Money Delivered to His Door

Perhaps because he had worked all night, or perhaps because his body was still extremely weak.

Loren slept until broad daylight, only waking slowly when someone knocked on his door.

But the moment he opened his eyes, he was startled to see someone standing beside his bed. Only after recognizing the visitor did he let out a sigh of relief.

Even so, he did not give her a pleasant look.

"Fiana, don't you know that men and women should keep their distance?

What if I liked sleeping naked? Wouldn't you be taking advantage of me?

And I locked the door from the inside. How did you get in?"

Hearing such shameless words, Fiana's eyelids twitched. Her good mood for the morning was instantly ruined. Resisting the urge to go over and kick this bastard twice, she said coldly,

"The merchant guild people are already waiting for you in the hall."

"Merchant guild? What merchant guild?"

"You!!!" Fiana was nearly angered to death.

Only then did Loren come to his senses. The little money had come knocking?

Thinking that he would soon complete the system mission and awaken the Archdemon Bloodline, his mood immediately brightened.

He gave a light cough and said with a half-smile,

"You should go out first. I need to get dressed. Of course, if you don't mind, you can stay here."

Fiana shot him a cold glance, then turned and left.

After she had scolded him yesterday, this guy had become more and more irritating.

Bang~

When another shower of dust shook loose from the ceiling, Loren burst out laughing. He truly disliked having people around him wear such cold expressions all day.

After getting up and dressing, a graceful, elegant young man so handsome that he seemed beyond mortal existence appeared in the room. In that instant, even the air seemed several shades brighter.

Tap, tap, tap~

When Loren descended to the first-floor hall, Anor was standing guard at the entrance with more than a dozen guards, while several merchants dressed in luxurious clothing sat inside the hall.

The first time Loren saw Anor, he sensed something was off. The man carried a bloody aura, and his bearing had undergone a transformation. It seemed as though he had suddenly grown stronger overnight.

But before Loren could study him closely, the merchants spotted him and immediately approached with broad smiles.

"Good morning, esteemed Master Loren."

Loren withdrew his questioning gaze. Seeing them bow, he gave a slight nod.

His expression remained indifferent as he looked down upon the Presidents, carrying himself with the utmost arrogance of a High Noble.

Seeing his attitude, they became even more cautious. Their ingratiating smiles bloomed brighter than chrysanthemums.

One, two, three, four... Hm? Why was there one extra person?

"I recall contacting only four merchant guilds. Who is this?"

Sitting down slowly beside the wooden table, Loren looked impassively at the unfamiliar merchant with the large belly.

Robert, President of the Jasmine Flower Merchant Guild, hurriedly introduced him.

"Master Loren, this is Kari, President of the Blackstone Merchant Guild. Upon hearing that you intended to establish a merchant alliance, he greatly admired the idea and begged me to bring him here so that he could behold your brilliance.

Furthermore, when he learned that you had abandoned the privileged conditions of your family to venture out on your own, he was truly filled with admiration and reverence."

That flattery was far too shameless. Even Fiana, watching coldly from the room, could not help wanting to complain.

What brilliance? It would have been one thing if someone else could not defend their territory, but for a descendant of the Orchid Family to lose his territory—now that was utterly humiliating.

Loren nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad. I like honest people."

Fiana suddenly wanted to cover her face and flee.

After the nonsense was out of the way, Loren did not continue chatting idly with them. His expression turned solemn.

"I thought about it all night. The Orchid Family possesses such great honor; cooperating with a group of small merchant guilds might affect the family's reputation.

Although my territory has been breached and I urgently need funds, I cannot gamble with the family's glory."

Hiss! Everyone in the room sucked in a breath of cold air upon hearing this.

Could this guy be planning to go back on his word??

The Presidents of the merchant guilds exchanged glances, their faces instantly filled with anxiety.

Before coming here, they had discussed matters at length. They had even sent people to investigate what Loren had done in Green City over the past few days, repeatedly confirming his identity.

However, five million was merely the membership fee for one year, and that truly pained them.

Although the tax reductions they received might allow them to earn even more, those would be future profits. They would not see any money in the short term. They had already decided to discuss the price with Loren, preferably lowering it by one or two million.

But now, Loren had pulled out the trump card of backing out of the deal altogether, instantly crushing their little schemes.

The other party already thought their merchant guilds were too small and did not intend to cooperate. If they brought up prices at a time like this, would they not be courting death?

The unspoken understanding they had reached after so much discussion was shattered by Loren in a single instant.

Robert, President of the Jasmine Flower Merchant Guild, hurriedly said,

"Lord Loren, we all understand your concerns, but our merchant guilds sincerely wish to cooperate with you.

Moreover, after developing in Decker City for so long, we have already established sufficient trade channels. As long as you allow us to join the Orchid Merchant Alliance, we will rapidly grow stronger and be able to provide you with even more valuable support.

Did you not say that your elders wished to see you build everything from scratch? We will absolutely support the development of your territory!!"

That step of retreating to advance immediately handed Loren the initiative. He found it amusing inside, but his face showed an expression of being persuaded.

"Is that so?"

Seeing his expression, Robert immediately breathed a sigh of relief and hastily said,

"Of course. With our five merchant guilds serving as your subordinate merchant guilds, all it will take is one command from you for us to purchase sufficient supplies at low prices.

You are unfamiliar with this place and also need merchant guilds to serve you."

Loren nodded and said with some hesitation,

"Then shouldn't the membership fee rise a little?"

The Presidents felt their hearts bleed upon hearing that. They had originally been thinking of lowering the price.

They hurriedly signaled Robert with their eyes. Robert gave a bitter smile and quickly tried to persuade Loren.

"Lord Loren, five million is already the fairest price.

Think about it. This is our first cooperation, and we have yet to gain any benefits. Who knows whether we will profit or lose money in the future?

If merely reducing taxes were enough to make a business successful, then so many Nobles would not go bankrupt every year.

If the price is too high, we cannot afford it either. I believe you do not wish to see us go bankrupt after paying the membership fee. That would inevitably affect how your family elders view you."

Loren finally seemed persuaded. After pondering for a long while, he slowly nodded.

"Since you are so sincere about cooperating with me, I'll accept it. It is only one year, after all. If the cooperation proves unpleasant, we can discuss it again then.

Also, I currently do not have the manpower to handle the preliminary work of establishing the Orchid Merchant Alliance."

"We will handle it. How could we trouble you with such a minor matter? Rest assured, the alliance's personnel will all be purchased from the slave market, and their contracts will be handed over to you."

"And the membership fee?"

"Rest assured. The moment the merchant alliance is registered in Decker City, we will pay you immediately."

"..."

Fiana, with her icy bearing, watched from the side as several merchant guild Presidents coaxed Loren through the agreement. Her expression was extremely strange.

She did not believe for a moment that Loren had truly considered abandoning the merchant alliance. He did not even have a single Puke left in his pocket, and his territory was waiting for him to return with a large amount of resources. If he gave up, what would he use to develop it?

Yet after saying that one casual sentence, he had made this morning's negotiations proceed far more smoothly than anyone could have imagined.

It left her both surprised and incredulous.

Loren had changed far too much since she scolded him yesterday.

"Could it be that scolding people has this kind of effect?"

Fiana secretly considered finding someone to scold that night and seeing whether it worked. Her peripheral vision could not help drifting toward Anor, who stood guard at the inn entrance.

Anor suddenly sneezed, and the hairs on his back stood on end. He hurriedly turned to look around. Only after finding no danger did he pull himself together and continue observing the surroundings.