The internal structure of the Zyren Trading Company was quite different from that of ordinary trading companies. From the outside, one wouldn't notice any difference. However, once a person joined, they would be able to feel its unique atmosphere.
First of all, the rules were quite strict. As such, the hierarchical relationship was also clear. Basically, it meant members had to obey the orders of their superiors. Of course, they had the right to protest against ridiculous orders. Due to that, some people speculated that the company's master had a military background.
Oimer was a northern branch manager. His immediate supervisor was the northern regional director. Above him were the general affairs chief and the financial director. Finally, there was the owner of the trading company.
Silence filled the room, save for the sound of liquid dripping from a broken alcohol bottle, just like the sound of a ticking clock.
After a moment, Oimer reached for the knife stuck in the wall. He groaned with effort, as the knife was firmly lodged and didn't come out easily. He looked at Luan warily, wondering just how strong the latter was.
Golden Fairy Luan Badniker...
At one time, the youngest son of the Iron-Blooded Lord had been the target of ridicule and criticism. He was called the Iron-Blooded Lord's only failure then.
That wasn't the case anymore, though. Those who weren't up to date with the latest rumors wouldn't know it, but for trading companies, where rumors were directly related to survival, everyone knew about it.
- The youngest son of the Iron-Blooded Lord is a true monster.
- Rumor has it that he is the child the family head trusts the most, and he has recently started to stand out.
- It might have been the Iron-Blooded Lord's trick that there were such pathetic rumors about him.
Oimer didn't deny the rumors, but he also hadn't thought too much of them until now.
Considering Luan's age, he was just a newcomer. His personal strength was unknown, but his age and experience were far from enough to enter the top ranks. At the very least, there was no way he could compete with the top ranks any time soon.
Then, Oimer had heard about the Golden Fairy joining Corrupted and started laughing. Anyone who saw an idiot setting foot on a sinking ship would do the same. It was also at that time that he revised his evaluation of Luan, which was previously very high.
At first, when Luan barged in, Oimer had thought he was a clueless idiot who didn't know anything.
"Excuse me." Sandra reached out and drew the knife free in one go.
Oimer checked the knife without thanking her. The pattern...
The Zyren Trading Company had knives engraved with a special pattern. Most people in the company didn't know about it, not even those who received such knives. If its existence became widely known, that could lead to counterfeiting.
Identifying the pattern was simple: Shining a light on the blade at a specific angle would reveal it. The knife thrown by Luan was clearly engraved with such a pattern. In other words, no matter the source, it was genuine.
However, Oimer wasn't satisfied with that. He checked the shape of the pattern, specifically the number engraved on it.
Every Zyren knife carried a serial number. If this guy's claim was true and it really came from the master of the trading company, it would bear one of the early numbers ranging from 0 to 9.
The number engraved on this knife was 007.
"Hah..." Oimer almost lost strength in his legs. This was the first time he had actually seen such an early number.
Luan said, "It looks like you're verifying something. Is it real?"
"It is indeed the real thing. By the way, how did you get this knife? The master is extremely secretive, so even I..."
I have never seen his face. Oimer was too proud to say that, so he trailed off.
Then he looked at the other person with a much sharper gaze and said, "Answer me. Where did you meet our master?"
After speaking, he realized that his tone was much softer than before. However, he couldn't help it.
The master of the Zyren Trading Company was a figure who commanded deep fear. His identity was completely shrouded in secrecy and he only shared it with his closest associates. It was an achievement that was hard to believe, given that he had grown the company to its current size without ever revealing his face. After all, important transactions couldn't be done through letters or an agent.
Moreover, there had been many clever attempts to uncover the truth. As the Zyren Trading Company grew in strength, rats who tried to find out the identity of the owner naturally appeared. However, none of them had achieved results. On the contrary, most of them had died without knowing what happened to them.
To Oimer, the owner didn't act like a merchant.
There were various rumors floating around. Due to the peculiar atmosphere in the trading company, some people speculated that the owner could have a military background. At times, however, his ruthlessly precise actions and utter lack of emotion resembled someone closer to a crime syndicate boss from the western area of the empire.
In particular, the gloomy, dark blue city of Ulkah was a place where dozens of criminal gangs appeared and disappeared every day. It was a place that had completely slipped beyond the empire's control, unlike the north or the south.
In short, Oimer wasn't afraid of making an enemy of the Badnikers, but he absolutely didn't want to be hated by the master. At least, he didn't think he could exist in the business world any longer if that happened.
"I met him by chance and helped him out. He said he owed me a great debt and gave me this knife."
"Is that the end of it?"
"Do you expect me to explain the situation in detail? Your boss wouldn't want that."
"You're right."
It made sense. As mentioned earlier, the master was extremely reluctant to reveal his identity. If Luan knew about that, he could really have obtained the Zyren knife from the master, not stolen it.
No, now it was almost certain to be true. The other person was a Badniker, after all. There was no reason for him to steal or forge a symbol of a trading company.
Oimer hesitated, but it was only for a moment.
"Cough."
He immediately changed his expression. He narrowed his eyes and rubbed his hands together. His lips curled up in the most flattering smile he could muster. He donned the face of a servile merchant as he said, "I think there has been a misunderstanding. Why don't we solve it through a conversation?"
There was no such thing as pride for him. The world wasn't kind enough to let him survive on pride. So, Oimer didn't feel humiliated at all about his behavior.
Luan laughed at his attitude.
