Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 160 - 80: Philanthropy

Chapter 160: Chapter 80: Philanthropy

"""

Before attending the banquet at the palace, Duan Mingyuan and Jiuyue took the documents given to them by the Third Prince and paid a visit to the Guild Management Bureau.

The Guild Management Bureau in the Imperial Court was busier than Duan Mingyuan had imagined; the waiting area had a long line of people ranging from teenagers to those in their sixties and seventies. At the self-service computers one could fill out forms in advance; after taking a number, they waited for their registration number before proceeding to the counter to complete the registration.

Duan Mingyuan found the registration information for the Hunter’s Guild on the self-service computer. After the Royal Hunting Court was destroyed, the guild had also been turned to an "inactive" status.

Registering the guild was equivalent to obtaining a legal identity marker. It required mass recruitment of new members, and holding large-scale events in various cities required reporting, which was an important standard in determining whether or not an assembly was illegal.

"Mr. Mingyuan, Mr. Mingyuan, look at this!"

Jiuyue, who had initially shown no interest in the registration process, suddenly became excited upon seeing the introduction on the self-service computer.

As long as they did not violate current laws and public morals, there was no restriction on the types of guilds.

For example, the elderly man ahead of them was there to register the "Elderly Entertainment Exchange Guild." Its main recruiting demographic was retired people over the age of 60, with the purpose of creating more entertainment opportunities for retirees at home, to help them pass their leisure time.

In principle, one could apply as long as they gathered 30 people and had a corresponding plan.

"Could I also apply for the ’Poultry Tasting Guild’?"

Jiuyue was eager to try.

The purpose of the guild was simple: to regularly exchange and discuss experiences in tasting chicken cuisine, and once the guild grew larger, they could periodically hold chicken tasting exhibitions.

"Can you find 30 chicken enthusiasts to sign up?"

"Sure, when we return to the academy, I’ll rally the teachers and students; the number will definitely be sufficient."

"You could give it a try."

Duan Mingyuan did not intend to comment on Jiuyue’s hobbies; the interests of humans and the Fox Demon could not be lumped together. He contacted Da Jiang and quickly gathered 30 active individuals. During their absence, Da Jiang wasn’t idle; he tried reaching out to some former veteran hunters, inviting them to return to the guild.

Although most immediately hung up the phone, there were a few who responded to the call.

After all, many hunters were accustomed to a nomadic life, spending most of their lives traveling the roads. Suddenly settling down into a routine job in a city was undoubtedly torture for them.

After waiting in the lobby for about an hour, their number was called by the counter staff.

"Hunter’s Guild?"

The counter clerk on the other side paused when she saw the name, then turned her head and pressed her index finger against her glasses, scrutinizing Duan Mingyuan for a long while before confirming, "Do you want to change the status to ’active’?"

"Yes, this is the Third Prince’s document."

"It seems what they said is true, someone is really rebuilding the Royal Hunting Court."

"You know about the Royal Hunting Court?"

"The Royal Hunting Court used to be a regular here, and many benefited from their help."

The clerk was lost in memories.

There was once a time in the Imperial Court when demons ran amok and the Evil Spirit wreaked havoc; it was the hunters’ appearance that brought a change to their lives.

It was a story from her great-grandmother’s generation; a squad of elite hunters assembled and engaged in a months-long deadly battle with the Evil Spirit. The hunters suffered over half casualties in the battle, yet no one retreated. In the end, they succeeded in rooting out the lairs of the Evil Spirit one by one, and the surviving Evil Spirits fled into the dark underground, never again daring to emerge before people.

The clerk pulled out her necklace and, through the glass, showed it to Duan Mingyuan, "This is a memento left by my great-grandmother, who also fought in that battle as a hunter. This amulet protects against the assault of evil spirits, and I’ve always worn it as a talisman."

At this point, her gaze became somewhat saddened, "However, my great-grandmother sustained severe internal injuries during the battle and passed away not long after it ended. Her skills were completely lost, and no hunter ever emerged from our family again."

This story of the hunters matched up with what was heard deep in the sewers by the old tree roots.

No wonder the evil spirits of the Imperial Court were hiding in the pitch-black sewers; they had been frightened during the war.

Yet there was one thing that puzzled Duan Mingyuan, "This is the Imperial Court; didn’t the Prime Monarch’s forces participate in that battle?"

"Heh."

The clerk merely scoffed.

Yet, because speaking the truth seemed akin to insurrection, she did not continue, "Only the Hunter’s Guild cares about us common people. I hope you can carry on this legacy."

"""

"I will."

Duan Mingyuan nodded in agreement.

He had long since determined to go even further than the Royal Hunting Court of old and change the fundamental relationship between hunters and evil spirits. For this pair of former archenemies, it wasn’t impossible to become both friends and foes, growing together as partners.

"I wish you smooth sailing ahead."

After completing the registration, the clerk gestured to Duan Mingyuan with a strange hand signal.

It was a sign of greeting among hunters, and Duan Mingyuan returned the gesture in kind.

"Is that it?"

Stepping out of the Guild Management Bureau, Jiuyue expressed her confusion, "It doesn’t feel like anything’s changed."

"What’s important is the legitimate identity. In the past, if we accepted missions using the identity of a hunter, we would be treated as frauds. From now on, the guild has a legitimate status. We just need a bit of furnishing and then we can start doing business."

"But isn’t the duty of a hunter to fight evil spirits?"

"Indeed, it is."

"Then, what about the newly recruited evil spirits under my management who haven’t done anything bad? Do they have to get beaten too?"

As the Evil Spirit Queen, she naturally had to fight for her subordinates’ rights.

Evil spirits also had human rights. They work hard every day to establish their community. The base at the abandoned construction site was beginning to take shape. Xiao Jing said the number of evil spirits settling in long-term has already exceeded 20.

Jiuyue had never led so many underlings before.

"Of course not, what we need to do next is to commit to changing the pattern of interaction between evil spirits and hunters."

In the past, it was right and proper to eliminate evil spirits that devoured humans and brought harm to a community. But to beat up a group of lower-class evil spirits just wanting to live peacefully would lose any sense of justice.

"Pattern of interaction..."

Jiuyue became pensive as she racked her brain, pondering deeply.

Now that they effectively controlled both hunter and evil spirit factions in Yunlong City, the only difference was between the palm and the back of the hand. What kind of changes would their relationship undergo under these circumstances?

A moment later, Jiuyue finally had a revelation.

So that’s how it is!

Mr. Mingyuan was truly ingenious to come up with such a brilliant plan!

It seemed she, as the Evil Spirit Queen, still had a lot to learn.

"I completely understand now, we can start by sending a group of evil spirits to cause damage at large corporations or in the homes of the wealthy, and then have hunters take on the commissions. This way, we can collect the reward money easily without any fighting!"

The reward money would be split fifty-fifty between both parties, thereby creating a win-win profit model.

This would be much more comfortable than the blood-tinged life on the edge they used to live.

This was a three-way win-win deal.

The evil spirits and hunters earned money, and the employers who issued the commissions gained peace of mind.

Everyone was satisfied, and thus a world with no one getting hurt was achieved.

"What you’re suggesting is embezzlement."

Duan Mingyuan frowned, he didn’t recall ever proposing such a profit scheme.

"Don’t put it so crudely," Jiuyue argued with conviction, "It should be called ’robbing the rich to aid the poor.’ In this way, our clients win twice."

"How twice?"

"Not only do they gain peace of mind, but they also support a charitable cause."