Rizwell felt cold sweat gathering around his brows.

How had he overlooked such small loopholes?

The thought continued to circle in his mind without giving him any peace. He had considered the way forward properly before entering the meeting.

Adam had put his two cents in as well. Yet Emily had continued pulling out hidden implications one after another as though she had spent years studying the document.

It no longer felt normal. He acknowledged that he had underestimated the amount of leverage the organization had over him.

Rizwell could not understand how someone could dissect terms and conditions with such frightening precision, tracing every possible outcome several years into the future while simultaneously considering risks that had not even crossed his mind.

His eyes slowly shifted toward Emily.

Perhaps there was something special about her; it was obvious to him now that she was using some ability or spell.

That was the only explanation he could come up with; otherwise, how could anyone continuously peel away at the smallest details so effortlessly?

Meanwhile, Emily sat calmly in her chair as if she had not shaken the confidence of one of Riverdale’s most influential nobles. Her expression remained relaxed, and after giving Rizwell enough time to think, she spoke again.

"We are willing to add another clause."

Her voice was soft, carrying the same pleasant politeness as before.

"We can guarantee that forty percent of our products will continue to use Draconis channels throughout the minimum partnership period. However, in return, I would ask Lord Duke to reconsider the thirty-two percent share."

She paused briefly before continuing.

"Do not think only about the present, my lord."

Her eyes met his.

"Think about the future." Her words sounded heavy, and Rizwell knew what she was talking about. He felt another bead of sweat run down the side of his forehead. He immediately pulled out a handkerchief and wiped it away.

His expression had become visibly strained now.

"Still, Madam..." he said with furrowed brows, "ten percent is simply too low."

He let out a breath before continuing.

"If we agree to such terms, Draconis would suffer enormous losses. I ask that you settle at twenty-five percent."

His eyes narrowed.

"That is the furthest I am willing to retreat." His voice carried tension.

Technically, he still had another option.

He could walk away from this deal, but he still believed that the situation could be controlled.

No one was forcing him to continue this negotiation, but he did not realize that the slight gaps Emily was leaving in her arguments were not to overwhelm him and make him feel the exact emotion that he felt.

Yet despite everything Emily had done so far, despite the pressure she had placed on him and despite the uncertainty clouding his thoughts, he still could not bring himself to abandon the deal.

Because deep within his heart, Rizwell possessed ambitions of his own.

He had spent his entire life watching the major families of Riverdale compete with one another for influence and power. House Draconis was powerful, but powerful was not enough.

He wanted his family to stand above all of them. He wanted Draconis to become untouchable.

And for that to happen, he needed this opportunity.

Emily fell silent.

She lowered her eyes slightly and appeared to consider his words carefully. For several moments, she did not speak at all.

Then she took a slow breath.

"Okay, I will agree."

Rizwell blinked.

"But I have another condition."

"Huh?!"

He had been prepared for another round of arguments.

Another counterattack or a hidden loophole in the contract.

Instead, she had accepted so easily, just like that.

The sudden shift caught him completely off guard.

"Madam..." he said slowly, still unable to understand her intentions, "what clause do you wish to add?"

Emily looked at him. This time, the warmth on her face disappeared.

"The Infinity Guild will not be obligated to distribute magical items exclusively through Draconis channels."

Her voice was calm and cold.

"We reserve the freedom to establish separate agreements and independently distribute magical products beyond the scope of this contract."

Rizwell’s expression stiffened. Magic items.

The magical goods market was extremely profitable.

Even common magical tools are sold for astonishing prices.

However, the market itself had limits. Ordinary people simply could not afford such products, and because of that, magical items lacked the broad scale of conventional goods.

In his mind, he immediately began calculating.

Perhaps the Infinity Guild possessed several artificers. Perhaps they had formation masters working under them.

Small-scale magical production could certainly create enormous profit margins.

But compared to ordinary trades dealing in food, steel, resources, and daily commodities, magical items still represented a relatively small market.

Then why?

Why was Emily specifically excluding magical items? He was certain she understood that they wouldn’t be saving much from that clause.

Violet understood it as well.

Neither of them would make such a decision carelessly. So why leave it out?

The question dug into his mind like a thorn.

No matter how much he thought about it, he could not understand.

Eventually, he could no longer hold back his curiosity.

"My lady," he asked carefully, "may I know what type of magical items the guild intends to sell?"

Emily did not answer immediately.

Instead, she slowly turned her eyes toward Violet.

Violet met her gaze and gave a slight nod.

Then he spoke.

"Recently, one of our organization’s members, William, managed to reclaim his inheritance from certain adversaries."

His voice remained calm, and as soon as he spoke, Rizwell realized who he was talking about. The inheritance Violet was talking about was actually the Eternal Sun Empire.

"In the process, he gained control over all the resources and business channels that were previously operated by those people. He intends to divert and sell those resources through the Infinity Guild."

The moment those words entered Rizwell’s ears, his expression changed. He suddenly understood what they were implying.

Meanwhile, Violet quietly looked away as if the matter had nothing to do with him.

Emily leaned forward slightly.

"Lord Rizwell," she said with a smile, "our organization now controls the supply chain of light stones."

Rizwell frowned.

So that was the truth. The Eternal Sun Empire had indeed been backed by this organization all along.

And from the sound of it, they had handed over their light stone supply directly to the Infinity Guild. Immediately, calculations began running through his mind.

Light stones were different.

Completely different.

Demand for them existed across every corner of society.

Nobles used them, merchants used them, and cities relied on them; they were a limited resource.

If light stones entered this agreement, then the entire scale of the business would transform overnight.

The profit margins would be absurd.

The expansion speed would be terrifying.

And judging from Emily’s expression...

There seemed to be more.

Much more.

Emily smiled as she looked at him.

"And let me tell you a little secret."

Her confidence made Rizwell unconsciously gulp.

"W-what is it?" he asked quietly.

Emily looked directly into his eyes.

"The Church of Light lied to everyone regarding light stones." Her voice remained perfectly calm.

"Their light stones were never mined within the Sunspire Range."

Rizwell stared at her silently.

Emily’s smile widened slightly.

"They possessed the method to create them."

Silence filled the room. Then she tilted her head slightly.

"Do you understand what that means?"

Rizwell stopped breathing for a moment. His eyes widened; he did not say anything.

He simply sat there and stared.

If those words were true...

No.

If even a portion of those words were true, then he could absolutely not let go of this opportunity.

After several moments, he took a deep breath. His face looked as though he had just lost a battle.

"Let’s end this at twenty-one percent; don’t add the clause about magic items," he said heavily.

Emily smiled calmly.

"With the production method of light stones in our hands, we would be capable of controlling their demand and supply however we wished."

Her fingers lightly tapped against the table.

"We could make poor men rich and rich men poor."

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"It is not merely a profitable resource, Lord Rizwell."

"It is an economic weapon."

Then she leaned slightly closer. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"We could even help you destroy rival factions simply by controlling the market."

Rizwell bit the inside of his lip as frustration filled him.

No matter how he looked at it, Emily had trapped him completely.

He remained silent for several moments before finally speaking through gritted teeth.

"Fifteen percent."

Emily’s smile immediately brightened.

"Deal."