Yun Wei silently examined the parchment scroll floating in front of him, and after confirming that there were no magical traps on it, he gently reached out and took it.
This appears to be an order that was signed some years ago; Sid's handwriting at the end is somewhat faded.
The more Yun Wei looked, the more his brows furrowed.
This is an order requiring delivery before December of this year. It consists of three rune greatswords made of mithril, each enchanted with one of three completely opposite elements: water and fire, lightning and ice, and wind and earth.
Yun Wei had not studied alchemy related to forging and smelting, so he was unaware of the difficulty involved.
What worried him even more were the breach of contract clauses attached to the order.
The string of zeros made him realize that if he couldn't meet the other party's requirements on time, Haines might use the contract to withhold all the equipment in the laboratory.
The other party was clearly unwilling to let Sid leave the Liujin family, and wanted to take advantage of his departure to rip off another layer of flesh.
He finally understood why there were three crossed swords drawn at the top of Sid's calendar.
According to the original plan, Sid should have already returned to the laboratory by now, and there would have been enough time no matter what.
But given the current situation...
Although he tried his best to control his emotions, his pale fingertips betrayed his thoughts.
Haines stood up triumphantly, strolled to the window, and admired the magnificent sunset clouds with satisfaction.
He finally got his revenge.
If he had known this would happen, he should have used this trump card from the beginning. According to the intelligence he had, Sid wouldn't be able to return to Alchemy City anytime soon.
He had almost forgotten about this contract, which he had signed in a fit of anger when the other party had previously made a fuss about going to study at Hongyue.
It was truly an unexpected and delightful surprise.
This shows that the fruits of victory truly come from the seeds that were inadvertently sown in the soil in the past.
He was about to speak to dampen the arrogance of the man in green, when he suddenly caught a glimpse of black clouds rising where the courtyard wall met the sky.
The next moment, a violent explosion came from afar like ripples, causing the glass in the corridor to rattle.
Judging from the commotion, there must have been an explosion in one of the larger workshops in the city.
"Oh God, damn it, what are those idiots doing!" he cursed.
At this critical juncture, a safety incident has suddenly occurred. It's obvious that those two annoying new factions will make a big deal out of it at next week's weekly meeting, demanding stricter safety measures for all workshops in the city.
The problem is that the workshops of the Liujin family are ancient, and the cost of upgrading them is far beyond what we can imagine.
Moreover, if his meticulously designed production sequence were to stop, both the cash flow and supply chain would be disrupted.
Those factions with ulterior motives are using security as a pretext; their real intention is to take this opportunity to strike at the Liujin family.
His initial sense of relief turned into a heavier feeling than when he arrived.
Haines Ryujin's only hope at this moment was that the accident didn't happen in his own alchemy workshop.
He was about to say goodbye and leave when he noticed that the young man sitting on the sofa was still staring at the contract without moving.
This made him feel uneasy.
After all, the scale of this explosion was obviously not small. Even old George, who had lived in Alchemy City for many years, ran to the courtyard to look at it while clutching his chest.
Could there be a loophole in the contract?
Regardless, Haines spoke calmly: "I've heard that you seem to have a servant."
He stared intently at the man named Claude in front of him, not missing a single subtle expression on the other's face.
The impatient-looking black-haired youth finally looked up from the contract and said, "Oh, you mean him? He's probably still resting in bed right now, isn't he? Last night, um... I got carried away and didn't pay attention to the force I used... so, sorry to trouble him."
As he said this, the other person blinked his dark eyes at him, which sent a chill down his spine.
He recalled that he seemed to have heard a tip that in recent years, some people on Bili's side were using this kind of evil method to improve their cultivation.
It was completely one-sided, a forceful and domineering demand.
No wonder I heard that although the servant was tall and handsome, he always looked sickly.
No wonder he's already at the same level as him at such a young age.
But this inevitably stirred up a long-forgotten jealousy in his heart.
Haines couldn't help but remind him, "There are still two weeks left. I hope you can deliver a satisfactory answer on time."
"Isn't there still half a month left?" Upon hearing this, the black-haired man immediately dropped his mischievous smile and his face turned cold again.
Before he could even feel happy, the other person spoke again: "You should go and check on the incident in the city first!"
Once again having his sore spot touched, Haines gritted his teeth and snorted angrily, "Goodbye."
Let them be arrogant for another half month. After that, he'll see how they handle things!
Haines stormed out of the meeting room, but insisted on putting on a calm and composed expression.
As he passed the butler who was pretending to be observing the distant smoke and clouds, he suddenly spoke up, "That servant of the Easterner, has he been staying in the mansion all day?"
"Hey, you're right!" George, who had specially hidden in the courtyard from the living room, was inwardly groaning when suddenly questioned by the family head.
But when he thought of Claude's performance today, he couldn't help but grit his teeth in hatred.
He couldn't help but embellish, saying, "You have no idea how immoral those two are! They're always clinging to each other, hugging, and kissing! They can't get up, they simply can't get up! Oh dear, if you ask me, they'll die in bed one day—"
"Ahem!" Haines coughed heavily, annoyed at the butler who was excitedly and vividly describing the scene, but quietly instructed, "Keep a close eye on them for me."
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked towards the door, his mind now filled with worry about the contents of the contract.
Damn it, could there really be some kind of loophole in the system?
...
Lost in thought, Yun Wei slowly left the living room and walked into the empty laboratory.
I don't know what's gotten into George today, but he keeps following me around like a headless chicken after we come back from the yard.
Since things had already fallen apart, Yun Wei turned around and asked with an unfriendly expression, "Are you very free today?"
George rolled his eyes, but said sarcastically, "Oh dear, when it comes to being busy, of course I can't compare to you, sir."
Yun Wei glanced at him indifferently and said only, "I will tell Sid. Now, please leave."
He is currently feeling extremely agitated.
Old George persisted, "Ha, I was just looking after Young Master Sid's house. Who knows if anything might be missing?"
Before he could finish speaking, he was horrified to discover that a thin layer of mist had suddenly and eerily appeared in the laboratory.
The layer of mist obscured his vision, so much so that the scheming butler didn't notice anything amiss—
As the man in front of him turned around, a sinister skeletal phantom emerged from mid-air and completely engulfed him.
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