My inventory is full of monster materials.

"Don't even think about living—hahaha!!"

Instead of getting angry, Mark laughed, his laughter growing increasingly manic. The next second, his expression suddenly tightened, and he forcefully overturned the mahogany round table in front of him.

Bang~

The heavy round table spun one and a half times in the air before slamming heavily onto the ground with a loud "smack," like a resounding slap across Zefer's face.

Such a huge commotion instantly startled everyone in the hall, including staff, apprentice monks, and fully-fledged monks, all of whom looked in astonishment toward the source of the sound.

Mark, the instigator, showed no elegance or composure whatsoever. Like a street thug, he held up the agreement and shouted his complaint.

"This is fraud! In broad daylight, under the clear sky, someone dares to cheat and swindle in the hall of the Mage's Association! Where is justice? Where is the law?"

Then, everyone in the hall heard Mark shouting words like "Holy Emblem," "300 Gold Coins," "Agreement Change," and "Tampering with Terms."

Zeffer remained seated, utterly surprised that Mark would cause trouble in public. The murderous intent in his eyes intensified, and the magic in his palm seemed almost tangible, but he had to suppress it due to the presence of so many onlookers.

"Zeff O'Connor is a fraud! He cheated me, his new apprentice!"

Mark continued to deliberately amplify his voice to attract more attention.

This was not a decision Mark made on impulse, but rather after careful consideration.

If you can't solve the problem yourself, then expose the conflict completely and use public attention and pressure to fight for an opportunity for equal confrontation.

Of course, Mark dared to do this because he had indeed been deceived by Zeffer.

Sure enough, within moments, dozens of onlookers gathered in the lobby on the first floor, discussing the matter in small groups.

Even on the second-floor corridor, there were many monks dressed in blue robes, leaning against the railings and watching the show from above.

The onlookers gradually pieced together the complete story.

A certified mage of the association, through some means, tricked a new apprentice into signing a purchase agreement for a holy emblem worth 300 gold coins.

However, people didn't pay much attention to the "scam" itself; instead, they all focused on the number "300 gold coins".

"I remember the normal price of a Holy Emblem is around 150 gold coins, 300 is outrageous!"

"There's a lot more to this than meets the eye."

"What's all this talk about being 'deep'? To put it bluntly, someone is using their official mage status to resell association badges for profit!"

...

However, the public's discussion was only brief; no one dared to truly stand up and criticize a formal monk, and no one wanted to play the hero.

But things soon took a turn for the better, as two tall figures walked out from the inside of the hall.

Both men were dressed in pure black law enforcement robes.

On the left, the enforcer, Dalton, was about forty years old. He had a resolute face and sharp, piercing eyes. As soon as his gaze swept over them, the surrounding chatter instantly subsided by more than half.

The enforcer on the right, Caleb, is relatively young, around twenty years old, with a cold and stern face, rarely smiling, and exuding an aura that keeps strangers at bay.

The two law enforcement officers walked straight up to Mark. The older one, Dalton, spoke first, his voice carrying an undeniable authority.

"Who are you? Why are you causing trouble in the association's lobby!"

Mark, as if he had seen a savior, burst into tears and cried out.

"My lord! I am Mark, a newly recruited mage apprentice of the association, and I want to report Mage Zefer."

"He used illegal means to secretly modify the terms of the agreement and tricked me into signing an agreement to purchase the expensive Holy Emblem."

The two law enforcement officers looked in the direction Mark was pointing, and Zeffer slowly got up from his seat and walked over, speaking in a flippant tone.

"Oh? Is that so?"

"This is the evidence!"

Mark immediately handed the agreement to the law enforcement officers.

"Sir, look, he tampered with the 'purchase qualification' terms, causing my payment condition to change to 300 gold coins."

The older Dalton took the agreement, flicked his fingertips, and cast a "detection spell," but the paper did not react.

At this moment, the young Caleb turned to look at Zeffer and said in a serious tone.

"Let's take a look at your agreement as well."

"Please go ahead."

Zefer's smile remained unchanged as he took out his own agreement and handed it over.

Caleb also cast "detection magic," but the result was the same; the paper showed no unusual reaction.

Seeing this, Mark's heart sank instantly.

Zeffer must have been prepared; the agreement was specially processed. It's impossible to use this evidence to convict him of fraud now.

Just then, the older Dalton's gaze sharpened as he stared at the agreement in his hand, his tone tinged with skepticism.

"Zeff, this agreement you've submitted isn't the association's latest template. The new template removed the 'Official Mage of Sergei City,' so your agreement isn't quite compliant."

However, Zefer smiled dismissively, waved his hand, and said in a disdainful tone.

"That's not the point at all."

Zefer strode past Mark and the two enforcers to the front of the hall, facing the assembled mages and apprentices. He clasped his hands together, striking a passionate "fighting" pose.

"Everyone! Think about this carefully. These foreign mages, simply by registering their names with the Sergig City Association, are entitled to recommendations for Holy Emblems. What makes them so special?!"

Zeffer paused, his voice filled with deliberately inflamed anger.

"Each Holy Emblem is the result of the painstaking efforts of the Guild Master and his predecessors, who painstakingly extracted divine power from the Magic Network and condensed it bit by bit!"

"But those stinking beggars from out of town can just freely use the resources of our Sergei City Association, why should they?!"

With just a few words, Zefer stirred up the emotions of the surrounding crowd, and public opinion gradually shifted.

Mark's heart skipped a beat.

He had hoped that the conflict would be exposed and attract public attention, but he did not expect Zefer to be so cunning as to take the opportunity to steer the topic to the issue of political stance.

Sure enough, the surrounding discussions immediately took a turn for the worse, with the criticism turning against Mark.

"This person is so fair-skinned, he's obviously not a local."

"His advisor is from out of town, so he'll eventually be left behind."

"The association's resources will definitely be prioritized to support local Dharma apprentices."

"They should charge more."

...

Faced with overwhelming accusations, the two law enforcement officers looked embarrassed and could only lower their heads in silence.

Mark was furious and trembling slightly.

So what if he's from out of town!

If the locals are so capable, why don't they just weld their own doors shut, enjoying the wealth brought by others while turning around and despising and exploiting them?

Disgusting! Disgusting!

Mark's spirits reached their peak with the fluctuations of his emotions.

Suddenly, a phantom light screen popped up in front of me.

The moment Mark saw the content on the screen, his emotions were instantly calmed, his turmoil subsided, and a gentle smile returned to his lips. Even the overwhelming public opinion seemed pleasant and soothing.

But just then, an angry voice suddenly came from the entrance of the hall, echoing throughout the entire hall.

"Nonsense!"

Everyone looked toward the doorway.

A sprightly old man, with his hands behind his back, slowly stepped into the hall.

The old man's gaze slowly swept across the entire room, his voice deep and powerful, carrying an aura of authority that penetrated to the core.

"So, according to you, I'm also a beggar from out of town!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire room fell silent. No one dared to speak, and even their breathing became cautious.

Immediately, another figure darted out from behind the old man—a platinum bachelor's robe, gold-rimmed glasses, and an elegant demeanor—it was none other than Dylan!

Dylan spotted Mark in the crowd at a glance, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.

"Mark, what brings you here!"