Chapter 426: Section 214: Hun Tong is not panicked at all
At Twin Eyes Island during the chaos, Hun Tong profoundly felt he had no one under his command!
His subordinates included four Silver Level, but their performance in the battlefield was abysmally poor, one worse than the other.
Below the Silver Level, there were no combat squads either.
As a result, the burden of the major battle was mostly borne by Hun Tong himself.
His subordinates were more like lures, tasked with the role of drawing out the enemy forces and their intentions.
After the chaos had ended, this feeling intensified for Hun Tong.
For he truly had no one left.
Of his original four Silver Level subordinates, two had died, one was critically injured, and only one remained.
The City Guard had suffered tremendous losses, and the barracks had turned into ruins.
The Patrol Fleet also suffered great casualties.
The Alchemy Cannon Towers that Hun Tong had secretly constructed all over the new island were almost all destroyed.
Destroyed were not just the towers, but also many of the gunners inside.
Hun Tong managed to hold his territory, but the island’s power was too depleted, urgently needing replenishment.
Distant waters cannot quench immediate thirst, so Hun Tong turned his sights on the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
Truth be told, amid the chaos, the performance of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps left a very deep impression on Hun Tong!
Thus, on the very night the battle ended, he eagerly came in secret, extending an olive branch to the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
Zong Ge shook his head, “Lord Hun Tong, you seem to have forgotten that we are not merely a simple mercenary group.”
The underlying meaning was that they had a deeper identity—arms smugglers.
Hun Tong nodded, “I understand what you mean, Lion Flag.”
Those able to smuggle arms naturally had profound backgrounds.
Survivors wielding this false identity could boast and indirectly resolve many issues, gaining a lot of conveniences.
Hun Tong coughed slightly, “To be honest, it is because of this identity that I think you are better suited to join my Twin Eyes Island.”
“Isn’t this the best place for what you might want to sell?”
“Of course, I know, you have your original channels and buyers who need shipments.”
“Twin Eyes Island can still aid you. In the future, I plan to turn it into a regional transportation hub.”
“Moreover, I believe that Commander Long Fu’s strength is sufficient to ensure your operations.”
“Lion Flag, the real reason I came this time, is to recruit you!”
Hun Tong was a clever man.
If he weren’t clever, he wouldn’t have started from scratch and turned Twin Eyes Island into a major commercial hub.
Like a Pharmacist, this chaotic battle also brought him a lot of intangible wealth.
For instance, he clearly recognized the weakest link within his territory—
He lacked subordinates capable of standing alone!
His own combat strength wasn’t enough; he needed more people to secure this foundation.
Such subordinates must at least be of Silver Level.
But just possessing a life rank wasn’t sufficient.
They needed to be elite in their own right!
Previously, Hun Tong felt having four Silver Level under him was strong.
Now, Hun Tong had a new realization: the quality of Silver Level subordinates was far more important than their quantity!
During crises, having many Silver Levels was useless. Sometimes, if their quality was poor, it could even cause adverse effects.
Take, for example, his previous City Guard Commander.
This guy, taking advantage of the gaps when Lord Hun Tong was guarding the auction house and not in the barracks, went out to have fun.
He ended up being killed one-on-one by a Silver Level Fishman named Dao Hen.
With his death, the City Guard lost its commander, and its combat effectiveness significantly decreased. Throughout the chaos, the City Guard took many more hits than they delivered.
Besides, there were the Alchemist and Pharmacist, who together, even two against one, couldn’t beat a single Fishman Spellcaster. It was truly shame-inducing for the Human Race.
Hearing that Hun Tong had primarily come for him, Zong Ge slightly raised his eyebrows but did not speak, quietly waiting for what came next.
Hun Tong then praised, “Lion Flag, you possess the peak Silver Level life rank, your Fighting Energy already has a Gold sheen, becoming Golden Level is only a matter of time.”
“You are of the Human Race, your Bloodline is excellent, at least capable of supporting you in reaching the Golden Level, are you willing to submit to a Silver Level Dragon-man?”
“Your combat skills were evident to me after the battle with Rou Cang and the recent chaos.”
“You also have a talent for training troops.”
At this point, Hun Tong paused, then smiled, “The Fast Blade squad was organized and trained by you.”
“Truly incredible!”
“They once fought a Silver Level Fishman to a standstill on the docks.”
“When I learned how recently this squad had been formed, I could hardly believe.”
“In such a short time, to have trained them to this level, your talent truly astonishes me.”
“Lion Flag, oh, Lion Flag.”
“With such competence, yet only being a smuggler, don’t you find it too regrettable?”
“Even as an outsider, I deeply pity you.”
Hun Tong’s expression and tone were earnest.
But Zong Ge remained calm, just as before.
Hun Tong smiled slightly and threw out the real bargaining chip, “Are you really comfortable in the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps? You searched tirelessly for healing potions, only to buy a Golden Level Healing Potion at the auction.”
