The fame of the "Wing Dark Merchant Guild" spread throughout the city by dusk! Especially among all the influential figures, who had flocked there upon hearing the news.

These were treasures that could make anyone's eyes pop. And they were exclusively sold; if one arrived late, they might be gone!

It was under this very thought that those wealthy nobles set aside all their current affairs, rushing over in a frenzy, intending to snatch up some bargains.

However, when they saw the long queue waiting to obtain membership cards, they were all stunned. Given the current situation, queuing now would surely take another day or two!

So, these wealthy nobles relied on their status, pushing forward, loudly proclaiming, "I am so-and-so," hoping to leverage their reputation for preferential treatment.

Yet, what they didn't expect was that the staff wouldn't care who they were; even royalty would have to follow the normal procedure. Furthermore, queue-jumpers were completely ignored!

Damn, how arrogant!

It was the first time these rich and noble figures had been so bluntly rebuffed, but they dared not show anger, because right now, the staff were the masters, and they had to play the subservient role!

Staring at the long line, these wealthy nobles, being clever, quickly turned their minds over slightly and delegated the task of queuing to their subordinates.

Thus, a new profession was born: the "Queue Helper"!

That is, ordinary people with patience, time, and a need for money, utilizing queuing to earn a certain amount of labor compensation.

This scene persisted for three days. Yet, the "Dark Merchant Guild" remained bustling with customers, and the crowds kept growing, some even coming from other cities!

Those who had previously purchased large quantities of products had made a tidy profit. They transported those goods to other cities for sale, where they were immediately snapped up. Now, these people who had tasted success returned, buying even more, and with greater frenzy!

However, on the tenth day, to the extreme frustration of many, the "Dark Merchant Guild" suspended operations! This wasn't because the products had run out, but because the business was simply too explosive.

Clyde, possessing a unique insight, felt that instead of letting others resell the guild's products, it would be better to establish branch stores in various cities. This way, the market could expand, the guild's image could be promoted, more profit could be earned, and the sales pressure at the main location could be alleviated simultaneously!

This idea was approved, and the next step was to travel to other cities to select locations. Since they were branch stores and time was tight, there was no need for new construction; they only needed to acquire some suitable existing shops!

Because these matters were of great importance, Clyde delegated family members to travel to the major cities, while he himself headed to the "Capital City"!

During the days the "Dark Merchant Guild" was closed, discussions about it never ceased. Now, even the Five Great Families had heard rumors about it.

Within the "Teixila Family" headquarters at this juncture, many key leaders were gathered, discussing the matter of this "Dark Merchant Guild."

Currently, everyone’s gaze was fixed upon the few items placed on the central table in the room.

There were armor, swords, and some potions.

"What are everyone's thoughts?" a white-haired, ruddy-faced elder asked in a deep voice.

This person was the head of the "Teixila Family," Tywood! He was also a Divine Alchemist, enjoying lofty honors in the Winter Moon Empire.

It was precisely because of his existence that the "Teixila Family" managed to squeeze into the ranks of the Five Great Families!

"Father, are these really the ordinary goods sold by that 'Dark Merchant Guild'?" Ander asked in surprise.

He had returned from the "Dream Night City" a few days ago and had seen Zhong Shenxiu and Robin, but he had missed the day the "Dark Merchant Guild" was open for business!

He truly could not believe that these top-tier treasures displayed on the table were merely extremely common merchandise from that newly established "Dark Merchant Guild." If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it even if beaten to death!

"I wonder what force is behind this 'Dark Merchant Guild'?" an elder inquired. He was likely a venerable figure within the family.

"We have already sent people to investigate this matter!" Natiwood remained expressionless. "Everyone, voice your thoughts; this is no small matter. This 'Dark Merchant Guild' will inevitably cause an impact on our family's economy in the future!"

"Should we not just eliminate it?" a middle-aged man tentatively suggested.

"This matter must not be acted upon rashly; doing so before fully understanding the opponent's background is extremely dangerous!" another elder stated.

