“Commercial crisis?”


  Sherlock sat opposite Nicholas, his hand on his knees as he frowned and repeated what Nicholas had said.

  “Yes, Lord Sherlock. We encountered the first commercial crisis!”


  Nicholas crossed his arms on the table. His brows were tightly knit, and he looked haggard, as though he hadn’t slept for many days. He wasn’t even interested in the cup of bloody chrysanthemum tea placed before him.

  That was abnormal. Nobody could possibly dislike bloody chrysanthemum tea, with the exception of Lilo. Sherlock had the impression that the Fallen Angel preferred green tea.

  Beast preferred drowsy red tea? No, he wasn’t a creature.

  “I didn’t believe that taking over Winterfell would be a simple affair, but I didn’t expect it to be this complicated.”


  Nicholas took out a document from his drawer, then passed the document to Sherlock.

  Sherlock found many photographs, one of which depicted a dead creature. He looked grotesque and was covered with mosaic.

  Following the photographs was a report filled with words.

  “Robbing Incident of the Black Volcano Merchant Band”


  “Respectable Winterfell Dungeon Lord Onionhead:

  We are sorry to inform you that the Merchant Band under you has been attacked at Black Volcano. Their goods vanished. We found a sole survivor, but he died soon after. There were no other survivors. We suspect that they were poisoned by the gas emitted from the lava.

  As the Black Volcano is an active one, eruptions are more frequent. We are short of resources. For safety’s sake, we hope that Winterfell can send a dedicated investigation team. As you know, the goods are important to Winterfell and the Merchant Alliance. They are very sensitive items!”


  The subsequent contents were about the onsite investigation, the identities of the dead, and their numbers.

  Sherlock was surprised by their identities and numbers.

  “There were 2,500 Merchant Band guards? The report says that there are no survivors……”


  “That’s right. They were annihilated, and no traces of their corpses were discovered……” Nicholas said gravely. “Besides paying a large sum for death compensation, we have to answer to the Labor Union, though they are easy to manage since the Merchant Alliance has a standard set of procedures. The only headache is the lost materials.”


  “Hmm, I understand your predicament. But why are you concerned about it? Isn’t Dungeon Lord Onionhead the one who sent out the Merchant Band? Though he’s now the Region Judge, shouldn’t he be responsible?”


  Sherlock put down the documents, and Nicholas nodded as he said, “Under normal circumstances, that’s the case, but this isn’t part of the Merchant Alliance’s internal affairs. This is a commerce activity between the Merchant Alliance and the Northern Dukedom. The item was a Dungeon Core that was entrusted to us for transport. If the item was lost, Judge Onionhead has to be responsible. But as the Winterfell Dungeon Lord, I can’t wash my hands of it. If I do, my enemies will use this reason to remove me.”


  “Oh, it sounds tricky. Wait, I remember that the Black Volcano is the Northern Underworld’s most famous tourist attraction. Isn’t the trade route safe?”


  Sherlock sipped his bloody chrysanthemum tea and leaned back in the chair. His eyes were observing the picture in front of him.

  “Yes, from Winterfell to the Northern Dukedom, the safest route is via the Black Volcano. Though it’s a safer detour, the shipment was still attacked.”


  Nicholas looked as though he was in pain as he said, “There were 2,500 of them! Yet, less than ten of them were discovered. They were dying and perished soon after. As for the remaining guards, their corpses weren’t found! It’s so frustrating. The death compensation is……”


  “I understand. What does Dungeon Lord Nicholas want of me? I understand that you require resources for the search and rescue of the missing goods. As you know, Eternal Kingdom has just gone through a major war, and the citizens are exhausted and tired of fighting. They prefer peace. If given a choice, they won’t kill an ant. As for their armor and weapons, they would like to smelt them into liquid metal. However, reality doesn’t allow that. Though the Underworld looks peaceful, it’s not so.”


  Sherlock looked depressed, and Nicholas said sadly, “Lord Sherlock, your citizens have gone through hardships. I won’t ask too much of you. The successor to the Northern Dukedom, the son of the Duke, Lord Alexandria, came to visit Winterfell and expressed his respect for you in front of Judge Onionhead. If you represent Winterfell and request Alexandria to persuade his father not to complain against us to the Devil Management Committee, then we’ll have more time to investigate what happened and locate the item. It will be most helpful! You won’t work in vain either, I’ll ask the higher management……”


  “Wait.” Sherlock interrupted Nicholas. He pondered for a while and asked, “Don’t you intend to let Winterfell investigate this matter?”


  “Of course not. After the entire Merchant Band vanished, the tourists also disappeared, and the wild beasts became easily agitated. The Devil Management Committee has sealed off the Black Volcano. Normal creatures are unable to enter because the area is dangerous.”


  Nicholas said, “We contacted various mercenary groups that provide protection, escorting, and investigation. We intend to hire a mercenary group to handle the investigation.”


  “Mercenary group? Hmm, what’s the remuneration? If you don’t mind.” Sherlock raised his hand and said, “Ah, Dungeon Lord Nicholas, don’t be mistaken, I’m not thinking of earning remuneration. Because of our close relationship, I have to know about it.”


  “Lord Sherlock…… I’m very touched.” Nicholas was full of tears. He said quickly, “As this matter is special and urgent, even if we’re making losses, we intend to pay 10 million Magic Stones as remuneration.”


  “I’ll take it.”


  “Ah?”


  “I’ll accept for my friend.”


  Sherlock explained, “I have a friend called Polio. The name is the same as the escaped prisoner from Bankazia. Don’t be mistaken, it’s only a name. He has a mercenary group with an excellent track record and good investigation capability. Believe me, if you give him this task, it will be solved quickly. We’ll find out why the Dungeon Core was destroyed!”


  “Ai? Destroyed? Lord Sherlock, we don’t know if the Dungeon Core was destroyed. It’s hard to destroy a Dungeon Core……”


  Nicholas was shocked and quickly explained, but Sherlock spread out his hands and said, “I know, I know. We’ll prepare for the worst. The enemy was prepared and had a specific goal, the Dungeon Core. It’s most likely an enemy of the Northern Dukedom, Winterfell, or the Merchant Alliance. The situation being what it is, they can’t possibly retain the Dungeon Core to celebrate their new year. Most likely, they’ll destroy it.”


  “That’s possible. They can use it to upgrade another Dungeon Core. We only need to obtain their Dungeon Core and cover our losses. If it was committed by another Dungeon…… such a crime will not go unpunished. Of course, I’m only speculating.”


  Nicholas was relieved. It was good if the enemy didn’t destroy the Dungeon Core.

  As the matter was grave, if the selected mercenary group wasn’t qualified, then……

  “Yes, in regards to the capability of Polio and his mercenary group, I can vouch for them with Eternal Kingdom and my personal guarantee. Don’t worry!” Sherlock said and patted his chest when he noticed that Nicholas was hesitating.

  Nicholas said, “I understand. I’ll impose on you, Lord Sherlock. Please let your friend and his mercenary group come to Winterfell for the mission briefing. Our Intelligence Unit will provide them with assistance.”


  “No problem. I’ll bring them over within the next few days,” Sherlock said happily.