033 Silver Radiance (Subscription Requested)

Representatives from the Silver Hand arrived at the Undead Market and sent word for Karen to meet with a goblin named Silverglow.

A dilemma now lay before Karen: should he go or not?

In the end, he chose to go. He could not avoid it; this was a hurdle he would eventually have to clear. These people had come not only to inspect the market but also to assess him. If he did not show his face and handle the Silver Hand representatives, the market would never know peace. Thus, the moment he received the news, Karen headed straight for the Undead Market.

Naturally, he did not go alone—nor could he afford to. As he set out, his undead legion mobilized as well. Escorted by a vast, imposing force of thousands of undead, Karen arrived at the market and found Silverglow in a den of vice, fondling a goblin "beauty" held in his arms.

Karen’s arrival did not stop Silverglow. He continued his activities, merely casting a sidelong glance at Karen. "So, you’re that human necromancer?"

Goblins generally stand about one point one to one point two meters tall, and Silverglow was no exception; at just over a meter, he looked like a child. Yet, this "child" was pawing at a goblin woman, and despite lying down, he looked at Karen with a condescending, downward gaze, appearing so arrogant one might mistake Karen for his servant.

"I’m here primarily because of this market. The Council has passed a resolution to seize it. In other words, this market has nothing to do with you from now on. Take a few days to pack your things and leave. Go wherever you want; it makes no difference, just don't stay here anymore."

Karen’s brow arched at these words. According to his intelligence, the Silver Hand had passed no such resolution, so he remained unhurried. He did not even respond, instead shifting his gaze to the three goblins standing behind Silverglow. His intelligence identified all three as fifth-tier entities. To dispatch three fifth-tier goblins as mere guards so casually—the Silver Hand was indeed significantly more powerful than the Bourbon Kingdom.

Karen’s blatant disregard, choosing to ignore him and study his guards instead, infuriated Silverglow.

"Human, are you ignoring me?"

"You noticed?" Karen raised an eyebrow, his expression defiant.

"It seems I need to do something to show you who you’re talking to!" Silverglow’s face darkened. He slammed a hand onto the table, and simultaneously, the three fifth-tier goblins stepped forward. They didn't just step forward; their weapons ignited with power. Despite their small stature, their drawn weapons gave them a terrifying, overwhelming presence.

Yet, facing this, Karen remained entirely unfazed.

"Are you sure you really want to do something?"

With a snap of his fingers, a deafening, earth-shaking roar of the undead echoed throughout the Land of the Dead. The sound, laden with terror and despair, jolted everyone in the market. Even Silverglow, who had maintained a look of contempt, revealed a flicker of panic.

This reaction further confirmed the intelligence Karen had gathered, though the goblin was not easily intimidated. Glancing at his guards, Silverglow regained his composure. "You don't think you can scare me just by having your pathetic undead make some noise, do you? Foolish human!"

"No, I don't believe my undead can scare you. I only want you to know the power I command."

"The power you command? What do you think your pathetic undead could achieve?"

"At the very least, they could destroy this market!"

"You wouldn't dare!"

"I wouldn't want to, nor would I dare, but if pushed to the brink, I could grit my teeth and do it!"

Yes, Karen was prepared to bow before the Silver Hand and the Bourbon Kingdom, but he had no intention of burying his head in the dirt. If he did that, he would never be able to stand up again. He knew clearly that both the Silver Hand and the Bourbon Kingdom valued this market highly. As long as he held onto that fact and projected a "mutual destruction" stance, he could still secure some rights from these two giants.

Of course, the prerequisite was handling this second-generation goblin. Karen had known about Silverglow even before he arrived. He even knew his identity: the grandson of one of the oligarchs in the Silver Hand’s Upper House, a position of immense prestige.

Beyond his identity, Karen understood his character. According to his intelligence, Silverglow had two traits: he was cowardly, and he was hungry for glory. He hadn't been assigned this task; he had snatched it specifically to claim the credit for seizing the market. It was precisely because of this knowledge that Karen did not hesitate to threaten mutual destruction.

As expected, once Karen took this stance, Silverglow was left hanging. He had only wanted to intimidate Karen to squeeze out more power, but he hadn't expected such a rigid response, leaving him in a difficult position. Fortunately, it was not Karen’s goal to watch him squirm; he immediately offered a ladder.

"Mr. Silverglow, I have a proposal. Would you be interested in hearing it?"

"Speak!" Silverglow replied with a stiff face.

"The Silver Hand Council has an Upper and Lower House, and the Upper House has seven oligarchs. Even if you drive me out and take this market for the Silver Hand, the benefits you and your family could obtain would be, at best, one-seventh of the Upper House's share. But if you and your family were to support me, you would receive far, far more."

"You mean... you want to cooperate with us?" Silverglow’s eyes brightened.

Karen did not respond immediately. Instead, ignoring the gaze of the three guards, he strode up to Silverglow and picked up a bottle of wine that had been on the table.

"Mr. Silverglow, you’ve had this wine, haven't you? How is it?"

Silverglow was confused by the sudden change in topic but nodded. "It's quite good. Aside from elven wine, it's the best I’ve ever tasted."

"How much do you think a bottle like this sells for in the market?"

"In the Silver Hand, about 20 to 50 silver coins. If sold outside to the Orc Kingdom, it could even fetch a few gold coins."

"No, this wine actually costs nothing! As long as you and your family support me, and you provide the materials needed for brewing, I will brew as much as you want—for free! Remember, this is for *you*."

Karen emphasized the word "you." Finally understanding what Karen meant, Silverglow’s eyes lit up completely.