Chapter 123: Darkness in the Depths (for the helmsman of [Falling Leaves and Wind Blowing Willows])
"Shinobi, you must come back to play. The Southern Cross fleet has been going to Inazuma. If it really doesn't work, just come back with the ship."

After the meal, when it was time to leave, Yan Fei said to Jiuqi Shinobu with some reluctance.

Jiuqi Shinobu also held Yan Fei's hand reluctantly: "Don't worry, Senior Yan Fei, my graduation certificate is still here, I will definitely come back to get it."

As they talked, they both felt a little depressed.

Given Inazuma’s current condition, it’s hard to say when she will be able to come back.

"Don't worry, I will definitely come back when I have the chance." Jiuqi Shinobu held Yan Fei's hand and said.

Wang Hao watched from the side without interrupting.

[In the plot, are the two so familiar with each other? 】

[It seems not, but this is reality, so it is normal to be different from the plot. 】

【There is no Wang Hao in the plot yet. 】

【…】

After talking to Yan Fei, Jiu Qi Ren looked at Wang Hao again: "Regarding the social form of Inazuma, when I go back, if I have the chance, I will also write to you."

"Thank you so much." Wang Hao said with a smile.

He is quite interested in the social forms and structures of different countries.

Learning from each other's strengths and weaknesses and understanding more about social forms that are different from Liyue will be very helpful in broadening Wang Hao's horizons.

After a brief farewell, the sky became increasingly dark, and Wang Hao went straight back to the orphanage.

In the following period of time, Wang Hao went back and forth between the Orphanage, the General Affairs Department, and Tongwen Academy every day.

Work, read, sleep.

When a person is immersed in something, time always passes quickly.

The same goes for reading.

Three days later,
The General Affairs Department sent a notice that there have been new developments regarding the gambling case, and hoped that Wang Hao could go to the General Affairs Department to accept mediation.

Wang Hao actually knew very well that the so-called mediation meant that the fat boss could not pay the compensation and hoped to postpone the repayment date.

Not only did Wang Hao know this, but he also promoted it himself.

If the fat boss is pushed too hard, he might run away immediately because his own Talisman of No Taboos has not been modified yet.

Although the fat boss is gone, Wang Hao still has the confidence to deliver the Hundred Taboos Talisman to the hands of the Fatui, but it is better to be cautious.

Came to the General Affairs Department,
Usually he goes directly to the Law Department, but this time, Wang Hao came to the Civil Trial Court, which is mainly responsible for the trial and mediation of civil cases.

Although the amount involved in the case of Wang Hao and the Fat Boss was huge and Qianyan Army was involved at the beginning, it was eventually transferred to the civil court.

When Wang Hao arrived here, the fat boss had been waiting for a while.

Although he had his own plans and was ready to run away at any time, he did not show any displeasure to Wang Hao.

Seeing Wang Hao come in, he forced himself to put on an ugly smile.

The fat boss thought very clearly that Wang Hao’s background was obviously not simple, and he was preparing to run away. The biggest difficulty was not Wang Hao, but the Fatui.

He needed Wang Hao to give him enough time to arrange his escape, and during this period, he could not let the Fatui discover that he was bankrupt.

Otherwise, the Fatui would definitely not let him escape, and when the time came, when the Northland Bank discovered that it had been cheated, it would definitely strike him with the most cruel and severe means.

Thinking of the rumored debt handler of Northland Bank, the fat boss felt a little chilly.

He would rather smile at his enemy Wang Hao than face the debt handler of Northland Bank.

In the room, besides the fat boss, there was also a mediator from the General Affairs Department.
He saw Wang Hao come in and smiled.

He knew Wang Hao.
Wang Hao also saw the other party and nodded with a smile, not avoiding the fat boss at all: "Brother Zhiyi, long time no see."

The mediator, Zhiyi, also smiled and said, "Long time no see."

The conversation between the two made the fat boss's face even uglier, and he almost couldn't maintain his hypocritical smile.

As expected, I knew that this guy was of great importance. All the people in the General Affairs Department were from the other side. What could I use to fight him?

