With their business concluded, and after several rounds of drinks and a hearty meal that left the plates all but empty, the three men chatted idly for a while longer before heading downstairs.

Under the cover of night, Cheng Zongyang saw the two men off before turning back and re-entering the restaurant.

Zhou Zhendong and Cheng Yuanli were waiting on the first floor.

When Cheng Zongyang returned, Zhou Zhendong, unable to suppress his excitement, asked, "How did it go?"

Cheng Zongyang sat down, took the letter he had tucked away inside his clothes, and handed it to him.

Zhou Zhendong opened the letter, a hint of confusion on his face.

Once he finished reading its contents, his brow furrowed deeply. He sat down and asked, "You agreed to all of this?"

Cheng Zongyang shook his head slightly. "Not yet. I need to think it over."

Cheng Yuanli leaned in to get a look, so Zhou Zhendong handed the letter to him.

Seeing this, Cheng Zongyang had both of them follow him up to the third floor.

"Tell me your thoughts." Cheng Zongyang leaned against the balcony railing, watching the thinning crowds on West Main Street.

Zhou Zhendong didn’t speak first, looking instead to Cheng Yuanli.

Cheng Yuanli was among the first outsiders to be brought into the clan and inducted into the Earth Branch Lineage, but he was now considered one of their own. He was also regarded as an elder brother figure among the "Yuan" generation of the lineage.

Though only fourteen or fifteen, he had improved immensely since arriving in the County Town, gaining a great deal of practical experience. He even spent his free evenings burning the midnight oil to expand his knowledge.

But when Zhou Zhendong deferred to him to share his thoughts first, Cheng Yuanli scratched his head and said, a little nervously,

"Young Clan Leader, I’m not sure about the other points, but for the one about you joining them... you’re not planning on accepting that, are you?"

Cheng Zongyang turned to face Cheng Yuanli, a faint smile on his lips. "And why is that? I’ve told you about the scale of the Da Yi Commerce Association. It’s not so easy to join an organization like this and become a Steward."

Cheng Yuanli nodded. "Yes. But that’s not what you truly value. Otherwise, why didn’t you agree on the spot? Compared to that condition, the others don’t seem so difficult, do they? If you’d agreed to that, the other two would have been trivial."

Cheng Zongyang burst out laughing and turned to Zhou Zhendong. "And you?"

Zhou Zhendong simply recited the three conditions from the letter:

"First, the initial partnership is for only one year. After that, they’ll re-evaluate based on how things go before considering an extension. I suspect they want to run a trial planting of the Wilderness Rice and observe the results."

Cheng Zongyang listened without interrupting.

"Second, they want you, Young Clan Leader, to join the Commerce Association. This is likely a way to bind you to them. Perhaps they truly value your talent, but it’s more likely they have other motives—like the secret of the Wilderness Rice, for instance. Or other things. Given the Commerce Association’s Ability, it wouldn’t be difficult for them to investigate our origins."

Both Cheng Zongyang and Cheng Yuanli understood that by "other things," Zhou Zhendong was referring to certain assets back in the village.

The village had far too many valuable assets, so it was only natural for Zhou Zhendong and Cheng Yuanli to be concerned.

"As for the third condition, they want us to take full responsibility for all construction matters and do it for free. All land deeds and the like will belong to the Commerce Association, and we have to bear all expenses until they open for business. They’re basically telling us to spend our own money to buy all the land, only for them to take it for free. This Commerce Association is such a scam!"

After listening, Cheng Zongyang just smiled. "We’re the ones managing the West City District right now, so we have the final say on all the land. As for the cost, it won’t add up to much. The third point is no big deal."

Cheng Yuanli nodded in agreement. "Exactly. It doesn’t matter if we give it to them. Even if we have a falling out later, it’s not a major problem. When the Li Family wants it back someday, they can take it up with the Commerce Association."

But Zhou Zhendong shook his head. "That’s not how it works. If the situation you described really happens, the Li Family will just come to us to collect their due. Faced with two behemoths like them, what can we possibly do? The weak have no say in the matter."

Cheng Yuanli fell into a thoughtful silence.

Cheng Zongyang nodded in agreement. "That’s right. That’s how it is. But none of these are real problems. Even if things go south, we can always retreat to the village. We’ve prepared both our Defense and a path of retreat. So we can go all out. Later on, whether we’re recruiting people directly or training our own, we don’t have to be timid."

At this, Zhou Zhendong asked, puzzled, "So you’ve agreed, then?"

Cheng Zongyang smiled. "If they can agree to the conditions I propose, then what’s the harm in accepting? The Wilderness Rice is a hurdle they simply can’t get over! And that’s not to mention other things we’ll have in the future. Besides, this position of Steward will be quite useful to us. All right, you two don’t need to worry about it. I’ll handle things with the Commerce Association. You’ll have plenty to keep you busy soon enough."

Cheng Zongyang didn’t linger. He took back the letter, left the Restaurant, and returned to his residence.

His spirit entered the Wilderness World, where he found Luo Dingran to hear his opinion on the matter.

After reading the letter and getting more details from Cheng Zongyang, Luo Dingran smiled.

"My lord, why are you conflicted? Your choice is the best path forward. The first and second conditions are both advantageous for you. You can even leverage the Commerce Association to rapidly enhance our own strength. The Commerce Association has a wealth of resources. With this status, you’ll have the backing to do as you please. Even the Li Family wouldn’t dare to offend you lightly anymore."

Cheng Zongyang nodded. ’To be blunt, I never really cared about the first and third conditions. The only thing I was mulling over in front of Chen Kaishan was the second condition—specifically, how to best make use of this Steward position.’

’Things have come to this. Establishing a branch of the Commerce Association is inevitable. Since there’s a profit to be made, some compromises are necessary.’