Two days later, in the eastern part of Salem, at the Black Rye Café.
The café was in a somewhat remote location. Its storefront was small, and its decor was quite plain.
There were tables and chairs of natural wood, and on the walls hung a few cheap oil paintings depicting the pastoral landscapes of Leithanien.
This was precisely why Lacey had chosen this place.
Low-key, inconspicuous, and absolutely loyal.
The café's owner was once a miner whose family was destroyed by the exploitation in the mines. It was the Workers' Party that gave him a new life and dignity.
Lacey sat alone in a corner by the window, a cup of long-cold coffee before him.
He wasn't looking at the street scene outside, but quietly tapping his fingers on the tabletop, as if waiting, or perhaps thinking.
Serafina and Taylor, disguised as ordinary customers, sat at two nearby tables. They appeared to be chatting idly, but were in fact vigilantly observing their surroundings.
At five in the afternoon sharp, the café's wind chime let out a crisp ring.
A figure pushed open the door and entered.
Lacey looked up, his gaze meeting the newcomer's mid-air.
It was an exceptionally striking woman.
She wore a finely tailored custom suit of navy blue fabric, with sharp lapels and structured shoulders reminiscent of menswear, which perfectly accentuated her tall and straight posture.
This was paired, however, with a long black skirt with a high slit, from which the lines of her fair, slender legs were tantalizingly visible with every step.
Her pointed stiletto heels made a crisp, rhythmic 'clack-clack' sound on the wooden floor.
Her grayish-black hair fell to her waist with a slight natural curl at the ends. Her entire being radiated an aura of calm, competence, and even a hint of aggression.
Gertrude Strollo.
She came alone, without any attendants.
The moment she saw Lacey, her sharp gaze softened slightly, and a formulaic, elegant smile appeared on her face.
"Mr. Lacey, I've heard so much about you." She said as she sat down across from him.
"Your performance at the tribunal is still the talk of Leithanien. It is my honor to meet a hero such as yourself."
It was a standard aristocratic opening gambit.
But Lacey didn't even raise an eyelid. He extended a hand in a 'please' gesture, cutting off her performance.
"Miss Strollo, I don't think we're here today to flatter one another."
"Time is precious, for both you and me. Please, speak. What trouble have you run into, and what do you need me to do for you?"
The smile on Gertrude's face stiffened for an instant.
She clearly hadn't expected him to be so direct, to not even bother with the most basic social etiquette.
But she quickly recovered, re-evaluating the man before her.
He wore simple work clothes and had a calm expression, yet he possessed an air of someone who held the power of life and death—something forged on the battlefield and in countless struggles, far more intimidating than the lineage and titles the nobles always talked about.
She realized she wasn't facing some commoner she could easily manipulate, but a ferocious beast who also knew how to hunt.
"Very well, Mr. Lacey. I appreciate your frankness." Gertrude dropped her feigned elegance. Leaning forward slightly, she lowered her voice and got to the point.
"My situation... I believe Heinrich has already explained part of it to you."
"My father, Count Strollo, died in an accident not long ago." She gave a sarcastic laugh as she said the word "accident."
"He was a follower of the Witch King. During the Twin Empresses' purge, he was silenced by his former comrades."
"Now, the Strollo family's title of Count is vacant. The only ones eligible to inherit are myself and my... useless brother, Cole Strollo."
"He is cowardly, foolish, and greedy. Apart from indulging in wine, women, and art collection, he is completely worthless."
"But for that very reason, both the Electors above and the Twin Empresses would be delighted to see him inherit the title, because a useless Count makes it easier for them to control Wischeim's tax revenue and mineral resources."
"And me!" A sharp glint flashed in Gertrude's eyes. "If I want to claim what is rightfully mine, the only way is for my dear brother to also suffer an accident."
"But that would attract endless suspicion and trouble. The great lords above will never let me succeed easily."
At this, she paused, taking a sip of the water the waiter had brought, seemingly to calm herself.
Lacey remained expressionless, simply looking back at her calmly, gesturing for her to continue.
Gertrude took a deep breath and threw out a more critical piece of information: "But that's not the worst of it. Though my father is dead, the mess he left behind remains."
