Chapter 439: The Gathering Invitation

Chapter 439: The Gathering Invitation

“Boss…” In a small grove, Carlin looked at Zheng Yichen with a troubled expression. “Young Miss Lily doesn’t really need my protection much anymore. About my vacation…”

Wasn’t it agreed to be one month!? Now it’s been almost two months, right? Even overtime wasn’t supposed to be like this. This was too much! If you, Boss, don’t say something now…

Then I guess I’ll just wait a bit longer… ε=(‘ο｀))). What could I say if the Boss wanted overtime? What could I say about no pay? Rebel? Don’t even think about it, pal. With such an insanely awesome Boss, only an idiot would think about rebelling!

Status? Status wasn’t an issue. Others only knew Zheng Yichen had connections to a Witch, specifically the Cursed Witch from records. But who knew he was connected to several Witches!?

And those things Zheng Yichen invented! He had coveted the Armory for a long time. Not to mention the Armory now had tiers: Low, Medium, and High. Currently, he only had access to the Low-tier Armory, and the stuff inside was already mind-blowing! Against power ful beings, low-tier weapons might not be that effective, but the performance of the weapons he used before had made Carlin a big fan!

Besides, so what if the bullets were ordinary? He tried it. If he infused his own Mana into a bullet, he could increase its power. This boost wasn’t about adding some effect to the bullet, but compressing Mana into that tiny bullet volume. When it hit a target, the effect was like a Hand Grenade exploding.

Of course, this required precise control. But Carlin thought that was no problem. Precise control and such? Couldn’t he just use his sister’s skills?

“Oh… cough! Been a bit busy lately. It’s fine now. If you want to go back, you can go back. Be careful on the road!” Zheng Yichen blinked his eyes in confusion. After a blank moment, he remembered he had indeed promised Carlin something before. He just forgot about it afterward!

“Here are five permissions to enter the Armory. Use them as you see fit.” Zheng Yichen said. The little resentment in Carlin’s heart instantly vanished. Permission to enter the Armory meant picking one item per entry. Five permissions meant five items. Nothing inside was broken, so it was all about choosing well.

It would be even better if he could take the things out and sell them.

“Thank you, Boss!”

“Hmm… When are you leaving?”

“Now. My teacher has been waiting for me for a while.”

“Teacher… Good luck with your studies.” Zheng Yichen said. Carlin’s departure didn’t affect Lily much. After all, no one was foolish enough to try anything against her now. Zheng Yichen didn’t need to hide his identity. He spent his days leisurely walking around. Under these circumstances, even fewer people wanted to cause trouble. The most troubled person now was probably the City Lord of Kaja City.

Any City Lord would feel a headache knowing a dragon was roaming around in the city he managed. Even if this dragon acted very laid-back, didn’t bully people while walking around normally, didn’t act unreasonably or refuse to pay when buying things in shops, or do things like dining and dashing.

Such a law-abiding dragon… If the Sanctuary Church hadn’t confirmed Zheng Yichen’s true form was indeed a dragon, he would have thought this was some upstanding, promising young man from somewhere. Fine was fine, but stubbornly staying here really made people uneasy!

Think about it. He had been in office for decades and was about to retire. Then this whole thing happened. Couldn’t he just stay for two more peaceful years before stepping down? By then, The Empire would surely give him a good arrangement to enjoy the rest of his life…

He had saved up a bit during his tenure, enough to buy quite a few Fixation Potions. More savings to enjoy a few more happy years. Why not, right? Of course, the prerequisite for all this was Zheng Yichen not causing trouble. But was that possible?

Don’t forget this dragon once showed a movie on the heads of a bunch of big shots. That alone proved he definitely wasn’t as laid-back as he seemed now.

“Oh? A gathering by the Purple Vine Guild?” The Kaja City Lord looked at the invitation his assistant brought. After thinking, he placed the invitation aside and straightened his graying hair. As City Lord, although his strength wasn’t high, he still had some privileges. After all, Kaja was a city of The Empire, located in the empire’s inland territory.

