In a city filled with luxury and prosperity, there was a renowned trading hub called the Star Commerce Guild. It was a center for rare and valuable goods, wielding significant influence not only in this city but also in many others. A sleek luxury car stopped silently in front of the guild. Gu Tian, Wu Shuang, Guang Yue, Gu Long, and Gu Mo stepped out and walked into the guild.
When the staff saw the card Gu Tian handed over, they immediately went to call the branch manager. While waiting, the employees provided Gu Tian with the best service possible.
Before long, the branch manager arrived hurriedly, his demeanor humble. "Welcome, Former City Lord Gu Mo, City Lord Gu Long, Branch Leader Guang Yue, Young Master Gu Tian, and Young Master Wu Shuang."
Gu Tian nodded slightly and asked in an even tone, "Have the items I ordered arrived?"
The branch manager smiled with confidence. "Yes, Young Master Gu. All materials have been prepared, including the 100,000 rare beasts and beast eggs. They are ready for your selection."
Gu Tian nodded again, satisfied. "Take me there. Bring me a hot chocolate. Do Father and everyone else want anything to drink? I might take some time here."
Wu Shuang spoke up. "I'll have an orange smoothie."
Gu Long smiled. "I'll take a coffee."
Guang Yue added. "Coffee for me as well."
Gu Mo replied. "I'll have a mind-soothing tea."
The branch manager acknowledged the orders promptly. "Understood. Please follow me. Your drinks will be brought shortly."
Gu Tian and his family were escorted to a private area prepared for them. The space was filled with an incredible variety of young beasts and beast eggs sourced from around the world, totaling 100,000 kinds. Materials for development and beast feed were arranged neatly.
Gu Tian and Wu Shuang began inspecting the young beasts and materials with focus. Gu Long glanced around before shaking his head slightly. "No matter how many times I see this, I can never get used to the fact that this boy, only 18 years old, owns one of the top 100 wealthiest guilds in the world."
A soft laugh came from Guang Yue, proud of her son for achieving so much at a young age. Gu Mo observed his grandson with astonishment. Each time he saw Gu Tian, he couldn't help marveling at how an 18-year-old could create such a monumental business empire. Even in a world where beast tamers lived for centuries, with some Emperor-level tamers surpassing 1,000 years while retaining the appearance of someone in their early twenties, Gu Tian's achievements stood out.
Gu Tian and Wu Shuang continued exploring the young beasts and materials with care. The rest of the family relaxed and enjoyed their drinks.
Gu Long watched his son, reflecting. Many knew Gu Tian as a young man from a powerful family, but very few were aware of a closely guarded secret. Gu Tian was the true owner of the Star Commerce Guild, one of the most influential trading organizations in the world. Even more remarkable, fewer than five people knew this truth. The branch manager, who had treated Gu Tian with great respect earlier, was unaware of his identity. Wu Shuang didn't know either.
This was because Gu Tian had meticulously planned everything. He had issued precise instructions to the upper management to procure what he needed while maintaining the illusion that he was merely a wealthy customer placing orders. The branch manager here, following directives from above, saw Gu Tian as a valued client with frequent transactions, completely unaware that he was speaking with the owner of the Star Commerce Guild. Gu Tian reasoned that his identity needed to remain hidden because, at present, he and his family were not strong enough. Neither Gu Long, Gu Mo, nor Guang Yue had reached the Emperor level.
Gu Tian believed that their current weakness was a vulnerability. If anyone discovered that the owner of one of the top 100 wealthiest guilds in the world came from a family of mere Diamond-level beast tamers, the implications were chilling. The competition among trading guilds was brutal and often bloody. Moreover, the central government always loomed, ready to seize control of anything they deemed valuable. All of the top 100 guilds were protected by Epic-level beast tamers at the highest ranks. Even the Star Commerce Guild had such a protector, one personally recruited by Gu Tian.