"I think there's immense business potential here. Judging by this situation, future magical equipment will likely be monopolized by this 'Dark Merchant Guild.' We should consider cooperating with them for now!"

"That suggestion is worth considering, but how should we cooperate?" Natiwu’s eyes gleamed.

He also knew the business opportunity here was massive. If they could truly cooperate with it, or absorb it, the "Teixila Family" would not need long to become the foremost among the Five Great Families. Moreover, it wouldn't stop there; they might even expand the family to other empires, becoming the world's number one family!

The thought was appealing, but trying to annex Zhong Shenxiu's business was sheer fantasy; it would be a miracle if they weren't annexed by Zhong Shenxiu instead!

Anyone with a little sense knew that the goods in this "Dark Merchant Guild" could not only stir up a buying frenzy in the Winter Moon Empire but also drive the world mad if taken to any other empire!

One could imagine that regardless of who the mastermind behind the "Dark Merchant Guild" was, given a few years, he was certain to become the commercial overlord of this world!

What a shocking prospect—a completely unknown figure rising to become a commercial overlord in just a few years. This couldn't be achieved by luck or effort alone; it required extraordinary power!

Hearing Natiwood’s question, the others fell into contemplation. Putting aside the fact that they still didn't know the true boss of the "Dark Merchant Guild," negotiating cooperation wouldn't be an easy task, because the other party was clearly making a lot of money on their own—why would they share a portion with them?

Unless there was something to impress the other party, or something they couldn't do but the family could! Difficult, truly difficult!

"Let's set this aside for now. Does anyone else have anything to say?" Natiwood asked again.

"Clan Leader, regarding these items, can we invite professionals to research them and see if we can replicate their core technology..."

"That's impossible. Putting aside the equipment, the very composition of these potions cannot be analyzed. Tampering with the refinement process could easily backfire!" an elder murmured languidly.

Even if they analyzed the components, the precise dosage and the sequence of administration were indispensable keys. If even one element was amiss, the resulting potion might turn into poison! "It would be great if we could just buy their technology!" Ander muttered softly.

In reality, even if Zhong Shenxiu were to sell them the technology, they couldn't use it, as they lacked the necessary equipment. It should be known that all of Zhong Shenxiu's amazing products were manufactured by equipment he had meticulously designed!

That equipment was many times more remarkable than the products themselves!

Setting aside these individuals, let's focus on Zhong Shenxiu at this moment.

Due to the need to develop branch stores, he also had many things to consider. Transportation alone was a major challenge. Originally, he could have set up "Teleportation Arrays" for each branch, but that would be too troublesome, as the branches would be spread across the major cities of the "Winter Moon Empire," and Zhong Shenxiu genuinely did not want to travel back and forth!

Was there a way to solve this?

If only there were a method to deploy "Teleportation Arrays" without having to personally manage it, then he could delegate others to do the work.

During these past few days, Zhong Shenxiu had been researching this issue, and surprisingly, he had made some headway.

The principle was somewhat similar to those scrolls: sealing a pre-designed "Teleportation Array" within a specific container, and then using that specific container to realize the establishment of the "Teleportation Array"!

After a period of experimentation and debugging, the "Teleportation Array" scroll was finally born. Its usage method was the same as other scrolls; it activated simply by being opened.

Zhong Shenxiu designated this "Teleportation Array" scroll as non-saleable!

The reason for not selling it publicly was twofold: firstly, this "Teleportation Array" scroll was difficult to mass-produce; secondly, possessing this technology would also allow for other transportation-related businesses!

Time sped by, and in a blink, it was the day Wayne had mentioned for the military training!

Zhong Shenxiu, driven by curiosity, arrived at the academy early.

The "Stay-at-Home Magic and Martial Arts Academy" was exceptionally lively. The plaza was filled with new students. The so-called military training was actually for the freshmen; returning students who already had experience were exempt from attending again.

The freshmen in the plaza were lined up according to their classes. Among all the classes, Zhong Shenxiu’s class had the fewest people.

