To ascend, I had no choice but to create games

Chapter 416: Chapter 251: The Perfect Plan (Part 1) _2

Subsequently, he cracked a wry smile.

Turns out, I’m the clown after all.

My veins carry despicable blood; I am that lowly commoner.

I was nothing more than a replacement for the real Kevin, and the genuine article has been right in our quarry all along!

No wonder father always liked visiting the quarry; no wonder he looked so pleased with himself every time he returned. From beginning to end, I was just a stand-in, a tool to pacify my wife.

Can you not include me in your romantic charades?

Before he passed away, when father regained his lucidity, he liked to sit by the bed, gazing at the distant quarry. I thought he couldn’t bear to part with his property, but it turned out he couldn’t bear to part with that son of his!

After burning all the documents, he called the butler and asked, “Where is Mr. Tang Mo?”

“Back at the quarry again. He gets along quite well with Drey’s head.”

“I see…”

Kevin stood by the bed, looking towards the distant quarry.

Separated by shadows, he could only make out the vague outline of the quarry, but he could imagine the scene of Tang Mo and Drey chatting happily.

Tang Mo, did you discover something?

Did he find out that the other man is the real Kevin and planned to put all his bets on him?

Though the Envoys of the Gods lack worldly desires, and indeed Tang Mo had no craving for money, women, or fine food, perhaps his mission was actually to assist Drey in reclaiming everything here?

Such events are not rare in history. Stories of princes seeking revenge have their audience, and Kevin liked them too.

But he had never thought that he would play a part in one.

Kevin remained silent, and the butler too stood aside in mute.

Eventually, Kevin said in a hoarse voice, “Ask Drey to leave this place.”

“Do you need him to disappear forever?”

“Yes. No, don’t, don’t…”

Clutching his head, Kevin felt ashamed for being momentarily bewitched.

He knew that the best way to keep a secret was to have the secret disappear, but that was his kin, his brother, the true bloodline of his father and mother; he couldn’t do such an outrageous thing.

He even began to wonder if it was right to ask Drey to leave.

After all, what did the other man do wrong?

If he were just a commoner, then Kevin would simply tell him to get lost.

But the man was his half-brother through their father, a legitimate noble even more entitled to inherit the family than himself, perhaps the only one truly qualified.

Simply because the man was his brother, did he have to leave his livelihood, find a new job in Yifate, or even starve to death here? Kevin couldn’t bring himself to do such a thing.

At a loss, he wearily said to his butler, “Get me a nun; I need to confess.”

Though unsure why his master needed to confess, the butler readied the carriage and quickly brought over a well-renowned nun from nearby.

This nun was known as Pingping, an Envoy of the God of Education, particularly skilled at helping people resolve issues.

Those who sought her help would find their troubles resolved the next day, which recently made her quite famous, with many seeking her assistance.

It just wasn’t clear why ever since she came to the Taoist Academy, the young nobles of Yifate became somewhat slow-witted, making one ponder if there were some connection.

When Pingping was summoned, she looked at the troubled Kevin and after a moment said, “Not too bad, I guess you can be spared.”

In her live-streaming room, the audience also seldom said, “It’s actually not too bad.”@@novelbin@@

“Though somewhat cunning and mean, he’s nothing compared to the last guy.”

“The last one was truly malicious, took two days of correction to come around. But he’ll probably need correcting again in a couple of days.”

Sitting opposite Kevin, Pingping asked the butler to leave for a while, and then asked, “What would you like to confess?”

“I have a friend…”

*Pfft…*

“Are you laughing at me?”

“Not at all, I’m a professional, I seldom laugh unless it’s very funny. Please, go on.”

Suspicious, Kevin finally revamped his circumstances before sharing them.

After listening to the current situation, Pingping typed in the live chat, “What should we do? This problem sounds a bit troublesome.”

“The two people swapping identities—it always feels like a complex situation. Can we just frame it as a classic mechanics problem, and punch our way out of it?”

“Not everything can be resolved with violence… ”

“Actually, it might work. We just need to thrash Kevin until he loses his memory, then there’s no problem, right?”

“Does that feature even exist?”

“Or we could pound Drey until his DNA gets recombined, so there’s no more issue with lineage.”

“DNA says: who the hell did I piss off?”

“Or we could dig up the ancestors of Kevin and Drey’s dad, beat them back to life, and let them sort things out.”

“…Is the next step to beat up the God of Education?”

“God of Education: Thank you so much, really!”

Since the audience in the live stream couldn’t provide any useful suggestions, Pingping decided to solve the problem her own way.

She carefully phrased her words and said to Kevin, “This is your family affair…”

“It’s not mine…”

“Okay, your friend’s family affair, then. I don’t really have a good solution either. But I think this is not only your issue but also involves your brother. So why not bring him back and discuss it together?”

“But, I’m scared…”

“Scared of what? Them seizing your inheritance? Isn’t it yours, too? If it’s really not workable, compensate within what you can afford. After all, whatever you do can be justified in this sort of situation. But there’s one thing you must not do.”

“What’s that?”

“Don’t scheme for wealth and cause harm.”

“…You’re joking. I’ll consider it.”

After helping Kevin analyze the current situation, Pingping got up and said, “All right, it seems like you’ve got your own answer. I won’t disturb you further, think it over at your own pace.”

“Take care. I’ll have my steward see you out.”

“No worries, there’s someone nearby I need to visit.”

Watching Pingping leave, Kevin couldn’t tell why, but he had the feeling that some poor guy was about to have bad luck.

Taking Pingping’s response seriously, Kevin decided there was some sense in it.

First, he would call Drey back, then observe his character and abilities.

If he’s not of good character, then give him a sum of money to settle down and start a business.

Later, when the opportunity arises, help forge an identity for him and arrange a marriage with a noble of the thirteenth rank.

Those minor nobles, lacking money and power, with hardly any family assets except a noble title, were convenient to deal with.

Then have their first child adopted, ensuring the continuation of the lineage.

Although he couldn’t reveal his identity, this was undoubtedly a good opportunity to make amends for past mistakes.

With his troubles seemingly lifting, Kevin’s face brightened, and he felt more at ease.

He clasped his hands in prayer, satisfied, thanking the Goddess of Mercy for such a splendid idea.

At the same time, he understood his father’s thoughts.

The appearance of his father in ghost form was surely to let him in on this, so he could make up for his forebear’s regrets.

Taking a deep breath, Kevin silently thought, “Rest assured, Father, I will make sure you depart in peace.”

Calling his steward over, he asked him to immediately bring Drey over and to start making arrangements.

The plan was perfect, yet he overlooked one issue.

If Drey turned out to be more exceptional than he anticipated, how should he handle that?

When a puzzled Drey was fetched from the quarry by the steward and brought before Kevin, Kevin faced this brother he was meeting for the first time and found himself also mired in confusion.

His brother seemed to be very capable indeed.