Chapter 362: No Retreat in a Hard Battle

"Nine Heavens (title)"

"Don't be so modest!" Old Wang gave a thumbs up: "You're also a major investor in the Ocean Chamber of Commerce, wielding influence there that even rivals its president. Aurora City's main industry is ultimately maritime trade—whoever controls the sea resources truly rules Aurora City. Even from the League of Blades' perspective, you're an honorary master smith at their vocational center. So whether in seniority or qualifications, you far surpass that appointed city lord. Old Lei has no interest in the position, and the council wouldn't approve him anyway. If even you aren't qualified, then who is?"

When humans and the Sea People engage in trade, they clearly need platforms to establish norms and mediate interactions. The League of Blades has many such chambers, but the Ocean Chamber of Commerce is undoubtedly one of the largest, fastest-growing, and most influential. In most coastal cities, chambers like this already hold status equal to city lords—Aurora City is no exception. Clara of the Golden Shell Auction House dominates half the maritime trade, while the Ocean Chamber of Commerce controls the other half. Both are honored guests of Aurora City's successive city lords. Of course, this is just within Aurora City. Zooming out to the entire southeastern coast, the Ocean Chamber of Commerce's influence even surpasses the Golden Shell Auction House—a true behemoth.

Everyone knows An Berlin and the Ocean Chamber of Commerce have close ties. All of Anhe Hall's maritime shipments in Aurora City are handled by the Ocean Chamber, and they have branches in southeastern coastal cities. Most assume this is just normal cooperation, but in reality, An Berlin made his fortune early and was one of the main investors when the Ocean Chamber was founded. He simply never publicized it, so very few know this.

An Berlin's gaze deepened as he scrutinized Wang Feng for the first time, as if trying to see through his very soul. Yet he found nothing—this kid was different now. His eyes were like unfathomable pools, giving An Berlin a sense of serene depth.

His expression tightened slightly: "You know more than I imagined. Where did you learn this? Have you been investigating me?"

"Of course not!" Old Wang chuckled. "They say competitors are rivals. In Aurora City, the person who knows you best is right across the street. Coincidentally, Princess Clara and I share a bond forged in life-or-death situations, so I learned a thing or two from her."

Across the street was the Golden Shell Auction House. Outsiders didn't understand why Anhe Hall and the auction house happened to face each other, assuming it was coincidence. Only Clara, who frequently dealt with the Ocean Chamber as its silent partner, knew the intricate ties between the two.

An Berlin understood. Wang Feng mentioning Clara wasn't just to answer his question—it was to signal that he had the Golden Shell Auction House backing him. In current Aurora City, Clara was perhaps the only one who could ignore the new city lord's authority, being of the Sea People. As long as taxes were paid, she wasn't under the city lord's jurisdiction! It seemed this kid's talk of the "city lord position" wasn't just empty words.

As for his relationship with Clara, there was no doubt. They'd often seen him visiting the auction house's top floor before. Besides, unless they were extremely close, Clara wouldn't have shared Ocean Chamber trade secrets with him... This kid's influence was far greater than An Berlin had imagined. He'd clearly come prepared—this was likely his main purpose today. Bringing up Mapeier earlier was just an icebreaker.

"What do you propose?" An Berlin dropped the pretense.

In his eyes, Wang Feng was no longer just an amusing junior but an enigmatic figure who could truly shake things up. Though his youthful face clashed with that image, making An Berlin uneasy, Wang Feng now held real influence in Aurora City with backing from both the Sea People and the Lei family.

Come to think of it, his ties with the Ice Spirit Kingdom were extraordinary too. This kid might not be bluffing after all... "I can remove this new city lord within a month or two. The only question is whether you're willing to take the position," Old Wang said with a smile. "Just like how Elder Hawkland took over as Rose's principal, Aurora City's affairs should be handled by our own people. Not for profit, but to ensure peace and stability for our home. Don't you agree?"

"What do you need from me?"

"Nothing, really." Old Wang grinned. "If you got involved now, it might seem like you had ulterior motives when taking over as city lord."

"I don't need to do anything? Now that's interesting... Sounds like there's no downside for me."

"Why do you think they call me Wang the Kind?"

"Whether you're kind or not, you're right about one thing—I am a native who truly loves this city."

An Berlin paused, then smiled slightly. "Though I doubt you'll succeed, if Aurora City ever needs me, I won't shirk my duty!"

Just two days after Mangalam's statement, Holy Sanctuary's Light stirred up trouble again.

"Holy Sanctuary's glory cannot be trampled! Reject placing inferior beasts alongside heroes' names! Expel the beasts, hold Wang Feng accountable, hold Rose accountable—for Holy Sanctuary's honor!"

Same front-page headline in Holy Sanctuary's Light, bold and eye-catching, signed jointly by two major sanctuaries—the Beastmaster Holy Sanctuary (ranked 37th) and the Fire God Holy Sanctuary (ranked 49th). Either alone wielded more influence than Mangalam, let alone combined. To Hawkland, this was especially glaring.

