"What? Jeno is dead too! Useless! Absolutely useless!"
Fenrir, hearing his subordinate's report, shattered the table with a single punch.
"Shadow Garden, don't let me catch a trace of you!"
"Summon Viscount Olba, I have an important task for him!"
"Yes!"
...Within Viscount Olba's territory, everything had changed.
Through the efforts of the Mitsugoshi Company and smaller merchant guilds, Viscount Olba's domain had become a renowned commercial city in the Midgar Kingdom.
At Gamma's suggestion, Viscount Olba lowered commercial taxes and renovated the roads.
He heavily promoted the goods available there.
Coupled with the Mitsugoshi Company's unique products.
Xi Nuo had knowledge, Gamma had intellect, and Viscount Olba had authority.
With these three combined, building a commercial city was incredibly simple.
For the past two years, Viscount Olba sought Xi De monthly, paying him 100 million Zeny to teach him.
Because his territory's tax revenue had increased, he, as a lord, was now extremely wealthy.
He also held a position within The Order, so he wasn't afraid of any illicit dealings.
After two years of diligent training, Viscount Olba's strength was no longer what it used to be.
His strength even surpassed Jeno Griffith, the man whose power Fenrir had once acknowledged.
Fenrir thought highly of Viscount Olba; in his clashes with Shadow Garden, Viscount Olba had both wins and losses. At his worst, he lost an arm and an eye.
His chest was even pierced through.
But he was still brought back.
Fenrir marveled at Viscount Olba's vitality.
In reality, Viscount Olba's terrifying recovery ability was thanks to Xi De's help.
Viscount Olba was Xi De's biggest patron; whenever Xi De collected money, he would give Viscount Olba some magic power.
In terms of magic power alone, Viscount Olba was only surpassed by the Seven Shadows.
After all, his talent was still somewhat lacking.
The Seven Shadows were all descendants of heroes, possessing extremely high talent.
As a male, Viscount Olba's talent was ordinary.
After being summoned by Fenrir, Viscount Olba rushed to Fenrir's location without delay!
..."Greetings, Lord Fenrir!"
Upon seeing Fenrir, Viscount Olba respectfully knelt.
"Rise!"
"I summoned you this time because I intend for you to assist that old fellow from Midgar Academy!"
"I remember he was once one of the Knights of the Round Table!"
"According to my intelligence, he plans to act against Shadow Garden! We can use him as bait to lure out Shadow Garden, then capture them all in one fell swoop!"
"Your wisdom is unparalleled, Lord!"
"You don't have many formidable individuals under you. Si Ti, Bai Mu, Sen Mier!"
"Present, sir!"
Three people appeared: a burly man, a gaunt old man, and a masked man!
"They are recently emerged, capable cadres. Now they will follow your command. This time, Shadow Garden must not return alive!"
"Yes!"
Viscount Olba left Fenrir's residence with the three men.
He arranged for the three of them to stay at a high-end club in the Royal Capital.
He then immediately sought out Alpha.
Alpha had just arrived herself; she was at the highest point of the Royal Capital, admiring its beautiful scenery.
The person she longed for was here, and she truly wished to see him, but it was late, and Alpha didn't want to disturb him.
"Greetings, Lady Alpha!"
Viscount Olba appeared behind Alpha.
"What new intelligence do you have this time!"
"One of the former Knights of the Round Table intends to impersonate Shadow Garden to slander the organization. Fenrir wants me to use that fellow as bait to draw out Shadow Garden, then I will lead people to capture them all!"
"Will Fenrir make an appearance?"
"Probably not!"
"Who exactly is this person?"
"The Vice-Principal of Midgar Magic Swordsman Academy!"
"The Order's people are truly everywhere!"
"What is the specific plan?"
"The other party is not of Fenrir's faction, so the specific plan is unknown!"
"I understand, I will find him to learn more!"
...Somewhere in the Royal Capital, several buildings were being demolished. All the demolition workers were women, dressed in work uniforms.
Gamma calmly directed everyone.
The Mitsugoshi Company was their foundation, and it absolutely could not be built by others.
Every brick and tile had to be laid by their own people; otherwise, they wouldn't feel secure living there.
Gamma resisted the urge to go see Xi Nuo first, prioritizing the completion of the mission.
Many ill-intentioned individuals approached to flirt with these beautiful young women.
Every single one was chased away by Nu.
When Nu got fierce, it was truly terrifying.
Anyone who tried to show off their masculine charm and offer help would be beaten until they cried for their mothers.
Under the rapid construction of over a hundred people.
After a week, the Mitsugoshi Company was officially completed.
Countless large merchant guilds came to offer congratulations.
Once obscure, the Mitsugoshi Company had shone brightly in a seemingly ordinary viscount's territory, making a name for itself.
Now established in the Royal Capital, all the large merchant guilds wanted to cooperate with the Mitsugoshi Company.
As for any thoughts of targeting the Mitsugoshi Company, there were none.
Anyone who had such thoughts had long since gone out of business.
Meanwhile, Gamma didn't meet anyone and wasn't even at the Mitsugoshi Company...
In the early morning, Xi Nuo awoke from his sleep. Milia was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, three people were sitting by the bed, watching him.
Alpha, Beta, and Gamma.
"Is there something important you need?"
"Yes, there is, but it's not very important. It's been a long time, and I've missed you!" Alpha said.
"It's been a while, Lord Phantom is getting more and more handsome!" Gamma said.
"Just being watched by Lord Phantom makes me feel so happy, like my heart is fluttering!" Beta said.
Beta had made breakfast, and the four of them sat at the dining table to eat.
Alpha informed Xi Nuo of Fenrir's plan.
"The other party intends to frame Shadow Garden with false accusations, how despicable. It seems they are desperate and resorting to any means necessary! They're pulling out all the stops! What do you think, Phantom?"
Alpha's gaze at Xi Nuo was filled with tenderness.
The plan to frame and slander Shadow Garden still angered Alpha greatly.
Alpha believed that Shadow Garden was a force for justice and should not be slandered in such a way.
"Alpha, are you angry?"
"A little. I want to go directly and kill that guy! That way, they won't be able to slander Shadow Garden!"
"There's no need. What if we're slandered? We shouldn't care about worldly reputation; we just need to do what we must do!"
Alpha paused.
She thought to herself that good or bad reputation wouldn't affect them at all.
This world speaks with strength, so reputation, good or bad, truly doesn't matter.
"You're right!"