Li Juntou wrestled internally for a final protest. This Vice President position wasn't just an empty title; any merchant who attained it would see immense benefits for their household's development: "Only..."

"Only what?" Qian Jin gently stroked the smooth coffin, his tone turning chillingly severe. "Do you feel the Light Merchant Guild Vice Presidency is beneath her? Why don't you take the Vice President seat, and let Qingqing be President?"

Li Juntou sensed that Qian Jin had thrown down the gauntlet today and had no intention of retracting it. However, the Vice Presidency wasn't his decision alone to make; even as the Guild President, he only held the right of nomination.

"No, no, no," Li Juntou repeatedly shook his head. "It's just that the Guild has its own rules. I can only nominate. If it were Rolin, everyone knows him, so there would be no issue. Now, with Qingqing, people aren't familiar with her, and I worry..."

Qian Jin didn't even glance at Li Juntou. Since Sabonis had given face to Rolin today, he absolutely had to secure something tangible for the Rolin family. As for how many influential figures showed up—that was all too ephemeral, holding little practical significance.

"General Zhang." Qian Jin swept his gaze across the dense mass of heads. "I imagine quite a few of these people are from the Guild, yes?"

Zhang Mubai avoided Li Juntou's pleading gaze. At this moment, he felt like a frog being watched by a snake. If he lied to Qian Jin, Keller's fate might very well become his own. A madman never operates by reason, and this was certainly no time for friendly obligation.

"Yes, yes, yes. Correct, absolutely correct."

"Then please, summon all those people here. While you're at it, convey what the President said earlier to them, and help me with their persuasion work. Can a young woman not be the Guild's Vice President?" Qian Jin shook his head with an expression of clear displeasure. "I rather think she can?"

Zhang Mubai departed. Li Juntou's complexion had truly turned the color of earth. His usually articulate mouth felt useless as he faced Qian Jin, experiencing a sensation akin to communicating with a wild beast—their positions were entirely disparate. There was no ground for discussion, and the beast clearly showed no interest in conversing.

Fabredis looked at Qian Jin and whispered, "Was that necessary?" Qian Jin subtly nodded toward Zhang Mubai in the crowd. "Look at that man; he clearly views me as a lunatic. I've suddenly realized, sometimes it’s quite advantageous to act like a madman. People don't necessarily fear a perfectly sane warrior because the law constrains you. But when a warrior becomes mentally unbalanced, turns into a maniac, the benefits naturally follow. Since they want to see me as a madman, I have no issue playing the part."

Fabredis shook his head and sighed. "That sentiment... I think I heard it somewhere before in a bard's tale. Was it..."

"The Blood Butcher, Blood Miles," Qian Jin interjected dismissively. "That was a true madman, a demon race member who only ever viewed humans as livestock ready for slaughter, and even he feared him. I also heard that after he disappeared for a long time, when the Zhence Dynasty announced he was presumed dead, all the major demonic territories celebrated for an entire day."

"That..." Fabredis nodded with a troubled, wry smile. "That is true. And the demon race even established a holiday to commemorate that day, called the Blood Demon Festival."

The members of the Merchant Guild followed Zhang Mubai into the mourning hall, all looking pale. Having heard the rumors about Qian Jin, not a single member felt anything but fear.

"You all know the situation now, right?" Qian Jin walked up to Luo Qingqing, gently drawing her into his embrace, then surveyed the crowd. "Your President has nominated Qingqing—my 'fiancée'—to be the Vice President of the Auckland Guild."

Fabredis cast a sympathetic glance at the merchants. Qian Jin emphasized the word 'fiancée' so heavily; it was clear he intended to play the lunatic to the very end.

The Guild members had initially been formulating excuses to decline, but upon hearing the word "fiancée," they understood this matter was non-negotiable today. They had two choices: either draw their lines, take out their assets, and fight him to the death, or simply concede.

Fight? The merchants were confident that with enough wealth, they could certainly kill Qian Jin. But this fundamentally clashed with the principle of profit-seeking that governed their profession. Besides, Luo Qingqing might possess no commercial acumen whatsoever; even if she secured the Vice Presidency, countless lucrative opportunities could slip through her fingers without her even noticing. It might just be better to give it to her.

"We agree."

Li Juntou stared blankly at the members, cursing them internally as spineless cowards. Normally, a simple meeting in the Guild would drag on for ten or fifteen days with endless bickering, only to pass by a narrow margin, never unanimous.

Today... today marked the first unanimous resolution passed in the entire history of the Auckland Merchant Guild!

"Everyone, please continue with your business," Qian Jin waved them off, then turned back to continue chatting with Fabredis, treating the Guild members as if they were the air.

At this juncture, all eyes shifted to the main gate of the Luo residence. City Lord Sabonis, dressed in black warrior attire with his ceremonial sword belted at his waist, approached without any fanfare.

Li Juntou saw Sabonis enter the courtyard without even sending word, and what’s more, the City Lord's Sword was still sheathed at his hip—an arrangement reserved only for the most solemn occasions. Sabonis was showing Qian Jin immense respect today, which only made Li Juntou hate him more for not giving him any prior warning.

The murmuring of the crowd ceased instantly. Everyone watched the Lord of Auckland with maximum astonishment as he approached Luo Lin’s coffin with a deeply sorrowful expression, bowed respectfully, and offered a few soft words of comfort to Luo Qingqing.

In that instant, many people felt their own bows to Rolin had been insufficient. The City Lord himself had executed a deep bow; yet, their own gestures had been shallower, perhaps even less profound than the City Lord's deep bend!

They were all seasoned figures within Auckland City. Seeing the actions of City Lord Sabonis, they understood that for the foreseeable future, the Luo family’s standing in Auckland City would be unchallengeable.

Though the Luo family was now left with only an orphaned girl, no one dared to look down on her. This was a woman to whom even City Lord Sabonis had personally paid his respects with a bow.

Fabredis patted Qian Jin’s shoulder and, mimicking Sabonis, stepped forward again to bow to Rolin. This time, his bow was significantly deeper than the first, yet his sincerity was far less genuine than before.

Qian Jin knew Fabredis was performing for the onlookers. Those people wouldn't judge the sincerity of the bow; they would only note the identity of the person bowing and the depth of their bend.

The expressions of everyone in the courtyard changed toward Luo Qingqing once more. While Fabredis's authority in Auckland City couldn't match Sabonis's, his pride and aloofness far surpassed the City Lord's. In the past, when prominent families suffered a death, the City Lord might attend, but the City Guardian never had.

This time, the City Guardian not only appeared but also bowed to Rolin! Double honor! The glory Rolin failed to garner in life was instantly bestowed upon his corpse after death, making him the most esteemed, most prestigious figure in Auckland at this moment.

Everyone began calculating. After the funeral concluded, they absolutely must prepare a generous gift and seek out the Luo family orphan again. With the protection of Auckland’s two most powerful figures, their future business prospects were certain to improve greatly.

Some were even considering sending matchmakers to propose marriage to Luo Qingqing once the funeral ended. To secure this woman would mean gaining not only the Luo family’s vast fortune but also the patronage of the City Lord and the City Guardian.

Only the Guild members kept