Bab 13: Section 14: Alliance of Interests
Editor: Henyee Translations
Information about the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce was retained in Zhenjin's common knowledge.
On the Holy Bright Continent of the Human Race, there were six major guilds. These six guilds had a long history, each was a colossus, backed by powerful nobility, with businesses spanning mountains, forests, lakes, seas, and deserts.
Below these six guilds, there was another guild that had rapidly risen in the past century, quickly becoming second only to the six major guilds and leaving other guilds far behind, creating a commercial miracle.
This guild was the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce.
The Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce absorbed a massive number of small to medium-sized guilds, individual shops, and solitary merchants, gaining immense scale and influence in the mid to lower-level markets.
However, lacking protection from the upper echelons, the great nobles of the Holy Bright Empire coveted the guild's profits and chose to strike.
The Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce suffered suppression, the chairman fell off his horse and "accidentally" died, and now the guild had been torn apart and divided among the great nobles.
"After my father had an accident, I was the only daughter. I didn't want to give up! If I let the hard work of my father, grandfather, and ancestors be destroyed, I would be incredibly unfilial. Many elders of the merchant guild also refused to surrender and rallied around me."
"However, no matter how much wealth we had, it couldn't stand against power. My father's death made me realize that we had to get involved in the Empire's power structure. The more wealth and larger scale we accumulated through our previous development model, the more we would face a dead end."
"I meticulously selected cooperation partners for the merchant guild, and eventually, we hit it off with you, my lord."
A flash of lightning seemed to cross Zhenjin's mind, and he instantly understood the causes and effects.
Although he had only a few memory fragments, Zhenjin knew that the Hundred Needle Family was a southern noble family.
The Holy Emperor was a man of great talent and strategy, he unified the entire human continent and named it the Holy Bright Continent. The final stage of conquering the entire continent was annexing the extreme south of the continent.
The decisive battle was the annihilation battle of the Cold Pine Knights.
The conquering army of the Holy Bright Empire was stuck in the terrain of high mountains and ridges, and their conquest of the southern part of the continent reached a stalemate.
The southern nobles, who had initially surrendered, saw hope in the stalemate and secretly contacted the rebelling southern nobles, forming an alliance.
The Fifth Legion of the Holy Temple Knights withdrew from the front line to rest, and the southern nobles who had surrendered sent the Cold Pine Knights to ambush them.
The Cold Pine Knights were the top legion of the southern noble alliance, they annihilated the Fifth Legion of the Holy Temple Knights but were defeated by the following Holy Temple Knights reinforcements.
The Cold Pine Knights were routed, and the southern nobles quickly dispatched reinforcements, which created a huge rift in their supposedly impregnable defensive line.
The Empire's forces responded extremely quickly, the frontline legions mobilized together, launched a total assault, and utterly broke the southern nobles' defensive line.
The southern nobles suffered a disastrous defeat, losing the ability to resist the Holy Bright Empire's army, leading to either death or surrender.
Those southern nobles who initially surrendered but later rebelled also faced severe purges.
The Hundred Needle Family was one of these nobles. At that time, a significant portion of the Hundred Needle Family's members were part of the Cold Pine Knights.
Although the Hundred Needle Family survived the purge, their lands, wealth, and military forces were greatly reduced. In the following period, they suffered suppression and exclusion from various quarters of the Empire's nobility.
Naturally unwilling to fall into decline, the Hundred Needle Family rallied other families in similar situations to form an alliance and actively studied the Empire's upper echelons. Sending Zhenjin into the Holy Temple Knights was one of these efforts.
The Holy Temple Knights were the ace legion of the Holy Bright Empire, directly under the Holy Emperor, the most trusted military force of the Emperor. Every Holy Temple Knight pledged faith to the Holy Emperor, devoting even their faith naturally ensured absolute loyalty, which made the Holy Temple Knights the most trusted by the Holy Emperor.
