Chapter 56

Mali also recalled at this time why he felt familiar after seeing the Rose Alliance logo. Four months ago, when he met Baier-ta at the Meimiao Tiyan magic potion shop, he had also worn a brooch with a similar pattern on his chest.

Mali had always been a very reasonable person. When he sold those industrial small pieces of trash, he didn't know they would disappear, so he was also willing to provide some compensation to Baier-ta.

He thought for a while and said, "How about this, I can refund your money, but it will be two or three months later."

"Pah!" Baier-ta spat on the ground, "You wish, you damn liar, dirty thief! Now that I've caught you this time, don't even think about running away again.

"According to the laws of Yingzui City, selling fake goods requires compensating the owner five times the price of the goods, which is six hundred Gold Eagles, and one hand must be cut off. I want that right hand of yours that you use to eat!"

Mali's expression also turned cold upon hearing this, "You had better keep your mouth clean. We signed a sales contract at the beginning."

"Contract? What contract?" Helun frowned.

Mali took out a piece of parchment from his hiking bag and handed it to the bearded man.

The latter took the contract, scanned the buyer and seller and the subject matter, skipped directly to the last clause, and read.

"From the date the contract takes effect, the buyer Baier-ta has full ownership of this batch of alchemy creations, and neither the buyer nor the seller may tear up the contract for any reason."

After reading it, he looked at the fat merchant, "Why didn't you tell me that this contract existed at the beginning?"

Baier-ta's face became very colorful. He felt he had taken a big advantage when he signed the contract with Mali and was worried that Mali would go back on his word afterward, but he didn't expect that it would trap himself instead.

According to the terms of the contract, neither party could go back on their word regardless of what happened after the transaction was completed.

But Baier-ta was not reconciled to just letting it go. That transaction had caused him to lose a full 120 Gold Eagles, and most importantly, it had caused him to lose all face in front of that big shot.

He had wrapped those rare treasures in the finest silk and put them in a carefully selected jewelry box, but when he presented them to that big shot the next day, there was nothing inside.

Although that big shot only took this as a harmless joke in the end and didn't punish him, no one knew what he was thinking in his heart.

Even if he wasn't disliked because of this, he would probably think that he was not capable of handling important matters if he was played like this, and I'm afraid he wouldn't entrust him with any important matters in the future. Baier-ta only felt that he had lost a lot this time.

And he had just received news that Helun intended to give away the last membership quota of the year.

This made him both shocked and angry. Baier-ta had been eyeing that quota for a long time. His brother was also a merchant and had always wanted to join the Rose Alliance, and he hadn't spared any effort over the years.

It was finally looking promising this year, but who knew that someone would cut in at this critical moment.

And when he rushed here, he happened to find that the person was Mali, who had deceived him before. Now, old grudges and new hatreds all surged into his heart.

"The contract is fake!" Baier-ta insisted, "I told you, he is a damn liar!"

"But it really looks like your handwriting on it," Helun said.

"I know, but my signature clearly didn't have that last clause. Otherwise, I would never have agreed to this transaction. This must be another little trick of the alchemists, and he has deceived us again! It was added by him later through some means."

"The contract is in duplicate. You can take out your copy and compare it," Mali said.

"No, my copy was lost. Damn Weike, he has always been clumsy; he must have lost it!" Baier-ta cursed.

This was almost an open denial.

Helun could reach the position of a city president, so he naturally couldn't be a fool. He knew in his heart that the contract in his hand was likely true.

According to the guild's rules, since both parties signed, it meant that both recognized the transaction, and they had to bear the profits and losses themselves afterward, so they couldn't blame others.

Moreover, even if Baier-ta lost the goods, there was no evidence to prove that this matter had anything to do with Mali, and it was unreasonable to come to the other party for compensation aggressively.

It was a pity that this world didn't always talk about reason, or rather, it didn't only talk about the reasons on the surface.

Baier-ta was a member of the Rose Alliance, but Mali was not. As president, he had to protect the interests of guild members.

The hook-nosed merchant urged, "What are you waiting for, President Helun? Hurry up and arrest him, don't let this liar run away again."

However, Helun still didn't make any move. If Mali and Lievre were just ordinary merchants, he might have already detained them, but they were not; besides being merchants, they were also alchemists.

The number of alchemists on the Leiwateleisi Dalu was not large, and it was even smaller in Yingzui City. They didn't show up much on weekdays, but they were a group of people who were very united, and they also had mages as allies.

Once this matter was not handled well, it would offend the Alchemy Association and the Magic Association, two major organizations, at the same time, not to mention that Lievre also came from Guangyao Staff.

Thinking of this, Helun couldn't help but glare at Baier-ta. He had never liked the hook-nosed merchant; the latter hadn't focused on doing business properly over the years, but was keen on fawning over the powerful and forming cliques within the guild.

He also wanted to pull his family into the guild, but Helun had been slow to approve, also not wanting him to continue expanding his power within the guild.

As a result, he had caused such trouble now, and he had to clean up the mess.

Helun didn't want the two sides to continue entangled, so he quickly made a final ruling and said to Mali, "Alright, you refund the payment to him, and let's just pretend this matter never happened."

The hand he had originally prepared to take out the invitation letter also retracted. After such a thing happened, the new member could only be re-selected.

Who knew that the alchemist on the opposite side said, "Is the Rose Alliance planning to tear up the transaction contract?"

"Ah?" Helun was stunned.

"According to the contract, our transaction has been completed," Mali said, "I don't think I need to pay for the goods again."

"Uh... then pay half," Helun conceded.

"I won't pay a single copper coin," Mali's accent was a bit strange, but the firm meaning in his tone was something everyone could hear.

Helun was a bit dumbfounded; he didn't quite understand why Mali was willing to give compensation not long ago, but now he had changed his mind.

Baier-ta jumped out again at this time, dissatisfied, "Why only pay half? No, no, at least two, no, three times!"

Helun started to get a headache again. Neither side would give in, making his plan for mediation fall through. Could it be that this matter really had to be taken to the lord?