Laura was about to say something when Karen waved his hand to stop her. ”I, your father, was very cautious throughout my life as I feared that your grandfather and the Great Lady might hurt me. That’s why I decided to not study that much. Even in the military arts, I made sure to show that I didn’t have potential. As such, it was impossible for me to get revenge for your grandmother.
“You, however, are different. You’ve shown extraordinary business talent, and adding in Uncle Quinn John’s guidance, you had the ability to back it up. Now, you’ve grabbed onto a great foothold here in the Purcell Duchy. Don’t forget that even before you met Mister Zhao Hai, we didn’t have any backing from the inner members of the clan, nor would the people of the Purcell Duchy have backed us up if we offended the Markey Dell clan.”
Karen’s eyes shined with rays of wisdom as he continued to explain to Laura, “The situation now is different. Mister Zhao Hai has the food commodities, so surely he can control the food prices here in the Purcell Duchy. The Purcell clan also owes him a debt, and Mister is a powerful magician. To sum all of this up, do you think the Purcell clan would have given us face just because you helped them? I don’t deny the existence of this reason, but it also might be due to our relationship with Mister Zhao Hai. These great nobles show kindness only if they can get benefits from it.”
Quinn John and Laura were both shocked as they stared at Karen. They never thought that Karen, who had only wholeheartedly conducted magic research, would be able to analyze their situation. And unexpectedly, one after another, they were all reasonable deductions.
Karen looked at their appearances and smiled. “Well, I’ve told you everything, so you can figure things out. Laura, this isn’t just an opportunity to befriend the Purcell clan and Mister Zhao Hai, but similarly, it is the best time to completely cut off our relationship with the Markey Dell clan.
“Although the Markey Dell clan is powerful, in the end they are still just a merchant clan. The methods they can use can only be attributed to their commercial aspects, while in other aspects they are very weak. Moreover, don’t forget that on the continent, it is not only the Markey Dell clan that calls itself a merchant clan. These past few years, the Markey Dell clan has offended several merchant clans due to the expansion of their businesses. If they are going to receive a big loss, then those people won’t let this chance slip by. If the Purcell clan is fat, then the Markey Dell clan is the bigger fat, isn’t it?”
Quinn John and Laura hadn’t thought of this point. They had both thought of the Markey Dell clan as a colossal power, one that wasn’t affable. They’d forgotten that a monster could only be fought with another monster. One wrong move from them will cause their deaths to become more miserable than those of shrimps[1].
Karen looked at the two, then continued, “One more thing. These past few days, although I’ve been researching, I have also been in contact with magicians, pharmacists, and alchemists I know. If they move, such a force wouldn’t be a small one. If you need my help for anything, so long as the matter isn’t about any aspect of the market, which I don’t understand much about, just look for me in the office[2].”
Karen stood up and patted Laura’s head, saying, “You don’t need to be worried about anything. Even if the Markey Dell clan is strong, so is my daughter. Now that we’ve left the nest and got into conflicts and disagreements with them, don’t be afraid and don’t worry; your father supports you.” He turned around and walked out, then continued, “The magic I’ve been researching doesn’t feel right, I must go back and have a look.” He completely disappeared from the study room.
Laura looked at Karen’s back with teary eyes. Only when Karen had completely disappeared from her sight did she wipe her tears away. She turned to Quinn John and said, “Grandpa Quinn John, arrange a meeting between me and Alodia for tomorrow. I will give him my last warning. If he doesn’t give me face and still continues, then he shouldn’t blame me for being impolite.”
Quinn John nodded and replied with a gratified expression, “I had been thinking that the Second Young Master didn’t understand these matters, but it turns out that the Young Master has a very clear understanding. Ha-ha. No wonder, back then, when Young Master had asked to be placed in the Purcell Duchy, I thought that he’d just completely lost hope. I hadn’t thought that the young master was actually scheming something. Young Master’s move is very fierce, especially since the influence of the Markey Dell clan in the Purcell Duchy was the weakest. So long as we’re here each day, the Markey Dell clan will probably have no way of dealing with us. Oh yes, this is good.”