True Tycoon Her Empire, Her Rules

Aleck has no clue about the old pact his forefathers made with you. All this demand does is stress him out, and you get nothing from it. How about we work out a different deal?”

Winnie’s words hung in the air as the werewolf shot her a piercing glare.

“So, you ask me to make a demand, and when I do, you turn it down? Are you just toying with me?” it growled, its voice a mix of shrillness and anger that made everyone present shrink back.

Even Mervin, standing to the side, Instinctively assumed a defensive stance.

But Winnie remained unfazed, replying calmly, “You got me wrong. We’re just hoping to trade something else with you.” She paused for effect, then added, “We could help you quickly regain the strength you’ve lost,”

The werewolf, poised to threaten further, was visibly taken aback by her offer. Its ears twitched, clearly intrigued.

It could tell Winnie had some tricks up her sleeve, or else the sea dragon wouldn’t heed her commands.

As she pointed out, its demand was more about punishment than anything else, a way to vent its frustration. But if it could get something in return that would help recover its lost power, then it couldn’t care less about holding a grudge against Aleck.

Seeing the werewolf’s interest, Mervin quickly chimed in, “Sir, I’m a member of the Breeze Monastery. If you would consider it, we will do our utmost to assist you.”

The werewolf glanced at him with barely concealed disdain and then looked away, “You don’t seem to have anything worthwhile.”

Clearly, it was more interested in what Winnie had to propose.

Mervin was speechless. Was the reputation of the Breeze Monastery not worth what it used to be?

On the side, Cox and the villagers, who had been close to despair, now watched Winnie with bated breath.

She turned off her earpiece, signaling to the others that she didn’t need backup, and stepped forward to negotiate the terms with the werewolf one–on–one.

The chief naturally entrusted her with the task.

After all, it seemed that she was the only one capable of bargaining with the werewolf.

So there they stood, a woman and a wolf, aside for their private parley.

Meanwhile, the crew finally relaxed from the earlier tension, eager to check the viewer feedback from the live stream. After all, the werewolf had just spoken in a human tongue.

On–site, they had been too shocked to even breathe too loudly, and they knew the online audience must be

scared.

But when they turned to the live feed, their expressions dropped.

“Director, the live stream has been cut off.”

The words trailed off, and the technician monitoring the livestream looked like he was on the brink of tears. He had no clue when the feed had dropped.

It wasn’t a ban, and it was just a loss of signal. Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

Bagot’s face fell at this news.

That moment had been their closest brush with the supernatural, the moment that could prove the wxistence of mystical creatures to millions of viewers,

And now he was told the livestream had cut off? What kind of joke was this?

The rest of the crew scrambled to check their equipment, only to find that the signal had dropped for

everyone.

And it had happened right when the werewolf appeared, but they had all been too focused on the creature to notice the stream.

If not for the watchful eyes of the wolves still around them, Bagot felt like collapsing right there in despair,

The other guests exchanged looks, unsure whether to comfort Bagot.

Although the crew had an official pass, the majority of the public still viewed the supernatural with skepticism.

The sudden revelation of a werewolf speaking like a human would have turned the world upside down as it did for them just now.

While Winnie continued negotiating with the werewolf, the crew worked frantically on the signal receivers.

The crew had brought top–notch equipment to ensure live streaming from the mountains, so a signal drop that led to disconnection seemed unlikely.

But they couldn’t rule out the possibility that the werewolf’s presence caused the interference.

Some said that mountain spirits could disrupt magnetic fields, and perhaps this werewolf was capable of

such feats.

Bagot had little hope but, against all odds, the technicians managed to restore the signal.

The live stream was back on.

Viewer numbers in the live stream room began to skyrocket, climbing from a mere handful to tens of thousands in a matter of seconds, reaching millions within minutes.

And with their return came a flood of messages:

“Finally back on air, were you guys playing hide and seek with us?”

“Seriously, cutting off at the climax? Do you know how we felt?”

“Is this a joke from the crew? We demand werewolf action.”

“I feel like I’ve missed out on a fortune.”

“Was everyone okay surrounded by those wolves? We were so worried.”

Hearing the update from the crew, Ned hurriedly explained to the camera, “We apologize for the inconvenience. Due to our mountain location, we lost signal on all our devices, but rest assured, our

guests and the villagers are all safe, and the wolves here mean us no harm.”

After Ned’s explanation, the other guests also reassured the viewers.

Just then, sharp–eyed viewers noticed something amiss.

“Where’s Winnie? Winnie’s missing?.”

“Yeah, where is Winnie? I can’t see her.”

Fortunately, the chaos was short–lived. Winnie had concluded her negotiations with the werewolf and reemerged from the trees, with the werewolf following behind her. As the camera panned to her approach,

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the live audience was reassured by the sight of her safe return.

It was the very one that everyone had seen just before the livestream cut out.

Winnie pald no attention to the buzz of the chatroom, striding towards the villagers who had gathered in a tight–knit huddle. Her gaze settled on the tense and anxious faces of Cox and his son Aleck,

I’ve had a word with the werewolf up the mountain. Aleck doesn’t have to serve a three–year stint up there. In exchange, the village is to build a stone chapel on the mountain, dedicated to it. And Aleck here,” she pointed, “has got to lay the bricks himself. It’s the Lane family’s debt to nature, so to speak. The locals can chip in, but no outsiders are to lift a finger.”

Cox’s face lit up with a mix of surprise and relief upon hearing it was just about building a chapel. Sure, Aleck would have to do the heavy lifting, but it beat being cooped up on the mountain for three years,

keeping company with wolves, and just facing a bit of backbreaking work.

“We’ll build it,” Cox said, “I’ll foot the bill. I’ll get the best materials and designers, and I’ll make sure this rascal puts his back into it.”

But Winnie just shook her head at Cox’s eager offer,

“The cost of building the chapel should be shared by the villagers. It’s been sheltering the village for years, draining its energy to channel the mountain’s spirit into nurturing the mandrakes. You’ve all benefited from its grace, so you’re all part of this give–and–take. Best make sure every household contributes, no matter how little.”