I Sell Fate Through A System

"Wait, what?" Mei Xue turned her head, staring at the door in shock. She then looked at Shou. "You know the City Lord?"

"I don't," Shou answered honestly. "This is the first time I've heard of this guy." He felt rather surprised too, as of all the people to come to visit him, he did not expect the current ruler of this city.

"You've really caught a big fish this time," Mei Xue spoke. Disregarding the prince, who only came visiting once, this was truly one of the most prolific figures within the city.

"You are one to talk," Shou spoke. He still remembered the reaction of all the other customers when she entered. by no means was she someone ordinary either. And in the first place, those who visited here were also the top dogs.

Mei Xue shook her head. "It's true, I'm not exactly a stranger, but when it comes to raw power within this place, ten times out of ten, it is the City Lord." She whispered to him. "You should really watch your behavior around him. I know you aren't weak, but not everything can be solved with strength, you know? With just a word, he could bring down your business through sanctions or arbitrary laws." Especially the latter part. The City Lord seemed to love jailing people for the most unnecessary reasons, it appeared.

"As long as he abides by the rules of the shop, I will treat him fairly," the youth answered calmly.

Mei Xue had a wry smile. "You really have no fear, huh?" She massaged her brows, wondering if everything would go right. "I for one hope no problems occur. I quite like this place. I really do."

"Well, this place does seem to resonate with unique characters, I give you that."

The voice outside rang once more. "The City Lord wishes to enter now!" A tall man with broad shoulders and a mustache opened the door. He quickly scanned the surroundings, his eyes falling on Shou and Mei Xue. Afterward, he humphed, leading in several other people.

Within the group, the person in the middle stood out the most to him. Unlike anyone else, he looked lean, almost small, in comparison. He had a scholarly vibe, while the others appeared like rough warriors. Yet, even with all the giants towering over him, he did not lose out in prestige. No, for some reason, the man seemed even stronger, though it was hard to note why. Instinctively, Shou assumed the man to be the City Lord.

The tall man announced. "I am the magistrate Han Wi, a close aide to the City Lord. This is the rumored Store of Fates, I presume?" He had a somewhat haughty look, but not enough for someone to feel irked by him.

"You have found the right place," Shou spoke.

Mei Xue stood up from the couch and faced. She cupped her hands and spoke, "I greet the City Lord, Tian Lan."

It was the first time his name had been dropped. He turned around looking for who called it, and was met with surprise. ". . .Mei Xue?"

It was only subtle, but Shou caught a hint of complex emotion different from a normal greeting. It immediately made him wonder, did the City Lord know Mei Xue personally? However, judging from the latter's somewhat confused expression, it did not seem the case. He proceeded to pay a little more attention to that scholarly man and promptly came to a shocking revelation.

Mei Xue tilted her head. "I don't think we have met, Sir Tian?" As far as she remembered, the two of them never crossed paths, as she dealt mostly with stuff going on outside the city, while the man itself was the epitome of the business within the Extended Delight. It wasn't weird for that man to know who she was, but most people referred to her as 'Lady Mei', or 'Miss Mei'.

Tian Lan coughed twice, realizing his awkward mistake. "Apologies. I did not expect the Mistress of the Wang house to be within such a humble store. I have misspoken." He bowed slightly.

The lady still had a confused face but decided not to take it to heart. It was unusual for someone of his political caliber to commit such a rudimentary mistake, yet she understood that her beauty did catch many people off-guard. In the end, the man had come to visit Shou, not her, thus, she decisively stepped back without another word, leaving the stage for the Store of Fates.

The Magistrate Han Wi took over the conversation. "The Lord wishes to reserve this place for a whole day." He placed a sack full of crystals on the counter. "Now, go on, close the doors. And although this is awfully rude, please ask any other customer to leave. We promise to compensate you doubly for the troubles."

"Putting aside that we do not take reservations," Shou spoke, then pointed at the City Lord, "In the first place, we serve no one who wears a disguise—Miss Mei can vouch for that, I am sure. So you can either take it off or leave." He realized what irked him out about that supposed Tian Lan. Just like When Mei Xue first arrived, this man too, had his appearance changed, only this one was a lot more sophisticated, covering not only his face but his whole body.

