Resource: Part 1

Port patrol officers were paid pretty well, and normal individuals without any connections could only dream of scoring such a position.

It was due to Shayeen's connections with the club that she had gotten the quota for them. It was usually reserved and split between Blackwater's various gangs as well as factions.

Gang members were recruited mainly because it was the most convenient to hire them. They were, after all, snakes who lived within the gaps of society, and they clearly knew more than those above ground.

The person Sarroux had previously spoken about was a large redheaded youth.

The next morning, he came to the club for an interview and officially joined Ironfist Club.

Club applications grew more and more standardized as the members and their strength increased.

So, Lin Sheng quickly drew up sixteen club rules and pasted them on the inner entrance.

The sixteen rules raised a lot of complaints, and many thought that Lin Sheng had pretty much thrown them under the bus even when they had helped his cousin sister.

However, since Shayeen, Russell, Madillan, and Sarroux insisted on it, the rules were still announced in the end.

As a result, the already unpleasant atmosphere in the club became increasingly obvious.

Once it was evening, Sarroux used the addition of his junior to the club as an excuse to invite Lin Sheng and the rest to a nearby hotpot joint for dinner.

"Master Lin, don't you think the rules are a little too much? Our brothers have all kinds of opinions regarding it." Russell was conflicted and frowned hard as he sat in a chair inside the hotpot shop.

Shayeen was sitting by the window, her hand on her chin as she looked at the evening sky outside.

Meanwhile, Madillan and Sarroux were looking down while playing with the chili peppers in the broth out of boredom.

Lin Sheng gazed at the three of them. After being together for so long, they became old friends, and he could naturally see that they had opinions about it too.

"I made the sixteen rules as a basis for the club's development. We can't change it." Lin Sheng shook his head.

"Helping each other, being courteous, knowledgeable and trustworthy, not harming your fellow members, these are all basic moral tenets, no? What's wrong with that?"

Russell smiled bitterly.

Among the three, he was the most straightforward and the most daring of them, so it was up to him to state his opinion to Lin Sheng personally.

"It's not that it's wrong, but we are just a club, not some religious cult. We don't have to make it so convoluted, right? If we're too strict, no one will join us."

"Don't you think our members are just too much of a mixed bunch?"

"Too much of a mixed bunch?" Russell's expression changed slightly.

The other three reacted slightly too, clearly focusing on their conversation there.

"What we need is a more cohesive strength," Lin Sheng said plainly. "Only then can we bring everyone's strengths to a deeper level and create an even stronger group."

"What's wrong with our group now? Isn't it what you've described?" Russell was a little lost.

"No, it's not the same… It's mostly for fun now, and people come and go on a whim. When we need everyone to dig in and cooperate, there's always someone who's not willing to chip in..."

Lin Sheng stopped tapping on the table.

"And that's not good."

"But, we're just a club, to begin with…" Russell said wearily.

"However, we're not just any club now…" Lin Sheng responded.

He knew that it would be difficult to convince the wealthy scions, but it had to be done. The club would need everyone's strength.

It would only benefit him and the members of the group if they got everyone's power and influence together to form a tangible force.

This was not a triad or something of the like, rather something akin to an aid society.

"And? Master Lin, we are just mere students. Perhaps our families are a little richer and a little more influential, but we do not have the ability to push things too hard yet. We need to proceed according to our abilities," Shayeen could not help but speak.

"So, what I've planned is to create an aid society within the club, a real aid society that is able to help each other out."

Lin Sheng smiled.

As he looked at their bewildered gazes, he continued, "This aid society will only take in core members who are really willing to help each other out. I'm looking for quality, not quantity."

"I'm sorry, Master Lin, but that's unrealistic." Madillan was the first to stand up and shake his head. He had always been an honest and true lad, but he, too, had his own opinions.

He had nothing but respect for Lin Sheng because he possessed powerful swordsmanship skills and knew his limits as well. That commanded respect.

However, that was all there was.

Lin Sheng was just a swordsmanship instructor to him. Everyone simply made him a leader on the premise of his superior swordsmanship and his ability to serve as a link for everyone there.

That did not mean Lin Sheng had the right to lead everyone.

Ever since Lin Sheng forced the sixteen rules on them, he had been thoroughly disgusted. It was only due to their friendship that he did not speak out at first.

This time around, Russell was speaking for them, and on a certain level, Russell was reiterating their position.

"What about you?" Lin Sheng had anticipated that. His expression was impassive.

Shayeen kept quiet before she shook her head.

"We're moving down a path that's getting more treacherous, and any misstep will mean trouble. So, I'm sorry…" She then looked down and did not say anything else.

Both Madillan and Shayeen had rejected him.

Only Russell and Sarroux were left. Both of them demurred for a moment.

"Master Lin, there is really no need for this. Really, weren't we all happy together?" Russell said with a conflicted feeling.

When he looked at Lin Sheng's indifferent face, he suddenly felt a strange feeling.

He was the one who supported Lin Sheng the most, and that was not just due to Lin Sheng joining him in Steelscale Club or due to the admiration of his skills with the sword.

Yes, Lin Sheng wore the halo of an idol in his eyes.

But now…

He looked at his best friends; Shayeen, as well as Madillan, were his childhood friends, and they now stood against his idol.

It was his turn to state his position.

"Russell, your family won't allow you to do this," Shayeen said.

In her eyes, Lin Sheng was no longer simply a swordsmanship instructor. She had sensed an unknown emotion roiling within his eyes.

Russell looked at his best friends, then at Lin Sheng before he lowered his head.

Sarroux suddenly sneered.

"I'll do whatever Master Lin does!" His words were golden and unusually decisive.

"You, Sarroux?!" Madillan looked at the resolute Sarroux in confusion and bewilderment.

Sarroux was not bothered by him.

The only person Sarroux trusted in the club was Lin Sheng. As for the rest, they were just acquaintances. If not for Lin Sheng, he would have beaten all three of them into pulps.

"I need to remind you that we got the patrol job quota through my connections. I won't allow it to be used for such a purpose," Shayeen said coldly.

Her instincts told her that Lin Sheng had crossed a treacherous line, and she did not want to have anything to do with it.

If she went down the same path and something happened, the consequences might be beyond her ability to bear.