The statement was short but struck at an issue Rose couldn't ignore—the status of beastmen. Undoubtedly, even within the entire League of Blades, beastmen were a sensitive topic that easily provoked human resentment, making it perfect for rallying bystanders.

Rose had elevated beastmen far too highly. Equal learning opportunities were bad enough, but letting a beastman like "Kela" share the memorial wall with human Holy Sanctuary disciples from the Dragon City secret realm was a disgrace to those heroic disciples and all humanity! If this continued, the line between humans and beastmen would blur, degrading humanity into the beastmen's poor, filthy, barbaric society! This was regression—utterly unacceptable!

All this stemmed from Karida's open enrollment policy. Meanwhile, Wang Feng, who selected beastmen for the team and brought them to Dragon City secret realm, bore main responsibility!

Unlike his calm reaction to Mangalam's statement, Hawkland set the newspaper aside, rubbing his temples wearily.

They'd underestimated the opposition. How easy it was to find excuses when determined to blame! Kela's heroic actions in Dragon City earning her a place on the monument wall had now become fuel for attacks—even Wang Feng's team selection was targeted.

"Old Hawk, what did I say two days ago? That Holy Sanctuary's Light piece wasn't just Mangalam's doing—others would soon pile on. That was just the beginning, but you didn't believe me! Now the real trouble's here!"

The speaker was Fanster, dean of the Foundry Academy and a key figure in the Zeppelin project. Since Rose took over the project, he'd focused entirely on crafting airship components, leaving academy matters to his top disciple Luo Yan. His return to lead the academy came because the Zeppelin research had hit a technical bottleneck with no short-term breakthrough, and with Rose in crisis, old hands like him with substantial influence were needed.

"This is outrageous! These complete bastards!" Hawkland slammed the newspaper. When Mangagam targeted Wang Feng last time, he hadn't cared much—their excuses were too flimsy. Misdirection is Tactics 101—how did that tarnish Holy Sanctuary's honor? Total bullshit. But this statement was different...

"When Kela successfully awakened and Holy Sanctuary’s Light widely reported it, when the Holy City headquarters issued commendations, why didn’t anyone bring up the issue of beastman status? Now, at the first sign of trouble, everyone's piling on—this is kicking someone when they’re down!" Hawkland gritted his teeth in anger. "The Beast-Taming Holy Sanctuary is one thing—we’ve never had much to do with them—but what the hell is the Fire God Holy Sanctuary? Back then, they were severely lopsided in their disciplines. Their Runes Academy was built with my help! I stayed there for two whole years, hand-trained over a dozen runes instructors—I did more than enough for them! And now, the moment I became the principal of Rose, these bastards come to undermine me? Where’s their conscience? Fed to the dogs?!"

"You forget when you went there—you weren’t exactly famous back then," Fanster rolled his eyes. "Besides, that’s decades-old history. The Fire God’s principal has long since changed. Who remembers an old-timer like you? Enough of this. The beastman issue has truly hit our weak spot. When Kela awakened and we basked in the limelight, plenty of people were jealous. Heh, the higher we flew then, the harder we crash now. Once this statement is out, within a day or two, this matter will blow up. Those Holy City vultures won’t let this opportunity slip."

"You’re seriously underestimating those Holy City vultures!" Hawkland sneered. "Snoops from the Holy City have already arrived in Aurora today. Guess what they’re here to investigate? Whether Rose has been in collusion with beastmen! Whether Karida’s recruitment of beastmen involved any shady backroom deals!"

"Let them investigate!" Fanster said dismissively. "They won’t find squat! Karida’s practically grown up before our eyes—we know her character. I don’t believe for a second she’d have any underhanded dealings with beastmen."

"Actually, there is something..." Hawkland sighed bitterly, pulling a document from his drawer and tossing it onto the table. "Take a look."

Fanster took it skeptically, but after just one glance, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. It was a magic potion trade agreement between Rose’s Autonomous Council and a beastman bar...

Truth be told, everyone at Rose knew about this deal. The Magic Potion Academy made money from it, the Autonomous Council made money from it... If this had been Wang Feng’s personal business, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. But the terrifying part was that this was done under Rose’s Autonomous Council’s name! And all the profits went back into the academy—scholarships, infrastructure improvements...

Honestly, under normal circumstances, this would’ve been just a simple business deal. Aurora’s underground beastman organizations are massive, and plenty of people do business with them. Everyone knows this has nothing to do with Karida—it was all Wang Feng’s doing. Even the potion formula was his own invention. But the problem is, Wang Feng is Karida’s man! The Holy City is itching for an excuse to go after Karida and Rose, and now we’ve served it to them on a golden platter. Coupled with the current uproar over Rose recruiting beastmen, these two unrelated matters are now being linked together. We’re up shit creek without a paddle now!

"Damn it!" Fanster leapt up from his seat. "This Wang Feng—he’s really screwed us this time!"

