Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

As a large trade association, the Chamber of Commerce Federation is composed of many chambers of commerce of varying sizes. Silver Lion Trading is not very well-known, but few people know that it is a subsidiary of the Golden Dragon Chamber of Commerce, one of the largest shareholders of the Chamber of Commerce Federation.

Ryuu released his magic, quietly enveloping the entire Silver Lion Trading Company building, and slowly walked around it. After confirming the surrounding environment, he returned to the main entrance of Silver Lion Trading Company and dispelled the magical barrier that concealed his aura.

On the bustling commercial street, people quickly noticed Liu Xia standing in front of the door. Although they didn't know how the young man had gotten there, amidst the exclamations of a small group, everyone confirmed that this lone young man without any entourage was indeed the governor of Sochi Province.

"Lord Ryu-Ryuka! This is truly an honor..."

"Your Excellency! I am a merchant from the South! May I ask you..."

Seeing the crowd surrounding her, eagerly greeting her, Ryuka made a 'shh' gesture to them and said with a smile:

"Welcome, everyone, to Sochi! But I'm here to visit a friend, so I won't be able to entertain you all. Please forgive me. I hope you all find opportunities to make a fortune in Sochi—and of course, I'll make a fortune along with the Sochi province!"

Ryuga politely declined the offers from those around him. After making sure he had been in the public eye long enough and attracted enough attention, he finally caught a glimpse of the owner of a merchant guild across the street beckoning and whispering a few words to a shop assistant before sending him to the back of the shop.

Clearly, this is also a store under the umbrella of a chamber of commerce! Besides doing business, their most important role is gathering local intelligence! As for where that clerk sent to the back of the store was going…

Seeing this, Ryūka smiled slightly. He narrowed his eyes slightly towards the crowd, and a girl wearing a headscarf and veil, who looked like a merchant from a foreign land, met his gaze. When everyone's attention was on Ryūka, she quietly disappeared into the crowd.

That was Zona in disguise. Besides her, there were many other shadow guards in the crowd, who also followed Zona's lead and began their own activities.

Ryuka, on the other hand, turned around confidently and walked into Silver Lion Trading's shop.

"Governor...this is truly an unwelcome greeting! May I ask where you've come to our humble shop..." (The rest of the text appears to be a series of seemingly unrelated phrases and keywords, possibly machine-generated or corrupted.)

The owner of Silver Lion Trading immediately came to greet her, rubbing his hands together and beaming with smiles, surrounded by his employees. However, Ryusha merely fiddled with the goods on their shelves without any interest—most of them were imported goods, and some were knock-offs from small workshops in Sochi that didn't cooperate with the Governor's Office. Then he got straight to the point:

"I'm here to see Hayden."

"Hayden? Sir, we don't have anyone named Hayden in our shop..."

As Liu Xia watched the shop owner flatter her without batting an eye, she gently raised her hand, and a wisp of battle qi instantly shot out!

Bang!

The aura grazed the shop owner's ear and pierced through the silver lion sculpture hanging behind his counter! The wooden wall behind the sculpture even cracked! Liu Xia's blunt threat instantly made everyone in Silver Lion Trading realize the reality:

The boy in front of me wouldn't waste words with me.

Just then, footsteps sounded on the second-floor staircase, and the man Ryuka recognized appeared at the corner. Unlike his previous shrewd yet relaxed demeanor, Hayden appeared somewhat tired and helpless this time. With a wry smile, he removed his hat and bowed slightly to Ryuka.

"Your Excellency, this is truly unexpected..."

Yes, it was unexpected. This young man, whom he initially thought had only won the favor of the lord's daughter with his handsome appearance, rose from the governor of a viscountry to the governor of a province in just a few months; and in just a few more months, he transformed the Sochi province into a vibrant, dreamlike kingdom.

Now, after repeatedly refusing his requests to see him, Ryusha arrived at his hideout in Sochi without warning. Hayden knew perfectly well that he wasn't there to reminisce.

Compared to Hayden's subtlety, Ryusha was much more direct. He looked at Hayden with a slight smile and said bluntly:

"I thought you'd just teleport away after hearing the noise~"

Hayden had indeed considered this, but he understood that Ryūsha's decisive arrival here likely meant he had made all the necessary preparations. He could simply leave, but the Chamber of Commerce's interests in the Sochi region—all the shops, goods, and invested capital—would probably be wiped out.

He also wanted to try negotiating...

"If you'd like, let's talk in the reception room upstairs, Your Excellency..."

Ryuu smiled and nodded. After all, he hadn't come for Hayden alone, had he?

The tea was poured into the cup, and the air was utterly silent. Hayden was momentarily speechless. The Chamber of Commerce had done far too many 'good deeds' behind the scenes; he wondered what Liu Xia's sudden visit was about…

So he could only force a smile and say to Ryūka, "I've always wanted to see His Excellency the Governor but never had the chance. I never expected..."

