For three consecutive days, neither Julian nor the Dawson family made any moves. Instead, Julian spent those three days taking Celebi and Jirachi to eat their way through all of Victoria.

He had to admit—Victoria’s food scene was truly impressive. Celebi’s belly had noticeably grown rounder from all the eating, while Jirachi, on the other hand, looked completely unchanged.

After all, if a First-class Legendary actually developed a little potbelly just from eating, that would really be too undignified.

The three major families and Patrick were somewhat puzzled by Julian’s behavior. After all, the Dawson family matter was urgent, yet Julian seemed completely at ease.

They didn’t dare to question Julian directly, so they approached Ella instead. However, Ella herself didn’t really know what Julian was planning either.

Faced with their inquiries, Ella calmly explained that everything was part of the Commander’s plan.

Her expression, which seemed to say "don’t worry," successfully managed to fool the four of them.

After thinking it over, the four realized—although Julian hadn’t made any visible moves, neither had the Dawson family. Could it be that Julian had already acted in secret, and they just didn’t know it yet?

That afternoon, Julian was sitting in Victoria’s most famous teahouse, having tea and some pastries with Ella and the two little ones.

Celebi showed little interest in the sweets—it was a fan of savory food. As a proud member of the "savory faction," it naturally leaned toward stronger flavors. It liked dishes heavy in oil, salt, and spices.

No wonder it had developed a belly.

Jirachi, however, wasn’t picky at all and happily accepted anything that was offered—a good, well-behaved child.

Just then, the head of the Joyce family, one of the three major families that had already pledged allegiance to Julian, was led by a waiter into Julian’s private room.

"Patriarch Dave, what brings you here so suddenly?"

Julian smiled and poured him a cup of tea.

Dave quickly accepted it, took a small sip, and then pulled an invitation from his pocket. "Master Walker, this is for the annual Victorian auction."

"Howard Auction House," Julian read aloud, glancing at the name printed on the invitation.

At first, he had assumed it was an auction organized by a local family, but clearly, he had been mistaken.

The Howard family was a major clan in Gallia, and they were virtually the unrivalled kings in the auction industry, with auction houses all over the world.

Every year, they held a grand auction in most of the world’s major metropolises—limited to just five hundred attendees.

Julian had received invitations from them before, both in the Imperial Capital and in Lake City, but he had never been interested enough to attend.

This time, however, as he looked through the list of auction items on the invitation, an intrigued expression appeared on his face.

Beside him, Jirachi tilted its head curiously and asked, "Julian, what’s an auction?"

"It’s when hundreds of people compete for the same item, and in the end, only the richest person can win it," Julian explained.

"Sounds fun! So, are we going?"

"Of course we are. It’s a good chance to spend some money. Otherwise, if uncle earns money with no place to spend it, that would be such a waste," Julian nodded.

Besides, there was something on the auction list that had really caught his interest.

The auction was scheduled for 8 p.m. the next evening.

"Eric will also be attending," Dave added.

"Hmm, then this will be a good opportunity to meet him properly."

"Master Walker, if there’s anything you like, our three families will definitely buy it for you," Dave said eagerly.

The three major families were already on the same boat as Julian. However, apart from that one time he had them make a move, Julian hadn’t contacted them since. This made them feel somewhat "neglected," so they were anxious to do something for Julian—to prove their loyalty and to regain a sense of security.

Julian smiled and said, "Then I’ll have to trouble the three of you when the time comes."

He understood their concerns and did not refuse Dave’s offer.

Sure enough, upon hearing his response, Dave’s face lit up with joy. "Then we’ll make sure to secure whatever Master Walker desires!"

"If Patriarch Dave isn’t in a hurry, why not stay and sit for a while longer?"

"Not in a hurry, not at all," Dave shook his head.

As the head of a family, he was naturally socially adept. With his conversational skills, he quickly eased the initial awkwardness at the table.

During their conversation, Julian learned that the Joyce family’s main business was in the energy sector, with numerous power companies overseas.

Dave even mentioned the tenth-generation solar energy tech currently under development by the Walker Group. That technology held a fatal attraction for his own conglomerate.

Naturally, his words carried a hope of collaborating with the Walker Group. If Julian agreed, the matter would be as good as settled.

"Sure. If the research succeeds, I’ll ask Uncle to hand over some of the energy-related contracts to your family," Julian said with a nod.

As the Walker family’s influence continued to grow and they occupied more resources, it naturally encroached on the living space of other families, which in turn created more unseen enemies.

Money could never be fully earned or you could say no matter how much you earned it was never enough. So, to consolidate their position, the best strategy for the Walker family was to share a portion of their resources—win over some factions while suppressing others.

The Joyce family’s capabilities were quite substantial, and since they were already in the energy sector, collaborating with them could be considered a natural fit.

Seeing Julian agree, Dave was overjoyed—so much so that he got a bit carried away and blurted out, "Master Walker, my daughter admires you greatly. And no offense, while Miss Ella…"

Before Dave could finish his sentence, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. When he looked up, he saw Ella staring straight at him with eyes as cold as ice.

Only then did he realize his blunder. He silently cursed himself for being so talkative—he had just managed to build a connection with Julian, and in the next moment, he had offended his secretary.

Moreover, the Eastbrook family’s influence was not to be underestimated.

From what he knew, the woman before him—Ella, Julian’s personal secretary—was herself an Elite–level trainer.

"The Commander is extremely busy with his duties. I’m afraid he won’t have time to meet with Patriarch Dave’s daughter," Ella said, then turned to Julian, her cold expression melting into a smile. "Don’t you agree, Commander?"

Julian: 'Can I say no?'

"Indeed, my schedule is quite packed. I’m afraid I won’t be able to meet with Patriarch Dave’s daughter," Julian said with a smile. He wasn't interested in these kinds of meetings in the first place.

"My apologies, I spoke out of turn," Dave quickly said with an appeasing smile, taking a sip of his tea. "With a beauty like Miss Ella by your side, my daughter’s humble looks could hardly catch Master Walker’s eye."

"It’s good that you know," Ella remarked.

Dave: (⊙ω⊙`)

Her response left him completely speechless. He had only meant to be polite—did she really have to take it so seriously? His daughter was just as beautiful, if not more so!

If it weren’t inappropriate, he would have loved to show Ella a photo of his daughter right then and there—just to see who was truly more attractive.

"My daughter is still young, only eighteen," Dave added.

Ella: (╬◣д◢)

Dave: (￣▽￣)~*

*****

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