The wooden floor of the logistics pavilion creaked again under Yoe Choin's footsteps. The smell of old paper and cheap ink greeted him as soon as he pushed open the door to Han So-Wol's office. Inside, the "Iron Abacus" was still struggling with a pile of scrolls that didn't seem to have diminished in the slightest since their last meeting.
"So-Wol,"
Choin called out matter-of-factly.
"Stop counting for a moment. I need a report on the feasibility of this sect's revenue sources."
So-Wol looked up, her tired eyes staring sarcastically at Choin behind her thin glasses.
"Young Master, you speak as if we have many options. Our sources of income? They're like pillars on the verge of collapse."
Choin pulled up a chair and sat down, his face serious.
"Speak honestly. Are our sources of income, like the regional taxes and the black iron mines in the southern region, still flowing? Is the problem with the dry revenue 'pipes,' or is it because rats are clogging the flow?"
So-Wol took a deep breath, her fingers drumming on the weathered wooden table.
"Technically, our funding channels still exist. The Black Iron Mine on the southern slope is still producing materials. The villages under our protection are still paying their monthly tribute. The problem..."
"...the problem is that Elder Gong cut off that flow before it reaches the central treasury?"
Choin interrupted coldly.
"Exactly,"
So-Wol whispered.
"He has his own personal 'guard post' on the distribution channel. The money simply evaporates under the labels of 'administrative fees' and 'additional security.' If that income reached us intact, Evernight Gate wouldn't look like a starving chicken coop like it does now."
Choin grinned faintly, an expression that made So-Wol shudder slightly.
"Good. If the channel still exists, I just need to do some 'blockage clearing.' Eradicating rats is much easier than finding a new spring in the middle of the desert."
That afternoon, despite his body feeling heavy with fatigue, Choin strode towards the forest surrounding the Black Dragon Mountains. Behind him, Gwi-Hyuk followed silently, watching his master's every move.
"Listen, Boss Demon,"
Choin muttered to the real Moen Kang Yo.
"Those students won't be able to produce high-quality concrete if they only eat stale corn rice every day. Their muscle structure needs protein. We need a steady supply of meat."
"You want the prince of the Moen clan to hunt ducks like a commoner?"
Kang Yo's voice was filled with deep objections.
"A foreman wouldn't be ashamed to get his hands dirty for the sake of a project,"
Choin retorted flatly.
Using his 3rd level Structure Realm and his sense of perception, now as sharp as a laser sensor, Choin darted through the trees. He wasn't using arrows, but small pebbles wrapped in internal Qi—an efficient method of 'precision ballistics.'
Whoosh! Thud!
A large buck fell instantly, its skull crushed in a vital spot. Choin didn't stop there, combing the edge of the small lake, immobilizing dozens of wild ducks with incredibly energy-efficient movements. As he hunted, his glowing blue eyes continuously scanned the surrounding vegetation.
"Wild ginseng root... Blood leaf... these are great for 'renovating' the bruised meridians from this morning's training,"
Choon muttered as he pulled out some much-needed herbs for his students.
As the sun began to set, Choin stood in the middle of the forest with his catch piled on his shoulders. Sweat soaked his dull robes, and his breathing became labored.
"Foreman, you're shaking,"
the real Kang Yo said, his tone almost akin to concern.
"Your internal energy hasn't fully recovered from yesterday's flushing process, and you've been working nonstop all day."
"I know... this is called overload,"
Choon whispered, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.
"Gong's rats won't wait for me to rest. I have to outrun their sabotage plan. If this pillar isn't reinforced tonight, the entire building will collapse before dawn."
His heart was pounding, a signal that Moen Kang Yo's body was being pushed beyond its safe capacity. However, for Yoe Choin, stopping was a fatal management failure.
As they reached the outskirts of the sect's back gate, Choin suddenly halted. He placed his catch on the ground very slowly.
"Gwi-Hyuk, feel this,"
Choin whispered.
Gwi-Hyuk immediately knelt down, pressing his ear to the cold ground. His eyes widened in shock.
There was the steady vibration of a large group of horses, at least thirty to forty riders, moving toward the sect's Black Iron warehouse. The direction wasn't outside the sect, but from Elder Gong's residence.
"A mass theft of assets in the afternoon?"
Choin grinned, though his face was pale with exhaustion.
"That rat really wants to empty the warehouse before I can do a physical audit."
Choin looked down at his still-shaking hands, then felt the box of Evernight Essence Pills tucked under his robes.
"Looks like we'll have to install the 'roof frame' ahead of schedule, Demon Boss. Give me your strength, we have a sting operation to conduct tonight."
In the distance, the neighing of horses and the rising of dust signaled that Elder Gong had begun his aggressive move to cripple Evernight Gate financially.