[Faced with the company representative who has suddenly appeared at your door, you are clearly not surprised by his arrival...]
[You are well aware that the internal conflicts of Aurum Alley have been gradually resolved through your mediation. The aid agreement with Heron Express has served as a powerful shot in the arm for Aurum Alley, helping this old food street climb upwards once more and halting its trend of declining profits.]
[Because of the gradually improving situation, the various members of the Aurum Alley Merchant's Guild have had their hopes rekindled...]
[The shopkeepers of these alley stalls are already accustomed to their current lives. They have toiled at their stalls for perhaps their entire lives and have long since settled here.]
[To others, Aurum Alley may just be a childhood memory, a bustling snack street with a lively atmosphere, but to them, it is the "home" they live in every moment, a home they cannot bear to part with.]
[Unless things truly become untenable, no one wants to leave their home... not even for a sufficient compensation price.]
[The company's plan to acquire the Aurum Alley shops and simultaneously bid for the port to take over the property rights for the entire district is now severely hindered. They certainly have enough money, but there are times when money cannot buy people's hearts.]
[As for Aurum Alley, the company may have many ways to destroy its commerce. The cooperation between Heron Express and Aurum Alley is not unbreakable. They have only just begun; everything is still in its infancy, fragile and easily damaged.]
[The company has a thousand ways to resolve Aurum Alley's current thriving situation, to make the alley fall back into its previous state of extreme decline, with no hope of revival—]
[But the Luofu will not allow it.]
[The Xianzhou [Luofu] has its own rules for commerce. The Sky-Faring Commission, as the department in charge of all trade on the [Luofu], has its headquarters in the Starskiff Haven Central Hub right next to the Exalting Sanctum. This is where their enforcement power is strongest...]
[Even a behemoth like the Interastral Peace Corporation must abide by the Xianzhou Alliance's rules if they want to do business in its territory.]
[And as for their own people... the Luofu's Six Charioteers have always been very protective. The Sky-Faring Commission and its subordinate merchant guilds are no exception.]
[If the company dares to use any underhanded business tactics that could be discovered by the Sky-Faring Commission to force the acquisition of Aurum Alley, the Sky-Faring Commission would dare to revoke the company's eligibility to bid for the port. Then, using excuses such as fire inspections, hygiene inspections, and prohibited goods inspections, they would harass all of the company's properties on the Luofu every few days.]
[And only after the IPC's Luofu branch has held meeting after meeting, made their decision, and paid a fine large enough to make the Sky-Faring Commission's merchant representatives grin from ear to ear, would these trumped-up charges be completely dropped. Only then would there be no more disruptions to the IPC's commercial progress, and no more Cloud Knights disguised as ordinary people bumping into trees and constantly tailing company employees...]
[That is why the company representative is so desperately seeking you out at this moment, and why he has completely agreed to the price you previously offered, ready to sign an agreement with you on behalf of the Interastral Peace Corporation at any time.]
[But you know that the current Aurum Alley is different from before. The revitalized Aurum Alley is far more valuable than it was. You are not about to let this opportunity slip by, and you unhesitatingly raise the price by a massive margin.]
---o---
[The company representative is utterly shocked by your greed. He strongly accuses your assistance to Aurum Alley as being unethical business competition and negotiates with you fiercely, hoping to reach a new consensus.]
[To this, you smile faintly and do not respond, peacefully rejecting every single one of his proposed price reductions.]
[Faced with your attitude of a dead pig that doesn't fear boiling water, the company representative talks himself hoarse. He finally discovers with despair that, due to the strategic importance and urgency of Aurum Alley, he has been completely and utterly cornered by you for the time being...]
[In the end, he can only make a decisive move with the authority he has, agreeing to your high price of four hundred thousand strales. However, he also issues you an extremely harsh restriction and warning—]
[In one week, the Aurum Alley Merchant's Guild's property rights for the port will expire. At that time, the Sky-Faring Commission will hold an auction for the port's operating rights. The company has already eliminated most potential rivals. Currently, only the entrenched Aurum Alley Merchant's Guild remains as an opponent.]
[He will only transfer 50% of the deposit to you for now. You need to acquire the land deeds for all the shops in Aurum Alley within this week. Only after he has confirmed them will he transfer the remaining 50% of the payment and allow you to represent the company in the bidding.]
[If you fail to complete the objective, the company will immediately sue you with the Luofu's Ten-Lords Commission and the Sky-Faring Commission for illegal business competition and severe fraud. The Interastral Peace Corporation's legal team will ensure you have absolutely no chance of winning.]
[But you ignore his threats completely.]
Looking at the text on the light screen, Ron couldn't help but relax his lips into a smile that said, "all according to plan."
It worked, just as he had predicted. Given the importance the company placed on Aurum Alley, even though Ron had temporarily raised the price by a third, the company representative still signed the contract with him, fully entrusting him to bid for and acquire Aurum Alley on the company's behalf.
Although the company had set up all sorts of miscellaneous clauses to prevent Ron from taking the money and running, and the representative's distrust of Ron was palpable, Ron couldn't care less about his attitude.