“Look, this is all the support the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps has given you.”
“But if you join my territory, should there be another situation where a Golden Level Healing Potion is needed, I will supply it to you immediately!”
“Your annual salary will be 500,000 Gold Coins!”
500,000 Gold was much more than the usual salary.
“Just serve as the Commander of the City Guard on Twin Eyes Island for three years, just three years, and I will make arrangements for the Empire to grant you the title of baron!” Hun Tong continued.
Zong Ge couldn’t help but be moved.
A title!
Hun Tong was really going all out with such a significant lure.
It was not easy to be granted a title by the Holy Bright Empire; many knights struggled their whole lives without ever securing one.
Titles in the Holy Bright Empire were highly treasured.
But Zong Ge shook his head, his tone steady, and directly said, “Honestly, I am not optimistic about the prospects of Twin Eyes Island.”
“First, the Fishmen have not been completely eradicated. Give them some time, and this Fishman Tribe will certainly reproduce and grow strong again. I see their determination; they will not give up their former homeland. That means the war today will be repeated in the future.”
“Second, Lord Hun Tong, in this war, you suddenly turned traitor and used demon energy ships to fire upon allies, causing immense casualties and losses. The other forces might be manageable, but how will you handle the five major Guilds?”
“Third, an Undead Mage appeared in the chaotic battle. Combining this with the previous incidents of Undead Mages on the island, it’s likely to trigger a follow-up investigation by the Empire. It would have been better if you could have killed this Undead Mage earlier.”
If it were Cang Xu or Zi Di speaking, they would certainly have said this more subtly or diplomatically.
But Zong Ge was straightforward and could offend a Lord with a bad temper instantly.
Hun Tong, however, laughed heartily, “Your concerns are not enough to trouble me.”
“Firstly, the Fishman Tribe is no longer a concern. Because Twin Eyes Island has been requisitioned by the Empire, it will serve as a transportation hub. It will be an essential point on a maritime transport line. By then, the Imperial Navy will guard it, and even if the Fishman Tribe reproduces and grows, they won’t be able to threaten my territory.”
“Secondly, my performance on the battlefield… ahem, I must say, the Fishmen are really cunning. They used the Devil’s Coin. I was unfortunately caught.”
The truth about the Devil’s Coin was something Hun Tong learned from the old Clan Leader of the Fishmen.
At the time, he had even given a thumbs up and sincerely praised it.
Now, when talking about it, Hun Tong’s teeth itched with hatred.
A sharp gleam passed through Zong Ge’s eyes, “What coin?”
Hun Tong then explained the information about the coin in detail.
Zong Ge then understood.
At this moment, he finally understood the reason behind their betrayal—Zong Ge, Zi Di, and Cang Xu.
“So it was because of those 50,000 gold coins.”
“This money passed through our hands, and most of it ended up in Hun Tong’s hands, and it caught him.”
“If he knew this truth, I wonder how he would feel?”
Hun Tong continued, “Although it’s true that I caused harm to friendly forces, it was not my intention. I was influenced by external forces, and this is well known.”
“Of course, the five major Guilds are indeed difficult to handle.”
“They are troublesome.”
“So, I have also made adequate preparations. For these traders, I will offer them a satisfactory compensation.”
“Don’t worry about the money,” Hun Tong laughed confidently and smugly, “currently, the seabed near the new island is filled with treasures left by pirates.”
“My underground surveyor puppets have already dived into the seabed and searched everywhere.”
“Others, of course, also want to grab this money, but my Golden Shiny is monitoring all coastlines. ”
“This money is war spoils; by the laws of the Empire, it’s mine!”
“I only need to give out a small part to satisfy the five major Guilds.”
Zong Ge remained silent.
He knew that Zi Di had already taken the treasures from the seabed.
In terms of scouring seabed resources, the Deep Sea Salvagers were far superior to underground surveyors!
Hun Tong’s beautiful dream was about to be shattered.
Zong Ge looked at the Twin Eyes Island Lord, who talked on and on before him, and couldn’t help but feel a little pity.
Hun Tong didn’t realize and continued speaking, “As for the third point, that Undead Mage… clearly, he was a hidden power of the Fishmen. This damned seafaring scum actually colluded with an Undead Mage. So, the Undead Mage who appeared on the island earlier was also definitely one of their own, intending to destroy Twin Eyes Island in advance.”
“I am clean; I am not afraid of any investigation.”
“It’s not a big deal.”
Hun Tong also had an important reason he hadn’t told Zong Ge.
That was Cang Xu, that fish, was a target of the empire’s spies. They wanted to cast a long line to catch a big fish.
In the previous chaos, Hun Tong had also refrained from taking harsh action against Cang Xu.
After all, he had many collaborations with the empire’s spies.
If the Empire conducted a possible investigation in the future, he had the empire’s spies to help explain.
So, he was not panicked at all.