022 Homicide

While Karen was busy brainstorming and promoting the cultivation of "Whispers of the Dead," Ogoron was equally occupied at the Undead Market. Over the past half-month, as the "Forest Rangers" and Ogoron’s friends arrived one after another, his workforce gradually expanded. With sufficient manpower, Ogoron finally began to act in earnest.

First came the refinement of the market regulations. To be fair, there was little left to refine; Flor and Cliff had already laid the groundwork, and with Dorn’s enthusiastic assistance, Ogoron simply had to organize the rules, make a copy, and publish them. His primary focus lately had been the development of the market itself. As the market remained open longer, the number of merchants grew, and the construction of a commercial or entertainment district had to be placed on the agenda. Originally, Ogoron intended to manage the construction himself, but looking at the burgeoning market and then at his own limited capacity, he ultimately adopted Karen’s suggestion: to outsource the commercial district and let the merchants handle the development themselves.

When Ogoron spread the news, the merchants were initially baffled, as they did not understand the concept of "outsourcing." However, once they grasped his meaning, the entire market erupted. Unlike the previous frenzy surrounding the commercialization of "Whispers of the Dead" and "Corpses," this time, very few merchants stood on the sidelines. These merchants were hypersensitive to profit; they understood perfectly well what securing a contract for the commercial and entertainment district entailed. Consequently, as soon as the news broke, Ogoron found himself besieged in his office. Fortunately, Karen had tamed the werewolf brothers over the past two weeks and sent them over to serve as his guards. With five werewolves standing watch, the situation was brought under control. Seeing the overwhelming enthusiasm, Ogoron did not hesitate; using the high-end, sophisticated concept of "bidding" he had learned from Karen, he immediately announced the bidding for the first phase of the Undead Market’s commercial district.

Soon, the first auction was held in Ogoron’s modest office. Dozens of merchants, whose net worth—to use Karen’s terminology—exceeded a hundred million, crowded into the small room, fighting tooth and nail for the commercial plots Ogoron had put on the market. The first phase was merely a test run, consisting of a 200-meter-long strip covering just over 10,000 square meters. The successful bidders would gain 50-year ownership rights, but were required to pay 10% of their annual business profits to the market as tax. The strip was divided into twenty plots, each auctioned off for 100 gold coins, netting the market an instant profit of 2,000 gold coins. Fearing that Ogoron might change his mind, the merchants rushed to hand over the money the moment the contracts were signed.

Looking at the 2,000 gold coins that had flowed in within a single day, Ogoron initially marveled at how many wealthy fools there were. He soon realized his mistake. None of these merchants were idiots; anyone capable of pulling out 100 gold coins at once was a seasoned businessman. They saw much further into the potential profits than Ogoron. While he thought they were interested in the market’s long-term development, they were actually eyeing the existing merchant population. They had been in the market for over a month and knew the situation: the lodging was poor and there was no entertainment. Many would have left if not for the potential profits. Even so, for over a month, these merchants had frequently traveled to the Silver Hand and the City of Moon-Worship, heavily contributing to the economies of those two cities. Now that Ogoron had opened the commercial district to them, what else would they build?

Almost immediately, construction began on the empty plots. Surprisingly, the designs were consistent: they were either casinos, brothels, ultra-luxurious hotels, or combinations of all three. In short, every contractor was striving to turn Ogoron’s commercial district into a den of indulgence. Seeing this, Ogoron was stunned; this was not what he had envisioned! But with the money collected and contracts signed, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and begin preparing for the second phase of bidding.

Just then, a heinous incident occurred. Someone had been murdered. Of course, the Undead Market now gathered major merchants from both the Silver Hand and the Bourbon Kingdom; it was a melting pot, and murders were not entirely uncommon. However, the victim was Bailey—the very same human merchant who had been the first to "eat the crab" by trading in "Whispers of the Dead" and "Corpses." Bailey had been quite unlucky; his excessive behavior had angered the Bourbon Kingdom officials, leading to the confiscation of all his assets in Audo City. While he had little left in the city to begin with, the inability to return to the Bourbon Kingdom was devastating, forcing him to hide in the Undead Market. Despite having 900 gold coins, he lived a life without future or hope. When he saw the opportunity to contract a plot in the commercial district, he gritted his teeth and spent 100 gold coins, hoping it would be his lifeline.

Just as he was dreaming of building his own enterprise and making a fortune, he died. His own guard had killed him, forcing him to transfer the commercial contract to the guard before he breathed his last. The guard did not keep the contract; he promptly transferred it to another merchant from Audo City and fled overnight with the money, leaving Ogoron with a massive mess to clean up. Ogoron understood the complexity and severity of the situation; if he could not handle this properly, the consequences would be dire.