"Don’t blame Wang Feng for this," Hawkland said helplessly. "Plenty of people in Aurora deal with beastmen. Even among the various Holy Sanctuaries, who can claim to have absolutely no ties to beastmen? This is just looking for an excuse to frame us!"

"So what do we do now?" Fanster was completely flummoxed. Rose’s deal with the beastmen wasn’t exactly hidden. The Holy City snoops could uncover everything in a single morning. Once they confirm the trade happened, those Holy City vultures won’t care whether it was legitimate or not. Karida’s position will become even more precarious, and under immense pressure, Rose could be accused of betraying the Holy Sanctuary’s honor by making secret deals with beastmen—they might even call for Rose to be disbanded outright.

"We can’t deny this deal. Our only option is to come clean and argue our case. After all, Rose’s business with the beastmen only happened after Kela joined the Holy Sanctuary. Even that potion was invented by Wang Feng after Kela’s enrollment..." Hawkland sighed. "When I got the news this morning, I had Wang Feng gather all the transaction records with the beastmen, including the potion’s registration documents at the Professional Center. Old Thunder’s already sent people to the Holy City with the records. Let’s hope they’ll listen to reason..."

"Listen to reason? Those Holy City vultures are clearly dead set on framing us. They’ll just claim we made the deal with the beastmen first, then faked the timeline for the trade and potion release. There’s no way to prove otherwise!" Fanster said. "If you ask me, we should just throw Wang Feng to the wolves. He caused this mess—let him take the fall. Have him admit he took kickbacks and redirect the blame. The consequences would be completely different if it’s pinned on him instead of Karida. At worst, he’d just be expelled from the Holy Sanctuary disciples."

Fanster truly didn’t care. He’d only met Wang Feng once. Sure, his top disciple Luo Yan praised Wang Feng to high heaven, but so what? Wang Feng meant nothing to him. Compared to a single talented disciple, Rose Holy Sanctuary—and the Thunder family, who’d given him his big break—were far more important in Fanster’s eyes.

Hawkland’s face darkened instantly. "Fanster, I’ll let that slide just this once!"

"Oho! Look at that sour face!" Fanster laughed. "Back when we sent Wang Feng to Dragon City, I remember you ranting to me about what a slippery little opportunist he was. What gives after just a few days?"

"I didn’t understand Wang Feng back then," Hawkland sighed. "When I urged him to go to Dragon City, he resisted fiercely. I thought he was just cowardly and only agreed under pressure... But later, Karida told me she’d actually given him a chance to leave. Yet in the end, he chose to risk going to Dragon City to spare Rose the embarrassment..."

"Karida told you that?" Fanster was surprised. "Seems she really wanted to change your opinion of him. Hah, that girl’s really got a soft spot for this Wang Feng."

"Exactly... I feel ashamed. Wang Feng is a good kid, someone Karida has been protecting all along. Rose betrayed him once—there won’t be a second time! What kind of Holy Sanctuary would we be if we did? If we’re truly so ungrateful, we might as well disband!" Hawkland said slowly, meeting Fanster’s gaze. "Wang Feng and Rose Holy Sanctuary stand together. This is a battle we can’t back down from. We won’t abandon anyone. If they want a fight, we’ll give them one!"

…………

The previous statement from Mangalam hadn’t affected life within Rose Holy Sanctuary, but this time, snoops from the Holy City came directly to the Rose Autonomous Council to conduct open and covert inquiries. The school administration had no authority to stop them. Many Rose disciples were summoned for questioning. Everyone now knew the deal between the Autonomous Council and the beastmen had blown up into a major scandal...

The joint statement from the two Holy Sanctuaries in Holy Sanctuary’s Light, demanding "accountability from Rose," combined with the Holy City snoops’ activities, created an ominous prelude that left the entire Rose community unsettled.

So the Autonomous Council’s deal with the beastmen was shady... This issue could be minor or catastrophic. Given the current momentum, it seemed aimed at crushing Rose entirely—the consequences could be even worse than just revoking the expanded enrollment policy. What if they demanded Rose disband? That would ruin the futures of over a thousand Rose disciples.

Storm clouds began gathering over Rose Holy Sanctuary. Disciples whispered among themselves, but strangely, while many had mocked or cursed Old Wang in casual times, now that real trouble had hit, they united. The few who tried to blame Wang Feng were immediately shouted down.

People’s hearts aren’t made of stone. Everyone had benefited from the Autonomous Council’s funds. Where were these critics when they were accepting scholarships? When the Autonomous Council upgraded the Magic Potion Academy and Foundry workshops? Damn it, they’re all Rose folks, all on the same boat now. The "dirty money" had already been shared—they could only rise or fall together.

But support aside, the Rose disciples were still deeply worried. Meanwhile, the man at the center of the storm, Old Wang, was chilling like nothing was wrong—eating, sleeping, and drinking as if nothing had happened.