By the time they finished their preliminary inspection of the reserved land outside the city, the entire morning had passed.
Canby and the others stayed behind to conduct a more detailed survey, while Xu Yi returned to Sewell City ahead of them with Count Samo.
Count Samo had originally planned to invite Xu Yi back to the City Lord's Manor for lunch and discuss the construction schedule for the production base. But as soon as they entered the city, they encountered a representative sent by Sewell City's Commercial Association, inviting Xu Yi to a banquet.
"Go ahead. It would be good to have a proper chat with your fellow merchants in the city."
Watching Count Samo leave straight after those words, Xu Yi shrugged and motioned for the representative to lead the way, arriving at the largest restaurant in Sewell City.
For lunch that day, Sewell City's Commercial Association had reserved the entire restaurant. Almost every merchant of any standing in the city was present, yet Xu Yi was their only invited guest.
Seeing this reception, Xu Yi naturally understood what was going on. He exchanged polite pleasantries with everyone, maintaining an extremely modest demeanor.
Once the wine had flowed and the banquet was halfway through, Radis Sampson, president of Sewell City's Commercial Association and also president of the city's largest merchant guild, the Merlda Trading Guild, raised his glass to Xu Yi from their shared table. He drained it in one gulp, then gave him a warm smile.
"President Xu, my fellow merchants in the city and I wholeheartedly welcome the production base your Xinfei Merchant Guild is establishing here in Sewell City. We've long heard that the merchant guilds of all sizes in Bunta City have prospered through their cooperation with the Xinfei Merchant Guild over the past