The Strongest Businessman-126 Chapter 126: Slander
In the Soaring Garden Herbal Store...
It was only 7 o'clock in the morning and Dylan and his crew are already inside the store. Dylan and company were already finalizing the preparations that they have prepared for their comeback. They were all busy doing their respective jobs which Dylan specifically gave them.
"Jack, how are the preparations in your side going?" Dylan asked when he and Jack bumped into each other.
"We're almost finish, sir. Half an hour more and it will all be prepared." Jack replied.
"Scott, have you finished preparing the goods already?" Dylan inquired for further updates in Scott's side.
"We have already finished arranging them and double checked all of them. Regarding their status, they are all still in excellent condition." Scott answered.
"Allana, how is your staff doing? Are they all dressed up and ready?" Dylan questioned.
"We are all ready, sir. We already memorized how the everything will proceed." Allana smiled as she responded.
"Good work, everyone! It's time for payback for what those bastards did to Loraine and Kent!" Dylan's eyes became cold as he started to remember what happened 2 days ago.
"Yeah!" Everyone replied with the same look of coldness in their eyes.
2 days ago, outside the Excellent Tailor....
As usual, Dylan still had someone monitor the movements of the Excellent Tailors every three hours. It was around 3 in the afternoon. During this time of the day, the one who was giving out flyers to everbody near the popular tailor shop was Loraine. She was a short black haired beauty with a kind personality.
The number of customer in this hour is significantly fewer than usual because of the concentrated heat from the sun but Loraine was still doing her best to give out the flyers that were to be distributed by her.
However, as she was giving out flyers, a group of people who wore luxurious and glamorous clothing that were of the current trend in the city, approached her. From their robes, one could see that they are affiliated with the Excellent Tailors.
The blond-haired man who was leading the group said, "Hey, you, stop giving out flyers in front of our store! You are ruining the image of our store! Scram before I do anything to you!"
"I..." Loraine was frightened by this hostile group but she did not want to return to Soaring Garden without even accomplishing her shift. She just needed to hold out a little bit longer before she returns to the store and report what happened here to Dylan. Deciding this, she decided to be passive and spoke, "But, sir, I have not done anything wrong but give out flyers for my store for the exposure of our store. I cannot abandon my post that easily but if you want to, I can move a couple of meters back to avoid inconveniencing you."
"Giving out flyers for the exposure of your store? Hahahaha, as expected, you mist be one of those stores whose owners are "fake nobles", right? That's why you are trying your best to give your store just a little bit more popularity through menial work?! Hahahaha, how primitive!" Another man said.
"What a splendid word to describe them, brother! They are truly primitive! This is where our status differs, little girl! Unlike you who desperately needs the attention of the consumers, we, the true nobles, have the reputation and skills that allows us to attract customers to come to our store in their own volition without needing to do any of this menial work!" A long haired man who had feminine tendencies laughed mockingly.
"Of course, this is not your fault, beauty but it is your boss's incompetemce and lack of charisma. So, I advise you to come with me instead. I can give you a life of wealth... and pleasure!" A fat young master who was in the side lecherously stared on the supple and delicate body of Loraine.
"Sirs, I can endure it if you berate me but no one has the right to berate my boss and the business that we built from unceasing hardwork and dedication! How can you call yourselves nobles if every single one of you acted with arrogance and lust! It would be more appropraite to call you "ignobles" than nobles!" Loraine was fuming with rage when she heard the constant insults that these group of nobles spoke.
The nobles who were in front of Loraine looked around them with pale faces. They could feel the judgemental gazes of the crowd. Unable to jandle this humiliation, the blond haired man moved closer to Loraine and slapped her usung all of his strength. His strength was already in the peak of the Origin Transmutation Realm while Loraine was still only at the peak of the Spirit Veins Realm. Her body was sent flying to the air and crashed on the ground. How could Loraine even retaliate with such an overwhelming gap?
*Crash*
"Argh..." Loraine groaned. She tried to stand but her body failed her. Feeling that her strength was fading, she lost conciousness.
Though the customers at this hour is very few, when they gather, they still formed a crowd as soon as the crashing sound happened. The crowd's attention was even more piqued when they heard the scream that Loraine made. Whispers started to occur as gossips are given birth one after the other.
"You dare slander me and my brothers?! How impudent! Guards, cease her!" The blond haired man commanded in madness.
"Raaargh!" The guards of the Excellent Tailors immediateky reacted to the man's commands and charged.
A tall brown-skinned lad with blue eyes immediately went forward and defended the girl. He was Kent whose shift was after Loraine's. He carried Loraine on his and evaded the two guards swiftly by using the same movement technique that Dylan used, the Seven Crane Dance. The guards were unable to react in time because of the shock that someone from the crowd helped Loraine.
He charged through and punched the face of the blond-haired noble who was off guard with the Tree-crushing Bear Fist! After landing the punch, he jumped several meters back to distance himself.
"You peasant dared to punch my face!" Although the punch landed cleanly, the blond haired noble was still able to use his Origin Energy to guard most of the attack and only staggered backwards. A slight trace of blood came out from the side of his mouth
"Of course I dare! You dare punch my comrades! What's wrong with you?! Ordering your men to make a move on a defenseless woman who is unconcious is purely shameless!" Kent argued.
