Inside the hall, on the high seat, Grand Duke of Silver Peak sat majestically. To his left stood a young man who looked about eighteen or nineteen years old. He was handsome and had a rather composed demeanor. At this moment, he was quietly observing Logo, with a hint of inquiry and curiosity hidden deep in his eyes.
"Greetings, Grand Duke of Silver Peak!"
Logo and the others bowed in respect.
Grand Duke of Silver Peak chuckled and simply waved his sleeve. "No need to be so polite, please sit down. Come on, bring out the last barrel of Silver Splendor wine from my cellar."
The young man seemed startled upon seeing this. "Yinhua Wine? Has Great-Grandpa changed his mind today? I've begged you for that Yinhua Wine several times, but you wouldn't part with it. What's wrong this time?"
Upon hearing this, Logo's eyes flickered slightly, his gaze lingering on the boy for a moment before quickly shifting away.
"This shill isn't exactly discreet..."
Upon hearing the young man's words, Grand Duke of Silver Peak laughed heartily, "Today is different. With such an honored guest, I would gladly give away anything more precious than Silver Splendor Wine."
Upon hearing this, the old count quickly stepped forward, "We are truly flattered by the Grand Duke's kind words. We have long heard of the fame of Silver Splendor Wine, considered a divine product among Royal Court wines, and we never expected to have our wish fulfilled today."
"So you're a wine lover too. Very well, let's drink to our hearts' content today." After saying this, Grand Duke of Silver Peak pointed at Logo, then turned to the young man beside him and asked, "Do you recognize him?"
The young man laughed, "I have long heard of the renowned Earl Campbell, but I have never seen him in person. Now that I have met him, he is indeed imposing and radiant, truly a rare alchemical genius."
Logo: "Thank you for the compliment, Logo is unworthy of it. May I ask who you are...?"
Grand Duke of Silver Peak spoke, "He is my great-grandson, Youlus."
"Youlus, could he be the rumored young Duke?" Logo asked softly, his brow furrowing slightly.
Youlus shook his head with a wry smile, "What little Duke? I just happened to be the eldest son by luck. There are plenty of people in the clan who are more outstanding than me."
Logo, however, said, "Luck, sometimes, is also a kind of talent."
Younis was taken aback. He hadn't heard anyone else say this before, but upon reflection, it seemed to make a lot of sense.
"I've learned a lot!" The young man bowed respectfully, his expression earnest. Logo nodded slightly inwardly, gaining a preliminary understanding of this young Duke.
He doesn't have much life experience, but he has a gentle and calm personality and a broad mind. If these qualities aren't something he's deliberately putting on, then this person is worth trying to get to know better.
Cultivating a good relationship with the future master of the Silver Peak Clan would be beneficial to Logo's future plans, at least allowing him to influence the current Grand Duke through him.
After introducing Logo, Grand Duke of Silver Peak turned his gaze to Gain, scrutinizing him for a moment before saying, "This should be the guardian beast of the White Ape Clan, the Variant White Ape, right?"
"Hmm!" Gain nodded, without saying anything more.
Grand Duke of Silver Peak glanced at Gain and Logo's positions, one in front of the other, only half a step behind, but the meaning behind it was self-evident.
This legendary Legendary beast with exceptional talent willingly submits to Logo, and judging from its expression, it shows no dissatisfaction whatsoever.
"It seems I still don't know enough about this Earl Campbell," Grand Duke of Silver Peak murmured to himself. If he could subdue the guardian beast of another clan so easily, then his own clan was undoubtedly completely under Logo's control.
Furthermore, the fact that the Thorn Clan sent only two young men instead of high-ranking members made the meaning all too clear: all three major clans were obeying the orders of Earl Campbell, who, according to the records, was only fourteen years old.
"Impressive!" Grand Duke of Silver Peak murmured to himself, his regard for Logo rising to a new level.
The Yinhua wine was quickly served in a small wooden barrel, brown in color and covered with strange ancient inscriptions.
Standing upright on the ground, the barrel is only about 80 centimeters long, with the thickest part in the middle having a diameter of about 60 centimeters.
Once the lid was opened, a rich aroma of wine immediately filled the air. Logo didn't react much, but the old count and Tiffany were completely captivated. Both of them were heavy drinkers, so it wasn't surprising that they reacted this way to a timeless vintage like Silverflower Wine.
As the waiter moved, the clear and cool silver liquid was poured from the barrel, the liquid carrying tiny specks of light, like a galaxy falling straight from the sky. The name "Silver Splendor" was indeed fitting.
