Chapter 582: Chapter 582 An Unexpected Public Rebuke
I gave a quiet nod.
From how the others treated Mr. River, I could see just how high his status was.
The moment Mr. River stepped onto the stage, the conference officially started.
He pulled out a document that seemed aimed at different industries.
Things like the Divine Alchemist Pavilion and the Capital City Martial Arts Association, which stood for Martial Arts.
I wasn’t really interested in this stuff. I couldn’t add much to the discussion, so I just sat there quietly.
The entire meeting felt formal and serious, with everyone scribbling notes like their lives depended on it.
Not for any other reason, but because Mr. River spoke for the official position this time.
The meeting dragged on for quite a while, and I listened carefully.
Around two hours later, the meeting finally wrapped up.
Mr. River tucked away his document with a grin, "This meeting is pretty much done now, does anyone have comments or suggestions?"
"No, no, absolutely not," someone jumped in quickly, "we’ll follow all the arrangements."
"Exactly, Mr. River, you’ve put in hard work, we’ll stick strictly to the standards."
Mr. River nodded. As he got up with a smile, he said, "In that case..."
"Hold on." Right then, I suddenly got to my feet.
Everyone’s eyes landed on me, filled with shock and bewilderment!
What was I trying to pull? Was I actually going to offer a suggestion?
"Mason Raymond, don’t talk nonsense." The Pavilion Master seemed to say on purpose.
Mr. River up front turned toward me, grinning, "Who might this gentleman be?"
"Hello Mr. River, I’m Mason Raymond, just an ordinary guy with no reputation." I replied.
"Mason Raymond..." Mr. River seemed to mull over the name.
After a moment, he chuckled, "I’ve heard your name. Not too long ago, you stirred up quite a mess for the little girl from the Sean family and Vance Johansson from the Johansson family, right?"
I bowed slightly and confirmed, "Yes, Mr. River."
Mr. River sat back down, smiling, "If you’ve got something to say, go ahead and say it."
I looked around at everyone, and after taking a deep breath, I said slowly, "Mr. River, even though I’m standing here alone, I can speak for part of the martial arts world. I think what I’m about to say today is what they’d want to express."
After saying this, I pointed at Sybil Cooper and asked coldly, "I want to question this - the cultivation resources in this world are for all of us to share, right?"
Mr. River thought for a moment and nodded, "That’s right, even though these resources belong to the nation, anyone can take part in cultivation."
I spoke seriously, "Then I don’t get it. Why are all the martial arts resources completely hogged by the Capital City Martial Arts Association?"
"They’ve monopolized everything, and nobody except their members can join in!"
"Mr. River, do you think this is fair? Or is this something you gave the green light for?"
The moment these words left my mouth, everyone in the room started sweating bullets!
"This Mason Raymond has completely lost it!" someone whispered to themselves.
"I knew this guy was reckless from the beginning, I just didn’t think he’d be this bold."
"Finn Darby bringing him here is just asking for trouble."
Sybil Cooper, meanwhile, kept sneering.
I was questioning Mr. River? I was just begging for my own death!
"Maybe we won’t need to do anything after all," Sybil Cooper thought with a sneer.
"Mason Raymond, shut your mouth! Stop spouting nonsense!" Ignacio Richard coughed and scolded me.
"How can you speak to Mr. River like this! Sit down right now!"
But I ignored him completely, my eyes stayed fixed on Mr. River, like I was waiting for his answer.
Mr. River laughed and waved his hand, "Everyone, don’t get so worked up. Since we brought you here, you should voice any suggestions you have."
"I actually think Mason Raymond’s presence brought some life to this meeting."
Hearing this, everyone couldn’t help but feel shocked!
Could it be that Mr. River was really going to answer my question?
Mr. River seemed to read everyone’s minds. He smiled and said, "Not only am I going to answer Mason Raymond’s question directly today, but I also plan to fix this problem."
Then, he looked at Sybil Cooper, "Is what Mason Raymond said the truth?"
With an uncomfortable look, Sybil Cooper quickly stood up and said, "Mr. River, the situation is, we..."
"Yes or no, skip the extra talk." Mr. River cut in with a smile.
Sybil Cooper stiffly confessed, "Yes."
Mr. River nodded slightly, "Even though our higher-ups are somewhat easy-going with your Martial Arts Association, that doesn’t mean they’ll turn a blind eye."
"Mason Raymond is correct, your Capital City Martial Arts Association needs to take on some responsibility."
I kept pushing, "The Capital City Martial Arts Association has stockpiled all resources, and all these resources favor the sons and daughters of wealthy families!"
"Plus, if regular people like us try to get involved, they even lock us up!"
Mr. River looked at Sybil Cooper and asked again with a smile, "Is this true?"
"Yes... yes..." Sybil Cooper answered stiffly.
Mr. River nodded slightly, "Fine, I’ll handle this matter today."
He looked at Sybil Cooper, "Has the Capital City Martial Arts Association stockpiled all the resources?"
Sybil Cooper nodded, "Some of the resources, we have indeed gathered."
"You need to make this portion of resources open and accessible to everyone; you should work out a fair system for this," Mr. River said.
"Sybil Cooper, can you handle it?" Mr. River asked.
Sybil Cooper quickly stood up and said, "Yes, absolutely..."
Mr. River nodded slightly, then he seemed to say casually, "Sybil, the Capital City Martial Arts Association shouldn’t think of itself as an official organization, got it?"
Hearing this, Sybil Cooper broke into a cold sweat!
His words sounded casual, but they carried a threat!
"I... I get it, don’t worry..." Sybil Cooper nodded frantically.
"And one more thing," Mr. River took a sip from his tea cup.
Then, he went on, "Your Capital City Martial Arts Association should always have proof for its actions, and know when to stop. You can’t just do whatever you please."
"Yes, don’t worry..." Sybil Cooper kept nodding.
Mr. River grunted in reply, and then he turned to me, "Mason Raymond, do you have anything else to say?"
I clenched my teeth. I was about to ask Mr. River to help Mabel Sean out.
Right then, the Pavilion Master reached out and pulled at me, shaking his head slightly.
Seeing this, I had no choice but to take a deep breath and then nod, "Thank you, Mr. River, I don’t have any more questions."
"Well, if nobody else has other questions, let’s wrap up the meeting." Mr. River collected his documents and stood up to make the announcement.
After Mr. River had gone, everyone looked at me with strange expressions.
I didn’t care about people’s stares. I turned to the Pavilion Master, "Lord Pavilion Master, why did you stop me from going on earlier?"
The Pavilion Master glanced at me and said, "You wanted Mr. River to get involved in your personal business? That would be crossing the line and not being grateful for the help you got."
I opened my mouth, then hung my head in disappointment.
"Look, today you already scored a major win," said the Pavilion Master.
"The Capital City Martial Arts Association has hoarded resources for years, and this time, they’ll probably take a big hit."
"You need to grab this chance to train as fast as possible."
