When Xu Yi faced the other three presidents in the conference room, he did not rule out the possibility outright.
"Transferring the technology for magic locomotives isn't impossible, but not right now," Xu Yi said seriously. "Gentlemen, although a magic locomotive is technically just another kind of magic machinery, it is far more complex than the other magic machinery our guild has developed so far. It involves a wide range of technologies, many of which even our own guild has yet to fully understand. So even if we transferred them to you now, they would be of no use to you."
President Lanke smiled. "We aren't that greedy, President Xu. We didn't actually come here expecting you to transfer the technology for magic locomotives to us. We only hoped that, for the sake of our longstanding friendship, you would at least put our three guilds on the same starting line as the Amli Merchant Guild and the Feilson Carriage Company, rather than treating us differently."
Xu Yi glanced at President Lanke and chuckled. "President Lanke, I think... you should know perfectly well why I treat the Amli Merchant Guild and the Feilson Carriage Company differently."
All three presidents' expressions changed, and President Lanke's smile became particularly awkward.
After Earl Stark took over as Bunta City's lord last year, he had begun targeting Xu Yi and the Xinfei Merchant Guild at every turn. Xu Yi had eventually announced his withdrawal from the Commercial Association. The other merchant guilds had remained silent, but President Cruz of the Amli Merchant Guild and President Pombelli of the Feilson Carriage Company had publicly supported Xu Yi and the Xinfei Merchant Guild. President Cruz had even lost his temper at a joint meeting, angrily denouncing the other merchant guilds as opportunistic cowards.
Since the other presidents