Black Bird

Lupinus City Train Station.

After learning the details of the commission from Chairman Rena, Noah boarded the train again and rushed nonstop to the city where the Black Bird Consortium's headquarters was located.

He had spent the entire day on the train.

Leaving the platform, carrying a suitcase in hand, Noah looked at the streets with few pedestrians under the dusk sky, then picked an old man taking a stroll to ask for directions to the Black Bird.

"Young man, what bird did you say?"

The old pedestrian clearly had bad ears, so Noah had to repeat himself.

"Sir, it's the Black Bird."

"Oh, a yellow bird? How did you know I keep one at home?"

Watching the old man grab him and ramble on about his beloved bird, Noah couldn't interrupt or walk away, helplessly listening to him boast for five minutes.

"Sir, I'm not asking about the bird you keep at home. I'm asking about the Black Bird Consortium, that very influential consortium."

"Oh, I see."

The old man nodded, then paused, "What did you say it was called again?"

Noah's mouth twitched. "Black Bird."

"Oh, a yellow bird? How did you know—"

"Stop, stop!"

Noah forcefully cut off the old man's words, raised his hand and clenched it into a fist, showing it off as he said, "Sir, have you ever seen a fist as big as a sandbag? If not, I'd be happy to treat you to one."

Strictly speaking, Noah shouldn't have resorted to threats since he was the one asking for directions, but who could blame him when this old geezer kept steering the conversation elsewhere?

Seeing he couldn't fool the young man anymore, the old man glanced at Noah's heavy suitcase and sighed.

"Young man, are you going to invest in the Black Bird?"

"Take an old man's advice—the waters of investment run deep. You can't handle it."

"Watch out, or they'll chew your bones clean and swallow you whole."

Noah wasn't stupid; he caught the subtext in the old man's words. On the surface, it sounded like a warning, but it felt like a veiled jab at the Black Bird for being ruthless and merciless.

It seemed that in Lupinus, the city where the Black Bird's headquarters was located, the consortium had a bad reputation and wasn't well-liked by the locals.

"Don't worry, sir. I have a good eye for things."

"Even a big consortium like Heartfilia is investing in the Black Bird. If I follow along, I'm sure I'll get a piece of the pie."

After getting directions from the old man, Noah thanked him and left.

Watching the young man's confident back, the old man recalled how, when the Black Bird first arrived, the citizens had been just as confident under the crooked consortium's coaxing, pooling their money to invest in the Black Bird's wildly hyped "lobster farming" industry.

But within a year, the Black Bird Consortium suddenly announced that, due to ocean current factors, the lobsters had collectively run away.

Yet Lupinus was an inland city, nowhere near the sea—where could the lobsters have run to?

The citizens refused to accept this absurd explanation and filed complaints with the city hall, demanding the Black Bird refund their money.

But in the end, they received a notice that the Black Bird owed no compensation, because in the initial investment contract, there was a line of disclaimers so small you couldn't read it even with a magnifying glass: "If losses occur due to force majeure, the Black Bird Consortium bears no responsibility."

The citizens' money had gone down the drain.

The old man shook his head. Good advice was hard to swallow, and he could only let the young man learn his lesson the hard way—he had already warned him.

Northern outskirts of Lupinus.

Black buildings circled one after another, like stars guarding the moon around a central elliptical four-story tower, looking from afar like a black bird's nest holding an egg.

At the top floor of the elliptical building, in a luxurious office.

Joel, the director ostensibly in control of the Black Bird Consortium, was now fawningly reporting to a white-robed man.

"Priest Kura, Heartfilia's assets are even greater than we imagined. Jude can hold out for quite a while just by liquidating his real estate."

"But rest assured, within two years at most, I will definitely swallow the entire Heartfilia Consortium."

Hearing that the goal could be achieved in another two years, Kura's cold expression softened slightly. After all, the Heartfilia Consortium was as wealthy as a nation; the Cult could afford to wait two years.

Adjusting his glasses, Kura praised Joel.

"Well done. Once this task is complete, I'll submit a promotion report for you. Prepare yourself early to receive Lord Zeref's blessing."

Joel's heart surged with ecstasy at these words. That was the blessing of the Primordial Black Mage! Not only would it lift him beyond the realm of ordinary humans, but it might even grant him power rivaling that of a priest.

But then Joel remembered something and suppressed his fantasies. "Priest Kura, there's someone who has recently caught wind of our plan. I need the Cult's assistance."

Although the Black Bird Consortium was an arm of the Dark Magic Cult, it was merely a tool for generating funds, staffed by ordinary people with no mages stationed there.

Needing the Cult's help meant Joel had run into a troublesome figure he couldn't handle alone.

Kura frowned. He would never allow anyone to interfere with his plan. "Who is it? A mage?"

Joel quickly shook his head. This priest's anger was frightening even to his own people. "No, no, no. Just an ordinary person, but he has some status and isn't afraid of our consortium's methods."

"You might have heard of his name too—the chairman of the commercial guild Love & Lucky, Rena."

The priest Kura did indeed know Rena's name—when targeting Heartfilia, he had already looked into the background of its leader, Jude, and his connections.

For the head of a well-known commercial guild, as long as he made no mistakes, ordinary people had no way to touch him. No wonder Joel wanted to borrow the power of the Cult's mages.

To prevent Rena from further obstructing the plan to swallow Heartfilia, Kura decided to send his men to send Rena and his family to their graves tomorrow.

Hearing that Kura intended to kill Rena's entire family, Joel was pleased but couldn't help feeling a trace of fear. Anyone who could become a priest of the Dark Magic Cult was indeed a madman who had killed who knows how many, a life-ignoring slaughterer.

Just then, a knock came at the office door.

Joel was somewhat displeased and snapped at his subordinate through the door. "How many times have I told you not to disturb me at this hour?"

"S-sorry, Director Joel. It's just that a young man showed up, saying he wants to invest in us." Intimidated by Joel's angry voice, the subordinate's tone weakened.

"Do you even need to ask me about this? How much money could he have? Do you have no brains?"

"He said he wants to invest ten million in us, and he's already brought a two-million deposit..."

Joel was left speechless. Someone who could pull out ten million in cash at once—this was clearly a wealthy young master from a well-off family.

It's not the second generation's indulgence you fear; it's the second generation starting a business.

This kind of young master, eager to prove himself, was nothing but a fat piece of meat delivered to Joel's doorstep.

Trap the young master, then drag his family down with him... Even before meeting the man, Joel had already sketched out his next plan.

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and invite him up!"