In Sumeru, pretend to be a scholar

“Scholar Wang Yan, we’re about to unload the cargo. If you’re interested, you can take a stroll around Hailu Harbor. Just be back before tonight,” Dolly said to Wang Yan.

Wang Yan suddenly felt a sense of familiarity, and after thinking about it carefully, he remembered.

When he returned to Liyue on the Flying Cloud Merchant Guild's ship, he also disembarked at Ormos Harbor to go shopping.

Although there are some differences, they are generally similar.

Wang Yan did not refuse Dolly's offer and disembarked. Although his destination was Nordkalley, Wang Yan also wanted to see the local customs and culture of Mapleland.

In addition to police patrols, the lower pier of Hailu Harbour also has a series of guard posts equipped with spring-loaded mechanisms.

These wind-up mechanisms activate in case of unexpected situations to assist the guards in handling the problem.

From this perspective, the maple is still quite modern.

The streets near the pier are also bustling with many people.

Before long, Wang Yan saw the different attire from various regions, including Sumeru, Nata, and Nordkalai.

As for Liyue... there are also people coming to Harbor, but relatively few.

Trade between Liyue and MapleStory is generally conducted via sailing between Softlight Harbor and Ruins.

"Look, take a look! Spices from Mount Sumeru..."

"Don't miss out on the gems from Natta..."

"Fengda distributor, wholesale price is here! Anyone who wants to make money, come and take a look!"

"We undertake wholesale of all kinds of commercial machinery parts. As a partner of Fengdan Science Institute, quality is guaranteed!"

Wang Yan walked on the streets of the dock, surrounded by a constant stream of shouts and a bustling crowd.

Believe it or not, as long as you want to make money, the hawkers' cries are all the same everywhere.

As he was walking, Wang Yan's eyes suddenly lit up when he saw a familiar yet unfamiliar figure.

She wore a black and gold dress adorned with blue gemstones, an exquisite D'Artagnan hat, and an umbrella decorated with gemstones and a bow on her wrist.

Navia, the young lady of the Rose Society.

Several members of the Rose Society dressed in black followed behind Navia.

To be honest, if Wang Yan hadn't known about Navia and the Rose Society, he would have just been an ordinary tourist. In that case, seeing this scene, he would have indeed mistaken Navia for a powerful underground figure in Maple Leaf.

Yakoda's concerns are not unfounded.

"How's business lately? Have those treasure-hunting gangs stopped bothering us?"

Navia stood in front of a stall and asked the stall owner with a smile.

The stall owner was an elderly man with gray hair. He was also very happy to see Navia: "No, no, they haven't come back since you taught those people a lesson last time."

"That's good. If you encounter any scoundrels in the future, just come to me. I won't let them get away with it," Navia said with a smile.

"Hey, hey, I know, I know." The old man smiled and then picked something up from the stall and stuffed it into Navia's hand. "Miss, take this. I made it myself. You can keep it as a decoration."

Wang Yan took two steps closer and realized that the other person's stall was full of ornaments and decorations made of seashells or coral.

Navia accepted it without hesitation: "Haha, then I'll take it as your membership fee. Remember to contact me if you need anything."

The old man didn't care about the membership fee. Seeing that Navia didn't object, he accepted it directly and smiled even more happily.

Navia chatted with him for a couple more minutes before moving on to the other stalls.

Wang Yan discovered that regardless of the stall, anyone who was a little older was very friendly to Navia.

The younger stall owners were half-respectful and half-fearful, while some of the more aggressive guys looked at Navia with dissatisfaction and fear in their eyes.

I followed them all the way.

Until the end of the road.

Navia turned around and looked at Wang Yan, who hadn't dodged her: "You've followed me all this way... Friend, what's your background?"

Her tone wasn't hostile; after all, Wang Yan was following her openly and honestly, which clearly didn't fit the behavior of a bad person.

"Sorry, this is my first time in Fengdan. I couldn't help but follow you after seeing your conversation with the stall owners."