He never had any need for this money in the first place. The only reason he wanted more was to ensure that the "new life" after this simulation's "destruction" could flourish, and that the shopkeepers of Aurum Alley could receive ample compensation. That was all.
As for how to completely take down Aurum Alley and hand it over to the company to fulfill the agreement, that wasn't difficult at all.
Aurum Alley's revival had only just begun, and this revival was essentially a castle in the sky, built entirely on Ron's mediation.
It was because of Ron's mediation that this decaying, ancient merchant's guild began to operate again. The shops, with their trading methods only suitable for prosperous times, also took this opportunity to change. Everything was reviving because of Ron. The flame of this revival was far from burning to a point where it couldn't be extinguished.
If Ron wanted to... this nascent flame of revival would be completely snuffed out by him, and the prosperous castle in the sky would instantly collapse.
With this in mind, Ron clicked on the screen before him, letting the simulation proceed according to his plan.
The text on the screen faded, and a new scene appeared:
"President… President! Are you there?"
Ron walked into the Chen-Mechanics shop with a grave expression. Two points of light lit up on a cabinet in the shadows. Although the aurumaton president of Aurum Alley was now just a head, the crystalline eyes still flickered with the intelligent fire of interconnected Jade Abacus components.
"There is no need to shout. This old one is right here."
It directed its gaze at Ron. Its mechanized voice was cold, but one could hear the rich suspicion within.
"Should you not be with Mingxi, planning the logistics? Why do you seek this old one now?"
A trace of a helpless, bitter smile appeared on Ron's face.
"Today it was my turn to be on duty at the Matrix of Divination. As is customary, I needed to activate the matrix one last time before the end of my shift to check its status and prevent any problems from occurring…"
"I thought, since I've already activated the matrix, I might as well cast a trigram. Let's divine the future of our Aurum Alley after cooperating with Heron Express."
As he spoke, he sighed with a complicated expression.
"But I did not expect the trigram to be unfavorable. The matrix predicted many futures, and the outcome of the cooperation between Aurum Alley and Heron Express was not good. In the end, many shops unrelated to logistics will go out of business completely, and Aurum Alley will lose its unique character and perseverance in Heron Express's logistics plan."
He spoke, and his tone shifted.
"But that is not the most important thing—"
"Most importantly, I saw remnants of the Sanctitas Medicus lurking in Aurum Alley. The Cloud Knights tried to eliminate them countless times but failed. Aurum Alley was completely ruined by the mara outbreak and has no hope of revival…"
Ron sighed as he finished.
"Aurum Alley's fate is fraught with peril. Perhaps its time has come... We should give up, old President."
The scene on the screen faded, and new lines of text appeared:
[Although you have not yet passed the diviner's exam prepared for you by Fu Xuan, you have still used your status as a diviner to deceive the ordinary people of Aurum Alley, bringing them one terrifying prophecy after another.]
[From claims that Aurum Alley's business will plummet due to Heron Express's plans and the rise of a new night market in the Exalting Sanctum, to claims that Aurum Alley is secretly harboring mara-struck remnants that endanger lives, you have used the excuse of trigrams to confidently tell all the members of the Aurum Alley Merchant's Guild various rumors.]
[These lies would have been easily exposed, but your identity and your previous actions have earned you too much trust. Everyone deeply believes your words, and they are all terrified by the dreadful future you have fabricated.]
[During this time, many people have come to you for help, hoping that you, a diviner specializing in commercial forecasting within the Divination Commission, can help them find a solution. You pretend to hesitate for a long time, and finally, clenching your teeth, you tell them that for the future of the Merchant's Guild members, you will do everything you can to help them solve this problem.]
[After slowly dragging things out for six days, on the day before the auction, you return, feigning exhaustion from your efforts. You tell all the members of the Aurum Alley Merchant's Guild that you have managed to trick the commercial representative of the IPC's Luofu branch into acquiring the bidding rights for Aurum Alley's port.]
[Now, the members of the Merchant's Guild can sell their shop deeds to the company. You have already brought the company's funds and informed them that the maximum price the company can bear is three times the market value, acting as if you "only have the best interests of Aurum Alley at heart, and the company is just the unlucky sucker being tricked into subsidizing you."
[The people, who were already in a panic from the six days of anxious waiting, immediately accompany you to the Sky-Faring Commission to complete the deed transfer agreement. You hand over the two hundred thousand strales from the company representative to these shop owners. They receive a compensation of more than three times the market value, which is the best option you could provide for them.]
[With everything prepared, you are ready to bid for and take Aurum Alley. But just as you are about to leave after securing all the deeds, you see a vaguely familiar figure—]
[The company's other commercial representative on the Luofu, Scott, is hiding in a dark corner of Aurum Alley, talking to a figure shrouded in a robe.]
[On that robed figure... you smell a thick scent of medicine.]
The text on the screen faded, and a new option box appeared:
[You see the company's other representative, Scott, in contact with a strange person who reeks of medicine. On the Xianzhou [Luofu], anyone associated with medicine can only come from the Alchemy Commission, and you are well aware of who is within the Alchemy Commission...]
