The Lord Demon King is Unfathomable!

The crowd whispered and discussed, not knowing why the Colin family also got involved.

However, considering the identity of Prince Colin as the Military Minister and the production of the Magic Crystal Cannon being a recent key project of the War Department, it wasn't too surprising.

The only thing they couldn't understand was what exactly this little ancestor of the Colin family intended to do...

The conference room was located on the first floor of the villa, and upon pushing open the heavy oak door, a massive long table and luxurious chairs came into view.

The lighting inside was gentle, with flickering candlelight casting deep shadows on the wall's reliefs.

Luo Yan walked slowly toward the main seat, observing everyone at the table discreetly as he passed by.

Feistin, Mia, and Vivian were seated as guests and hadn't gotten involved in preparing the meeting, while the trade union representatives, craftsmen from the Craftsmen Association, the mercenary leader, and the citizen representatives each waited with different expressions.

Some were filled with anticipation, some appeared wary, and others glanced around uneasily.

Looking at the fully occupied conference table, Luo Yan gently tapped the table, breaking the silence in the room.

"So—"

He glanced over everyone, his tone calm yet carrying undeniable authority.

"Let's talk about the future of Black Wind Castle."

The conference room was silent.

The rich merchants from the Trade Union exchanged glances, not one of them speaking first. The craftsmen from the Craftsmen Association whispered amongst themselves, clearly weighing the pros and cons, unwilling to be the first to make a suggestion.

The two responsible for local security, one from the Padric family guard and the other a mercenary, also kept silent.

They were more accustomed to following orders rather than proactively expressing opinions.

The silence lasted for a moment, and unexpectedly, the first to speak was a citizen.

He was a Hell Dwarf named Baruk, who was clearly not yet sober from last night's hangover, emitting a faint scent of alcohol, looking sloppy and casual.

Seeing this drunk fellow, Vivian slightly frowned, with evident disdain in her eyes.

She naturally disliked dwarves without necks, and drunken dwarves were even more repugnant in smell.

Feistin looked at Luo Yan with interest, seemingly waiting to see how he would handle this sudden episode.

"Master, the beer in Black Wind Castle is too expensive, we can't enjoy drinking to our heart's content!" Baruk complained, smacking his lips, "Hell Dwarves only work seriously after drinking, hic, I'm not saying we don't work without alcohol, what I mean is—for your production efficiency, you should subsidize the beer! That's what the lords in my hometown do!"

The room fell into silence once again, everyone anxiously awaited how the Lord would respond to these words.

Luo Yan wore a gentle smile, yet his words were as cold as ice.

"It seems beer in Black Wind Castle is too cheap. Starting today, impose a 25% tax on alcoholic beverages with more than 10% alcohol content, increasing by 10% for every additional 5%."

These words were like a heavy hammer striking straight at the hearts of Baruk and the other Hell Dwarves.

"You can't do this! It's killing us!" Baruk exclaimed, eyes wide, crying repeatedly, "If you really care about us, you'd tax the horse piss under 10%, that's only fair!"

The liquor merchants present also looked pained, seemingly already seeing their future losses.

They tried to argue, but Luo Yan merely lifted a hand lightly, signaling them to shut up.

"Guards, drag this fool out to sober up," Luo Yan said dismissively, his tone still calm, "and if it continues, I'll issue a prohibition order, then nobody will drink!"

The air in the conference room instantly solidified, no one dared to speak, and those with opened mouths closed them again.

A prohibition order!

At face value, they understood what that meant.

Though there had never been a similar precedent, undoubtedly their Lord had the power to do so.

If they were dissatisfied, they would have to complain up the hierarchy.

Mia looked at Luo Yan in surprise, not expecting he'd be so assertive when needed.

Vivian's lips slightly curled, her eyes sparkling.

As expected of her brother!

Truly magnificent!

Feistin nodded in approval, speaking softly.

"Black Wind Castle is a military stronghold, moderate management of alcohol consumption is indeed necessary."

This did not count as interfering with the Lord's conference in Black Wind Castle but undoubtedly sent a warning to those harboring dissatisfaction—

The Demon City's stance on this matter sided with the Lord, even complaints up the chain would bear no fruit.

Luo Yan nodded slightly, not saying much else, simply waved his magic wand, causing a quill to fly out from under the table, immediately signing an administrative decree, sealing it with a wax stamp, making the decree effective immediately.

He allowed the drunken dwarf into the meeting initially, just to take this opportunity to address the issue, unexpectedly the other party stepped up to provide the perfect opening line.

He didn't oppose these Hell Dwarf craftsmen drinking, as long as it didn't affect their work.

The Steward of the Lord's Mansion hurried over and left quickly with the administrative decree, heading for the City Hall.

Luo Yan then glanced around the table, speaking kindly.

"Feel free to speak your mind, don't be reserved, say whatever comes to mind, everything is open for discussion."

The conference room was silent, everyone looked nervously at each other, not daring to speak, now even tighter lipped.

Luo Yan remained patient, sitting with calm confidence.