Mystic Overlord: Reading Gives Strength
Chapter 181 - 180 Flexible Choices

Chapter 181: Chapter 180 Flexible Choices

"Thwack!" Ronald sprang up from his chair.

He was about to dash out of the room and hurry downstairs to the hall where the incident had occurred.

At this moment, the situation was clear.

After Ronald and Everton left the exhibition hall, the opportunist Hansen naturally wouldn’t miss such a godsent chance and was bound to break free, escaping outward.

The regular guards were still tied to chairs, with only two doorkeepers who certainly could not match Hansen.

As a result, the fellow had successfully escaped.

He had never fully removed the spell; the small amount of black fog hidden in his hand was about to be released, storming down the hall in an attempt to hinder what was happening there.

However, just as Ronald was about to act in the next second,

Everton, who had been sitting motionless and calm, suddenly spoke in a matter-of-fact tone,

"Mr. Ronald, please, don’t rush."

"Sit down."

"..."

His figure hesitated on the spot, and after a few seconds Ronald spoke again,

"If I heard correctly."

"Do you mean..."

"to give up stopping Hansen from escaping right now?"

He couldn’t understand Everton’s move at all. At that moment in the office, with only the two of them, Ronald asked more directly,

"Mr. Everton, what exactly do you mean?"

"If I’m not mistaken, something quite unpleasant must be happening downstairs right now,—don’t you also think that Hansen stole the unicorn’s horn and is also the murderer of Kevin?"

Yet, facing Ronald’s inquiries, the businessman’s expression remained mostly unchanged.

After taking a drag of his cigarette, Everton suddenly smiled shaking his head,

"Mr. Ronald, actually..."

"The reason I invited you up here to sit and rest was to let Hansen escape sooner. If you and I were both there, how could he have possibly escaped?"

"..."

Ronald raised his eyebrows, his eyes clearly showing his confusion.

Knowing that Hansen was the chief culprit, yet Everton not only didn’t capture him directly but also created conditions favorable for his escape.

What in the world did that mean?

Was he not interested in the unicorn’s horn,

or did he have some unspeakable secret with Hansen?

At that moment, Everton, sitting in the chair, pointed his finger at the chair Ronald had been sitting in, inviting him cheerfully,

"Come, Mr. Ronald."

"Please take a seat first. As for the key point of this matter..."

"May I ask you a question?"

Ronald remained puzzled, but nodded in agreement,

"Of course."

"To be honest, I’m quite curious now myself."

With a satisfied smile on his face, Everton then posed his question,

"Mr. Ronald, what do you think is the status and role of a merchant like me who joins the ’Ginkgo Leaf Business Alliance’?"

Without much thought, Ronald promptly replied,

"You’d likely be considered a member or perhaps a shareholder directly involved in managing the enterprise?"

"That’s correct," Everton clapped his hands appreciatively and then continued to elaborate, "I am one of the main participants in the alliance, and my purpose in coming to this city was to expand new markets for the ’Ginkgo Leaf Business Alliance’."

"Therefore, all the activities I’ve launched in Burlingwich revolve around the most important and central purpose: promoting the economic strength of our alliance."

"This exhibition set up on the outskirts is naturally an event aimed at this very goal."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Ronald somewhat understood.

Still furrowing his brow, he tentatively asked,

"So your plan is to leverage Hansen’s betrayal and create some narrative now that the unicorn’s horn is already gone?"

Clap clap clap—

After clapping multiple times, Everton immediately praised him:

"Mr. Ronald, you indeed have a natural talent for business!"

After completing this gesture, the merchant continued to explain:

"Though Hansen is an idiot and always greedy, based on my understanding of him, after betraying the trade alliance, his actions would definitely not slow down."

"Now, the unicorn’s horn has probably been secretly transported somewhere unknown in these five days!"

However, having said that,

although Everton’s expression was brimming with confidence, his eyes unavoidably darkened:

"In such a situation, retrieving the unicorn’s horn is no longer possible, whether Hansen is captured or not."

Ronald nodded in agreement.

Indeed, as Everton had said, even if Hansen were caught and revealed who bought the goods, it would still be difficult to retrieve the unicorn’s horn. The other party could simply pull a few tricks and settle the matter.

Seeing Ronald’s expression, Everton naturally knew what the man in front of him was thinking.

His tone shifted, and a cold expression emerged on the merchant’s face.

Then he continued:

"However, since Hansen did such a thing, he must pay a price."

"With the unicorn’s horn gone, our ’Ginkgo Leaf Trade Alliance’ cannot halt its propaganda efforts. An irretrievable failure must be dealt with by maximizing its remaining value."

At this point, Everton looked somewhat triumphant.

Standing up from his chair, he made some gestures in the air with both hands as he continued:

"If it were just a crucial exhibit stolen, coupled with an insider’s betrayal, it would appear to outsiders as a very poor incident for our ’Ginkgo Leaf Trade Alliance’."

"Not to mention losing face, but also actually losing the merchandise."

"Absolutely not in line with our purpose in promoting the trade union."

"However..."

Walking to the center of the office while explaining to Ronald, the merchant stopped.

Intentionally or not, he just happened to stand on the spot where Kevin’s body had previously fallen. Then, he continued:

"However, think about it, we can approach this matter from a different angle."

"The exhibition’s setup is just a means, not an end."

"The difference lies solely in how we use these means!"

"A traitor appears within the ’Ginkgo Leaf Trade Alliance’, steals and sells a precious item, and after some time, our trade alliance successfully captures this traitor and imposes a terrifying punishment."

"What do you think about this?"

"..."

Ronald’s expression was subtly ambivalent, and he did not answer.

However, Everton did not mind and quickly continued:

"If things turn out this way, it would both demonstrate our trade alliance’s capability and tell people that ’Ginkgo Leaf’ is a powerful organization."

"A complete and utter failure."

"Compared with an outcome that can restore reputation and allows continued propaganda."

"Mr. Ronald, which do you think I would choose?"

"..."

Ronald remained silent for a long time before finally speaking with complex emotions:

"Mr. Everton, you truly are an incorrigible businessman."

Everton smiled carelessly:

"Of course."

"I am from the major trade union in Spring, one of the key participants in the ’Ginkgo Leaf Trade Alliance’!"