Monarch Of Time

Chapter 1070 Branch manager

The red-robed attendant shot to his feet, his eyes widening as disbelief washed across his face.

For a moment, he just stood there, staring at Shun Long in complete silence.

In the end, all he could mutter were the words

"...Are you serious?"

To his credit, the red-robed man immediately snapped out of his stupor when he realized he had just spoken informally to a customer of their chamber of commerce. Hurriedly bending forward, he gave the azure-robed elder a deep bow and quickly recomposed himself before he continued,

"My apologies, honored customer. It’s just that your request is somewhat... unordinary, so I was taken aback for a moment. But this is also why I have to make sure there are no mistakes. Are you serious about what you just said?"

Shun Long didn’t answer right away. He just nodded calmly, his golden eyes meeting the man’s with a deep, steady gaze that left no room for questions.

The attendant’s expression turned solemn in an instant. All traces of his earlier composure instantly vanished, replaced by genuine seriousness.

Of course, such a reaction was to be expected. After all, how often would customers visit the White Tiger Chamber of Commerce just to request information on the city lord of Iron Dawn himself? Shun Long was certain that he wasn’t the first person to do so, but it was definitely something that only happened once in a blue moon.

In the end, the red-robed attendant shook his head and bowed once more before he continued,

"Honored customer, please wait a moment. Your request is too much for me to handle. I will have to consult with our branch manager before I can give you an answer."

Shun Long nodded and just watched as the attendant turned around with a grim look and took long, hurried steps towards the door. A moment later, he disappeared into the hallway of the fifth floor, the door closing softly behind him and leaving Shun Long alone in the quiet, incense-filled room.

..

It only took a couple of minutes before the door opened again and the red-robed attendant returned.

This time, however, he wasn’t alone. He was following closely behind a middle-aged man in luxurious silver robes, his steps always two beats behind the man.

Shun Long’s gaze immediately fell on that person, as well.

The faint glimmer of light from the incense flames reflected on the intricate patterns stitched across the man’s sleeves, each line woven with thin strands of what looked like moon silk, a rare type of silk that Shun Long recognized as that of the Moon Arachne, the peak rank 7 magic beast.

However, that wasn’t what drew Shun Long’s attention. No, it wasn’t the man’s luxurious attire, but the faint pulses of spiritual qi around his body that made everything else around him dim in comparison.

Even though the man had completely retracted his aura, Shun Long could still feel the overwhelming amount of spiritual qi that was naturally drawn towards him with his every step, his every breath, his every move.

That’s why Shun Long could tell at a glance how overwhelmingly strong this person was. He was even stronger than the owner of the Hundred Fragrance pavilion, Bai Yunhai, and was at least as strong as that black-robed man who had come to pick him up and take him to the city lord’s estate... if not even stronger. He was another middle-stage Sovereign!

The moment the silver-robed man stepped into the room, his gaze immediately landed on Shun Long, too, his deep brown eyes examining the azure-robed elder.

A quiet, invisible pulse rippled through the room at that moment, as the two men’s gazes met each other’s.

...

Shun Long didn’t say anything and just watched as a glimmer of surprise flashed through the man’s eyes the moment his soul sense spread across the room and covered everything like a net... everything except for the azure-robed elder in front of him who didn’t even look like he existed in the same space as him. Still, to his credit, even that reaction was only momentary.

With an expressionless look, the silver-robed man dismissed the red-robed attendant behind him with a simple wave of his hand, before he stepped forward and took a seat on the cushion opposite him.

Then, with his hands clasped in front of his chest, he introduced himself,

"Honored customer, I am Lin Xu, the manager of this branch of the White Tiger Chamber of Commerce here in Iron Dawn. I was told you placed a rather... unusual request to one of our employees? Can you tell me more about it?"

Shun Long looked at the man and gave him an easy-going smile, his eyes staring straight into those brown, inquisitive eyes of his that looked like they were trying to pierce through his disguise, before he answered calmly,

"It’s like I said." He said slowly, "I’m simply a bit curious why the Iron Dawn Sovereign summoned all the Sovereigns of Iron Dawn to his estate today. That’s all there is to it."

Lin Xu’s expression didn’t change. He just nodded calmly, as if Shun Long’s answer had been enough to satisfy him somehow.

Then, for a few moments, complete silence filled the room, as the silver-robed manager just stared at the azure-robed elder with a deep look. He didn’t speak, but from the conflicted look on his face, it was obvious that his thoughts were anything but simple.

Shun Long didn’t say anything, either. He just waited for Lin Xu’s response, completely unfazed by the man’s troubled expression.

Regardless of whether the White Tiger chamber of commerce took on his request or not, it didn’t really matter. There were multiple other ways for him to get his hands on that information. At most, he’d just have to employ one of the high-ranking assassins of the Lunar Grave guild like Wolf Hunter.

Honestly, Shun Long wasn’t overly curious about what went on in Iron Dawn, in the first place. Whether the Iron Dawn Sovereign was a tyrant who ruled the city with an iron fist, or whether he was planning to go to war with any of the other city rulers, was none of his concern. As long as he wasn’t affected by it directly, he wasn’t planning on getting involved in the affairs of a Sovereign, especially one of the city rulers.

But since he had now set up shop in Amber Dawn, anything that was significant enough to raise waves and threaten the peace of his shop was something he had to keep an eye on. And if the Iron Dawn Sovereign had been forced to summon every Sovereign under his command to his estate, it was obviously for no small matter.

For better or worse though, Lin Xu’s troubled expression didn’t last for too long, either.

The silver-robed man stared at Shun Long and eventually nodded his head, before he said in a low voice,

"Very well. Our White Tiger chamber of commerce is a neutral party, so as long as someone approaches us and has enough capital, we will naturally provide our services." Li Xu took a deep breath as he said that, and at that moment, his expression turned a beat more solemn before he continued in a determined tone,

"However, the information honored customer is requesting is extremely sensitive and even involves the Iron Dawn Sovereign. Naturally, the difficulty of your request will be priced accordingly. Additionally, if you can’t pay up-front, I’m afraid we will have to decline your request."

Lin Xu then spread out his palm and said seriously,

"Five million high-grade spirit stones. That’s how much our chamber of commerce requires to get involved in this matter. Any less than that and I’m afraid I will have to turn you down."

Finally, Shun Long’s aged visage showed some reaction.