Chapter 180: Discussion in the Café

Rewinding time slightly to yesterday morning.

This time was not unfamiliar to many players in Naldun Town, especially to the guild members who had settled in Naldun specifically for the Gloom City Ruins.

It was exactly the time when the Rhine Chamber of Commerce opened for business.

Because many guilds had already made substantial profits over the past nine days by using the chamber’s membership system to buy and sell glowstone lanterns, they naturally paid close attention to everything related to this chamber and had even assigned dedicated personnel for it.

Thus, every day around nine o’clock, quite a few people would camp near the Rhine Chamber, waiting for it to open. Although arriving early didn’t grant any special discounts, no one would complain about the trouble when it came to making money.

Just like now—right after the Rhine Chamber opened, the players who had been waiting nearby immediately filed in, packing the originally small shop until it was completely full.

However, just as they were about to sell the glowstone lanterns their guilds had entrusted to them as usual, they received a bombshell piece of news from the shop assistant.

Inside a certain café in Naldun Town.

At a window-side seat, two players were discussing something. Their high-level equipment was enough to prove their strength, and the guild-related topics they were talking about reflected their high positions.

Mu Ying, Vice-Leader of Aurora Guild, and Qing Shu Manjuan, Leader of Paradise Lost Guild—both were well-known figures even within the Constanterna Empire.

“I didn’t think much of it before, but now I’m really starting to miss your guild leader,” Qing Shu Manjuan sighed. Dealing with such a shrewd person was truly tiring.

Mu Ying smiled slightly. “Our leader is still busy competing with Caesar next door and grinding levels like crazy. Uncle Qing, I’m afraid you won’t get the chance.”

“Little Ying, I need to make one thing clear—stop calling me ‘Uncle’ all the time. I’m not even thirty yet.”

“True. Twenty-nine years and a few dozen months definitely doesn’t qualify as ‘uncle’ yet.”

“You brat.” Qing Shu Manjuan scolded with a laugh. Just as he was about to retort, his communicator suddenly rang.

Mu Ying didn’t interrupt and waited quietly on the side.

“…It’s hard to explain over comms. I’m at Bana Café outside the Commercial Plaza talking with Mu Ying. Just come over.”

After ending the call, Qing Shu Manjuan picked up his water glass and took a sip before explaining, “There seems to be a problem on the Rhine Chamber side.”

Mu Ying, who hadn’t been paying much attention earlier, immediately perked up.

After all, the Rhine Chamber’s affairs had become quite famous among the major guilds that had settled in Naldun. The membership trading system had brought them considerable profits.

Even though Aurora Guild didn’t have a large stockpile, they had still earned around ten gold coins in profit over the past few days.

As for Paradise Lost, which had started hoarding glowstone lanterns early on, they had probably made over twenty gold coins by now, Mu Ying guessed.

After waiting a short while, a figure soon appeared at the entrance. After scanning the tavern, the person quickly walked over. It was the girl named Bebe, but she was accompanied by someone else.

“Qing Yu?” Mu Ying was somewhat surprised.

“I was just looking for you to discuss something. When I heard from Bebe that you were here with Uncle Qing, I came along,” Qing Yu naturally understood her boyfriend’s confusion.

The person beside them, however, looked a little hurt. Why is even little Qing Yu calling me Uncle now…

Faced with Qing Shu Manjuan’s playful act, the others could only respond with helpless expressions. Fortunately, Bebe still remembered why they had come. “Guild Leader, is the Rhine Chamber matter important, or is your title issue more important?”

“Of course the title is.” Noticing the strange looks from the others, Qing Shu Manjuan coughed a few times and put on a serious face. “Ahem. So what exactly happened?”

Bebe and Qing Yu exchanged a glance and didn’t try to keep them in suspense. They directly explained the matter they had come to discuss.

“The Rhine Chamber will be leaving this city the day after tomorrow.”

“What?!”

“Is that real or fake?”

Upon hearing the news, Qing Shu Manjuan and Mu Ying reacted differently, but both showed clear surprise.

In response to Mu Ying’s question, Qing Yu answered, “This information came directly from the Rhine Chamber’s shop assistant. How could it be fake? Otherwise, why would we rush over here to find you two?”

After confirmation, the two of them fell into thought.

“Although we could guess it, something like this falling from the sky couldn’t last forever,” Qing Shu Manjuan smiled bitterly, then looked at Mu Ying across from him. “I wonder what plans you Aurora guys have?”

While they were thinking, Qing Yu had already pulled Bebe to sit down, taken the menu, and casually claimed Mu Ying’s glass of ice water to quench her thirst.

Looking at his stolen water glass and the several additional desserts now on the menu, Mu Ying twitched the corner of his mouth but didn’t mind too much. “Why are you asking me? Haven’t you already thought of a plan, Uncle Qing?”

That was true.

Although they had already instructed their guild members to purchase as many as possible and sent people to the corresponding leveling areas to collect glowstone lanterns, it was clear that under the current circumstances they needed to step up their efforts.

Mu Ying lightly tapped the tabletop. “We only have two days… Uncle Qing, do you think we should do something big?”

“What do you mean?” Qing Shu Manjuan, who had been considering arrangements, showed an interested expression.

“Start with the merchants,” Mu Ying suggested. “The ones in Naldun, or rather, the entire Greenland region.”

Although the Rhine Chamber’s situation was known to the major guilds, everyone had consciously kept it from the merchants because they still needed to buy glowstone lanterns from them.

Even if one or two merchants had noticed, given their profit-driven nature, they definitely wouldn’t leak the information to their competitors.

Currently, aside from the guilds, the only ones who could possess large quantities of glowstone lanterns were the merchants. If they acted too aggressively, those merchants would likely grow suspicious.

“With only two days left, it doesn’t matter even if they get suspicious. Besides, they’ve probably had plenty of suspicions over these past nine days already,” Qing Shu Manjuan pondered.

Mu Ying smiled slightly. “You don’t have to worry about the other guilds, Uncle Qing. They’re definitely thinking along the same lines as us. Sufficiently large profits can break any rules, and besides, these ‘rules’ are only imaginary anyway.”

“Makes sense.” Qing Shu Manjuan admitted he was convinced, but still had some concerns. “But the merchants will definitely seize the chance to raise prices. Our side might not have enough funds.”

Mu Ying already had a solution for this. “Don’t worry about that. We can use the rental method.”

Qing Shu Manjuan immediately showed an enlightened expression. “Why didn’t I think of that? As expected of a top student from a prestigious university.”

Catching the somewhat strange looks from Qing Yu and Bebe beside him, Mu Ying awkwardly scratched his nose.

After all, he had learned this idea from that little girl running the stall earlier. While it would normally carry huge risks, the current situation made it the most suitable approach.

Just as Qing Shu Manjuan was about to discuss the finer details with Mu Ying, a pleasant female voice suddenly sounded from the side.

“But I don’t think there’s any need to go that far.”