"Ahem." After chatting with Wang Hao for a few words, Zhiyi acted impartially and said, "Since both parties are here, the mediation will officially begin. I am Zhiyi, a special-level official of the General Affairs Department, and I am in charge of this mediation."

After a pause, Zhiyi looked at Wang Hao with a smile on his face: "Please let the plaintiff make his claim first."

[This bias is clearly on the surface. ]

[Although he is a villain in the future, he is so handsome when he is biased. 】

[It’s so funny. The fat boss must be desperate.]

[The Qianyan Army is my people, and the General Affairs Department is also my people. What do you have to fight me? ]

[But is it really okay to collude with the General Affairs Department like this? ]

[Bah, we are a connection of justice, not collusion. ]

【…】

Zhiyi's obvious biased attitude made the barrage of comments a little unbearable.

Wang Hao looked calm and did not show any overbearing attitude.

"Okay, mediator, my request is very simple. I hope the defendant will return the compensation as soon as possible and fulfill the bet."

Hearing this, Zhiyi nodded slightly and looked at the fat boss on the other side: "Defendant, do you have anything to say about the plaintiff's request?"

Zhiyi has made up his mind that if the fat boss does not cooperate, he will take action.

Although he is only responsible for mediation, his notes are also very important for the subsequent trial.

But what Zhiyi didn't expect was that the fat boss did not deny it, nor did he bite back.

"I acknowledge the compensation and have been actively raising funds, hoping to negotiate with the plaintiff and slightly delay the compensation."

The fat boss spoke softly, his attitude even a little humble.

Wang Hao looked at the other person and understood in his heart that this fat boss had probably already obtained Mora from the Northland Bank and was preparing to escape.

Zhiyi glanced at the fat boss, remained calm, and looked at Wang Hao again: "Plaintiff, do you have any opinion on the defendant's request to delay the compensation time?"

Wang Hao chuckled: "Haha, I want to ask the defendant, what is the longest extension he can give to ordinary people who owe gambling debts."

As soon as these words came out, the fat boss's face turned pale instantly.

Casino extension for gamblers?

It's so funny, there is no extension at all. If you don't have money, you can use something as collateral. If you don't have anything as collateral, you will be sent to mine.

Extension? Not available.

Just when the fat boss was thinking that things were not going well, Wang Hao suddenly said, "Looking at your expression, I know there probably won't be any extension. But I'm different from you. I'm a good person, so I'm willing to give you a chance."

After a pause, Wang Hao looked at the fat boss and said, "Three hundred million Moras, mortgaged with the title deed of the Yanshang Teahouse, plus the Moras and treasures in your warehouse. Even if the price is higher, it is still more than half short. How long will it take you to raise so much Moras?"

The Yanshang Tea House is in a great location and occupies a large area. If you don't bargain hard, you can still get a price of tens of millions on the higher side.

There wasn't much cash in the casino warehouse, just about twenty boxes, with less than 10 million in cash.
The most important thing is those calligraphy and paintings, antiques and treasures, all of which were sold at high prices, estimated to be tens of millions of Mora, but the problem is that it is difficult to find buyers.

All in all, the value is only over 100 million, which is too little compared to the 300 million compensation.

The fat boss opened his lips slightly, wanting to speak, but didn't know how to say it.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that he simply couldn't afford to pay back the money.

Seeing the other person's increasingly pale face, Wang Hao turned to look at Zhiyi: "Brother Zhiyi, can you give us some private time?"

Zhiyi's expression froze, and he immediately realized that Wang Hao must have something private to say to the fat boss.

He originally wanted to make friends with Wang Hao, so naturally he wouldn't refuse.

"That's great. I need to go to the toilet. You two can discuss yourselves first. I'll be back in ten minutes."

Having said that, Zhiyi stood up and left.

After Zhiyi left,
Wang Hao's mind moved, elemental power surged, several runes appeared around him, and a simple soundproof magic circle enveloped the room.

"It seems that I have good talent."

After three days of study, Wang Hao was already very satisfied that he could set up a simple soundproofing array. This meant that his methods had become more diversified.

