Internal Struggles Within the Goblin Merchant Guild

Upon hearing Patur's answer, Abad nodded in satisfaction, not the least bit suspicious.

"Good. Patur, you haven't disappointed me. Whether it's you or Andres, you are both the hope of the Human Race. You must work together as one."

"Yes."

After chatting a little longer, Abad rose and left.

As soon as Abad left, Patur's expression darkened.

"Hmph, disciplining my son for me? No matter how wrong my son may be, it isn't someone else's place to discipline him!"

He paced around the room, thinking rapidly.

He wanted to teach Andres a lesson, but he also understood that he could not do it openly.

"It isn't realistic to kill him within the Holy Alliance. Andres has already reached the proper realm; with only Battle Qi left to cultivate, he can become a Saint Domain. He definitely won't miss this Sacred Tree Fruit Contest."

"If I can stop him from obtaining the Sacred Tree Fruit and delay the time it takes for him to reach the Saint Domain, that will count as teaching him a lesson."

As Patur planned his next move, he heard the servant's voice again.

"His Highness the Prince, someone requests an audience."

A servant stood outside Patur's room and reported cautiously.

"Who is it?" Patur frowned.

Many people had wanted to see him these days. Aside from his friends, there were also many who wished to curry favor with him.

The status of a Ninth Rank and a Saint Domain was worlds apart.

He refused to see most of those people.

"The visitor claims to be from the Goblin Merchant Guild. His name is Borg," the servant's voice came from outside.

"The Goblin Merchant Guild?" Patur's expression shifted slightly. He still had to show respect to the number-one merchant guild on the Sacred Tree Continent.

"Let him in."

"Yes."

The door opened, and a richly dressed middle-aged goblin walked in, giving Patur a solemn bow.

"Borg pays his respects to Lord Patur."

"Borg, we have never met before, have we? What do you want from me?" Patur said indifferently.

"I have come to make a deal with you, my lord," Borg said.

"A deal?"

"Yes. I would like to borrow your Mithril for a period of time."

Patur narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flickering within them.

"How do you know I have Mithril? Did you investigate me?" Patur asked coldly.

Borg hurriedly explained, "Lord Patur, please don't misunderstand. We would not dare. It is like this: we have dealings with an apprentice from Master Roman's household, and thus learned that Lord Patur had commissioned Master Roman to forge a Mithril weapon."

Patur's expression eased slightly upon hearing this.

Master Roman was one of the top-ranked Dwarf blacksmiths in the Holy Alliance. After obtaining the Mithril, Patur had commissioned Master Roman to forge a Mithril longsword.

"If you know that I am having a Mithril weapon forged, why come to borrow it from me?"

Borg said, "Lord Patur, to be honest, I am the person in charge of the Goblin Merchant Guild in Luolan City, one of the Guild's one hundred regional directors."

Patur frowned. He did not know why Borg had suddenly brought this up, but he did not interrupt.

He knew a little about the Goblin Merchant Guild's one hundred regional directors as well.

The Goblin Merchant Guild was spread across the Sacred Tree Continent and Noah Continent. Within the Guild, the two continents were divided into one hundred regions, with one chief director assigned to each region.

These one hundred regional directors were also ranked. The higher one's ranking, the more prosperous the region one managed; the lower one's ranking, the more remote the region one was assigned to.

All of Noah Continent was considered remote territory. Although Luolan City was on the Sacred Tree Continent, it was also a remote area, only slightly better than Noah Continent.

Borg continued, "Luolan City, where I am stationed, is over a hundred thousand li from the Holy Alliance. The reason I traveled all this way to Holy Alliance City was to find a large piece of Mithril."

Luolan City was a remote area, and in terms of prosperity, it was far inferior to Holy Alliance City.

Holy Alliance City was a city that had formed around the Holy Alliance.

Holy Alliance City was extraordinarily prosperous. The experts within the Holy Alliance had drawn countless people there by reputation, and the growing population had in turn prospered every trade and industry.

Holy Alliance City was already one of the largest cities on the Sacred Tree Continent.

To purchase a large piece of Mithril, one had to come to a place like Holy Alliance City for there to be any possibility.

"Lord Patur may not know this, but competition among the Goblin Merchant Guild's one hundred regional directors is extremely fierce. Once our rankings fall, we are sent to even more remote regions, and the resources we can control and mobilize are reduced as well."

"Of course, if we can raise our rankings, we can transfer to more prosperous regions and wield greater authority. We may even become candidates for guild president and become the next president of the Goblin Merchant Guild."

"Competition among us regional directors mainly lies in two areas. One is business development; the other is recruiting powerful experts for the Guild."

"If we can recruit a Saint Domain expert for the Guild, our ranking may rise."

Wealth needed strength to protect it. The Goblin Merchant Guild's presence across both continents relied on the Guild's many powerful experts.

"Luolan City is the homeland of the Druid Elf Race. Patur, you should be familiar with Yulian, the genius of the Druid Elf Race. He is also on the Holy Alliance Trainee Cadet Ranking and is currently ranked tenth."

"Yulian is a Ninth-Rank Druid who fused with the Magic Crystal Core of a Stone-Devouring Beast. Stone-Devouring Beasts differ from other magical beasts—their ranks vary greatly, ranging from the First Rank to the Saint Domain. Their strength depends on how many high-grade minerals and stones they have devoured."

"For a Ninth-Rank Stone-Devouring Beast to break through to the Saint Domain, it needs to devour precious materials like Mithril and Black Jade."

"Yulian is a guest advisor of the merchant association I recruited. If he can obtain enough Mithril, he can become a Saint Domain expert after devouring it, and my ranking may rise even higher."

Patur understood. Borg wanted the Mithril for Yulian.

"You should go back. My Mithril is for forging my own weapon. It isn't for trade." Patur rejected him outright.

Borg was not surprised. He bowed and said, "Lord Patur, I know you also need Mithril. That is why I am asking to borrow it. In fact, I have also received reliable information about some Mithril, but it will take a year and a half before I can get my hands on it."

"However, some accidents have occurred recently, leaving me unable to wait that long. That is why I came to Lord Patur. I believe Lord Patur will certainly be willing to cooperate with me."

As he spoke, Borg revealed a meaningful smile, looking extremely confident.

"Oh?" Patur looked Borg up and down, unable to understand where his confidence came from.

Borg said, "Lord Patur, the accident I mentioned is that Ivan, the regional manager of the Oga Kingdom, has recruited a genius named Andres."

Patur's expression changed instantly.

Borg continued, "Andres has already comprehended the realm of Drawing Upon Heaven and Earth. He has only failed to become a Saint Domain expert because his Battle Qi is insufficient. In this Sacred Tree Fruit Contest, he is very likely to become a Saint Domain expert."

"Once he becomes a Saint Domain expert, Ivan's ranking will rise. My ranking is very close to Ivan's, and he may overtake me then, forcing me to relocate to a more remote region."

"Lord Patur, our goals are the same. You probably do not want to see Andres become a Saint Domain expert either, do you?"

Borg stared at Patur with blazing eyes.