Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

'The Inverted Star Lake Sword Fighting' competition had come to an end, and it took several days for the news of Edith Academy's victory to reach the Four-leaf Crystal Star Domain. Of course, in the reports within the Four-leaf Crystal Star Domain, 'Dantalion'—the pseudonym of Tilan—was automatically corrected to Hexia Tilan.

Not only in the Inverted Star Lake Sword Fighting competition, but also in several major B-grade leagues from April to July, Edith Academy had achieved quite impressive results. Some of these were the outcome of the school's overall strength enhancement, and a significant part was also brought by the glory of foreign exchange students.

Regarding such actions, the media supporting Saint Ingo Academy naturally spared no effort to smear, labeling Edith Academy's methods as 'crafty,' 'sly,' 'inauthentic,' 'unstable,' and 'despicable,' among others. On the other hand, media supporting Edith Academy were not to be outdone, criticizing the degeneracy within Saint Ingo, their jealousy, and exposing the corrupt forces entrenched at the upper echelons of Four-leaf Crystal.

In the past, with Saint Ingo's powerful influence, they could easily silence those critical media voices. The influence of large financial conglomerates was sufficient to penetrate every aspect and fatigue their opponents, ultimately dragging them down and defeating them.

However, this time, due to the disastrous defeat at the winter festival and the impact of the new generation Songstress, many groups previously supporting Saint Ingo began to waver and hesitate, no longer following up as usual. On the other hand, Edith Academy's actions over the past year had made many corporate powers see a promising future, thus they began to make contact and place their bets.

As one declined and the other rose, Edith Academy, which was initially quite behind Saint Ingo, gradually gained a level of influence that truly rivaled it.

Facing this situation, the board of directors of Saint Ingo Academy also felt a rare pressure that they hadn't experienced in a century.

In the large conference room wrapped in petal-like decorations, the higher-ups of Saint Ingo gathered. Among them were the controllers of large corporations, representatives of interstellar trade unions, and core members from old families of the Central Star Domain, and so on.

"We underestimated that girl's influence, as well as Edith Academy's determination," said an elderly man wearing a gray stand-up collar coat, bracing his hands on the table as he spoke solemnly.

"After all, having been a mouse for so long, it's natural that they will fight desperately once they get a chance to come out," a tall and thin elf woman sarcastically remarked about the recent drastic actions of Edith Academy.

"There's no need to worry too much. Two years will pass quickly; once that girl graduates, Edith Academy will revert to its original form," said a man in a silver-white coat, with a square monocle over one eye and pale green lenses flashing with data, seemingly processing some experimental data even while attending the meeting.

"The current momentum of Edith Academy is only temporary. There are still three years left before Governor Temachi's rotation election, and within the Star Domain, we still have a large number of supporters among officials and members of parliament. The policies won't change, the rules won't change. No matter how Edith twists and turns, they cannot shake us," he continued.

"As for those wavering individuals, it's good to let them suffer a bit. Every community must have its hierarchy to distinguish between the loyal and the traitors. If the faithful and the betrayers receive the same treatment, who would then bother to keep their word?"

"Since they have wavered and distanced themselves, we should reduce the benefits given to them and transfer the orders, channels, and projects we have gathered to the businesses that remain steadfast in our camp."

"Hearts and words can lie, but money and interests won't. As long as we continue to hold key resources and the right to speak, people will keep flocking to us," he said confidently.

Under this man's analysis, those who were somewhat anxious instantly felt reassured, realizing the situation was indeed as he said. The hundreds of years of connections and networks of interests established by Saint Ingo couldn't easily be destabilized. No matter how many supported Edith Academy verbally, when it came down to fighting over money and interests, how many would genuinely stand by Edith Academy?

"Clap—clap—" A sudden sound of applause broke the silence. The tall elf woman who had spoken earlier clapped her hands.

"Quite insightful, as always, Representative Berligus," she praised the man in white, then her tone shifted.

"However, now that Edith Academy has started provoking us, we can't just do nothing and be looked down upon."

"Since they're pressuring us, we won't let them have an easy time either." As she spoke, her voice turned cold, sending a chill through many in attendance.

"Starting from next month, for all groups and enterprises related to Edith, all their merchant ships and goods will incur a 200% increase in shipping fees. Also, contact customs and import-export inspection officials, put all Edith-affiliated groups on the blacklist. For their goods, conduct stringent inspections, find issues if there are any, and even if there aren't any, still hold them up, ensuring their goods remain delayed for a long time," she said, her thin frame belied by the threat and iciness in her words, causing a stir among those present.

"If we do this..." After hearing her proposals, the attendees started to analyze the feasibility of such actions.

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"Ms. Sofama, your 'Sun Boat Trade Union' controls approximately 36% of the transportation volume of the external trade in the Four-leaf Crystal Star Domain, while the remaining shares are held by the 'Grain Spike Association' with 16% and the 'Southern October Star' with 12%, as well as numerous small-scale trade transportation companies making up 26%," a professional consultant stood to summarize his report.

