A million thoughts raced through Figxin’s mind in an instant.

’Armor, and it’s combining? That must be a Mechanical Armor. Summoning a Mechanical Armor in a room... is he planning an ambush?’

’Has the Zog Group teamed up with other members of the Imperial Family to assassinate me here?’

’I don’t have a weapon, and the Zete Mage isn’t a combat specialist.’

’What should I do?’

While Figxin’s nerves were taut and her mind was racing...

Elsa gave the two of them a slightly apologetic smile, unable to hide her embarrassment.

She knocked again.

"Flame Dragon Hero! The rising inferno is the power of the blaze!"

It was a language she couldn’t understand, but it had a certain rhythm.

Figxin grew even more vigilant. ’Is he exchanging a coded phrase with someone outside the door?’

Elsa couldn’t take it anymore and banged heavily on the door twice.

"Zog, you have guests!"

The door still didn’t open, but the sounds from inside the room grew even stranger.

"CRACK! SMACK! SWOOSH! OH—YAH!"

A ridiculous thought suddenly occurred to Figxin. ’Could someone in there be simulating a fight with their mouth?’

It was just like the eight and nine-year-old kids in the castle, who would run around all day with sticks for swords, chasing and "slashing" at each other while making the sounds of clashing blades with their mouths.

A sufficiently straight stick was hard currency among friends. The words "I’ll let you play with it for a while" could get you a lot of good stuff in return.

When they got excited, they would even shout out the names of their moves with great conviction.

’Who actually shouts out their moves in a real fight?’

"Demon-Sealing Slash!" 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Utterly exasperated, Elsa pushed the door right open.

Figxin witnessed the strangest scene she had ever seen in her life, something she couldn’t have conjured up even with the wildest of imaginations.

A creature—she wasn’t quite sure what it was, but judging from the visible wings and tail, it was perhaps a red Sub-Dragon.

It was wearing an exceptionally flashy suit of red armor and brandishing an impractically designed saber, waving it around without any proper form, but its joy was plain to see.

But that joy seemed to vanish the moment the door opened.

It was replaced by an atmosphere so awkward it was almost tangible.

Her battlefield-honed intuition allowed Figxin to keenly sense a flash of killing intent, but it vanished just as quickly.

For a brief moment, the Sub-Dragon had probably considered silencing everyone present.

"Ahem," Elsa coughed softly, breaking the silence. "This is Ms. Figxin, and this is the Zete Mage. They’re from a Merchant Group from the Northern Domain and wish to discuss a toy distribution deal and a Shadow of Evil collaboration."

Everyone tacitly agreed not to mention the armor Zog was wearing.

It was the literal dragon in the room.

But Zog was a Dragon who had seen the world. Remaining calm and composed on the surface, he unhurriedly retracted the blade of the Flaming Saber, which split in two and reattached to his chest plate.

Using the Flame Dragon Summoner, the full suit of armor retracted into the Summoner amidst a dazzling light show.

The process of the armor detaching from his body was filled with a mechanical feel.

"I was testing the articulation of a new toy. A designer must personally experience the toy to better understand it from the player’s perspective. This hands-on approach has always been the business philosophy of the Zog Group."

After a year of growth, Elsa could now listen to Zog’s nonsense while maintaining a professional, plastic smile.

’The Zog Group has a business philosophy my ass,’ she thought. ’He just does whatever whim strikes him.’

Meanwhile, Figxin, standing to the side, was shocked by the Zog Group’s extravagance.

’Toys?’

’They actually use Mechanical Armor to make toys?’

’Mechanical Armor is a vital war resource. Although, this toy seems to be made from defective products that failed Enchantment.’

’But shouldn’t defective products be destroyed to salvage any usable materials?’

"Hello," Figxin said, her mind filled with questions, but she still extended her right hand out of courtesy. "We wish to introduce your toys to the Northern Domain. The market there is currently completely untapped."

