What was this nonsense?
A countryside bumpkin from Niarak, someone they couldn’t afford to offend?
Who exactly was Flynn?
In the grand hall, the heads of prestigious families rose to their feet, frozen in place, their minds swirling with confusion.
“Mr. Sheppard,” Peter said with a faint smile, “Why don’t you explain why we can’t afford to offend this Mr. Clark?”
There was mockery hidden within Peter’s smile. After dominating Pelens for decades, even Lysander King had to show him respect. Could someone from a backwater place like Niarak really amount to anything?
Bobby Sheppard caught the disdain in Peter’s tone and chuckled, his expression proud. “I wonder if any of you have heard about the banquet that took place in Niarak yesterday.”
A banquet?
Yesterday?
The one hosted by Kendal Roy to welcome General Yancey?
As soon as he mentioned it, the room filled with an air of reverence.
General Yves Yancey’s arrival in Niarak was akin to an emperor’s visit. It caused a sensation across the entire Shipmeda State. Naturally, everyone present had heard about it.
Because of that event, they had paid extra attention to Niarak for a time.
They had even gathered some information about the banquet.
It was rumored that another heavyweight, Dr. Layla Woods, had been present. After General Yancey abruptly left the gathering, Dr. Woods had clashed with the Sharp’s Group.
“Apparently, midway through the banquet, Dr. Woods started a financial war with someone, intending to short their company with billions of dollars.”
“Yes, the Sharp’s Group’s Rose. Dr. Woods had been at odds with her for over a decade. Earlier this year, we heard Rose had gone bankrupt, but somehow she made a comeback.”
“Right. I heard about that business battle yesterday. It was spectacular. Everyone thought Dr. Woods would win, but the Sharp’s Group suddenly received over $12 billion in investment…”
The crowd began discussing among themselves.
Whenever Layla Woods was mentioned, the tone shifted to one of admiration and reverence.
After all, she was a prodigy of the highest order. Not yet thirty years old, she ranked among the top five in the Heavenly Ranking of Medicine. It was also said that her cultivation was advancing at a remarkable pace.
Because of Layla Woods, many had paid more attention to that financial clash.
Still, most hadn’t taken it too seriously. In their minds, there was no suspense in the outcome. Layla Woods was destined to win-there was no doubt about it.
“Mr. Sheppard, why bring up that banquet? Does it have anything to do with today?” Adria Langford asked impatiently.
She had initially thought Bobby Sheppard was here to support her. To her surprise, he stood on the opposing side. Naturally, she wasn’t pleased.
Everyone else turned to Bobby Sheppard, curious to hear what he had to say.
With a faint smile, Bobby said, “The $12 billion US dollars investment in the Sharp’s Group came from none other than Mr. Clark.”
“It’s thanks to Mr. Clark that the Sharp’s Group went from the brink of bankruptcy to standing toe-to-toe with the Dragon Gate Group!”
What?
The investor in the Sharp’s Group was Flynn?
The man standing before them, younger than Rolando, had invested $12 billion US dollars?
That was $70 billion Ostrad coins.
In just three short months, he had pulled the Sharp’s Group back from the edge of ruin and withstood repeated assaults from three allied companies?
The room fell into stunned silence, the attendees unable to believe their ears.
Forget anything else-just being able to produce $70 billion Ostrad coins in cash on the spot was something even Pelens’ wealthiest man, Bobby Sheppard, couldn’t manage.
A billion-dollar valuation was just that-a valuation.
Even billionaires often struggled to come up with a mere ten million dollars in liquid cash.
But Flynn was an invisible tycoon?
Someone who could casually throw out hundreds of millions?
The silence was deafening.
The members of the Wong family were particularly stunned. None of them had expected the man Scarlet had brought along to be so formidable.
So rich.
In terms of wealth alone, Flynn overshadowed everyone present.
Jakub stood in place, lost in thought.
He had assumed Flynn’s connections with the likes of Orion Kennedy were due to his cultivation-a reckless brute, perhaps.
After all, in a barren place like Niarak, Grandmasters were exceedingly rare.
Take the late Mr. Powell, for example. Barely a Grandmaster, yet he held the position of branch leader for the Eight Extremities School.
