Meihua sat on her expensive chair, still contemplating the strange runic arrays and gadgets Seo had been using. No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't make sense of them. When she looked at Seo's holographic form again, she was left completely agape.
After a moment of silently marveling at the unfamiliar knowledge before her, she finally asked the question that had been lingering in her mind.
"So how exactly do you think I should help you?" she asked, her tone filled with curiosity about how Seo planned to deal with the invaders.
Through the drone's view, Seo sensed Meihua's intention and calmly explained that she needed a reliable way to constantly gather information about what was happening in the capital and the surrounding kingdoms. Living far away from the political center made it difficult for her to stay informed.
Meihua thought about it for a while before finally offering a suggestion.
"Why not establish a merchant guild here in the capital?" she said, though her expression showed a hint of reluctance. "That way you could gather information about what's happening in the capital… and even beyond."
She knew that creating a guild itself wasn't difficult. Maintaining it, however, was an entirely different matter. Resources were scarce, trade routes were dangerous, and trustworthy workers were even harder to find.
Seo understood these difficulties, not because she had personal experience running such an operation, but because countless historical records from her previous life had detailed similar challenges.
Seeing Meihua hesitate as if she wanted to retract her suggestion, Seo spoke up before she could.
"The idea is feasible."
Meihua looked at her in surprise but didn't argue. From her previous encounters with Seo, she already knew that Seo was incredibly intelligent. If Seo believed the plan could work, then she had little reason to doubt it.
Seo then asked Meihua to help locate a suitable area of land in the capital where they could construct their first branch.
Her plan was simple.
The merchant guild would sell the items she produced on her farm—pills, crafted artifacts, and various materials she could manufacture herself. By controlling both production and distribution, she would achieve extremely high profits while minimizing losses. In addition, she planned to create an auction system that would sell rare and valuable items.
After hearing Seo's proposal, a thought suddenly crossed Meihua's mind.
"I would like to invest in the business as well," she said.
Seo immediately saw through her intentions and couldn't help but smile.
"Alright, alright," Seo said teasingly. "I'll let you handle the specifics."
After they finished discussing logistics such as transportation and the establishment of an information network, Meihua suddenly looked at Seo with an expectant expression.
"Umm… so… a business can't really start without some startup capital, right?" she said awkwardly.
Seo already understood what she meant.
She calmly pressed a button on the floating interface in front of her.
On Meihua's side, the top of the drone glowed softly before a beautifully crafted large wooden box materialized. It was one of the drone's spatial storage functions.
Meihua opened the box slowly, anticipation written all over her face.
The moment she saw what was inside, her mind nearly exploded.
Inside were high-grade blood pills, spiritual willow flowers, crystal-clear glass cutlery, high-grade spirit stones, and azure sky silk.
She quickly slammed the lid shut as the box emitted a majestic glow of vibrant colors. Then she nervously looked around the room as if checking for witnesses.
Seo couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.
After regaining her composure, Meihua informed Seo that preparing everything would take around three weeks.
Seo accepted the timeline and told her she would send her people when the time came. She also mentioned that she would personally construct the headquarters.
By the time they finished discussing the details, night had already fallen.
Seo withdrew the drone from the room, but before leaving she reminded Meihua to wear the bracelet inside the box. It would allow them to communicate with each other.
Then she left.
Throughout the night, Seo guided the drone through the capital's dark alleys, discreetly planting small crystals in hidden locations while simultaneously mapping the rest of the city.
The next morning, Seo began flying the drone back home.
Since she had already mapped most of the areas during the night, the journey back was much faster. The drone had already covered half the distance when it suddenly detected a powerful spiritual signature.
Seo immediately activated the drone's cloaking function and began observing.
Under a large tree sat a strikingly beautiful woman.
Her skin was pale, her eyes large and sharp, framed by long lashes and slightly angled brows. Her figure was equally impressive, with a particularly generous chest that strained against her loose robes.
Her clothing looked ordinary, almost worn.
In her hand she held a large gourd from which she repeatedly took deep gulps.
After a moment she tried to stand, but staggered and collapsed back onto the ground.
Seo found the scene strangely interesting and decided to observe a little longer.
Suddenly, the drunken woman lunged toward the tree where the drone was hidden.
Her speed was astonishing.
She pulled a slightly worn and rusted sword from her robes and slashed upward.
Seo was briefly shocked, but before the attack could reach the cloaked drone she activated its defensive mechanism.
A multilayered hexagonal barrier instantly formed around it.
The sword strike collided with the barrier and was violently repelled, producing a sharp, unpleasant sound.
However, the sudden surge of spiritual energy required to maintain the barrier disrupted the cloaking function.
The drone became visible.
The woman looked at the hovering object and its layered runic barrier, yet casually took another sip from her gourd.
Then she smiled with a flushed expression.
"I've never seen a technique that requires a flying iron box to spy on people," she said drunkenly.
Seo grew even more curious.
Not only had the woman discovered the cloaked drone, she also seemed to know that someone was controlling it remotely.
Seo lowered the barrier and activated the drone's projection function.
A holographic image of her appeared in front of the woman.
The woman froze in shock at the sudden appearance, her already unsteady body staggering before she fell back onto the ground.
When she tried to stand again, her robes had loosened, exposing her ample chest that was barely covered by thin, low-quality fabric.
Seeing the scene through the drone's view, Seo felt a slight nosebleed trickle down her nose.
She quickly wiped it away subconsciously while staring.
Realizing what she was doing, she shook her head and regained her composure.
Then she looked at the woman and asked calmly,
"How did you find my drone?"