Now, while trouble would always occupy the minds of the pillars of the Empire, even they knew that sometimes, one must pause and celebrate a few milestones.

Like earning six hundred seventy-seven billion star coins (677 billion) in a single auction.

Even after giving thirty percent of the profit to the Mylors, who would receive a staggering 203.1 billion star coins, Luca would still walk away with 473.9 billion star coins.

But the money-grubber himself, in a display of gratitude and absolute consideration, had even been telling the Mylors to increase their commission rate. Marquis Mylor had promptly refused, horrified at the suggestion.

Honestly, that auction had gone so far beyond their expectations that the man was ready to ban Luca from generosity altogether.

And really, if it were up to the Mylor couple, they would not have asked for a single coin.

The amount of food that had gone into their stomachs alone, courtesy of Luca's endless hospitality, would have bankrupted them several times over if they had to pay for lodging and meals.

In fact, they might have needed to start doing odd jobs just to pay for everything Ollie had eaten over the past few months. And that didn't even include all the resources and benefits their child had received. Thankfully, Owen managed to land a contract—otherwise, their family would probably be out on the streets if they had to pay for everything!

So when Luca called them to mention it again, they ended the call immediately before he could insist on giving them more money.

After all, who wanted to see that poor boy wilt at the thought of a disappearing Star Coin?

No one.

Especially not when Luca had just started humming.

"Mmm–mm–mm~♪"

He was positively radiant as he realized that they had successfully made money today. He'd even been so excited that he suggested having dinner to celebrate the auction's success—and to welcome the newly initiated Nox couple, who had been utterly swamped after learning far too many important truths about Luca and the dungeon space.

Learning about mass production efforts and seeing the dungeon-linked space with their own eyes had finished them off.

The Minister, in particular.

The man had fought valiantly against every mental breakdown so far, but this time, he had fallen.

"My Lord!" Luca yelped, darting forward just in time to catch the Minister's shoulder as the man staggered forward. "Are you alright? I thought you'd be fine—you lasted the longest out of everyone!"

Marquise Evelyn only laughed, fanning her husband's face. "That's exactly why he collapsed, dear. Earlier, he was likely thinking of ways to secure the secret. But after seeing the scale of your mass production, he probably realized it's too late. It'll explode in everyone's faces soon enough. And he'll be the one hearing complaints about beneficiaries, administrative control, and whether the Imperial Family should take over the entire operation."

"Ohhh…"

Luca looked genuinely guilty. "That… sounds like a lot of work."

He hesitated, scratching his cheek shyly. "Umm, My Lady… would it be less work if I were part of the Imperial Family?"

"Huh?"

Marquise Evelyn blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Oh… well…" Luca's voice trailed off, the blush on his face deepening until he resembled a ripe cherry.

"Marquise Evelyn!" Princess Nina piped up proudly before he could say more. "It's because Brother Chipmunk is my Big Brother's wife! So he's family!"

Marquise Evelyn froze.

Her eyes slowly moved from the smug little princess to the Empress, who gave a serene nod of confirmation, then back to Luca, who was practically a giant, blushing bundle of nerves with a face.

Finally, she looked over at her husband, who was still half-conscious. "Your Majesty," she said carefully to the Empress, "you mentioned there's a medical bay, correct? I think we should go there before we tell Kordell."

And that was how they ended up returning once again to the central base.

Earlier, after confirming that the Minister was merely overwhelmed, the Empress suggested that Luca take care of his own duties while she continued briefing the Nox couple about the space.

Luca wanted to insist on staying, but even Marquise Evelyn gently urged him to go. "By the looks of it, my husband might sleep for a good while. Go on, dear."

Reluctantly, Luca left to check on his projects.

He hadn't even gotten far when news reached him that the Minister had woken up. Not only had he recovered, but he was already planning to build an office inside the dungeon space as soon as possible.

Apparently, with all the work he foresaw crashing down on him, he was determined to make use of every single minute available.

Therefore, the celebration Luca had been planning… probably shouldn't take too long.

Right?

Luca had been deep in thought about dinner options, weighing the merits of a seafood boil against that fascinating dish he'd once read about, a "boodle fight."

He had no idea what it truly entailed, but the name sounded exciting enough to try.

Just as he was about to commit to the idea, a familiar voice came bursting through the door.

"Brother! Brother!"

Luca blinked and turned, only to find Ollie running toward him, panting hard, hands on his knees like he'd just finished a marathon.

"Brother?" Luca asked quickly. "Is everything alright?"

Ollie wheezed, holding up one finger as if to ask for a moment. He gasped for air, gulped once, and finally blurted out, "Pop actually received a response to the auction invitation from King Garick!"

"Huh? King Garick?!" Luca's eyes widened in disbelief. "You mean Princess Kira's father?"

"The one and only!" Ollie said between deep breaths. "As part of courtesy, we had to send invitations to high-ranking nobles, including the royal houses. But we never really expected replies, especially not from kings. Usually, they don't respond unless it's a massive, high-profile event. And mostly it's when they want a particular kind of reception or consideration."

"And this time?"

"This time," Ollie said, straightening dramatically, "we actually got a response! And not just that—it came with a package! It arrived late too, right after the auction ended, which makes it even weirder. That's exactly why I think something's up with this response!"

Luca blinked twice, startled. "Where? Show me."

"Meeting room. Dungeon-linked space," Ollie said with urgency. "Princess Kira's already there and we've also called over the others!"

The two brothers rushed off together, Luca's mind raced as they teleported to the dungeon-linked space. When they arrived at the meeting room, they found it already full.

Everyone else had gathered.

This time, though, instead of just the leaders of House Kyros, the Mylors, and the members of their guild, there were also representatives of the Imperial Family, like the Empress and the members of House Nox.

The atmosphere was oddly serious, as though they had all been mid-discussion.

"Did something happen?" Luca asked carefully, glancing from face to face.

Xavier, who had clearly been waiting for him, turned to explain. "We're just getting everyone up to speed on what happened with the Orcs while we were waiting for you."

"Oh." Luca nodded, visibly relieved. For a second, he had imagined something catastrophic.

Then again, what wouldn't be terrifying if Luca's version of "catastrophic" was in effect?