"Hiss..."
At this moment, after hearing this shocking news, everyone in the Chamber of Commerce couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath. The massive conference hall was filled only with the sound of gasping. The hall had once again become a library study hall.
Director Barton, sitting in the main seat, had an expression so dark it looked like water could drip from it. He didn't speak. He just stared blankly as he placed his phone on the table, his hands crossed in front of him, seemingly in deep thought. The other directors also remained silent. In the corner, Czarny, the spokesperson, who was hidden in the darkest shadows and always on standby, showed no change in his expression. He remained impassive as always, but his heart was like a turbulent sea, churning with monstrous waves.
This little squirrel... actually dared to come back?!!
The Flametail Knight was able to evade the eyes of the Chamber of Commerce and the Armorless Union, moving her entire family... and these 'eyes' had searched for an entire night without finding a single trace. This feat alone was enough to shock Czarny.
The longer he stayed in the Chamber of Commerce, the more Czarny saw.
He deeply understood how the Chamber of Commerce dominated Kazimierz. It could be said that nothing could escape its eyes. Even when the Radiant Knight left Kazimierz back then, there were 'eyes' following her, constantly reporting on her situation and location.
But this little squirrel, with no background whatsoever, had actually toyed with these 'eyes,' feeding the Chamber of Commerce false intelligence.
If this had only made the Chamber of Commerce lose a bit of face...
Then reappearing, preparing to attend the Knight Major in public, was a direct, resounding slap across the Chamber of Commerce's face. And, for a short time, they couldn't even fight back. They could only take it. Because in the arena, with so many spectators watching, if they directly sent people to assassinate her, the consequences would be unthinkable.
It was like... a little mouse that you could kill with a single stomp. But this little mouse was so slippery that it managed to get away. If it had just run off, fine, it would just be frustrating. But the next day, this mouse *came back* on its own, and even ran to a place you absolutely couldn't touch, just to flip you the bird.
Czarny felt that if he were one of these directors, he'd probably have high blood pressure by now.
Since she had already successfully escaped, participating in the match now was just pure provocation, wasn't it?
"Is there any way to get rid of her!"
Director Barton's grim voice echoed through the conference hall. The directors around the large round table whispered among themselves, but no one could come up with a conclusion.
After all, she was already at the arena. Assassination was impossible.
Arrange a stronger opponent? That was also impossible now. It was the quarterfinals. The list of all eight finalists had already been publicized. To suddenly insert a knight no one had ever seen before... wouldn't that just be openly admitting the match was fixed? Although the audience didn't mind—they just wanted a good show—who could they send...?
The Swift-Sword Knight, with the strength of a top-four knight, was one-shotted by her...
Directly send someone with the strength of a champion knight?
"Director Barton, since the little squirrel is already in the stadium, let's just catch her in a trap. Have the Armorless Union immediately dispatch knight-killers and 'eyes' to monitor the entire stadium. Have people keep an eye on her at all times. I refuse to believe this little squirrel can just vanish into thin air. After the match, she has to leave through one of those exits. The moment she leaves the arena, have the Armorless Union's Azurites kill her. We can just fabricate some crime for her afterward. Dead people can't talk, anyway."
Many people nodded in agreement with this proposal. Director Barton also nodded. It seemed there was no other way right now.
Director Barton looked at the huge live broadcast screen on the wall.
"I refuse to believe this little squirrel can escape this time. Last time, the intelligence department underestimated her. If she can still get away this time, she can have my job!"
————————
After the internal order from the Chamber of Commerce was given, many of the Armorless Union's knight-killers sprang into action. They didn't wear their full gear. To avoid alerting the target, they disguised themselves in plain clothes, surrounding the stadium in three layers, inside and out. There were even Armorless Union knight-killers disguised as internal staff, keeping an eye on the Flametail Knight at all times.
The entire arena was surging with an undercurrent.
But the eight knights inside the arena had no idea.