[The place with the highest density of Sanctitas Medicus members is the Alchemy Commission. Perhaps if you rounded up every alchemist inside and chopped them all up, you might get some innocent people, but if you chopped one and let one go, you would definitely miss more than one mara-struck remnant. The person Scott is in contact with is likely no simple character.]
[So, should you follow them to find out the truth and see what they are really up to?]
[All of this requires you to make a choice—]
[1. "What is there to see? It must be the mara-struck remnants. Let's report them!"]
[As a diviner of the Divination Commission, you are no ordinary person. The person who stands by the Matrix of Divination on workdays is your superior, one of the Luofu's Six Charioteers, Master Diviner Fu Xuan. The conditions are perfect. Regardless of whether this person is a mara-struck remnant, reporting some intelligence to Fu Xuan is definitely the right move.]
[You have no goodwill towards the Sanctitas Medicus. This group of people deserves to be captured, brutally tortured by the Ten-Lords Commission, and locked away in the Shackling Prison for a lifetime.]
[Although reporting this to Fu Xuan means you will face a lot of trouble as a witness, you feel that since it can resolve the matter of these terrorists, as a diviner of the Luofu, it is your duty.]
[You decide to follow them to see what's happening, and after obtaining some evidence, you will immediately take it and report to Fu Xuan.]
[2. (Destruction) "Heheheh, I don't care if you're mara-struck or not, time to chop, chop, chop!"]
[Dark thoughts grow in your heart. The moment you decide to walk the Path of [Destruction], you already feel the subtle influence of the endless tyranny from this Path.]
[At any moment, you have the chance to let yourself merge with the tyrannical thoughts that this Path should have, to completely become the most standard follower of the Path of [Destruction] in this sea of stars—]
[When you're bored, you should just kill a few people. You think Scott and that suspected Sanctitas Medicus member have nice-looking heads. It's about time you chopped them off and kicked them around like balls.]
[3. "I have a big business deal tomorrow... Forget it, forget it."
[The deal with the Interastral Peace Corporation is about to be completed. "Destroying" Aurum Alley is a certain goal. You don't want to disrupt your perfectly laid plan for anything.]
[Whether you report them or kill them, these choices will affect your bid the next day.]
[You decide to act as if you never saw them and just follow your own plan to complete the "destruction" of Aurum Alley.]
---o---
Looking at the options on the screen, Ron's brow couldn't help but twitch slightly.
"Scott and the Sanctitas Medicus? I was just bluffing, how did I actually become a prophet? Does the company really have ties with the Sanctitas Medicus?"
Ron completely dismissed the possibility of the robed figure being an ordinary alchemist. Just as the simulation screen said, the Alchemy Commission was the biggest gathering place for the Sanctitas Medicus. Acting so secretively, they couldn't be a good person.
Should he follow them and see? Or directly choose the "Destruction" option and farm some Path Progression?
Ron hesitated for a moment, but ultimately gave up on those ideas.
Neither the first nor the second option was a necessary choice for Ron in this simulation.
Although Ron was very curious about what the Sanctitas Medicus wanted and what contact they had with the company, his main goal in this simulation was not that.
What he wanted was to gain enough Path Progression to embark on the Path of [Destruction]. This simulation had only this one goal for him.
If he wanted to figure out the relationship between the Sanctitas Medicus and the company, to uncover the secrets of the Sanctitas Medicus, Ron could simply try again in the next simulation. There was no need to rush.
And although the second option could grant him progress on the Path of [Destruction], the returns were simply too low. What could killing one Sanctitas Medicus member do? At most, it would only be one or two points of Path Progression. Compared to the ninety-nine-point deficit, it was a drop in the bucket.
Ron had been preparing for so long to complete a "destruction" of a "civilization." Naturally, he wouldn't drop the watermelon to pick up the sesame seed. This option was a small gain for a big loss.
He would choose the third option and honestly complete the plan he had originally prepared.
With this in mind, Ron clicked on the third option.
The option on the screen faded, and a new scene appeared:
[You ignore their existence, returning to the Yichen Inn as if you had seen nothing.]
[The next day, you use the land deeds to receive the remaining 50% of the funds. You represent the Interastral Peace Corporation at the auction, spend the two hundred thousand strales, and once again take the operating rights for Aurum Alley's port.]
[You have successfully acquired all property rights for Aurum Alley for the company. Now, the port reconstruction plan that the company had prepared long ago is immediately put on the agenda. The old, historically charming buildings of Aurum Alley are all razed by the construction crews. A giant starport will be completed within a few months, further expanding the company's commercial map.]
[You have completed a destruction of a "civilization" and brought the possibility of new life to the survivors of that "civilization."
[You have perfectly followed the true [Destruction]. Your actions align with the most primal and most correct concept of the Path of [Destruction]...]
[You have obtained ninety-nine points of [Destruction] Path Progression.]
[Currently, your progress on the Path of [Destruction] is—(100/100)]
[You have successfully embarked on the Path of [Destruction].]