Chapter 59: A Huge Debt
"I..."
Adela opened her mouth, forcing a couple of dry laughs.
"Can I give up the materials needed for those two puppets and use them to offset the debt?"
Seeing this, Sylvia smiled and shook her head.
"Tsk, the combined value of those two puppets doesn’t even compare to that functional core."
Hearing this, Adela’s body trembled violently, but in her panicked state, she failed to notice the expression of Isabella, who had half of her face buried in the blanket.
It was strange, as if she was trying hard to suppress a smile.
Hmm... it seemed that Her Highness had a rather mischievous taste? Always fond of teasing others.
As far as she knew, with Her Highness’s status, it was entirely impossible for her to have any contact with members of the Church of Machinery, let alone collect debts on their behalf.
However, in this regard, she had guessed wrong. Three days ago, Sylvia had indeed come into contact with someone from the Church of Machinery, though not the Bishop of the Church of Machinery of the City of Alova, Lapune Vils, but the Reformer Buolanke Latos.
Before leaving, this Reformer had sent a letter to St. Ruls Cathedral through a messenger.
In the letter, he mentioned that "Phlororos" had been fully excavated and was now undergoing preliminary processing at St. Andrenard Cathedral in the Stadcon District of the City of Alova.
At the same time, the entrance to the ruins had been sealed once again. However, perhaps due to the decay brought on by time, or perhaps because of the lingering effects of the explosion, a piece of turquoise embedded in the gate had shattered.
Unfortunately, there were currently no members of the Church of the All-Knowing God within the Western Alliance, so professional restoration was impossible. They could only attempt to replicate the repair themselves, which meant the seal might not be as secure as it once was.
Nevertheless, the Church of Machinery would now increase the level of surveillance over it and had also invited her to help monitor that seal.
When she read this part, Sylvia had nearly failed to maintain her composure.
Are you seriously asking an Outer God's follower from the Evil God faction to help guard the city?
Have you lost your mind, or have I lost mine?
At the end of the letter, Buolanke had jokingly added: if she managed to catch the culprit who caused the explosion, she should remember to demand compensation.
Hmm... so this debt collection of mine is perfectly justified!
Thinking this, Sylvia's expression and movements became even more natural.
"Then... then..."
"Our family is truly in decline. Everything of value was sold off in my grandfather’s generation."
"I... I can’t come up with the compensation."
Her voice grew lower and lower, and her head instinctively drooped.
Seeing this, Sylvia suppressed the urge to laugh out loud and tapped the armrest of her chair with her knuckle.
"Hmm... since you can’t come up with the compensation, we can consider another form of repayment."
"For example... a loan."
Adela looked up in astonishment, somewhat dazed.
A loan? That might actually work?
This term, which had originally spread from the Church of Machinery, rekindled a glimmer of hope in her bleak life.
However, just then, Sylvia’s voice drifted over softly.
"But this option doesn’t apply to you."
In an instant, the light that had returned to Adela’s eyes dimmed once more, while Sylvia’s voice seemed to echo right by her ear.
"The amount is too large. I don’t believe you have the means to repay it."
"Unless..."
"Unless what?"
Adela clung to the words like a drowning person grasping at a lifeline, eyes wide with desperation.
Hooked.
Sylvia’s lips curved slightly as she spoke in a cheerful tone.
"You can pledge something as collateral."
"Collateral..."
For a moment, Adela’s gaze turned vacant.
"I don’t have anything suitable for collateral, not even my family."
As she said this, she instinctively glanced at Valentina, then shook her head.
It wasn’t worth that much.
"No, you do."
Sylvia deliberately drew out her words, and quietly activated the Authority of Lust, adding a subtle allure to her tone.
"I do?"
Adela’s expression grew more confused, and at the same time, she felt that Sylvia, sitting there, appeared exceptionally captivating.
"That’s right."
A voice like a demon’s whisper slowly echoed, as though trying to guide this fallen noblewoman into an unknown abyss.
"And that is... yourself."
"Ah?"
At that moment, not only was Adela stunned, but even Isabella was taken aback.
"Your Highness, you..."
Isabella suddenly sat upright, her voice filled with disbelief and tinged with a trace of panic she herself hadn’t noticed.
Seeing this, Sylvia cast her a slightly surprised glance, then waved her hand, motioning for her not to speak for now. She promptly turned her gaze back to Adela.
"Use your body as collateral, until you have repaid the debt you owe."
"Hmm... although a large portion of your debt is technically priceless, I can still estimate a figure for you—"
"One hundred thousand gold Luthers. How about that, quite fair, isn’t it?"
Hearing that number, Adela nearly fainted.
Even at the height of her family’s prosperity, their entire fortune had only slightly exceeded that figure—and that was several centuries ago.
Of course, she didn’t think the other party was trying to cheat her, because that Apostle-level war golem’s functional core was absolutely worth that much. For a moment, she even thought this was a friendly price.
One had to know that anything connected to an Apostle was usually synonymous with being prohibitively expensive.
Collateral? Sounds nice, but it was essentially selling herself!
She was a noble—how could she possibly sell herself!
Well... even if she was a fallen noble, the kind whose title was already lost.
Refuse? Then she would never be able to repay this amount!
And if that happened, what fate awaited her? Being handed over to the Tribunal of the Church, subjected to inhumane treatment, and turned into a pitiful test subject?
At that thought, she shuddered involuntarily.
Sell! She absolutely had to sell!
But if she sold herself, she might spend a lifetime working without ever clearing this debt.
After all, apart from a few special Extraordinary paths, most Extraordinary beings in this world didn’t live much longer than ordinary people.
Just as she wavered in hesitation, Sylvia’s voice once again drifted softly.
"After you... ahem, pledge yourself to me as collateral, I will assist you in achieving advancement. All associated costs will be borne by me."
"Of course, that necklace of yours will still belong to me."
"Huh?"
She had thought the deal was off and never expected such generous terms. Her already wavering heart swayed even more.
"I... if I sell myself—ahem, pledge myself—what would I be doing?"
She slowly raised her head and looked at the puppet seated on the chair. Her breathing grew heavier, and without realizing it, an unusual light appeared in her eyes.
Seduction.
In response, Sylvia smiled.
"Hmm... I believe I need a servant."
"A servant skilled in the maintenance of puppets."
"After all, I currently can’t leave this body, and as a puppet, some wear and tear is inevitable."
Hearing this request was not beyond her limits, Adela gritted her teeth and finally shouted:
"Sold!"
"I’ll sell myself!"
"No, I mean—I’ll pledge myself!"