Chapter 425: Section 213: Hun Tong’s Recruitment
Night.
Moonlight draped over Twin Eyes Island.
Tides slapped against the shore.
What was a bustling scene just last night had become ruins.
The mourning cries for the deceased, the despair-laden sobs, and the anger-fueled curses intermittently rose in the night, mingling and hovering over the heads of the residents of Twin Eyes Island.
Tonight, Twin Eyes Island was filled with bleakness and sorrow.
The melee had ended, and under the silent atmosphere, the bloody wounds seemed to hurt even more.
Not just Hun Tong’s forces had suffered heavy losses; the impoverished and the free citizens of the domain had been plundered completely.
Never underestimate a pirate’s ability to pillage; in that regard, they are professionals.
Many families had also been reduced in number.
In the chaos, those who drew weapons on you were not just pirates, but also Fishmen and even members of the Human Race themselves.
For the residents here, the pain of losing wealth was even more intense than the loss of life.
For this is the domain of the Wealth Sect.
Most people here revere the Goddess of Wealth.
In the teachings of the Wealth Sect, wealth is subtly placed above all else. Just look at the burial customs here. Even in death, as long as one is accompanied by money, it’s considered happiness.
Death is not to be feared; poverty is.
Unfortunately, most people’s lives were still intact, but their money was gone!
Even in the dead of night, the doorstep of the City Lord’s mansion was crowded with a group of people.
Representatives from the five major Guilds took the forefront, with a large number of small and medium Guild representatives behind them.
They were all seeking an audience with City Lord Hun Tong.
But they were refused entry.
“How many times have I said it? Lord Hun Tong has been injured and is currently recuperating. He will not receive guests tonight,” declared the guard at the gates of the mansion with a firm gaze.
Hun Tong’s forces originally included four Silver Level powerhouses, but two had fallen in the melee.
The Pharmacist had lost a thigh and was now dozing off inside the City Lord’s mansion.
Only One-Eye was left to face the crowd.
The merchants were outraged!
“What? No visitors? Are we visitors? We are the victims!”
“The representative of my family was killed by a beam cannon. Will Lord Hun Tong not give us an explanation?”
“Thinking you can avoid us by hiding will not make this go away.”
“Our shops have been looted by pirates and Fishmen; nothing is left. Hun Tong is the Lord; he has a duty to protect, and now, like this, we demand compensation!”
Some merchants questioned, some cursed, and others beat their chests in despair.
One-Eye had a splitting headache.
He had little experience dealing with situations like this.
He dared not act roughly with the representatives of the five major Guilds. Their backgrounds were too profound!
He couldn’t afford to offend the smaller merchants either.
Twin Eyes Island is a commerce island; once public sentiment dissipates, a large part of Hun Tong’s foundation would collapse.
Today’s great melee had just ended, and with the island’s reputation tarnished by the pirates’ raid, clients felt endangered and became fewer.
Pirates brought economic vitality by offloading their loot here, but in the coming time, the front doors would surely be deserted.
In such a scenario, if the merchants were to leave en masse, how could Twin Eyes Island even talk about recovery?
One-Eye felt helpless in the face of the situation. Watching the merchants become increasingly agitated, they were about to storm the gates of the City Lord’s mansion.
Just then, the great doors of the City Lord’s mansion suddenly swung open.
A Silver Level figure walked out.
It was the Pharmacist.
With a dark countenance and leaning on a crutch, the Pharmacist barked, “Have you made enough noise yet?”
As soon as the words fell, he reached out and pulled the trigger.
An alchemy firearm.
Bang.
He shot dead a merchant at the edge of the crowd on the spot!
Moments of silence followed, chilling to the bone.
The merchants were stunned.
With a boiling murderous intent, the Pharmacist’s eyes gleamed with a chilling light as he surveyed the crowd before him.
He was in a foul mood.
In the melee, he had suffered grievous wounds; his thigh had been dissipated by a beam, leaving only a stump of the lower leg on the ground.
After the battle, the City Lord’s mansion was the safest place, so he recovered there.
But to be woken up by the loud merchants during his slumber was the last straw.
The Pharmacist struck out in anger, instantly quelling the rowdy crowd.
In fact, even One-Eye was stunned by his act.
The latter looked at the Pharmacist with incredulity.
Sometimes, pain and tribulation truly temper a person.
Before the melee, the Pharmacist buried himself in research, obeying Hun Tong’s orders, timid and afraid of death.
After the melee, post-injury, he had grown courageous, adapted to killing, and was much more decisive than before.
The merchants were rooted to the spot but did not disperse.
As the shock and fear subsided, many merchants’ gazes towards the Pharmacist revealed a cold hostility.
Some Trade Union Representatives had perished, but there were still three Silver Level powerhouses present.
Sensing that the situation could spiral out of control any moment, Cyclops’s heart rose to his throat.
But at that time, he heard the Pharmacist say, “See my wounds? I’m in a very bad mood right now.”
“Because I was hit by the beam cannon!”
“Of course, I know you all feel terrible too.”
“So, I’m giving you a chance.”
“Come on, break through.”
To everyone’s astonishment, the Pharmacist actively stepped aside to let the unruly crowd in front of the wide-open City Lord’s mansion in.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you. It’s illegal to barge into the City Lord’s mansion! If you get killed by the forces inside, your death will be in vain.” The Pharmacist sneered incessantly.
