The crowd almost burst into laughter upon hearing this.

"What you said, how could we not lack anything? The casualty rate in our line of work is so high, Tang Gao isn’t an exception, it’s already good enough to get enough food to eat. The Church Court and the Cabinet use this to control us," Li Chao snorted discontentedly. They fight with their lives, but the Church Court and Cabinet simply don’t care.

"Old Li, you’ve only had a few drinks and you’re already talking nonsense."

"Brother Long, we’re all our own people here. Just by looking at Li Xin, you can tell he has the soul of a Night Patrol. Why should we fear anything? If they have the guts, they can just remove me," Li Chao spoke, getting angrier. "Anyone with a bit of power wouldn’t do this kind of work, thankless work, and they want us to be their embryos."

At Li Xin’s level, it was obvious this wasn’t a secret. Keeping Divine Relics and Original Embryos was unavoidable.

The crowd was a bit suppressed. Either they fall into decadence, or for those who want to stick to the faith of the Night Patrol, life is as difficult as it can be. It was just that Li Xin could only complain about the Hidden Law.

"I have a way to make money, and if it’s done well, it should be relatively stable. It could solve most of our funding issues," Li Xin said.

The crowd all looked at Li Xin, "You wouldn’t be thinking of asking Secretary Kathy, would you? Although she’s deeply trusted by the Archbishop, when it comes to expenditures, it simply can’t pass, especially for middlemen like us who are loved by neither grandmother nor uncle, and honestly, it would put her in a difficult spot."

"Maybe Secretary Kathy has a way?"

"We’re not children anymore, we can’t keep creating trouble for the Secretary."

"It’s not that, I found that the Black Market is actually under the jurisdiction of our Night Patrol’s Secret Organization, and they don’t pay us any fees, which is against the rules. I want to talk to the Black Market about making their merchants contribute something," Li Xin said.

The room went silent instantly, the slight drunkenness from a few drinks disappeared, as everyone gazed at Li Xin’s serious face.

"You’re not kidding, are you? Please don’t stir up trouble, we Night Patrol wouldn’t be enough if we all were to die."

"The idea is good but simply not feasible. Our Night Patrol isn’t even qualified to negotiate terms with the Black Market. Never mind the large Secret Organizations above, even the individual vendors in the Copper Market wouldn’t pay attention to us."

"Currently, I haven’t planned on targeting the individual small vendors in the Copper Market, mainly those organizations with leases, like the Gourmet Association or Secret Castle. I think they should be very rule-abiding," Li Xin thought aloud.

The others exchanged glances, "Are you speaking human words? It’s colder than the weather outside."

"Ah Xin, I know you’re in a hurry, but this idea is not feasible. For the vacancy at Shadow Owl, let me think of a way. If it doesn’t work out, borrow from the Church Court," Hong Jiu gently advised, "Though we are struggling a bit now, we can still maintain operation. Dragon Capital can do without us, but it can’t do without Night Patrol."

"Sister Jiu, I understand what you’re worried about. I’m not trying to be forceful, just reasoning with them. For now, don’t get involved in this matter, let me test the waters. Even if I don’t get anything, at worst, they’ll just laugh at me. I’m young and thick-skinned. They couldn’t possibly kill me," Li Xin smiled.

After thinking it over, they agreed it wouldn’t come to that. An entity like the Black Market usually wouldn’t fight with the local authorities to the point of falling out. Only if Li Xin made a big fuss about it would the higher-ups apply pressure.

"You really want to do it?" Long Spine asked.

"I want to try!" Li Xin seriously nodded.

"Alright, then you represent us, in the name of Dragon Capital Night Patrol, which makes it more persuasive. Since it’s your first task, no matter what, we have to support you!" Long Spine thought for a moment, then slapped the table.

"Brother Long, I can just test the waters myself first. If it works out, everyone can follow up," Li Xin said.

"What are you saying? If Old Luo knew we were all a bunch of cowards, he’d laugh at us to death. We wouldn’t even have the face to see him after we die, you go ahead and do it!" Long Spine waved his hand.

Li Xin understood they genuinely cared for him. Using the name of Shadow Owl alone wasn’t quite enough, but with the whole Dragon Capital Night Patrol name, it had enough leverage. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

That night, everyone drank to their heart’s content. Hong Jiu especially took care of Li Xin, and from the teasing of others, he learned that Hong Jiu had liked Luo Jin before, but Luo Jin was like a block of wood, showing no reaction and resolutely returned to Celestial Capital. What happened later, everyone knew. The fool from outsiders’ perspective was a hero in the eyes of Night Patrol.

As the night went on, Qin Donglai, who’s slightly drunk, didn’t hesitate to praise Li Xin, saying he was the pride of Night Patrol, especially for preserving the dignity of Night Patrol in the battle of Hedan, and even spreading the faith of Moon God to Hedan.

