Chapter 327: Working Dragon

After a long silence, Olena gritted her teeth and said, "Can you... lend me some money?"

Xia Fan raised her eyebrows in surprise, and that expression made her cheeks hot, but she had already said it, and she had no way out, "I will find a way to pay you back later."

"How much?"

"Three thousand gold kern... converted into silver, it's about 24,000 taels."

Xia Fan was shocked, "Even if you charter a ship back to Xiji, it won't cost you so much money, right?" He felt that as an ambassador, the other party was unlikely to have no concept of money. "Do you think I can take out so much money and lend it to a Xiji person who is likely to never come back? We are not that familiar, right?"

Olina couldn't help but lower her head.

When she said this, she regretted it a little.

If it were normal, her mood would never be so shaken, and it was because she was in a hurry that she said such an impossible thing.

"What do you want this money for?" This time it was Xia Fan's turn to be curious.

"Rent and... five years of tuition."

"Tuition?" He looked at the dragon girl. "Can the Saint Wing Islands even give students the position of ambassador?"

"Not me - it's my people." Olena simply recounted her difficulties - this matter did not involve any secrets, and the situation was already very bad, and telling it would not make it worse. "If he doesn't have enough money, he will be expelled from the academy in no time."

"Then why not let him change to a cheaper one?" Xia Fan found that this might be a good opportunity to learn about a foreign country.

"In the Holy Wing Islands, there are only two types of colleges - one is a comprehensive college for nobles, and the other is the Mage Tower. My people are also dragon descendants, and the Mage Tower will not accept him. Besides, unless the latter is gifted and accepted as a disciple by the teacher, he will also need a large tuition fee. Whether it is experimental equipment or magic materials, you have to pay for it yourself..."

"Didn't you save any money during your years as an ambassador?"

"Of course!" Olina glared, "If you hadn't framed me, how could I have fallen to this point? The silver hidden in the mansion will definitely be looted by the Privy Council. Even if they don't have it, other ambassadors will not let go of the house I live in..."

Xia Fan suddenly realized.

He misunderstood one thing, that is, the frequency of traffic between Xiji and the mainland.

Although sailing battleships have appeared on the sea, this wave of sailing has not yet involved the East Continent.

Even if the Xiji people in Daqi want to send things back to their homeland, they have to see when the sea ship arrives. There may be only two or three shipping opportunities in a year.

If it was something as important as silver, it would be even more troublesome.

So Olina didn't have no plans for the future, but was tricked by the Privy Council, which led to her dilemma.

"What is the mission of the envoy to come to Qi Kingdom? Or, what kind of thing is considered a great achievement?" Xia Fan asked tentatively, "Does it include finding out about the Heavenly Dao?"

"No comment." Olina closed her eyes, "I knew you came for intelligence. The Privy Council's interrogation can't pry open my mouth, and you can't get any secrets from me."

"Since you are a feudal lord, you can't do this just by being loyal to the king, right?" Xia Fan touched his chin, "Your people... are both a trading condition and a deterrent bargaining chip?"

The dragon girl frowned.

Seeing the other party's expression, Xia Fan knew that his guess was almost right. "Okay, actually I don't have much interest in the Way of Heaven. But to put it bluntly, these Western ambassadors are actually spies?"

"Spies?"

"I mean spies and spies."

"Of course not!" Olena argued, "If the teachings of the sun god can be spread throughout the East, it will also be a great achievement, and you can also get the reward from the envoy of God! But I tried several times and made no progress... People here seem to prefer a more leisurely belief."

I almost forgot that there are gods.

"Is that the guy named Hera you mentioned?"

"Don't disrespect the gods!" Olena exclaimed, "Lord Hera sometimes hears such criticisms and punishes!"

Xia Fan glanced at the other party unexpectedly. He noticed that the dragon girl's tone was not all respectful, but mixed with a little fear.

"If it is really a god, we should take action now."

"Here, the power of the sun god will indeed be blocked, but that doesn't mean it knows nothing about it." Olina's expression became quite serious, "As long as time passes, it will surely come to the world, and you will see its dignity at that time, so it's best to change your mind now and throw yourself into its arms. Even if you are a stranger, it will still protect you."

Xia Fan sneered, "It's a pity that even a 'believer' like you didn't lend a hand when you were tortured in prison."

"This is because--" She was suddenly speechless.

"Because you haven't thought of an excuse yet? I guess Hera didn't suddenly appear, right?"

"Rumors about the sun god have existed since ancient times. If you are asking about the time when the god awakened, it was indeed a hundred years ago." Olina admitted.

A hundred years ago again? Xia Fan's heart jumped slightly. Prince Yong opened the Black Gate and the six countries split during this period. Is this a coincidence?

There were also evil spirits everywhere, the sea route was cut off, and the Xiema country was in turmoil... It felt like the whole world had undergone drastic changes during that time.

But he didn't show it openly, "In other words, you can live well without gods. If that's the case, why do you have to find something to believe in? Besides, gods can't solve your current predicament, nor can they give you a lot of money."

"How can gods intervene in such a trivial matter..." Olena argued weakly.

"But it is a lifelong event for you." Xia Fan shrugged. "If I can solve it, doesn't it mean that I am more useful than gods?"

"How is it possible-" Long Nu was stunned halfway through, "Wait, are you willing to help me borrow this money?"

"I can't take out so much at once, but since it is five years of tuition, it shouldn't be a big problem to pay it in installments, right?" Xia Fan glanced at her, "But even if it is divided into five parts, this money is still not a small amount, so you have to rely on work to repay the principal and interest."

"You mean... you want to hire me?"

"The one who hired you is the princess of Qi. Serving the overseas royal family will not disgrace your family's title, and the work content will not force you to violate the contract you signed before. I think the lords of the Saint Wing Islands don't care about the disputes within Qi, right?" Xia Fan paused, "Of course this is just an extra choice for you. If you want to go back to Xiji, I will still pay for your travel expenses-"

"I choose the first one." Olena said quickly.

"So soon? Don't you want to consider it again?"

"No need." With the experience in prison, her answer this time was decisive. The man in front of him was so treacherous that he would only bring disgrace upon himself if he hesitated. "But you have to sign a contract with me and let me advance the first installment of the remuneration."

A thought suddenly popped up in Xia Fan's mind. Dragons are naturally greedy for money. Could it be that dragon monsters are also like this?

Olina was thinking something else.

She was right in her guess. Everything this man did was to squeeze out her value. But in any case, this situation was better than being worthless.

Xia Fan might be despicable, but this choice allowed her to see a feasible way out of the confusion ahead.