Chapter 787: The Chaotic Organization Appears

This was the largest chamber of commerce in Beast Village, so it was perfectly normal for merchants and customers to be coming and going.

However, when the sound of footsteps echoed through the shop, Shen Bai noticed something was off about the owner’s expression.

The owner was taken aback for a moment. Then, upon recognizing the newcomer, a look of astonishment crossed his face, as if he couldn’t believe who had just walked in.

Shen Bai frowned and glanced back toward the entrance.

A young man in white robes stood at the entrance. He held a folded fan, which he waved gently in his hand.

This style of dress was actually quite common in Beast Village. Although it was called a village, it was nearly the size of a county town in the Great Zhou Country.

It was only natural that some people would be better dressed than others.

Whenever people gathered, there were always the rich and the poor.

Beast Village was no different.

However, Shen Bai sensed that the aura of the man in white was slightly different.

It wasn’t a distinct sensation, as the aura was extremely faint.

And yet, Shen Bai couldn’t shake the feeling that the man in white was completely out of place.

With this in mind, Shen Bai decided to hold off on asking about the Deceitful Object. Instead, he moved to stand beside Guo Qi, pretending to help him select wooden tokens.

His Void-breaking Red Eye enveloped the area, allowing him to see everything in the chamber of commerce even with his back turned.

The man in white walked up to the owner and gave him a look, but said nothing.

The owner, as if he had been expecting this, nodded slightly before turning to Guo Qi.

“Boss Guo, once you’ve picked out your Wood Tokens, just let one of the clerks know so they can tally them up. I have some business to attend to, so I’ll be stepping away.”

Guo Qi was a traveling merchant, so being addressed as “Boss” was a common courtesy.

At that moment, Guo Qi was focused on selecting his wooden tokens, completely absorbed in the task.

Hearing the owner’s explanation, he didn’t give it a second thought. Without so much as a glance in their direction, he nodded and said…

“No problem. You go on and take care of your business, Boss. I’ll check in with your clerk when I’m done.”

The owner said nothing more and led the man in white through a side door into the chamber’s rear courtyard.

As it was the largest chamber of commerce in Beast Village, the grounds were extensive and dotted with numerous buildings and pavilions.

If one were to discuss secret matters in the rear courtyard, no one in the front of the shop would be the wiser.

For Shen Bai, however, this was not the case.

Through his Void-breaking Red Eye, Shen Bai watched as the owner and the man in white entered the inner courtyard and began to speak.

In the inner courtyard stood a stone table, upon which sat a Wine Flask and two cups.

Several clerks bustled about the courtyard, but the stone table was situated in a secluded corner. Once the owner and the man in white were seated, none of the staff would be able to overhear their conversation.

The owner picked up the Wine Flask from the table and filled a cup for the man in white, his tone tinged with reverence.

“I never expected you to come in person, my lord. Your presence brings great honor to my humble establishment.”

The man in white nodded. He idly spun the cup on the table with his finger, but he neither drank from it nor answered the owner.

Seeing this, the owner’s fists tightened. His heart sank. He asked, “I am not aware of how I might have offended you, my lord. Please, speak plainly, and I will be sure to correct my mistakes.”

Upon hearing this, the man in white stopped spinning the cup. He lifted it and downed the fine wine in a single gulp.

CLACK!

He set the cup back on the table with a crisp sound.

The sound made the owner’s heart leap into his throat.

The man in white began to speak, his voice as gentle and pleasant as a spring breeze.

But his words made the owner tremble, the hairs on his arms standing on end.

“You’re too slow.”

Just those three simple words. If not for the other people nearby, the owner would have likely collapsed to his knees right then and there.

He forcefully suppressed the terror in his heart and asked, “My lord, I have been working diligently in Beast Village and have never made a single mistake. I don’t understand how I could have offended the higher-ups.”

The man in white shook his head. “You’ve done everything very well. The higher-ups don’t believe you’ve made any mistakes. Your only flaw is that you’re too slow.”

“How long have you been in Beast Village?”

The owner lowered his head, thought for a moment, and said, “A little over ten years now.”

“Ten years. Not bad.”

The man in white nodded. “To have built this business into the best chamber of commerce in all of Beast Village in just ten years… you should be commended. But you are still too slow.”

The two words “too slow” had now been uttered three times in this short exchange, and each time they struck the owner with a different kind of dread.

The owner gave a bitter smile. “My lord, please, ask the higher-ups to give me more time. Gaining control over Beast Village’s entire economy isn’t something that can be done overnight. Not unless we were to take the village by force, but that would be unnecessary.”

“The higher-ups’ orders were for me to embed myself in Beast Village, seize control of its economic lifelines, and then maintain its outward appearance to avoid attracting the prying eyes of other Refuges.”

Hearing this, the man in white picked up the nearby Wine Flask, poured himself another cup, and downed it. “Before I came, the higher-ups ordered me to come here and give you a wake-up call.”

“I understand your position. To have reached your current status with your own two hands, and in only ten years… that’s truly an outstanding achievement.”