The Rich Cultivator
Chapter 199. Visiting the Guild

Chapter 199: 199. Visiting the Guild

The Woodcutter Association had humble beginnings, first founded by an ordinary woodcutter. His days were spent chopping wood in the dense forests of the Cedar Islands, making an honest but meager living. One fateful day, as he swung his axe, it slipped from his grasp and tumbled into the river. Devastated and without the tools to continue his work, the woodcutter fell to his knees and began praying to the lake god, hoping for a miracle.

But instead of divine intervention, something far darker surfaced from the depths—a Demon, or more precisely, an Abyss Demon. This creature had escaped from the clutches of the Northern Hunters and sought refuge in the quiet waters of the lake. It was gravely wounded, barely clinging to life, having fled its pursuers to this secluded spot. As it surfaced, its breath labored, the woodcutter’s axe—by some twist of fate—cut through the air and struck the final blow, ending the demon’s suffering in one fell swoop.

The woodcutter, astonished by what had just happened, saw opportunity in the demon’s demise. He gathered the remains of the Abyss Demon and sold them in the black markets. The sale of such rare and powerful materials made him rich overnight. Flush with wealth and eager to cement his new status, the woodcutter invested all his money into expanding his business, cutting down forests and selling the finest cedar wood to the Northern Islands and beyond. He soon married a beautiful woman, his life transformed beyond his wildest dreams.

However, as his wealth and power grew, so did his ruthlessness. The once kind and humble man became cold, calculating, and vicious in his pursuit of dominance. Competitors in the lumber trade began to fall—one by one. Their businesses went bankrupt under mysterious circumstances, or their ships filled with goods were raided by pirates. The rumors spread quickly—everyone knew the Woodcutter Association was behind these acts of sabotage and piracy, but no one dared confront them. They had become too powerful, too entrenched in the economy of the Cedar Islands.

Today, something unusual stirred on Cedar Island. A new merchant group from overseas had announced its intention to start a cedar wood business, which instantly became the talk of the town.

"Oh no... Another one is going to go bankrupt," a local merchant muttered, shaking his head.

"Think they’ll last even a month?" another scoffed, clearly not expecting much.

The rumor mill on Cedar Island buzzed with chatter, and the general consensus was that no one survived long when competing with the Woodcutter Association. The newcomer was expected to crumble just like those who had tried before.

What the locals didn’t know was that the mastermind behind this new venture was none other than Tyler, who had deliberately ignored the whispers as he made his way to the Adventure Guild, accompanied by Lily.

As they approached the entrance, murmurs followed them like shadows.

"Hey, isn’t that the girl who was asking about the Redwood family?" one of the guild staff whispered, nudging a coworker.

"How are they still alive after poking around like that?" another added in disbelief.

Despite the stares and hushed gossip, Lily remained unbothered, her expression calm and composed. She stepped up to the receptionist, her gaze piercing. "I’m here for the information we requested."

The receptionist, visibly nervous, stammered, "W-we need some time to arrange that. Please wait."

Without a word, Tyler and Lily moved to the waiting area and sat down. There was no sense of urgency or impatience in their demeanor, though the room was thick with tension.

Meanwhile, the receptionist hurried to the Guild Master’s office. Before entering, he saw someone delivering a glass of juice to the Guild Master. Taking it upon himself, the receptionist grabbed the tray and entered the room, presenting the drink to his superior.

The Guild Master was a rotund, bald man, his wide form practically sinking into the plush chair. He took a sip of the juice, then looked up with irritation at the messenger.

"They failed to kill those little brats?" he asked, scowling. "Where are they now?"

"They’re waiting downstairs for the information, sir," the receptionist replied, his voice strained.

The Guild Master sighed, rolling his eyes. "Just give them some fabricated nonsense. I doubt they’ll survive much longer anyway. Escaping one assassination attempt doesn’t mean they’re worth the effort," he said dismissively, waving his hand while taking another sip of juice.

The receptionist nodded but didn’t move to leave. Something felt off about his behavior—his eyes were unfocused, his posture unnaturally stiff.

"Why are you still standing there?" the Guild Master barked. "Anything else to report?"

