Chapter 890: Chapter 678: Scheming and Strife
“Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps?” The City Lord of Snowbird Port looked astonished.
His first reaction was: “Could it be that Sleepy’s Holy Domain Level secret has been exposed?”
The greatest gain for the City Lord of Snowbird Port from this banquet with Tan Mo was to fully recognize Tan Mo’s investigative ability.
Of course, as an investigator, Tan Mo himself had high authority, able to utilize the power of the Secret Spy Organization for investigations. This undoubtedly amplified his capabilities.
As for why Tan Mo could employ the spy forces at Snowbird Port, this involved factions within the Secret Spy Organization.
The code name for the City Lord of Snowbird Port is [Turn Over]; he is not a native of the Empire, but a noble from the Ice Sculpture Kingdom who was turned by [Coup].
He, along with [Coup] and Mei Landu, is considered a member of the Foreign Faction.
Tan Mo is not.
He is a native of the Holy Bright Empire, having undergone long-term secret training, and is part of the local faction.
Lan Zao, pseudonym Hen Fa, is also an outsider. Though trained, the time was shorter, unmistakably part of the Foreign Faction.
The one framed by the City Lord of Snowbird Port is [Golden Hand], a spy from the local faction.
The Imperial Spy Organization placed [Golden Hand] around the City Lord of Snowbird Port, aiming deep intentions.
But Golden Hand died, right after submitting a report against the City Lord of Snowbird Port.
This triggered the subsequent action of dispatching an investigator by the Imperial Spy Organization.
Tan Mo himself had outstanding investigative talent. He could see through disguises and find the right direction from complex surface clues.
At Snowbird Port, he utilized the local faction’s spy forces.
The combination allowed him to uncover many secrets in a short time.
Not only at Snowbird Port, but even more local faction spies on Wind Revival Island.
The empire’s spy code-named [Revival] is part of the local faction. The castle he built on Wind Revival Island is like a hidden wedge, keeping an eye on Ice Sculpture Island.
“Can Tan Mo uncover the matter of Sleepy?” The City Lord of Snowbird Port had asked himself this early on.
The answer is yes.
Because Da Dou, the big guy, and others were not captured by the City Lord of Snowbird Port personally, but involved Revival and others. The capture happened at Magnetic Island.
Revival, being part of the local faction, and Tan Mo are truly his own people.
In rank, the City Lord of Snowbird Port is higher than [Revival]. But ultimately, he still needed to use the hand of [Revival] and others to bring the big guy back.
Where is Revival’s loyalty?
Not speaking of loyalty, just speaking of closeness, Revival is certainly closer to Tan Mo!
Therefore, the City Lord of Snowbird Port had mentally prepared for this.
He hoped to procrastinate, trying to cover up this major secret, then swiftly handle the investigation, aiming to send Tan Mo away before he notices.
Now, hearing Tan Mo mention Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, the City Lord of Snowbird Port instantly felt exposed.
Yet, he didn’t show anything, not a hint of urgency.
The City Lord stared at his wine glass, his thoughts fiercely churned in his mind for a few seconds, considering many things.
Eventually, he raised his eyes to look at Tan Mo, seated opposite him.
In a calm tone, the City Lord of Snowbird Port said: “The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps is quite important. I’ve already invested a lot of resources and effort in them to investigate the arms dealers behind them.”
“This is my most important source of merit. You want to share…”
At this point, the City Lord slightly shook his head.
But he didn’t show a strong refusal posture, instead calculating interests: “If you decide to get involved, then what we discussed earlier doesn’t count; it needs to be renegotiated.”
Tan Mo remained silent.
In fact, he had not yet discovered anything about the big guy. The conjecture regarding the big guy’s Bloodline was already there from [Revival], but Tan Mo hadn’t touched it yet.
The reason is quite simple, somewhat ironic.
That is, Tan Mo’s greed and reputation for extortion have spread widely, deeply ingrained!
Even with the local faction, Revival needs to ensure a good relationship with Tan Mo and that he can survive this investigation before proceeding to the next deeper contact.
Only at that point might Tan Mo touch the big guy’s secret.
Tan Mo’s investigative focus had never been the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
In his mind, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps was just a representative of arms dealers, and with good luck, picked up a great gain from the naval battle at Twin Eyes Island.
From start to finish, what Tan Mo wanted was to seize this wealth from the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
Certainly, once he investigates the big guy’s secret, he would never think this way.
For a Holy Domain Level seed and the wealth of Twin Eyes Island, even a fool knows how to choose!
Tan Mo thought for a moment, deliberately slowed his speech. He changed his usual leisurely demeanor to seriousness and solemnity. He was striving to demonstrate his sincerity, indicating that the next words came entirely from his heart: “There is a piece of news, which you may not be aware of, City Lord.”
