet. Although the Fox Family liked to hold banquets, the part of the house where they actually lived preferred a tranquil atmosphere.

A silver-plated luxury steam vehicle drove down the street, then slowed, turned, and gently pulled into the manor.

Soon, the blond man stepped down from the carriage, hands in his pockets, and walked casually into the mansion.

He sat at the room’s table, leaning back in his chair, one leg crossed and raised, had a maid bring him a tasty milk tea, and idly stared at the ceiling, occasionally glancing at the lawn outside the window.

“This place is still the same as before, it makes you relax.” He seemed to be talking to himself. At that moment, besides him, the only other person in the room was the maid who was preparing tea.

“Young Master Ares, your tea is ready.” Two minutes later, the maid placed the freshly brewed milk tea, at just the right temperature, on the table.

She wore a black-and-white maid dress with a white frilled halo headband. Her pretty golden hair peeked out from under it, making her look mature and beautiful.

“Thanks.” The man answered casually, then picked it up and sipped slowly.

“Where is Hu Tao? Isn’t she out of school yet today?”As the Fox Family’s second son and one of the important heirs, he had come to Asra District this time partly to see old friends and partly to check on his younger sister, Hu Tao.

The current Fox patriarch had four children. The eldest son was already thirty-one and had gradually taken over the family’s main affairs and tasks. The second son, Ares, currently handled the family’s business development and promotion, spending most of his time outside socializing and negotiating. The eldest daughter had married five years ago, while the younger daughter, Hu Tao, was still studying in Asra District.

“The school’s classes will probably continue until four thirty in the afternoon, so you’ll have to wait a bit longer.” The maid answered respectfully.

Hearing this, Ares didn’t pay much attention. He wasn’t the kind of workaholic who had to use every minute of every day and couldn’t afford to waste time. Since he had to wait a bit, he planned to stroll around his aunt’s house and take a look. After all, he had often come here to play when he was young.

After walking around the yard and the manor, Ares returned to the room, intending to lie back in the chair and take a short nap because he still had to attend a friends’ gathering that night and would probably stay up late.

He had barely closed his eyes when the manor door opened again. A butler in a black suit returned with several attendants. The maid, who had seen this through the window, walked over to Ares and gently reminded him.

“The butler is back. It seems he just went out to take care of something.”

At this, Ares opened his eyes, stood up, walked to the window to take a look, adjusted his purple suit jacket, and hurriedly went out.

Before long, he intercepted the other man in the parlor, hands clasped behind his back, a smile at the corner of his mouth.

“Let me guess, something happened.” His appearance forced the butler to stop in his tracks.

“Young Master Ares.” The butler bowed.

“Judging by the group of attendants behind you, four are bodyguards and two are clerical staff. I assume you were negotiating with a rather unrefined party, and from your returning gait cadence, this matter hit you hard and left you a bit rushed.”

The butler gave a helpless smile, then nodded.

“It seems nothing can be hidden from you, Young Master Ares.” He then related the issue he had encountered during today’s negotiation.

“…You mean you negotiated with a headman from Asra District about next month’s new product project, and the other side threw out an even more explosive idea — one thought up by a crude underground beastman called Fire Pig, right?” Ares’s words left the butler unsure how to reply. He didn’t know whether the young master was mocking him or merely teasing.

“That’s correct, Young Master.” He took a deep breath and answered.

After hearing this, the young master sat down on the parlor sofa, leaned back, crossed one leg, and tapped the side of his knee with his finger, as if pondering the idea’s specific feasibility.

“I must say, even I am surprised.”

“My first impression was, what a nonsense idea, but the more I think about it, the more I see a sliver of feasibility. It’s not that the concept is brilliant, but the current atmosphere is far too dull.”

“We, the Fox Family, haven’t made a real ‘hot-topic’ in a long time. Releasing new products day after day, many are just a new pretty appearance, telling stories that make people aesthetically numb.” He stroked his chin.

“However, the person who proposed this clearly doesn’t understand the academy’s upper echelons.”

“Dragon Eye Aspect treasures are present in many schools, but they are scattered pieces. His suggestion is to use an entire True Dragon skeleton, only then could they invoke the dragon’s former majestic image through secret arts.”

“In the entire Mage Alliance, complete True Dragon skeletons number only four. Three of them are with the Origin Hourglass school. Those mages treat the restored True Dragon remains as the school’s supreme masterpiece and a spiritual symbol of lineage inheritance. They would never lend them out, and they are not short of money.”

“For a school to lend out its most precious treasure just to make some money would be to disgrace itself beyond measure, unless they were on the brink of collapse.”

“But the school that is weakest isn’t one the Fox Family can compare to.” The butler shook his head.

Hearing Wenris’s explanation, the butler’s earlier hope cooled as he realized it truly was an impossible idea.

“However,” Wenris suddenly grinned with interest, “just because lending it out is impossible doesn’t mean we can’t borrow the idea.”

“I said three of the skeletons are with Origin Hourglass, and the remaining one is with the Bionics School. When they split from Origin Hourglass, they took one with them.”

“By chance I have a good relationship with a master at Origin Hourglass, and I know they’ve also been troubled about something over the years.”

“To better attract new-generation talent and bring fresh blood to the school, I think they wouldn’t mind putting their True Dragon skeleton on display as a means to lure recruits.”

“As for us, we would of course be their sponsoring partner, arranging the venue, providing necessary catering, and producing some co-branded promotional products.” He absorbed the original idea he had heard and then revised it.

“However, if this project really takes off, it won’t be something Hu Tao can control. If I snatch her project, she’ll probably hate me and run to tell Aunt, make a big fuss.” The man in the purple suit showed a troubled yet smug smile.

If Hu Tao were here, she wouldn’t pay any heed to this strange and inexplicable suggestion—she would even feel disgusted at the mere sight of that beastman called Fire Pig. But as luck would have it, Ares’s visit happened to coincide with meeting the butler, so this unexpected idea could be realized.

Under Ares’s operation, the Fox Family began to move, and a more detailed project plan was produced.

Over the next week, Hu Tao argued with her second brother several times, telling him not to ruin the original pure, dreamy concept and not to turn it into a sensational, worldly theme. Her protests were easily ignored by Ares, who further pushed forward with the new plan.

Seeing this, Hu Tao had no choice but to let some shops start early promotional tests for the new ice cream.