No one spoke. The crowd was shocked. Ronnie looked beyond distressed, and stiffness invaded the armored Captain, but no one dared to argue against the rooting expert from the Merchants Guild.

Clearly, the woman was in charge in ways that went beyond her cultivation level, and the previous interaction and her affiliation connected a few dots in Liam’s mind.

’This market is mainly the Merchants Guild doing,’ Liam understood. ’Does this apply to the Merchants Guild as a whole? Or is the Enforcement Guild more important elsewhere?’

Liam kept those thoughts in the back of his mind. Something demanding of immediate attention had appeared, and a lot of good could come from it.

The woman had not only given Liam the opportunity to fix the mess. She also admonished those who had shown hostility, or at least a bias, against him.

Moreover, the rooting expert had promised to apologize to Liam with more than words, on top of being open to doing business. Liam couldn’t know for sure, but the woman might be the superior Ronnie had mentioned, the one who could deal with rank 2 resources.

As annoyed as Liam still was, venting his anger wasn’t worth losing access to rank 2 resources. It was simply idiotic to opt for killing foundation experts over pursuing his main goal of growing.

"Fellow Daoist, I accept your invitation," Liam announced, cupping his fist.

The woman straightened herself, wearing a small smile as she joined her hands on her waist, before turning to lead the way.

Everything remained silent as Liam followed the woman outside the square, but the Captain’s orders reached his ears afterward. Despite Ronnie’s matter being internal to the Merchants Guild, the Enforcement Guild was carrying out the woman’s directives.

The makeshift settlement wasn’t big. After entering one of the branching paths, the woman crossed a big tent’s entrance, and Liam followed her inside, witnessing quite a cozy environment.

A big brazier stood at the tent’s center, and carpets covered the ground, acting as a soft floor. Shelves with scrolls and a desk crawling with sheets stood at its bottom, with a foundation expert, a middle-aged woman, already bowing next to it.

"Leave us," The rooting expert ordered, not even looking at her departing subordinate while leading Liam to a fancy, small wooden table to the tent’s side.

"Please, Fellow Daoist, sit," The woman requested. "I’ll retrieve worthy refreshments."

Liam complied, watching the foundation expert leave to create some privacy. The woman also soon returned, sitting in front of him while placing two cups on the table before pouring the contents of the jug in her other hand.

An intense fruity smell with something else filled the tent. Liam had never drunk wine, but he recognized it.

"Please, have a taste," The woman said, placing the jug down before seizing her cup. "I had this delivered directly from the southern region."

The woman also drank first, as if wanting to reassure Liam, so he let his vague curiosity win, taking a sip from his cup.

A harsh heat spread through Liam’s throat, but he barely felt it after a year-long diet of poison. Instead, he could immediately appreciate the wine’s fruity tones, which made his more sensitive taste buds cheer.

"I’m glad it is to your liking," The woman commented, not missing the second sip Liam took. "Similar tastes imply alike minds. I’m sure doing business with you will be a pleasure."

Something alerted Liam at that point. The woman was extremely composed in an unnatural way. She could hide the subconscious behavior that Liam’s new perception seemed able to read now, but not when it came to her gaze.

The woman’s eyes were confident, calculating, and extremely attentive. Liam felt studied down to his very breathing pace, but not in an intrusive way.

Still, Liam mainly focused on the color of those eyes. They were green, reminding him of another pair that shared those shades.

The woman was objectively attractive, her waist thin, her skin flawless, authoritative while elegant, possessing the otherworldly beauty that only her cultivation level could achieve.

Yet, Liam just couldn’t see it. He didn’t even try since he didn’t consider it a possibility. Beauty only gained meaning when Melissa was involved. She was the only one who added a definition Liam could understand down to his very heart to that word. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"First things first," The woman sighed, putting down her cup. "I’m Chief Grace of the Merchants Guild. Allow me to apologize on behalf of my underlings for the poor treatment they reserved for such an esteemed customer."

’First Captain, now Chief,’ Liam thought. ’It must be like the division among disciples.’

