The Cassidra Chamber of Comrce is a very interesting organization.
This chamber did indeed receive the protection of a god, but to be honest, no one can clearly say whether that really counts as protection.
The god who blessed the Cassidra Chamber of Comrce, strictly speaking, is not purely a god of comrce.
Because he even protects livestock and theft.
The cunning god, fad for his sophistry and almost miraculous trickery, is another one of his identities.
His cunning isn't just talk.
This god will from ti to ti transform into a human, appear all over the world, and use his clever sches to toy with the rich.
But it's precisely because of this slyness that he beca the representative deity worshipped by rchants.
After all, rchants need the art of words. Only when the goods are praised to the heavens will custors feel tempted to co in and buy.
Even if what's being sold is nothing more than a pile of completely unwanted cow dung, it still has to be described as if it slls fragrant.
As long as it can be sold at a high price, the mont it's successfully sold, that price becos the value of that pile of cow dung.
Even if it really is just a lump of dung.
That's what rchants are. They can give useless things fancy nas and sell them for a high price.
And as the god who protects comrce, this deity also has a silver tongue, even surpassing all rchants.
Moreover, he is also a thief skilled in stealing.
What this god enjoys most is stealing goods from the rich, then selling them to those even wealthier.
In the end, he makes huge profits and reinvests them into his comrcial fund.
Once the god grows bored, he will distribute that wealth to everyone in need.
Normally, for a chamber of comrce to be founded by such a god and still exist for so long, with the god not losing interest in it, is already rather abnormal.
Rather, it would be more accurate to say that this god had long since abandoned the chamber.
The first president of the Cassidra Chamber of Comrce was nad Pizzi Nandena.
But before becoming president, he had another identity.
He was the very first believer of the god of comrce.
One day, because the god felt too bored, he began imitating other gods and started collecting believers.
So he found his target among a group of beggars on the street.
This beggar was different from the others. He didn't just sit on the ground begging.
His inco depended entirely on his eloquence. He could vividly explain the value of himself and whatever items he casually picked up.
"Sir, I believe you've just arrived and might need a guide…"
"My heavens, miss, your elegance is the most beautiful I've ever seen. I think you need an even finer outfit to match it…"
"Count, why not try this cane? It would suit your attire tonight perfectly."
One day, after just leaving the entrance of a lively banquet, the beggar Pizzi imdiately ran into a young nobleman.
The mont Pizzi saw him, he felt a surge of delight.
Because the young master looked extrely wealthy, even wearing a gold chain and gold rings.
"Young master, would you like..."
However, the young master suddenly spoke, his eyes fixed tightly on Pizzi, "Do you need money?"
Although Pizzi only smiled at first, the young master insisted on asking again.
In the end, Pizzi could only nod.
Then the young master suddenly said in a solemn tone, "Believe in . As long as you believe in …"
Pizzi thought the young master was crazy and turned to leave.
But just as he turned around, he suddenly felt a pressure forcing him to his knees.
He opened the money pouch in his hand, and in a daze, the shriveled purse was filled with gold bars.
The golden light flooded his vision.
"Now, do you believe in ?"
The cunning and shrewd god spread his broad palm.
Amid the golden glow, Pizzi Nandena beca the first believer of this deceitful god.
Naturally, Pizzi happily accepted the gold with both hands, and afterward, the god who brought wealth taught him many ways to make money.
After finishing all the teachings, the smiling god said sothing surprising to his new follower, "After you die, you must return all the money you've earned to ."
Pizzi agreed.
After that, using the first pile of gold, Pizzi boldly expanded his trade even further.
His talent beca evident, and with additional business thods, his wealth kept pouring in.
The fortune Pizzi quickly accumulated made him a financial giant of his era.
On the last day of his life, the deceitful god appeared at his bedside.
His purpose was to collect all the wealth Pizzi had earned in his lifeti.
However, as a rchant, Pizzi naturally possessed a rchant's cunning.
He claid that all the money he had earned in his life was stored in a safe.
But when it was opened, there were only a few gold coins inside.
Because he had already passed all his wealth to his children, the coins in his hand beca his entire fortune.
For the first ti, the cunning god was deceived, and it was by his own believer.
But their agreent was only about the money Pizzi earned in his lifeti. It didn't clearly state whether his descendants' wealth counted.
The god was both angry and amused. He took those few coins and left the mortal world.
But as he disappeared, he left behind one sentence, "Tell your descendants to guard that money well. One day in the future, I will steal it all."
Nandena's descendants were terrified of being targeted by the god, but they didn't know how to do anything except make money through business.
So they could only continue focusing on developing comrce.
Although wealth would make them targets, once wealth reached a certain level, many rchants would gather together because of it.
In this way, they could ensure the safety of more rchants.
