Chapter 45

As the old butler spoke, he sighed again. For the Gilded Rose, which had just recovered its vitality, this was a devastating blow. If it had only been the Frostwolf Mercenary Group, it would have been easier to deal with, but there were at least ten mercenary groups that usually cooperated with the Gilded Rose. Now, all of them claimed to have sold their magical materials to others, which was no joke. This was equivalent to directly cutting off the Gilded Rose's source of magical materials.

As an alchemy shop, if it lost its source of magical materials, it would truly be on a dead-end path. No matter how skilled the alchemist or how miraculous the alchemy, it was impossible to create alchemical items out of thin air. If a new source of magical materials could not be found, no matter how much the Gilded Rose struggled, it would ultimately face bankruptcy.

"Perhaps I should go out tomorrow and think of a way to find a new source of magical materials," the old butler thought, but he could not come up with a good solution. In the end, he decided to go out the next day to contact some lower-level mercenary groups, hoping to gather enough magical materials to get through the current crisis by contacting more of them.

"No need..." Lin Yun shook his head. The old butler's idea was clear to him, but lower-level mercenary groups were usually small teams of a few people, capable of completing tasks worth only a few hundred gold coins. It was unrealistic to expect to obtain a large amount of magical materials from such tasks. Even if the old butler had good luck and could contact a dozen or so groups, the amount of magical materials they could gather would likely be less than what the Frostwolf Mercenary Group could provide.

Such a small amount of magical materials was far from enough for the Gilded Rose. Relying solely on these lower-level mercenary groups was definitely not feasible. Even the original Frostwolf Mercenary Group was not satisfactory to Lin Yun. After the Gilded Rose grew and expanded, it needed a new supplier of magical materials.

As for who this new supplier would be...

Lin Yun had already had some ideas during the Black Horn Auction, but since the matter was not yet settled, he had not told the old butler.

Today's incident with the Frostwolf Mercenary Group gave Lin Yun an opportunity.

"You don't need to worry about this. I will go out tomorrow to find a new supplier of magical materials for the Gilded Rose."

"Do you want me to go with you?" The old butler was still a bit uneasy. Today's incident made it clear that someone was targeting the Gilded Rose. Even the Frostwolf Mercenary Group, which had always cooperated well, had turned against them. Finding a new supplier of magical materials would not be a simple matter.

"No, no, you can just stay and watch the shop..." After seeing the old butler off, Lin Yun returned to the alchemy laboratory.

Early the next morning, Lin Yun went to Lion King Street in the southern part of the city.

Just as Triumph Street belonged to the Mage Guild, Lion King Street was the domain of mercenary groups. Seven of the top ten mercenary groups in Thousand Sails City had their headquarters on Lion King Street, including the top-ranked Silver Moon Mercenary Group.

Today, Lin Yun was looking for the Silver Moon Mercenary Group.

The person who received Lin Yun was a deputy leader named Marco.

Given Lin Yun's current status, it was already a high honor for the Silver Moon Mercenary Group to send a deputy leader to receive him. For a regular mage, even a deputy squad leader would be a good reception.

However, Lin Yun was not there to see a deputy leader. The matter he wanted to discuss was something a deputy leader could not decide. After some polite conversation, Lin Yun requested to speak with Leader Sas.

Upon hearing this, Marco's face immediately fell...

To be honest, it was not entirely Marco's fault for reacting so quickly.

You, a young mage in your twenties with no background or connections, running a small alchemy shop, being received by a deputy leader was already a favor to your deceased father. And you want to speak with Leader Sas?

Is Leader Sas someone you can just see? Even top figures in Thousand Sails City, like Munchi from the Twin Moons Chamber of Commerce and Sos from the Viper's Nest, would need to make an appointment to see Leader Sas.

"Leader Sas is not available," the deputy leader said, his tone no longer as polite.

However, Lin Yun did not get angry. He just smiled and said softly, "It's about the Ghost Potion."

"Leader Sas is not available. What about the Ghost Potion?" Marco glanced at Lin Yun impatiently, about to say something harsh and dismiss the young mage, when he suddenly realized he had heard "Ghost Potion"...

Damn, it was the Ghost Potion!

Marco was so startled that he almost bit his tongue.

"Ghost... Ghost Potion, Mage Merlin, you just said... you said the Ghost Potion?"