Wang Yan apologized and then introduced himself: "I am Wang Yan, a scholar of the Theory School of the Order of the Church. I am on my way to Nordcale and have stopped at Harbor Harbor."

“The epistemological school?” Navia frowned slightly. “Shouldn’t those interested in sociology be the causal school?”

"Oh, Miss, you even know about the different schools of thought within our Order of Teachings?" Wang Yan asked, somewhat surprised.

Navia nodded: "I know a little about it. So, scholar, what do you want to do with me? If it's just to watch me interact with everyone, then it's time to end this here."

Does Wang Yan need something from Navia?

Of course, nothing was wrong. He was just bored and followed along because he saw a familiar face.

If you replace Navia with the head nurse, then calling Wang Yan a pervert would be perfectly normal.

However, if you follow someone and they find out, it's definitely not okay to say it's nothing.

Wang Yan thought for a moment and then asked, "They all seem to respect you a lot. Are you a very powerful person in Fengdan?"

"I wouldn't call myself very good, just a little bit famous. What? You want my help too?" Navia remained humble.

Wang Yan nodded and recounted how Dolly had cooperated with the Maple people, was then tricked, and almost broke the contract.

After saying that, Wang Yan added, "According to the investigation by the Order Academy, the mastermind may not be a local of Fengdan. I just saw that you seem to have a lot of influence here. I think you might be able to help with the investigation."

“I see.” Navia did not doubt Wang Yan’s statement and nodded slightly. “If you need the help of the Rose Society, then you can take me to see the owner of the goods and confirm the situation.”

The Rose Society is not a charitable organization.

If it's an official matter and Fengdanting is asking for help, then there's naturally no problem.

However, if it's a private commission, the Rose Society will still charge a fee.

After all, he was a businessman, not an ordinary resident of Baisong Town.

“Okay, are you free? How about we go over now?” Wang Yan said directly.

Navia nodded, then looked at the man in black behind her: "Go and inform Clarind that I'll be late for the gathering."

“Yes, Miss.” A man in black nodded, turned and left, heading towards the building above Hailu Harbor.

After watching the man in black leave, Navia looked at Wang Yan and said, "Please lead the way."

Wang Yan nodded, then turned and led Navia and the remaining men in black toward the dock where the spaceship was moored.

Before long, we arrived at our destination.

"Hey, Scholar Wang Yan, you're back so soon?" Dolly was handling the goods when she saw Wang Yan return and exclaimed in surprise.

Wang Yan glanced at the middle-aged man from Maple Leaf in front of Dolly and introduced him, "This is Miss Navia from the Rose Society. Perhaps she can help you investigate."

On the way here, Navia had already introduced herself, so Wang Yan didn't need to pretend he didn't know her.

"The Rose Society? Oh, so it's Miss. Haha, I've heard so much about you."

Dolly immediately put on an enthusiastic demeanor.

As a businesswoman, she naturally had access to information about Maple Leaf, and the Rose Society, as the most influential underground organization, was naturally within her intelligence network.

As the current head of the Rose Society, Navia must have been informed by Dolly.

"I have long admired you, Master Sangge Mahabayi of Mount Sumeru."

Navia naturally greeted them.

Wang Yan was a little embarrassed. So, although these two had never met, they both knew of each other's existence.

However, upon closer examination, it makes sense.

After all, both Dolly's trading company and Navia's Rose Society are large, transnational organizations, and their intelligence gathering capabilities are certainly sufficient.

At this point, many people may be wondering, it's one thing for Dolly's business association to be international, but what about the Rose Association, which is also international?

In fact, the Rose Society has already expanded beyond Mapleville and has even begun to establish a presence in Nordkalley.

(The Rose Society is already part of the Nordkalite underground forces, and Navia has greatly strengthened it.)

"So you two have known each other for a long time. Then I won't go into any more introductions. You two can chat."

Wang Yan said something and turned to leave.

“Wait, why don’t we talk together? After all, you’re the one who asked me to come here,” Navia said.

Wang Yan stopped in his tracks, thought for a moment, and nodded: "That works too."

