In an elegant private room of the Mars Merchant Association, a middle-aged man reclined comfortably in a lounge chair, gently swirling a glass of red wine and humming a cheerful tune.
"Ancestor, you seem to have been in quite a good mood these past hundred years, ever since we wiped out the Giant Cloud Merchant Association."
Behind the lounge chair stood a respectful young man with short yellow hair, sharp eyes, and a faintly curled lip.
"The Giant Cloud Merchant Association had only been in the Mars Civilization for a few tens of thousands of years, yet they stole nearly half our business. The other merchant associations suffered even more bitterly. Wiping them out was an act of justice. Who wouldn't clap and cheer?"
The middle-aged man chuckled, immensely pleased with himself. The Giant Cloud Merchant Association had only their own inferior abilities to blame for their destruction.
"All of this was thanks to you, Ancestor. Without your plan, those rotten fish and spoiled shrimp from the other merchant associations could never have amounted to anything. Forget wiping out the Giant Cloud Merchant Association-they would have been lucky not to be beaten to ash by that old bastard Luo."
Every word the young man spoke was flattery, but it was exceedingly well received. The middle-aged man burst into laughter, his spirits rising further.
The middle-aged man raised his hand slightly, and an object flew out of his sleeve to land before the young man. "This is called the Heaven-Candle Wheel. It's a treasured artifact I found very handy in my earlier years. I'll give it to you."
"Thank you, Ancestor." The young man thanked him repeatedly, thrilled and delighted. He had praised him until his mouth went dry, but at last, his words had not been wasted.
After putting away