As the saying goes, if you cannot solve a problem with money, then you simply do not have enough of it.
Rozia stood by the window of the Boba Trading Shop with Sulcas, watching the bustling crowd outside. The street was packed with customers, their voices mixing with the sounds of merchants shouting and coins clinking.
Sulcas stared at the crowd in shock.
"So many people… we're striking rich this time," he said excitedly.
"Yes, we are. Our third batch has already sold out, and a new batch is in full production," Rozia replied with a bright smile.
Suddenly, a loud cheer came from outside.
Rozia glanced toward the street. "It seems another person has won a reward."
Sulcas frowned when he heard that."If we keep giving rewards like this, aren't we operating at a loss?"
Rozia chuckled softly.
"Who said we are giving rewards?"
Sulcas blinked in confusion. "Aren't we?"
Rozia's expression turned serious.
"If we gave rewards purely based on a lottery, we would go broke. The people winning the major prizes are our own people. For the sake of word of mouth, we occasionally release some cheap items to real customers. But the main prize will always be held by our own."
Sulcas froze. His eleven-year-old mind struggled to process what he had just heard.
"Isn't that… a bit immoral?" he asked in disbelief.
Hearing that, Rozia remembered something Liser had once told her.
"Rozia, we are doing business, not charity. No business survives without a few underhanded methods."
Rozia curled her lips slightly.
"Immoral, huh? This is business, not charity. Business requires ruthlessness. Without methods like this, you cannot survive. In the end, business is about making money."
Her thoughts drifted back to the businesses from her previous life. Not one of them was completely clean. Compared to those corporations, what she was doing now was almost harmless.
The slight uneasiness in her heart slowly faded.
She pulled the stunned Sulcas along and headed to the top floor of the Boba Trading Company.
They knocked on the door.
A voice came from inside.
"Come in."
After entering, Rozia asked, "Boss, how's the business going?"
Sliver's face instantly bloomed into a wide grin.
"Good. Very good. In fact, in the last two days alone, we earned profits worth 250 yuns of gold."
"What?!"
Rozia couldn't hide her shock.
Commoners could never produce that amount of gold. That meant only one thing.
Nobles.
But they were only selling to lower nobles.
Sliver continued proudly.
"Miss Rozia, you don't understand how attractive these products are to the nobility. Even some mid-level nobles came to buy them."
Rozia's heart tightened.
That was not good news.
It meant attention.
Why would the nobles ignore such a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered?
Even though they had the Fourth Prince's support, she knew very well how much that protection was actually worth. It might intimidate lower nobles, but mid-level nobles were a different story entirely.
Rozia fell into a brief thought.
Meanwhile, inside the Commerce Guild building, the guild master trembled with rage.
He grabbed a nearby cup and hurled it toward his assistant. The assistant barely dodged.
"How can this be?! Those bastards! What qualification does that kid have to make this kind of money?!"
The assistant cautiously spoke.
"Calm down, sir. We must think carefully."
The guild master took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
"Bring my carriage. And the precious treasure. I'm going to visit Viscount Orlond."
Just as he was preparing to leave, a commotion erupted outside.
"What's going on?" the guild master frowned.
A servant rushed in, his voice trembling.
"Guild master… the town guard is here. They came to arrest you."
"What?!"
Before he could react, the town guards stormed in.
"You are the guild master of the Eastern District?" one of them asked.
"Yes. May I ask why you are here?" he replied stiffly.
"We have evidence that you have committed abduction, murder, and fraud against nobles. You are under arrest."
The guild master froze.
"You must be mistaken! Hey, don't touch me!"
He struggled, but the guards quickly pinned him down.
"Release me! I am Viscount Orlond's man! If you know what's good for you, let me go!"
The captain of the guards hesitated for a moment.
Seeing this, the guild master sneered.
"Hmph. Release me, and we can forget this ever happened. Unless you want to lose your job."
The captain frowned.
"I'll say this only once. You have offended the upper nobility. There is no way out. Even Viscount Orlond cannot save you. We have concrete evidence."
The guild master's mind went blank.
He searched desperately through his memories but could not remember offending any high noble.
Still, he was dragged away.
Soon after, the charges were publicly announced. The guild master was sentenced to death.
After all, offending the upper nobility could only lead to one outcome.
Death.
Rozia was stunned when she heard the news.
She had known that the power of nobles was great, but she had not expected something this absolute.
Sitting in front of her was a slim, tan-skinned man.
"Miss Rozia, the matter has been settled," the man said calmly. "I hope you will put in some good words for me with the Fourth Prince later. I would be very grateful."
Rozia nodded.
"Very well. You will take over the guild office tomorrow. Don't forget to maintain the trade channels. Happy cooperation."
"Happy cooperation," the man replied before leaving.
He was the mole they had planted beside the guild master.
He had gathered all the evidence against the guild master's crimes. In return, he was promised the position of guild master and a sales channel for the Boba products.
A monopoly would bring too much backlash. Their current strength was not enough to handle that.
The thin man admired the Fourth Prince. Thinking about him, he couldn't help but feel that the prince was far more calculating than someone his age should be.
I guess nobles are just like this, he thought.
Meanwhile, while all of this was happening, Liser was facing a difficult battle of his own inside the palace.