Chapter 172 - Invitation
"Why haven't you packed the trash and leave yet?"
When these words were uttered, all but one store clerk, began scurrying to pack and leave immediately. The remaining clerk stood rooted in the same spot with an unwilling expression.
"Erm…" Faced with Leon's rhetorical question, this clerk could no longer remain proud without his backing. "Sir… Your Highness… I am terribly sorry for failing to recognize your princely self. Please spare me. I am just a lowly character employed by the Primrose and Fischer merchant associations to work here. I had no idea this establishment was rightfully yours. Otherwise, I wouldn't have dared to accept the job!"
There was no evidence to prove Leon's princely status. However, since several nobles were willing acknowledge him as such, it must be true. With such a terrifying Queen as the ruler, the nobles wouldn't be so bored as to gamble with their life just play a prank on him, right?
But this prince of theirs was just too mean! If you are a freaking prince, can't you at least dress like one? Wasn't it normal for a prince to dress like a prince? If commoners suddenly become royalty, they wouldn't hold back in showing it off, right? Because if they weren't recognized, they would continued to be looked down on and bullied by nobles, right?
Does the prince like being treated like that or does he like looking for trouble…? It must be that… right!?
These were just thoughts he could only think to himself and not be said out loud. However, it wasn't important what he thought anyway. What was important was there was an opportunity right in front of him. It was up to him, whether he could grasp it or not.
If he could work for the prince and establish a close friendly relationship between them, it may be possible for him to rise from an ordinary person like him to rise and enter the upper class.
"Hehehe… Your Highness, I wonder if you would allow me to continue working here… It would be a great honor to work for your Highness." The clerk said with a mixture of fear and hope. He already offended the prince, but he hoped the prince wasn't a person who hold grudges against minor characters like him and let things pass. As the saying went; no discord, no concord.
However, the clerk must be dreaming if he thought things would go according to his wish. Leon felt the clerk's words were too hypocritical and his expression darkened immediately.
I had shown the title deed… but not only did this clerk not acknowledge it, he even tried to seize it! Now that he knows the prince is standing before him, he wants to switch side and work for me instead!? How could good life be that easy? I only have one word for such person;
"Impossible!"
Leon's loud and powerful voice shook the clerk to core. His hopes and ambition were crushed in a single instant. The prince's strong rejection was laced with coldness and killing intent. He did not understand what he had just done or said to provoke such strong hostility from the prince. However, the clerk no longer had the courage to linger around and fled the pill store in horror.
The clerk was like a stalk of grass that leans wherever the wind blows. Although, others might not praise this type of opportunist behavior, it was what any wise person would do; to join the side with the better prospect. The two merchant associations have offended the prince. Their days are numbered. Naturally, it was the right choice to find a bigger tree, and there was no bigger tree than the royal family in the Crawford Kingdom.
Capable leaders may be willing to accept this type of person because people with clear goals and interest are easy to be utilized by them. These types of people are the ones that would work wholeheartedly if it meant their goals and interest could be met.
But it was also this type of person, that Leon absolutely despise. When things go south, these would be the first people to betray him and he did not take kindly to betrayals.
…
When the store was devoid of people, Leon headed to the rooftop and summoned the nearby shadowguards hidden in the area.
"What orders do you have for us, your Highness?"
"I want you to dig up all crimes you have recorded on the Primrose and Fischer merchant associations and bring it back for my perusal. Also, I have recently accepted a disciple by the name of Reginald from the Graeme family. Find out his whereabouts. If the situation is dire, you are permitted to mobilize the entire force to save him." Leon instructed.
"We hear and obey."
The shadowguards departed from the rooftop shortly.
Leon could guess that before his disciple fell into his opponent's hand, his disciple had attempted to record the alchemy knowledge he transmitted, down on paper for fear of forgetting. This should be how Grandmaster Cato got his hands on the pill formula for his All-Purpose Healing Pill and Golden Ointment.
Also, Reginald could have relied on his status as the prince's disciple to save himself, but seeing that Primrose and Fischer were clueless, it showed that Reginald was loyal and trustworthy. Leon did not judge a person wrongly. Though, it also wouldn't have mattered if his disciple exposed his status to save himself since his identity wasn't some secret. In fact, it would have saved them a fair bit of trouble. But since his disciple had most likely suffered a fair bit for this trouble, it wouldn't be right if he as the master, didn't make the Primrose and Fischer bleed for it.