***
Raizen probably hid his true identity even in the trading company. He didn't share it with anyone other than the beastmen, who seemed to be his closest associates. Thus, I couldn't reveal that information here.
"First of all, I would like to admit that I was misled. I apologize," Oimer said.
Fortunately, the conversation went well and I didn't need to disclose it.
Oimer and I were the only ones who remained in what appeared to be a guest room. He'd driven off everyone nearby, giving the distinct impression that he wanted to speak with me alone. His tone had become very polite.
Puzzled, I said, "You keep saying it's a misunderstanding. Is there any misunderstanding between us? Wasn't this all your doing?"
Oimer flinched at my attitude but soon complained in frustration, "I-I admit that I don't like Corrupted, but please understand. Isn't that something natural?"
"Why is it natural?"
"The most dangerous things on trade routes are monsters. There are trolls in the forests, lizardmen in the swamps, harpies and orcs on the plains, and goblins and ogres everywhere else. We have to watch out for those damn greenskins. How can we think well of them?"
His tone became nasty, and I suddenly realized that he was a lot younger than his brother called Haimer. If his mustache were shaved, he would probably look a few years younger than his age, too.
"Then why don't you just hate those wild monsters and leave Corrupted alone? They're just trying to work hard and live properly," I said.
"They are all from lesser races."
I patted my forehead. I realized at this moment that we were like two parallel lines that would never meet. Was it because their vision was too narrow, or was my own vision too distorted?
Most of the people in this era had the same thoughts as Oimer. They avoided, disliked, and hated lesser races, but there was no fundamental reason for such feelings.
It was the same for those who had lost a family member to a member of a lesser race. If they lost their family to humans, would they hate all humans?
Well, maybe they would.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts and said, "Putting that aside, isn't it too much to talk about misunderstandings now? Your true nature has been exposed."
"I-I'm not trying to make any excuses. It really is a misunderstanding."
"So what is the misunderstanding?"
"You mentioned that it was no coincidence that we absorbed the Rotal Trading Company at this time, yes?"
"That's right. It was done due to your malice."
"Despite what I said in anger, there is only one thing true in what you said. You had an argument with my brother at the Teper branch. I apologize on his behalf."
"I'm not interested in that. Just talk about everything else."
Oimer swallowed hard and continued, "First, the absorption of the Rotal Trading Company was proposed by them. The owner of the trading company reached out to us first. He couldn't do business in the north any longer."
"Really?"
"In truth, I can understand. If you are going to do business, the empire is the best place and the east is the next best place. If you don't mind illegal activities, the best place is the west. If you want to risk your life for a big profit, the best place is the south. There are no merchants who want to come to this land of death."
"So?"
"It seems that the master's thinking is different. He believes that if we establish trade routes in the north, even if it isn't useful immediately, it will be valuable someday."
I wondered if that was truly the case. Soon, there would be a lot of disturbances in the north. The behavior of the Golden Horn faction this time was just the beginning.
It was usually best to avoid areas engulfed in chaos. On the other hand, business could actually thrive during such turbulent times. There was a saying that the biggest winners in a war were the arms dealers.
However, I didn't know much about the business world, so I couldn't say anything. Instead, I asked, "Then why did you block the entry of Corrupted?"
"It is a bit unfair. From the start, I never intended to kick out Corrupted."
I said nothing.
"I-It is true. You have to be close to collect debts. Isn't it troublesome to go to a place that is several minutes away from a village every time I want to do so? It is also very cold."
"Hmm." I found the answer strangely plausible. I asked, "Then who made such a decision?"
"Chief Snero."
"Huh?"
"Chief Snero was the one who first insisted on kicking out Corrupted. Yes. The tone was a bit vague, but looking back now, it was definitely like that. That old man—"
At this moment, the door swung open and revealed a woman with a stiff expression. It was the hero called Sandra.
She said, "I need both of you to come out for a minute."
"What's going on?" I asked.
Sandra's gaze turned to me. She replied, "Remember when you broke the floor to reveal the basement?"
"So?"
"The guy who fell down earlier woke up and climbed back up. He said he saw something really bad down in the basement."
"What kind of thing?"
"Corpses. It also hasn't been long since they died."
A cold silence immediately settled over the room.
I instinctively looked at Oimer, who swallowed nervously before saying, "This building... The village chief lent it to me."
***
Rattle rattle.
The windows rattled precariously.
Inside the village chief's house, Lanfero sat with crossed legs. He looked out the window and muttered quietly, "I'm sorry for the late hour."
At the very least, enough time had passed for the steaming tea to cool. After this long, it was inevitable that something had gone wrong. However, Lanfero maintained his dignity as the leader of the group. He had agreed to leave it to Luan, so it was best to leave it be. This was better.
"It's okay. I just hope things go well," the chief replied.
Lanfero looked at the village chief's face as he asked, "Where is your family?"
"My family?"
"Yes. I think you had a wife and a daughter."
"Ah. They are both sleeping."
Lanfero put down the teacup. Somehow, the sound resonated exceptionally clearly. He said, "Chief."
"Speak."
"I have a special skill. It is the characteristic of my race. I am very sensitive to the presence of living beings. For example, if it is a village of this size, I can count the total population, including the number of rats hiding under the floorboards."
The chief looked at Lanfero with an expressionless face.
Lanfero continued, "We are the only two living beings in this house. It is too late to go outside. However, there might be other possibilities, so I want to ask you one more time."
The chief said nothing.
"Where is your family?"
There was silence between the two of them. Only the sound of the windows creaking in the cold wind echoed quietly.