Chapter 187: Section 187: New Chairman of Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce


    The drizzle continued, and the sky was overcast.


    Zi Di’s father was buried behind the manor, next to her mother. This had been decided in the year her mother died, following her father’s last wishes.


    Originally, when he had made his first fortune in life, he had used nearly all his assets to buy this hill and build the estate, all to marry Zi Di’s mother.


    For Zi Di’s father, this was a testament to the brilliance of his life, the beginning of happiness, and also the end of his life.


    The priest prayed as the coffin lowered into the grave.


    A group of people dressed in black stood silently, the atmosphere somber.


    ...


    Zi Di stood at the forefront, silently gazing at the coffin before her.


    Inside lay the last of her relatives in this world.


    Her face was expressionless, but her heart was filled with grief and hatred.


    Dead from a fall off a horse,—how ludicrous the cause of death!


    Her father had been a chairman of a major guild, at the Black Iron Level of cultivation, and possessed many powerful protective devices. Even riding a bursting-hoofed fiery horse, he shouldn’t have died this way.


    Yet such a ridiculous reason was accepted by others.


    The ignorant truly believed, lamenting the unpredictability of fate.


    And those knowledgeable of societal rules, endowed with wisdom, understood even better—this was actually a cold, fierce warning from the empire’s elite to the lower classes: even the chairman of such a large guild like the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce could suddenly die from a fall off his horse one day. You should be clear on who controls the empire!


    After the priest finished praying, someone took a shovel and began to fill the grave with earth.


    Soon, the funeral was over.


    “Thank you, Father,” Zi Di, as a family member, thanked the priest.


    “My dear lady, please take comfort. May your father be guided by the divine and ascend to Heaven,” the priest consoled.


    Zi Di’s father was a believer in the God of Wealth, but not devout.


    Indeed, followers of the God of Wealth were often either very poor and devout or wealthy and lukewarm in their faith.


    That made sense.


    Those capable of earning wealth typically kept the fruits of their labor for themselves, rather than contributing to the divine.


    Those impoverished and lacking talents longed for wealth and could only put their hopes into prayers, often with genuine devotion.


    Of course, there were also some wealthy fanatics, but they were clearly fewer compared to followers of other deities.


    Zi Di knew well that the priest’s blessing was impossible.


    Not to speak of her father’s faith, the most crucial point was, after his death by falling from a horse, his spirit had dissipated.


    In this world, death did not mean secrets were buried forever. Whether through magic or divine arts, many methods existed to cross the boundary of death and unearth plenty of information.


    The dissolution of the spirit was clearly the perpetrator’s clean work.


    The real culprit behind the scenes did not want to leave any clues. This was not because they worried about Zi Di or someone from the guild doing something, but rather to prevent this clue from falling into the hands of other powerful factions.


    This had led to Zi Di and others still being unaware of who the enemy that killed her father was, and which faction backed them.


    “But I will still do all I can, do everything possible to investigate the truth and avenge you, my… father.”


    Zi Di stood still as if sculpted from stone, unmoving for a long time.


    Fat Tongue sighed behind her, patting her shoulder, “Do not grieve too much, little Zi Di.”


    “The chairman, he… he had a premonition.”


    “He always loved you, and held guilt toward you.”


    “After you refused the Garden City Lord, he withstood the pressure and never forced you again.”


    “All these years, you rejected his money, never using a penny, instead, you strived on your own; this made him both heartbroken and very proud. Many times in private, he bragged about every little achievement of yours to me… to us—he had such an excellent daughter!”


    After a long silence, Zi Di said, “Uncle Fat Tongue, I want to be alone with my father for a while.”


    “Alright.” Fat Tongue nodded, turned around, waved his hand, signaling others to move away from the tombstone.


    The group stood at a distance, watching Zi Di and the tombstone, and began to whisper among themselves.


    “How long will she stay? How much longer must we wait?” someone asked impatiently.


    “Hmph, if it wasn’t for her staying in the academy all the time, how could the chairman not have been buried until now!” another person expressed dissatisfaction with Zi Di, “Even if there are disputes between father and daughter, it shouldn’t be like this.”


    “According to the schedule, the meeting is next. Let’s hurry up; time is tight on my side.”


    Fat Tongue turned his head, looking coldly at the crowd, indicating: Those who want to wait can continue waiting. Those who do not want to wait, if time is tight, can leave directly, and naturally there is no need to attend the meeting.


    The murmurs of the crowd paused immediately.


    Fat Tongue once again directed his gaze towards Zi Di, his heart filled with anxiety. This group attending the funeral included the seasoned members of the guild, or rather the elders, but now they had disparate intentions. Some wanted to go solo, others aimed to revitalize the guild, and certainly, there were spies among them. Compared to her father, Zi Di had no authority over these people and certainly couldn’t control the situation.