...

Ah Liang had an enlightening experience last night. It has been quite a long time since he had to make a decision regarding his future. After all, by the time he had become somewhat wealthy, the big man did not have to worry about his income and realized he had made it. Even if he had one or two wrong ventures, he knew he'd be able to fall back to the coins he had accumulated over the years.

But this time was different. It was an offer unlike anything else, but with risks that could ruin him forever depending on the side, he took. Yet, for some reason, he was not scared. Even though he was a coward, he did not feel scared. How strange. No, it was not strange at all, as, over the course of few days, the man had come to trust the Store of Fates wholeheartedly. Also, his idol, Zhang Yong had decided to accompany this place too. His only mission now was to make the stubborn Fu Hao understand what he did.

He came to visit the store once more. Putting aside all the political or economical reasons, he simply was dying to know what the ending of that Deathly Witch Hunt was. He believed, even if he were a nobody on the street, he'd come to visit this addicting store daily (provided he had enough money, of course).

However, the loud, angry shouts coming from his favorite store made him jump in surprise. "How dare you mongrel speak to the Lord of the Extended Delight in such insolent manner!"

Immediately, Ah Liang's ears perked up, and he jogged to the store.

Magistrate Han Wi placed his hand on his blade hilt, preparing to draw it. If it weren't so obvious that the youth in front of him had no cultivation base, he may have just demanded a duel. "I don't know who exactly you are, but as long as you are in this city, you listen to Sir Tian Lan. This is unacceptable behavior."

Si, of course, perked up. "Is someone causing trouble again? It's been quite a while, huh?" She started preparing a cute song.

"Rules are rules. Even here, you have to abide by them. No person in disguise is allowed to enter this place. Generally, we do not deal with deception here," Shou spoke calmly. "I mean, you also wouldn't like to be tricked like that, right?"

The City Lord stared at Shou. His eyes, though he tried to hide it, were filled with shock. Was he too stunned to hide, or just did not wish to speak at all? Anyway, it was Magistrate Wi who shouted the profanities for him.

"Why would the City Lord wear a disguise? He has looked this way ten years ago and will look this way a decade later. Or are you telling me that he wore a mask his whole lifetime?" Han Wi clicked his tongue. "Forget about it. How does an owner treat their customer this way? Clearly, you have no idea of how to run a business."

". . .I wouldn't say that," the muscular An Bai spoke out from outside. Ah Liang, who felt too awkward to enter, trailed right behind him. "If that boy knows nothing about businesses, then no one does."

Magistrate Wi frowned, wondering who dared to rebut him, but when he saw Bai and Liang, he started stuttering. "The Merchants from the Golden Dragon Circle?" Stunned, the man wondered why these guys were here.

Ah Liang bowed to the City Lord. He couldn't believe it either, that man came to visit this place, after all. If it were only a day ago, he'd have shut up or even walked away, but as he had already decided to change sides, the fat man wanted to show his support. "I agree, I believe it won't take long until boss Shou becomes one of us, in terms of wealth." And it wasn't like he lied either. This place was printing money.

Han Wis' eyes opened wide, but he soon composed himself. "Hmph. What point is there in money, if he can't back it up?" 

"Oh, but if he needed any help, he could always just ask me though?" A wild Zhang Yong, with the Li siblings following right after him, spoke. "I'm always willing to lend a hand if it is for Shou."

"What's this? Is trouble happening? Will we see a second Wang Jing," Li Yinyi spoke. "I won't let anyone mess around here, okay?"

Li Yangyi pushed her head down but did not chastise her. He couldn't believe it himself, but he also spoke. "This place has the Li families' support."

Mei Xue laughed. "The Wang family too," she spoke, "we support the Store of Fates."

....In the distance, Ran Wei and Lin Zhuyue looked at the tumultuous scene, then at each other. "Uhm, this doesn't seem like the right time to butt in, I guess?"