The large claw felt surprisingly good—not as hard as she had imagined, more like a firm, slightly elastic leather.

"Tell me your real reason for being here," Zog said, settling back into his custom-made, draconic ergonomic chair that offered maximum comfort and support. "You don’t look like a Merchant Group."

"Why do you say that?" Figxin couldn’t maintain her composure and didn’t bother making up another excuse.

"From a logical standpoint, Zog’s toys are already sold all across the Continent. Profit-driven merchants wouldn’t pass up any untapped market. The fact that it’s still untapped can only mean one thing: there’s no market there to begin with."

Zog took out several bottles of drinks from a cabinet engraved with Frost Runes.

"Apple, grape, or orange, which flavor would you like? They’re carbonated drinks, not yet on the market. Unhealthy, but definitely fun."

"Grape, thank you."

Figxin disliked apples because they were the only fruit available in the Northern Domain. It wasn’t that they were bad; she just felt they had no particular advantage as a fruit, much like herself.

The Zete Mage looked at his student with some concern. She had completely fallen into the other party’s rhythm right from the start of the negotiation, which rarely led to a good outcome.

"And from a sensory perspective," Zog said, pointing to his own nose, "I can smell your Inner Armor. It smells of Gold Coins. A Merchant Group from the Northern Domain couldn’t afford something like that."

Zog glanced at the Mage beside her.

Zete immediately felt an unprecedented pressure, and his wrinkled face broke out in a sweat.

"Plus an attendant who’s stuck at the threshold of the Legendary rank and will probably never cross it in his lifetime," Zog continued. "I think you’ll be very interested in these letters."

"What?" Figxin couldn’t keep up with Zog’s leaping train of thought.

Zog then tossed a pile of letters onto the table, each in an exquisite envelope with ornate calligraphy.

Figxin immediately recognized the names of the senders.

Yaslan Sutton, Jonathan Sutton, Mumtaz Sutton, Helena Sutton...

"It seems you’re familiar with these names. Some of them want a piece of the pie, others want to use my influence to build momentum. What is it that you want, Ms. Sutton?"

Zog’s tone was casual, as if he held the Royal Family in no regard whatsoever.

"I want to change people’s impression of the Northern Domain, through the power of the Shadow of Evil."

"What impression is that?"

"Greedy, poor, cunning, violent..."

"You believe those impressions yourself. How can you expect to change anyone else’s mind?"

Zog cut Figxin off directly.

"A cultural campaign lacking a foundation in reality is just a floating bubble. One poke and it’s gone."

Figxin was left speechless.

"Seeing as you’re the first member of the Royal Family to come in person, let’s talk about your sincerity. Since this is a transaction."

"You can have the operating rights for Shadow of Evil venues nationwide."

"That will be mine sooner or later. I’m not short on time."

"You can receive a more favorable tax rate in the future."

"Hah. The future."

"You..."

"Save it," Zog interrupted again. "The sincerity I want is a region that is safe, stable, can provide sufficient productivity, and has potential for development."

Zog continued mercilessly, "The Northern Domain isn’t that right now. Do you truly want to change the Northern Domain, or are you just using its people as a stepping stone for your own advancement? I want to see a real change in the state of the Northern Domain."

The Northern Domain was indeed a good place for an industrial zone, with its abundant resources and cheap labor.

The only problems were monster attacks, which were no trouble at all for Zog, and the people problem.

It was just that he couldn’t be everywhere at once. It would be best if someone else could solve the people problem there.

Zog decided to take a gamble on Figxin. He had nothing to lose, anyway.

"If you can truly show me that kind of sincerity, build a Legion-level Teleportation Array, and the Northern Domain will naturally get the change you desire."

Zog stood up and signaled for Elsa to bring him the clothes she had prepared.

"But for now, it’s time for the Auto Chess launch event. I suggest you come and watch. It will give you a more comprehensive understanding of the power of culture."