"I need all the intelligence the Chamber of Commerce has in Sochi... no, in the eastern part of the Empire, especially regarding this woman Adela, and what you are doing in alliance with the Fourth Prince."

*Clatter!* Hayden's teacup slipped from his grasp and knocked against the saucer, spilling tea all over his hand. His eyelids twitched twice. He glanced at Liu Xia, whose expression remained calm, and gave an awkward laugh:

"You must be joking, Your Excellency..."

Liu Xia smiled slightly and interrupted Hayden again: "You haven't been resting well lately, have you? You even have dark circles under your eyes, Mr. Hayden. It seems there's quite a bit of internal strife within your group. Those radical and mindless people must be really bothering you, right?"

How could he know nothing at all! No! With his abilities, he would have found out sooner or later! But why did he find out so quickly!

Hayden's breathing quickened; he suddenly realized the boy before him had no intention of giving him any room to bargain. Ryuga had come with absolute certainty; otherwise, he would still be pretending not to know he was there. In other words…

He was willing to offend the Fourth Prince and the Holy See, so he wouldn't even bother with a mere merchant guild alliance!

Hayden gave a wry smile. He had repeatedly advised others within the empire to simply abandon all business and plans in the eastern part of the empire, or at least to show goodwill to Ryukyu. But the others felt that no matter what, a lord would not offend the merchant groups that brought him benefits, especially the large-scale merchant guild alliance.

To abandon the entire eastern part of Ottoman for fear of a mere youth—that was the irony Hayden faced. If it weren't for that gentleman's kindness, he would have already…

Hayden glanced at the magic wand beside him, but Ryūka across from him made a 'tsk tsk tsk' sound, shaking a finger and saying:

“Teleportation magic is a good thing, as is the magic staff, which is why I haven’t made a move against you yet. Of course… I hope Mr. Hayden won’t ruin your bargaining chips.”

Indeed, both teleportation magic and the magical technology from the merchant guild alliance were of considerable value to Ryūka. To get Hayden to hand over more of what he wanted, Ryūka had to give him some face. However, this had to be based on absolute suppression…

The powerful pressure emanating from Ryusha at this moment was a silent warning to Hayden: do not try to resist.

"Does it have to be this way?" Hayden dropped his fake business smile, revealing utter exhaustion. Months of running around and managing the business had drained his energy, yet the Chamber of Commerce had still suffered a crushing defeat in the Sochi market. And now, the young man before him had finally come to settle old scores.

“I know we’ve had many unpleasant experiences, and the Chamber of Commerce has done many things that have wronged you… But Liu Xia! I mean, Your Excellency the Governor! Think about it! We’ve also cooperated, haven’t we? For example, the mining development in Linhu Town! For example, the trade route cooperation back then! You don’t really want to tear off all ties, do you? Even at the cost of offending the Fourth Prince and the Holy See?!”

"What good would that do you? You've completely taken control of Sochi's economy, so of course others want a piece of the pie! If you're unwilling, I can negotiate for you, and we can just back out. There's no need to make it come to this..."

Liu Xia watched Hayden's eager explanation as if he were watching a clown's performance. He shook his head with a smile: "Eat if you can, and leave if you can't. There's no such thing as a free lunch."

Hayden's smile gradually froze: "So you mean you really want to tear off the mask of civility? Then why bother coming to me? Do you think a squad of knights can't handle this and you need to personally intervene?"

He glanced at Ryūka's nonchalant expression, seemingly unconcerned about their conversation, while frequently glancing out the window as if something awaited him there. This gave Hayden a chilling feeling…

Liu Xia went from being aggressive and getting straight to the point without uttering a single word of nonsense to now listening to her ramblings with a nonchalant air.

This familiar feeling, like they were stalling for time… Hayden had been deceived by Ryūka using similar tactics before. But this time was different; Hayden sensed that Ryūka's true intentions weren't directed at him…

His expression suddenly changed, and he looked out the window!

The Chamber of Commerce, along with other informants, will definitely report back once they see Ryūka enter this place!

Ryūsha's target wasn't himself at all! It was Adela! It was the alliance between the Merchant Guild, the Fourth Prince, the Papacy, and other nobles!

Chapter 22 Conspiracy and Trap

After several encounters, Ryuga had a thorough understanding of his opponent. Intelligence gathered by the Shadow Guard revealed that Hayden was always hostile to Adela, but he was also a valuable asset to Adela's father—the president of the Golden Dragon Merchant Guild.

