CHAPTER 138: CH-138

Every executive leader of Mythical must be furious right now, their tempers flaring after everything that happened.

They lost a large part of their force, and on top of that, a celestial weapon slipped through their hands. Those things were so rare that guilds wage war over them.

Thinking about their outrage made the whole situation even more satisfying.

"Master Mercer, we’re near our destination." the driver announced.

First stop was my attorney’s office. The guild needed its paperwork sorted quickly, and they were the ones to make it happen.

We parked at a fifteen-story building. The law firm didn’t fully own the place, and their office was on the twelfth floor, so I had to take the elevator.

Fortunately, as a VIP, I got to use the exclusive one, saving a lot of waiting time.

Reaching the twelfth floor, I stepped into the reception hall. Polished floors reflected the soft lighting. Minimalist furniture lined the walls.

Three women looked up as I entered. They smiled, but I barely noticed—my focus was elsewhere.

A young woman stepped forward, clipboard in hand.

"Do you have an appointment, sir?"

The other two tapped her shoulder.

"Sorry, Mr. Mercer," one said. "She’s new."

The rookie bowed, cheeks pink. "Sorry for not recognizing you, Mr. Mercer."

I gave a small shrug. "It’s fine. I prefer to keep things low-key."

Another senior receptionist gave a small gesture. "Please, follow me to the meeting room. Your legal counsel is already waiting."

The door opened before I could knock, and my head lawyer rushed forward, a wide smile on his face.

"I’m glad you’re okay, Mr. Mercer. We were worried."

"Yeah, me too," I cut straight to the point. "I don’t have much time. Brief me on the current status of the guild applications."

He nodded, motioning for the others in the room to gather around.

I sat at the end of the long table and watched them begin preparing their presentation.

Papers were shuffled, screens lit up, and within moments, a concise update was laid out before me. No small talk, no distractions—just the facts I needed.

"About seventy-five percent of the paperwork is already done," one of them reported.

"Seventy-five? What were you doing while I was gone?"

The head lawyer cleared his throat and stood. "Mr. Mercer, there was a complication with the maneuver to secure your father’s assets, but it’s been resolved. You have nothing to worry about."

"Fair enough. What else is left to get my guild running?"

Another raised a hand, hesitation in his voice. "We’re currently running into issues with the bank. Although your payment has gone through, they’ve been stalling—apparently taking extra time to process the transfer."

My face darkened. No wonder I hadn’t received my reward yet. They probably counted on me dying in the tower so they could just return the money.

"Aren’t you supposed to be among the best lawyers money can buy? How can a simple transfer take this long?"

The temperature in the room dropped—and it wasn’t the AC.

"Mr. Mercer, we did our best," one of them began. "But the bank was closed for a couple of days because of the tower echo. It disrupted operations across the district . On top of that, we’ve been hearing rumors... Dark Rock is pouring investments in the city."

My eyes narrowed. "So you’re afraid of Dark Rock?"

They shook their heads in unison.

"Of course not, Mr. Mercer. You’re the only one we answer to. But Dark Rock has its hands in everything—even the government and policy makers. And while our law firm has connections, they aren’t nearly enough to take on a giant like that."

I hated to admit it, but they were right. Asking them to take on Dark Rock with their meager resources was like asking a child to fight a steroid-fueled heavyweight champion.

Then an idea struck me. What better way to deal with a giant than to find another giant?

"All of you, leave me for a moment. I need to make a call."

After they left, I dialed a number. On the third ring, Master Tang picked up.

(Kid, I just watched your interview. You really are a great actor, you know,) he laughed over the line.

"One of my many talents," I replied. "By the way, I know our meeting is set for this afternoon, but I need a favor. Don’t worry, I’m willing to pay for the trouble."

(Kid, I won’t run from money, so what’s the issue?)

"Well, it’s about the outer region. I just bought a new building there. Paid for it already, but the bank is giving me trouble, probably because Dark Rock and Mythical are pressuring them."

A few seconds of silence followed.

(Dark Rock and Mythical, huh? That guild is already pushing its luck. Alright, I’ll help—free of charge. It would be fun to teach those two that they can’t just bully everyone they want.)

"When will this be resolved?"

(Immediately, Like I said before, the Order has deep roots too. We can play the same game if we wanted to.)

"I’ll expect good news, then." I chuckled, ending the call on a satisfying note.

Minutes later, my head lawyer’s phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, eyes widening, then answered.

A brief exchange followed. No raised voices. No back‑and‑forth. Just quick confirmations.

When he hung up, he exhaled, eyes on me like I was some mafia boss calling the shots in the shadows.

"Mr. Mercer? Who did you call?"

"I have connections. So, what was that call about?"

He tucked his phone away before speaking. "The bank finalized the transfer. Everything’s cleared, and they even apologized for the delay."

That’s how the real world worked. Not by waiting. Not by polite requests. By pressure, connections, and the right call at the right time.

Anyone claiming they got filthy rich without getting their hands dirty was lying. To reach billionaire level, bending the law wasn’t optional—it was required.

[DING!]

[Mission Completed]

[Reward : Avatar Card]

[Your performance has earned an upgrade: your avatar card is now Asura Rank.]

[Would you like to activate it now?]

[Yes][No]

Finally, the reward I’d been waiting for arrived.

But now wasn’t the time or place.