    As soon as the meeting started, Zi Di directly said, “I don’t quite understand how to manage the guild yet. Whatever you want to say, just say it.”


    “Then I’ll speak frankly, my main business is producing Griffin chairs. But currently, all the alchemists in the guild have been poached, and I still have a large number of orders uncompleted. I need the guild to allocate sufficient alchemists to help me through this difficulty!”


    “In Stone Statue City, my flour business has also faced suppression. Several merchants in the city have united against me, competing maliciously. They employ local thugs to disrupt my store and hired thieves attempting to burn down my granary. I caught the thief, but both the City Lord and the City Defense Army took their side, showing no justice.”


    “I’m also suffering bank runs in various locations in Fire Ash Province. Currently, my cash flow is completely cut off, and I need substantial financial aid.”


    …


    The situation was tough for everyone, the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce used to be a gigantic and prominent empire in the business world, expanding quickly—even scaring the Chairman.


    But now, everyone knew that the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce had fallen, with the majority of its assets split among powerful forces. The well-fed big players gradually left the scene, while piranhas drawn by the scent of blood swarmed in. Everyone saw the weakness of what was left of the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce, and everyone wanted a bite.


    The remaining elders of the guild were in deep misery; they attended the meeting primarily to seek help and support each other.


    Faced with many requests, Zi Di slowly shook her head: “I can’t help everyone; in fact, I don’t even know how.”


    “Miss Zi Di, it’s actually quite simple,” said the elder who ran the bank, with a smile, “We know that over the past few years, your father has been remitting money to your account for your tuition.”


    “But in fact, the amount of money is huge, far exceeding what is needed for education.”


    “I think this was a foresight by the Chairman, a preparatory measure to deal with our current situation.”


    Zi Di, who studied at the Magic Academy, had assets in her personal account that were relatively safe.


    Zi Di blinked: “Are you suggesting I lend this money to you?”


    “Yes, once I get through this difficulty, I will surely repay you several times over, beautiful miss,” said the elder.


    Zi Di nodded: “I agree to this plan, in fact, I am very willing to do my best to help everyone.”


    The guild elders smiled with gratitude; some began to praise Zi Di’s benevolence and responsibility, very much in the style of the Chairman.


    Zi Di thought for a moment: “I am willing to lend out ten thousand Gold Coins, on the condition that you mortgage the Black Mane Horse Farms. The interest will be ten percent per year.”


    The smiles of the guild elders froze.


    Fat Tongue chuckled to himself. On the way, he had cautioned Zi Di about many things, but after the communication, he was pleasantly surprised to find she was far more mature than he had anticipated.


    The elder who managed the bank changed his face, suddenly standing up from his seat: “You are robbing us!” S~ea??h the Novёl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    “How can you say that?” Zi Di smiled, yet the hint of grievance was apparent, “This sum of money is unusual for you. In fact, I’m also taking a great risk. After all, I know a bit about what’s happening on your end.”


    The elder shook his head, his face full of disappointment: “If it were the Chairman, he would never do this. Miss Zi Di, by sucking the blood of your comrades, you’re really making our teeth cold.”


    “Yes, it really disheartens us.”


    “Why have the old hands gathered here? Why did we not accept the invitations of those nobles? Isn’t it because of a principle we hold?”


    “Although the old Chairman has passed away, we still unite here for what? I hope Miss Zi Di will consider that clearly.”


    Zi Di smiled and surveyed everyone with a calm gaze.


    She said with a hint of sarcasm: “Gentlemen, it seems you don’t know me yet. Let me introduce myself, my name is Zi Di. My father was the previous Chairman of the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce, but he is dead. During the time his body lay in the manor, only a few among you came to watch over it.”


    “This Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce, no matter the circumstances, according to the laws of the Empire, I am its sole legitimate heir! When I want it to dissolve, it will dissolve. Because it is entirely up to me.”


    “If you wish to leave the guild, then simply go. Out of the old affection between you and my father, I won’t make it difficult for you.”


    “But if you want to continue to remain in the guild, then please begin by calling me—Chairman!”


    As she spoke, Zi Di emitted an aura of the Black Iron Level.


    The crowd’s expressions changed subtly, filled with surprise. Among them, the strongest were only Black Iron.


    “When was she promoted?”


    “She’s a Black Iron Level Mage now?”


    “She truly is the old Chairman’s daughter…we underestimated her before.”


    Zi Di’s father practiced Fighting Energy and was also at the Black Iron Level. Compared to Fighting Energy Transcendents, Black Iron Level Mages with their myriad abilities were naturally more formidable.


    The people withdrew their previous underestimations, realizing suddenly that this seemingly young girl was in some ways more challenging than her father.