Tan Mo revealed Yan Yi’s speculation—that the wealth of Twin Eyes Island ultimately ended in the hands of Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
“Such a thing?” The City Lord of Snowbird Port was surprised, sighed, “Seems like Yan Yi hid quite a lot from me.”
In terms of rank, Yan Yi is naturally far behind the City Lord.
But he is not subordinate to the City Lord of Snowbird Port. In this restriction, he is more free than [Revival]. Although Revival is part of the local faction, his authority is under [Coup]’s control, and also controlled by the City Lord of Snowbird Port.
A crucial point is that Yan Yi is from the Empire.
Twin Eyes Island is originally imperial territory, claimed by Hun Tong. Hence, Yan Yi belongs to the Empire’s local faction spies.
From this aspect, it is not surprising that Yan Yi hid this from the City Lord of Snowbird Port.
Tan Mo chuckled: “After arriving here, I sent out investigations. Currently, it’s confirmed that after arriving at port, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps did indeed sell a large amount of ancient paintings and such.”
This is indeed a fact.
After arriving at Snowbird Port, the survivors resold many items, regained funds. Especially ancient paintings, often took time to sell.
Following that, when survivors engaged in the potions business, part of the starting capital came from here.
“So, I am quite interested in the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.” Tan Mo concluded.
Once again, the City Lord of Snowbird Port fell into silence.
His probing yielded a favorable result.
He internally rejoiced: “Tan Mo does not know the secret of Sleepy’s Holy Domain Bloodline!”
This undoubtedly leaves him enormous room to act.
“I must seize it.”
Surface-wise, the City Lord of Snowbird Port remained composed: “I see.”
“You want to handle the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps for the wealth of Twin Eyes Island.”
“I want to get closer to the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps to bait out the people behind them.”
“Perhaps, we don’t conflict.”
Tan Mo couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
He felt his intention had been clear.
He intends to move against the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps!
He has successfully extorted, pressing the advantage over the City Lord of Snowbird Port.
He wants the City Lord of Snowbird Port to take action; as a local tyrant, it should be easy for him to deal with the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps!
Tan Mo himself will not make a move.
But it seems that the Snowbird Port City Lord understood Tan Mo’s intention, yet had a different plan.
“What better idea do you have for the future?” Tan Mo inquired.
The Snowbird Port City Lord continued, “You want money, I want people, there is no conflict between us.”
The Snowbird Port City Lord would surely not directly confront the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps!
On one hand, he indeed wants to continue hanging on to the arms dealer behind the scenes. On the other hand, he doesn’t want a big confrontation. Because the more action, the more exposure. Once Tan Mo discovers the big guy’s secret, the Snowbird Port City Lord would suffer the greatest loss!
Seeing the Snowbird Port City Lord emphasizing a second time, Tan Mo understood more clearly that the latter seemed to have a new idea.
Tan Mo expressed a willingness to hear it in detail.
However, the Snowbird Port City Lord changed the subject: “Do you know? Da Han, leading many pirates, has already pressed against our sea defense line.”
Tan Mo immediately responded: “Of course, that’s the most explosive news currently.”
The Snowbird Port City Lord said, “The defense line that the pirates are attacking belongs to the kingdom’s Second Navy. According to my guess, Feng Lian, concerned about the conflict with the Lijian family, actively lured Da Han to it.”
“Moreover, I believe that in this battle, the Second Navy fleet is very likely to be defeated.”
Tan Mo immediately expressed doubt: “On the pirate side, there is only Da Han who is Holy Domain Level, although he has a Holy Domain Level Magic Beast. But we all know that the combat methods of Magic Beasts are limited, and their intelligence is weak, at most they count as half a Holy Domain.”
“And the Ice Sculpture Kingdom has three Holy Domain Mages, they don’t all need to fight, just two would establish battlefield dominance.”
Compared to the Snowbird Port City Lord, Tan Mo had more confidence in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom.
But the Snowbird Port City Lord laughed: “Lord Tan Mo, you don’t know the inside story.”
“The political atmosphere on the kingdom’s side is somewhat subtle.”
“The Royal Archmage and the King have conflicting political views. As you know, the current sovereign is only Holy Domain Level, and so is the Royal Archmage. Moreover, the archmage’s Lijian family is the most powerful noble family in our country.”
Tan Mo slightly frowned, he picked up on it—the Ice Sculpture Kingdom has fierce internal political power struggles.
The King wants the Royal Archmage to make a move, preferably to be injured after repelling Da Han and then return to recuperate.
Once this happens, the King can spread his wings and implement his political plans to break the current state of affairs.
Conversely, the Royal Archmage also has similar ideas.
The King represents not only himself but the interests of the Royal Family and the Kingdom. The Royal Archmage wants to defend his political ideals and the interests of his bloodline family, the Lijian family.
“Then what about the White Dragon King?” Tan Mo asked.
The third Holy Domain Level being in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom is the highest leader of the White Dragon Clan—a Holy Domain Level White Dragon King.
