Chapter 543.4: Collapse

The floor suddenly began to tremble.

Rhine’s face changed instantly.

He didn’t know what was happening, but he knew this building under his feet was going crazy, just like the mad old man in front of him.

"Fuc..."

It was too late to run.

The falling rubble quickly swallowed everything. With his final glance, Rhine saw that crazed old man standing up to embrace the falling ceiling.

Boulder Grand Building collapsed with a thunderous crash.

The rising dust instantly engulfed the entire inner city, smashing hard against the wall along with tumbling rubble. After that, dust clouds filled the air. Their tower had finally fallen.

...

At the Wind from Afar Hotel’s top-floor luxury suite.

A father and son stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking out at Boulder Town that was just within reach.

From their vantage point, they could see right over the great wall and the inner city.

Vega had booked the room with the best view, just to witness the final spectacle of the settlement.

The hotel’s owner, Reston, was a man who knew how to handle big business.

Even when Vega paid with chips, Reston hadn’t kicked him out despite the chips being worthless.

Eyes locked on the rising dust in the distance, all ten of Vega’s fingers pressed against the glass as he muttered to himself. "It collapsed... It really collapsed."

He hadn’t expected the Boulder Grand Building to be blown up.

Was it the rioters? Or...

Had it reached the end of its lifespan? "Ah... My dear Sid, you best be safe."

A twisted smile slowly crept across Vega’s face. To keep his son from seeing the expression on his face, he pressed his nose to the glass.

The chubby boy Piru muttered from the side. "Shame... I still had some chips left."

"Take this as a lesson, kid." Vega wiped away his twisted smile and placed a hand on Piru’s shoulder. "If you want to be an outstanding merchant, you need a nose more sensitive than a hyena’s."

𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Piru tilted his round head. "What do you mean a nose more sensitive than a hyena’s?"

"Risk..." Vega mumbled. "Even if you know the person you’re dealing with is a piece of shit, you can still deal with him. However, you need to make sure what you’re holding on to is worth something. You need to know whether you’re holding money, or just useless paper. You did well with S coin, but you could be better. You only noticed the risk with S coin, but you didn’t expect the chips it could be exchanged to to turn worthless."

"Who can ever think of something like that? We used chips for a good half century already..." Piru mumbled in reply.

The smile on Vega’s face didn’t fade. "That’s why everyone inside became poor paupers, while we managed to escape unscathed."

Just then, a knock came at the door, and Aaron stepped inside.

Vega immediately turned to look at him. "How’s Sid?"

He had already transferred all assets that could be moved. The only thing he still cared about in this city was his childhood friend.

Aaron shook his head regretfully. "He wasn’t in the evacuation convoy from the inner city. He’s probably dead."

A trace of disappointment flashed across Vega’s face as he murmured to himself, "He’s dead... He’s really dead."

Aaron hesitated, then added, "But his wife and all three kids are alive and well. Even his eldest son is fine."

He figured the boss would be interested in the state of Sid’s family.

Sure enough, when he spoke, the vacant look in Vega’s eyes reignited with desire.

Leaving the window, Vega walked excitedly to Aaron and grabbed his shoulders.

Letting go of Aaron, Vega rubbed his hands together in excitement, walked to the nearby table, and poured himself a glass of General McClennan's finest wine that had been bought from the New Alliance. "... I swore I would repay Lord Sid's kindness. Now it’s time for me to return the favor."

He hadn’t forgotten that day, standing in Sid’s garden, he had personally made a vow to the old lord, "I will always be loyal to you, my lord. I will repay you."

Seeing that fiery gaze, Aaron nodded without expression. "Understood."

What a vile boss... but in the wasteland, was there really a good person?

After the door closed, Vega suddenly thought of something, wagged his finger, put down the wine, and returned to the window.

The dust had already settled in the distance, but someone was still staring at that place, as if reminiscing something.

They couldn’t afford nostalgia. They had to deal with any regrets immediately.