In the end, it was Li Chao who sent Li Xin back. Everyone drank a lot, and this gathering also signified that Li Xin had won the overall recognition of the Night Patrol.

After settling Li Xin, Li Chao left. Not long after, Li Xin opened his eyes, looking at the ceiling, and took out an ancient bell from the Yazama Karashi.

The bell rang.

The reason why he had this plan wasn’t because he thought highly of himself, but rather, to once again utilize the strategy of borrowing authority. From his understanding of Secret Castle, they certainly wouldn’t mind this little amount. As for the indifferent attitude of the Immortals, they likely wouldn’t care either; it’s just that outsiders dare not touch it. As long as he secured Secret Castle, there would be a chance.

On the Silver Market side, the Gourmet Association was a breakthrough point. He could discuss it with Ma Liu to see if there was an opportunity, considering he still had the Night Patrol’s banner, it was worth a try.

In a daze, Li Xin looked up and was startled a little, for the Immortal was already standing by the window, its eyes with ghostly flames staring at him, which could really frighten someone in the middle of the night.

The Immortal slowly extended a hand, Li Xin smiled, "This time I’m not delivering a message, but have something I’d like to discuss with you."

The Immortal in front of him was the manager of the Gold Market. Taking care of him would mean taking care of a large portion.

Li Xin understood the Immortal well, his speeches required no twists and turns. The Immortal only adhered to rules, without caring for the mundane, not even for a name, making roundabout talk counterproductive.

"I am now the captain of the Night Patrol Shadow Owl. I just held a meeting and can represent Dragon Capital Night Patrol. To maintain order, we need to collect management fees from the Black Market, which is both our duty and a source of operational funds. I found that the Black Market hasn’t been paying in the past. We’ll forget about the past dues, but from here on out, this area will be my responsibility. Secret organizations in the Gold Market need to pay a monthly security management fee. You know that the Night Patrol is responsible for maintaining all hidden security in Dragon Capital; only then can the Black Market have good order... is that okay?"

Li Xin laid out reasonable arguments at the beginning, but faltered towards the end. He simply couldn’t appear tough, necessitating negotiation. The Immortal’s attitude would directly decide the difficulty of his plan’s execution.

It’s not impossible for the Immortal to crush him ruthlessly, but given the contractual relationship, it won’t be as dire.

The Immortal stared blankly at Li Xin, seemingly contemplating, and after a long pause, nodded.

Li Xin controlled the muscles of his mouth with great effort, calmly nodding, "I just knew that as the leader of the Five Great Sanctuaries, Secret Castle would surely uphold rules and order. Our Night Patrol has nine branches in Dragon Capital, 2 Gold Lira per month for each, a total of 18 Gold."

If it were any other negotiation, he might offer some discounts, but facing an Immortal, it was unnecessary. They either agreed or didn’t.

The Immortal nodded and pointed in the direction of the Black Market.

"Are you saying I should collect it when I go to the Black Market?"

The Immortal slowly nodded, and Li Xin beamed, "Of course, that’s no problem. I couldn’t possibly let you bring it over."

"Cough, cough, there’s one more thing I’d like to ask you. Do you know anyone from the other four Sanctuaries? The rules are unified, and since Secret Castle is paying, the other four surely have to as well; can’t have double standards," Li Xin asked. The Immortal was his only connection in the Gold Market.

The Immortal extended its palm, raised four large fingers, and pointed at itself.

Li Xin didn’t understand what it meant at first but suddenly realized, "Are you saying you’ll collect from the other four?"

The Immortal slowly nodded, the flames in its pupils burning numbly.

"How could I possibly trouble you like that? That’s really too kind," Li Xin grinned widely, unable to hold back. He had some ties with Secret Castle, but if the other four had bad tempers, they could easily kill him. He’s grateful but unsure how it should be done, considering the Immortal needs nothing; no food, no desires, seemingly only concerned about duty and rules.

As expected, the Immortal just woodenly looked at Li Xin, expressing nothing, and its enormous body floated away, disappearing into the night.

Having taken the first step, Li Xin exuberantly punched the air. Such matters involving fees were far easier from the top down. The Silver Market was filled with organizations, and the Gourmet Association was a breakthrough point. Those foreign stationed aren’t too difficult to deal with. Like the Adventurer Association, although large, they are incredibly wealthy and wouldn’t care about this small management fee. The challenge lay in the Hundred Martial Hall.

It’s possible that the Hundred Martial Hall took over the Night Patrol’s responsibilities, and with what he heard from Qi Badao about the Inner Hall, and in Dragon Capital’s territory, he indeed needed to ponder it over carefully.

One breakthrough at a time.

After securing Secret Castle, Li Xin felt in great spirits and had an extraordinarily restful sleep.