Against the vibrant backdrop of shimmering lights and enveloping music, Nilou, at the center of the stage, resembled an immaculate lotus—pure and untouched. Every movement of her body was gentle, precise, and imbued with an almost ethereal beauty. Her dance was graceful, flowing like a dream unfolding before the audience's eyes, delicate yet profoundly mesmerizing.
She drew everyone's attention without the slightest apparent effort. There was not a single person present who could look away. The audience was completely immersed, as if cast into a collective trance, captivated by the movements of that young dancer.
At that very moment, Nilou's beauty was simply breathtaking, transcending ordinary words. It was as though, in that space and at that instant, she were the only existence worthy of contemplation, as if all of history had been created solely to lead to that dance.
"Excellent. Such a beautiful dance is undoubtedly among the three best I have seen in my entire life."
Leon's words were calm, yet carried an overwhelming weight.
Pah, pah, pah, pah! — applause echoed repeatedly.
Leon applauded as well along with everyone off the stage, his gaze fixed on the graceful figure still dancing beneath the lights.
If anyone from the Magical Kingdom of Palettia had been present, they would certainly have felt deep envy toward Nilou. Without exaggeration, there were very few artists in the entire world capable of receiving such direct and lofty praise from Leon.
If this were the Magical Kingdom… no, if it were any kingdom other than Sumeru.
Praise of this level, coming from Leon, would be more than enough to make her instantly famous, turning her into a world-renowned dancer. What would await her afterward would be an unlimited future—grand stages, absolute recognition, and endless possibilities.
As long as Nilou could dance, she would not need to worry about anything else at all.
But, unfortunately, this place was Sumeru.
And in Sumeru, Nilou's exquisite dance could not receive the evaluation and treatment it truly deserved.
"Lumine, please tell me carefully about Nilou. I will take her," Leon said casually.
"Well… that may not be easy," Lumine replied hesitantly.
"Difficult? Can't it be solved with money? I can transfer eight or nine digits right now," Leon said without any change in expression.
Lumine and Paimon nearly choked at the same time.
This man was still as inhuman as ever.
Leon blinked lightly. Although he liked glittering gold coins, to him, wealth was nothing more than a cold string of numbers. He had never been stingy when it came to spending or wasting money.
Because, in the end, money exists only to be used.
For someone who had trained two of the greatest queens of the business world, Leon's accumulated fortune had already reached a truly terrifying level. To put it simply… anything that could be bought with money, he would have it.
At present, he could buy a third of the world without effort.
Leon could, if he wished, give alms to every person on the planet.
Leon: "Money is wonderful, but also extremely boring. Still, there is no denying that the ability to spend money is the most omnipotent power in the world, and you must master it at all costs."
More than 90% of the tragedies in this world are caused by a lack of money.
More than 90% of the things in this world can be done with money.
More than 90% of the people in this world can be controlled with money.
Even in a world where individual power reigns supreme, as long as someone possesses the power of wealth, most problems will simply cease to exist—because wealth itself is also a high-level form of power.
That was why, in the early days, before even drafting countless plans to take entire countries, Leon had formulated a clear strategy to conquer the world's wealth.
"I'm simply evaluating that girl's performance fairly. Her dance truly deserves the price," Leon said calmly.
"Your Highness, I've heard many artists say that art is priceless," Lumine countered.
"It's just a polite way of speaking. This is a world where even life, dignity, and honor can be exchanged for money. While I acknowledge that art holds great value, it still has a limit," Leon replied bluntly.
To say that art was priceless was, in the end, a convenient lie. If that were truly the case, how could exclusive art auctions exist?
So-called "priceless" simply meant that the price was not high enough yet.
"Wow, Your Highness… what you said is incredibly realistic."
"Realistic, yes. But I'm also greedy. Otherwise, we wouldn't love art, nor would we desire to conquer the world."
"Well… all right. But I don't think you'll be able to impress Nilou with money alone. She dances because she loves dancing, not for material interests," Lumine shook her head.
She truly believed that there were still people in this world who were not driven by money, and she felt that the red-haired dancer on the stage was exactly that kind of person.
In the past, a certain businesswoman once said:
"What's so special about that theater in Zubair? If Nilou and I traveled the world, we could earn as many gold coins as we wanted… Unfortunately, she's far too simple. So naive that she doesn't even understand her own value."
In the past, countless artists from all over the world had traveled to Sumeru just to watch Nilou dance. All of them were shocked, enchanted, and completely captivated by her steps.
Many tried to invite her.
They wanted to take her to larger, broader, more magnificent stages.
But in the end, every attempt failed—without exception.
"Nilou can only dance at the Zubair Theater. She is a dancer who belongs solely to the Zubair Theater," Lumine said, admiring the girl on the stage.
"Nilou is a girl with few desires. She doesn't want a bigger stage. For her, the audience of the Grand Bazaar is enough. It's impossible to make her leave the Zubair Theater to go somewhere else."
"I see…" Leon raised his eyebrows slightly.
It was the first time he had encountered someone like this.
In the past, he had sponsored countless talented artists. Even those with little interest in money, without exception, desired a bigger stage, more recognition, and greater fame.
Perhaps money itself was not that important.
But everyone wanted their works to be seen, recognized, and admired by more people.
Leon believed that this was the true nature of artists, and that was why he always fulfilled their desires with ease.
After all, to him, it was nothing more than a trivial matter.
All Leon had to say was: "Not bad."
And countless gazes would turn toward that person, instantly realizing their dreams.
But if what Lumine said was true, then Nilou was a type of artist Leon had never encountered before.
Not merely someone uninterested in profit… but someone who did not even seek fame.
"My God…" Leon murmured.
Looking at the girl on the stage, his eyes seemed to say clearly: "Woman, you've managed to awaken my genuine interest…"
"Well… now I want her even more."
"Your Highness, please don't joke—" Lumine said nervously.
Leon narrowed his eyes and looked straight at her.
"Lumine… why do I feel like you're looking at me as if I were a villain? Although I don't think that's the case, you're not imagining that I would use coercion and incentives to force Miss Nilou to submit, are you?"
"Ah… that…" Lumine turned her face away guiltily, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Lumine, who do you think I am?"
"A ruthless tyrant…" (whisper)
"…You're quite a brave girl. To actually dare say that out loud—know that your salary will be docked!"
Leon was genuinely surprised by Lumine's courage. He hadn't expected that the blonde girl would truly dare to say something like that directly to him.
If not for the fact that she was his subordinate… and a very beautiful girl.
Tonight, there would have been a freshly roasted mummy in the ruins of the Sumeru desert.
"Eh! Your Highness, please don't do that! I was wrong!" Lumine immediately begged for mercy.
Although, deep down, she knew she was absolutely right.
Thinking of the infamous "Lawrence Family Destruction Plan," anyone familiar with the internal details knew that, despite Leon appearing gentle and polite, he was, in reality, someone without limits—capable of doing anything to achieve his goals.
"Hmph… it's already too late. You should be grateful that I'm only docking your salary," Leon said coldly.
"No, Your Highness! Please don't do that! I have Paimon to support! As long as my pay isn't docked, I can do anything!"
"Really? Then bark twice for me to hear."
"Woof! Woof!"
Lumine revealed her true nature without the slightest hesitation.
---
(End of the chapter)