Chapter 784: Section 572: Tan Mo Being Difficult
For this negotiation, both Hun Tong and Nei Diao showed complete sincerity.
A battle of wits thus unfolded, with both sides taking turns advancing and retreating, and after more than an hour, they finally reached an agreement.
The outcome was as follows:
The Justice Sect funded 12,000 Gold Coins in exchange for Hun Tong’s support in future missionary work.
There was no priority in missionary rights, and the church construction was to be located within a designated area on Twin Eyes Island.
They managed to reserve the church district.
In summary, this was a victory for the Justice Sect!
After all, Hun Tong had shown a weakness; he desperately needed to get through this investigation. The external situation put him in a severely passive position.
Of course, the Justice Sect also paid a price.
The 12,000 Gold Coins they paid were a sponsorship, not a loan, which meant—it was a gift, Hun Tong would never repay.
After this negotiation.
Privately, Guang Ke asked Nei Diao, “Bishop, the total funds we brought for church expansion this time were only 20,000 Gold Coins.”
“Now half of it has been given away, how much money is left for missionary work?”
“Don’t forget, the construction of the church is also a huge expenditure.”
Nei Diao smiled, “Don’t worry, this time it’s definitely worth more than what we paid.”
“With Hun Tong’s inclination and assistance, we’re bound to carve a piece out of the wealth district.”
“As for funding, it indeed isn’t sufficient.”
“But no worries, I’ve already thought of a solution.”
“Oh, what is it?” Guang Ke asked.
Nei Diao looked at him, “We owe this to you. Before this, you secured the secular Lord’s approval on Snake Rat Island to establish a church district.”
“Snake Rat Island and Twin Eyes Island are very close. Our two church districts can be considered as one.”
“In the future, we can collect some religious taxes from Snake Rat Island to fund the church construction on Twin Eyes Island.”
“Of course, we will still lack funds, and we’ll go through a relatively tough period of expansion.”
“But no matter how tough, what does it matter for the cause of our Lord?”
Guang Ke’s expression turned serious, “Exactly, as long as it can expand the cause of our Lord, I will always remain loyal and dedicated, no hardship is too great.”
Nei Diao laughed heartily and patted Guang Ke’s shoulder, “Actually, there are other solutions.”
“Didn’t you personally convert a mercenary squad leader?”
“His name is Long Fu, right?”
“From what I understand, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps were the most outstanding in the Fishman defense battle.”
“These people have deep backgrounds and are wealthy; they were the profit-making side in the Fishman battle, and when they left the island, they even bought the demon energy ship Bandage No.”
“See if you can contact them?”
“Could they contribute some funds?”
Guang Ke suddenly recalled the Dragon-man youth’s appearance, smiled and said, “More than just the Fishman defense battle, they were outstanding already when we fought together against the Rou Cang pirate group on Snake Rat Island.”
“We could even say that without their participation, we would have lost that naval battle!”
“Long Fu is an impressive young man who joined our church willingly, has great insight and his own understanding of the doctrine.”
“I believe, with the right guidance, he will definitely be a devoted Believer, becoming a key figure in our Lord’s cause!”
“If they are still active nearby, I can try to contact them.”
The Dragon-man youth left a deep impression on Guang Ke.
And it was a good impression.
Moreover, the time they had been apart was not long.
But Guang Ke had not expected that, although they had not been parted for long, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps had undergone significant enhancement and transformation during this time.
The Dragon-man youth he held in his mind had transformed into a Fishman youth.
Whooosh, whooosh, whooosh.
The sound of turbulent seawater filled his ears.
The Fishman youth kept sinking into the sea.
“This place…”
“I’ve dreamed of it again.”
He looked around, already quite familiar with this dream realm.
Seawater, whirlpools.
“So it seems, I’ve prayed again in my sleep?”
The Fishman youth, though aware of his real situation, had very slow thoughts, much slower than usual.
“Wait, what’s that?”
The Fishman youth, as he sank to new depths of the seabed, noticed a huge shadow hidden in the giant whirlpool.
The shadow loomed like a mountain, and he was gradually sinking toward it.
The next moment, the Fishman youth suddenly opened his eyes and struggled awake from his sleep.
Whoo, whoo…
He gasped for air, his rapidly beating heart slowly calming down.
“Fighting Wave Fishman Bloodline… concentration has broken through to 67%.”
The Fishman youth had been anticipating this.
This was a significant achievement!
According to the characteristics of the Fighting Wave Fishman Bloodline, reaching a concentration of 60% was sufficient to advance to the Holy Domain Level!
Originally, the Level limit of the Fishman youth was the Golden Level, but now the space for his future had expanded once more.
The anticipation had been realized, but there was little joy in the heart of the Fishman youth.
He couldn’t help but recall the deep depths of the great whirlpool at sea, that huge mysterious shadow.
“What exactly is that?”
“According to the records in the Magic Image, when I pray in my dreams, Divine Arts such as Spiritual Navigation are cast upon me.”
