The Hidden Extra: The Lazy Prince Refuses to Ascend The Throne - Chapter 352

352: The Fifteen-Year Step 352: The Fifteen-Year Step Once their business at the Tears of the Dragon restaurant was finished, Nolan, Shion, and Eliza decided to return to the Blue Moon Trading House headquarters.

In the horse-drawn carriage, Shion sat beside Nolan, while Eliza slept soundly in his arms, comfortably resting her head on his shoulder.

“Tsk!

She must be very tired,” Shion said with a small chuckle, reaching out to gently pinch Eliza’s chubby cheek.

Nolan simply smiled.

“You’re right-she is very tired.

Besides, it’s already nighttime.” His eyes drifted to the window, watching the sun vanish, replaced by the bright, shining moon.

“By the way, Master,” Shion asked, curious.

“You said you had some business earlier, right?

Can I know what it was?” “Later.

Once we arrive, I’ll tell you,” Nolan replied indifferently.

“It’s about the future of Blue Moon’s development.” Shion’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

It had been a long time since she’d heard her master speak like that.

Until now, Nolan had only come by to check on the trading house’s progress before leaving.

In recent months, he had appeared so rarely that Shion had begun to wonder if he still cared about Blue Moon at all.

Now, after Nolan mentioned the future direction of the Blue Moon Trading House, Shion felt a mixture of relief and happiness.

It took them only ten minutes to reach the headquarters.

Since it was nighttime, most of the staff had already gone home.

However, a few were still working late, so the first floor of the building wasn’t completely empty.

After entering Shion’s office, Nolan carried the sleeping Eliza to a room on the left.

It was a room Shion usually used when she didn’t want to return to her residence.

Fortunately, the room was neat and comfortable, so the little girl remained fast asleep.

Back in the office, Nolan walked over to the sofa and sank into it lazily.

Since Luna was already asleep in her room, Shion prepared black coffee for both herself and Nolan.

“Here’s your coffee, Master,” Shion said respectfully.

“Thank you,” Nolan replied, taking the cup and sipping it.

The bitterness of the coffee, slightly softened by sugar, immediately cleared his mind.

Shion sat beside him, sipping her own coffee.

The room was dim, with only the lamp at the far end casting light.

Yet moonlight streamed through the two wide-open windows, and the night breeze drifted in, leaving the room pleasantly cool.

“Shion, you should realize how quickly we’ve grown, right?” Nolan began, staring at the dark ceiling.

“The Blue Moon Trading House, which appeared just eight or nine years ago, can now easily outmatch all its competitors-even the Red Obsidian Trading House, which had once been thriving.” Shion remained silent, listening attentively.

“However…” Nolan took a deep breath and turned to her.

“Rapid progress doesn’t always lead to positive outcomes.

Weak foundations, the palace’s vigilance, and other factors pose serious risks.” “On top of that, the rivals we’ve defeated are starting to play dirty, uniting and striking from the shadows.

One example is the departure of nine chefs from our three restaurants.

Of course, that’s just a minor move on their part-I’m certain they’re planning a larger attack.” Nolan paused for a moment, took another sip of his coffee, and continued, “So, I want you to take decisive action to finish them all off.

Do you understand?” His purple eyes flashed coldly, as if carrying a meaning too deep to be spoken.

Shion felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

Yet instead of fear, a surge of intense excitement coursed through her.

It had been a long time since her master had shown this kind of expression.

The last time was when he had started the Blue Moon Trading House nine years ago.

Back then, Shion had felt her heart race, as if Nolan had touched the deepest part of her soul.

Now, that same feeling returned, leaving her so excited that she was… aroused.

Unaware of her thoughts, Nolan continued, “By the way, let’s return to what we were discussing earlier.

You’re probably wondering why I brought my sister along, right?

Well, it actually ties into the future direction of Blue Moon.” At this, Shion gasped and quickly pulled a small notebook and pen from her pocket.

“Even though the Blue Moon Trading House keeps innovating, the truth is that we’ve been stagnant for the past six months.

That’s why I want to implement a new system-or more accurately, a new playground for our growth.” In his previous world, the era of digitalization had begun in the early 21st century.

At that time, humans experienced major changes in mindset, behavior, social norms, and more.

Over the next twenty years, the internet, online games, and other technologies exploded, becoming a part of everyday life for society.

At that time, Nolan’s Frey family received the largest share of the benefits.

Their family business, once conventional, shifted into technology, information, and energy sectors.

That was why they survived, while many other powerful families collapsed under the changing times.

Nolan wanted to apply a similar strategy in this world.

The process would be extremely difficult-almost impossible.

But he was not someone to give up easily once he set his sights on something.

He needed a starting point, and that was his younger sister, Eliza.

The little girl had an extraordinary talent for judging food.

She was also smart, quick to gain confidence when encouraged by those closest to her, and possessed many other strengths.

If carefully nurtured, Nolan believed Eliza could become a shining star-like an idol who captures the hearts of her fans.

His plan was to build a personal brand for his sister that would leave a lasting impression.

One way to achieve this was to boost her confidence and refine her talents.

Nolan then explained to Shion the progress he expected to see.

This plan would not succeed in a month, a year, or even five years-it would take more than fifteen.

That was why he named it “The Fifteen-Year Step.” He also asked Shion to collaborate with the White Lotus Trading House, represented in this case by Claire Horven.

Since both she and Shion were his confidants, Nolan didn’t mind sharing the big “pie” equally.

Shion carefully noted every word, but in her heart, she grew increasingly amazed by her visionary master.

After an hour of discussion, Nolan decided to stop.

“That’s all for now.

Those are the initial steps you need to take,” he said indifferently.

“I’ll send the rest in a draft later.

Don’t forget-take it slow but steady.

And involve Claire in this matter.

Understood?” “Understood, Master!” Shion nodded enthusiastically.

“Good!” Nolan smiled contentedly, placed his cup on the table, and stood up.

“Well then, I’ll be going.

The Old Man will surely scold me for keeping Eliza too long.” He started toward where Eliza was sleeping, but Shion suddenly grabbed his hand.

“Master, are you just going to leave like that?” She gave him a teasing wink, lowering her collar to reveal her snow-white cleavage.

“Don’t you want to taste me before you go to the northern continent?” Nolan: “（ꐦ𝅒_𝅒）”