The fat boss became even more nervous when he saw the blue runes (water element structures) appearing around him.

"Don't be nervous, I just have something to tell you."

Wang Hao looked at the other person's face and said something comforting.
However, combined with the rune array next to it, this consolation seems somewhat... like a threat.

The fat boss swallowed his saliva, mustered up his courage and said, "You go ahead."

"Haha, I think you have already taken out a loan from Northland Bank." Wang Hao chuckled.

The fat boss's face froze: "Yes, yes, this is also to compensate you."

"Pfft, do you think I would believe that?" Wang Hao twitched his lips and sneered, "Let me guess, how much did Northland Bank lend you?"

“Since you were able to get a loan, it means you didn’t tell the truth to Northland Bank. At most, you said it was a capital flow problem. Then the loan amount cannot be too high. After all, you are taking out a loan, not a pawn.

Since it's not a dead pawn, the amount that can be loaned won't be too high. Considering the value of the Yanshang Tea House, um, 10 million?"

Wang Hao raised his eyebrows and looked at the other party. After he finished speaking, the fat boss's expression became even uglier.
"From your expression, am I wrong?"

The fat boss had a stiff face: "Five million, Northland Bank only gave five million."

"Hahaha, it's really worthy of being called Northland Bank. A casino that makes a fortune every day only gives 5 million. It's really... cruel. I guess you were too hasty when you took out the loan, which made them realize that you are in dire need of money." Wang Hao laughed, with sarcasm in his smile. It was unclear whether it was directed at Northland Bank or the fat boss. "If you pull it off and say you want to borrow money from other banks or chambers of commerce, maybe Northland Bank will give you more."

The fat boss's face turned dark. He was indeed anxious. He only wanted to get the money and then arrange to escape, so he lost his usual level.

Silently, without saying a word, the fat boss looked at Wang Hao.

Having said that, he also felt that Wang Hao didn't seem to want to force him to death.

He wanted to see what Wang Hao was going to do.

"How long will it take you to prepare for retreat?" Wang Hao asked directly.

When his plan was revealed, the fat boss' pupils shrank, but he still suppressed his panic: "What are you talking about? Why would I run away?"

"Tsk, stop covering it up. You can't afford to pay the compensation at all. If you don't run away, what else can you do? Go to the mine to mine? With all that fat on your body, you'll have to stay there in a month, and Huishan Hall will have to give you a pension." Wang Hao said sarcastically.

The fat boss looked grim: "One month. The loan contract between me and Northland Bank is for one month."

"Yeah, it's about what I expected." Wang Hao nodded gently, "If it's a month, it should be in time."

He estimated that it would take one month, which was just enough time for him to complete the modification of the Hundred Taboos Talisman.

"What?" the fat boss was puzzled.

"It's nothing. I can give you a month, but you also have to give me something." Wang Hao waved his hand and said.

Hope flashed in the fat boss's eyes. This was a sudden turn of events. "Please go ahead."

Although it was Wang Hao who caused him to fall into this situation, he actually felt a trace of gratitude in his heart when Wang Hao said that he could give him some time.

"It's simple. As a casino owner, you should know how many casinos there are in Liyue, as well as the people behind these casinos..." Wang Hao chuckled, but his tone was a little cold, "I want all their information."

The fat boss' pupils suddenly shrank: "You are from the General Affairs Department, you want to crack down on casinos?"

Wang Hao's behavior, Qianyan Army's attitude, and the General Affairs Department's attitude led the fat boss to come to this conclusion.

"Heh, don't guess things that you shouldn't guess." Wang Hao glanced at him coldly, "Just tell me, whether you will tell me or not."

The fat boss licked his lips and said, "I have already told you about that information in Qianyan Army before."

"Oh, I want more. You should understand what I mean." Wang Hao's expression turned cold and he stared at the other party. "I have read the information you gave Feng Yan. It's just some superficial information. Who is behind those casinos? And those people who are in cahoots with you, you didn't tell me."

“…Young man, you are still very young. There is no benefit in investigating these things.” The fat boss suddenly changed his tone. He no longer sounded panicky, but calm instead.