The students who had previously been thrown out the window by Robin had mostly recovered from their injuries, but they were unwilling to return to a class that terrified them. Yet, they dared not request a transfer, so they all began feigning illness, living lives where everything was done for them, as their families were all wealthy!

These freshmen displayed various expressions—some excited, some listless—and the atmosphere was noisy. Their respective class advisors were maintaining order.

Wayne and the others were initially discussing where this military training would take place. Inadvertently, they caught sight of Zhong Shenxiu and Robin walking toward them from a distance. Instantly, they all fell silent with unspoken understanding, standing ramrod straight, looking very obedient!

Zhong Shenxiu and Robin did not approach but stopped about twenty meters away, looking at the scene with curiosity.

"Hey, hey, look over there, that's the class advisor for Class Wan!" a student whispered to the classmate beside him.

"It really is a child. I heard about it before, but I never dared to believe it!"

"I heard from a friend that these two little ones are amazing, especially that little girl!"

"What about that little girl? I don't see anything special!"

"You don't know, my friend told me that that little girl came into my friend's class one morning to grab people. She was so violent that my friend was so scared he couldn't sleep for three days and nearly lost control of his bladder and bowels!" This student seemed like someone who particularly enjoyed gossip.

"Ha, is it really that exaggerated?"

"Actually, I've heard even more exaggerated things. Do you know why Class Dao has so few people?"

"Why?"

"I heard that on the second day of school, many students were beaten so badly by that little girl that they almost died. They are still recovering in the infirmary!" the student lowered his voice even further.

"Tsk, the more you talk, the less reliable it sounds. If that were true, why haven't any parents shown up? Besides, we all know that class is full of nobles; who would dare easily beat them?" the person next to him scoffed.

"Exactly, exactly. Find a more credible source next time to brag!" others chimed in their agreement.

Just as the few were chatting more animatedly, someone suddenly shouted, "The drill instructor is coming!" Instantly, the previously noisy surroundings fell quiet.

They clearly saw a line of burly men in uniform armor marching slowly from a distance, each one imposing and dignified!

Next, some school leaders stepped forward to greet them, but what was said was too far away to be heard clearly.

What followed was a tedious speech from a leader—something about serving the country, minding safety, and so on. It was the same rhetoric every year, utterly unoriginal!

Then came the speech by the military captain. There was no nonsense; every word was direct, delivered with a ringing, powerful voice: "This military training will last for one month. The primary location will be the outer perimeter of the 'Humid Forest.' The content will focus on wilderness survival."

All the freshmen gazed up at these soldiers, profoundly impacted by the aura they exuded!

The next order of business was the assignment of instructors to each class. Perhaps considering that this year's destination was relatively dangerous, four instructors were assigned to every class!

Before officially departing, the instructors for each class had to provide supplementary explanations to their respective classes!

Setting aside the other classes for the moment, when the four instructors assigned to Class Qie saw how pitifully few students there were, they couldn't help but be momentarily stunned.

They first introduced themselves, then one of them couldn't resist asking, "Is your class only this few people?" Wayne, the class monitor, quickly answered, "Instructors, our class originally had many more people, but they... they all got injured!"

As he said this, he secretly glanced toward Zhong Shenxiu and Robin standing in the distance.

The person pondered for a moment and didn't press further, instead saying, "The place we are going this time is the 'Humid Forest.' Don't assume there's no danger just because it's the outer layer... Once there, you must obey orders, or you will be responsible for any consequences!"

Wayne and the others nodded. Since Zhong Shenxiu became their class advisor, they had become much more well-behaved!

Seeing that the group had taken the advice to heart, the instructor nodded. However, after surveying the surroundings, he couldn't help but frown and ask, "Where is your class advisor? Why isn't he here?"

"That..." Wayne’s expression became hesitant. "Instructor, our class advisor is already here!"

"Here? Where?"

"Right there!" Wayne said, slightly pointing in that direction!