"Come on, cheers!" Grand Duke of Silver Peak raised his glass.
He was holding a wine cup unique to the Gendaya tribe. It was cone-shaped and could only be placed upside down on the table. If the rim was placed upside down, it would definitely tip over. Therefore, he had to drink the wine in one gulp.
It must be said that the character of a group directly affects all aspects of life, and once manifested, it becomes part of the spiritual foundation of the entire race.
Doesn't the design of this wine cup perfectly reflect the Gendaya People's forthrightness, bravery, and decisiveness?
"Cheers!" Logo raised his glass and then downed the entire drink in one gulp.
The liquor glided down my throat, leaving a lingering aroma. Once inside, it quickly transformed into a unique power, nourishing my internal organs, bones, and marrow. Its effects were comparable to those of a three-star medicine.
It's important to understand that the most important aspect of Yinhua wine is its top-quality liquor; its medicinal value is only a very minor characteristic.
Given these additional properties, the fact that Yinhua wine also has such effects makes its preciousness self-evident.
"Good wine, good wine! This old man has never tasted such good wine in his life. Today, I am truly fortunate to have received such good wine from Logo." The old count was beaming, his face filled with intoxication, looking every bit the wine lover. Tiffany was in the same boat, much the same.
Logo didn't taste anything special; he was more focused on the medicinal value of Yinhua wine. If the old count knew what he was thinking, he would definitely say that he was wasting good wine.
"First, he had the young Duke flatter me, and then he brought out this extremely rare Silverflower Wine. What exactly is the Grand Duke of Silver Peak trying to do? What is his purpose?" Logo gently stroked the wine glass with his fingers, many thoughts surfacing in his mind as he secretly guessed the Grand Duke of Silver Peak's intentions.
For every effort made, there is an expectation to be gained.
Logo didn't believe that the Grand Duke of Silver Peak simply wanted to get closer to him.
If that were all, there would be no need to go to such lengths.
"Let's wait and see. Whatever he wants, he can't keep it to himself forever."
Soon, after several rounds of drinks, the entire barrel of Silver Flower Wine was finished, and everyone's cheeks were flushed with a faint blush, even the strongest, Grand Duke of Silver Peak, was no exception.
By this time, after several conversations, Logo and the others had gained a preliminary understanding of Grand Duke of Silver Peak, who finally revealed his true intentions.
"I've heard that your Red Maple, White Ape, and Thorn Clan have jointly established a company?" Grand Duke of Silver Peak asked casually.
Upon hearing this, Logo's heart stirred slightly. He glanced at the old count, who was drunk and swaying, seemingly about to collapse.
Seeing this, Logo laughed and said, "I wouldn't dare hide it from the Grand Duke. Our three clans did indeed jointly establish the Ruibeite Company, engaging in some small-scale alchemical transactions, nothing worth mentioning."
Upon hearing this, Grand Duke of Silver Peak threw his head back and laughed heartily, his beard trembling. "Small business? If Ruibeite Company's business can be called small, then I really don't know what big business is."
"Hehe, Your Duke is too kind. With your rank, our little squabbles are nothing but trivial matters, not worth mentioning at all." Logo waved his hand, looking humble.
Seeing this, Grand Duke of Silver Peak cursed inwardly, "What a cunning little rascal."
His eyes darted around in thought, and after a moment, he smiled and said, "I've heard that the situation in this plane has become increasingly turbulent recently, and there are more and more space pirates. Have you encountered any difficulties in transporting your Ruibeite Company's goods? Have you been harassed by space pirates?"
Logo picked up a green fruit from the fruit plate, popped it into his mouth, and said as he ate, "Thank you for your concern, Your Duke. Our Ruibeite Company has reached an agreement with the security company under the Ximenjia Consortium. The latter will be responsible for transportation security. Even if we are harassed by space pirates or our goods are stolen, the security company will provide compensation."
"Of course, given the prestige of the Ximenjia Consortium, no foolish pirate crew has dared to cause trouble so far."
"The Ximenjia Consortium? You mean the Simonga from Planet Guta?" Grand Duke of Silver Peak looked "shocked."
Logo inwardly scoffed. The old man was putting on quite a show; I didn't believe he didn't know about this.
If it weren't for the connection with the Ximenjia Consortium, Ruibeite Company's current size wouldn't be enough to attract the attention of the leader of one of the Seven Great Clans.
Yes, Logo is now basically certain that the Grand Duke of Silver Peak's goal is to acquire a stake in Ruibeite Company.