Generally speaking, the great nobles in power within the Empire rarely, if ever, sent their children into the Holy Temple Knights. Consigning faith was like raising a backstabbing wolf within the family. Nobles prioritized benefits above all, and most of the time, family interests surpassed everything.
Medium and small nobles, court nobles, and a few great nobles who were dependent on the Emperor's faction would selectively send their children into the Holy Temple Knights.
Zhenjin, as the only heir of the Hundred Needle Family, joining the Holy Temple Knights was the family's most sincere display of loyalty to the Holy Emperor.
This diplomatic gesture successfully alleviated the external pressures on the Hundred Needle Family. However, suppression and exclusion within the Holy Temple Knights was inevitable, natural, and rightful.
After all, the Cold Pine Knights nearly wiped out the Fifth Legion of the Holy Temple Knights, and who among the nobles didn't have familial connections? As a Holy Temple Knight, Zhenjin harbored deep grudges against his peers.
"Sending the heir into the Holy Temple Knights is indeed a wise move. Fully leaning toward the Holy Emperor's political faction aligns with the family's greatest interests," Zhenjin recalled his father, the middle-aged noble with the slender mustache, who clearly had the wisdom and decisiveness of a clan leader.
"As the only heir of the Hundred Needle Family, joining the Holy Temple and facing exclusion and suppression was within my expectations, which I chose to endure at the time."
Zhenjin recalled the second memory fragment.
In the memory, Qing Kui was clearly picking a fight and deliberately making things difficult.
His motives were understandable; it's very likely one of his relatives perished in the Fifth Legion.
As for Zhenjin's actions, they too could be judged.
Although Zhenjin had exceptional talent, he avoided drawing attention to himself, choosing to hide his abilities and focus on cultivation. Keeping a low profile was to avoid suppression by political opponents and even preemptive elimination.
By becoming a Holy Temple Knight, he sought to find allies within the Emperor's faction rather than make enemies everywhere. As the future leader of the family, his purpose here was diplomatic.
There was never a shortage of opportunities to forge friendships in the army.
Facing immense external pressure, Holy Temple Knights were forced to believe in and rely on one another. Such life-and-death experiences greatly mitigated past animosities.
In this way, the Hundred Needle Family escaped their political predicament, becoming part of the Emperor's camp.
However, the Hundred Needle Family's achievements only allowed them to barely gain a foothold, leaving the noble family still quite destitute.
How could they expand their territory, increase their wealth, and enhance the family's strength?
The human continent was already unified by the Holy Emperor, and peace prevailed with few opportunities left.
Therefore, the large-scale attack on the Beast Race Continent by the humans became the best opportunity for many nobles to expand their family's territory and establish military achievements.
White Sand City was the Hundred Needle Family's opportunity, hence Zhenjin came to compete for the position of City Lord this time.
From Zi Di's perspective. The Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce was carved up by the great nobles, with the chairman dying as a result. Elders who could have bent the knee had long surrendered to these great nobles.
The guild elders united around Zi Di were naturally opposed to these great nobles.
In this situation, Zi Di could only rely on members of the Emperor's political faction.
Among these members, the powerful ones looked down on the remnants of the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce.
Perhaps a complete Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce might have intrigued them, but now the guild was already in pieces.
The moderately powerful ones also had concerns.
Zi Di's faction represented the essence of the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce. Hastily accepting them would mean opposing the powerful great nobles of the Empire.
The gains and risks needed careful consideration.
The weak members, like some court nobles, had no territories at all and couldn't even place the guild members.
Meanwhile, as the new leader of the guild, Zi Di also had her considerations.
She would avoid choosing a strong noble to submit to; after all, she was only a Black Iron mage, and too strong a noble might annex the remnants of the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce in future collaborations.
After careful selection, Zi Di set her sights on the Hundred Needle Family.
The current clan leader of the Hundred Needle Family was a Golden Level expert but had suffered severe injuries, missing his right arm.
