Chapter 740: Section 528: Not Shelter but Cooperation!
In the business negotiation, Mian Licang took the initiative to attack for the first time.
The moment to test Zi Di had arrived!
Zi Di, well-versed in the art of negotiation, knew she must not be hasty or lose her composure at this moment.
Instead of explaining right away, she calmly took a sip of tea. Then, under Mian Licang’s interested gaze, she leisurely set down her teacup.
Then she said, "Just as Mr. Mian Licang has pointed out, the situation of my group is indeed as such."
"To be frank, prior to this, there were three Golden Level individuals planning to ambush us."
"They are the Gang Leader of the Axe Gang, Lin from Ice Spear City, and Jia Bing from Grafting Town."
"The circumstances of that battle were the most ferocious; even now, thinking back on it sends a chill down my spine."
Zi Di did not elaborate on the details of the battle, as doing so would pique Mian Licang’s interest even more.
This was a card up the Dragon Lion Mercenary Group’s sleeve.
A significant card!
Zong Ge was filled with anticipation.
However, Mian Licang showed no sign of surprise or shock. He smiled and said warmly, "The combined forces of three Golden Levels are indeed chilling just to imagine."
"The combat prowess of your group is also astonishing."
"But I imagine such extraordinary measures must be rare; using it once means one less use, and perhaps they cannot withstand the light of day?"
"If not, I can’t understand why Long Fu, the squad leader, did not use it in his duel with Teng Donglang."
"Or perhaps, the conditions for using such means are extremely stringent, and difficult to meet in real combat?"
Zong Ge felt a sinking feeling. Mian Licang did not exhibit the reaction he had anticipated; he had known this news all along.
But previously, he had not mentioned it. He had been waiting, waiting for the Dragon Lion Mercenary Group to reveal this card.
"This old fox," Zong Ge cursed inwardly.
He immediately understood that Mian Licang had intentionally shown a weakness, baiting Zi Di to reveal this card.
Yet he was well-prepared, almost rendering this card ineffective, and even affecting the mental state of Zi Di and Zong Ge!
A glimmer of sharpness flickered in Mian Licang’s eyes. He said, "Oh, by the way, perhaps you are not yet aware. Just recently, your group’s branch at Snowbird Port was attacked by a mysterious force. Your flagship and alchemy workshop both suffered attacks and seem to have had significant losses!"
"What?!" Zi Di exclaimed softly, standing up instinctively.
Zong Ge’s complexion turned grave in an instant.
Wooo wooo wooo...
The violent winds mixed with the blizzard beat against the windows.
Having said that, Mian Licang turned to look outside, his attitude composed.
The heavy snow outside had obscured normal vision, blanketing the rooftops of the numerous snow houses in white.
Zi Di had not anticipated Mian Licang’s proactive attack to be not just a one-off, but a series of connected, blow-after-blow moves.
Learning of the attack on the Snowbird Port branch, both of their psyches were inevitably shaken.
At this moment, Zi Di and Zong Ge were utterly at a disadvantage.
They keenly felt the strength of the Lijian family, which at this moment was fully apparent in communication.
After a moment of silence, Zi Di took a deep breath, her demeanor utterly sincere as she locked eyes with Mian Licang. "We are actually quite aggrieved, having no idea why such a formidable enemy would target us. That is precisely why we came to Ice House City, to seek a deep cooperation with your noble family."
Mian Licang gave a slight smile. "Miss Yao Ma, are you sure you’re here to seek cooperation, and not the protection of my family?"
His tone was light, but his words were sharp as a razor.
If Zi Di did not handle this correctly, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps would become completely subordinate, with the Lijian family as the dominant party.
This negotiation, if continued, might even evolve into a dependency, causing the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps to lose any initiative completely.
Zi Di’s expression remained calm, her voice steady, "If we were just a mercenary group, coming here to visit you, it would certainly be to seek the protection of nobles."
"But we are not."
"Since the Clan Leader is so well informed about our situation, I believe you also understand our true identity."
The smile faded from Mian Licang’s eyes, but more of it appeared on his face.
This time, it was his turn to stay silent. Just like Zi Di had done earlier, he took a sip of tea and then leaned back in his chair, looking leisurely out the window.
Outside, the sky was gloomy, the storm turbulent. Even the houses made of ice across the street were obscured.
Just like Mian Licang could not see the true background of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Group!
Indeed, what Mian Licang truly feared was the background of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Group.
Rumors had always persisted that the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps was actually a group of military smugglers. They had emerged so abruptly, and their actions far exceeded the ordinary, which perfectly explained all the strangeness.
Including the actions of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps at Snowbird Port, especially their layout in business, easily bringing out Dragon Power Riding Potions to open up the Kingdom’s market... Mian Licang personally leaned towards this interpretation.
