Recommendation Tickets, please.
The carved doors of the Council Hall, which had just opened, slowly closed behind Tang Hengyu and the other two.
Inside the hall, even the smoke seemed to thin a little.
Ximen Wenye opened the eyes he had kept closed to a slit, a sharp gleam flashing briefly in the gloom as he looked toward the doorway and spoke with unruffled calm. "That Hahn is probably grinning from ear to ear the moment he walks out that door."
Chen Zhang picked up his lukewarm spiritual tea and took a light sip, then nodded. "Hahn managed to run the underground black market in Huagai District so successfully right under the Bone Excavation Group's nose. That takes both skill and connections. Half a share of the profits—he can shoulder it, and he deserves it."
He paused. "This 'Jingcheng Merchant Association' is sizable, but it's still an alliance, not something he owns alone. After deducting the portions for his subordinates and stewards, greasing palms at every level, and maintaining the costs of such a vast network, the profit that ultimately falls into his own hands is probably around that half-share, maybe even less."
Beside him, Yang Zhicheng's movements paused slightly, and his lips curved in a knowing smile. "No wonder. Chen Zhang, you proposed letting him keep that half-share, without him having to bear the Bone Excavation Group's squeeze anymore, and on top of that, you gave him the backing of our Soul Fighting City faction, this huge ship..."
"Once the follow-up channels are opened, this business will only get bigger. The actual weight of his half-share may well be more than before, not less. It'd be strange if he wasn't tempted."
Ma Zhibin poured the last bit of Wine Spirit Wine from the bottle into a small cup,