010 Ogoron's Wrath

The Undead Market.

Ever since Ogoren took over the management of this market from Karen, he hadn’t had a single night of peaceful sleep.

The main reason was Karen’s betrayal. How to put it—Karen entrusted Ogoren with such a vast market without reservation, and Ogoren was genuinely touched.

But the problem was that Karen was an utterly negligent manager, completely hands-off, not overseeing a single matter.

All the major and minor affairs of the market were left to Ogoren alone. What was worse, Karen hadn’t provided Ogoren with any staff. Ogoren had only a few dozen villagers transferred from Dorlay Village under his command.

What could a few dozen villagers possibly handle in such a market? At best, they could sweep the floors and manage trivial chores. None of the real, important matters could be handled by those villagers, leaving Ogoren exhausted every day, worn down like a dog.

Yet, this wasn’t the worst of it. What pained Ogoren most was that, over these past two weeks, any merchant with even a bit of influence who came through the market utterly disrespected him, let alone cooperating with his work.

Since the market opened, apart from collecting a small fee from minor vendors for entry, Ogoren failed to collect a single penny of the rents, transaction commissions, or any other fees he had originally planned to enforce.

All the merchants who came and went completely disregarded Ogoren as the market administrator. Instead, they treated him like a public servant working for free.

They brought every trivial matter to him, barely hiding their attitude as if he were a servant at their beck and call.

That was already enough to wear Ogoren down, but today he discovered something far more outrageous.

The chairmen of the three largest Goblin Merchant Guilds who had settled in the market directly summoned him and took him on a tour around the entire market.

As they walked, these three chairmen discussed the market’s development with blatant disregard for others.

Where to build dining areas, where to expand, what to demolish—they offered candid and insightful suggestions.

They also possessed impressive strategic foresight regarding the market’s operations.

If one ignored everything else, Ogoren had truly benefited greatly from following these three Goblin guild leaders.

But at that moment, Ogoren could not ignore everything else. The way these three guild leaders acted suggested they regarded the market as their personal property, and Ogoren could not remain indifferent.

“Gentlemen, your business acumen is admirable, but perhaps you’ve misunderstood something. This market does not belong to you. I urge you to watch your words!” Ogoren’s warning did not provoke much of a reaction from the three Weng brothers. They glanced at him briefly and continued their discussion, still treating Ogoren as nothing more than a living map to consult whenever they had questions about the market.

This blatant disregard made Ogoren feel somewhat awkward, but he did not shrink back. Instead, he stood firmly in front of the three chairmen and declared loudly, “If you gentlemen are truly interested in this market, I can invite the Undead Mage himself to come and discuss the matter of ownership with you!”

The group was already drawing attention as the three Goblin guild leaders toured the market. Ogoren’s sudden statement only attracted more curious eyes.

Though no one knew the exact situation, the promise of an event drew both Goblin and human merchants closer.

The three guild leaders frowned deeply, and Ogoren’s expression had already changed when he mentioned Karen’s name.

Ogoren had been chosen to lead Dorlay Village’s original plan due to his undeniable talent.

But fate was unkind. From the start, Lain, the kingdom’s ruler, never intended to truly implement the Dorlay plan, and then Karen seized control of the Goblin Forest.

Ogoren’s once-bright future was abruptly cut off.

To be honest, Ogoren’s mindset crumbled during that period; he even harbored some resentment toward Karen until Karen himself found Ogoren and tasked him with building this market, handing it over to him.

From that moment, Ogoren knew clearly that the Bourbon Kingdom had abandoned him, and his future honor and disgrace were all tied to this market.

This was not a choice he could make. Throughout the process, he felt like an object, his future manipulated at will.

This realization deeply depressed him, but ultimately, Ogoren rallied.

His resurgence was not born from unrealistic dreams of breaking fate but from the determination to develop the market Karen entrusted to him.

Since all his future fortunes depended on this market, he would never allow it to continue in its current state.

It was precisely because these three Goblin merchants treated the market as their own that Ogoren was deeply provoked, leading to his outburst.

As all eyes turned toward him, Ogoren faced not just the Weng brothers but every merchant in the market.

“Everyone here is a merchant from Silverhand and the Bourbon Kingdom, and all of you are excellent traders. It is our honor to have you settle in the Undead Market!

“But there is one thing I hope you all understand: the establishment and opening of this market are thanks to the Undead Mage. Without him, there would be no market and no trade between the two kingdoms.

“So, if you wish to remain here, please abide by the market’s rules. Otherwise—”

“Otherwise what?” Dorn interrupted mockingly before Ogoren could finish.

“Will you kill us? Or drive us out?”

Dorn glanced at the crowd of merchants gathering nearby and decided to lay his cards on the table.

“Human, you don’t really think that Undead Mage can control this market, do you?

“Don’t be ridiculous. A mere third-rank Undead Mage can’t possibly manage a market like this.

“From today onward, this market no longer belongs to that human Undead Mage. The three of us guilds will be the true masters.”

“That’s impossible. The Undead Mage will never agree to that,” Ogoren shouted angrily.

Dorn responded with a mocking sneer.

“Won’t agree? Do you think what we want depends on the consent of a third-rank Undead Mage? Besides, in front of us, he doesn’t have the option to refuse. If he won’t agree willingly, we’ll make him!”

Dorn’s domineering words caused the merchants present to turn pale.

No one was foolish; everyone understood what was happening.

Ogoren seemed to realize it too, his face suddenly going deathly pale.

Seeing Ogoren’s ashen face, Dorn’s expression twisted into an unrestrained grin.

“Do you still think that Undead Mage can do anything to us now?”