Qin Siyang looked at Zhao Sifang, feeling a bit anxious for young Zhao in his heart.
However, Zhao Sifang remained calm.
He maintained his composure and gave Hua Weicai a polite smile.
Qin Siyang also secretly sighed in admiration, 'Although young Zhao isn't skilled in scheming, he isn't a fool either.'
Even when faced with a direct provocation from an opponent, he showed no sign of fear.
He truly had the demeanor of someone from a prestigious family.
Zhao Sifang said, "Our Zhao Chamber of Commerce has just been established, so naturally, our foundation cannot compare to the Three Great Chambers of Commerce. That's why we have also invited a few mysterious friends today to vouch for our credibility."
"These mysterious friends, though they are not standing on the stage today, have still sent us their contributions."
After speaking, Zhao Sifang gestured to someone behind him.
Four staff members walked forward, each carrying an ancient wooden box.
The crowd was curious.
'What is this?'
They had never heard anyone from the Zhao Chamber of Commerce mention this before.
Could it be that the Zhao Chamber of Commerce had another major treasure that had not yet been revealed?
Even Hua Weicai frowned slightly, unsure of what was inside.
He had never heard of the Zhao family obtaining any particularly rare materials.
Ka-ka-ka-ka!
The four staff members opened the wooden boxes one after another.
Inside each box, the lining was made of soft satin, making the red-glowing crystals inside stand out even more.
Under the lights, the crimson crystals shone brilliantly, dazzling the eyes.
"This is?"
For a moment, the entire venue seemed frozen.
'Crimson Crystals?'
'All of them?'
'Four of them?'
'How is this possible?'
Everyone who saw the four Crimson Crystals gasped in shock.
The guests fell silent.
Their eyes were fixed on the four Crimson Crystals.
It was said that Crimson Crystals were incomparably rare.
Most people wouldn't even see one in their entire lifetime.
Yet, the Zhao Chamber of Commerce had just taken out four at once?
Each of them bore traces of blood, indicating that they already had rightful owners.
Since Zhao Sifang had spoken of them, his words likely weren't empty claims.
It seemed that the Zhao family truly had extraordinary means to track down four individuals who possessed Crimson Crystals and even persuade them to invest in the Zhao Chamber of Commerce.
Chu Xiao'ang, witnessing the scene, couldn't help but murmur, "Has the Safe Zone reached the point where Crimson Crystals are this abundant…?"
Chu Baxing said, "Could it be that all of these belong to Qin Siyang?"
Chu Xiao'ang gave Chu Baxing a cold look, "Where's your brain? Are you really not using it at all? The first time encountering Pooled Begonia was already questionable, but now you think he's encountered it five times in a row? What, is Pooled Begonia his father?"
Chu Baxing looked away and remained silent.
Like Chu Xiao'ang, no one else considered the possibility that all four Crimson Crystals might have come from the same person.
After all, it was a widely accepted fact that entering Pooled Begonia could at most yield one Crimson Crystal per visit.
Qin Siyang kept a blank expression, but inwardly, he was full of amusement.
'Little Zhao, after being my underling for so long, today your big brother Qin will lend you a hand and let you shine!'
Zhao Sifang picked up a Crimson Crystal the size of a pigeon egg and said to Hua Weicai, "Mr. Hua, the rarity and value of a Crimson Crystal are unquestionable."
"I believe that just one of these Crimson Crystals alone is worth more than the three materials you presented. Don't you agree?"
Hua Weicai was stunned for a moment before he finally came to his senses.
"Zhao Sifang, these Crimson Crystals don't belong to you. Even if you take them out, what use are they?"
"Although these do not belong to our Zhao Chamber of Commerce, the fact that they are willing to deposit them with us proves their trust in our chamber."
Zhao Sifang slowly raised his hand toward Hua Weicai.
"If Mr. Hua thinks that our Zhao Chamber of Commerce is unworthy, then may I ask, how many people have deposited Crimson Crystals with Lotus Cloud Chamber of Commerce?"
Hua Weicai lowered his eyes, gritting his teeth, unable to respond.
Let alone convincing four people to entrust their Crimson Crystals to Lotus Cloud Chamber of Commerce, he hadn't even known that so many people in the Safe Zone privately owned complete Crimson Crystals.
From the corner of his eye, Hua Weicai glanced at his grandfather, Hua Chengliang, the vice president of Lotus Cloud Chamber of Commerce.
He saw that Hua Chengliang's eyes were also filled with shock and disbelief.
Even he, the vice president, had never considered the possibility that the Zhao family could take out four Crimson Crystals at once.
No one had expected this.
A family engaged in underground business like the Zhao family actually possessed such power.
In an instant—
The Zhao Chamber of Commerce, just after its establishment, had managed to find four Crimson Crystal owners to invest in it.
Meanwhile, the Lotus Cloud Chamber of Commerce, one of the three major chambers, had remained completely unaware of this.
The gap in trust and information was now on full display.
This farce, rather than damaging the Zhao Chamber of Commerce, had only helped to establish its reputation.
However, Hua Chengliang had already begun to consider withdrawing.
He signaled Hua Weicai not to say anything more.
Because in Hua Chengliang's eyes, the Zhao family hadn't just presented four Crimson Crystals, they had revealed the backing of four powerful factions.
In other words, the Zhao Chamber of Commerce had now been pushed onto the stage as a challenger to the Three Great Chambers of Commerce.
'Is it the Ministry? The military? The Church? Or the university?'
He didn't know.
But one thing was certain, these four Crimson Crystals had extraordinary origins.
And the Lotus Cloud Chamber of Commerce alone might not be able to afford provoking them.
Today, with all three major chambers gathered here, the Lotus Cloud Chamber of Commerce had already done its part by stepping forward.
If this continued, it might end up harming their own interests.
However, a tree may wish for calm, but the wind does not cease.
Hua Chengliang wanted to end things here.
But Hua Weicai couldn't allow that.
Because Hua Chengliang had more than one grandson.
At nearly seventy years old, Hua Chengliang had been semi-retired for some time, leaving the family business and chamber affairs to his relatives.
He had married three wives and had over ten children.
Though they were family, they had different mothers and their own ambitions.
Among Hua Weicai's peers, his brothers were all secretly competing, each hoping to inherit Hua Chengliang's position.
If he helped the Three Great Chambers crush the Zhao Chamber of Commerce, he would have accomplished a great feat.
Whoever succeeded in this task would naturally be the next vice president of Lotus Cloud Chamber of Commerce.
Thus—
Hua Weicai had sacrificed a great deal just to be here today, attending this ceremony alongside Hua Chengliang.
His father and uncles, all born from the same father, had also given their support.
The scheming and struggle behind this had even cost two lives.
One could say, he was the family's hope.
If this ended in failure, when he returned home, he would face bitter disappointment from his relatives.
Forget becoming vice president, he might even become the scapegoat and be pushed to the outer fringes of the chamber.
He could not let this go.
So—
Hua Weicai pretended not to see his grandfather's signal.
And continued speaking, "Even if the Zhao Chamber of Commerce has these few items, it doesn't change the fact that it's just a makeshift operation!"
"Forget everything else."
"Qin Siyang—an orphan from the outskirts of the Safe Zone, what right does he have to be vice president?"
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