I finished watching the World Cup, so I decided to post the update early.
"Xu Yi, are you really going to that boring banquet?" Viscount Leslie frowned at Xu Yi across from him, looking puzzled. "Can't you tell those fellows have bad intentions? The Xinfei Merchant Guild is doing well, but it's still a long way from becoming a truly major merchant guild. They're only trying to win you over now because they have their eyes on the technology you possess."
"My lord, you own thirty percent of the Xinfei Merchant Guild too, so you should say 'our guild,' not 'your guild,'" Xu Yi said with a smile.
"Fine. Since it's 'our' Xinfei Merchant Guild, I have even more of a say in this. Let me be clear: I oppose your attending that banquet, and I'm even more opposed to your getting involved with those crafty old foxes," Viscount Leslie said sternly. "I don't like boasting, but you must admit that I, Viscount Leslie, have some influence in Bunta City. As long as you don't go looking for trouble, I can guarantee that the Xinfei Merchant Guild will continue to grow steadily. You don't need to bother with those fellows at all. Just focus on developing useful magic machinery. Why complicate things?"
"Of course I believe you're capable of that, my lord. But your understanding of business seems rather shallow," Xu Yi said bluntly.
Viscount Leslie snorted. "Oh? Then tell me what a deeper understanding would look like. Being a little fish and jumping into a school of sharks to get yourself killed?"
Xu Yi chuckled softly. "Perhaps you're right. Compared with the major merchant guilds in the Commercial Association, our Xinfei Merchant Guild is indeed only a little fish. But my lord, no merchant guild can exist in