“Pay, pay, pay,” Donovan stammered, the fear clear in his voice. He was always the most cowardly among them three.“But we don’t have that much money,” Elara protested, her voice shaky.Markus, trying to stay calm, added, “Yes, can we just pay 300,000 gold coins?”Duke Ian’s eyes narrowed as he stared down at them. “You merchants really do love your money, always trying to haggle. Alright, I’ll make it simple for you. Each arm and leg will cost you 50,000 gold coins. Pay less than a million, and I’ll just take your arms and legs to cover the rest.”“You can’t do this!” Elara cried, her voice rising in panic.“Why can’t I?” Duke Ian snapped. “You tried to steal from me—why shouldn’t I kill you for that?”“We didn’t know it was yours! If we had known, we wouldn’t have dared to touch it. It is a trap,” Donovan quickly explained, desperation in his eyes.“Roberto!” Duke Ian called out, turning toward him. “Did you or did you not tell them that the cannabis was mine?”“Yes, Duke,” Roberto

When Alex returned to the mansion with Tanya on his back, he found Avery waiting for him.“Master,” Avery said, “Is it true what people are saying? That the three big merchants were attacked by Duke Ian from Mirestone?”“Yes,” Alex nodded, carrying Tanya to the main room.“But they won’t be destroyed. They’re like a big tree with deep roots. Even with a large attack on their place and coffers, they won’t die yet.”Alex had discussed this with Roberto.“The worst that could happen is they’ll shrink to small or medium-sized merchants at best. Meanwhile, the Forest Merchant will likely rise to become a big player.”“I wanted to thank you for helping us, Ravenwood, in delivering our revenge,” Avery bowed deeply.“There’s no need to thank me,” Alex dismissed. “It’s Tanya’s family doing this, not me.”Avery gave another bow, his gratitude directed at Tanya, even though she slept soundly.“I will meditate in my room. Please don’t disturb me,” Alex said before locking himself in another bedro

“Do you think by doing this, I’ll look at you differently? That it’ll make you more manly just because you have money?” Katerina yelled, her face flushed with anger.“Arthur is much better than you! You’re just a loser! Remember that.”Alex rolled his eyes, utterly unbothered.How could this woman think the world revolved around her?Her words meant nothing to him, especially when Arthur’s frustration was far more satisfying.Whatever Arthur wanted, Alex made sure to step in and snatch it away.Especially items that were rare and unique, like the small bead that looked like a pearl.Alex remembered this particular item— in future Arthur would use it in dangerous situations against high-level beasts.Despite its small size, when the right mantra was spoken, the owner could enter the bead, which housed a complete, furnished space inside.It was known as one of the Item of the Gods.“10,000 gold coins!” Arthur’s voice rang out, his eyes blazing red with fury.Never in his life had he bee

Roberto stared at Alex in utter disbelief.They had just spent a fortune in gold to purchase the slaves, and now Alex was setting them free without hesitation.It defied every instinct Roberto had as a merchant.Yet, he held his tongue, aware that there was more to Alex than met the eye.After all, he had witnessed Alex generate incredible profits, like with the cannabis trade. So Roberto decided to trust him and simply observed.The slaves were equally stunned, unable to grasp what had just happened."This must be a joke, right?" one of them murmured, disbelief heavy in their voice.Alex shook his head. "You're free to go wherever you wish. But if you have nowhere to go, you can follow Roberto. He will arrange work for you, and you'll be paid fairly, like free people."A dwarf stepped forward cautiously. "Where would you have us work?" he asked."There's a place in the Mirestone Dukedom," Alex explained. "I've made an agreement with the Duke to use a portion of his land to cultivate

"The bet is canceled because you're using someone else's results as your own!" Arthur declared.Alex glared at Arthur.Arthur was the hero of the academy, charming everyone. If he declared the bet unfair, it meant it was canceled."So be it, if you refuse to accept the outcome," Alex replied.He understood that forcing the issue would only make people hate him more. After all, he was already the infamous villain.Lyra stepped in front of Alex. "Where are you going? You're cheating on the bet, which means you lose! Now, honor the wager and end your life!"All eyes turned to Alex.He realized the saying was true: if you don't defend yourself, people will think you're weak and begin to take advantage of you.Suddenly, a gust of wind magic struck Lyra, knocking her backward.Before she hit the ground, Arthur caught her in his arms."What are you doing?" Arthur snapped.Tanya, standing behind Alex, glared angrily at Lyra. "Don't push your luck. Alex won the bet; you should honor it and acc