Even in war, this place wouldn’t be the first affected. Therefore, the City Lord didn’t necessarily need great strength, just competence. So his strength wasn’t great. The so-called competence was in management. At least, during his years managing Kaja, there had never been a problem.

Even without any particularly brilliant policies, being City Lord for decades spoke to his ability. So the privilege was The Empire’s periodic provision of Fixation Potions… Although it wasn’t enough for him to use them continuously without pause, it did allow him to continue serving as City Lord for several more years.

To this, the Kaja City Lord just wanted to say to The Empire, “Well, thank you very much…” While the City Lord held significant power, he clearly understood that without rebellion, his status and authority basically stopped here. After decades as City Lord, he had had enough. All he wanted now was a leisurely life. Back when there were no Fixation Potions, he could still find excuses.

Now, The Empire obviously didn’t want him to retire easily. Not to mention anything else, they gave him Fixation Potions, so just keep being City Lord. Living a few more years was good, but the problem was, he had money! He could afford to live longer without The Empire’s help. So why bother living a few more tiring years?

What was mentioned earlier? Rebellion? Well, rebelling in the inland of The Empire… sounded like a great idea, easier to strike at the heart? Ha! It was easier to get crushed. In the inland, how much military strength could one expect? Raising a private army? That’s asking for death.

In short, The Empire didn’t want to let him go easily, and he couldn’t do anything about it. He could only continue using his remaining energy. Anyway, The Empire wouldn’t keep him tethered forever without letting go. So just hold on for two more years. Since he had to continue doing his job well, a gathering by Kaja’s Purple Vine Guild was important.

After Zheng Yichen’s identity was exposed, some rivals of the Purple Vine Guild couldn’t help but step forward, using this matter to make trouble. However, those trying to stir things up were all dealt with by the Purple Vine Guild’s Boss. Of course, not by slitting throats and killing them, but resolved in a better way, turning unfavorable factors into advantageous ones.

Those who followed the bandwagon now regretted it immensely. They joined in seeing many big guilds using this matter, putting the Purple Vine Guild on the defensive. They wanted to get a piece of the pie. Yet, they never expected the Purple Vine Guild to turn things around!

Although this partly had to do with Zheng Yichen’s current laid-back behavior… after this commotion, wanting any future cooperation with the Purple Vine Guild would undoubtedly require paying a much higher price. Who told them to pick the wrong side? While the Purple Vine Guild didn’t take extreme measures, it didn’t mean mistakes could be overlooked.

And the smaller guilds that supported the Purple Vine Guild were grinning from ear to ear. The price paid by the guilds on the wrong side could all be added to their benefits. Even if it seemed like using others’ money to fund themselves, the key point was the profit ended up in their hands.

Regarding the Purple Vine Guild’s ability to turn the tables while being pressed from both sides, the Kaja City Lord was quite impressed. He wasn’t a merchant, but after being City Lord for so many years, he had relevant knowledge and insight. If there had been even a slight mistake in handling the process, even if it didn’t destroy the Purple Vine Guild, they wouldn’t have such a dominant position in the future.

You see, the rumors spread by those guilds were quite vicious. Stuff like the Purple Vine Guild having ties to Witches, and the source of those Magic Potions might be connected to Witches. Although not stated directly, the implication was clear. State it openly? Impossible. Stating it openly could give the Purple Vine Guild leverage. If pushed too far, they might go for mutual destruction, and no one else would get a hand on those related Magic Potions.

So even if they brought down the Purple Vine Guild, the few major guilds leading the trouble, even if their reputations weren’t damaged, wouldn’t have many development avenues left. Because they would have destroyed the market for those Magic Potions made by Zheng Yichen. That would offend everyone relying on Fixation Potions to extend their lives.

Even if not, just by firmly linking those potions to Witches, probably only the Sanctuary Church could guarantee ‘safe passage’ for major sales in the future. What was that? Losing the Purple Vine Guild on top, but gaining an even more massive behemoth.

