7: Chapter 7 Turning the Tide into Clouds

(The contract has been sent today. Friends who still want an investment spot can speed up~)

The carriage stopped in front of a manor protected by towering walls. The walls were topped with sharp barbs to prevent intruders, making it look more like a fortress. Carried on the wind, the faint scent of jasmine drifted from within.

Looking ahead, the tightly shut, semi-circular manor gate was hard and thick, with exquisite griffin reliefs carved into it.

After getting off the carriage, the thin Thief smiled apologetically and said, "My lord, this is the Jasmine Chamber of Commerce, the top-ranked one in the Twelfth District..."

Loren nodded slightly. "Go and tell their president to come out and welcome me."

The young Thief hesitated, glancing at Loren, then at Fiana behind him, before finally gritting his teeth and speaking.

"My lord, the Jasmine Chamber of Commerce deals in some slave trading, and their guards are vicious..."

Before he could finish, Loren waved his hand.

"Go."

The Thief gave a bitter smile, not daring to speak again. With a cautious expression, he went to knock on the door and stated the purpose of their visit.

The guards were visibly startled when they heard a noble lord had come to visit.

Nobility in the Silver Moon Kingdom was not something just anyone could attain; which of these noble lords wasn't a high and mighty power-holder?

They all knew that the Jasmine Chamber of Commerce had previously tried to visit a Baron with heavy bribes, only to be denied entry...

While the thin Thief was informing the guards, Loren turned to look at the cold-tempered girl beside him and said in a low voice.

"Fiana, once the people from the Jasmine Chamber of Commerce come out, please unleash your Platinum Rank aura to intimidate them."

"You only need to help me with this one thing tonight; I will handle the rest."

Fiana had originally wanted to say that as a member of the Bauhinia Family, she would never help him with extortion.

But looking at the sincerity in Loren's dark eyes, her heart inexplicably softened. After a long moment of contemplation, she nodded with a cold face.

The news that a noble lord wanted to visit the Jasmine Chamber of Commerce caused an immediate sensation once it reached the interior of the manor.

In an instant, the manor was buzzing with noise.

Not long after, the five-meter-high gate creaked open, pushed by several high-level Bronze Rank warriors. Then, a middle-aged man in luxurious but slightly disheveled clothing came swarming out with a large crowd.

Upon seeing the distinguished-looking Loren and the cold, stunningly beautiful Fiana, the group's eyes flickered with suspicion and uncertainty.

When they got closer and saw the noble crest embroidered on Loren's noble robe, their expressions changed drastically.

Originally, they were worried about whether this was a scam; otherwise, why would a noble come to visit them at night?

But now it was clear that wasn't the case.

Impersonating a noble was a capital offense, and impersonating a noble with a noble crest was the most heinous of capital offenses.

Only nobles with a rank above Count were allowed to wear noble crests.

Although the Jasmine Chamber of Commerce had some modest assets, they had absolutely no confidence in front of a noble of this rank.

Coupled with the incredibly distinguished auras of Loren and Fiana, the leading middle-aged man was momentarily stunned. After taking a few breaths, he squeezed out a smile and stepped forward.

He placed his right hand over his chest and bowed respectfully.

"Good evening, honorable noble lord. Robert, president of the Jasmine Chamber of Commerce, greets you."

Loren nodded slightly. The information the Thief had given him mentioned that the president of the Jasmine Chamber of Commerce was a low-level Gold Rank warrior, a ruthless man who had climbed up from the slums, with decent combat ability.

Besides that, the Jasmine Chamber of Commerce had over a hundred Bronze Rank and more than a dozen Silver Rank guards.

However, none of these people had awakened their Bloodline Power. With Fiana holding the line, even if they all attacked together, they would just be fodder.

Loren looked calmly at the thirty-plus people, his voice calm yet resounding in everyone's ears.

"Loren Grant. Good evening, President Robert."

The words were few, but they caused the dozens of people present to gasp in unison, their eyes filled with shock as they looked at Loren.

"There is only one noble family with the surname Grant in the Silver Moon Kingdom..."

"The Bauhinia Family?!"

"That high noble family with a thousand-year legacy?"

"To think that such a noble descendant would come to Decker City..."

"Isn't the Bauhinia Family in the Silver Moon Capital??"

Loren paid no attention to the crowd's exclamations. After he finished speaking, a deep white energy surged from Fiana, as if flames were burning on her body.

In that instant, it was as if a giant dragon had opened its eyes, and the air was filled with an extremely oppressive aura.

The people from the Jasmine Chamber of Commerce gasped, looking at Fiana in sheer terror.

"A, a Platinum Expert who has awakened their Bloodline Power?!?"

"To think that this descendant of the Bauhinia Family has such a terrifying expert protecting them?!?"

"A Platinum Expert is already terrifying enough, but now here comes a Platinum Expert who has awakened their Bloodline Power..."

"They only need one person to wipe out our entire chamber of commerce..."

The crowd, intimidated by the terrifying aura, immediately lowered their heads, their minds unsettled.

Fortunately, Fiana's aura flashed and vanished, not lasting for very long.

After Fiana retracted her aura, the elegant and dazzling Loren smiled faintly, his gaze fixed directly on the president of the Jasmine Chamber of Commerce.

"Perhaps, President Robert, you would like to invite me into your manor for a seat..."

Robert only then reacted and hurriedly smiled apologetically. "Yes, yes, please, honorable Lord Loren..."

He nimbly led Loren into the manor. Although the crowd behind them all wore smiles, deep in their eyes as they looked at Loren and Fiana was undisguised fear.

This was a high noble! How could small fry like them afford to offend such a person?

Being around figures like giant dragons, they felt no honor, only anxiety and unease.

The Jasmine Chamber of Commerce was not small. In the front was a huge garden with various exquisite sculptures standing about, rare flowers in the flower beds, plus fountains and rockeries. The environment was very luxurious, quite befitting a merchant's status.

After passing through the garden, Loren and Fiana were led to the main hall.

At this moment, in the room with a long, oval wooden table, more than twenty armored warriors stood fully armed in the corners of the hall.

Outside the hall, hundreds more people had gathered, each gripping their weapons tightly, their hands even bulging with veins, as if they were facing not two people, but two fire-breathing dragons.

"Lord Loren, please sit..." Robert cautiously gestured for Loren to sit in the main seat.

Although Loren had shown no malice, it was better to be safe than sorry; he could only serve such a big shot carefully.

In this world controlled by nobles, merchants did not have much status in front of them.

After Loren sat down, Fiana stood calmly behind him, keeping a certain distance, without saying a word.

As for the thin Thief, although he was only a guide, because Loren hadn't spoken, the people from the Jasmine Chamber of Commerce couldn't figure him out, so they had to bring him into the hall as well.

Fortunately, this guy knew his place and obediently hid to the side, just listening secretly from the sidelines, not daring to show himself.

"Robert, do you know why I came to the Jasmine Chamber of Commerce today?"

The elegant and distinguished Loren softly uttered this sentence, and the next second, the atmosphere in the room froze to the extreme.

Everyone stared like they were facing a formidable enemy at the heroic youth sitting in the main seat.

The other party's next sentence might just determine the future of the Jasmine Chamber of Commerce.

The words of a superior determine fate.

The descendant of the Bauhinia Family was the most noble of superiors.