For many of the knights, reaching the top eight was already a success. The points from the quarterfinals, combined with their other usual points, were enough to apply to become a Titled Knight. Then, with the marketing from their knight agencies, they could attract a wave of fans, make a fortune, start endorsing products, earn a huge sum of money, and then retire to enjoy life.
Although Justyna didn't make it to the top eight, as Sona's good friend, she naturally came to the audience stands to cheer for Sona. She didn't know that Sona had been threatened and targeted for assassination by the Chamber of Commerce.
"Let's welcome the competitors for the first match of the quarterfinals!!"
Following the host's roar, the large screen above began to scroll. The image finally settled on a young-looking knight. This knight had truly fought his way into the top eight on his own. He was the number two seed from Group A. His strength was decent here, but if he were in any of the previous spring seasons, it would be questionable if he could even make it to the playoffs.
"Let's get the big screen rolling again!!"
Another screen started to scroll. After the audience shouted 'Stop!', the image settled on Sona's photo.
"Oooohhh!! Flametail Knight!!!"
The moment they saw it was the Flametail Knight, not just the audience, but even the host went wild. The momentum was massive, completely different from when the first knight was announced.
"Let's give a warm welcome to the Flametail Knight!! Will the Flametail Knight bring us another dazzling and stunning match? Let's wait and see!!!"
The various directors of the Chamber of Commerce stared grimly at the screen. Accompanied by the sound of footsteps, a small figure walked out of the tunnel. Her fiery red hair and energetic face, full of smiles, seemed to be mocking the Chamber of Commerce's incompetence. It made the directors present grit their teeth in anger, wishing they could execute this little squirrel right now.
"Oh! It looks like the Flametail Knight has changed her armor! She already has a sponsor on her chest. It seems our Flametail Knight is gradually becoming the darling of the major corporations! Come on, cameraman, zoom in. Let the audience in front of their TVs and the audience here see which company is the first to sponsor our Flametail Knight."
The host's sudden comment also made the directors in the conference hall notice that the little squirrel had indeed changed her armor. The camera was a bit far, so it was hard to see clearly, but they could vaguely make out a sponsor's LOGO.
A director next to Director Barton snorted coldly.
"This company is really bold! They actually dare to sponsor this little squirrel?!"
Another person laughed. "It's probably just some small company that isn't qualified to join the Chamber of Commerce. They probably think they can ride her coattails now that the Flametail Knight is famous. Once we find out who they are, we'll just bankrupt them."
As the camera zoomed in.
The LOGO on the upper right of Sona's chest plate gradually enlarged and became clear.
[RayTheon]
"What company is this?"
Someone paused. A string of letters, and in a stylized logo font.
"It seems none of Kazimierz's major local companies have this LOGO. It really is a small company."
He finished speaking disdainfully.
However... the entire conference hall was deathly silent.
It was even quieter than when they had been slapped in the face. Everyone's expression seemed to freeze in unison.
Only this director, who didn't hold a very high position among the directors, looked confused.
"Read the letters out carefully."
A director next to him said.
"Ra... Th..."
Suddenly, this director seemed to remember something. A cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.
Ray...
Ray...
Raythean Industries!!!
Fuck!!!
At that very moment, the public communicator in the center of the conference hall rang.
All the directors immediately straightened up respectfully.
As expected. After Raythean Industries appeared, this was no longer something third-tier magnates like themselves could handle. The highest level, the fourth-tier magnates representing the very top of the Chamber of Commerce, had already called.
"Chairman! Vice-Chairmen!"
After pressing the 'accept' button, a virtual screen immediately appeared in the center of the giant round conference table. On the screen, three dark silhouettes appeared.
It was the true leadership of the Chamber of Commerce: one Chairman and two Vice-Chairmen.
"Why is Raythean Industries backing that squirrel?!"
The Chairman on the screen demanded.