As far as he knew, in recent years, apart from the Abyss Hunter Clan Seven Great Clans, the Tielin Clan, and the White Wolf Clan, the finances of the other four major clans had not been very good.
Abyss Hunter and Iron Scale rose to become the leaders of the Seven Great Clans because they suffered relatively little damage in the battle a hundred years ago.
As for the White Wolf Clan, after the betrayal of the Son of the White Wolf, Diriel, all members of the White Wolf Clan sacrificed their lives to prove their innocence, with almost everyone perishing alongside the enemy.
They defended the White Wolf Clan's thousand-year-old glory with their own souls and blood.
This is why, despite the existence of a traitor like Diriel, the Son of the White Wolf, the Gendaya People do not harbor much hatred towards the White Wolf Clan itself, after all, they have already gone to such lengths.
The once-glorious White Wolf Clan was reduced to a single young member as the clan's heir, with all other direct descendants perishing.
Afterward, this clanswoman changed her name to Qiya Pandoria Wolf Mound and swore an oath that she would never marry, as long as the Son of the White Wolf, Diriel, lived, and would not allow the direct bloodline of the White Wolf Clan to continue, because she was not qualified.
This stance undoubtedly reduced the Gendaya People's resentment towards the White Wolf Clan to a minimum.
Of course, although Qiya changed her surname to Wolf Mound, the Gendaya People still habitually called the White Wolf Clan, and the Royal Court records continued to use this name.
That said, with only Qiya remaining in the White Wolf Clan, inheriting all the assets of such a large clan, there would naturally be no financial problems.
Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse, let alone the White Wolf Clan, once the strongest clan.
Her real estate holdings alone are countless, generating hundreds of millions in revenue each month, more than enough to cover her personal expenses.
It could be said that this girl named Qiya was the richest person in the entire Royal Court.
Apart from these three clans, the other four clans were facing severe financial difficulties.
Despite their usual glamorous and imposing appearance, these four clans are not fooled by their outward appearance.
In reality, however, various problems had already arisen.
The crux of all these problems can basically be summed up in one word—money!
Almost all social problems, when traced back to their roots, originate from the economic level.
This same principle applies when scaling down to groups such as families, clans, and companies.
With money, everything is easy.
Economic prosperity can suppress many internal contradictions.
It's like dressing a person covered in scars in a gorgeous coat, covering up their hideous and ugly side, and only revealing their radiance and beauty.
Given Grand Duke of Silver Peak's current urgency, Logo estimated that the Silver Peak Clan's financial situation was probably at an extremely dangerous juncture.
Otherwise, even if they wanted to acquire a stake in Ruibete Group, they wouldn't have been so blatant about it.
These thoughts flashed through Logo's mind in a flash. A slight smile appeared on his lips as he looked at the Grand Duke of Silver Peak and said, "That's right, it's the Ximenjia Consortium from that Planet Guta. I was fortunate enough to reach a cooperation agreement with them and benefited greatly."
"You're quite lucky to have managed to connect with the Ximenjia Consortium. It seems that the future of Ruibeite Company is very promising," Grand Duke of Silver Peak remarked.
Logo smiled without saying a word.
Now that he had figured out Grand Duke of Silver Peak's intentions, he was going to make good use of them.
There's no problem with cooperating with the Silver Peak Clan, but there's a prerequisite: Logo must take the initiative.
Judging from the Grand Duke's tone, he clearly wanted him to take the initiative to invite the Silver Peak Clan to invest.
In this way, the Silver Peak Clan can take the initiative and plan for more benefits.
Logo could not tolerate this happening.
So what if it's the main branch?
Should I rush to hand over company shares?
Perhaps this is the most likely approach for the traditional Gendaya People.
Unfortunately, he is Logo.
Logo possesses memories of his past life.
While Logo respected the Seven Great Clans, he was far from revering them.
And so, in this hall, Logo and Grand Duke of Silver Peak engaged in a fierce struggle.
He responded to whatever the latter said.
After receiving something, throw it away.
Seemingly on the defensive, they actually maintain firm control of the situation.
"This kid's negotiation skills are top-notch, but does he really want me to spell it out for him?" Grand Duke Grand Duke of Silver Peak's heart sank, and a hint of anger flashed in his eyes as he looked at Logo.
To the Grand Duke's surprise, Logo showed no fear whatsoever; instead, his gaze gradually turned cold.
Upon seeing this, Grand Duke of Silver Peak felt a pang of unease, realizing that if he continued to delay, he might end up making things worse.
This Earl Campbell doesn't seem to have much reverence for the main branch.
This is difficult!