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nTranslator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

nAfter consoling the group, Yang Ling shot a glance toward Goode, then walked to the secret room behind the meeting room with large steps. Since Yang Ling hadn’t been present for a month, the table of the secret room was covered in intelligence reports of various kinds.

n“Goode, this so-called leader, what do you think about him?” Yang Ling asked the tactician the moment he entered the room.

n“Sir, the situation is extremely disadvantageous to us!” Goode had an ugly expression. While Yang Ling was training, Goode had been churning his brain, thinking of ways to deal with the leader Steve.

nAfter a pause, Goode continued, “Other than the three thousand Black Armor Guards, Steve also brought with him dozens of Spellcasters. A few days ago, I tried infiltrating his base along with a Great Swordsman, but we were met with a ferocious attack before we even got near Steve’s tent. If my guess is not wrong, there must be some brilliant guards around Steve.”

nGoode took off his shirt. A scar extended from his collarbone down his ribcage, jarring to the sight. If the cut had been a little deeper, he might have met with misfortune. The Great Swordsman who followed him was in even worse condition. He had not only lost a limb, but his protective Battle Energy was also completely scattered, causing his cultivation level to decrease dramatically. He might not be able to fully recover for the rest of his life. If not for Casey leading a few experts to fetch them, they might not have been able to escape.

nYang Ling’s expression became serious. He had not expected Steve’s abilities to be this powerful. This person was dangerous, the family behind him even more so. To be able to quickly dispatch three thousand Black Armor Guards and dozens of Spellcasters, a family like this might be rare even in the Tailun Continent, much less the Banto Empire alone.

n“Sir, what we should do now is to avoid facing Steve head on. It will be best to let him fight against the factions of the Rossi Empire before we…”

n“Haha, you’re right!” Yang Ling and Goode looked at each other and smiled. They both know the logic behind how a third party could gain an advantage when two parties fought.

nEven though they were in a disadvantageous situation for the time being, the people of the Rossi Empire would keep attempting to foil the plans of the Banto Empire. This could be seen from how frequently Steve’s men were assassinated. If Yang Ling aided the troops hiding in the Terras Forest with weapons, rations, and intelligence, Yang Ling believed that Steve, the leader that appeared out of nowhere, would be defeated quickly.

n“The Banto Empire has about a twelve hundred men here, the Rossi Empire about eight hundred, the Livenza Alliance about a thousand, and people from other areas total about two thousand…”

nSitting down on the tigerskin chair, Yang Ling took out the vellum that contained an analysis of the troops and adventurers. He had a thought when he read its contents. “Goode, other than pitting Steve and the soldiers of the Rossi Empire against each other, are there any ways that we could launch an attack ourselves?”

n“There are many ways, but they all require a large amount of time to set up!” Goode shook his head in frustration. They had too few resources that they could make use of. Whether they employed troops from a large city or recruited a brilliant killer, any action would take a certain amount of time.

n“Actually, we still have a way!” Yang Ling handed the intelligence report in his hands over to Goode. He said meaningfully after a pause, “There is a large number of troops and adventurers gathered at Wissen Town. It would be a waste to not make use of them!”

n“Sir, you mean to involve the troops and adventurers of the Livenza Alliance and the other areas in the conflict?”

n“Hehe, that’s right! The more chaotic the situation, the more advantageous it is to us!” Yang Ling let out a cold smile. “If one day, the neutral troops and adventurers suddenly realized that one of their partners had died, and that staying on the sidelines would be akin to waiting for death, they would become paranoid. If they believed that their attacker would pursue them, then they might fight instead of running. I believe that would be very interesting!”

n“But, how can we point the spears of those troops toward Steve?”

nGoode quickly understood Yang Ling’s intentions, but he could not think of exactly how Yang Ling’s goal could be achieved. After all, the soldiers were not fools. They would not be easily motivated to engage the powerful Steve.

nLeaning back in his comfortable chair, Yang Ling gently rubbed his temples. “Simple. All we have to do is leave evidence unfavorable toward Steve at the scene of the assassination, like a piece of black armor, or something to indicate the Black Armor Guards. I believe that the troops would naturally guess who had committed the act!”

nYang Ling said it nonchalantly, but Goode still felt that something was off. “Sir, pardon me for being a little slow, but how are we going to get the troops to believe that Steve would not let them go?”

n“Haha, the most important thing to a king is his rule. He would strike without hesitation at whoever could pose a threat to his authority. A leader is no exception, especially a leader whose position is not yet stable. He will definitely not tolerate a large group of armed men in his territory that won’t listen to his commands!” As Goode listened to him intently, Yang Ling continued, “As long as we release the right rumors at the opportune time, the soldiers will buy our story completely!”

nA lie becomes the truth if repeated a thousand times!

nYang Ling believed that as long as they planned meticulously, he would be able to stir the waters, defeat Steve, and make him run for his life. When the moment was right, Yang Ling would strike a fatal blow against this leader who had appeared out of nowhere.

nStraight to the weak spot!

nAfter thinking about it for a moment, Goode was in awe of Yang Ling. Powerful abilities, and waves upon waves of brilliant plans. Goode felt lucky that he was not Yang Ling’s enemy.

nBack when Yang Ling killed Ymir, Goode had thought that Yang Ling had won out of luck. Now that he thought back on it, it was not as simple as having good luck. If not for Yang Ling intentionally humiliating him time and time again, Ymir would not have been so rash. If not for Yang Ling hiding his abilities, Ymir would not have been so arrogant, thinking that Yang Ling would fall to a single blow from the Nine-headed Snake Demon.

nHe was both an Ancient Summoner and a Tree Shepherd; either of those titles was enough to scare someone to death. Goode could not think of which family Yang Ling was born to, for him to have such brilliant abilities at such a young age.

nHe uses the carrot and the stick when dealing with his subordinates, inspiring gratitude and respect. He was kind and generous when dealing with the servants and townspeople, willing to step up for the poor Madam Angela, not even hesitating to give the hundred-year-old ginseng to a penniless girl. When dealing with an enemy, he is as merciless as a wolf, willing to use any means necessary. He kills without batting an eyelid.

nThe more Goode understood Yang Ling, the more shocked he felt.

nBut Goode knew that as long as he did not have any thoughts of rebellion, Yang Ling would forever treat him with respect. As long as he could make Yang Ling know his worth, Yang Ling would keep his promise and spare no effort in saving Goode’s family. As a middle-aged man whose family had been split apart, he was already satisfied that he had found such a master.

nAfter some preparations, Goode started coming up with plans, discussing some specific details with Yang Ling. On the grander scheme of things, Yang Ling usually had his own farsighted views, but in regards to the details, the older Goode often had years worth of experience on Yang Ling. After all, Goode had been a commander of army logistics in the Banto Empire; he was not a worthless person.

nWith Goode’s assistance, Yang Ling felt more at ease. Otherwise, if he were to think about how to establish a connection with the people from the Rossi Empire one step at a time, how to spread the rumors, how to communicate with an assassin’s guild, his hair might have turned white overnight.

n“Sir, the despicable Pig Leader Steve pays us a visit!” Just as Yang Ling felt that his discussions with Goode were almost complete, the guard Argus gently knocked on the door.

nPig Leader?

nYang Ling and Goode looked at each other and laughed. It looked like the impression Steve had made on the townspeople was worse than they thought. They saw Steve as a dumb, lazy Sharo Boar instead of a high-above leader that people idolized.

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