Chapter 99 Fat Lamb to the Slaughter (1/2)
”Sir Yang, if you become a town leader under our empire, the empire can give you a large amount of support in terms of finance and military. You can purchase the Rossi Empire's Gaul Warhorses that are famous all over the world at an extremely low price, and you can build a private army of up to three thousand people. In fact, if there is a need, the empire could even send an army to defend your territory. You wouldn't need to worry about a Banto attack!”
After tossing out his lure, Renaya took a gentle sip of the refreshing jasmine tea. Terras Forest was rich with resources and Wissen Town had unique conditions. He believed that Yang Ling wouldn't pass up this rare opportunity. After all, if Steve established a solid control over Wissen Town, it would severely limit Yang Ling's development. The dwarf weapon shop and Shangri-La would also be wasted efforts.
Renaya was confident, but he soon realized that he had made a mistake. Yang Ling was completely uninterested in Renaya's offer!
My private army would have to be smaller than three thousand people?
Yang Ling let out a cold smile. He would truly be an incurable idiot if he fell for Renaya's trap while he had such an advantageous position. Renaya was right. He had to establish firm control over Wissen Town and chase away the forces of the Banto Empire. But that did not mean that he had to bend his knees and become the Rossi Empire's puppet.
”Prince, to tell you the truth, I'm merely a merchant. I do not have much of an interest in being a town leader!” Yang Ling retreated as a means of advancement. He calmly said, ”I am accustomed to freedom. I might live in Wissen Town today, but I might decide to roam the Livenza Alliance someday. Being free like that is comfortable!”
Renaya was very surprised. He had thought that Yang Ling would try to negotiate for more benefits, like expanding the scale of the army to ten thousand men or requesting that the empire supply him a large number of warhorses for free. But he had never expected Yang Ling to directly say that he wasn't interested in being a local ruler.
Just what family does Yang Ling belong to?
As Renaya watched Yang Ling lazily reclining in his large chair, Renaya could not understand what the young man was thinking. He wasn't sure if this was simply a negotiating tactic, or if Yang Ling was truly uninterested in being the Leader of Wissen. After all, a noble from a rich family would definitely control a sizeable area of land. It was possible that Yang Ling truly wasn't interested in the faraway Wissen Town.
Harribell was observing from the side, and she quickly understood Renaya's plans and Yang Ling's intentions. After deliberating for a moment, she came up with a smart idea. ”Prince, I propose that we do business. As long as you are willing to pay an adequate price, we would help you foil the battle strategies of the Banto Empire. We would all get what we want. How's that?”
”Interesting. What requests do you have? Feel free to voice them!” Renaya quickly calmed himself down after the surprise.
Any price was negotiable. He wasn't afraid of their request; he was only worried that they would have no interest in dealing with Steve. If that was the case, there was no way that he could succeed in foiling the Banto Empire's plans with his abilities alone.
”Simple. Twenty thousand Gaul Warhorses, three crystal mines near the borders of Livenza, and a million Purple Crystal Coins. We'll deploy our troops right away!”
Harribell had come prepared. The Boulade Merchant's Association under her control had long set their sights on the three premium crystal mines under Rossi control near the borders of the Livenza Alliance. Unfortunately, the large merchant associations in the Rossi Empire had also set their sights on them, so the competition was intense. How could she miss this opportunity today, now that she had encountered Prince Renaya?
Crystal mines?
Renaya was shocked, looking at the veiled Harribell. The three premium crystal mines near the borders of Livenza had only recently been discovered, and even he had just received the news. He did not expect Yang Ling to have made preparations so quickly.
He sure lives up to his reputation as a noble from a rich family. His sources of information are impressive, and he has many exceptional followers, Renaya thought.