RISE OF EROS-Chapter 564 - 563

The Shadow agent didn’t even respond to Andrew’s words, simply vanishing into the shadows to carry out his order. Andrew was no longer the same person he had been a few years ago.

Although he had been accustomed to witnessing the atrocities of this world since childhood and had even committed some himself, he always retained some remnants of his previous life, but now, he had fully become a person of this world.

He now embraced his identity as a candidate for the god Eros, and no longer felt uncomfortable having sex left and right. In fact, he had already slept with several women in the duchy city of Cannes.

Nothing extraordinary, just some sexually repressed waitresses and similar girls of the city. He had also set aside his distaste for slavery. It was true that he didn’t treat his slaves the same way the natives of this world did, but he no longer found it difficult to accept that he had and needed slaves.

Most importantly, he had become ruthless, distrustful, and somewhat cunning. Now, even his Eyes of Eros were not an absolute truth, as he knew they could be deceived in certain ways. For all these reasons, he was no longer fazed when he ordered his staff to eliminate someone, something that in his previous life would never have crossed his mind.

The following days passed uneventfully but not as smoothly as expected. Although they had managed to finish the interviews, the situation had not improved. Most of the candidates who passed Hector, Carmen, and Gaston’s tests had been sent by others to get close to him.

Because of this, they hadn’t been able to gather the necessary staff to run the Heavenly Palace in the duchy city of Cannes. This establishment is massive and requires a lot of personnel to operate.

They needed at least hundreds of cleaners, a few dozen cooks, and dozens of administrative staff, and that didn’t even count the courtesans, who also needed to number several dozen to provide adequate service.

As a result, they had only managed to hire about half the necessary staff. Even the courtesans, who would be slaves that Dino would purchase from the slave market in Star City, weren’t complete.

This created a certain amount of pressure, as it was delaying their plans. In the end, Andrew had to call another meeting with his wives and close subordinates to decide their next course of action.

Andrew stood before everyone and explained the situation, which filled the office with a heavy silence. Everyone was thinking of solutions, or at least most of them, since some, like Sansa, Zany, and Aki, weren’t good at this and were simply listening.

As always, it was Gaston who broke the silence with a proposal, "Well, we’ve done what we could in hiring people from the duchy of Cannes. I think filling the remaining positions with slaves is our only option."

However, Candice objected, "But it’s more than half the staff, not to mention the fact that what we need most are kitchen and administrative workers. There aren’t many slaves with those skills."

At that moment, Andrew thought of Rutsu. That man could potentially get them slaves with those qualifications, but given the number of people they needed, Andrew knew it would be very expensive.

On the other hand, after his talk with Rutsu, Andrew doesn’t sit idle and approaches Damon to ask him about this character. Thanks to that, he learned that Rutsu and his organization did indeed have a large and prosperous business, but they also had their dirty laundry.

According to Damon, Rutsu always offered quality, so the slaves he sold really did meet the expectations of his clients, but his prices were far from cheap. Moreover, Damon had warned him to avoid partnering with Rutsu if possible.

Although he had said that Rutsu conducted his business professionally and without tricks, Damon also told him that Rutsu was not someone to play games with.

While Damon didn’t give many details, the level of caution he had around Rutsu made Andrew hesitant about a partnership. It’s important to note that not only was Damon a powerful expert, but his wife and children were no weaklings either.

On top of that, the vampires under his command were also strong, and Zaros with that powerful buttler supported them from the shadows. This Rutsu was a problematic figure to make such powerful people be so careful.

They already had the issue of the hidden enemy who had hired an assassin, and adding the presence of someone like Rutsu didn’t seem like the wisest course of action. While Andrew pondered this, everyone else was proposing and dismissing solutions, and in the end, no agreement was reached.

Once again, the office fell into silence until, out of nowhere, Sansa said, "Why not bring some Amazons?" Everyone turned to look at her, and sensing their stares, Sansa began to explain, "Aside from daily life in the forest and hunting, there’s not much to do. The association with Candice has made the Amazons more active, but there are still many who are idle."

Zany then chimed in, "True, it wouldn’t be hard for some of them to come to clean or cook. They might not be the best, but they’re reliable and quick learners." Everyone considered the proposal, and in the end, they agreed.

After that was settled, they talked a bit about the assassin who had appeared and decided to reinforce their defenses. The guards for the Palace of Cannes would obviously be slaves, and although they weren’t very strong, but they should suffice.

Inside the Heavenly Palace, nothing could escape Andrew’s notice, so there wasn’t a problem there. And when they went out, they were always accompanied by Oliver or another guardian, so it shouldn’t be an issue.

Moreover, Zaros kept them under constant surveillance, making it difficult for them to be attacked in the duchy city of Cannes. With that, the meeting ended, and everyone returned to their duties.

After everyone had left, Andrew remained in the office with his wives, and Carmen had brought the children so they could spend some time together. The little ones had grown and were so full of energy that it was hard to keep up with them.

Although they are smart and understand many things that children their age wouldn’t normally comprehend, they are still kids who just want to play and have fun. Even so, seeing them brightened Andrew’s day, making him forget all his worries and problems so he could enjoy a peaceful life, even if only for a few moments.

Days passed, and Andrew took the opportunity to visit the Duke’s mansion several times to discuss various matters. He also told Damon about the assassin and asked if he had any information about the organization called the Black Wings.

Unfortunately, Damon didn’t know much about them. The organization’s headquarters is in the kingdom of Bastilla, which, while not too far, is still a couple of countries away, so there wasn’t much information.

During his visits, Andrew also became friends with Damon’s children. Jasper, in particular, became very close to Andrew, and they seemed like old friends whenever they were together, despite the nearly two centuries that separated their ages.

Vampires, like dragons and elves, are naturally long-lived races, so their behavior varies despite their ages. Jasper may have been 210 years old, but for a vampire, that was like being in his twenties, so he acted accordingly.

Of course, having lived so long, he had much more experience and maturity, but he still retained that youthful attitude, which made him get along well with Andrew. Damon’s daughters, on the other hand, were a bit more complicated.

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Helga was older than Jasper and much more mature, so she treated Andrew with respect. However, while it wasn’t excessive, it was difficult to form a personal connection.

She was always composed and mature, which Andrew didn’t particularly like—not because she wasn’t likable, but because it was hard to become friends. They were more like colleagues at work—cordial and respectful, but without intimacy. Stay updated through novelbuddy

Layla, on the other hand, was the opposite. As the youngest, she was much more energetic and spontaneous, which made Andrew compare her to Ariza, the princess of Dunnas. He saw her as a younger sister, and while it was fun to play with her, he couldn’t really call her a friend, as he viewed her as a child despite her being several decades older.

Moreover, Layla always tried to suck his blood. It was obvious she was joking, but Andrew could tell that behind the game, there was a real desire to do so, and he was concerned about that.

He is a candidate for godhood, and he is sure that his blood will be a feast for vampires. It wasn’t just a feeling, Fluffy had confirmed it, which is why Andrew was always on guard with her.

Fluffy had warned him that if Layla ever managed to taste his blood, it would be like forcing them into marriage because she wouldn’t be able to live without it, and that idea frightened Andrew.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like the idea of marrying her—after all, she was a beautiful girl—but he saw her as a younger sister, which made it hard to have romantic feelings for her. He also feared she might drain him dry if he ever let his guard down.

The details were being sorted out, but one afternoon, as Andrew was returning to the Palace of Cannes, he was attacked again—though this time, it wasn’t as easy as the first day of the interviews.