Big Capitalist

Stacy immediately retorted, "How is that possible? That guy has the aura of the Ancient God Cult. What else could he be doing if not to assassinate Merlin?"

Merlin also cast a puzzled look at Yuna.

Yuna cleared her throat and said, "I think I've seen that person before."

Arthur and Carl were a little surprised when they heard this, and they all turned their eyes to Yuna.

Yuna looked at Merlin and continued to ask, "Did that person give you an invitation or something like that?"

Merlin recalled, and the image of the black-robed man throwing out an envelope emerged in his mind, but at that time he thought it was a hidden weapon, so he shot it directly.

He said uncertainly, "It seems so. By the way, isn't that a hidden weapon?"

Yuna couldn't help but roll her eyes and complained, "What kind of hidden weapon would be shaped like an envelope? Your idea is too weird."

Merlin argued unconvincedly, "Senior Yuna, you're still too young. Maybe that person coated the envelope with a deadly poison, or perhaps it contained a magical item that could bind people, and you'd be affected the moment you opened it."

Yuna looked stunned and said, "How could someone come up with such a strange and sinister idea?"

The others also echoed: "No way, who would come up with such a dirty trick? It's too vicious."

"That's right, how can a hidden weapon be made into an envelope? That's too outrageous."

Merlin's face instantly turned awkward. He had originally wanted to pull out his homemade "gadgets" from his interspatial ring, like the poisoned invitation and the gift box filled with dragon's breath potion that exploded when opened. But after hearing what they said, he coughed twice and explained, "I'm just giving you an example. Don't take it so seriously."

Yuna rolled her eyes at Merlin and continued, "Merlin, the guy you just beat up might be a guide from the Shadow Alliance."

"Shadow Alliance?"

When Merlin heard the name, information about it quickly emerged in his mind.

This is a legendary organization active in the continent of Aze. Its members are all top elites from major races and empires in the continent of Aze. It is an extremely mysterious alliance of commercial interests.

Arthur asked in surprise, "Is it the legendary Shadow Alliance? I always thought it was just a legend."

Carl looked confused: "What are you talking about, Shadow Alliance?"

Seeing this, Stacy quickly explained, "The Shadow Alliance is a legend that has long circulated throughout the Azer Continent. It's more of a guild of commerce that secretly controls everything than an alliance. I hear that everyone within it holds a pivotal position within the Azer Continent, easily able to control the economic direction of an empire or even an entire race. The most terrifying thing is that they all hide in the 'shadows,' and no one knows for sure whether the people around them are actually members of the Shadow Alliance."

Yuna nodded and continued, "My previous campaign for the president of the student union of the Arcane Academy, as well as my plans to control the economy and knowledge system of the Arcane Academy, were actually tests for the Shadow Alliance. Unfortunately, I failed in the end, and the Shadow Alliance never contacted me again. Maybe they felt that I had lost my value."

"In other words, I meet the membership requirements of the Shadow Alliance? Are they planning to let me become a member?" Merlin's face was full of surprise.

Yuna nodded and agreed, "It's obvious, Merlin. With your business acumen and your current achievements, it's no surprise that the Shadow Alliance has taken notice. There's really no problem for you to get the invitation."

Merlin frowned and said helplessly, "Can't they just follow the proper procedures and invite me properly? Sending a masked, black-robed man with a silly grin to sneak into my office in the middle of the night, who wouldn't think they were here to assassinate me?"

Stacy asked curiously, "Merlin, do you still plan to join the Shadow Alliance?"

Merlin pondered for a moment and said, "If I can gain enough benefits, it's not a bad idea to join. But I really can't fully trust a mysterious organization like the Shadow Alliance. Moreover, judging from the current situation, there seems to be a shadow of the Ancient God Cult behind them."

Of course, Merlin knew in his heart that there might be an even more terrifying ancient god behind the so-called Shadow Alliance, and he had no intention of telling the group of people in front of him.

When everyone left one after another, Merlin was the only one left in the room.

He lay tiredly on the soft big bed. After a while, Selene in a loli-style appeared beside him like a phantom.

Selene said solemnly, "Merlin, you must pay extra attention to this Shadow Alliance. I never imagined that the Shadow Monarch, who had vanished without a trace since the last God War, would reappear. The gods all thought he was dead."

"Is the Shadow Lord very powerful?" Merlin asked curiously.

Selene nodded slightly and said in a serious tone, "Among all the ancient gods, the Shadow Lord is one of the strongest. In a one-on-one duel, with the exception of the God of War, other gods would be in a difficult fight against the Shadow Lord, and even risk being completely killed."

Merlin's mouth dropped open in surprise. "So powerful! Then why did you all think he died in the War of Gods?"

Selene sighed softly and spoke slowly, "The Shadow Monarch's 'death' was the result of a joint ambush by the gods. At the time, four gods joined forces to ambush the Shadow Monarch, even sacrificing the mountain god to finally 'completely kill' him. However, it now appears that all this was just an illusion. The Shadow Monarch wasn't dead at all, but instead, he feigned his own death through the ambush and remained hidden on the continent of Azer. By then, the War of Gods was nearing its end, and the ultimate victors were the gods of Azer. Most of the ancient gods were slain, with only a few exceptionally powerful ones being banished to distant lands or sealed away."

Merlin gently stroked his chin and said thoughtfully, "This Shadow Lord is really calculating. This is clearly a golden cicada escaping from its shell. He is really clever. Moreover, he has been hiding in the Aize Continent for so many years, and he has even quietly established a huge Shadow Alliance. His scheming is simply unfathomable."

Selene's expression became more and more solemn. She bit her lip lightly and said, "Although it is still unclear what the Shadow Lord is planning, it is certain that it will not be a good thing. First, the Lord of Plague made small moves in secret, then the Lord of Flesh and Blood also showed up, and now even the Lord of Shadow has appeared. These situations one after another are like the omen before the coming of a storm. There is a depressing feeling that a storm is about to come."

Merlin nodded silently. The atmosphere in the room became increasingly heavy due to the conversation between the two, as if a huge crisis was slowly enveloping the continent of Aize.