"Those Witch King remnants entrenched in western Leithanien... they cling to us like a blight on the bone, constantly trying to keep the Strollo family firmly in their grasp, using us as a tool for their own enrichment and concealment."
"Even if I manage to eliminate Cole by some fluke and inherit the title, I won't be able to escape the grip of these mad dogs. They're even more difficult to deal with than the great lords, and they play by no rules."
"Therefore, I need an ally." Gertrude's gaze bored into Lacey.
"A powerful, decisive ally who has no connection to any of those factions."
Her words were spoken with great sincerity. From her subtle expressions and tone, Lacey could tell she wasn't lying.
She might be holding something back, but her core predicament was likely real.
A noblewoman desperate for power but besieged on all sides—this was indeed an excellent partner for cooperation.
Lacey put down his teacup, leaned forward slightly, and looked directly into Gertrude's eyes. "Then comes the question, Miss Strollo. What does our Workers' Party get?"
This was the heart of the negotiation.
Gertrude seemed to have expected this question. She spoke unhurriedly, "So long as I become the Countess of Wischeim, I will provide the Workers' Party with comprehensive support."
"First, funds. The Strollo family's wealth is more than enough to renovate the entire Salem slums, with plenty to spare."
"Second, connections. I will use my family's influence to open up channels for you with the merchant guilds of surrounding cities, providing your factories with stable orders and raw material supply lines."
"I can even help you find some potential allies within Leithanien's council of nobles."
"Finally, and most importantly, territory." Gertrude put down her coffee cup, her eyes shining with the light of someone certain of victory.
"Wischeim will become the most stable rear base for your Workers' Party. There, you can build your own schools, train your own armed forces, and promote your ideals. I will not interfere; in fact, I will provide you with every convenience."
The terms she offered were incredibly tempting, directly addressing the Workers' Party's most critical needs at the moment.
Even Serafina, who was eavesdropping from a short distance away, couldn't help but hold her breath.
If all this could be realized, the development of the Workers' Party would advance by leaps and bounds.
However, Lacey's face showed not a trace of excitement.
He just watched Gertrude quietly, until her smile began to look a bit stiff, before he finally spoke slowly.
"Sounds pretty good."
Gertrude's expression changed slightly.
"Mr. Lacey, what do you mean by that?"
"I mean, Miss Strollo, you seem to have misunderstood one thing." A smile crept onto Lacey's lips.
"Everything you've promised is based on the foundation of you successfully inheriting the title. But what if you fail?"
"Or, what if, after you succeed, you turn on us and wipe out this group of 'thugs who helped you commit fratricide' in exchange for the Electors' trust?"
"Then what do you want?" Gertrude's voice turned cold.
She hadn't expected this commoner from the bottom rungs of society to be so sharp.
"Simple." Lacey leaned back in his chair, folding his hands on the table in a display of unhurried composure.
"In addition to all that, the Wischeim City Guard must accept instructors dispatched by the Workers' Party for ideological and disciplinary restructuring."
"And after you successfully inherit your title, you will publicly declare, in the name of the Strollo family, your support for the Workers' Party becoming a legal political party in Leithanien."
"And you will support my acquisition of a seat in the future nobles' parliament."
"You're insane! A commoner, dreaming of entering the nobles' parliament?!"
"And why not?" Lacey chuckled lightly. "Times are changing, Miss Strollo."
"The old order is collapsing, and new rules have yet to be established."
"The Witch King can be overthrown, the Empresses can be made into figureheads, so of course we can make our own voices heard."
He looked at the dumbfounded Gertrude and said, word by word, "We help you get what you want. Then, you help us pry open the door to the center of power."
"That is what I call cooperation."
"Aren't you worried I'll go back on my word?" After a long silence, Gertrude finally managed to squeeze out this question.
Lacey smiled and uttered two words: "Be my guest."
The anger on Gertrude's face faded.
For some reason, deep down, she felt not anger or rejection, but a surge of indescribable excitement.
"You are a madman, Mr. Lacey."
"Perhaps."
"But... I like cooperating with madmen." A genuine smile finally appeared on Gertrude's lips.
"Because only madmen dare to do things that normal people wouldn't even dream of."
She extended her hand.
"A pleasure doing business with you, my future... Mister Parliamentarian."
Lacey also extended his hand, shaking hers firmly.
"A pleasure, Countess."
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