CHAPTER 225: CHAPTER 191: A THREE-YEAR AGREEMENT_2

Walter shook his head slightly. His daughter was still too young.

His own family had no particular connection to Lance. The farm owner, still toiling away, and his daughter, who had lost over a dozen pounds, made the situation clear: to completely control the merchant guild, this man would likely harm Walter’s own family.

My only option now, Walter concluded, is to completely sever ties with the merchant guild in his presence to save my family, and then find a way to escape...

"You’re in charge of the docks right now. Can you get in touch with the sailors on the ships?"

Tiffany clearly understood her father’s intention. Is he planning to seize a ship and flee? she wondered.

"No, no, no! Even if we went to Totnes, our family would still have no way out." Tiffany was panicked. Having witnessed Lance’s methods, she couldn’t muster the slightest rebellious thought. She could hardly imagine what would happen if they openly defied him.

"Alas, let’s go meet him first and assess the situation," Walter said, sighing as he noticed his daughter’s reaction.

He knew Lance’s methods all too well, Walter thought. But for his family, he couldn’t just sit idly by; he had to fight for a way out, no matter the cost.

When the two arrived, they found Lance busy sorting through personnel files, preparing to assign people according to their skills.

He planned to organize the craftsmen into different construction teams for various tasks: carpenters for carpentry, stonemasons for stonework, and so on. His strategy was to concentrate efforts on major projects while offering various incentives to spur competition between different teams. From these, he would select strong and capable individuals to become foremen.

However, since he had never dealt with these matters before, he could only try to refine the systems as best he could, essentially feeling his way forward by trial and error.

"Something the matter?" Lance momentarily paused his thoughts, looking up at the pair who had arrived.

What could he say? Walter mused. When he saw the uncleaned bloodstains on Lance’s clothes, he realized Lance must have returned immediately to handle administrative affairs after leading the caravan. Recalling how Lance had rushed on horseback to meet the caravan as soon as he disembarked, Walter had to admit he had never seen such a dedicated Lord. He had harbored some resentment initially, but now, he was genuinely impressed.

"My Lord, I am willing to offer up the merchant guild, voluntarily leave Hamlet, and have no further association. I only ask that you spare our family."

A strange expression crossed Lance’s face upon hearing this, but he quickly guessed the underlying implication, a frivolous smile playing on his lips.

"You can’t use someone else’s property as your bargaining chip."

This statement turned Walter’s face ashen. The many words he had prepared caught in his throat. He’s already taken control of the merchant guild, and I truly have no bargaining chips left, he realized with dawning horror. So he never planned to let me off!

Tiffany noticed her father’s demeanor and couldn’t help but look up at Lance, her eyes filled with indescribable emotions. So you’ve been deceiving me all along... she thought, a wave of grief tightening around her heart. It hurts... It’s so painful...

Lance was a bit surprised. What’s with that look? he thought. As if we’re close?

But he was extremely busy and had no mind to continue playing games.

"Alright, alright, no more jokes. You two, come over and sit down so we can talk."

Lance put on what he believed to be a very benign attitude and called them over.

Both were taken aback, somewhat at a loss due to the drastic shift in Lance’s demeanor. But given that circumstances were against them and their priority was survival, Walter could no longer afford to cling to his pride.

"Are you afraid I might purge dissidents to control the merchant guild?" As soon as the two sat down, Lance spoke bluntly, getting straight to the point. "Do I seem like such a narrow-minded person to you?"

Instantly, both Walter and Tiffany felt as if they were sitting on pins and needles.

"Not at all, My Lord. You exaggerate," Walter, seasoned merchant that he was, spoke impeccably, his flattery quite evident. "I just genuinely feel that the merchant guild has been reborn in your hands. Indeed, our family lacks the ability to manage it, which is why we planned to step aside and find a place to retire."

However, Lance was dissatisfied; he did not appreciate these roundabout conversations.

"The situation is simple: without my intervention, you would still be humiliated by the farm owner, and the merchant guild would have been swallowed up long ago. Not to mention your family’s safety. I believe I’ve treated your family well: I promoted you to farm manager, helped the merchant guild overcome its difficulties, and even assigned additional men to escort your family back. I don’t owe you anything."

Lance’s tone shifted, becoming more intense. He tapped his fingers on the desk, his demeanor radiating anger.

"But you owe me. Turning around and trying to get rid of me—what do you take Hamlet for? Who do you think I am?"

No one present could withstand Lance’s anger. Tiffany had accompanied him for a long time; even when facing great challenges, he had always remained calm. She had never seen him so furious, and she instinctively felt herself at a disadvantage.

Her family truly owed him so much... she lamented internally.

Walter, likewise, had nothing to say because that was the reality. If Lance had not appeared, setting aside his own humiliation by the farm owner, his family would surely have been ruined.

"So, what do you suggest, My Lord?"

"If you want to be rid of me, it’s simple: pay up and settle the account. Then we’ll be even and have nothing more to do with each other."

Lance’s words may have seemed to offer a way out, but to Walter, they essentially spelled a dead end.

He couldn’t even scrape together a few Gold Coins from his emptied pockets. How could I repay him? he despaired. With what?

"My Lord... we..." Walter’s face showed his distress.

Seeing her father’s distress, Tiffany had no choice but to step forward. "I’ll take full responsibility for the merchant guild’s affairs; it has nothing to do with my father."