Liu Xia narrowed his eyes; he'd seen this kind of drama far too often. The Chamber of Commerce wasn't a family's private property, but a community of shared interests. Those in power often sought out talented young people to groom as successors. After all, ensuring that all future generations were talented was difficult, but finding talented outsiders was easy.

Afterwards, they could only grant management rights, not property rights, or control could be achieved through methods such as decentralization or marriage into the wife's family. Hayden was one of these candidates, but Adela seemed to be an ambitious woman. Ryusha's assessment of her was that she had many petty tricks but lacked true wisdom, which explained why her father didn't approve of her. But the more she acted this way, the more she stirred things up, determined to prove herself and defy Hayden.

"You're certainly loyal to the Chamber of Commerce, but unfortunately, one young lady doesn't share that view. I'm curious, without you to keep her in check, what would Adela do?"

"Without me to keep things in check... Your Excellency, what do you mean by that?"

Upon hearing Ryūka's words, Hayden's expression changed instantly. It seemed Ryūka had investigated thoroughly; he and Adela had always been at odds. However, out of consideration for the overall interests of the Chamber of Commerce and respect for Adela's father, he had maintained restraint in his attitude—after all, she was the boss's daughter.

But Adela was different; she hated herself from the bottom of her heart. In Hayden's eyes, that woman was utterly useless except for her beauty and family background. Even her supposedly superb social skills were nothing more than deceptive tricks, utterly worthless. She might be able to deal with ordinary people, but against an opponent like Ryusha, she would be completely devoured, just like last time.

And... what do you mean by not having your own checks and balances?

Hayden's expression turned serious, even tinged with doubt. He believed that Ryūka would never kill him; at most, she wanted to defeat the Merchant Guild Alliance. After all, he, Hayden, was a man of some standing, and many people had witnessed Ryūka's visit earlier that day. But the tone of Ryūka's last words gave him a sense of unease…

From the moment he entered until now, Ryuga maintained an intense sense of pressure coupled with a playful patience. His commanding tone compelled Hayden to unconditionally provide the information he needed, while deliberately letting others know of his visit...

Hayden began to panic and become impatient. At first, he thought that Ryūsha had come to negotiate, and that his purpose was nothing more than a power struggle.

But now, Liu Xia's meaning is very clear... He already knows the Merchant Guild's next plan! He knows that they are going to join forces with the Fourth Prince and the Holy See, and there are even more shady conspiracies involved!

What Ryuka just said was a blatant threat of force!

“Your Excellency, we are legitimate merchants of Otus. Even if you have heard some rumors, I assure you that those things were never my doing, nor could they possibly happen! I will do anything to satisfy you…”

Hayden forced a smile, trying to smooth things over. They had already offended Liuxia before, and now they were willing to give up all of the Chamber of Commerce's interests in Sochi! Making a scene was absolutely out of the question!

Money can be earned back. Adela can ask her father to intervene and get her to leave Sochi temporarily. As long as she makes a dignified exit, she can always make up for the losses she suffered in Sochi someday!

"A law-abiding citizen... is that right?"

Ryusha seemed to have heard something very funny. He took out a document from his pocket and gently pushed it in front of Hayden.

What is this? Negotiation terms? Or...?

"Arrest warrant..."

When Hayden saw the words above, he was struck dumb, and his face turned deathly pale.

'Merchant Hayden is suspected of conspiring with the traitor Ronald Duke several months ago to murder several nobles at a private club in Sochi…'

"Are you kidding me... What evidence do you have! This is utterly absurd!"

Although it wasn't a conspiracy with Earl Duke, but rather an attempt to frame him, Hayden did indeed commit the act. However, Ryūsha had no concrete evidence! Hayden coldly denied it; almost half a year had passed, and even if Ryūsha was the governor, he couldn't convict him based on a single statement! Not to mention, he had the powerful and wealthy merchant guild behind him!

"See, you're in such a hurry again," Liu Xia said with a squinting smile. "It's just 'suspected,' so I'm only here to ask you to come back and cooperate with the investigation. My personal visit is out of respect for the Chamber of Commerce, isn't it? However, how long the investigation and questioning will take, that's... hehe~"

Looking at Ryuka's smile, Hayden finally understood what Ryuka meant by 'without his restraint'!

Liu Xia not only wanted everyone to know about his visit today, but also wanted everyone to know that he was there to arrest him!

Moreover, he was charged with 'allegedly colluding with rebels and murdering nobles'!

Even without any evidence, such a severe accusation is definitely a strong signal to others!

That means Ryūka is really going to take drastic measures! After all, these two charges are not to be taken lightly. Once Hayden is arrested, in the eyes of outsiders, it will be seen as Ryūka deliberately finding an excuse to forcibly eliminate the power of the Chamber of Commerce Alliance!