Grace waited for something, which didn’t arrive. That should be Liam’s turn to introduce himself, but he didn’t speak. That was a common business tactic, but Grace somehow believed otherwise, which felt stranger.

"I’m also grateful," Grace continued, not letting the strangeness ruin her performance. "Corruption is common in large organizations, but internal investigations lower morale and hinder business. You exposed it, and I won’t let your service go unrewarded."

The word "rewards" lit up Liam’s eyes, which the hood luckily hid.

"Are the four ingredients I’ve seen earlier all you wanted to purchase?" Grace questioned.

"No," Liam finally spoke. "I’m also looking for rank 2 ingredients, but Ronnie’s shop didn’t have those. I might change my mind if I see a different list."

Liam had the finances to purchase more than that. Still, going broke wasn’t wise, and he couldn’t make long-term investments without knowing how his cultivation’s requirements might change.

But the tests with the rank 2 venom required more specific ingredients, and Liam had a few ideas on how to avoid using spirit stones. Also, there was something he absolutely needed, too.

"Also," Liam continued. "I’m looking for a magical pipe, rank 1, or even rank 2. I don’t know if you sell those, but if you could point me toward someone who does."

"A pipe?" Grace repeated, diverting her gaze. "That’s a luxury item, something you’d have to commission from a master, often for a higher market price."

’Do I really need to change the way of feeding my core?’ Liam considered. "What are the prices?"

"Rank 2 ingredients cost in the hundreds of spirit stones," Grace explained, sipping the wine before refocusing on Liam. "Rank 1 items usually are between two hundred and five hundred. Rank 2 items are in the thousands."

Liam had expected as much. After all, magical items, even their disposable version, had stronger, safer effects, with only complete concoctions coming close to their value.

Of course, there had to be exceptions. Yet, according to Grace, a rank 1 pipe would cost five hundred spirit stones, which was close to a third of what Liam owned.

Still, Liam could sell something, and a rank 1 magical item could be enough as long as he learned a method in his Master’s inheritance and had the ingredients to perform it. Actually, his cracked knife was a worthy target for it, too.

"Do you accept trades?" Liam questioned, defaulting to imitation, bringing the wine to his mouth. "Can I sell items, too?"

"Trade is the preferred method among our customers," Grace revealed. "Our most affluent clients come from both neighboring and distant Sects, so they have a harder time gaining access to spirit stones, but ..."

Grace grabbed her cup but didn’t lift it, instead staring deeply at Liam.

"Fellow Daoist, I don’t mind you holding back your name on me," Grace stated. "I also promised to take responsibility for what happened. I’m willing to offer the lowest prices on top of discounts."

Liam realized his mistake at those words. He had thought that silence would have saved him, but his lack of words was just as revealing to experts in those social aspects of life.

"But I never make business with customers I can’t read," Grace revealed, "Let alone seal deals."

Liam grew wary, but decided to express his confusion since his silence hadn’t worked. "How would you read me?"

"Your face," Grace declared. "Call it business instincts, or blame the single drop of blood the Ancestral Qilin left in me, but I can feel a good opportunity as long as I look at someone. It’s what got me in my current position."

Liam inevitably hesitated. He didn’t know what the world knew, let alone if it included him. His strategy was to leave as few traces as possible simply because that was the safest approach.

So, Liam didn’t want to lower his hood, but a crossroads had appeared. With everything he had to do to find someone who sold what he needed, he understood that money wasn’t the only problem. Even having channels to spend it was a challenge.

Liam could try his luck elsewhere, but chances were the issue would present itself again, maybe in different, more problematic shapes, and without carrying discounts.

There was also the issue with time. The longer Liam spent searching for opportunities, the more his reserves would shrink with no respite from external income.

Then, there was something else that came from something far more ancient.

’The Qilin never makes wrong bets,’ Liam thought, elevating Grave’s value as an ally, or at least a business partner.

And, before Liam could put that decision into thought, his hand rose to lower his hood.