The other directors all lowered their heads in unison, like students who had been caught doing something wrong by their teacher. Only Director Barton forced himself to speak. "Chairman, we don't know either. Raythean Industries has never interfered in our Kazimierz affairs. They've coexisted peacefully for so many years. We don't know why they would suddenly back that squirrel. Although that squirrel is very famous right now, it's not enough for Raythean Industries to take notice. They weren't interested in the Radiant Knight back then either."
Czarny, standing in the corner, finally understood.
This explained everything.
He also finally understood why the little squirrel had been so defiant when she refused him, why she seemed so unconcerned. It turned out... she had likely already reached an agreement with Raythean Industries. And as for evading the Chamber of Commerce's 'eyes,' in all of Kazimierz, Raythean Industries definitely had that capability.
But why would Raythean Industries care about a little knight who was just somewhat famous?
No one could figure it out, including the three big shots. What they were mainly afraid of was that sponsoring a little knight was just an excuse. They feared Raythean Industries wanted this knight to win the championship, to become a champion knight like the Radiant Knight, and then Raythean Industries would be the puppet master behind her, directly shaking the foundations of the Chamber of Commerce. This is what everyone was afraid of.
If it were any other foreign company, they wouldn't care. But Raythean Industries... it had long transcended the scope of a 'company.' And its Kazimierz branch was the largest branch outside of its headquarters in Columbia.
"Leave the squirrel alone for now. Withdraw the Armorless Union's people."
After a moment of silence, the Chairman gave the order.
These directors nodded like bobbleheads, but inwardly they were so aggrieved they nearly had high blood pressure. To become directors, they were all people who could command the wind and rain in Kazimierz, who could do whatever they wanted. As long as they didn't touch the Chamber of Commerce's core interests, they could basically live a life of luxury. They had never been so stifled in all these years. And now they had been stifled twice, in a row. Some of the older directors were already pale with rage, their brains oxygen-deprived.
"After the quarterfinals are over, find some excuse to delay the semi-finals. We will handle Raythean Industries."
The call ended. Everyone let out a huge sigh of relief.
Then, several of the older directors twitched and slumped onto the table. This frustration was like a disgusting, old wad of phlegm stuck in their throats—they couldn't spit it out, and they couldn't swallow it. They had fainted from sheer anger.
Director Barton didn't move. He felt that the Chairman and the two Vice-Chairmen should be able to resolve this. Although Raythean Industries was massive... this was Kazimierz, after all. The principle of 'a strong dragon cannot repress a local snake' applied everywhere.
Moreover... if Raythean Industries truly had any intention of interfering in Kazimierz's internal affairs, not only would the Chamber of Commerce have to act, but the Supervisory Commission, which had always been at odds with them, would also have to put aside its grievances. After all, no matter how rotten the Chamber of Commerce was, it was still Kazimierz's own. Raythean Industries, on the other hand, was an outsider.
So... Director Barton wasn't too worried in his heart.
It seemed the little squirrel probably couldn't be killed. The worst-case scenario would be that she'd be bought out and leave Kazimierz, just like the Black Knight.
——————
"Mr. Reeve, I won!!"
This opponent was a normal competitor. With Sona's current strength, she won quite easily, successfully advancing to the semi-finals. Sona's winning streak also made the audience roar with excitement. If Sona could really maintain this streak and win the championship, coupled with her status as an Infected, she would become completely famous.
"Not bad. Let's go back."
Sona left the arena, but she kept looking around.
"Mr. Reeve, do you think the Chamber of Commerce will send assassins after me outside now that they've seen me compete? Before the match, I could already feel so many eyes on me."
"They won't."
Lucas Reeve said confidently, "The logo on your chest plate is the best protective talisman. No matter how much guts the Chamber of Commerce has, they wouldn't dare to make a move casually."
"But..." Sona was a little worried. "If that's the case, will I cause trouble for Raythean Industries? After all, the Chamber of Commerce is...."
Lucas Reeve laughed. "Sona, you're underestimating Raythean Industries. And besides, in the face of sufficient profit, the Chamber of Commerce is nothing."