Chapter 6: The Guild's Icy Stare
The news didn't just spread; it detonated.
The tale of Young Master Wang's catastrophic humiliation wasn't whispered in corners—it was the deafening roar in every tea house, training ground, and alleyway. The details were exaggerated, the Sentinel's power magnified to mythical proportions, and the penalty clause became a thing of legendary dread. The "Celestial Vault" was no longer a curious rumor; it was a established, terrifying fact of life in the Red Maple City.
But for every terrified outer disciple and cautious elder, there were those who heard the story not with fear, but with cold, calculating fury.
In a richly appointed chamber within the Artificer's Guild Hall, the air was thick with the scent of sandalwood and outrage. Seated around a polished blackwood table were the most powerful crafters in the city.
Guild Master Zhang—a broad-shouldered man with a magnificent beard and hands scarred by a lifetime at the forge—slammed his fist on the table, making the teacups rattle. He was the uncle of the bully from the courtyard, and his pride was a second furnace within him.
"This… this charlatan!" he boomed, his face flushed. "He lends power he did not earn, with no respect for the art, for the craft! He spits on generations of tradition! My own nephew's spirit has been weakened by the mere proximity to that… that place!"
A slender woman in alchemist's robes, Madam Luo, steepled her fingers. Her voice was quieter, but far more venomous. "It is not just your trade, Guild Master. The Blue Heaven Pavilion has not sold a high-grade healing pill in a week. Why would a disciple spend their life savings on a pill that might save them, when they can rent a talisman from this 'Vault' that guarantees victory and prevents injury altogether? He is not just a shopkeeper. He is a plague on our entire economy."
A third master, a wizened old man who crafted spiritual tools, nodded grimly. "He operates outside the guilds. He pays no dues. He respects no quotas. He has not been tested and approved! This is anarchy!"
Their anger was a mixture of genuine outrage and pure, unadulterated fear. Their apprentices were getting restless, their customers were vanishing, and their legacy was being rendered obsolete overnight.
"We cannot fight his enforcers directly," Madam Luo said, stating the uncomfortable truth they all knew. "Even the Wang family would not dare after what happened to their son. Brute force is not the way."
Guild Master Zhang's eyes glinted with a hard light. "Then we do not use force. We use the weight of the city itself. We will bury him in rules he cannot break."
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The next morning, Li Wei arrived at his shop to find a well-dressed man with a pinched expression and a scroll case waiting for him. The man didn't look afraid; he looked officious.
"Li Wei?" the man asked, not waiting for an answer. "By the authority of the City Lord's office, and in accordance with Red Maple City's Mercantile Code, Section 4, Subsection 12, you are hereby served."
He thrust a scroll into Li Wei's hands.
"Notice of Retroactive Taxation and Business License Fees."
Li Wei unrolled the scroll. His accountant's eyes scanned the figures, and his blood ran cold. The numbers were astronomical, designed to be impossible.
· Foreign Business Operation Levy: 5,000 Spirit Stones.
· Unapproved Spiritual Artifact Sales License: 10,000 Spirit Stones.
· Hazardous Material Storage Permit (Retroactive): 2,000 Spirit Stones.
· Quarterly Guild Affiliation Dues (Estimated): 3,000 Spirit Stones.
Total Due: 20,000 Spirit Stones. Payable within 72 hours.
The man smirked. "The city's laws are not suggestions, shopkeeper. Failure to comply will result in the immediate seizure of your assets and the permanent revocation of your right to operate within city limits."
He turned and walked away, leaving Li Wei standing before his obsidian door, the scroll feeling heavier than the Iron Sentinel.
This wasn't a young master's arrogance. This was a systematic, legal siege. They couldn't break his rules, so they were trying to force him to break theirs.
He walked into the Celestial Vault, the system interface automatically pulling the data from the scroll.
[ External Hostile Economic Action Detected. ] [ Objective: Nullify threat to business operations. ] [ Analysis: Fines are punitive and designed for bankruptcy. Legal challenge is improbable. ] [ Suggested Solution: Acquire Influence. ]
A new prompt appeared, highlighting a section of the tax notice.
"...failure to comply will result in... revocation of your right to operate..."
The system's response was chillingly simple.
[ Directive: The Shop's right to operate is inviolate. ] [ Countermeasure: Identify and neutralize the source of the revocation threat. ] [ Target: City Lord Bai. ] [ Suggested Action: Create a debt. ]
Li Wei's eyes widened. The system wasn't going to pay the fine. It wasn't going to argue the law.
It was going to go straight to the top and make the law irrelevant.
A new, special rental listing appeared on the interface, glowing with a soft, golden light. It was an item that had not been there before.
Item: Soul-Anchor Amulet (Heaven Grade - Mid) [CUSTOM ORDER] Rental Fee: 1 Favor from City Lord Bai / 48 hrs Description: Stabilizes a critically damaged soul core. Prevents qi deviation and spiritual collapse. Effective for core damage sustained during a failed breakthrough attempt.
Li Wei stared. The system had done its research. It knew exactly what the City Lord desperately needed and couldn't find anywhere else.
The game had just changed. The conflict was no longer in the dusty courtyard. It was about to move into the highest levels of power.
The Guilds had tried to use the city as a weapon.
The Celestial Vault was about to make the city a customer.