The Council

"That Duke... he'll definitely be taken down!"

The beautiful lady sitting next to Sulu cursed.

No professional would be happy to hear this news.

In such a climate of anger, even if only one in ten thousand were to act, that congressman would be in grave danger.

'Of course... that's none of my business.'

Sulu continued to listen in.

"Gentlemen... time is running out, we must be prepared!"

The Speaker's voice remained calm, possessing a remarkable ability to quell the commotion.

"In the next city council election, our people must win enough seats..."

"We must expand our share in the shipbuilding and fishing industries, as well as in the pillar industries of Lori City... We must ensure that if we fall, the entire city will collapse..."

"Public relations efforts behind the scenes are also very important... Your help is needed here, Mr. 'Reader'!"

The Speaker was assigning tasks at the head of the table.

The more Sulu listened, the heavier his heart became.

He already knew that the Shadow Council's gatherings were very ancient.

The extraordinary power passed down through generations, even if it couldn't advance too high during Twilight of the Gods, was enough to allow them to maintain influence and wealth.

The energy accumulated over such a long period is terrifying.

Spurred by the potential Federation Professional Registration Act, they quickly sprang into action.

'Even cleaning up the gangs... is probably just a side effect of this current plan, right?'

As the topics were discussed one by one, the free discussion session soon began, where each member spoke.

The content can include dispute resolution, requests to purchase items, and transaction information.

"Heh heh... Scholar?"

A burly man in black robes stared at Sulu: "Tell Michael that he'll stay in the Dock District at most. If he dares to come out, I'll kill him."

Judging from his aura, Sulu felt that this person was probably the real boss of the Lori City gang, the mastermind behind many gangs.

Thinking of this, he smiled and said, "I will relay it truthfully."

In fact, even if you actually killed the other person, I wouldn't have much of a problem with it.

He thought to himself indifferently.

"Very well, I am ' Black Whale.' If any conflict arises in the future, you will see me!"

The burly man opposite him added a sentence, and then silence fell.

When it was Sulu's turn, he thought for a moment, then stood up. "I need to acquire information on first-tier professions, with a preference for those that control animals and beasts."

This is for Isaac.

Although I promised to introduce them to the circle of mystics, this gathering is too high-end; I shouldn't scare the children.

I'll buy it on his behalf, and at most I'll give him a discount on the handling fee; this is also for his safety.

"As a newcomer, your first request will always be given preferential treatment."

In the ensuing Silence, the Speaker spoke first, "I have a job here that perfectly suits your needs, for only 50 Gold Dragon!"

"Oh? Could you describe it?"

Sulu's eyes flickered, and he asked calmly.

"Of course... It's called [Herder], a Tier 1 profession. It improves the practitioner's physical attributes, enhances their sense of smell, makes them more agile, and grants them a certain ability to communicate with wild animals."

'Isn't this the [Beast Herder] path?'

Sulu, with his wealth of knowledge, immediately thought of it.

[Herder] -- [Wolf Shepherd] -- [Beast Herder]!

This was a terrible class that Rhode had specifically mentioned to him before, because its fifth-tier legendary class was called [Dragon Shepherd]!

Putting aside other requirements for the job, the key is that you must be able to tame a Great Dragon, a real Great Dragon!

Great Dragon have long since disappeared from both the Old Continent and the New Continent.

Perhaps, they can only be found on the World Edge, on the Dark Continent.

Therefore, this is a career with almost no future prospects.

"Great, I'll buy it!"

But Sulu immediately nodded and agreed to the deal.

Because he didn't think Isaac had any hope of becoming a legend, his only requirement was to control that Erha.

Even if a Tier 1 [Wolfherd] isn't enough, a Tier 2 [Wolf Shepherd] will definitely be able to suppress that idiot.

"Cough cough!"

Seeing that Sulu had already taken out the Gold Dragon, the Speaker was somewhat surprised by his straightforwardness and coughed. "I must remind you here that its aftermath will be somewhat difficult, and the [Herder's ] ability to communicate with wild beasts is limited to understanding their emotions from body language, not truly understanding 'beast language'!"

"That's alright, but I'd like to know if the subsequent second and third-tier content can be purchased here?"

Sulu asked another question.

"Can!"

The Speaker nodded. "I will preserve its legacy, up to the fourth rank!"

'But I'm sure you're not on this path... The [Herder] career path demands a lot from extraordinary beings, which is difficult for [Beast Herder] to achieve...' Sulu counted out fifty Gold Dragon, handed them to the Speaker, and received a parchment filled with information in return.

He examined the mysterious content and symbols on it using his Occult Lore, found no problems, and put it safely into his pocket.

'I've done what I promised Isaac; as for the rest, he'll have to handle the trade himself...'

After the transaction was successfully completed, he didn't sit down. Instead, he looked around again and said, "I'd like to acquire a Curio with storage capabilities!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than he heard a member whistle flippantly, "I wanted one too... even if it cost five thousand Gold Dragon to acquire it, but unfortunately, it wasn't available... Perhaps only those ancient and extraordinary families possess one or two, like His Excellency the Speaker."

"These kinds of extraordinary items command very high premiums and are practically unavailable!"

The Speaker shook his head, indicating that he could not help.

"So..."

Sulu took a deep breath, having anticipated this. "I need to purchase detailed intelligence on the mysterious events active in and around Lori City, the extraordinary creatures involved, and brief introductions to the major extraordinary forces."

Storage-type Curio are scarce, so the only option left is to make them yourself.

To find suitable materials, Sulu must hunt or acquire some strange and mysterious creatures; something like Erha definitely won't work.

"Hehe... You can buy information about this from me."

The ' Saintess ' beside her chuckled, leaning closer and exuding a rich, fragrant perfume. "I am the intelligence chief of the Shadow Council..."

"What about the price?"

Sulu asked blankly.

"30 Gold Dragon, this is a discount for our members. If you're willing to accompany me, I can give it to you for free!"

"The Saintess" breathed into Sulu's ear.

But seeing that none of the councilors were jealous, and instead mostly seemed to be watching with amusement, Sulu knew it was definitely not a good thing. "No need... I'll pay in cash!"

"How... boring!"

The ' Saintess ' sat back down listlessly and yawned boredly.