Jacob had a simple way of categorizing the people he disliked. The first group was people who tried to take things from him. The second group was people who got in the way of him taking things from others. Both groups irritated him in equal measure.
Every eye in the room was now on Private Room One. The Chen family had won the Rainbow Wing, and that fact alone was enough to make half the people present start thinking about what happened after the auction ended.
Jacob was among them.
"You're interested in it." Erick kept his voice low. It was not really a question. He leaned slightly toward Jacob and added, "A lot of people in this room are thinking the same thing right now. The Chen family won't have an easy time leaving Dragon Ridge with that feather. But don't move too quickly. Let things develop first."
Erick would not have offered that advice to someone he did not need. He would have been perfectly content to watch every person in the room tear each other apart. But Priest-6 was still useful to him, at least for now.
"I'm not in a hurry," Jacob said. "The Chen family isn't going anywhere quickly. Let's deal with your business first."
"Agreed."
The auction closed, and Jacob followed Erick out of the auction house and into a corridor that led toward a meeting hall deeper within the Underground Black Market's premises. As they walked, Erick spoke quietly.
"Five families back the Underground Black Market. The Yang family from Glacia Province, the Liu family from Frosthollow Province, the Mu family from Pyron Province, the Tan family from Florin Province, and us."
He paused, then continued. "There's also a new addition: the Lu family. They're a rising family, not established by the same measure as the others, but Champion Colby from the Southwest region stands behind them. That makes their place here more or less settled."
"And the Li family," Erick added, his tone cooling slightly, "has always wanted a seat at this table. They've been looking for an opening for years. Now that the Qi family is under pressure, they think they've found one. They've made it clear they're no longer with us."
Jacob nodded slowly. "The Li family. Don't worry about them. Focus on what's ahead. I'll handle it."
Erick stopped briefly in front of a mirror near the hall entrance, made a small adjustment to his hair, and straightened his jacket. It was a quiet gesture, almost unconscious. The Qi family was weakened, but Erick carried himself as though that was a temporary condition rather than a permanent one.
He pushed the door open and walked in.
Jacob followed, and was immediately stopped by a staff member just inside the entrance.
"Unauthorized personnel are not permitted—"
"Get out." Erick had already turned around. His voice was flat and sharp at the same time, his eyes fixed on the staff member with an expression that left very little room for interpretation.
"Erick, our regulations require—"
"I said get out." Erick's tone did not rise. It did not need to. "I don't know whose instructions you're following or which master you're trying to impress. But do not test me. Dealing with you takes less effort than crushing an insect. Put a bounty on your head and you won't see sunrise. Now move."
The staff member went pale and stepped back.
"That's enough, Erick." A voice came from the round table, measured and unbothered. "The boy is new. It's not worth the energy."
The speaker was Norm, the current head of the Mu family. His relationship with the Qi family had never been warm.
Erick ignored the attempt at mediation and turned his attention to a different person at the table. "A new staff member who doesn't know the rules is one thing. What I'd like to know is when the Li family started sitting at our table. Who let the wrong people in?"
Bryant, seated at the round table, met Erick's gaze without flinching. He was the younger brother of Sylas and one of the Li family's decision-makers. "Boss Qi," he said, calmly, "positions in this world aren't handed down like titles. If you don't have the strength to hold your place, the sensible thing is to step aside and let others fill it."
"Whether the Qi family has the strength to hold its place," Erick said, pulling out his chair and sitting down, "is not something you get to decide."
He glanced at Norm as he said it. The meaning covered both of them.
The six central seats at the round table were occupied by the heads of the five founding families and the representative of the newly joined Lu family. Jacob and the Li family's delegation sat in the outer row behind them. The Li family had not yet earned a place at the main table, and neither had Jacob, though for entirely different reasons.
Once everyone had settled, the man at the head of the table spoke.
Balfour was the head of the Yang family, one of the oldest backers of the Underground Black Market. He wore glasses and spoke with the careful precision of someone who had chaired a great many meetings. His manner was composed without being stiff.
"I'll be direct," he said. "The profit tabulation from this year's annual auction will be completed by tomorrow. Transfers will follow, and the income breakdown will be distributed to each family at the same time."
He paused. "With a lot like the Rainbow Wing in the lineup, each family's returns should at least double compared to last year."
He let that settle before continuing. "As you are aware, this year the Yang family held the rotating chairmanship. I want to offer a brief accounting of the period."
"The announcement of Z-Moves and Mega Evolution created favorable conditions we did not anticipate. The market value of Z-Crystals, Mega Stones, and Key Stones moved sharply upward. Our existing inventory sold at strong prices as a result. Everyone here benefited from that, and the income increase has been consistent."
"On the other side," Balfour said, his tone shifting slightly, "the Pokémon Association has taken notice of the Underground Black Market. The incident a while back brought attention we would have preferred to avoid. I want to remind everyone to exercise restraint in certain areas. There is more than enough to be earned without creating unnecessary exposure. Money is something no one ever fully runs out of ways to make."
He removed his glasses briefly, cleaned them, and replaced them. "That concludes my report. With today's auction complete, I am stepping down from the rotating chairmanship. According to our rotation schedule, the next chairmanship passes to the Qi family."
There was a shift in the room.
"I am aware of the Qi family's recent difficulties," Balfour continued, looking down the table with the same even expression. "I've also heard some opinions being voiced. For what it's worth, I believe Erick is more capable than some are giving him credit for. He has something of his brother's resolve. I think he can handle the chairmanship."
The room went quiet in a different way.
When had Erick earned Yang Liancheng's support? That was the question moving silently around the table, visible in the expressions of several people who had been counting on a different outcome