Returning to the ground floor, Leon discovered an uninvited guest.
"Who are you and what do you want? The store is no longer open for business." Leon stated.
"Sir, I am a servant of the Primrose family. My master has kindly sent me here to deliver this letter to you." The servant said humbly, but haughtiness could be faintly seen in his eyes. He was a proud servant of the Primrose family.
The Primrose family wasn't strong personally. The strongest Awakener in the family was Vigo and his old father. Both were only at the 7th step, however, as merchants, they had immeasurable wealth and connections to powerful people and families, which makes them a force to be reckoned with.
"What's this? A challenge letter?"
Leon accepted the letter with knitted brows. What was Vigo's intention? With his narrow-mindedness and animosity, he would not let Leon off after his attempt to embarrass and destroy their reputation.
A merchant's value was based on the people's trust in them. If it was lost, it was hard for them to do business. Vigo knew this, but he still allowed the sales of the pills because the defects of the pills and ointment weren't life threatening and slow acting. The life expectancy of an average person wasn't high to begin with and in a critical situation, the pills and ointment could indeed save a life.
Vigo and Porter love profits, but they weren't unscrupulous. The prices they set were very fair and affordable after weighing the pros and cons. They just didn't publicize the side effects of their products.
Normally, when people hear about the defects of a product, they would forget all about the good parts and deem it as a bad product overall. The validity of Leon's words wasn't proven in the end, but he left behind a seed of doubt. There was no need to prove it. It was just a matter of time before people find out.
However, what everyone didn't know was that it was the Primrose and Fischer's marketing plan to sell these trash-rank products. With two merchant association working together, there was a total of six grandmaster alchemists involved. It would be strange if the pills and ointment refined by all these grandmaster alchemists resulted in trash-rank qualities. There were low, mid and even high-rank pills in their inventory.
Their plan was to sell the lowest quality products first, before steadily introducing the higher quality products to maximize their profits. This was the general marketing strategy of any business enterprise; to control the pace of introducing newer, better and higher quality products.
But even the Primrose and Fischer merchant associations weren't aware that the trash-rank pills and ointment were all refined by Grandmaster Cato alone, which was why Grandmaster Cato wanted Leon dead, but couldn't do it openly.
"The order was to deliver the letter, and deliver the letter, I have. Thus, I shall take my leave. Why don't you open the letter and read it yourself, sir?"
The servant said haughtily as he faced the store exit and began leaving. Leon frowned at the servant's attitude. He planted a foot on the servants back and sent the him flying to the entrance
"Y-You! You dare kick me!?"
The servant roared in anger as he tried to get back up, but the crushing weight of Leon's cultivation pressure sudden bore down on him and forced him on his hands and knees.
"Know your place, servant!"
Regardless of his statuses, he was still a powerful cultivator and was no pushover. The servant was entitled to pay him the proper respects as expected of a person when they meet a stronger Awakener.
"Mercy, sir! I was blind! Please spare me!" The servant begged, while being drenched in cold sweat.
Dammit, what the hell was wrong with him? Or rather what the hell was wrong with the world? Even kids under 20 could become such powerful One-Star Awakener these days. Why didn't anyone inform him about this? What bad luck!
"Hmph! Get lost!" Leon released his cultivation pressure.
The servant thanked him quickly and profusely, before scurrying off in a disheveled manner.
Shortly after the pill store regain its tranquility, Leon opened the letter. Much to his surprise, it was not a challenge letter but an invitation, and to the Cromwell's banquet no less. Was this Vigo Primrose in a hurry to die?
"Since it's the Old man's birthday, I should prepare a gift." Leon mused. "A pill recipe will do for an alchemy fanatic like the Old man."
Leon wasn't fond of social gatherings, but given his relationship with the Cromwell family, he ought to make an appearance.
He was already planning to gift the Cromwell family some longevity blood, so it couldn't be used as a birthday present conveniently. The value was guaranteed but the thought would have been lacking.
After settling on which pill recipe to gift the Old man, Leon made his way to the Cromwell's estate.
"Let's see what this Vigo Primrose is playing at."