Arc 2

10 Months later

The room was quiet except for the faint tapping of Ye Jin's finger against the wooden table.

Across from her sat Wen Yu, a burly merchant dressed in a colorful robe, and on his fingers were numerous rings. Standing beside him were two of his men.

On his face was a thoughtful expression, one filled with doubt, his hands clasped together as he looked at the scroll before him, which contained a series of important information related to the deal they were discussing.

"We will provide the funding your merchant group needs to expand," Ye Jin began, her voice steady and confident. "In return, you will give us just 15% of your yearly profit."

"Fifteen percent is too much, make it 7 percent," Wen Yu negotiated.

"No," Ye Jin disagreed firmly. "We reduced it initially from 25 percent to 15 percent just for you. Any lower will be a loss on our part, especially considering the advantages you would receive by being our partner."