Placing a hand on his son’s plump shoulder, Vega said softly, "My son, if there’s anyone you can’t let go, I can get your Uncle Aaron to buy them from Boulder Town."

"Kumiter!" Piru’s eyes lit up, beaming as he replied, "I loved playing with him! But he’s too bossy, always taking the toys and girls I like. He never treats Kishur like that."

Vega frowned. "Looks like it’s time for that habit to change."

"I’m sorry..." Piru immediately lowered his head in fear.

"Raise your head, my son." Vega patted him gently on the shoulder and whispered softly, "You’re not the one who needs to apologize."

"Desire is human nature, but you need to work on how stubborn you are. Don’t be rude like those barbarians. You saw what happened, all of them turned to dust."

Piru nodded seriously. "I will remember this lesson."

A satisfied smile spread across Vega’s face.

That was the behavior his son should have. There would be no problem handing the mantle to him.

"I’m glad. But you also can’t only think of yourself. You need to help your good friend, he’s taken care of you often. From now on, we’ll be living in this dog-eat-dog wasteland. He can’t afford to be so spoiled anymore." The fat little face sparkled with joy when he understood the meaning behind his father’s words.

Piru nodded hard and said solemnly, "I understand! I will help Young Master Kumiter change his habit! I won’t allow him to be so stubborn any longer and he won’t ever snatch everything from anyone!"

"Excellent!" Vega gave him a thumbs-up and laughed, patting his son on the shoulder. "Later, I’ll send you both to the Bugra Free State. Kumiter will go with you to school there. Take care of him."

"Relax! I know what to do!" Piru nodded excitedly. "But... Why aren’t we going to Ideal City?"

"That isn’t a place suited for us. Other than members of Ideal City, their thinking and ideals are truly poisonous. When you grow up, you’ll understand," Vega chuckled and continued, "Besides, you don’t wish to become as stupid as Kishur, right?"

"Yeah... Kishur isn’t too smart. Praising him is the most tiring thing I had to do." Piru muttered, "Right, there’s him too. Father, shouldn’t we help Uncle Malvern and his family?"

He didn’t care about Kishur, but he remembered Kishur had a pretty sister. She was probably the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. The girls at the Queen of the Night bar couldn’t compare.

But Kishur had never brought her into their inner circle.

Vega’s expression suddenly darkened and a trace of fear flashed in his eyes. He stared into his son’s eyes and said seriously, "He has his dad to take care of him. We don’t need to worry."

Of course, Vega hadn’t told his son that what he feared wasn’t the fallen Malvern, but his daughter, Elisa.

More precisely, he was terrified of the person standing behind her.

Even after everything had ended, Vega Trading Company still hadn’t fully figured out the cards the New Alliance had played during the entire affair.

They had cleanly wrapped it up, wiped out the value of chips, eliminated black cards, and destroyed Boulder Grand Building. Not only that, they didn’t lose a single man doing so! They even grabbed the bulk of the loot, bringing it home under the noses of everyone in Boulder Town.

Even someone like him, dizzy from being swept into the battlefield, couldn’t help but admire it. They had played a brilliant hand.

His Lord Sid hadn’t lost unjustly.

All clues pointed to the administrator of the New Alliance. He couldn’t confirm if Malvern had secretly made a deal with the New Alliance, but he had to take one piece of subtle intelligence seriously.

According to Aaron’s investigation, during the New Alliance’s victory parade, Elisa had a brief encounter with that man.

The ruler of the New Alliance had apparently said quite a few things, praising her as a capable woman.

The very next day, after Malvern checked into a hotel and met with Mayor Luca of Dawn City, he quietly went to the New Alliance Central Bank and opened an account.

Though it might have all been rumors, possibly even deliberately spread by that old fox Malvern, considering their future business dealings in the River Valley Province, the matter needed serious consideration.

He hated risk, especially unnecessary risk...