Chapter Forty-Three: Darkness

Su Ziye left the president’s office.

Liu Ru was waiting outside.

“Come with me,” Su Ziye said.

“Where?” Liu Ru asked.

“The Flashgold Merchant Guild.”

Liu Ru nodded.

The two of them descended the Sun Tower and hurried toward the academy gates.

Liu Ru would never have sought out Su Ziye unless faced with a crisis she had no way to handle. As things stood, however, the situation had clearly exceeded her capabilities by far.

Even for Su Ziye, this was an exceedingly difficult problem.

“How long will the factory’s current reserves last?” Su Ziye asked.

“Because production has expanded, demand for raw materials has consistently outstripped supply, while sales have continued to go smoothly. The greatest problem now is insufficient transport capacity. The raw materials brought in each day by horse-drawn carts and manual labor are barely enough to balance our consumption.” Liu Ru spoke rapidly as she walked. “Even so, I had an uneasy feeling, so I reduced production somewhat. As a result, even if our supply of raw materials were completely cut off, our reserves could sustain us for roughly fifteen days. The moment I realized this, I came to find you. I didn’t dare delay for even an instant.”

“When did the Flashgold Merchant Guild announce that it would launch its own Happy Water?” Su Ziye asked.

Liu Ru froze for a moment. Then her expression darkened.

“Almost exactly the same day they made their move.”

“So what appears to be two separate problems is actually a single one.” Su Ziye smiled faintly.

Then he gently patted Liu Ru on the head.

“Thank you.”

Liu Ru stared at him.

“Why are you thanking me?”

She looked somewhat lost.

She had nearly ruined everything, and in the end had been forced to come to Su Ziye in disgrace and ask him to clean up the mess. Why was he thanking her?

“To be honest, I was a little unhappy when you came to me,” Su Ziye said calmly. “I entrusted all of this to you because I believed in you, but not long afterward, you told me you had encountered a problem you could not solve.”

“That proved you had let down my trust.”

Liu Ru lowered her head and said nothing.

“But it turns out this was not a problem you could have solved. In fact, even I will find it extremely difficult. The enemy we face is far more powerful than we imagined. When I thank you, I mean two things.”

“First, you did not overestimate your own abilities. The moment you realized you could not resolve the matter, you came to me. That is the first thing I am thanking you for.”

“As for the second, it is because you were cautious enough to accumulate a supply of raw materials, which has given me an invaluable buffer of time. That proves I did not place my trust in the wrong person.”

“So, thank you.” Su Ziye spoke softly.

Liu Ru kept her head bowed, but tears slipped down her cheeks.

“Perhaps you would feel better if you scolded me,” she said.

“I won’t, because you truly did very well.” Su Ziye smiled and wiped the tears from her face.

“You really did very well,” he said with a smile.

“As for what comes next, leave it to me.”

…

…

At the entrance of the Flashgold Merchant Guild, Withered Dragon was still reclining in the lounge chair, quietly waiting for time to pass. He remained there until he sensed someone standing before him.

“Miss Liu Ru.”

“Young Master Su Ziye.”

Still lying in the chair, he addressed them respectfully, despite his thoroughly disrespectful posture.

“Why?” Liu Ru asked.

“Because merchants are, at heart, driven by profit,” Withered Dragon replied. “You clearly possess a golden brick, Miss Liu Ru, yet you insist on scraping off a little gold dust with a tiny spoon to sustain yourself instead of handing the entire brick to someone capable of putting it to good use. That is nothing short of wastefulness.”

“And now that we have deciphered the formula for the academy’s Happy Water, it is no longer a secret to us. So why shouldn’t we claim this golden brick for ourselves?”

“Who told you to say that?” Su Ziye asked from behind Liu Ru.

“Perhaps it was my own idea. Perhaps it wasn’t.” Withered Dragon sighed. “I am merely the head of the branch in Ye Night City. This was the headquarters’ decision. All I can do is obey.”

“I once advised Miss Liu Ru to hand over the formula. The guild would certainly have paid a handsome price for it, but she refused.”

“The day she refused, something like this may already have been inevitable.”

“I simply did not expect it to happen so soon.”

“Who deciphered the formula for the academy’s Happy Water?” Su Ziye asked.

He was genuinely curious.

The raw materials he had ordered were indeed all under the control of the Flashgold Merchant Guild, but the proportions were exceedingly complex, and they were not the same proportions as those he had ordered. He understood that fundamental principle well enough.

Moreover, another reason the academy’s Happy Water had succeeded was the preparation of large quantities of concentrated syrup. Su Ziye could barely understand how the guild might have overcome that obstacle, but the process of infusing it with carbon dioxide was practically his exclusive invention. The fact that the guild had broken through those barriers in such a short time was something he could not imagine by any stretch of the imagination.

“I cannot tell you.” Withered Dragon looked at Su Ziye. “Even if you kill me here, I cannot utter a single word.”

“Then I have a general idea.” Su Ziye nodded.

“Good luck.”

With that, Su Ziye turned to leave.

“I thought you would be angry,” Withered Dragon said from behind him.

“Why would I be angry?” Su Ziye turned back, asking with interest.

“You are about to embark on an enterprise that would stir anyone’s blood at the mere sight of it. Yet, at the very moment you have begun, someone has seized you by the throat and intends to press you into the dirt and strangle you. Surely anyone would be furious in such circumstances.”

“But I am not angry,” Su Ziye said indifferently.

“Why?” Withered Dragon asked.

“Because anger is useless. It cannot solve anything. I understood that long ago. Just as I no longer wish to exchange another word with you, because I know that in this entire affair, all you can do is obey. As a tool that follows orders, there is no point in speaking with you, so naturally I have no desire to say more. Nor will I be angry with you.”

Su Ziye, too, spoke with calm formality.

“Thank you for your understanding,” Withered Dragon said with a smile.

Su Ziye nodded and prepared to leave again.

But once more, Withered Dragon called after him.

“Though I do not know who you truly are, I advise you to give up.” The man in charge of the Flashgold Merchant Guild spoke with serene composure. “The darkness over your head is vaster than anything anyone could imagine—so vast that it inspires despair and makes it difficult to breathe.”

“No matter how you struggle, your efforts will ultimately be futile.”

“So I advise you to give up.”

Su Ziye turned back and gazed at him with a quiet smile.

“I refuse.”