HBWnovel Chapter 398
Chapter 398
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 398: Gift Breakthrough (2)
Doatel.
A planet of the Virtuous Ones, also known as a cosmic relief sanctuary.
As such, the primary purpose of Doatel was to help the poor or aid those in distress who sought refuge there.
In other words—
‘Wait... aren’t they just a bunch of people giving away money? Then why does the royal family have so much wealth?’
Of course, it was also possible that they were able to engage in relief efforts precisely because they had so much money.
But even so, running planetary-scale relief operations must incur substantial costs... How on earth were they covering those expenses?
‘Where did all this money even come from? They couldn’t have been born into a pile of cash.’
As Yeongwoo stared at the endlessly stretching procession of palanquins carrying gifts, a massive shadow loomed over him.
—Yeongwoo-nim.
It was none other than Prince Aldo.
“Ah, Your Highness.”
As soon as Yeongwoo saw him, he gave a polite nod, to which Aldo responded with a similar bow.
—Thank you for the invitation. I’ve never traveled this far before.
"This far," he says...
If even Aldo, who had arrived on that massive spaceship, considered this distance significant, then just how far apart were Earth and Doatel?
“Is that ship yours, Your Highness?”
Yeongwoo asked, pointing at the colossal vessel that resembled a giant ceramic artifact. Aldo shook his hands in denial.
—Mine? No, all of this belongs to the Shelbir royal family and to Doatel. Our presence here is also in accordance with Doatel’s will.
“...Wait, you mean Doatel is aware that you’re bringing all this money here?”
—Of course. As soon as I returned to Doatel from the Promotion Hall, I made an official announcement, and I have fully informed them about you as well.
‘...Fully informed?’
Just what had he told them?
Yeongwoo doubted that someone like Aldo would go around speaking ill of him.
If anything, that made him even more uneasy.
“So, in short, this is a lawful visit? And the congratulatory gifts were obtained legally as well?”
—Naturally, Yeongwoo-nim.
“Hm.”
In that case, there was nothing more to worry about.
The financial power of the Shelbir royal family remained a mystery, but Yeongwoo had no reason to turn away incoming gifts.
‘And really, when else would I get to handle such righteous money?’
However, just because the gifts were legal didn’t mean all problems were solved.
After all, the competition over wedding gifts was a fierce battle involving the Chairman, Master Mara, and CEO Lemu.
Now, a massive new financial force had just entered the fray out of nowhere.
‘Shit, what’s going to happen now?’
Yeongwoo had no way of predicting how the existing financial titans would react to the sudden intrusion of Prince Aldo—no, the Shelbir royal family—into the game.
And before he could even sort out his thoughts, Aldo had already taken a step toward the lobby.
Yeongwoo hurriedly grabbed his arm.
“Your Highness!”
—Yes, Yeongwoo-nim?
“Have you ever met a villain before?”
As Yeongwoo asked, Aldo, who had been looking at the execution platform in the lobby, slowly turned his head.
—.......
Aldo had no visible eyes, nose, or mouth, so his expression and gaze were unreadable.
Yet, Yeongwoo was certain.
He was staring right at him.
“N-no, not someone like me—a villain wannabe. I mean a real villain! A much greater one!”
—Are you saying... there are villains greater than you, Yeongwoo-nim?
“...Ha.”
Yeongwoo felt a headache coming on.
This naive Virtuous One had clearly never encountered true evil from the other side of the universe.
“Right now, at that wedding venue, there’s a chairman of a weapons manufacturing company, the King of Ten Thousand Demons, and the Master of the Machine Tower. The other guests? Loan sharks and arms dealers selling equipment to backwater planets like this one.”
Yeongwoo openly disparaged his own wedding guests.
Yet Aldo didn’t seem to grasp the weight of it.
Instead, he placed a large hand on Yeongwoo’s shoulder and spoke.
—This is Prince Aldo.
At those words, Kobu immediately prostrated himself on the ground and shouted loudly.
—I humbly greet Prince Aldo of the Shelbir royal family...!
Then, as he carefully got up, he cast a quick glance at the high-ranking guests near the lobby.
—Um... Your Highness, here you can check the rankings and rules for the ceremonial donations... After that, you may set the donation amount you wish to offer and sign.
—Oh, so there’s a ranking system for ceremonial donations?
Aldo’s head twisted in a spiral motion.
Sliiide.
If he were human, it would have looked like a puzzled tilt of the head.
Then, placing his hand on the upper panel of the ceremonial platform, just as Kobu had indicated—
Tap.
The platform was instantly enveloped in an otherworldly light, projecting the ceremonial donation system before Aldo’s eyes.
From the tiered seating system based on rankings to the privilege of expelling guests for the top-ranked donor, and even the significance of the third-tier seats—everything was laid out.
—Uh... This seems like a mistake.
Seeing the words "Guest Expulsion" on the display, Aldo turned around.
In response, Yeongwoo shrugged and explained.
“You read it correctly. The highest-ranked donor’s ultimate privilege is the right to expel guests.”
—Wait... But that doesn’t make sense. Why would someone who values this ceremony enough to donate the most money want to expel another guest?
At that moment, a sharp voice shot toward Aldo.
「You fool. You’re going to be expelled anyway, so just shut up and make your donation.」
—Pardon...?
Only then did Aldo notice the towering Iron Throne suspended high above and the figure seated upon it—Mara.
—Excuse me, but who might you be?
「Hah, you dare ask for my name?」
Mara, enraged, gripped the armrest of the throne.
From it, a surge of immense void energy burst forth, engulfing the entire lobby.
Fwoooosh!
“This is insane!”
Feeling the sudden plummet in stability, Yeongwoo urgently pointed toward the main building and shouted.
“Your Highness! That is none other than the number one-ranked donor, King of Ten Thousand Demons—Mara!”
—T-That person is ranked first?
Finally, Aldo followed Yeongwoo’s pointing finger and checked the ranking board on the main hall’s wall.
[Rank 1] Mara, Ominous Eye 「Private Amount」
[Rank 2] Dogo 「3 Billion」
[Rank 3] Lemu, Lightning Rod 「1.6 Billion」
[Rank 4] Hammer of Kwaya, Private Amount
[Rank 5] Cheok, 90 Million
—Ah.
Letting out a short exclamation, Aldo seemed to have realized something.
He turned back to Yeongwoo and declared.
—Now I finally understand why I’ve come here!
“...What?”
—The balance of this ceremony... is still not right!
Swoosh!
With an unprecedentedly determined motion, Aldo placed his hand firmly on the ceremonial platform.
—As someone who wholeheartedly celebrates this ceremony, I must restore balance!
In other words—he intended to become the top donor himself and expel the King of Ten Thousand Demons.
Swoooosh!
By now, the void energy that had engulfed the lobby had become a storm, constricting the guests.
More specifically, it was a tempest meant to tear apart Prince Aldo for daring to offend Mara.
“...Didn’t you just say that someone who truly values the ceremony wouldn’t expel another guest?”
Struggling against the raging void, Yeongwoo managed to voice his question.
Aldo, gripping the ceremonial platform, shook his head.
—This isn’t expelling a guest, Yeongwoo!
“Th-Then what is it?”
—It’s about removing evil karma!
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]