The dimming sun's light streamed through the impeccably clean glass, illuminating the negotiation table.
The merchants seated around the long table wore opulent, expensive clothing, the vibrant colors a testament to their high social standing.
Normally, dressed in such finery, these merchants would be in good spirits. Not everyone could dress as if they were attending a ball every day.
But on their faces, there was not a trace of joy. Every single one of them frowned, clenching their fists and gritting their teeth.
Their lives, their fortunes, were all resting on this young man.
They simply couldn't muster the good cheer to plaster the usual insincere smiles on their faces.
How vast was this young man's wealth? It didn't matter. For every merchant present, this young man now held their very livelihoods in his grasp.
For any merchant, the wealth they currently possessed couldn't truly be called wealth; it was merely credit.
Their real wealth lay in the amount of gold they could earn each day in the future!
And now their lifeline, the gold they could earn in the future, their true wealth, was all controlled by this young man.
Everyone was standing, except for Aaron, at the end of the long table. He sat with his hands clasped, legs crossed, in the most comfortable position he could find.
The setting sun couldn't reach Aaron's position.
He was hidden in the shadows, but no one could ignore his presence there.
Everyone reacted with different expressions of terror, and Aaron, hidden in the darkness, savored the variety of fear on their faces.
It was like tasting a bitter, aged wine.
Not everyone could find pleasure in such suffering.
The situation unfolding before them could be traced back to what Aaron had done to these merchants three months ago.
However, what had happened three months ago was no longer important. The important thing now was how to resolve the current situation.
"So, I believe... you all understand what I meant by what I just said, right?"
The merchants, their expressions tense and their bodies twitching uncontrollably, could no longer bear Aaron's calm tone as he threatened them.
"Where did you come from, you little brat, to know so much?"
Aaron's eyes narrowed as he glared at the man.
"You call me a brat? I'll make a note of that disrespect for now. Remember, if you make a mistake, you have to take responsibility for it."
Then he looked around, speaking in a very serious tone.
"I've given you plenty of time to think. The contract is on the table now. If you don't want to lose everything, sign your names. There's no downside for you."
Everyone lowered their heads, staring at the contract Aaron had placed on the table.
How could that possibly be a contract? It was a curse that would turn everything they'd worked for their entire lives into waste paper.
If they signed it, they would completely lose their right to be at the gambling table.
It might protect them, but for those who were truly addicted to gambling and wanted to keep winning...
This was undoubtedly a blatant humiliation.
No one would willingly endure such blatant humiliation, but facing this young man head-on...
Someone secretly glanced at him, hidden in the darkness.
Aaron's eyes, shining in the shadows, radiated a power that seemed to pierce through the human soul.
Just a single glance was enough. The man who was spying felt as if countless arrows had pierced his heart.
Overwhelmed with terror, he trembled and picked up the pen in front of him, signing his name on the contract.
As a merchant selling salt, he didn't know how, but Aaron had discovered his smuggling of Empire military salt.
Under the laws of the Empire, this offense carried a death sentence.
Furthermore, all of his assets would be confiscated by the Empire. If he didn't cooperate with Aaron, his future was sealed.
Therefore, in this situation, he had no choice. Even though he knew it was a blatant threat, for the sake of his family, he could only concede half of his property.
Seeing him write down his name, the others' expressions turned even uglier.
Starting is always the hardest, and everyone has a herd mentality.
If no one had written their name on this contract, then even Aaron wouldn't be able to pick a single unlucky fellow to punish.
But now there was a start. Since someone had already signed the contract because they were worried about losing their fortune and reputation...
What other worries did the others have?
In fact, this was equivalent to giving Aaron an excuse to punish those who hadn't signed their names yet.
So, those who hadn't signed their names all revealed resentment and glared at this salt merchant.
But Aaron was indifferent to this. His body barely moved. He watched these things happening before him calmly, and said in a casual, afternoon-chat tone:
"See, it's really that simple. This isn't a list of demands, I just want to talk to you all about cooperation."
"Give up a small portion of your insignificant assets, and I can guarantee that money will multiply tenfold in the future."
"Perhaps you think those pieces of paper you call stocks are just worthless scraps, but gentlemen, I want to make it very clear to you..."
At this moment, Aaron finally bared his fangs, speaking to everyone present with an extremely confident tone.
"In the years to come, we will use wealth to usher in a better era. Even lords and kings will only be sacrifices in the river of history."
Aaron's words were completely incomprehensible to these timid merchants.
How could something that generates money from money possibly exist in this world?
Wealth means gold coins, and the person with the most gold coins also has the most wealth.
For a true merchant, the only goal is to madly seize every single gold coin in the world, hoarding them in their own treasury.
Such people are the truly wealthy ones.
So, they simply couldn't believe whether Aaron's words were fact or just a fantasy.