The witch thought I am a Demon God-Chapter 554 - 324: Santa Claus’s Daughter_1

The moment the soul duel had a winner, Ivita’s foundation for the Soul Palace was almost complete, but the final step had yet to be completed. This final step, like a moat, blocked his progress completely.

Due to the tactical warfare, the Governor and Three Mountain Captain were spiritually injured, their steadfast faith in the Path of the Knight developed cracks and would take a long time to heal.

In retrospect, they had shot themselves in the foot.

Governor Rolof’s expression was extremely unpleasant. Although he knew Ivita didn’t intend for this to happen, the loss had inevitably affected his impression of Ivita.

As they were about to leave the church, Ivita called to Governor Rolof, "Dear Governor, Maple Town has a grand market every three months, and nearly all the merchants from nearby areas come to try their luck."

"Why not stay with your friends for a while, roam around, and maybe even purchase something worthwhile?"

Upon hearing Ivita’s words of comfort, a smile spread across Governor Rolof’s face. He was simply looking for someone to break the tension.

Though they were injured, as pirates, getting hurt is normal.

This was not a big deal.

Governor Rolof said to Ivita, "In that case, let’s stay for a day. By the way, Mr. Ivita, by now, you should have acquired the four vicarages from the Valji and Clove Families.

"Plus your extra territories, you have the size of half an earldom. This is a remarkable scale for a viscount, showing you are a powerful one. Yet, you’re only halfway to becoming an earl."

The Governor explained to Ivita, "I observed your actions and knew you were buying land."

"Oh, are you offering to sponsor a few vicarages, Governor Sir?" Ivita inquired, genuinely interested.

Governor Rolof stared at him. "Even if you agreed to lead the charge against the main fleet of the Belisarius Business Republic, not a single vicarage, no...not even a barony."

"The territory is scarce and serves as the foundation of the great families."

"Getting these lands was wholly due to your good fortune, you encountered several factors that made acquiring and retaining land easier. But in reality, for the remaining five vicarages or territories of similar size, it’ll be a tough climb. You may need to plan for decades to succeed."

Governor Rolof said with a smile.

Ivita looked at him.

Under Ivita’s gaze, the Governor reined in his smile, serious, he said, "Like a wizard, you’re fixated on territories because to become a Great Wizard, an Earl Level territory is required."

"But for a wizard to become a Great Wizard, it usually takes decades, so there is still time for you to find them."

Ivita narrowed his eyes.

No.

The time was not enough.

He had been an official wizard for less than half a year.

If he got stuck here for decades because of the territory, it would be a great joke.

Indeed, being a third-level wizard isn’t that easy after all.

Perhaps Governor Rolof wasn’t aware that Ivita’s pursuit for territories had a more pressing reason: to deal with the present King and Crown Prince Jalen of the Alsace Kingdom.

There was no time to wait decades, the royal throne would have been secured by then.

Governor Rolof continued, "The Maple Town market also has a specialty — at every season’s grand market, it attracts all kinds of merchants. Some of these peddlers are magical, every one of them is a spectacle, but it just takes a little luck to come across them."

"Although you’re the lord here, managing these people is impossible."

"Among them are magic merchants who travel everywhere with a sack on their back, gem hunters who specialize in trading gems, Alchemy Masters who craft gold items for people, and there’s one person who might be useful for your goal — the Matchstick Master who specializes in divining people’s goals."

Governor Rolof shrugged, "Consider this as my apology for acting out."

Mr. Ivita nodded as if in deep thought.

...

The next day, Ivita had Wilson accompany the Governor and his party on their stroll, while Ivita and the Hearthstone Witch took to the streets to see if Maple Town indeed had hidden shops as rumored.

Along both sides of the street were stalls selling fruits, vegetables, clothes, and some handmade crafts, dried salt, cheese, sauces, and other items. In simple terms, most were daily necessities.

Ivita also passed by a blacksmith’s shop, but most of the weapons inside were a mix of wrought and raw iron, their quality was too poor.

As a result, Ivita didn’t linger there for too long.

They walked along the street to the edge of Maple Town, where they saw, in the farthest position ahead, a plump woman setting up a stall, with her goods covered by clay pot bowls.

The plump woman would ask everyone, "Can you help me pick up the acorn that fell over there?"

In response, she barely received any assistance, and those who did respond were only inquiring about the merchandise she was selling.

The plump woman, however, told them that she wasn’t selling anything today.

Seeing this scene, Ivita recalled the Governor’s words. He walked over and tossed the acorn that hadn’t been picked up back into the woman’s bowl, instantly delighting her.

She stood up, then flipped her dull, inconspicuous woolen coat, revealing a bright red robe underneath. She also pulled out a red-and-white hat from the box she had been sitting on.

"Dum Dum Dum~ I’m Joanna, third daughter of Santa Claus!"

"I’m Christmas Plump Girl."

"Today I set a rule for myself that only those who pick up the acorns I’ve dropped can buy from me. I thought I wouldn’t meet a patient person in the Black Sea, but I did meet you today."

Joanna pulled out ten rings from her pocket. "But I didn’t Lie earlier, I’m not really selling things here, but a hoopla game. These rings cost 50 gold pounds each."

"A total of thirty."

"Whatever you hoop at my stall, you get to keep it, and I won’t bargain."

The Hearthstone Witch squealed out. "You actually want 500 gold pounds for the ten bamboo hoops in your hand?!"

Ivita was also hesitant.

This didn’t seem like the Magic Merchant the governor referred to, but the daughter of Santa Claus instead. Could he really profit from spending 500 gold pounds here?

You need to understand that this kind of money could hire about ten or so first-class professionals, or an army of hundreds of commoners.

Seeing their hesitation, Joanna said nonchalantly: "If you’re pondering, you can choose to give up this opportunity. I’m certain... I’ll find someone else to pick up my acorns today. No, maybe not today, but the day after tomorrow... wait, it might be the day after the day after tomorrow, I believe the Black Sea still has a lot of good people!"