Vice-Master Qian knelt on the plush emerald carpet, holding his gold-embossed ledger high above his head.
His fat cheeks trembled with theatrical grief, his eyes squeezing out oily tears. “Chairman Lin! Great Sage Lin! If you don’t save our three thousand orphan alchemists in the northern mountains, they will freeze to death before nightfall! Fifty thousand spirit stones is just a fraction of your vast wealth!”
Behind him, several junior stewards bowed their heads, pretending to wipe tears to make the performance more convincing.
Qian even produced a stack of red-stamped certificates from his sleeve, waving them frantically in the air.
“Look at these seals, Chairman Lin!” Qian cried out in a trembling voice. “Certified by the Northern Alchemist Union! Every copper coin goes directly toward coal, winter porridge, and basic furnace cauldrons for young orphans whose parents died fighting border beasts! I have sacrificed my own salary for twenty years to keep them alive!”
Situ Hao stood with his arms crossed, a smug, contemptuous smirk playing on his lips.
“Well, Chairman Lin?” Situ Hao sneered, raising his chin arrogantly. “You just tossed one hundred and eighty thousand spirit stones to thirty loose dogs from the street to buy armor. Surely a generous benefactor like you would not refuse fifty thousand stones for starving orphan children? Or was all your spending just a hollow publicity stunt?”
