Cao Lee (ツァオ・リー), also known as the White Orchid Dragon (白蘭竜), is the branch manager of Heiyue in Crossbell.
Profile[]
Introduction[]
Trails from Zero[]
On the surface, Cao is the young branch manager at Heiyue Trading, Ltd., a trading company in Crossbell City's harbor district. However, his true role is as a member of the crime syndicate, Heiyue, based out of the Eastern Quarter of Calvard. He was deployed by his organization's elders to establish a foothold for Heiyue in Crossbell and wrest control of its criminal underground away from Revache.
An extremely shrewd and cunning man, he's willing to work with anyone, even unexpected allies such as the SSS, to advance his goals.[2]
Trails into Reverie[]
An executive of Heiyue, a crime syndicate based in the Calvard Republic, though he also acts as the branch manager of the private Heiyue Trading Company. He is known for making use of his lithe build and mastery of Eastern martial arts in battle, earning him the nickname White Orchid Dragon. Though he outwardly seems to focus only on improving Heiyue's profits, through his dealings in the shadows, leaking of information to the police, negotiations with opposing organizations, and more, he has gained the recognition of its elders as one of its most intelligent members. No matter the situation, he seems to handle it with flawless logic. With the major shift in global powers following the fall of the Blood and Iron Chancellor, Giliath Osborne, and the retirement of President Rocksmith, he appears to be concerned about the future path Heiyue should take. But is his consternation simply yet another front?[3]
Trails through Daybreak[]
An executive in Heiyue, the largest crime syndicate in the Republic. He is a master of the Gekka school of martial arts and is known as the White Orchid Dragon. He may look like profits are the only thing on his mind, but he places a lot of value on relationships between people. He occupies a unique position in society—he has deep ties with his patrons, the Lu family, and is a pillar of the Eastern community, but he also has his finger on the pulse of the Crossbell and Erebonian markets as the CEO of Heiyue Trading, Ltd. When Almata begins amassing power in the Republic in violation of the underworld code, he puts his own plans into motion against them...[4]
Trails through Daybreak II[]
A young member of Heiyue's upper management who has supported the Lu family— the most powerful within the syndicate—for several years. He is a master of Gekka, one of the three great Eastern schools of martial arts, and is known to some as the 'White Orchid Dragon,' but beyond that, he also shows a keen intellect and cunning in everything he does. Cao is a pragmatist who tends to look at everything in terms of cost vs. reward. However, he does place a certain degree of importance on human relationships as well, often using his connections to their maximum potential in order to achieve his objectives. As president of Heiyue Trading, Ltd., his public-facing role gives him a lot of control over the material interests of western Zemuria, which he has recently made use of to assist the next-in-line elder of the Lu family, Fan Lu, during an incident that occurred recently in Langport. Thanks to all this, he has been highly successful at carving out a secure foothold for himself within Heiyue.[5]Appearance[]
Cao is a tall slender man with bright fuchsia hair and narrow matching eyes. He wears slim red-framed glasses. Cao wears an Eastern style indigo-blue suit with floral embellishments and cord ties over a black high collared shirt and red pin. His trousers open up at the heel and he wears flat slipper-like shoes in violet.
Personality[]
A prominent intellectual, Cao is loyal to the Heiyue Syndicate. Most of his actions generally revolve around ways that would benefit his branch, even relying on authorities to do so. He is cunningly manipulative and changes his branch's affiliation with other parties regularly depending on whatever puts him in the most advantageous position. As such, others consider him to be a slippery, untrustworthy person, but his genuine loyalty to Heiyue means that he generally keeps his word to whoever he helps.
Despite being a skilled combatant, Cao prefers to leave the fighting to his subordinates, but he will partake in a fight if necessary, utilising martial arts. Cao is a skilled practitioner of the Gekka style.
References[]
Sources
- ↑ Crossbell Archive, p. 230.
- ↑ Trails from Zero, Official Website Page (EN-JP)
- ↑ Trails into Reverie, Official Website Page (EN-JP)
- ↑ Trails through Daybreak, Official Website Page (EN-JP)
- ↑ Trails through Daybreak II, Official Website Page (EN-JP)