"If we join forces to raise the trade freight costs for businesses under the Edith Alliance, we could potentially see a 45% increase in their shipping rates. During this time, they will certainly seek other trading companies as substitutes. Over time, it is very likely they will completely escape our control…"

The consultant analyzed the potential consequences of this trade war with a professional attitude.

"I understand your concerns. You're afraid that if we suppress Edith for too long, not only will they not succumb but they will also escape our control, correct?" The tall and slender elven woman tapped her fingers lightly on the table.

"Are you overestimating them? Do you really think everyone is steadfastly gathered around Edith Academy? No, no, no, they too are human, and one might say the majority are also people who chase after profits. How many companies do you think can endure through this prolonged period of hardship? A short-term spike in shipping costs can put tremendous financial pressure on most companies' cash flows, and exorbitant freight fees can significantly reduce corporate profits, causing quite a few small and medium-sized businesses to go bankrupt. But, I believe they will not really wait until bankruptcy strikes. As long as we extend an olive branch to these enterprises, telling them that by joining us and no longer clustering around Edith, we will lift the restrictions on their businesses, those fence-sitters will quickly fall into line."

Mrs. Sofama skillfully analyzed these people's psychology and explained to the consultant the feasibility of her plan.

"Without the support of a multitude of small and medium businesses, relying solely on a few large corporations, they will be unable to hold out. The situation will revert to what it was in the past, or even worse."

"Moreover, I'm only discussing the commerce and transportation sector. Lord Gusta has yet to speak out." Saying this, the elven woman stretched out her fingers, glancing toward the elder beside her who had been silent for a long time.

"Ho, are you referring to me?" His voice remained deep and slightly hoarse.

"My industries are messy, not like Mrs. Sofama who can decide with a single word. But now that it has come to this, I will inform them to be ready."

This seemingly old man not only held the position of a member of the Star Domain Council in the Four-leaf Crystal Star Domain but was also the Alliance Hierarch of a major business alliance within the Star Domain. His seniority was profound, having invested in and nurtured many people, helping their companies expand their businesses, go public, restructure, and more, with his investment companies holding shares in numerous enterprises across real estate, pharmaceuticals, industry, education, hotels, security, and many other sectors. Moreover, he himself came from a prominent family in the Central Star Domain with an extensive background.

Once the elder stated his position, the other directors present pondered briefly and then also expressed their stance in turn, indicating that in the near term, they would urge their own companies to temporarily pause cooperation with the powers of the Edith side and to join the price-hiking alliance to strike at the corporate powers gathered around Edith Academy, forcing them to abandon their support for the Academy.

The meeting continued into the night. At this board meeting, the core groups gathered around Saint Ingo Academy discussed and decided on the arrangements for the future.

In their plan, over the next year, they would deliver a comprehensive, forceful, and existential blow to the forces allied with Edith, a strike so severe that most small and medium enterprises would be unable to sustain their cash flows and would be forced to surrender. By then, even if a few large enterprises still supported Edith Academy, it would be too late to change the course of events.

After deciding on the plan, the collectives and powers clustered around Saint Ingo, like colossal steel behemoths, began to rumble into action.

The will of the group's upper echelons cascaded downward, adjusting ongoing projects, redistributing a multitude of orders. Supplies, collaborations, and joint branding all explicitly excluded businesses related to Edith. In the political sphere, councilors closely associated with Saint Ingo Academy began to exert pressure in the Star Domain Council, and employees from many institutions received various phone calls and notifications. Although no official documents were issued, the treatment of Edith-related businesses became harsher and more stringent in some ongoing works.

Within a mere month, what had been a minor squabble between two major groups within the Four-leaf Crystal Star Domain escalated into a massive vortex, obliging many small businesses to reluctantly join this large-scale commercial war.

For ordinary people at the bottom, they were unaware that a fierce struggle had begun among the upper layers of the Four-leaf Crystal. They only noticed that this year seemed to be filled with many unexpected events, like how certain daily necessities in the supermarket that were always in stock suddenly changed brands, or prices for certain fruits and vegetables shot up dramatically, and some infrequently used products bizarrely started receiving promotional subsidies.

Shopping cards, previously co-branded, were no longer as versatile as before and could only be used at individual stores. Prices for certain categories of industrial materials soared while others, typically paired with the former, plummeted—rare and unusual occurrences happened all around. Although ordinary people might only encounter one or two of these issues and not be too affected, if someone were to tally the events in the various industries within the Four-leaf Crystal Star Domain during the second half of the year, they would realize just how anomalous and staggering the data was.

Affected by such drastic environmental fluctuations, numerous small businesses struggled to adapt and began to approach bankruptcy. As internal strife ensued, issues that had been suppressed and concealed within the Star Domain gradually came to light.

With the original balance disrupted, protests and unrest began to form in the bustling cities, while remote areas on the brink of danger saw serious violent conflicts.

And so, until a gunshot rang out—

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