Merchants looked at each other, nobody moved, all remaining frozen in place.
With a scoff, the Pharmacist made no attempt to hide the scorn on his face.
“Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance.”
“I’ll give you half an hour to discuss how to storm the City Lord’s mansion!”
“Let’s go.”
The Pharmacist gestured to Cyclops.
The two of them walked into the City Lord’s mansion, leaving the gate wide open.
The merchants, unobstructed, still felt at a loss.
“How should this be handled?” A Silver Level representative from one of the top five Guilds frowned deeply, finding the situation difficult to get out of.
“It’s not possible to just storm the City Lord’s mansion, isn’t that handing them leverage?” Another Silver Level one spoke up.
“Are we supposed to stay here, then?”
“Sigh, let’s disperse. There’s a mess back at the shop that I need to take care of. I trust Hun Tong will give us a resolution regarding compensation.”
“Then we’ll come back tomorrow!”
Without anyone raising the stakes, the crowd had to find their own way to step down.
After a lot of talking and sighing, everyone trudged away with drooping brows.
Before long, the Pharmacist and Cyclops returned to the gate.
“Quite a gamble, huh?” Cyclops remarked with a sigh.
“Merchants, eh, a bunch of profit-chasing cowards. How could they possibly have the guts to strike at the City Lord’s mansion?” The Pharmacist, through this ordeal, had come to thoroughly understand the nature of merchants.
Cyclops shook his head, still sensing great risk, “What if you had lost the bet?”
The Pharmacist sneered, “They didn’t strike the City Lord’s mansion immediately. Do you really think they’ll muster up that courage later?”
“Besides, what’s there to fear?! The City Lord’s mansion is heavily defended, filled with Magic Traps and contraptions. Most of them would die trying to break in, and the few Silver Levels would surely end up in disgrace!”
At this point, the Pharmacist sighed with regret, “These pirates are truly cunning, always holding back from attacking the City Lord’s mansion!”
“By the way, where is Lord Hun Tong?”
Cyclops spoke softly, “The lord has already secretly gone to the temporary location of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.”
The ship of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps was still docked at the port.
In the ship’s stern Captain’s quarters.
The windows were open, allowing moonlight to cast inside.
The sea breeze brought the persistent smell of blood from the docks into the Captain’s quarters.
Inside the Captain’s quarters, only Zong Ge and Hun Tong were present.
Zong Ge ushered Hun Tong to sit down, getting straight to the point, “Lord, what brings you to us in the dead of night? Is there an urgent task you need us to undertake?”
Hun Tong shook his head with a smile, “No, that’s not it. I came to thank your Corps for your outstanding contribution in this battle.”
“Where is the leader of Long Fu?” Hun Tong asked.
The Dragon-man youth was still aboard the Deep Sea Monster Fish, not present.
Zong Ge was prepared, “Apologies, Lord. Our leader battled fiercely in his final form during the melee and is currently in recovery.”
Hun Tong nodded in understanding, “The leader of Long Fu was formidable, his Transcendent combat power in his final form alone managing to take on the pirates narrowly at a disadvantage.”
“Honestly, I had received intelligence about your corps’ successful engagement in the sea battle against Rou Cang.”
“But it wasn’t until today’s battle that I realized I significantly underestimated you.”
“Long Fu’s leader isn’t yet at the Peak of Silver Level, but he achieved so much. With you there at the Peak… Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps is nothing short of a Quasi-Gold Level Mercenary Group.”
Misled by Zong Ge, Hun Tong assumed the Dragon-man youth had activated his ultimate form and was now suffering from severe after-effects, urgently recovering.
Zong Ge frowned slightly; he wasn’t adept at handling the situation and didn’t like it.
After a moment, he dryly replied, “Lord, you flatter us too much.”
Hun Tong laughed heartily, only singing praises for the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
He recounted their achievements, proclaiming them the backbone on the battlefield carved out at the docks. Without the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ stellar performance, the Fishmen would have taken the docks long ago.
He went on to say: The Dragon-man youth accepted his mission despite the huge risk, venturing into the deep to sabotage the enemy’s spellcasting. Regardless of the outcome, such choices and actions starkly contrast with those of the merchants, the Bandage Mercenary Group, and the pirates. A true bastion of the Human Race!
Afterward, Hun Tong took out a large sum of Gold Coins and many supplies from a storage device.
Zong Ge’s frown deepened even more, “Lord, you’ve given too much. We didn’t complete the mission to disrupt the spellcasting underground.”
“Even if we had, we shouldn’t receive such a large reward!”
“It’s not too much, I think it’s too little,” Hun Tong finally revealed his true intention, “With this reward, I want to hire your Corps to officially join Twin Eyes Island.”
Zong Ge raised his brow slightly.
Hun Tong continued, “If you aren’t satisfied with the price, we can continue negotiating.”
“What I want to say is that I have come with great sincerity!”
Zong Ge nodded, thinking, “Just from this sum of money, one can feel Lord Hun Tong’s sincerity in trying to recruit us. Truly wealthy! I didn’t expect him to have such riches, even after the battle.”
Zong Ge had a new respect for Hun Tong.
In fact, this was all of Hun Tong’s savings.
“But no matter. There are massive treasures under the sea! The Puppets patrolling the seabed have gone to salvage it, and by tomorrow morning, I’ll have the riches of the whole island! The merchants’ compensation is a trivial matter,” Hun Tong felt confident that everything was under control.