That spoke volumes about the status of Grandmasters in a small place like Niarak.
But Flynn wasn’t just a Grandmaster-he was wealthy.
A towering tycoon.
Jakub’s own company had just reached a valuation of $10 billion Ostrad coins, and even that was only on paper. To scrape together three hundred million, he’d have to beg and borrow.
But Flynn had casually invested $70 billion Ostrad coins in one go.
The crowd was still reeling from the shock of Flynn’s $12 billion investment.
Even Peter furrowed his brow.
This man wasn’t just a skilled cultivator; he was also obscenely wealthy. His generosity was unmatched in all of Pelens.
Scarlet glanced at Jakub’s shocked expression and couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction. Was he already stunned by $12 billion? If he learned Flynn’s total wealth amounted to $50 billion, his eyes might pop out of his head.
Now, who was the real bumpkin?
“Heh, does having money mean you can do whatever you want? Does it give you the right to beat up my son?” Adria Langford scoffed coldly, her words dripping with menace.
The room abruptly fell silent.
Everyone froze again.
Exactly.
Being able to throw around $12 billion was impressive, but who was to say it was even his money?
And even if it was, while it might be shocking to ordinary people, what truly mattered in society?
Power and influence.
The Gray family and Langford family were entrenched powerhouses. No amount of money could compete with authority.
Hearing Adria Langford’s words, Bobby Sheppard sighed heavily and said earnestly:
“Adria, take my advice: let this go.”
A few days ago, he had met with the Jewelry King and Orion Kennedy. They had exchanged some information.
Orion Kennedy had hinted at Flynn’s connections to Lysander King and Zion Watson.
Fearing he might inadvertently reveal too much, Bobby Sheppard dared not disclose Flynn’s true identity to the crowd.
After all, the only ones privy to this information were Orion Kennedy, Edwin Gallagher, Uriah Wong, the Jewelry King, the Spencer family, and Nathan Fletcher-Flynn’s trusted circle.
Even the mayor of Niarak was in the dark.
Thus, Bobby Sheppard chose his words carefully, unwilling to speak out of turn.
“Let this go?” Adria Langford’s brow furrowed, her eyes sharp as blades. She sneered, “We’ve been friends for years, and now you refuse to help me deal with this thug? Instead, you spout nonsense about letting it go? I’m disappointed. Clearly, it wasn’t your daughter he hit.”
“Mr. Sheppard, are you defending this lunatic because you’ve taken his money?”
“What’s the price? Tens of millions? Hundreds of millions?”
“Ha! Don’t think I don’t know about Rose joining the Dragon Creek Society!”
“You must have pocketed quite a bit from Flynn.”
Several family heads stiffened upon hearing Adria Langford’s accusations. They began whispering among themselves.
They had heard rumors-Braiden Swanson’s withdrawal, Dragon Creek Society members supporting Laiya Cosmetics..
But Bobby Sheppard had entered the scene and immediately backed Rose instead.
After Adria Langford’s remarks, everyone started to believe there had been monetary transactions involved.
Bobby Sheppard’s decision to side against them for money earned him silent disdain.
“Disappointed?” Bobby Sheppard froze for a moment, then smiled bitterly and shook his head. “Think whatever you like. I’ve said my piece. Whether you listen is up to you.”
He had tried to dissuade them with sincere advice, but Adria Langford and the others, consumed by anger, refused to hear him out.
They even accused him of taking bribes, their words dripping with sarcasm.
Since they were unwilling to listen, Bobby decided to say no more.
It was futile to reason with the doomed.
They would realize soon enough that Flynn wasn’t merely wealthy-he was unparalleled in every way.
Flynn truly could do as he pleased.
At that moment, the herald’s voice rang out again from the doorway:
“Mr. Nick Gray has arrived!”
The announcement caused an uproar.
Both inside and outside the hall, everyone stood up, craning their necks for a glimpse.
Nick Gray, Peter’s eldest son and the Gray family’s greatest asset, had arrived.
Seeing this, Rolando’s lips curled into a cold smile. He glanced at Flynn, who remained expressionless, and thought darkly:
“My uncle is here. Let’s see if your money can outweigh the power of the Gray family.”