"Four," the receptionist said, his voice eerily monotone.

The Guild Master blinked, confused. "Four? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Three," the receptionist continued, his eyes now completely blank.

A cold shiver crawled down the Guild Master’s spine as dread began to settle in. He stood up from his chair, but his body betrayed him. His limbs grew heavy, his movements sluggish.

"Two... one..." the receptionist finished, just as the Guild Master collapsed back into his seat, paralyzed.

"P-poison?" the Guild Master choked out, his eyes wide with fear. His muscles twitched as the realization hit him.

Suddenly, a face popped out from the back of the receptionist’s head—Mana, her mischievous grin unmistakable. "Special product of our dear Mathilda," she said sweetly, her voice laced with playful menace. In a blink, she disappeared back into the receptionist, fully taking control again.

Without skipping a beat, the receptionist—now under Mana’s control—opened the door to let Tyler and Lily into the room. The Guild Master, now completely at their mercy, could only watch in horror as they entered.

Tyler glanced at the immobilized Guild Master, then at Mana with a bemused smile. "Nice job, Mana."

Lily walked forward, crossing her arms as she assessed the situation. "You know, we would’ve preferred it if you just told us the truth from the start," she said coolly.

Tyler nodded in agreement, leaning casually against the desk. "Now, you’ve got two options. You can give us the real information we came for, or... well, we’ll let poison do the rest of the talking." He gestured to the quivering Guild Master, whose sweat now poured in rivers down his face.

The Guild Master tried to speak, but his voice was nothing more than a raspy wheeze.

Lily held up a small vial of antidote, twirling it between her fingers. "This can fix you up. But first, we need to know everything about the Redwood family and the Woodcutter Association. No more lies. Also why did you send assassination after us?."

Tyler leaned in slightly, his eyes darkening with intensity. "Your move."

Faced with no other choice, the Guild Master blinked rapidly, signaling his compliance. Mana, still controlling the receptionist’s body, chuckled. "Good boy," she teased.

Lily uncorked the vial, letting a single drop of the antidote fall into the Guild Master’s mouth. The paralysis slowly began to lift, though his limbs remained weak.

Between gasping breaths, the Guild Master began spilling the truth. "We... we really don’t know why the Woodcutter Association targeted the Redwood family. They paid us to eliminate anyone asking questions about them. It was all... a misunderstanding. Please, don’t kill me."

Suddenly, the receptionist, whom Mana had been possessing, collapsed onto the floor as Mana floated back into the air, her usual mischievous grin back is no where to be seen.

"Is she alright?" Tyler asked, glancing at mana.

Lily tilted her head thoughtfully. "Let’s see," she replied, then turned to Mana. "Mana, if you had 10 fried fish and had to share them with five people, how many would you have left?"

Without missing a beat, Mana replied, "Ten."

Tyler smirked, whispering to Lily, "Well, that sounds about right."

Tyler then placed some documents in front of weak guild master.

"Wait, let me make sure," Lily said, raising a brow as she continued her questioning. "But what if those five people tried to force you to share your food?"

Tyler sighed, bemused. "Seriously, what’s with these questions?"

Mana’s response was swift and without hesitation. "Ten fried fish and five dead bodies."

"Yup, she’s perfectly fine," Lily confirmed with a nod, as if that settled everything.

The Guild Master, still pale and trembling, finally spoke up. "What... what is this?"

"Probably Lily trying to ease Mana’s mood?" Tyler said.

"Not that. This..." The Guild Master asked, looking down at the documents Tyler had just placed in front of him.

Tyler gave him a calm, almost disarming smile. "Oh, this?" he gestured to the papers. "These are just some documents stating that I’m buying your guild."

The Guild Master’s eyes widened in shock. "What?! You can’t just—"

Tyler cut him off, still smiling. "Oh, I can. Don’t worry, I will pay you full. You will be just bedridden untill we deal with bigger fishes."

Lily chuckled. "Don’t worry. It’ll be painless... for you, at least."

Mana, still floating nearby, giggled. "And I’ll keep all my fried fish."

Tyler turned to the Guild Master, his voice taking on a sharper edge. "Now, sign."