This secret was kept even from those close to him, including Li Juan, Gu Tian's adopted sister. She had no knowledge of this. It was one of Gu Tian's explicit instructions: "Do not tell her under any circumstances." The family was puzzled by this request but could somewhat understand, given the perpetually strained relationship between Gu Tian and Li Juan, which only worsened over time.
Gu Long reflected further. Outwardly, Gu Tian appeared frivolous, lacking focus or seriousness in anything. But deep inside, he harbored a terrifying intensity that no one could have predicted. It was unthinkable that a seemingly harmless young man had managed to establish the mighty Star Commerce Guild in just eight years.
Gu Long, Guang Yue, and Gu Mo were well aware of the bloodshed and death that lay behind this success. The three of them had killed many to clear the path for Gu Tian to build the Star Commerce Guild without obstacles. However, the guild was not their idea. It was entirely Gu Tian's vision. Whenever they recalled Gu Tian's 10th birthday, it sent chills down their spines.
It had been Gu Tian's request during his birthday celebration.
"Father, Mother, Grandpa, could you kill someone for me?"
Those words still sent chills down the spines of Gu Long, Gu Mo, and Guang Yue every time they thought about them. While other children Gu Tian's age might have asked for toys, cute gifts, or something else for their birthday, Gu Tian had asked Gu Long, Guang Yue, and Gu Mo to kill someone. That request still echoed in their minds, even after all these years. Gu Tian's words had made the teddy bear, superhero costume, and other gifts they had prepared for him seem utterly ridiculous.
Gu Long chuckled to himself. He often wondered if he would ever get to hold a grandchild in the future. Waiting for Li Juan to marry seemed unlikely. If she kept up her current behavior, she might end up dead long before that ever happened. Gu Tian despised nothing more than people who caused him excessive trouble. While he cared deeply for himself, his family, and those who had helped him, he was ruthless toward anyone who posed a threat to his interests.
That said, Gu Tian was not entirely unreasonable. He didn't send people to their deaths just because they spoke ill of him. His actions depended on whether someone's behavior directly conflicted with his goals or not.
Gu Mo sipped his tea quietly, his eyes on his grandson, who was carefully examining and sorting through the beasts. He felt both pride and concern. Gu Tian was not only strong and intelligent but also so guarded that it was almost impossible to imagine anyone standing alongside him. Gu Mo thought to himself, "If only Wu Shuang were a woman."
In the room filled with 100,000 beasts, Gu Tian stood amidst creatures sourced from around the globe. Using the power of the Eyes of Appraisal, he gathered an incredible amount of information about them. However, to examine each one in detail would take too much time—about 11 days to thoroughly inspect all 100,000 beasts.
Suddenly, Gu Tian pulled out his phone and began typing numbers rapidly onto the screen. Wu Shuang, who was standing nearby, looked at him in confusion. He couldn't understand what Gu Tian was doing. All he could see were rows of numbers appearing on Gu Tian's screen.
After a while, Gu Tian stopped typing and looked up, his eyes glowing a vivid red—a clear sign that the power of the Eyes of Appraisal was active.
Gu Tian began speaking quickly. "Take beasts number 1, 14, 24, 34, 52, 99..." He continued listing numbers without pausing. The staff nearby scrambled to write everything down and started retrieving the beasts Gu Tian had chosen.
Gu Tian moved through the room, calling out more numbers as he inspected the beasts. "3541... 15487... 56741... 95114... 100,000."
When all the beasts had been checked, Gu Tian turned to the staff and gave his next command. "Remove the remaining beasts."
Wu Shuang, who had been silently observing everything, thought to himself, The Eyes of Appraisal can be used like this? System, have you been lying to me?
[Host, please mind your tone. I've been awarded Best System of the Decade for 10 years running, I'll have you know. But honestly, even I didn't realize the Eyes of Appraisal could be used this way. With this new knowledge, I'm certain I'll clinch the Best System award for the 11th year in a row.]
Wu Shuang sighed internally. You're saying a lot, but none of it makes any sense. What's the point of having a system like you?
[Relax, Host. My primary function isn't appraising or explaining abilities. I'm an villain system, remember?]