<h4>Chapter 196 The Current Imbnce [Pt 2] </h4>


    ''A-ahh… I understand now''


    As Rey looked at Rebal and Asher, both of them having eyes that pleaded for myth, he had a considerable grasp of the situation.


    ''They invested a lot of capital on producing the items, but they can''t deliver it to the Elves in time.''


    This meant they couldn''t recoup the resources they poured into the production, which meant less liquid cash for them.


    However, that wasn''t all.


    ''In business, punctuality is key. If they don''t keep their end of the bargain soon, it''s possible that the Elves could go to another Company, which would be bad for business for the Karinc Group,''


    Not only would they never recoup their profit, but it would take an extremely long time to dispose of the items in their stock.


    Ultimately, this was the major issue that was ensuing.


    "The Eastern Continent is quite a long distance away. Do you know why the Elves are interacting with humans now? Why are they seeking so many Enchanted Items in the first ce?"


    "They didn''t tell us. But I suspect it''s because the war with the Dragons has made them desperate."


    The moment Rebal said this, Rey nodded in agreement,


    That was his first guess too.


    ''Elves aren''t technologically advanced and have no clue about industrialization. They are even often depicted as nature-loving entities who live apart from the corruption of beings like humans.''


    To see that Elves were going as far as dealing with Rebal—-a ck Market leader—made him suspect that the difficulty had been cranked up in their domain,


    "I suspect we are being intentionally sabotaged by the other three Obsidian Council members who joined Scy''s side. We''ve lost contact with the warehouse located in the East, and our packages delivered through any route outside the Southern Territories immediately be unounted for."


    If this continued, their loss would be unbearable.


    ''They''re in quite the pickle.'' Rey thought to himself as he listened to Rebal go on.


    ''I can''t say I me them for being desperate. No matter how much capital apany has, profit is the lifeblood.''


    And profit was gotten through sales.


    Rey doubted the Karinc Group could make a lot of money just from exploiting the Southern territories.


    Apany whose scope of business was suddenly reduced to one-third of their usualmercial domain was bound to experience massive loss.


    ''Add that to the many Items unounted for, and the whole Elf situation…''


    It was inevitable that thepany would sink.


    ''So that''s why they need my help.'' Rey could feel a small smile forming on his face.


    Even if he wanted the ck Market to copse, there was no way he wanted Karinc to be the first to go down.


    This was the only ce he had formed proper connections with.


    ''If they fall, the ck Market might still exist, but I lose all my current benefits.''


    Rey could clearly see the appeal in helping Karinc. However, he also knew to be cautious.


    ''If I get caught up in a scheme that I do not understand, then it would be my total loss.''


    Rey knew he wasn''t very smart. He wasn''t that great of a maniptor either.


    He was still very inexperienced and only knew very little about how the world worked.


    ''I could be getting used by the Karinc Group for a muchrger scheme.''


    That wasn''t how it seemed at the moment, but Rey knew he couldn''t really trust the current circumstances alone.


    If he was to support them, he would be taking a risk.


    "The worst part about all of this is that it had to happen now. Right when we were about to begin our expansion n…"


    As Rey heard this, he couldn''t help but blurt out his next statement.


    "Expansion?"


    Rebal looked up and smiled a little sadly.


    "Yes. We were nning on going more mainstream once we had enough capital. This might seem a bit strangeing from me, but… the ck Market is a really terrible ce."


    Rey was surprised to hear all of this indeed. He genuinely couldn''t believe what Rebal was saying despite being one of the major beneficiaries not the ce.


    "This ce is dangerous and violent. It isn''t a sustainable ce to conduct business."


    Once Rebal revealed more about what he meant, Rey could understand the man''s sentiments.


    Both from a logical and purely business perspective, it was much better to perpetuate trade in a more structured and orderly society.


    ck Market Trade was more profitable, sure, but it was also incredibly risky and highly vtile.


    Any mistake could cost you everything.


    "We made a few auxiliary branches in mainstream to test out the market, and after a few years of doing our proper research, we were ready to fully transition."


    Then, this unfortunate incident had to ur.


    ''If they n on moving to the mainstream, then it makes more sense to help them.''


    Rey now had a second incentive for acting.


    However…


    "I am curious about one thing."


    "What is it, Sir Ralyks?" As soon as Rey asked this, Rebal replied.


    It almost felt like the man was ready to bepletely bare with him, making it difficult to distrust any of the things that were being said.


    "Why do you not join Scy''s side?"


    "…"


    Rebal did not answer immediately, so Rey decided to borate.


    "If you joined her side, I''m sure your business would be protected and all the harassment would stop."


    The other three Obsidian Council Members probably figured this out a long time ago and folded.


    If Karinc did the same, surely things would end well for them.


    "Scy is known as a very selfish and cruel person. Even among the three leaders of the ve Union, she was always said to be the most ruthless. She''s unprincipled, and I would never be able to work with her."


    As Rey listened to this, he sensed arbitrary emotion taking over logic.


    He never expected such an experienced businessman like Rebal nc to have such a stance.


    "Besides, I reckon it''s a little toote for an alliance. Not only did I not get an invitation, but it''s most likely that the three who joined her wish to get rid of me and the other two so they can have more territory and power."


    Rey could understand that.


    "The fewer people there are in charge… the bigger the profit that goes around bes."


    The three Obsidian Councilors wanted their territory and profit to at least double, while Scy wanted to rule everything.


    It made sense why the Karinc Group was never going to be able to join their side.


    ''But why didn''t he just say that from the get-go?''


    Rebal had first of all disyed his emotional reasons before going into the logical domain.


    Rey only had one guess.


    ''He wants to show me that he''s a man of emotion and sentiment, eh?''


    Rebal nc was a man of principles and rules. It wasn''t a surprise that both he and Asher had the same Alignment.


    ''I like that!'' Rey grinned widely as he looked at the two of them.


    ''There''s a lot that can benefit me here, especially in the Elf department. I also want to have an actualpany in the mainstream on my side. There''s also the fact that they''ve helped me in the past. Finally, by helping them, I can stop the actions of the other criminals involved in this.''


    There were probably other benefits he wasn''t seeing at the moment, but Rey already had his mind made up.


    ''I''ll join their side—at least, for now.''


    If things ever got awry, or the Karinc Group acted suspiciously, he could always leave,


    "Fine…" Rey spoke, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.


    "… I''m in."


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    [A/N]


    Thanks for reading!