She Is Not a Witch

While the Carithes Merchant Association was holding an internal discussion meeting, the Tisphone family was also discussing the current situation in their secret chamber.

Under the dim glow of luminous stones, four figures sat in the underground chamber of the castle. The walls were made of cool, cold bluestone, and the occasional sound of dripping water could be heard from afar. The passages outside the chamber were complex and filled with traps, allowing for defense even if enemies breached the castle above, and eventual escape through underground waterways leading to the sea.

The head of the Tisphone family had thinning hair and a graying beard, looking quite aged despite being only in his fifties. Years of battle had left him with lingering ailments, and his face was somewhat haggard.

“Cough… Is this the result you’ve produced? Truly shameful,” he said slowly in a hoarse voice.

In recent years, this family head had retreated to the background, delegating major affairs to the younger generation. However, this time, he was greatly disappointed. Although assassinating Angus was somewhat risky, it wasn’t impossible. Yet they had allowed Angus’s daughter to escape, more than once, and she had finally made it alive to Hopland.

“Edley, you used to be the child I was most satisfied with, but now… I’m very disappointed in you. Has a life of comfort and wealth made you forget the family’s mission?” The old man’s voice wasn’t quick, but it instilled an inexplicable fear.

Edley sat on the stone chair, one hand supporting his head as he stared at the table, expressionless, neither defending himself nor showing shame.

Seeing the situation becoming increasingly tense, Wick had to step forward to mediate.

“We didn’t expect the Carithes Merchant Association to suddenly bring in an unknown expert who killed Nihanra with a single strike in the rainy night. That’s what led to the failure of the second attempt.”

Nihanra was the leader of the black-clad riders, whose power increased dramatically in the rain, approaching Sequence 4. If not for Loranhil’s quick counterattack during the rapid charge, they couldn’t have been defeated in a head-on battle without activating the supernatural core.

It was precisely because of the rapid charge that both sides had extremely short reaction times. In gaming terms, attack power was extremely high at that moment, but defense was extremely low, allowing the girl to find a fleeting opening and strike a fatal blow.

“Did you see who it was?”

“No, according to the recollection of the three riders who escaped, it happened very quickly, at night and in heavy rain. They only saw the person wearing a black robe and couldn’t make out their face. Even after the Carithes Merchant Association returned to Hopland, this black-robed person hasn’t appeared again.”

“Hmph, you don’t even know the strength and identity of the opponent? Couldn’t you have just grabbed and tortured someone from their association to find out?”

“We thought of that too, but that old fox Ceres has a military background and is very strict about security. After returning to Hopland, he immediately transferred those guards to the Southern Islands, saying they were going there to recover and do some light work for a while. Now we don’t know which small island they’re on, as that area isn’t within our sphere of activity.”

“Ceres, huh… So he’s still alive, heh.” The old man seemed to recall something and stopped questioning this matter, moving on to other issues.

“What does the organization say?”

“The higher-ups have sent new instructions, making the acquisition of Carithes’ shipbuilding technology the top priority, while putting the unification of Hopland on hold for now.”

The old man didn’t speak after hearing this, closing his eyes and remaining silent for a long time. “Do you understand what this means?”

“We understand. If we can’t immediately take down Carithes, the organization might even turn to support them instead, abandoning us,” Edley finally spoke up.

“Good that you understand. We Tisphone originated from the royal family of Oz, and it’s because of this connection that those high-ranking alchemists in Ruluna chose us first.”

“But several hundred years have passed, and under the dark moon’s pursuit from the Verdant Empire, we descendants of Oz are much weaker than before. If we can’t show results now, we deserve to be abandoned.”

“As a clan of vengeance, we once assassinated a grand duke and two young princes of Verdant. With such blood feud, they won’t let us off. If Tisphone can’t advance, it will be destroyed. This is not an exaggeration.”

“Yes, Father,” the three responded.

“Edley and Wick, you two continue to handle affairs in Hopland and at home. As for Abel…” The old man turned to look at his youngest son.

“You will lead a portion of our people and assets to the Southern Islands, cutting off communication with the family, cough cough… and settle down there independently.” The old man was still worried and began preparing a backup plan for the family.

“Yes, Father.”

Abel was young, probably only 16, with black hair and eyes full of intelligence.

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Meanwhile, in the conference hall where Loranhil was, a heated argument had begun.

“I object to leasing our fleet to other merchant associations for cargo transport!” A large man in blue and black clothes stood up. He wore a wide-brimmed hat and had a rough beard, his expression furious.

Loranhil, seated in the center, was surprised at why this fleet leader reacted so strongly.

The man who stood up was Haitz, the leader of the ‘Swordfish’ fleet. He continued:

“The young lady considers their difficulties, but have they ever considered ours?”

“When we were fighting for shipping routes with Lord Angus years ago, these established merchant associations oppressed us plenty. They allied with the Dayas family, constantly sabotaging us behind the scenes, belittling and mocking us. We even had real armed conflicts at sea with the Dayas family’s fleet several times, with casualties on both sides.”

“Lord Haitz, these are all matters from over a decade ago. Both sides have long since reconciled. Each generation has its own way of doing things. Now Lady Lacey is in charge, and you’re not allowed to shout like this!” Chelsea, standing beside Loranhil, sternly rebuked him. Although just a head maid, she had a long history with Carithes, and many were her juniors who had received her care. As soon as she spoke, the room fell silent again.

Under Chelsea’s sharp gaze, Haitz stood for a moment before reluctantly sitting down, muttering under his breath, “Old woman.”

“Because we received the information early, most of the goods within Western Wind’s borders have already been transported out. Now we can spare some capacity to help other merchant associations,” Loranhil’s gaze slowly swept across the room, with many staring at her, their eyes filled with expectation, admiration, and reverence.

“Of course, we won’t help for nothing. Through this cooperation, we Carithes will sign long-term stable supply agreements with other merchant associations to obtain their specialty products.”

“With such diverse supply channels and product categories, we will establish a new type of super store.”

“In such a store, customers can easily buy all daily necessities and various goods.”

“This approach has many benefits. First, it’s very convenient for customers, as they don’t need to run around to different stores to buy everything they need.”

“Second, the crowd gathering effect. Once we establish a reputation for having a complete range of quality products, customers will think of this super store first whenever they want to buy anything and will come here to look first.”

“Third, excellent advertising effect. Many things aren’t that customers don’t need them, but that they don’t know about them. In a super store with large customer flow, these products can quickly spread.”

“Fourth, it reduces operating costs for products that aren’t frequently purchased, such as books. Not many people buy books regularly, and opening a dedicated store has high costs, but here we only need a small corner shelf.”

“Fifth,…”

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Loranhil patiently explained the enormous advantages and dimensional strike that supermarkets bring to ordinary stores. She had experienced that era when a newly opened supermarket in a small town caused excitement and long queues, devastating local small shops.

Under her description, the high-level members of the Carithes Merchant Association listened intently, their hearts surging with excitement, barely able to contain themselves from jumping up to start working immediately.

Looking at this beautiful and intelligent young lady in the main seat, some of the older members of the association were now truly convinced, unable to help but marvel at how the young had surpassed the old. They estimated that this young lady would likely achieve far greater things than Angus had.