Chapter 67: He Gave Too Much

Seizing the perfect opportunity to intimidate the other party, the Priestess casually tossed out her prepared lines.

“General, I am not a saint practitioner, just a common traveling priestess without any power affiliation. Moreover, while this ship belongs to me, it is currently rented by the Lingyin Merchant Association, transporting goods and personnel for them. These… are all key members of the association or my friends, so there’s nothing suspicious about them.”

“Hmph, regardless of what powers you belong to… wait, did you just mention the Lingyin Merchant Association?”

As expected, the name that Miss Vilyric had mentioned immediately took effect. The military-uniformed middle-aged man furrowed his brow slightly, glancing at the unfortunate Golem who had just been sent flying by a blow from a certain golden-haired little girl and was now struggling to get up, a flicker of realization and seriousness briefly flashing in his eyes.

He raised his hand, signaling the tense soldiers around him to hold off, not even pointing out the previously overlooked submission proof and the attack on military equipment, redirecting his suspicion instead.

“You’re from the Lingyin Merchant Association? How could the Lingyin Merchant Association possibly need to rent a ship from outsiders? I’ve been to the Lingyin Merchant Association in Coastal City of Leila more than once, yet why have I never seen any of you there?”

“Ahem! Actually, it’s like this, General…”

As a seasoned merchant with ample negotiation experience, Chief Steward Ming Lan stepped forward at the perfect moment, seizing the opportunity to continue Miss Vilyric’s train of thought, and explained with a smile in his capacity as the actual representative of the association.

“We are subordinates of the association in other regions. We just recently learned that a precious mine has been discovered on an island offshore, and we hurried over to purchase from the local residents. But because that place is far from the mainland, and we sadly encountered a storm, our ship was so severely damaged upon arriving from another port that it couldn’t continue carrying heavy cargo to sail.”

“Coincidentally, at that time, traveling Priestess Miss Vilyric was passing through, and given our previous cooperation and ties, we asked her to help us transport the goods… Oh! I haven’t introduced myself yet, I am Ming Lan, Vice President of the Lingyin Merchant Association. Here’s my business card and identification booklet, General, please take a look~”

The fox-eared young man accompanied his smile with a gold-embossed card and a booklet, all prepared in advance. As the highly capable Chief Steward of the Foreign Affairs Department of the Celestial Island, Ming Lan had already meticulously planned for this moment as soon as he understood the lady’s intentions.

“…?”

After a simple glance at the card Ming Lan handed over, especially when flipping through a page in the identification booklet, the formerly stern man’s pupils shrank slightly, an almost imperceptible look of satisfaction crossing his face as he discreetly pulled something out.

The green-haired girl beside him noticed this and a hint of helplessness crossed her eyes, yet she didn’t speak up to expose him, continuing to curiously observe the Little Dragon Daughter and Miss Vilyric, seemingly greatly interested in Xiao Guang’s simple but effective punch from earlier.

The military-uniformed middle-aged man quickly tucked away the card along with a certain thin piece of paper concealed behind it—particularly avoiding the gaze of the red-haired Mage—before returning the identification booklet to Ming Lan, his slightly cold face breaking into a polite smile.

“Haha, so you’re the Vice President! My apologies, it seems this was a misunderstanding! Using such a large ship for transport, it could only be the Lingyin Merchant Association that can afford such a venture. Your association must be making a huge profit this time; it truly leaves one envious, ha ha ha!”

“Oh, speaking of which, I haven’t introduced myself either. I am Cassio Gariel, the Grand Admiral of the Second Navy Fleet of the Ost Empire, responsible for the defense of Coastal City of Leila and its surrounding seas. My duty unfortunately led me to offend your association, and I hope Vice President Ming Lan won’t take it to heart~”

Seeing Cassio’s tone soften, the fox-eared young man immediately laughed heartily, shaking his head as if encountering an old friend.

“General, you’re being too modest! Merchants buy and sell, and accepting official inspections is to be expected. It was just that the escort personnel were too eager, offending the Imperial Navy, which really falls under our association’s mismanagement…”

After some thought, the Vice President waved his hand.

“Let’s do this: the repair costs for the Golem that was damaged during the earlier conflict will be paid double by our association! Additionally, as long as General visits the Lingyin Merchant Association in Leila City from now on, we’ll give you a 10% discount on whatever you buy, how about that?”

Cassio’s eyes immediately brightened.

“Oh! Well then, thank you, Vice President Ming Lan, but let’s waive the repair costs. As soldiers, we honor camaraderie; that little girl really did give me a fright earlier. No wonder it’s the Lingyin Merchant Association; truly, talent emerges from every corner, ha ha ha!”

“Ah~ Just a little self-preserving tactic of a merchant. Compared to the Imperial Navy’s grand ships, the siege giants are really nothing to speak of. I also hope General Cassio, as an official figure, can take good care of our humble association in the future, so we can expand our cooperation further!”

“Ha ha ha! Certainly, certainly!”

After sharing brotherly banter with Ming Lan, the Grand Admiral Cassio, who was grinning so wide it seemed his mouth might split, decisively led his men out of the Noah’s Ark. They didn’t check anything, nor asked for this or that proof; even as they left, he eagerly inquired if they needed to accompany the Imperial Navy for protection and escort.

Of course, he was addressing the Vice President, clearly considering Miss Vilyric as a subordinate of Ming Lan after the previous series of negotiations, believing the latter to be the real decision-maker on the ship.

Ming Lan certainly wouldn’t let these Imperial folks follow behind them. After politely turning them down with reasonable excuses, Cassio left with a somewhat regretful expression as he led his team back to the flagship.

However, before leaving, Cassio specifically had his son—the military young man who was just scared witless by Xiao Guang’s glare—apologize to the Priestess, contrasting sharply with his haughty demeanor from their first meeting.

It was clear he valued the relationship with the Lingyin Merchant Association greatly.

Thus, the unexpected situation they had encountered was finally resolved.

Standing on the deck and watching the Imperial Navy fleet pass them by, slowly sailing towards the mainland, and after everyone scattered to deal with the aftermath, Miss Vilyric finally patted the shoulder of Chief Steward Ming Lan, who had practically become the main force behind resolving the matter, with a smile.

“You did well this time.”

Receiving praise directly from the young lady, the fox-eared young man was taken aback and promptly knelt on one knee, respectfully bowing.

“You flatter me; I merely relied on the immense foundation of our association. The Imperials value strength, and without Princess Xiao Guang’s perfectly timed intimidation, this matter would not have been resolved so easily. Besides, to smooth things over, the association has lost quite a bit of money…”

   

---