After perfect arithmetic and the new trade policies,
the Merchant Guild's graph was only going up.
---
Numbers Explosion
Three months ago:
Monthly Income: 2,000 silver coins
Profit Margin: low, unstable
Today:
Monthly Income: 6,500 silver coins
Profit Margin: consistent and growing
Contracts ran smoothly.
Losses were almost zero.
Inventory control was perfect.
Only one thing echoed through the Guild Hall—
> "Earlier, we were selling.
Now, we are controlling."
Mu Zhengyuan closed the ledger and said only one line—
"This growth isn't natural."
Mu Qinglan knew—
that line carried Li Tian's signature.
---
The Outside World — Jealousy
Outside the city, other merchant groups were in a completely different state.
Black River Trade Union
Golden Scale Merchants
Eastern Caravan Alliance
Their profits were falling.
Routes were being lost.
Customers were shifting away.
Curses filled their meeting halls.
> "The Guild is playing dirty!"
"Prices are being manipulated!"
"Get rid of that Li Tian!"
The rivalry was no longer just business—
it had turned into obsession.
---
Madness in the Market
Fights began breaking out in the bazaar.
Supply trucks were stopped
Contracts were forcibly broken
Fake rumors were spread
> "The Guild mixes poison!"
"Chilies are an addictive drug!"
Even guards and officials were left confused.
---
Li Tian's Analysis
Li Tian watched the bazaar from a rooftop.
Even chaos was a data point.
> "When a system evolves,"
he thought,
"the old system panics."
He gave an order to the Shadow Veil—
> "Track the rival leaders' movements.
Observe the flow of money."
---
Mu Qinglan's Concern
Mu Qinglan spoke softly,
"This is turning into a war."
Li Tian only smiled.
> "In war, either swords are drawn…
or the rules are changed."
---
End Panel
The flags of the three merchant groups fluttered in different corners of the city.
At the center—
The Merchant Guild's emblem,
stable and heavy.
Caption:
> "When one rises,
all the others unite to bring it down."
Next Chapter: Price War or Blood War?