The Snowbird Port City Lord replied, “The current White Dragon King always stays hidden, does not like mundane affairs, usually likes to hibernate in a cave, and rarely appears, not caring about these matters.”
“According to the royal alliance agreement, there is indeed an opportunity for the kingdom to call on the White Dragon King to take action, but definitely not now.”
The seas around Ice Sculpture Island are dangerous, and the navy being attacked does not yet warrant deploying a Holy Domain Level card like the White Dragon King.
After all, they are only allies, akin to guests.
How can the host stand aside and let the guest act first?
Tan Mo’s eyes lit up: “So, you think that the three Holy Domain Mages of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom will not take action?”
The Snowbird Port City Lord expressed his guess, “There will certainly be action, but it’s very unlikely to be at sea.”
“In naval combat, the pirate side can advance or retreat at ease, and they are living and thriving at sea, which is their most fitting battlefield environment.”
“We speculate that Da Han craves the resources of the Ten-thousand-year-old Ice Lake, and will definitely land on the island!”
“This way, why not set the battlefield directly in the Royal Capital? The three Holy Domains would have a very strong home-ground advantage. After defeating Da Han, his difficulty in fleeing would greatly increase. Perhaps, this battle could even slay Da Han, greatly boosting the national spirit.”
“Of course, there are also downsides. Once the Holy Domain Levels engage in battle, the Royal Capital would undeniably suffer heavy losses.”
Tan Mo nodded: “Your analysis is very reasonable.”
He greatly acknowledged the Snowbird Port City Lord’s hypothesis.
The reason is simple and straightforward—this is a world of the strong!
No matter how many soldiers die, or how much wealth is lost, it will not shake the foundation of power.
Because the real foundation lies with the strong themselves.
Specifically for the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, it’s the three Holy Domain Levels—the King, the Archmage, and the White Dragon King.
Conversely, if they get injured, it will immediately shake their respective forces and cause them to retreat and narrow on all fronts.
The more severely they are injured, the greater the loss to their forces!
This is why, after Da Han’s provocation, the three Holy Domain Levels of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom have remained silent.
As the foundation of their factions, they must be exceptionally cautious; they have no choice.
By this point in the conversation, Tan Mo vaguely guessed what the Snowbird Port City Lord might be thinking.
He directly asked, “Do you want to pretend to be pirates and attack the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps?”
Speaking with a smart person is indeed efficient and effortless.
Once again, the Snowbird Port City Lord realized: although Tan Mo is insatiably greedy, he is also capable!
That is indeed his plan.
Since it has already been analyzed that the kingdom’s three Holy Domain Levels would be quite cautious and likely not appear at sea, then the defeat of the Second Navy fleet is certain.
When the time comes, the maritime defense line will surely be breached!
The coastal areas of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom are likely to suffer harassment by pirates.
At this stage, directly impersonating pirates and attacking Snowbird Port comes with many benefits!
The first benefit, the Snowbird Port City Lord is not loyal to the Ice Sculpture Kingdom; he is a member of the Imperial Spy Organization. Under the guise of being pirates, he can directly eliminate numerous lower and middle levels, then take the opportunity to insert a large number of spy personnel.
The second benefit, playing the pirate role and quickly taking the island will greatly reduce the value of Snowbird Port in the eyes of Da Han and others. What value could a Snowbird Port that has already been plundered hold? And Snowbird Port is only one of the eight major trade ports of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom.
The third benefit, pretending to be pirates attacking the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps satisfies Tan Mo and can continue the Snowbird Port City Lord’s plan. At that time, after the Snowbird Port City Lord comes to the rescue and “repels” the “pirates”, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, who had their wealth stolen, will greatly appreciate the Snowbird Port City Lord!
Receiving the confirmation from the Snowbird Port City Lord, Tan Mo clapped his hands and laughed: “This method is indeed excellent.”
“Then let’s sign the contract. You want money, I want people,” the Snowbird Port City Lord said.
Tan Mo showed hesitation.
Seeing this, the Snowbird Port City Lord decisively stated that this condition is non-negotiable!
If Tan Mo doesn’t sign, then he cannot be trusted.
Only after signing the contract will he provide part of the funds to Tan Mo. After the storm has subsided, he will provide the remaining portion, and by then, the contract will automatically destroy itself.
Tan Mo fell into contemplation.
This undoubtedly carries risk.
If the Snowbird Port City Lord falls in the future and this contract comes to light, it will be evidence of a crime.
But Tan Mo also knows: if he declines this condition, he will not get the Snowbird Port City Lord’s bribe.
And it is a considerable amount of money!
“Don’t forget the part from the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps…”
“This is more than just the wealth of Twin Eyes Island; I’ve heard their magic potions are selling like hotcakes, earning a lot of money.”
Greed gradually outweighed reason.
Eventually, Tan Mo nodded slowly: “Where is the Magic Contract? I want to have a good look at it.”
“””