Big Capitalist

In the upper area of the Arcane City, a magnificent luxury hotel is like a luxurious palace. The crystal chandeliers cast brilliant light, illuminating the private and spacious meeting room in the hotel.

At this moment, the most influential nobles, shrewd and cunning businessmen, and powerful family lords of the Arcane City gathered here, their faces were full of gloom, and a "punitive meeting" against Merlin Supermarket in the lower city was taking place fiercely.

At the head of the conference table, an old nobleman wearing a gorgeous brocade robe and a family medallion slammed the table heavily and took the lead in attacking: "Where did this Merlin Supermarket come from? It's so audacious! It caused such a big commotion on the first day of opening, and it messed up our business."

His voice was sharp with anger and echoed in the conference room, causing everyone to echo his voice.

"That's right!" a pot-bellied businessman answered, his thick lips trembling with excitement. "In the past, the food and daily necessities market in the lower city was our main business, and it was a steady and profitable business. But now, with the arrival of the Merlin Chamber of Commerce, the food they offer is ridiculously cheap, and the quality is surprisingly good. The business of several of my shops in the lower city is so quiet that spider webs can form. If this continues, we will have to close down!"

As he spoke, he exaggeratedly wiped the non-existent sweat on his forehead with a handkerchief to show his anxiety.

"Humph, they are openly violating the rules of the Arcane City!" A young and energetic lord of a noble family stood up suddenly, his handsome face twisted with anger. "In this Arcane City, how can a new force enter the business without paying us a visit first? Merlin, on the other hand, made such a big fuss without saying a word, totally ignoring us."

These few words completely ignited the anger of the crowd. The conference room suddenly exploded with angry accusations rising one after another.

"Why does Merlin do this? Using low prices to seize the market is simply unfair competition! We have been operating in this arcane capital for many years and have invested so much effort. How can we tolerate him doing this?" A noble lady waved the lace fan in her hand. Her exquisite makeup could not hide her anger at the moment.

"I heard that he not only manipulates the prices, but also comes up with some weird things, like 'plastic bags', and provides them to customers for free, fooling the poor people in the downtown area. If this isn't disrupting the market, what is?" A businessman with a sinister look said gritting his teeth, as if Merlin was right in front of him and he wanted to eat him alive.

"And then there's his trick at the Arcane Academy. He used the resources of the student union to hold an opening ceremony and attracted a large number of students to spend money. This is clearly using the power of the academy to suppress us legitimate businessmen." A white-haired old lord stroked his beard, shook his head and sighed, his eyes full of dissatisfaction and fear of Merlin.

"We can't just sit there and wait for death!" The old noble knocked on the table again, trying to quiet everyone down. "Merlin is pushing us into a dead end. We must unite and teach him a lesson."

"Yes, let's unite!" Everyone shouted in unison, with ferocity and determination revealed in their eyes.

"I suggest that we start with the supply chain and cut off his source of goods so that he has nothing to sell." A businessman who is good at strategy put forward his suggestion with a gloomy face.

"That's a good idea. I can also work with the Business Association to accuse him of violating business regulations and make him pay for it." An aristocrat who had close ties with the Business Association raised a sinister smile, as if he had seen Merlin's troubled look.

"We can't let the academy go either. I know a few professors in the management team. Let them cause trouble for Merlin in the academy so that he can't take care of both ends." The lord of the aristocratic family was not to be outdone and actively offered suggestions.

In this luxurious hotel conference room, this group of dignitaries who usually sit high and mighty and control the lifeline of the Arcane City felt an unprecedented threat due to the emergence of Merlin Supermarket.

They plotted angrily, attempting to use various means to strangle Merlin, the "outlier", in the cradle and regain control of the business that they believed was stolen by Merlin.

A noble with cunning eyes and wearing a dark purple satin robe tapped his fingers lightly on the table. After pondering for a moment, a hint of viciousness flashed in his eyes: "Since Merlin is so troublesome, should we start directly from his family? Isn't he from the Leo family? How about targeting the Leo family and cutting off his source of support?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's eyes were instantly focused and the conference room fell into a brief silence. Only the light from the crystal chandelier swayed on everyone's faces, reflecting different expressions.

However, before this proposal could receive widespread response, a nobleman from the Dawn Empire, whose family emblem had a golden lion, frowned and loudly retorted: "Humph, you think too simply. The Leo family has long lost its own territory, and now only has the empty title of earl. Although we have some influence in this Arcane City, the royal family knows very well. How can they easily suppress the Leo family because of our conflicts of interest? Not to mention the Leo family's past glorious military exploits and important position in the history of the empire, just talking about the current situation, the royal family still has to take the Arcane Academy into consideration!"

He paused, looked around to make sure everyone was listening, and then added in a more serious tone: "Merlin is now the most powerful student union president of the Arcane Academy. Even the vice-president has to respect him and do what he says. If we rashly touch his family, I'm afraid we will cause a big mess and easily get into trouble!"

When everyone heard this, they couldn't help but look embarrassed and started talking among themselves.

At this time, a thin businessman with a shrewd look in his eyes suddenly interrupted: "I heard that Merlin has some relationship with the dean of the Arcane Academy. If this is true, we have to think twice."

As soon as these words were spoken, the conference room suddenly exploded with exclamations and voices of doubt.

But soon, an old nobleman with rich experience and familiarity with the laws of the continent calmed down, waved his hand, and sneered, "Dean of the Arcane Academy, what's wrong with that demigod? According to the demigod agreement of the Aize continent, demigods are not allowed to directly interfere in worldly disputes. They will not personally wade into this muddy water. We don't need to be scared by this rumor."

After hearing what he said, everyone calmed down a little, but their brows were still furrowed as they racked their brains to think of ways to deal with Merlin.