Chapter 407: Aristocrats

“W-w-w-what? What does Touki want with Nanjo?”

“Could it be…” Lightning flashed through Shangguan Feifei’s mind, and her face turned gloomy.

“But Touki doesn’t even talk to her that much, and it’s fair to say that they are not at all close to each other, so… why?”

“Could it be that, because there’s only half a year until we graduate, Touki finally couldn’t hold back his inner feelings any longer and decided to open up to her, so that he would not leave with any regrets?”

“But why Nanjo? Doesn’t Touki know that there’s no way for the Nanjo family to rise up again? Nanjo Masaharu is just a commoner with some experience of being a Lady.”

They voiced all kinds of emotional assertions that carried envy, unwillingness, and many other things.

As for the boys, aside from being jealous, they had to admit—Touki had good taste. Both Nanjo’s beauty and temperament could be described as considerably outstanding. If her demeanor weren’t so chilly, she would certainly have a lot of people courting her. The few that gathered their courage and confessed to her were coldly rejected and left with the memory of a wound to their self-esteem.

For that reason, a good portion of boys expressed their curiosity about whether Touki would succeed in this attempt.

“T-Touki?”

Nanjo Masaharu was very surprised on the inside. As she usually drew only the attention of those that bore malicious intent, she was a little flustered for a while.

She didn’t know how to answer.

Reject him on the spot, reject him euphemistically, or reject him after school?

Her mind plummeted into an entangled state as her face became slightly reddish.

“I’ll wait for you there after school, Nanjo. I look forward to our meeting.”

Li Dong left with these words and returned to his seat.

Nanjo Masaharu was stunned: that guy had decided everything all by himself before she even promised him anything.

“Cunning!”

Nanjo Masaharu ground her teeth and resolved herself in secret: Touki, I will never agree to your request.

…

Soon, the bell rang.

Behind the academic building.

Li Dong waited for about 20 minutes.

A graceful and ballerina-like figure arrived on the eleventh hour. A gust of wind that scattered the leaves blew against her, causing her dark silky hair to flutter in the air, while her delicate features and cold temperament emitted an aura that would thrust every single soul into an unfamiliar state.

“You’re here, Nanjo,” Li Dong said to her with a bright smile on his face.

Nanjo Masaharu was unmoved. With a cheerless tone, she said, “Speak, Touki, what do you want with me?”

“Uhm, is it really OK for me to say it? You don’t seem interested, Nanjo.”

“If you are afraid of rejection, don’t say it. You only have one chance. I won’t even bother to pay any attention to you after this, Touki,” Nanjo Masaharu said, frowning. The last thing she was interested in was the kind of boy who loved the limelight and was surrounded by countless girls. To be honest, she wasn’t in too much of a fever toward Touki as he stood in front of her.

“I’ll say it, then.”

Li Dong took a deep breath, and his expression became serious. “Nanjo, I’ve always thought that you’re a very good person, and you are the type I like. So, please be my adv… isor.”

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“No!”

Nanjo Masaharu interrupted him directly as her voice rang over his, “No!”

Li Dong was stunned and caught off guard. He waved his hands and said, “Uhm… I’m just asking you to be my advisor Nanjo. It isn’t that I’m asking you to do it for free. Why would you refuse me so directly?”

Huh?

An… advisor?

What the hell? A hint of awkwardness flashed across Nanjo Masaharu’s face. Did she… mishear something?

“Here’s what happened, Nanjo. Via two mobile games, I’ve made myself a huge sum of money: about one billion dollars, I think. This amount should put me at the threshold of the aristocracy, and I hope that I’ll get promoted to one. I am looking for a way to do this in the near future. I intend to spend some amount of money to improve my social status…

“The problem is, I don’t know how the nobles live, and so the customs and etiquette that I have to pay attention to. A rough person like me has no idea of how to live as a qualified aristocrat. I need someone to help me and become my personal advisor so that I can get familiar with the life of an elite.”

“You should have some experience in this regard and know something or two about those complicated rules. Nanjo, If you’re willing to become my personal advisor and guide me along the way, I believe I would become a qualified aristocrat very soon,” Li Dong explained. Upon seeing that Nanjo Masaharu had bowed her head down, with half of her face burning red and her body slightly shaking, he quickly added, “I’m sorry Nanjo. I know what had happened to your family. I meant no offense. I’m truly just asking you for your help.”

“You… jerk!”

Nanjo Masaharu couldn’t stand such a huge contrast from what she expected. She turned around and fled the scene.

…

Another few days passed.

After expending tremendous effort, Li Dong finally convinced Nanjo Masaharu, and she promised to become his personal advisor.

The reason she was persuaded was rather simple: the hundred thousand dollar monthly salary. After the decline of the Nanjo family, even if some of their close relatives provided them relief, their standard of living remained immensely reduced. It was a brutal transition from exotic delicacies to plain tea and simple food. For Nanjo Masaharu, who was used to living a luxurious life, it was psychologically difficult to get used to the shift, even if she was trying her best to endure it.

Individually, if she had an income of one hundred thousand dollars every month, she could eat whatever she wanted and buy some of the expensive goods. In many ways, she wouldn’t have to exert herself or tolerate anything anymore. The temptation of materialism ultimately defeated her resistance on the spiritual level.

Nanjo Masaharu, despite major ambivalence, entered her new role and became Li Dong’s personal advisor. Thereafter, in addition to learning aristocratic social etiquette, Li Dong also inquired a number of valuable pieces of information from Nanjo Masaharu about the noble class.

Protoss ranked highest, then Aristocrat, then Commoner.

Of the three social classes, the Protoss were at the very top. As their population was sparse, they were responsible for only the development of top-level strategies.

Those mainly involved in politics were, of course, the aristocrats.

From Nanjo Masaharu’s depiction, which was wrapped in envy and heartache, these images and characteristics of aristocratic society took shape in Li Dong’s mind.

Monopoly. Merchant-type aristocrats would generally monopolize an industry in a certain region.

Hereditary. Politician-type aristocrats dominated the ranks of parliamentarians, legislators, and other public positions, generation after generation. Although it was a democracy, the Fengshui was always rotating between a few families.

Corruption. Terrible corruption. It had been made legal in many respects. Those who have been convicted of a corruption crime were just those who were excessively unscrupulous.

There were many other issues about which the aristocrats were all very serious. To describe their life as extremely extravagant and luxurious was absolutely not an overstatement.

Despite the living conditions of the commoners, they did not rise up and take their revolt to the streets to protest against injustice. It was wholly due to high productivity rates that commoners couldn’t even starve to death, even if they wished to.

“This kind of social structure must not go on without major adjustments. This is definitely the end-stage.

“But it is also necessary for the aristocracy to exist. If the aristocrats hadn’t become the leading party more than two hundred years ago and taken a portion of public interests for themselves to maintain their ‘noble’ class, even the Protoss, who possess absolute might and could vanquish every opposing voice, would not be able to establish a stable and reliable rule.

“The abolition of the aristocratic class would immediately lead to catastrophes.

“So… I can only conduct reforms mildly by doing some tinkering with the existing structure. I can’t blindly smash and destroy everything,” Li Dong muttered to himself. A final reformation plan had basically taken shape in his mind.

His days of being a high schooler at Xihai No. 3 Middle School, which had gone on for nearly two years, had almost reached their end.