Seeing the fat boss's expression and tone change, Wang Hao smiled.

This is not a bad thing. On the contrary, it proves that there are indeed some people behind the casinos who are in cahoots with them.

The previous Boss Zhuang and Boss Wang were probably just superficial backers.

Wang Hao looked at the account books sent by the two bosses.
The benefits he received were not even close to the casino's profits.

The property in the casino warehouse is not even worth the money of a casino that makes a fortune every day.

All this shows that there are people deeper down who share the profits brought by the casino.

These people are the real parasites.

"Whether I benefit or not is not your concern. What you need to consider now is yourself. If Northland Bank knows that you are committing loan fraud..." Wang Hao said with a sneer.

"Humph, young man, you don't understand at all. You don't know how powerful they are..."

Wang Hao waved his hand to interrupt the other party: "Big? Bigger than Seven Stars, bigger than Heavenly Power? Tell me, at least I can give you a way out. Otherwise, you will have to wait for the debt handlers of the Northland Bank to come and play with you."

The reason why the Seven Stars are used as an example is because Wang Hao believes in the Seven Stars.

As the Emperor's spokesperson in Liyue, Qixing would not participate in low-end money-making projects such as casinos.

"Seven Stars...Tianquan?" The fat boss's expression changed. This time he really reacted, "You are from Tianquan Ningguang!"

No wonder Qianyan Army was so polite to Wang Hao, and no wonder the General Affairs Department also had this attitude.

It turns out that the other party is from Tianquan.

"Tsk tsk tsk, so I say, you are just a target. Even Boss Zhuang that day knew my identity, but you know nothing about it. What does this prove? It proves that the people behind you don't treat you as a human being at all." Wang Hao mocked mercilessly.

In Liyue, anyone with a little status knows the relationship between Wang Hao and Ningguang.
This fat boss, who was obviously the owner of a big casino, didn't know Wang Hao, which was obviously abnormal.

This is also one of the reasons why Wang Hao suspected that the fat boss was not of high status.

"..."

After a brief silence, the fat boss raised his head and said, "I'll say."

Just as Wang Hao said, his position was not high, so there was no need for him to help the people behind him die.

Since it is Tianquanxing who wants to investigate, he might as well give up evil and join the light.

Wang Hao's expression changed from cold to gentle: "That's right, it doesn't make sense for you to leave your hometown and be hunted down while they continue to live in glory and wealth."

As he spoke, Wang Hao took out a pen and paper from somewhere: "You talk, I'll remember."

Now that he had given in, the fat boss no longer concealed anything and reported out the names of each family.

Wang Hao kept recording with his pen, but his expression gradually became cold.

After the fat boss finished his report, he continued to ask: "Are you sure? There are several big families here, and their ancestors even had seven stars."

The fat boss twitched his lips and said, "Haha, what? You don't believe it now. So what if there were seven stars? Can the descendants of a family that has produced seven stars be as noble as the seven stars?"

As he spoke, the fat boss revealed a mocking look: "Perhaps, it is because they did not get enough profit after selling seven stars that they turned their attention to the casino business."

Wang Hao had a cold face and held the list in his hand. This list really surprised him.

"Evidence, is there any?"

"Of course there is. You haven't checked the casino's account books for real."

"Impossible. We also found the secret book you hid."

"What a joke! Who said there can only be one dark book?"

"We found seven hidden books..."

"Seven? You are really good, but I am better." The fat boss finally regained his original look in front of Wang Hao, arrogant and proud, "I made nine account books, one open and eight hidden."

Wang Hao: "..."

At this moment, no matter how much he looked down on the other party, Wang Hao had to admit that the other party was good at cooking the books.

With this skill, no matter if you are a casino white glove, won’t the chamber of commerce have to worship you?
Even if you come to the General Affairs Department and work as an accounting specialist, you will have a stable job.

"Where is the last account book?"

"Haha, come closer and I'll tell you."

"What the hell, hurry up and tell me." Wang Hao cursed angrily.
It's already like this, why keep it secret?

The fat boss's face turned purple, but he still started talking...

(End of this chapter)