However, according to the abilities of the Lijian family, no matter how hard they tried, they could not find out which arms manufacturer stood behind the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
You should know, an entity capable of mass-producing arms and able to smuggle them, couldn’t possibly be just a Gold Level.
At the very least, a Holy Domain!
And at Holy Domain Level, in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, that already counted among the strongest tier.
What’s more important, not only could the Lijian family not trace the background of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, but they couldn’t even find the slightest clue.
"Perhaps, there isn’t any arms dealer behind them at all!" one of the family elders of the Lijian family conjectured.
"But how is that possible?!" Mian Licang scoffed at this guess.
Where did these people in Long Fu come from?
The identities of Long Fu and Lion Flag, both were fake. There was no certification from the Mercenary Guild!
The Lijian family exhausted all their effort but still couldn’t uncover their true identities.
If they were just ordinary Silver Levels, so be it.
But they weren’t!
A Long Fu, capable of slaying Gold Levels as a Silver Level. Such a combat record, one would hardly see in a century.
A Lion Flag, although Silver Level, had Fighting energy gleaming with a Gold luster. Meaning, they were half a step into the Gold Level.
Is this an ordinary Silver Level?
What kind of force could bring forth such Silver Levels?
Mian Licang knew full well, even the Lijian family he controlled definitely couldn’t produce such figures!
Looking again at the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ journey, through battles across Snake Rat Island, Twin Eyes Island, Songfeng Island, they were never once stumped, never suffered a battle that caused them heavy losses or struck a blow to their foundation.
Instead, they grew day by day, gaining strength, their team size inflating like a balloon.
Within a few months, this rate of development was too rapid, could they just be a mercenary group?
Clearly, a powerful force was helping them in the background. They themselves harbored many hidden cards, with extraordinary combat methods. Thus, they made their way to the Ice Sculpture Kingdom.
As soon as they arrived at Snowbird Port, good lord, they directly took down the underground hegemon of Snowbird Port, killing the Saber Gang Leader in public. The entire Saber Gang was upturned.
As a result of this battle, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ fame spread throughout the Kingdom.
What kind of strategy is this?
This strategy, Mian Licang was all too familiar with.
In a kingdom like the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, with a dense atmosphere of dueling, anyone with real combat ability and desire for fame and fortune would mostly choose to gain fame through valiant dueling.
Wasn’t Yun Zhong known for this very reason?
Mei Lin of the First Navy, didn’t she prove her worthiness of a leader’s position through a series of dueling victories?
That terrifying Long Meng, recognized as the first Gold Level strongman, didn’t he prove himself in the dueling field?
Mian Licang believed, "When Long Fu openly challenged Teng Donglang, the public thought the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps was the weaker side. But in fact, the Saber Gang was deliberately selected as prey!"
With such a thought, when Mian Licang watched the duel footage between Long Fu and Teng Donglang again, he felt it was even more of a farce. The scene of Long Fu’s "difficult" victory over Teng Donglang seemed too fake!
Afterward, upon learning that Long Fu had counterattacked and killed three Gold Levels, he was even more convinced that Long Fu’s victory over Teng Donglang could very well have been a deep and profound performance.
It was because of such combat capability that Mian Licang arranged this meeting as soon as the two visited.
This is a world of the strong.
Mian Licang felt that he must give Zong Ge, Zi Di, and their party ample respect!
Zi Di mentioned the background of the arms dealer, which plunged Mian Licang into silence for a while.
After looking out at the snowy view from the window, the current clan leader of the Lijian family finally looked at the two and said, "Since you have a profound background and capable methods, why seek out my family’s help with a proactive visit? Without the Lijian family, you can handle tough adversaries, can’t you?"
Zi Di spread her hands and replied with a wry smile, "Mr. Mian Licang, as you know: we are here to do business. That’s why we used Dragon Power Riding Potions to first open up the market, establish a sales channel, then subsequently engage in arms dealing."
"The squad leader and the vice captain are all meticulously selected. Our squad leader is capable of overpowering stronger opponents, while the vice captain is at the Quasi-Gold Level. If we deployed Gold-Level combatants here, it would be very inconvenient for us to act."
A perfect explanation!
At this point, Zi Di couldn’t help but feel fortunate; the arms dealer’s excuse was truly perfect, very practical.
Who knows which genius came up with it?
Zi Di continued, "So, as I said before, our visit to you this time is to seek cooperation, not protection."
"Cooperating with nobles was actually outside our plans. I prefer to believe, this is a wonderful encounter of fate. If we can overcome this difficulty with the help of the nobles, that would be ideal. I believe, our subsequent collaboration will surely yield a much more expansive and profitable future."
"Oh, explain that in more detail?" Mian Licang said.
Zi Di directly took out a document, placed it on the coffee table, then slid it towards Mian Licang.
Mian Licang picked up the teacup with one hand, and with the other, he took the document, using Mage’s Hand to help flip through the pages, and after a few pages, his expression gradually changed.
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