After all, Liu Xia didn't reveal that he knew about their current conspiracy. Instead, he used an event from before he became the governor of Sochi—his conquest of the Sochi territory—as a pretext. Now, both the merchant guilds and the northern noble forces were on edge, fearing they would be next to be purged. (The last part, "你梅你林林咏空你林在在没呢......," is a nonsensical string of characters and doesn't translate directly.)

When faced with difficulties and suspicion, people are prone to making wrong decisions.

Hayden gritted his teeth... Ryusha was deliberately provoking his opponent to fight back to the death!

If he were imprisoned and the guild here lost his control and became Adela's personal fiefdom, who knows what she might do!

The opponent is Ryūka! If she is smart and calm, that's fine, but if she makes some foolish decisions, such as joining forces with the Fourth Prince and the northern nobles to put pressure on Ryūka, the only result will be destruction!

Moreover, it involves the interests of everyone!

This is not as simple as the interests of the Chamber of Commerce in Sochi! If she drags the Fourth Prince's people and the Holy See into this mess, the Chamber of Commerce will not have a good outcome, either inside Otus or outside the Empire!

Hayden knew the nature of a businessman all too well! If things developed to that point, the other factions in the Chamber of Commerce would not hesitate to use him and the Golden Dragon Chamber of Commerce as sacrifices, cutting them off and killing them in front of everyone!

At that point, my life will also be...

Chapter 23 Weaving the Net

A chilling fear spread through his body, and Hayden stood up in disbelief. He looked at Ryuka, who was sitting upright opposite him with his legs crossed, the boy with a relaxed expression, as if what had happened was nothing at all.

Having spent years in the business world, encountered all sorts of nobles, and even had blood on his hands, Hayden was somewhat dazed. He had considered that the Chamber of Commerce's strategy in the Sochi province would be met with this young man's ruthless resistance. Riots? Assassinations? Those were merely common tactics in conflicts. Having some understanding of Ryūka, Hayden had also imagined that Ryūka would later use violent means to wipe out the Chamber of Commerce's influence in the Sochi province.

But that's not how it works...

Not like today, using some extremely common methods to casually lure them into a dangerous dead end. A summons? What a joke! If they were isolated from the outside world, the Chamber of Commerce would become a flock of lambs to the slaughter! In Hayden's view, this was tantamount to laughingly slaughtering a group of unarmed people!

"Don't you consider what if they take my arrest as a dangerous sign and don't act as you planned, but instead become more cautious?"

Liuxia watched as Hayden slumped back into his chair, and asked with a helpless smile.

The tea had gone cold. Liu Xia picked up the cup of tea that Hayden had poured for her, took a small sip, and said casually:

"I have soldiers, so everything will be easy for me."

Hayden's shoulders slumped limply. He gave a bitter laugh and asked urgently in a tone of incomprehension:

"why?"

"Why what?"

"Why go to such lengths to eliminate the Chamber of Commerce Alliance? Of course I know you hate us. But the methods you used this time, even if it was just the prelude, made me feel... even more... chilling than when you fought Clovis Otus."

Indeed, today's visit and detention by Ryukyu is merely the calm before the storm; Hayden can already foresee the consequences. When Ryukyu truly takes action, the Merchant Guild Alliance, the Fourth Prince Elias, the Papacy, the Northern Nobles… and other noble forces will face immense impact, and countless individuals will be utterly defeated.

"Is it worth it? You've only just become governor, the emperor's eyes are still on you, and you're going to cause such a huge mess just to get rid of us?"

"of course not."

Liu Xia slowly finished her tea, gently set down the tea set, crossed her hands on her raised knees, and calmly looked at Hayden, saying:

"What I want to do is much bigger than this. It just so happens that the Chamber of Commerce Alliance is in my way, and it just so happens to give me the reason and opportunity to take action."

That's right, taking this opportunity to eliminate the influence of the Papacy and other nobles within Sochi, and further consolidate their rule, is exactly what Ryukyu wants.

Whether it's Tipalotura or Chloe, their words and actions have drawn his attention to the heretical ruins to the east and the heretical continent behind them. Before embarking on a new chapter, Ryūka must first eliminate and deter the unsettling forces around him to ensure that no problems arise later.

As for the chamber of commerce alliance? It's just a small pebble.

Ryuka stood up, straightened her clothes, and said to Hayden, who was still struggling to accept the situation:

"Mr. Hayden, we've known each other for a long time. Frankly, I don't care what kind of person you are, what your views are, or what betrayals you've made to me for your own benefit. After all... your existence is just a hindrance to me, not a danger or threat. What's even more fortunate for you personally is that you are both a core figure in the Golden Dragon Merchant Guild and its representative here, possessing a wealth of intelligence on other merchant guilds and nobles." (The last sentence is a nonsensical string of characters and doesn't translate directly.)