Mystic Overlord: Reading Gives Strength
Chapter 368 - 367: The Man Who Disturbed the Chamber of Commerce

Chapter 368: Chapter 367: The Man Who Disturbed the Chamber of Commerce

"Be prepared..."

After bidding farewell to Haloiys, Ronald had seriously pondered this question during work over the next two days.

However, his ultimate conclusion was that there seemed to be nothing special to prepare for?

If he made overt preparations, a woman of the countess’s stature, who was long accustomed to being courted, would surely see through it, and that would negate the intended effect.

And if it was just a perfunctory effort, it would be useless.

So, it might be better to let things take their natural course. After all, Ronald’s own status was substantial enough; introducing Haloiys to the other party would essentially be a straightforward matter.

"The best way to avoid mistakes is to do nothing?"

"..."

Seated in his office, Ronald was muttering to himself while continuing to flip through the book in front of him.

Although he had decided to help Haloiys, he had no intention of neglecting his own affairs.

Continuous and extensive reading helped Ronald increasingly understand the world and was also beneficial to his development in all aspects.

However, as the afternoon approached, Ronald’s keen sense of hearing detected a noisy argument coming from outside.

"What’s the matter with you, thinking you can just come in whenever you want?"

"I don’t have time for those niceties now; let me in, I have important news for the higher-ups!"

"Stop right there! Where are you from? State your identity first!"

"I’ve told you, it’s urgent, I accidentally lost my identification plaque on the way here!"

"You... can’t you distinguish the severity and urgency of situations!"

"My duty is to guard, so don’t even think about getting through!"

"Make another move, and I’ll call the patrol officers!"

"..."

What’s going on?

Disturbed by this sudden commotion while still reading, Ronald raised an eyebrow.

He covered his yet uneaten second lunch with a lid and stepped towards the window where the noise was coming from.

This was the backyard of the "Ginkgo Leaf Commerce Alliance."

Crossing a courtyard where flowers and plants were cultivated, one would arrive at the formal office building of the commerce association.

During normal times, although the gates to the headquarters of the Commerce Alliance were open, security ensured that no unauthorized personnel entered the backyard.

But today’s security...

Ronald’s gaze fell upon a group of uniformed staff at the entrance.

He immediately saw the two people who were arguing.

Among them, the guard naturally belonged to the commerce association staff, and the one opposing them, wanting to enter the backyard, was a middle-aged man dressed for long-distance travel, looking somewhat disheveled but with an air of resolve.

His hair was a bit messy, and his clothes bore traces of soil, while his exhausted face was filled with anxiety.

"..."

Ronald’s brow furrowed slightly; this man didn’t look like he was here to cause trouble.

"Its name is Styx,

Black water flows down, reaching the dark and steep cliffs below.

..."

Muttering the incantation softly, Ronald immediately used the ’Fury’ to confirm the emotional state of the individual.

Anxiety, urgency, concern, and nervousness regarding the current situation.

Absolutely no hatred towards the commerce association.

Truly not the mindset of someone deliberately causing trouble.

With that conclusion, Ronald said nothing more and jumped out of the window.

His feet landed firmly on the ground, and he immediately approached the man who had been stopped:

"Let’s stop the argument for now and talk about what’s going on."

"Oh? You... Mr. Ronald!"

Hearing Ronald’s voice, the guard, realizing the identity of the person before him, knew what he had to do and stood aside without another word.

The middle-aged man being held up looked up, and when he clearly saw the person before him, his expression instantly became one of excitement:

"Fury, you must be Mr. Fury!"

Fury nodded slightly:

"Yes, that’s correct, but may I ask who you are...?"

The middle-aged man immediately replied:

"Mr. Fury, I am an employee of the trading company in other cities. I’ve come to find Springs to deliver the news of the last investigation, and..."

At this point, the man suddenly stopped.

His gaze shifted subtly towards the nearby guard, his expression filled with unconcealable concern.

It’s not convenient to speak in front of the guard...

Realizing this, Fury immediately instructed the guard to let them through, then led the middle-aged man back to his office.

Once the two were seated, Fury extended his hand and proffered an invitation:

"If I’m not mistaken, the investigation you mentioned should be the one I entrusted to the trading company."

"Can we speak now?"

Looking at Fury, the middle-aged man’s lips quivered slightly.

Taking a deep breath to compose himself, he finally began to speak:

"Yes, I’ve brought the results of the investigation into your hometown."

"The results indicate that everything is fine there, and the trading company personnel in charge of the investigation have safely returned to the city."

"However..."

At this point, the man’s eyes betrayed an intense pain, and even the knuckles of his clasped hands began to turn white.

Seeing his condition, Fury quickly asked:

"Did something go wrong after that?"

"Logically speaking, if the investigation results are normal, there shouldn’t be any problems—you would just need to report the results to me!"

"..."

Silence.

The man’s first reaction was silence.

After several controlled breaths, he spoke as if it took all his strength:

"They’re dead, all of them are dead!"

"Platinum, Cage, Lator—the ones who went to investigate your hometown, they’re all dead!"

"And they died in a way that we can’t fathom!"

"..."

Hearing this, Fury’s already furrowed brows deepened even more.

He knew there were problems in his hometown, and the fact that these issues could elude the Investigation Bureau’s scrutiny meant that the situation was complicated.

But as for the trading company...

According to the feedback, the results should have been that they had successfully kept it under wraps.

But why then, were the investigators allowed to die afterward?

"Your hometown."

As Fury pondered with furrowed brows, the middle-aged man’s voice grew steadier, and he began to explain the situation systematically:

"Here’s what happened..."

"The day after they left your hometown and returned to the city area, our people successfully rendezvoused with them and then arranged for their return to Springs."

"But it was on the train leaving Bärenwidge."

"Platinum choked on water, which lodged in his windpipe, then he turned over and fell onto the tracks where his head was crushed by the train; when getting off the train, Cage was carrying Platinum’s body but fell in a somersault to the ground and ended up dead too!"

"He was a Caster who had magically enhanced his own body!"

"..."

This sounds like something straight out of "Final Destination," doesn’t it?

Listening to the man’s description, Fury roughly understood the situation.

After comforting him for a few moments and seeing that the man had completely calmed down, Fury continued to ask:

"Now, tell me about the last one."

"What was the outcome for that Lator?"