CHAPTER 186: OLD FOX

In the blink of an eye, Vincent was raised and supported to become the new representative of the Merchant Guild within Velastra.

The voting was rather smooth, granted that Wesley himself didn’t object or cause any trouble.

Although Ethan had tried to persuade Wesley to make a move, the latter ultimately shook their heads.

Unlike Ethan, whose vision was still limited, Wesley knew that the arrow had been shot.

To forcefully stop the arrow from arriving at its destination was equivalent to self-harm.

Not to mention, the arrow could also be an explosive type—one that would burn him whole.

"I’ve lost, Ethan." He muttered softly. His gaze shifted to the glamorous Leonard, who was enjoying all sorts of praise and admiration.

Despite extorting everyone in the scene, the tax cut itself was like a major pardon to them. After all, the taxes in Velastra were at least triple compared to other cities, with some items being as high as 10 times more.

To summarize, the merchants realized the money they offered was in exchange for a long-term tax cut.

Such a deal was extremely fantastic!

Had they known what the extortion was about, then they would have signed it from the start.

There was no need for intimidation with the corpses’ usage.

Those with long-term vision all realized the pros of this outcome, so Wesley knew that he wouldn’t be able to overturn the situation.

Doing a tax cut was something he also wanted to do, but was incapable of doing so.

’The taxes in Velastra all go to the Royal Family. If I dared to offer less, then my head would be rolling.’ Wesley lamented in defeat. This kind of promise and guarantee was only possible for Leonard.

This was where he lost!

He lost not by wits or cunningness, but by the difference in status between them.

Maybe the Crown Prince would be heavily reprimanded once he returned to the capital, but that was about it. There was no way the Royal Family would attempt to take back their words.

"I’m exhausted..." Wesley stood up and was ready to leave.

This banquet, in reality, was the dismissal of two powerhouses.

No wonder it had been stalled for such a long time.

Despite his effort in trying to retain control and power, he still ended up coming short against Leonard.

Right when he was close to the exit door, a voice resonated from behind.

"Lord Wesley, do halt your exit."

Wesley turned around and raised an eyebrow. He felt a sense of dread and pressure from this person.

Standing beside Wesley on the left was Ethan, who promptly reacted by trying to unsheathe his sword, only to realize the person had vanished from the spot.

In the next instance, they emerged behind him and warned, "I wouldn’t unsheathe the sword if I were you."

’Such fast movement...’ Ethan’s pupils constricted.

While Ethan was alarmed by the movement speed, Wesley’s expression darkened. Even he could barely detect their movement.

"What? Is the Crown Prince trying to detain me?" Wesley asked. He didn’t need to ponder further to understand this mysterious man was acting under Leonard’s order.

"The Crown Prince merely wishes to have a more private discussion with you. There’s no such thing as detainment."

"And you are?"

"You don’t need to know my identity. Just know that if you step out the door without permission, your head will roll down."

Shortly after saying so, they made a slash, and a portal was created.

They then entered the portal and disappeared from the scene, leaving behind a note.

Only when their presence was gone did Ethan and Wesley become at ease.

"Who is that person?" Ethan’s hands trembled slightly. He feared that if that unknown man intended to kill them, he wouldn’t even be able to resist.

"They should be a part of the Crimson Guards." Wesley calmly said.

"Although they don’t pose a threat to me directly, they certainly have the ability to eradicate my forces."

Sometime later, the two of them turned around and began heading in the direction indicated on the note.

Simultaneously, the banquet resumed in full force as Leonard retreated to the background and told the guests to enjoy themselves.

Rows of delicacies were pushed out by the hotel employees, ensuring that the guests would no longer brood over the previous incident.

This was the carrot and the stick method.

Having given them the stick treatment, now was the time to give them the carrot to alleviate their emotions.

As Leonard left the spotlight, a portal was promptly formed behind him.

Emerged from the portal was none other than Logan. "I have informed Lord Wesley to stay and left a note for them to wait by the private room."

"What is your assessment of Wesley’s strength?" Leonard inquired.

"Unfathomable," Logan reported.

"He appeared fragile on the surface, but I can sense that if I were to make a killing move, I would be deflected effortlessly."

’Hmm, as expected. Wesley is much more difficult to deal with than Darius.’ Leonard wasn’t surprised by Logan’s assessment.

Darius was strong only because of his noble status and network connections.

Strip them away, and he would be no different than regular people.

However, Wesley was different.

Without a noble birth or wealthy background, he managed to rise above all in the muddy water of Velastra.

Such a feat was definitely not something you could achieve just because you wanted to.

This kind of ability was fearsome, especially when they knew how to endure and adapt to the situation at the snap of a finger.

"I kept trying to push his buttons, but this old fox gave me zero chance to act," Leonard uttered. His coercion in forcing him to give up his wealth was a ploy to make Wesley rebel against him.

Alas, the latter didn’t bite the bait and even decisively gave up his wealth in a heartbeat.

That decisiveness left him with no reasonable clause to destroy him openly.

His subtle submission also shackled him from going further.