The Hundred Needle Family was once a great southern noble with a long history. After being forced to submit to the Empire, they faced exclusion and suppression, barely gaining a foothold now and eagerly seeking expansion and development.
Their territory had been stripped, the current land lacked resources, and was encircled by hostile territories. Thus, the Hundred Needle Family needed the channels of the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce far more than other families.
Most importantly, the Hundred Needle Family was willing to pay the price, even promising the future family heir's marriage. After signing the agreement, they held an engagement ceremony, spreading the news widely.
All these circumstances wondrously forged the engagement between Zhenjin and Zi Di, this young couple.
They each had their predicaments and needed each other intensely; it was not only their wish but also the will of the forces behind them.
Otherwise, how could a noble like Zhenjin become engaged to a girl with lowly bloodline?
"The Hundred Needle Family could send its only heir first to the Holy Temple and now to the front line in White Sand City, bearing the great risk of the heir dying in battle. This is a gamble!"
"The Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce is the same. Neither side has any retreat."
"No wonder Zi Di has always stayed committed to me!"
Zhenjin had thousands of thoughts, finally understanding the complex hidden truths.
Seeing the girl in front of him again, Zhenjin felt even closer to her.
Zhenjin did not despise alliances of interest; rather, he acknowledged them.
Alliances of interest were usually more reliable than those of affection. Moreover, affection could be cultivated.
With the bond of marriage added, Zhenjin understood that Zi Di would surely become his most reliable ally in the future.
Zi Di continued, "We traveled by sea to enter the Beast Race Continent, aiming to compete for the position of City Lord in White Sand City. However, during the voyage, we inexplicably encountered a shipwreck and ended up on this island."
Zhenjin pondered, "So, our current task is not only to survive and leave here but also to gather more followers. Zi Di, how many troops did I bring, and are there any reliable house servants?"
Facing this question, Zi Di hesitated, which was rare. She deliberated before saying, "My lord, you have the qualifications to compete for the City Lord of White Sand City and possess exceptional talent and strength. This time, we mainly brought the armed core of the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce and hired two renowned mercenary groups."
Zhenjin was slightly stunned.
He understood.
He didn't have any house servants or troops, he was just a commander without soldiers. Reluctantly, he had to rely on the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce and even hired two mercenary groups.
This situation was too embarrassing!
As the only heir of a noble family, to risk his life on the front lines for a future position without a single loyal army!
Compared to the hired mercenary group, the armed forces of the Purple Vine merchant team became Zhenjin's most loyal force.
"Has the Hundred Needle Family fallen to such a state? But having none at all is unreasonable," the abnormal situation made Zhenjin frown.
Zi Di explained, "Indeed, there was a group of people dispatched by your family. But they were ambushed by bandits en route, and the entire force was annihilated. At the same time, there have been frequent signs of goblins and ogres around your family's territory."
"We feared other competitors might arrive early in White Sand City and establish a preliminary advantage. So, we pretended to stay put but secretly disguised ourselves, secretly set off, and took the Pig Kiss out to sea."
Zhenjin's pupils slightly contracted, and he gave a cold snort, "It seems the competition for the City Lord of White Sand City is intense."
The elite forces of a noble being annihilated mid-journey by so-called bandits.
And the Hundred Needle Family's current border, which had long been an interior land, how could there be room for goblins and ogres to survive?
Realizing something, Zhenjin asked, "Who are my competitors for the City Lord position? Are they traveling on the same ship as us?"
Zi Di shook her head, "There are two others in total, both are your colleagues. They didn't travel on the same ship as us."
Zhenjin didn't speak.
He was contemplating.
This answer meant they didn't have to face hostile formidable competitors on this island. But simultaneously, the shipwreck could be the work of these competitors.
Zi Di immediately said, "However, my lord. Traveling with us is a Holy Temple priest named Jia Sha. He is the evaluator for this City Lord competition. If we can find him and help him, it would be the best outcome."
"Jia Sha?" Zhenjin slightly raised his eyebrows, thoughtful.
Hadiah
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Power 
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