Jack lightly chuckled as he saw the merchants' faces. They were full of questions, their brains already filling his blank identity with infinite guesses.

  [Great Swindler Detected!]

  [This system shall watch over you!]

  "Hello everyone, how's the bickering going?"

  Their faces twisted in shame from what he implied. After all this time, they hadn't decided on a course of action just yet. They sure were slow!

  "Now, who wants to bring me up to speed?" Jack grinned, a few eager merchants stepping forward.

  There were a few issues:

  1. The many deaths taking their toll on operations

  2. Loss of trust, both from the clients and employees.

  3. A sudden lack of experienced craftsmen, both to craft and teach the next generation.

  4. An issue in how to allocate emergency resources. After all, everyone had their own agenda.

  "That's what happened, Sir…"

  "Tsk-tsk-tsk. So, in conclusion, you guys are so used to peaceful times that a little setback instantly paralyzed you?" Jack shook his head disapprovingly.

  "?!?"

  He called this a little setback?! What would he consider a major catastrophe then?! They gulped once more but quickly came back to their senses.

  Having all their flaws pointed out sure felt bad, but they quickly regained their senses. Whoever this Lord was, they couldn't afford to show such a pitiful display.

  If only for the sake of not losing further face, they proposed solutions one after the other.

  "We already requested help from the Capital, but we can offer small private rewards to motivate them."

  "Some craftsmen still seem to be hiding in fear of retribution. Tell them all that we won't press charges for them releasing the undead in a moment of weakness."

  "How about requesting the graduates from the local adventurer college to help with burying the dead? They'll have to get used to the stench at some point anyway."

  "As for the distribution of earnings, let's just focus on recovering right now. As long as we keep a tight leash on our finances, we'll recover soon enough!"

  "As for reassuring the public, we've already requested a Nobleman to step forward. We can only hope that one will show up out of pity…."

  Now that they had actually stopped bickering, they showed their experience. After all, they could somewhat agree on an optimal solution. They had simply been reluctant to.

  The mysterious Jack observing them had been enough to motivate them. Many were even daydreaming….what if he was actually a hidden noble? Maybe he'd assist them.

  They glanced his way, hope filling their eyes.

  "So those are your final resolutions?" He asked playfully.

  "Y-yes!" Why did this sound like a test?

  "Congrats!…" As he congratulated them, they broke out in genuine smiles. "…You all fucked up."

  "S-sir?…."

  "I see that you all are taking calculative risks, ensuring the prosperity of your respective businesses. Either you lot have the foresight of a toddler or you're goddamn awful at math!"

  "…"

  "What do you do when a crisis happens? Either you tighten your belt, and you endure, coming out battered and beaten…."

  They held their breaths as he gazed at them with a magnetic look.

  "…Or, you rise up to the occasion and come out even stronger. Now is not the time to cower, now's not the time for useless half-measures either. It's time to act!" He thundered.

  Each second, his tone was getting more and more heated as if a professional preacher.

  "Now's the time to invest massively. To turn this entire City into your playground, to even use the occasion to show the world that no matter what, you'll remain!"

  "!!!!"

  "If you guys are all scaredy cats, what prevents any random power from taking over your businesses? Will you fight or just hand your lives away?"

  "We'll fight!!!" The usually calm merchants found themselves screaming along.

  Jack nodded happily. Attending countless motivational shows and cult gatherings in his previous life had served him well.

  They still had no idea who he was, but they were now cheering and clapping for him.

  1. Able to use the Table Artifact.

  2. Showing the demeanor of a Noble.

  3. An insanely deep understanding of business (By their standards)

  4. The ability to rally people with a few words akin to a mighty general.

  The more he talked, the more heated they became.

  Jack easily convinced them to let him help with their issues. Right now, they had a labor shortage, right? He just happened to know a Blacksmith Teacher.

  He'd "sacrifice" himself for the greater good, requesting a few "necessary" operating costs. At first glance, he was doing them a favor, but he was actually getting countless benefits!-

  An A-Rank Commerce Union Certificate-

  A bunch of rare ores and magic stones-

  A VIP treatment at pretty much all of their shops

  He was pretty much robbing them blind, all because they had mistaken him for a Noble. The tone they addressed him was now filled with reverence.

  "Thank you for enlightening and helping us! I'll remember this meeting all my life. Thank you for the grace you've shown us, my Lord!"

  "Sir, my residence is open to you any time, the day or night. Feel free to visit whenever!"

  Even the "Treasure Prince" by the side couldn't help but have doubts. There was no way this guy was a Noble! Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed him to enter the meeting, right?!

  What if this had just been done on a whim? What if he really was a bigshot from the capital?! But then he kept remembering how the man had cheated on the previous test…


  Could a Lord really be that petty?! At this moment, it was definitely better for him to stop thinking about it.

  But suddenly, the jovial atmosphere was shattered by the doors slamming open.

  "Are the foolish commoners still arguing about what to do? They are, aren't they?" A sharp and arrogant voice resounded.

  "I believe they are, my Lord. Wait…they're addressing someone as one would a noble." A feminine but powerful voice replied.

  [Danger Detected!]

  That's when two individuals intruded in the meeting room. A real Noble?! What was up with this timing?! Jack had been about to leave too…