Chapter 2416: Even More Money Wouldn’t Work
“Is it really there?” Older Brother Jayad’s eyes sparkled with surprise and anticipation. He clearly seemed excited about the possibility of the Manor having problems, putting on quite a show.
“Yes, I swear it’s true. That’s also why I was afraid to live there,” Ed said somewhat awkwardly. He had just been vehemently denying that the Manor had any issues.
To his surprise, Jayad didn’t bring up his change of tune or accuse him of deceiving other tenants before. He simply asked, “What specific problems are there?”
“I, I don’t know,” Ed stated directly. Admitting the Manor had problems was the limit of his disclosure. Revealing any specific issues was impossible.
“It is said that you inherited this property from your distant uncle and received a letter from him. You must know some secrets, right?” Jayad asked.
“No, my uncle’s letter only mentioned that he felt the Manor was somewhat bizarre and to be careful. He didn’t say anything else. I don’t know his whereabouts now,” Ed replied.
“If you know anything, tell me, and I can raise the purchase price to one hundred gold coins,” Jayad stated directly.
Ed’s breathing suddenly intensified. He had never encountered a buyer who proactively increased the price. One hundred gold coins was double the original purchase price. Were his few words worth so much?
But Ed still shook his head. Jayad was quick to follow up, “Then, two hundred gold coins?”
“Mr. Iverson, it’s not about the money…” Ed struggled to finish his sentence before Jayad interrupted, “Five hundred gold coins.”
This was already ten times the initial price. Ed’s face turned a flushed red, his breathing heavy. He painfully closed his eyes and shook his head.
“Then, one thousand gold coins?” Jayad asked, placing a full cloth bag overflowing with gleaming gold coins on the table. He continued, “Just tell me, and these thousand gold coins are yours now.”
Ed’s face was as red as blood. His eyes widened like saucers. A thousand gold coins could allow him to live a life of debauchery for his entire life, unless he indulged in illicit activities.
After a moment of struggle, he still shook his head painfully and said, “I really don’t know anything. Please don’t say any more.”
“Very regrettable. This money should have been yours,” Jayad said, taking back the bag of gold coins. Ed’s expression twisted, as if he wanted to snatch the money, but he couldn’t.
Seeing Ed’s struggle, it was clear he really wanted the money. It wasn’t that he was ignorant of the Manor’s affairs; his expression showed he definitely knew something, but he simply couldn’t say it. There had to be an inside story.
“Then let’s stick to the original agreement of fifty gold coins. You’ll transfer the land and property rights of the Manor to me. Please sign here,” Jayad said, taking out a pen and signing a few contracts.
Ed also signed, but his face was the color of liver. The excitement and joy from before were completely gone. The transaction price had originally been fifty gold coins and hadn’t changed, yet his mood was entirely different.
Before, selling for fifty gold coins would have been a stroke of luck for Ed. He had even prepared for the buyer to try and lower the price, and he even had some room for compromise.
However, after seeing the opportunity to earn a thousand gold coins slip through his fingers, Ed felt as if his heart was being ripped apart. It was more painful than being killed.
The most unbearable thing wasn’t enduring darkness, but seeing light only to be plunged back into darkness. After seeing a thousand gold coins, fifty gold coins tasted like ash.
During the contract signing, he tried to speak up multiple times, and Jayad looked at him expectantly. However, in the end, he hesitated and said nothing.
Finally, the transaction was completed. Karina came in and stamped the documents, and the Agency notarized the transaction. From this moment on, the Manor belonged to Jayad. Ed couldn’t bear to stay any longer and fled dejectedly.
After the transaction, Older Brother Jayad didn’t rush off. He sat with me, drinking tea. Looking at Ed’s signature on the contract, he asked me, “Parul, what do you think?”
“What do I think? About Ed?” I asked, sipping my tea.
“Yes, Parul, do you think he truly doesn’t know, or is he pretending not to know?”
“Older Brother Jayad saw it at a glance, didn’t you? He’s pretending not to know. He definitely knows something.”
“Yes, but he won’t say. Even with so much money, he won’t say. Even if I offered more, he probably wouldn’t say anything else. Parul, do you think he’s being threatened?”
For Older Brother Jayad, spending a thousand gold coins to buy a Manor was still a bargain. He could have continued to increase the price, up to ten or twenty thousand gold coins, which would be the normal price for a Manor.
However, Older Brother Jayad didn’t do that because he guessed that Ed had unspeakable reasons for not speaking. No matter how much more money was offered, he still wouldn’t speak. It was better not to provoke him further. If this continued indefinitely, Ed might become too agitated and die of a hemorrhage.
“I don’t think so. No matter how much he’s threatened, with such a great reward, he would still hold onto a glimmer of hope and speak up, or even directly confess and ask for our protection. He’s not just being threatened; it’s more likely a magical contract restraint,” I speculated.
Ed’s attitude clearly indicated he wanted to speak, but he couldn’t. From a magical perspective, he couldn’t speak. He had been cursed in some way, unable to utter certain secrets with his own mouth. Only in this way would his behavior make sense.
“It doesn’t matter. I’ve already left maggots on him. He’s just a normal person and won’t discover them. After being stimulated by Brother’s huge sum of money, he’ll surely slip up. We’ll know in a while,” I said with a smile.
Just now, during the handshake, I secretly let a maggot burrow into Ed’s body. It was painless and remained on him. From the maggot’s perspective, Ed had already gotten into his carriage.
“Ugh!” As soon as Ed entered, his expression contorted in apparent agony. He managed to take out a letter. The writing on the envelope was all in blood, and the seal was a Nine-tailed whip with a bone handle.
There was no one around Ed, yet he seemed to have been struck hard. Several bleeding whip marks appeared on his hand.
He opened the letter. It urged him to send new people into the Manor. There were lines of bloody text, indicating that someone else had been found and would soon be moving in.
Ed picked up a feather pen, dipped it in his own blood, and wrote on the letter: “A couple, a brother and sister, with a lot of servants. I believe this will satisfy you this time.”
