Counterattack

As August passed and September arrived, the weather gradually turned cooler.

The number of pedestrians on the streets of Will City also increased, and various commercial activities became more prosperous.

Afternoon. Kebir, the vice president of the Will City Grain Association and the father of Brian, a student in the fifth class of the second year at Will Knight Academy, boarded his carriage to return to his villa after attending a noble tea party.

Commoners did not have surnames, but Kebir's family had been passed down for over a dozen generations. More than a dozen generations ago, the ancestors of this family were farmers. Through the intelligence of each generation, they slowly became wealthy farmers, then wealthy merchants, and reached their current status.

Currently, Kebir is not only the vice president of the Grain Association but also holds considerable influence throughout Will City. Including real estate, the family's assets are at least two thousand gold coins.

The entire family owns a vineyard and a farm outside the city, and three villas within the city. One of these villas is located on Wright Street, with the house number 67.

Centering around the family, they are equipped with a large staff of servants, including a butler, male and female servants, gardeners, coachmen, and grooms.

Moreover, due to their business acumen, Kebir has good personal relationships with several nobles from the Grain Association. In summary, Kebir's family, apart from lacking a surname, has living conditions and social circles that are almost equivalent to those of nobles.

However, the status of a noble surname is like the distance between heaven and earth. Although the family sends their sons to Will Knight Academy for training every generation, and has produced Transcendent individuals, none have obtained a noble surname.

Inside the exquisite and luxurious carriage, Kebir sat on a red leather sofa. He was forty-five years old but looked only thirty. His appearance was ordinary, and his physique was exceptionally strong.

In his youth, he had also attended Will Knight Academy. At the academy, he became a quasi-knight and learned much about the demeanor and speech of nobles.

Kebir recalled the scene of enjoying afternoon tea with several noble lords earlier, and a slight smile curved his lips.

Under his development, the entire family had reached its historical peak. The war that occurred in the eastern part of the empire this time would cause grain prices to rise significantly. He had already borrowed a large sum of money from the Imperial Bank and invested it all in this wheat business.

As soon as the wheat was harvested and resold, the family's wealth would skyrocket.

"Although wealth is increasing, the crucial thing is still the noble surname. No matter how hard I try, it's difficult to advance further. The key is my son, Brian." Kebir touched the sapphire ring on his left hand, feeling a surge of anger in his heart.

News of Brian's affairs at school had long since reached his ears. Being narrow-minded as always, he had immediately kicked Smith out of the Ministry of Finance, which in turn affected Colin Russell's tuition fees for the following year, cutting off the Russell family's Transcendent Path.

While doing this, he cursed his son for being useless, unable to even defeat a scion from a declining noble family.

After all, he had spared no expense for Brian's strength development, purchasing many expensive magic potions.

Fortunately, Brian was somewhat capable and had managed to get involved with Lyon Brown, the heir of the Brown family.

"The Brown family has extensive connections and strong influence throughout the Marquisate. By hitching a ride on this ship, I will earn more gold coins. Then I will invest all the money in Brian, and making Brian a Transcendent will not be a problem. The key is how to become a more powerful Transcendent and plan for a noble surname?" Kebir reached up and rubbed his temples, feeling a wave of dizziness.

The noble surname made him so envious that he was almost driven mad, his jealousy burning fiercely.

"Why are people's lives so different? Those three orphans from the Russell family were born nobles. Even if they live in extreme hardship, they are more respectable than us. Let alone Brian, I even want to pounce on them and bite them."

Fortunately, this seasoned businessman was more composed than his son. Kebir quickly adjusted his breathing and suppressed the jealousy in his heart. At this moment, he arrived at the Kebir family's villa.

Wright Street, number 67.

This villa was a true villa, not only with tall walls and imposing iron gates. On the valuable Wright Street, it also had long houses for servants, stables, and even warehouses and garages.

Seven exquisite carriages were parked in the garage, allowing Kebir to choose different types of carriages according to his mood.

Unlike the Russell family's old house, which was only called a villa to maintain appearances.

The coachman opened the carriage door, and Kebir stepped down. To his surprise, he saw his butler, Hank, standing outside the main gate. The butler, who was always impeccably dressed and steady, had a rare look of anxiety on his face.

Kebir, being experienced and shrewd, felt a jolt in his heart.

"Master." Butler Hank breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Kebir and quickly stepped forward.

"Let's talk in the living room," Kebir said in a deep voice. Butler Hank nodded. The two then proceeded to the living room of Kebir's villa, a sumptuously decorated large living room with a high-end East-Glan handmade carpet.

Kebir sat down in the main seat, with Butler Hank standing meticulously beside him.

"Master. There is a company called Noah Company that is pre-purchasing wheat from farmers in large quantities. Almost all of it is from the ranches of you and several other wealthy merchants."

Butler Hank took a deep breath before delivering the shocking news.

Ranch. This was industry jargon. As a seasoned grain merchant, Kebir and several other wealthy merchants had their own spheres of influence in Will City. They communicated with farmers in advance and offered to pre-purchase grain. They also signed legally binding contracts.

Ordinary people could not interfere. Once they interfered, they would be like a dragon crossing the river.

"It must be those nobles who are envious of the grain business. Those insidious, cunning, and greedy fellows." Kebir gritted his teeth, almost certain. He then adjusted his breathing and looked up, asking, "What is the origin of this company? Who is its controller?"

"We haven't investigated who controls this company yet, but the individuals currently handling the pre-purchase of grain are five Imperial Knights. They were all formerly with the Gale Knight Order, including His Excellency Victor Williams and His Excellency Abel Miller."

Butler Hank rattled off the names of five prominent Imperial Knights who had a certain influence in Will City.

"Five Imperial Knights!!" Kebir almost fainted. If everyone competed fairly, he would not be afraid at all. After all, he had signed contracts with the farmers.

But the other party was nobility, and five Imperial Knights at that.

The laws of the Van Gogh Empire treated commoners and nobles differently. For example, if a commoner broke the law, a security officer could handle it.

If the scope was large and complex, the city hall would establish a court, requiring both parties to hire lawyers to litigate.

However, if a noble broke the law, the Nobility Council would definitely take over.

Kebir had already signed contracts with the farmers, and Victor and the others forcibly intervening in this matter was completely illegal.

But if the case reached the Nobility Council, given the council's tendency to protect nobles, fighting a lawsuit there would naturally mean losing the home-field advantage. Even if they could win, it would require a significant amount of time and energy.

Arrogant, insidious, hypocritical, greedy, brutal, elegant, calm, noble.

Nobles were complex beings who embodied this series of words.

Kebir knew that his family had reached a point of survival. This time, he had not only invested a large amount of financial resources but also a loan from the Imperial Bank. If the business failed, even the interest would be a heavy burden.

"Damn it, I need to find a way to resolve this matter."

"And who exactly controls this company that can make five Imperial Knights personally involved?"