CHAPTER 184: CONTRACTS OF COERCION

"Marquis Darius, here’s the magic contract." Leonard snapped his fingers. Soon, Curtis promptly retrieved a contract and placed it on the table for Darius.

"Where’s the pen?" Leonard suddenly scolded.

"Do you expect the Marquis to write his signature in blood to demonstrate his righteousness and honor to the citizens of Velastra?"

"Apologies, Crown Prince." Curtis bowed his head and hurriedly retrieved an ink pen and handed it over to Darius.

With the pen practically shoving into his face, Darius’s face twitched uncontrollably.

Motherfucker!

He resisted his extreme urge to curse and punch Leonard in the face.

This was no longer coercion, but a blatant threat that if he didn’t sign, he would be bleeding.

That despicable, friendly smile was truly damnable!

’Colluded with a gold rank merchant to steal my women, raid my base, eliminate my network, and now you even want me to cough up my hard-earned wealth?!!’ Darius bit his lips fiercely, causing some blood to leak out.

"Oh dear, look at how excited Marquis Darius is." In response, Leonard gasped in disbelief. He stood up and had tears of joy seeping out of the corner of his eyes.

"Marquis Darius is really deserving of being the representative of the Noble Faction. I merely joked about using blood to sign, and the Marquis actually bit his lips to get blood out." He placed his hand on his chest as a sign of respect.

PUFF!

Unable to contain his anger anymore, Darius coughed up a mouthful of blood and stared at Leonard intently.

"Please, Marquis. I know your loyalty. Just use the ink pen and don’t try to form any more blood. It’s just a magic contract and not a blood contract." Leonard pleaded and glared at Curtis.

"It’s all your fault! Your negligence resulted in the Marquis committing such an extreme act to prove himself."

"It’s my fault!" Curtis went on his knees and bowed in front of Darius. "May the Marquis forgive my negligence and use the ink pen. The Crown Prince cannot bear to see you spill any more blood."

"..."

At this point, if the crowd still remained ignorant that Leonard and Curtis were doing a two-man play, then they might as well bang their heads on the wall to suicide.

What kind of grudges did Leonard have against the Marquis?

No, what kind of offenses did the Marquis commit to invoke such pressure from the Crown Prince?

Faced with such tension, Darius could only grit his teeth and accept the ink pen. He reckoned that if he didn’t take it faster and sign his signature, then he might just be executed on the spot.

Not a single individual in this room dared to confront, much less debate with Leonard, regarding his action.

Everyone could perceive that the Crimson Guards were strategically positioned in the room, ensuring that there were absolutely no blind spots available for anyone to act in a hostile manner.

"I have signed..." Darius’s heart bled as his signature was signed and the magic contract took effect.

"I thanked the Marquis on behalf of Velastra’s citizens." Leonard grabbed the contract and said sincerely.

Just when Darius thought he was saved and could heave a sigh of relief, Leonard suddenly gasped again.

"CURTIS!" Leonard raised his voice, jolting everyone to sit straight.

"What is wrong with you? Why is this magic contract stating that all wealth, even hidden properties, must be donated to me?" He questioned coldly.

Curtis’s eyes widened. He quickly scrambled to check the contracts in his magic pouch. "Ah, I’ve grabbed the wrong contract!"

"You imbecile!" Leonard roared, raised his leg, and gave Curtis a kick.

Curtis grunted and flew a few steps back upon being kicked by Leonard.

However, anyone with eyes could see the kick was almost powerless.

Hell, the kick didn’t even make contact, and Curtis flew backward himself!

Moreover, the crowd was more astonished that there were multiple types of magic contracts available for them to sign.

One was for half, another for 80%, and lastly, one for all the wealth.

In other words, if they refused to donate half of their fortune willingly, they might be forced to cough up 80% or even all their wealth entirely.

To understand the horror, they simply needed to turn their attention to Darius, who had already fainted from the spot.

White foam leaked from the corner of his mouth.

"The Marquis has collapsed from excitement. Although he no longer owns anything under his name, I can’t allow him to sleep on the floor. Men, bring him to a proper suite and have him take a good rest." Leonard gestured to one of his guards to carry him away.

In less than a few seconds, the almighty Darius was carried away.

Some might have thought the tension would dwindle now, but they would be mistaken when Leonard finally shifted his attention to Wesley.

"Lord Wesley, I have heard about your love of philanthropy and many great, great things since my arrival here." Leonard flashed a gentle smile and quickly beckoned for Curtis to bring over a contract.

He gave the contract a quick check and heaved a sigh of relief.

"Okay, this is the correct contract." He said and handed it over to Wesley.

Wesley, who had been silent the entire ordeal, took a glance at the contract. Unlike Darius, who signed without checking, Wesley made sure to check the content.

’80%... You sure have a big mouth, Crown Prince.’ He was shaken and grasped his walking cane.

"80% isn’t too much for the representative of the Merchant Guild, right?" Leonard inquired amusingly.

"Even the Marquis was willing to offer his entire wealth, so it can’t be that Lord Wesley is trying to copy him, right?"

Shortly after saying that, Leonard was about to gesture for Curtis to bring over the other contract.

Upon seeing that, Wesley gnashed his teeth and grabbed the ink pen on the table and signed his signature.

Now was not the time to fall out with the Crown Prince!

Moreover, he couldn’t be certain that the Crown Prince didn’t purposely provoke him into making a move in this public ordeal.

"It’s signed," Wesley said and handed the contract to him.

"A pity..." Leonard pursed his lips and shook his head.

"Why didn’t Curtis bring over the wrong contract again? Look at how fast Lord Wesley signed the 80%. I should punish him harder to knock some sense into him."