"Yes, the Ghost Potion."

"Excuse me, I need to step out for a moment." The deputy leader confirmed he had not heard wrong and stood up without another word, leaving the reception room.

Then, Sas arrived...

Lin Yun's conversation with Sas lasted only ten minutes.

Ten minutes later, Lin Yun left the headquarters of the Silver Moon Mercenary Group and returned to the Gilded Rose without the old butler even knowing he had gone to the Silver Moon Mercenary Group.

But those ten minutes quickly caused a shockwave in Thousand Sails City.

The next day, Sas publicly announced two things.

First, the Silver Moon Mercenary Group would advance into the Razor Cleft next month to eliminate the Rock Trolls that had been entrenched there for over a century, reopening the golden trade route between Thousand Sails City and Angel's Coast.

Second, the Silver Moon Mercenary Group and the Gilded Rose would formally establish a cooperative relationship, involving several areas, including the supply of magical materials, the procurement of alchemical items, the sharing of various technologies, and even the formation of a joint armed caravan.

These two decisions by Sas immediately stunned the entire Thousand Sails City...

Eliminating the Rock Trolls was one thing. This was a task that all chambers of commerce in Thousand Sails City had been offering a bounty for over a century. Over the past decade, as the Silver Moon Mercenary Group gradually rose to the top of Thousand Sails City, many people had already anticipated that they would eventually advance into the Razor Cleft.

Completing this century-old bounty would undoubtedly elevate the Silver Moon Mercenary Group's reputation to new heights, potentially even making them one of the top mercenary groups in the kingdom.

While this decision was somewhat hasty, it was still within expectations.

However, the second decision left many people puzzled...

Why would the prestigious Silver Moon Mercenary Group choose to partner with an alchemy shop?

Even if the alchemy shop's predecessor was the renowned Flash Gold Chamber of Commerce, that was just its predecessor. What did the current Gilded Rose have left? An old man, a young boy, four alchemists, and a few dozen alchemy apprentices—that was all the Gilded Rose had. What made them worthy of becoming partners with the Silver Moon Mercenary Group?

Moreover, in such a close partnership...

This was almost like tying the Silver Moon Mercenary Group and the Gilded Rose together.

Anyone who dared to target the Gilded Rose in the future would have to consider the reaction of the Silver Moon Mercenary Group.

Actually, some people were already considering this.

One of them was the leader of the Frostwolf Mercenary Group, Anjie...

The headquarters of the Frostwolf Mercenary Group was also on Lion King Street in the southern part of the city. The news of the Silver Moon Mercenary Group's partnership with the Gilded Rose reached Anjie almost immediately.

Then, Anjie's face turned pale...

Why would the Gilded Rose seek out the Silver Moon Mercenary Group? Anjie knew the reason better than anyone else. It was because the Frostwolf Mercenary Group had cut off the Gilded Rose's supply of magical materials...

Originally, the cooperation between the Frostwolf Mercenary Group and the Gilded Rose had been relatively pleasant. However, a few days ago, a powerful figure approached Anjie, asking him to cut off the Gilded Rose's supply of magical materials and offering a substantial reward. Anjie did not think much about it and readily agreed.

First, the reward offered was indeed substantial. Mercenaries risked their lives for more gold. If someone offered gold, why refuse?

Besides, the Gilded Rose was not an untouchable customer...

If it had been in the past, Anjie might have thought twice, considering the influence of the Flash Gold Chamber of Commerce.

But now, it was different. Rog Merlin was dead, and the Flash Gold Chamber of Commerce had fallen. Only a son and a butler remained. Even if he broke the contract, who would dare to stand up for them?

So, Anjie did not hesitate and cut off the Gilded Rose's supply of magical materials.

The result was disastrous...

No one expected the Gilded Rose to seek out the Silver Moon Mercenary Group, and for the Silver Moon Mercenary Group to form a partnership with them. This was a huge joke...

Sas was known as the King of Mercenaries in Thousand Sails City, with a reputation among mercenaries that was unimaginable for most people. If Sas spoke, the Frostwolf Mercenary Group would immediately become the public enemy of all mercenaries in Thousand Sails City, and even the mercenaries of the Frostwolf Mercenary Group would turn against Anjie.

Thinking about this, Anjie's face turned pale...

What should he do...