When Claire had rested enough, she decided to leave the Lawless City.
Inside the train station, Jaka and Yuro were crestfallen.
"Sigh, all my money is gone, and I'm still a virgin!" Yuro said.
"It's good enough that we're alive!" Jaka replied.
Across from the station, Queton and Ever-Victorious Golden Dragon were also dejected.
"My sword and armor are gone; isn't this a huge loss?!" Ever-Victorious Golden Dragon exclaimed.
"It's good enough that we managed to leave alive!" Queton said.
The four of them sighed in unison.
The four boarded a train and left.
Sino, Sid, Milia, Claire.
The four arrived at the train station and bought tickets.
Mary came running to see Claire off.
The two bid each other farewell.
But her gaze was secretly peeking at Sino.
Sino understood.
While waiting for the train, he said he needed to go to the restroom.
After a few pleasantries, Mary also said she needed to go to the restroom.
"Do vampires use restrooms?" Claire wondered aloud.
"They probably do! After all, they eat human food too!" Milia said.
Claire no longer felt aversion towards Milia, as she had indeed saved her two younger brothers.
She could be considered half a benefactor.
Soon, the train arrived, and Sino only returned just as the train pulled in.
"Sino, you're too slow!" Claire complained.
Sino looked at Mary, who was secretly observing them from a distance.
Claire also saw her.
Claire waved goodbye.
"Goodbye, Mary!"
Mary, feeling guilty, also waved goodbye.
Everyone left the Lawless City and returned to the Midgar Kingdom... Recently, the Great United Company and the Mitsugoshi Company had some friction.
The Mitsugoshi Company and its affiliated smaller companies occupied a large share of the royal capital's market.
Initially, the Great United Company was hesitant to act due to its apprehension of Viscount Olba, who backed the Mitsugoshi Company.
However, with both sides maintaining a peaceful coexistence, the Great United Company frequently found itself operating at a deficit.
All the high-quality goods were in the hands of the Mitsugoshi Company, which also frequently launched new products.
Meanwhile, the Great United Company remained unchanged, comprising only ordinary merchants.
Compared to the Mitsugoshi Company, the local merchants in the royal capital were completely outclassed.
When it comes to goods, people are always afraid of comparison shopping.
And the Mitsugoshi Company's products were simply better than those of the Great United Company.
Everyone also preferred to shop at the Mitsugoshi Company.
The smaller companies under the Mitsugoshi Company were all competing fiercely among themselves.
They used no force whatsoever, gradually squeezing the Great United Company's space for survival.
Many local businesses began to gradually close down.
Many people were even forced to leave the Great United Company and seek cooperation with the Mitsugoshi Company.
The Sword Demon, the mastermind behind the Great United Company, could no longer sit still.
He had to step down, or the Great United Company would be ruined.
Once the Great United Company was ruined, the Sword Demon's current position would become meaningless.
He had painstakingly climbed to this position, becoming an executive of the Diabolos Cult.
"Kada, order your subordinates to start attacking the Mitsugoshi Company's goods!"
"Lord Sword Demon, what about Viscount Olba?"
"We can't worry about that anymore. Do you want to offend Viscount Olba, or be cut down by me now?"
"Yes, Lord Sword Demon!"
Because of Kada's activity, Fox Demon Xue Nv also became aware of the Sword Demon's existence.
Fox Demon Xue Nv traveled from the Lawless City to the royal capital of the Midgar Kingdom... Sid received two banknotes from Jaka, looking at the Mitsugoshi Company's banknote and the Great United Company's banknote.
He had a special idea in his mind.
He found Sino.
"Sino, I have a great plan to get rich!"
"What great plan?"
"Look, this is the Mitsugoshi Company's banknote, and this is the Great United Company's banknote!"
"Banknotes that look like counterfeit money!"
"When I was a child, I once had a dream that I wanted to take five hundred yuan to a print shop owner and print out many five-hundred-yuan bills, so I would have endless money. But the shop owner refused!"
"So you want to make counterfeit money!"
"That's not important. What's important is that we can have endless money!"
"Have you heard of an economic crisis?"
"I've heard a little!"
"Then have you heard of a loaf of bread costing five hundred thousand?"
"What does that mean?!"
"Massive coinage will affect all banknotes, eventually turning them into useless waste paper! Finally, the price of a loaf of bread will rise to 500,000."
"That doesn't have much to do with me, does it?!"
"Indeed it doesn't; it will only make banknotes worthless, and eventually, the banknotes in your hand will no longer be money! Moreover, making coins will be easily discovered! And it can only be spent in the royal capital."
"Ah! This..."
Sid left dejectedly.
His plan ended before it even began.
"But you can make counterfeit money and then exchange them for gold coins!"
"Really?" Sid was excited.
"I found you a partner!"
Sino snapped his fingers.
A white-haired Nine-Tailed Fox beastman walked out.
"This humble one, Xue Nv, greets Young Master Shadow!"
"Shadow... I have already abandoned that name! My name is John Smith now!"
A surge of magic power erupted from Sid's body.
He transformed into a tall, robust man in a suit,
also wearing a mask that covered the upper half of his face.
"Then, Young Master John, a pleasure to cooperate!"
Fox Demon Xue Nv extended her hand.
John Smith shook it.
"A pleasure to cooperate!"
"This humble one is not after money; this one is only after the true power behind the Great United Company — the Sword Demon! He once took everything from me, and now I will take everything from him!"
The Great United Company recently issued banknotes frantically.
But the Mitsugoshi Company did not accept the Great United Company's banknotes.
This made the Great United Company struggle in many places.
Banknotes must be recognized by everyone to have value.
As the first issuer of banknotes, the Mitsugoshi Company refused to recognize them.
Some clever people also noticed the difference between the Mitsugoshi Company's banknotes and the Great United Company's banknotes.
They were completely different, one exquisite and the other very crude.
Many responded by refusing to accept the Great United Company's banknotes.
During this period, the Great United Company was basically operating at a loss, merely clinging to life.
The Mitsugoshi Company's corporate group, using Viscount Olba's commercial city as a transit hub, had a wide variety of goods.
The quality of all products was very reliable.
For the same price, the Mitsugoshi Company's goods were simply better than the Great United Company's.
How could the Great United Company compete? It could only decline.