"Let's see what I can do…" As Ling Yu thought, she didn't want to pollute her subspace with dead bodies, so she took care of them in a swift way, gathering all of them together in the same place as she activated her skill.
In no time, only a pull of black toxic substances remained in the alleyway, without any trace of a human or animal. And the person responsible for this whole mess left with a subtle smile lingering in the corner of her lips, without anyone doubting her causing a disaster a while ago.
***
Ling Yu finally stepped inside the mansion, but she looked like a wet rat after getting caught in the rain that was uncalled for. She didn't expect to get caught in the sudden rain and become a complete mess, but she was stunned even more after seeing the state of the Eastern land.
She knew from the information she gathered from before that the condition of the Eastern lands wasn't good. Unpredictable weather, monsoon, flood and drought was all over the place, happening at any time. As a result, they can't improve the land's condition by working in the fields, or raising vegetables, they can't afford to raise cattles or catch fish either. So people started to leave the land for hope of a better life.
And that's how this land turned into a desert. Though Ling Yu expected such a situation, she didn't think it would escalate this much. All the way to the estate, Ling Yu didn't spot a single living animal or human, which was rather disturbing.
'That means there would be no one living in that dark, ghost like mansion, too.'
Well, it was all the better for Ling Yu, whose mission right now was to find a safe place and turn it into her safe house.
The reason she chose the Eastern land as her place was pretty simple. Because it was the outskirts of the Capital, where the invasion of 'Gates' would take place. Also, there were more reasons for her to take this place.
Right now, what she needed to prepare for the disaster was to gather and stock up on supplies that will get a shortage in the near future, at least for five or ten years, until the situation around the world turns stable. And to buy those supplies, she needed money.
Although she managed to scratch up some money from the Emperor, it wasn't nearly enough. Ling Yu knew that her endless supplies wouldn't be enough through the calculations she did before returning to the past, so she made this decision to gather more money.
But anyone will ask how is it related to her taking up a barren land, then the answer would lie beneath the soil of Eastern territory, which had a vast amount of coal, gold and platinum ores hidden within different places of the territory.
Ling Yu was pretty satisfied about the conditions she offered in the contract, so she didn't have to worry about the resources being taken away. She can freely hire people and start mining right under the Emperor's nose, using her authority.
The thought of seeing the Emperor's distorted expression filled Ling Yu's heart with joy as she hummed a tune and headed to the ghost mansion of the East, now her sweet safe house.
"...?"
But, what was this turn of situation?
Ling Yu was bewildered as she stared at the man in front of her in awe, a scene she didn't see coming.
"Good evening, Miss. how can I help you?"
The man bowed to Ling Yu with proper courtesy as he asked her with a calm expression on his face, devoid of any emotion.
Ling Yu observed the man properly, sizing him up from top to bottom. It seems that she felt unsure of how to treat him, because he was someone who never appeared in front of her in her last life.
More than that, what was he doing in this barren land, in this mansion bare of life, alone all by himself?
"Shouldn't you introduce yourself first?" Ling Yu was still unsure how she should treat him, but her guard was up. Because it could be a trap set by the Emperor, just like the assassins she encountered in her way.
"Sorry, Miss. Let me introduce myself, I'm Song, butler of this Eastern Count's mansion."
"..."
He's the butler of this mansion? Is he for real?
Though Ling Yu found it weird, she shook her head as she said, "I'm the new owner of this mansion, Ling Yu."
The man's eyes seemed to be confused as he stared at Ling Yu without any motion, to which Ling Yu smiled as she said, "So, shouldn't you first let me in and take a rest as the butler of the mansion, Song?"
"...! I was being rude. Please, welcome to the mansion, Master."
Just at the mention of her words, butler Song immediately took his turn as a perfect butler, greeting her with courtesy as he welcomed her in the mansion. Ling Yu didn't expect to bring out his professionalism by her words, but she entered the mansion anyway.
Song led her towards the drawing room as he let her seat down, treating her with proper respect just like he would do to the owner of the mansion.
"Please take a seat, Master. I apologize for the inconvenience since there is no refreshment present, would you like a glass of water?" Song was fully hospitable as he apologized to her for inconvenience. But Ling Yu shook her hand as she said, "It's fine, bring me a glass of water though. It's true that I've been feeling thirsty for a while."
"Yes, Master. But I think you should change out of these clothes too. Aren't they uncomfortable? You must be cold after soaking in the rain for a long time. Should I prepare a warm bath for you?"
Ling Yu was stunned for a while after hearing his words.