บท 18: The Plan

Lucien swung off the bed and stretched his hands and legs briefly.

He then got out of the bedroom and made his way to his study.

His mind raced with plans that he needed to make in order to complete the quests.

In a few minutes, he arrived at the study and pushed the door open. A heavy scent of old books greeted him as he made his way toward the chair beside the window.

He sat in the chair and took out a leather book from the drawer of the table in front of him.

Taking the quill from its stand, he wrote down the two quests that the system had given him.

1. Fuck all the women in the mansion.

2. Take over the duchy and become its duke.

The first quest would be easy since all he needs to do is a little bit of persuasion; he needs to plan a bit for his mother. But it wasn't so bad that he needed to put all his attention on it.

"I should discuss this with Judiel and Helen first before I take any steps," Lucien thought. He had a serious expression and clenched his jaw as he recalled the faces of the maids. "They will be mine! No matter what!"

With that, he moved on to the next quest, which was the tricky one. Lucien put all his mental power into thinking about the ways to complete the quest.

First, he wrote what he knew. The Duke, his father, was a power-hungry man. He would clearly not give away his title if Lucien went and asked him sweetly.

'And there's also the fact that he is a Rank 7!'

Then, there is his grandmother. One could say she is the reason the Duke family hasn't collapsed due to all the internal conflicts that were happening. And the fact is she is a Rank 8 only made it worse.

'Ugh! I don't want to think about her for now. I don't know anything about her, and from what I have seen. She is the one who observes me the most, so I have to be careful around her!' Lucien grumbled.

"Let's leave her for the future Lucien." He mumbled before he became serious and continued planning.

The royal family might accept him since he has three uncommon affinities. But they too are unpredictable. 'I will have to make the princess mine as soon as she steps in here.'

Next are the other ducal families, if word spread that his father fell and he became a duke while he isn't powerful, 'They will do whatever it takes to get chunks of my territory.'

Marriage alliances would work, but that alone would not give him full support. Even with the royal family, a marriage alliance alone would not help him take over the duchy.

"I need something more..." Lucien began to think as he closed his eyes and rocked his chair back and forth.

'Ah! That's right, even if the world's changed, its power didn't diminish—money.' Lucien needed money, lots of it!

He scribbled down the ways he could earn lots of money, enough to buy ducal houses and bring the royal family to his side.

1.Creating a trading company.

2.Adventuring.

3.Potions.

4.Weapons.

Lucien wrote about ten more in this list but, "None of them can make enough money in a short term of four years."

'What should I do? What should I do?' Lucien began to ponder as he tapped the table with his fingers.

SLAM

Suddenly, he slammed the table and exclaimed, "That's right, why didn't I think of that? The underworld."

Lucien began to write down the underworld and noted the perks it has over the other ideas he had.

The first being it doesn't need trust like other businesses do, since no one trusts the other. It can earn him a lot of money quickly.

He can build a force that will be his own private force and no one asks a thing about what he does. He can also collect dirt on other families

But the only con would be, "It's risky, but it's worth it."

Lucien then began to plan how he would take over the underworld. He had four years to become the duke.

"The first year I will train and also raise my Rank, preferably to Rank 5. Since the common folk will only ever get to Rank 3, I will be one of the top dogs the moment I enter."

The second and third years, Lucien planned to raise his influence and wealth. And he would take over the duchy in his fourth year.

"But there's a problem with this: I cannot go as Lucien, son of a duke.... I will need another identity, one that is unrecognizable from the real me."

'System, do you have any items that can mask my identity?'

[Yes, Host!]

[Opening Shop]

SHOP

Items

Loki's mask: An item that will mask the wearer's identity and remove his aura while giving the wearer a new face. The item will last until the wearer reaches Rank 6.

The item is upgradable.

Price: 20,000 points.

TSK

Lucien clicked his tongue in annoyance as he saw the price. But he was not too sad about it since, 'I can earn those points when I complete the first quest.'

"This should be enough for now," Lucien muttered to himself. He closed the book and placed it back in the drawer.

He then closed his eyes and rocked the chair back and forth while tapping the table with his fingers.

'Are there any loopholes or anything that I have missed?' Lucien asked himself as he reviewed the things he had planned.

'Hmmm, I will also need new affinities other than the ones I currently have. One or two common ones or an uncommon one would do,' Lucien murmured.

KNOCK KNOCK

As Lucien was thinking about his plan, a soft knock was heard from the door. "Young master, are you there? Madam is calling you to have snacks with her."

It was one of the maids who worked in the mansion. Her name was Ava, and she had a twin, Mia, who also worked here.

"You can go, Ava. I will come in a few minutes," Lucien ordered.

"By your orders, young master," Ava said, and left.

Lucien then stood up, stretched his muscles, and left the room. While walking, Lucien's smile widened into a grin as he mumbled, 'I need to finish the first quest quickly.'