Thus, under the leadership of Pizzi's descendants, the Cassidra Chamber of Comrce was established.
More and more rchants voluntarily joined the chamber.
With this kind of developnt, the chamber gradually grew stronger.
rchants protected the chamber's wealth, and the chamber protected the rchants' safety.
The current chamber, even compared to so great nations, cannot be matched in terms of wealth.
———
After hearing everything Viktor said, Zora stood there completely stunned.
"Mr. Viktor, how do you… know all this?"
This was clearly a secret known only within their chamber, especially among the upper ranks.
Viktor calmly looked at her shock, his expression steady.
At that mont, a crow flapped its wings down from the sky and landed steadily on his shoulder.
Vega's single eye slowly opened, Zora's figure reflected in its pitch-black pupil.
It raised its head and looked her up and down.
Zora was startled by the sudden appearance of the crow, and then Viktor's voice echoed beside her ear, "In this world, there should be nothing I don't know."
The more Zora listened, the more frightened she beca. Her legs trembled, and her face turned pale.
"Mr. Viktor, what should we do?"
This matter happened in their ancestors' generation. Why should the agreent made by their predecessors fall on them to bear?
The current Cassidra Chamber of Comrce is already so imnsely wealthy, practically a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
If all that wealth were stolen in an instant, the entire chamber would collapse.
It might even trigger economic chaos across the world.
"Why be afraid?" Viktor's voice slowly fell, drifting in the cold night wind.
"The gods have long been disappointed in this world. They won't co back."
"Maybe the god you're worried about was just deceiving you."
"B-but…" Zora stamred, falling silent.
Deep down, she also wanted Viktor's words to be true.
But after seeing the Soul of Saint Gali today,
and recalling how her father urged her to keep Viktor at any cost, even paying enormous wealth, just to gain his protection, she seed to sense the risks that might co in the future.
This made it impossible for Zora to believe that the threat left by a god was just a simple lie.
Not to ntion the repeated appearances of the Goddess of Justice and the Goddess of Abundance.
And the return of the ancient royal ancestor of Samuel, that towering star-like body reaching into the clouds was shocking.
That alone was enough to prove the existence of the gods.
Zora couldn't help imagining that the return of other gods was only a matter of ti.
Once that god returned to the mortal world, the Cassidra Chamber of Comrce would likely be the first to suffer, and that filled her with fear.
So she looked at Viktor uneasily and asked softly, "Mr. Viktor, is there any way to stop the gods from returning?"
"I… I can pay…"
Viktor glanced at Zora, his gaze sweeping over her slender figure and long legs.
It was hard to tell if her brain was filled with nothing but money, with whatever intelligence she had left all used to grow those long legs.
Before Viktor could speak, a clear female voice sounded beside him, "I've seen countless believers who praise the gods and hope for their return."
"But this is the first ti I've seen soone as despicable as you, wanting to stop the gods from coming back."
Zora turned toward the source of the voice. What entered her sight was a nun with her eyes covered.
Michaela stood with her hands resting on her lower abdon, facing the light, looking utterly sacred.
The cold wind didn't redden her cheeks; they remained as rosy as ever.
She bowed toward Viktor, "Praise be to the Mother Goddess of Abundance, the great Mr. Viktor."
Michaela straightened up, placing one hand on her chest as she spoke to Viktor, "Please ignore such selfish remarks. Every one of us longs for the return of the gods."
Hearing Michaela's words, Zora's face flushed red, "Who are you?"
"You don't understand those gods at all. They are the real despicable thieves."
"If they co back, we'll really be finished!"
Through the thin veil over her eyes, Michaela lightly glanced at Zora, "Please don't generalize personal actions to an entire group."
"Just because your chamber has problems doesn't an believers all over the world are like you."
Zora couldn't refute the bishop. She could only stamp her foot lightly in frustration, then look at Viktor with hope in her eyes.
As if wishing he would give her the answer she wanted.
At that mont, Michaela smiled again and said, "And one more thing."
In the next second, she moved closer to Viktor.
What happened next made Zora's eyes widen.
Michaela stretched out her two weathered hands, grabbed one of Viktor's arms, and pulled it toward herself.
Viktor's broad palm landed on Michaela's rising chest.
"The Mother Goddess of Abundance will bring her abundance to everyone."
At that mont, not only Zora fell silent.
Even Vega widened its eye, its beak slightly open, as if it had seen sothing unbelievable, frozen for a mont.
The cold wind sweeping through the surroundings seed to fall into silence.
The birds on the branches stopped chirping, and even the rolling wheels of passing carriages seed to quiet down.
Only Michaela's gentle voice remained, flowing like a warm current past Viktor's ear, "Don't you agree?"
"Our great... Godfather Viktor Clavenna."
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