Conflict, Part One

Earl Hornby hadn't expected Evan to say that. He'd thought the other man would angrily retort, "If I destroy the IOU, that'll prove it's genuine. You can have all the grain in the warehouse."

Then he could use a few dirty tricks to make the IOU destroy itself in the other man's hands, leaving him with no way to complain.

But Evan had become the manager of the Land, Sea, and Air United Merchant Guild's Pangtuo City branch. He wasn't some brainless fool who would say something so stupid and leave himself no room to maneuver.

And so the two sides faced off, and the situation quickly reached a stalemate.

As the saying went, "A strong dragon does not overpower a local snake."

Earl Hornby thought so too. As the head of the Anti-Demon Alliance in Pearl County, he figured his reputation would make those bumpkins from Gannan Province think twice.

Besides, all he'd done was seize the other side's grain. Even if they were unhappy about it, they wouldn't mobilize an army to come after him.

And if things did get out of hand, he could always settle it by paying them off.

But he'd forgotten that Earl Shelley, who'd once thought the same way, had long since gone to his grave.

Of course, his actions were understandable. Without this shipment of grain, in a few days he and his men would likely be going hungry.

Soldiers ate because they served, and they served so they could eat.

If he couldn't even meet that most basic requirement, what reason did he have to lead the thousands of men under his command?

Having considered this, Earl Hornby stiffened his resolve again. He snatched up the IOU and flung it at Manager Evan's face. "Then take a good look!"

Evan instinctively