"I…"
Before Hancock could say anything, Lakeman withdrew his gaze and continued to look at the people kneeling in front of him. Her words were caught in her throat.
Beside her, the butler looked at Hancock expressionlessly, as if conveying a silent warning. This made Hancock feel a strong sense of unease, as though she had done something wrong.
"In the chaotic Sabaody Archipelago, it is impossible to run a large-scale auction without sufficient skill and control," Lakeman spoke, his voice gentle, his words slow and deliberate.
"In other words, if you are deceived by your subordinates, it means that your control is not strong enough, which means that your position should have been replaced by subordinates with ambition and ability. But you are not replaced."
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. "There is only one answer. All of this was done by you in secret. The mastermind behind the deception of the Celestial Dragons is not any of your employees but you yourself."
The air suddenly became as cold as winter. The faces of the management team turned pale as paper.
"No, sir, we…"
Snapped!
Without Lakeman opening his mouth, the guards stepped forward and slapped the speaker away. Another person was beaten to death. These people, usually pampered and full of conspiracies and calculations, had never practiced combat. Now, under the watchful eyes of the guards, they couldn't fight back.
"..."
Behind the sofa, Hancock's face paled slightly. She understood her mistake. Not only had she been deceived, but she also planned to defend the scammers and dissuade Lakeman. She forgot her identity. No matter how favorably Lakeman treated her, she would not change her status as a slave, and a slave had no right to interfere with the master's decision. Lakeman was the only one making decisions here. Even the housekeeper would not say anything at this time.
'It's over,' Hancock thought, her hands and feet cold, a chill shooting up her back and into her brain.
Lakeman's expression remained calm as he continued, "And you still bring up the franchise country, which truly makes me laugh. Does the Black Hemp Kingdom really think that paying heavenly tribute every year gives them the qualification to plot against the Celestial Dragons? Don't you understand who the World Government is? Or do you think I'm young and easy to deceive?"
The managers were breaking out in cold sweats, their bodies shaking. They never expected they would not be able to deceive this young Celestial Dragon.
"Lord Lakeman, we are just working for the Black Hemp Kingdom. We don't know anything!"
one of the management members was shaking like a leaf, begging for mercy with tears streaming down his face. "Please forgive me!"
Snapped!
A guard stepped forward and knocked him unconscious with a slap. The other managers trembled even more. Judging from Lakeman's attitude, he had no intention of letting them go.
"It's really over now!" one of the managers thought desperately.
"Did you hear that, Patriarch?" Lakeman's expression was cold, and he didn't even look at the stunned person. He just spoke to the phone bug placed next to him.
The phone bug, which had been silent all this time, opened its eyes. From it, an old man's voice emerged.
"Since they are working for the Black Hemp Kingdom, that means the Black Hemp Kingdom is the mastermind. There is no need to calculate the value of the franchise countries in front of the Celestial Dragons. Saint Lakeman, you discovered this and made a great contribution. After the Black Hemp Kingdom is cleaned up, I will give it to you as a vassal state, and areas 1 to 5 on the Sabaody Archipelago will also be given to you."
Saint Nusjuro communicated with Lakeman, his voice suppressing his anger.
After discovering the tricks played by the auction house, Lakeman had called the financial god of war, one of the Five Elders, who was the patriarch of his family. He was here to play, not to fight. When it came to killing people, he let the professionals handle it.
Lakeman wasn't willing to do it himself. As a Celestial Dragon, he should give countless orders with one command. It was too cheap to do it in person.
"Do you need me to clean it up?" Lakeman asked.
"Do as you like. I will let the CP agents take action to clean up all the people who have participated in this and shared the benefits!" Saint Nusjuro gritted his teeth.
The kneeling managers' eyes widened with extreme horror. Listening to the conversation, they realized that the Celestial Dragon had no intention of letting them go.
"Escape…" One of the managers suddenly stood up and darted backward like a rabbit. Lakeman didn't even look up, just waved his hand.
Swish!
The surrounding guards immediately rushed forward and subdued all the managers in just one second.
"Take them outside to deal with them. Don't dirty the floor," Lakeman ordered. "Break the bones in their bodies one at a time. Let them die in pain. This is the least they can pay to calm my anger."
The guards dragged the unconscious managers out one by one. As they were dragged away, the hall was filled with the sounds of desperate, pleading cries and the dull thuds of fists meeting flesh. The screams of the auction managers echoed through the corridors, growing fainter as they were taken outside.
In the hall, Lakeman continued talking to Saint Nusjuro with a calm expression and an unchanged tone. "Whether it's the Kingdom or Areas 1 to 5, I don't have enough manpower to manage them."
"I will send the right personnel to you," Saint Nusjuro's tone softened, filled with appreciation for this keen and intelligent descendant who had an insight into scams. "You just need to wait to receive them. After they are sent out, they will only belong to you."
"That's fine." Lakeman laughed. "I quite like auctions. Just give me the largest auction house in the Sabaody Archipelago."
"Well, I will send you someone with relevant experience," Saint Nusjuro agreed without hesitation. "Is there anything else?"
"Not for now."
"Call me if you need anything."
"Okay."
Lakeman nodded and hung up. In an understatement, the fate of a kingdom and five areas in Sabaody Archipelago was decided. It was as simple as discussing what to have for dinner.
Behind the sofa, Hancock looked at Lakeman and felt a deep chill in her heart. 'Is this what Celestial Dragons are truly like?'
Outside the hall, Kizaru was relaxing in the sun on the balcony of his suite when he frowned. He saw twenty-three people in suits and ties, with waxed hair and an elitist demeanor, being dragged out unconscious by Lakeman's guards.
"What's going on?" Kizaru wondered.
The guards dragged twenty-three people out of the hotel. Not long after, the hall was filled with the sound of desperate, pleading cries and the dull thuds of fists meeting flesh. The screams of the auction managers echoed through the corridors, growing fainter as they were taken outside. Eventually, all the life breaths of those twenty-three people disappeared.
"Is this... a lynching by Celestial Dragons?"
Kizaru's eyes narrowed, surprised. "What happened? Saint Lakeman actually let his men kill people?"
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