NOVPUB
Chapter 96: The Golden Swan Commerce’s Leader
"It failed."
The man in noble attire was stunned.
"You failed? How? This isn’t your first time doing this, right? Your group always completes missions like this successfully. So how did you fail?"
"Typically, we have accurate information and thorough intelligence gathering to ensure a successful mission. But this time, it seems we were given bad intel."
"Bad intel?"
"You said they were only at the Earl and Marquess stages, right? Well, that’s true, we confirmed it ourselves. So we sent assassins at the Earl, Marquess, and even Duke stages, which should have been more than enough to handle them. But no one came back. Do you know what that means?"
"Could someone have helped them? Or are they stronger than they seemed?"
The First Finger nodded.
"We don’t know which is true yet, but we’ve decided to send stronger assassins. If we fail again, we may have to pause for a while. There’s a good chance they have someone at least at the King stage or of equivalent power. If that’s the case, you’ll have to pay more, because ’The Fingers’ will have to take care of it personally."
"As for the other task, we haven’t started yet. The targets are under heavy surveillance from the three great sects, even the grand elders are involved. So, Mr. Carlson Harris, do you still want to continue using our services?"
Carlson Harris gritted his teeth. The problem seemed more complicated than it initially appeared. When he first heard about the trouble at the Dual Peak Horns in Demon territory, he had dismissed it as just another typical occurrence in the cultivation world.
But when Carlson Harris heard that the incident was connected to the Yu family and the devils, he gave the matter deeper attention. The Golden Swan Commerce could extend its influence further into the Dual Peak Horns because the Yu family was no more and it all had to do with their collaboration with the devils.
The Yu family had been a threat to their business and their cooperation with the devils in the Dual Peak Horns. The region was located in a strategic position, and they needed it to serve as one of their gateways into demon territory. However, the presence of the Yu family, a local noble clan dominating the business sectors like trade and escort agencies, had prevented them from moving freely.
The city lord of Dual Peak City also had his own plans, though he didn’t seem interested in eliminating the Yu family outright. Then, he as the leader of the Golden Swan Commerce and the devils concocted a scheme that would entangle the city lord in their game. But how?
By taking advantage of the Yu family’s escort service, the Golden Swan Commerce orchestrated a scheme to reveal the cooperation between the devils and the city lord’s manor to the Yu family.
They planned to use the city lord’s name for a special mission, informing the Yu family that the city lord required their services to escort goods purchased from the Golden Swan Commerce to Vermilion City.
During the mission, the Golden Swan Commerce would ensure that the Yu family discovered the ’betrayal’ of the city lord’s manor by letting them see the true nature of the goods they were escorting. The goal was to have the Yu family report this back to their patriarch. They didn’t care about the aftermath because the mission’s ultimate objective was the annihilation of the Yu family, with the city lord’s manor forced to support this outcome.
That night, the devils massacred the Yu family in an uncoordinated act, forcing the city lord’s manor into their game. In the end, the city lord had no choice but to announce that the Yu family had ties to the devils.
The city lord’s manor forced the Yu family to take the blame because they knew about the manor’s cooperation with the devils. Even though there are somehow still survivors from the Yu family, their name is already tarnished, and their voices will be drowned out by the scorn of the people, at least that’s what they believe.
The city lord’s manor could only swallow their anger when their plan to keep the Yu family alive failed. Unexpectedly, they found the patriarch’s wife and their son, and they instantly took them under their control.
News of these survivors made the Golden Swan Commerce restless, fearing they might know too much about the devils in Demon territory and their secret cooperation.
The Golden Swan Commerce wanted to eliminate them, but the city lord’s manor had already raised its defenses against both the Commerce and the devils. Realizing they were at each other’s throats, they decided not to push harder at that time.
Strangely, the devils didn’t seem to care about the Yu family survivors, and it finally dawned on him that, in the end, they were all just using one another. The devils had their own agenda, the city lord’s manor had theirs, and the Golden Swan Commerce had its own as well.
When news of the chaos in the Dual Peak Horns and the destruction of the city lord’s manor reached them, they held their breath once again. The involvement of the three great sects complicated things even further. They finally decided to erase the last traces of their involvement with the devils: the Yu family survivors and a mysterious group that had appeared out of nowhere.
According to some of the intel the Golden Swan Commerce had gathered, this group might be the reason behind the Yu family’s resurgence—and they likely knew about the devils. Therefore, they too needed to be eliminated. It was a risky operation, especially since it was within demon territory and under the influence of the three great sects. If something went wrong, he would have to say goodbye to doing business in demon territory altogether.
But all of that had failed. For a while, Carlson Harris lived in anxiety, fearing that the powerful forces on the continent would uncover their cooperation with the devils. The three great sects had yet to show their stance on the Golden Swan Commerce, but he believed it was only a matter of time before they caught wind of it.
"How is it, Mr. Carlson Harris?"
The question from the First Finger snapped him out of his thoughts. He felt exasperated. Even after employing this group of assassins with close ties to nobles and even the imperial family of the Atria Empire, he still hadn’t succeeded.
"Yes, proceed. I want them all dead."
"Then wait for further news. I will come to you again, Mr. Carlson," the First Finger said as he stood up and left the room.
Left alone, Carlson Harris leaned back on the sofa and released a tired sigh. He was the patriarch of the Harris family and the leader of the Golden Swan Commerce—a man of great ambition and a sharp mind for business.
At this point, however, Carlson Harris began to question whether his decision back then had truly been the best—both for himself and for the Golden Swan Commerce. Even the devils had claimed that the outcome was already sealed, but now, doubt was creeping in.
"He was already too wet to come out of the pond, he could only move forward, even though he had betrayed the entire continent."
Carlson walked toward the window, gazing out at the garden of his manor.
"I’m only doing this for my survival... for my family’s survival."
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In Blooming Flower City, Aldrian had just finished his comprehension session in his room within the Plum Blossom Tower. He had been working on strengthening his karma laws and refining his techniques. His recent encounter with the three great sects had given him deeper insight into the true strength of demonic cultivators.
Even though they were within his domain, he could still sense their extraordinary power—far beyond what was typical for orthodox cultivators. He thought that perhaps only the leaders of each empire could rival them. In fact, they seemed to be a bit stronger than Emperor Ladwin, even if not for the support of the World Tree.
As Aldrian stepped out of Plum Blossom Tower, intending to take a stroll to clear his mind, he paused. His gaze fell on a woman already seated at one of the chairs provided by a nearby street vendor. She noticed him and smiled before approaching.
"How have you been?" Aldrian asked with a smile. From her flushed appearance, it seemed she had somehow benefited from his energy the previous night. She bowed her head slightly, her voice soft.
"Thank you."
"Hmm, for what?" 𝔫𝖔𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝔬𝔪
"For your help."
"But I didn’t help with anything."
"You don’t have to hide it, you were very helpful last night." she said with a smile.
Aldrian smiled in return.
"So, did you come all this way just to say thank you?"
"No, I’m here to—" she began, but her words trailed off as she noticed a man suddenly appear beside Aldrian, smiling at him. Aldrian glanced at the newcomer before releasing a sigh.
"Why are you here, Sect Master Ryu Hyuk-Jae?"
