"Everyone, I did not invite you here to discuss taking the island back and managing it ourselves. Which of you is confident you can run it without trouble? Who can guarantee steady production without wasting precious medicines? And who can help us develop new medicines and obtain another Dao Fruit?"
"Well..."
No one dared make empty promises without grounds.
"See? None of you. But Sect Master Li gave us his firm assurance back then. That was his ability, and he earned the situation we enjoy today. With him managing the island, we can rest easy."
"Exactly. What skill is there in merely picking someone else's peaches? Don't let a cooked duck fly out of our mouths."
"Stability comes before everything. Don't stir up trouble for no reason."
The representatives of the various merchant associations' branch headquarters and halls heartily agreed.
Hearing this, the Rare Treasures Tower elder who had made the earlier proposal could only shake his head slightly and fall silent.
The will of the majority was hard to defy.
Those opposing him included not only people from the branch headquarters, halls, and the Money Guild; even his own Rare Treasures Tower largely disapproved.
Elder Shang watched their argument in silence and suddenly realized that Li Ling's years of work had not been in vain.
Without anyone noticing, he had won their hearts and truly secured a foothold here.
How exactly had he accomplished it?
Elder Shang pondered this and suddenly realized that taking over Little Olive Island had been absolutely crucial.
Li Ling had used that opportunity to demonstrate his value and potential to the fullest. Then, using shared interests as a thread, he had linked himself to all the parties involved and cultivated a network of relationships.
He was already showing the bearing of a powerful local