This was indeed a point the Purple Vine Guild could seize to counterattack, but it carried the risk of mutual destruction. They bypassed that approach and handled it in other ways, very skillfully and smoothly. For this reason alone, the Kaja City Lord felt he had interacted too little with the Purple Vine Guild before…

Well, mainly because the Purple Vine Guild’s gifts weren’t as generous as other guilds. They were just enough to meet his acceptable threshold, but not enough to make him so happy he couldn’t sleep. Now, even if the Purple Vine Guild maintained this standard, just with their method of handling things, building a good relationship would make his final years in office much easier. Eager to retire and enjoy his remaining life, the Kaja City Lord no longer cared much for those small benefits.

“I understand. Make the arrangements.”

The Kaja City Lord’s assistant nodded and immediately went to arrange matters. The gathering was in two days. Although the time was ample, as an assistant, many things needed preparation in advance. The Kaja City Lord held an extremely rare, super-long tenure among The Empire’s City Lords. And as his assistant, he was the one with the longest tenure among several assistants.

After the assistant left, the Kaja City Lord sat in his chair, thinking. The gathering definitely wasn’t just simple eating and drinking. Since he was invited, there must be a purpose. At this time, the topic would undoubtedly be about that dragon.

He was quite confident in the perspective cultivated over decades as City Lord. It was time to have a proper talk about Zheng Yichen. Oh right, what was that dragon’s name again? Connor, right?… Not sure if it was his True Name.

He had a history with names before, and the false information was remarkably real. If his identity hadn’t been passively exposed, no one could have investigated anything!

“A gathering. Are you sure it can proceed smoothly if I go?” Zheng Yichen asked Qin. The impact of his identity exposure on the Purple Vine Guild had been resolved by Qin, as they had secretly coordinated beforehand. The remaining issues weren’t major. Afterward, although Zheng Yichen’s visits to the Bar were noticed, his past patterns were there.

Coming here didn’t attract excessive attention. Zheng Yichen had cooperated with the Purple Vine Guild before, even signed a Contract with them. He couldn’t just give up the benefits he was entitled to because his identity was exposed, right?

First, he wasn’t being hunted. Second, he wasn’t wanted. Why should he cut ties with the Purple Vine Guild immediately after exposure? Cutting ties cleanly would actually seem suspicious. Anyone paying attention would calculate; the profits from Zheng Yichen’s Magic Potions were enough to excite many major families.

Even now, the Sanctuary Church had to give Zheng Yichen a share of the profits from the Magic Potions they obtained from him. They wouldn’t refuse to pay that share just because of his identity. One thing was one thing… They wanted to find Zheng Yichen, yes, but this cooperation wasn’t part of that.

More importantly, Zheng Yichen was currently active as an Avatar. His true body was still unfindable.

“It’s fine. Although your identity frightens ordinary people, the people attending this gathering won’t be unable to handle it just because of your Avatar. However, you should be prepared to deal with some trouble then.” Qin explained to Zheng Yichen. For example, the Kaja City Lord, who replied he would attend, had wanted to talk properly with Zheng Yichen more than once.

But due to Zheng Yichen’s identity and not knowing much about him, he hadn’t made any moves yet. This gathering was a good opportunity to connect. Qin’s gathering seemed to be for completely resolving the Purple Vine Guild’s last lingering troublesome matters, but it also aimed to let others understand Zheng Yichen a bit more…

Otherwise, with Zheng Yichen moving about like this, those insecure people in power would only imagine what potential crises might arise. Short term, no big problem. Accumulated over time, well, it might not necessarily become a huge issue, but if some incident acted as a trigger, it could easily blow up. Since this could be foreseen, why not solve these hidden dangers with a dual-purpose move ahead of time?

Once they understood Zheng Yichen better, they wouldn’t overthink things later.

“You’ll go too?”

“Mm.” Qin nodded. She was the ultimate Boss behind the Purple Vine Guild but had never appeared publicly. Others’ knowledge of her was always a mystery. This was both good and bad. Just like those in power who overthink due to not understanding Zheng Yichen, the same possibility applied to her.

So, taking this chance to make an appearance was also possible. This would also surprise the gathering attendees. They probably never imagined that the Madam Proprietress of a Purple Vine Guild Bar in Kaja was the Guild’s total Boss.

“That’s a bit risky.”

“Hmm~? Do you have something to say?”

“Oh, I mean, want an upgrade service?”