Dolly then looked at the Mapleman who had checked the goods with her earlier: "How was it? Was the goods correct?"

The middle-aged man from Fengdan smiled and said, "With Miss Navia here, I trust you. Let's pay and deliver the goods."

"Hehe, then it'll be a pleasure doing business with you." Dolly's smile widened even more when she heard about the payment.

After finishing her conversation with the middle-aged man from Maple Leaf, Dolly waved to the two of them: "Let's talk on the ship, there are too many people and too many eyes here."

Chapter 159 Clarind: Perhaps There's Some Connection

The three of them went up to the deck of the spaceship, where the surrounding cargo blocked their view.

"This should be fine."

Dolly stopped and looked at Navia, repeating the general situation to herself.

She was unaware that Wang Yan had already mentioned this before.

However, Navia did not interrupt, but listened quietly to Dolly finish speaking before speaking, "The Rose Society can help with the investigation."

Dolly was overjoyed: "Since Miss Navia is willing to help us investigate the case, then I won't stand on ceremony."

"I'm really sorry to trouble you this time. The name of the Rose Society is very famous in Maple Leaf. With your help, the truth will definitely come out."

I expressed my gratitude in advance, but I didn't mention anything about money.

Navia, of course, wouldn't let Dolly fool her. She gracefully twirled the umbrella handle in her hand, her smile impeccable: "Master Sangge Mahabay, you're too kind. The Rose Society does indeed have some connections. However…"

“We are not an official body. Investigating intelligence and deploying manpower all require costs. It is true that we would like to help our friends, but business is business. The ‘consultation fees’ and ‘action fees’ that should be charged must be done in accordance with the rules.”

"I thought it was free." Dolly said dejectedly, but she didn't give up. She asked, "About what are the 'rules' of the Rose Society?"

“It depends on the complexity of the matter and the ‘value’ of the outcome,” Navia said calmly. “The fact that the other party was able to plan the robbery and use Maple Dan’s illegal agencies suggests that it may involve transnational criminal networks and the risks involved are not insignificant.”

She gave a six-digit number.

Dolly's eyes widened immediately: "So many!"

"Is it a lot? If Lord Sangge Mahabay takes this matter seriously, he will definitely send people to investigate in Fengdan. As long as people are moved, it will cost money."

"Instead of spending time, effort, and money on an investigation with uncertain answers, it is clearly a better choice to spend money to entrust it to the Rose Society."

Navia has good speaking skills and speaks very clearly.

Dolly didn't reply immediately; she just counted and recorded on her fingers.

She certainly wasn't counting on her fingers; she was mentally calculating the cost.

Whether it's sending a team into unfamiliar territory like Fengdan to conduct an investigation, or commissioning locals to carry out the investigation, money will definitely be needed.

Will the money spent reach the six-figure sum that Navia mentioned?

Of course, there is another advantage to cooperating with Navia, which is that it establishes a connection with the Rose Association, making it easier to do business in Maple Leaf in the future.

Dolly knew the influence of the Rose of the Wild on the Maple Leaf.

After thinking for a while, Dolly nodded with some heartache: "Then this number will do! But on the condition that the Rose Society must find out the mastermind behind the scenes and provide conclusive evidence. I want more than just a name; I want something that can make him pay the price."

She paused, her tone shrewd: "If you only find the surface, or just find a scapegoat... then this deal would be too unprofitable for me. So, if you can't do that, I won't pay the final payment!"

Navia listened quietly and nodded slightly: "Very fair. The Rose Society always strives for 'perfection' in the commissions it undertakes. Finding the mastermind and bringing the Rose Society to justice is our goal. I agree to your request."

For her, finding someone from the underground forces of Fengdan was actually very simple.

It's even simpler than having the Mo Mang Palace intervene.

Maple's gray forces may not necessarily give face to Mo Mang Palace, but they will definitely give some face to the Rose Society.

“Alright, it’s settled then. Scholar Wang Yan, you will be our witness,” Dolly said.