“Could it be that the huge mysterious shadow is the true form of Mei Lan deity?”
“I am getting closer to Him!”
With this thought, the joy in the Fishman youth’s heart was completely washed away, replaced instead by threads of chill.
Tan Mo also showed a chill in his eyes as he looked at Yan Yi.
He thought for a long time but couldn’t come up with a good solution. Tu Ji was like a giant boulder blocking the road, severely squeezing the space in which he could maneuver.
It wasn’t that there were no ways to bypass Tu Ji, but the expected outcome from using these methods to solicit bribes was not satisfactory to Tan Mo.
As Hun Tong saw him, he was naturally greedy and would never settle for such a harvest.
Therefore, he took the initiative and approached Yan Yi privately.
“Let’s have a good talk about Hun Tong.”
“You have been in charge here for many years and are a relative of Hun Tong—you must know him well.”
“How many handles do you have on him?”
Tan Mo dropped his pretense, openly expressing his needs, his tone and expression very assertive.
After all, he was a Golden Level, while Yan Yi was merely a Bronze Level.
There was no need to be polite!
Being too polite, for a Golden Level, is only a demotion of status, a self-inflicted humiliation.
Yan Yi looked troubled, “Lord Tan Mo, as you just said, I and Lord Hun Tong are relatives.”
“Why should I collect compromising material on him?”
“Even if I did collect it, I couldn’t possibly sell them as commodities.”
“If I betray my own kin, how would the people around me, my subordinates, and my superiors view me?”
“I would absolutely never do such a traitorous act!”
Yan Yi was very straightforward and firm in his refusal.
“Hahaha.” Tan Mo gave a cold laugh, glancing out the window at the sea view for a while before turning around and saying, “Yan Yi, you really stick to your principles, and I admire that.”
“You also have quite the method. Codenamed ‘Return Delusion,’ the spy Qing Xin, who was originally prepared to take over your position, ended up being sent to the side of an Undead Mage. The entire process was reasonable and flawless.”
“But Yan Yi, although this affair was very standard, do you think that just because it complied with regulations, the higher-ups would have no opinions or views about you?”
Yan Yi’s expression changed.
Tan Mo’s voice continued to enter Yan Yi’s ears, ice-cold, “You are merely Bronze Level, yet you have held great authority until now.”
“The taste of power is so delightful that it has ensnared you completely.”
“Perhaps it has also blinded you, making you think you are very powerful?”
“Can you really see your own situation clearly, perceive the reality?”
“Let me give you a small example.”
A hint of murderous intent appeared in Tan Mo’s expression, “I could kill you in less than a second!”
Yan Yi clenched his teeth tightly, fists clenched, his face deathly pale.
Within just a minute, his forehead was covered with cold sweat.
Seeing his perseverance, a hint of different emotion flashed in Tan Mo’s eyes.
However, the intimidation was sufficient for now, but there was no need to force things. Taking it slow would yield a better effect.
“Think about it carefully. I am a reasonable man,” Tan Mo eased a hand.
Yan Yi left with a distressed face.
A few hours later, he took the initiative to find Tan Mo, his face pale, “I’ve reviewed past situations, and indeed there are some aspects that could be exploited.”
“But, I don’t want to just hand them directly to you.”
“Lord Tan Mo, as you know, I’m only a Bronze Level.”
“If I directly hand over the information to you, my career would be over.”
“Because not only would I be using my information for personal gain, but I would also be framing my own kin.”
This is a world dominated by the powerful.
The foundation of power lies in Bloodline.
A Bloodline naturally brings strong connections and strong identification with relatives.
Therefore, framing one’s own kin is highly disgraceful and despised by everyone.
It was normal that Yan Yi had such concerns.
“Are you suggesting you want to use a clever way to let me ‘discover’ this information by myself?” Tan Mo laughed lightly.
He did not hide his scoffing tone.
In his view, this was purely unnecessary—the equivalent of redundancy.
Such attempts at concealment were essentially futile. Those in high positions often judge actions by their outcomes; Yan Yi’s concealment was at best a transparent veil, likely capable only of deceiving himself, certainly fooling no one else.
“Alright, let me ‘discover’ that information on my own then,” Tan Mo nodded, deciding to play along, to gain Yan Yi’s cooperation.
Tan Mo had no intention of aiding Yan Yi.
Yan Yi was just a Bronze Level mire—he and Yan Yi shared none of the false sentimentality. Yan Yi himself held no value worth helping.
Moreover, if he sympathized with Yan Yi, how could Tan Mo sacrifice Yan Yi to extort Hun Tong?
Yan Yi looked distressed, struggling for himself, “I need to act as a middleman, helping you, Lord Tan Mo, and Lord Hun Tong with the subsequent negotiations.”
Tan Mo also agreed to this option, while sneering inwardly: No matter how much you take part, whatever innocent front you put up, it’s all futile.