"She was the one who dared to slander me and my brothers in front of the public! A slap is even considered a complacent punishment for the crime that she committed!" The feminine noble man defended.
"What the hell?! For just a couple of words, you guys dare to raise your hand to hurt a weaker person and against a woman at that! Do you even have the slightest shred of pride and dignity as men left?!" Kent roared with hostility.
"Hehehe, how about telling that to the supervising captain of this boulevard?" The lecherous fatty cunningly said as he pointed to the direction of a man wearing the armomor of the Thundercloud Guards walking towards them.
"Good day, my lords. How have you all been?" He approached Kent and the other with some of his subordinates behind him. He stopped walking when he was just a few meters away from them. His posture was that of a proper soldier and his face had a confident smile that showed his honor as a captain.
"We have all been doing well. How about you, Captain Pedro?" The blond haired noble greeted the captain with the same question.
"I am doing well also." Pedro amiably smiled.
"Sir, please arrest these nobles for injuring my friend!" Kent righteously requested. But he was feeling uneasy about this captain since he acted so close to the nobles that were at fault. However, through Lancelot's inspirational example at the Noble Test Center, he felt that the guards were trustworthy and are true to their justice.
But to his surprise, the captain replied oppositely, "She slandered the group of nobles in public first. A slap of this level could only be considered as retaliation. What's more you puched them as well right? This can also be considered as a case of public violence which means I can also arrest you."
"What the fuck are you even saying right now?! All she did was talk back to them and that was already considered a crime?! A slap is just retaliation from her words?! Then, the my punch would also be a form of retaliation. Also, if my punch is considered as punlic violence, then the same thing also applies to the slap!" Kent logically argued while trying his best to keep his anger in check.
"What's even more baffling is the very fact that you consider slander and public violence as something heavier than severe physical injury! What kind of Thundercloud Guard goes against the code of conduct the guards?!" Kent added furiously. He added after glancing at the noble's group and the Pedro's group, "I get it! You must have been bought by these nobles! Doing something as dishonorable as that and you still call yourself as a Thundercloud Guard?! You are nothing but a crook!"
"You are quite sharp tongued for a brat of your age. But, I cannot refute the things you just said. I only arrived so I cannot say for sure what truly transpired. Very well, then, let us settle this matter with a different method. Do you have any concrete evidence to support your claim?" Pedro was quite calm as he faced Kent's arguments.
"What?" Kent was taken aback by this question.
"I'm asking you whether you have concrete evidence. If you have evidence, then I would order my men to arrest them and I would would even turn myself in. But if you don't, both of you would be charged with slander and would be arrested." Pedro stated the conditions of his arrival.
"The unacceptable behavior and treatment that my friend endured is the evidence! You can ask anyone among the crowd to be the witness of that crime!" Kent said.
"Can anyone of you attest what he just said? Just come forward so that this conflict can be quickly settled." Pedro looked around him before asking the crowd.
"..."
However, the crowd was silent. No one even tried to look the captain straight in the eyes. They all looked at each other waiting for someone to step forward. Several moments later, someone stepped forward and said.
"What he said is not true..." The one who stepped forward was someone who wore very plain clothes. He was very thin and unclean.
"It can't be..." Kent was shocked. He remembered that this man was one of the people who were at the front of the crowd. He could not believe what he just heard. He did not expect that the method that he proposed would lead to his own downfall.
"Is that so? How is it true? Can you describe what truly happened?" Pedro interrogated the plain looking man.
"The girl tried to slap Young Master Fred so he only retaliated after. Due to the difference of power, the girl was blown away and was severely injured. He ordered his men to only capture the girl and surrender her to Captain Pedro later on. But, this man appeared and took the girl. He even injured the Young Master while doing so." The man nervously stated.
"That's not what happened! You're lying!" Kent protested hysterically.
"A witness has spoken. Is there no one here to contradict what this man just said?" Pedro asked again.
"..." But the crowd still had no reply.
"Someone please speak up for us! I beg you." Kent pleaded but the only thing he recieved were eyes that were filled with pity.
"This concludes this matter. The two of you will be charged. Since the first offendant is injured, she would be taken to the Thunder Clouds Hospital and would be subjected to house arrest. You, however, will be sent directly to prison." Pedro gave the verdict.
"I cannot accept this. Why would you lie!" Kent dahsed to the witness.
"Don't even think about touching the witness!" However, one of the guards acted fast and used his spear to ward off Kent. The spear pierced through Kent's right shoulder and blasted him away to the spot where Loraine laid.
"I'm sorry, Loraine. I failed you." Kent was still at a lost because of what happened. He still could not understand why all of this happened. He could not even feel the pain of his wound.
" Young Master Fred, unfortunately, according to the statements, I also need you to come with me to the station." Pedro continued.
"I guess it can't be helped." Fred had a self-satisfied smile on his face while he said those words.
Then, a slow applause was heard from the crowd. A sarcastic voice soon followed: "That was quite the performance you just did. I even found myself believing it. I recommend that you become theatrical actors instead of a tailors or police."
"Who said that?" Fred's brows creased and asked.
"Me." Dylan descended from the air like a hero who was there to save the day.
