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

nAfter Harribell’s explanation, Yang Ling noticed that there was a deep, cross-shaped brand on the forehead of every craftsman, maid, and warrior. According to the conventions of the Tailun Continent, this cross-shaped brand was the symbol for a slave.

nSlaves came from many sources, but most of them were captives of war. After every large scale war, there would be large numbers of slaves available on the market. The maids and warriors Harribell was giving Yang Ling were basically prisoners of war or commoners from the losing country.

nThe lives of the slaves were tragic, as they were bought and sold like goods. They did not have any dignity or rights. In the wilderness, slaves that didn’t have a symbol of affiliation could be massacred at will, and thus, none of the slaves dared to escape. There was only one way to escape from the status of a slave, and that was to be appreciated and put in an important position by their master. That would erase the symbol of a slave and their records as a slave.

nNormally, craftsmen, beautiful ladies, and warriors had the most hope of breaking free from their enslavement. They could gain a new lease on life if they were appreciated by their masters. Otherwise, what awaited them was a cruel fate. Their descendants would all be slaves.

nUnder the care of the old butler Murbaqi, the servants were soon finished with the preparations of the various presents and slaves. The meeting hall quickly regained its serenity.

n“Yang Ling, I have heard that the situation in Wissen Town recently is far from goodless than ideal. May I ask about the details?” Harribell asked Yang Ling as she took a sip of jasmine tea.

n“I’m afraid the situation isn’t less than ideal; it’s quite terrible, to be honest!” Yang Ling shook his head. “Ever since Steve appeared, the self-proclaimed leader from the Banto Empire, he has caused much trouble in Wissen Town. The town’s streets have been soaked with blood!”

nAfter taking a few sips of the jasmine tea Alice brought him, Yang Ling summarized the conflict between the Banto army and the Rossi forces, but glossed over how he had instigated and prolonged those conflicts. Even though Harribell was from the Livenza Alliance and was on close terms with him, one could never know the true intentions of people. It was better to be cautious.

nAs the authority of the Boulade Merchant’s Association, Harribell was very intelligent. She did not mind Yang Ling glossing over the details, as she understood his concerns. After a moment’s deliberation, she spoke of the information and insight she had gathered.

nIt turned out that the constant wars and the massive flooding in the south had left the Banto Empire at a massive financial deficit, their treasury empty. With no choice left, a few of the high-ranking officials set their sights on the Terras Forest and its rich resources, hoping to develop another piece of land for their rule.

nAs the largest primordial forest on the Tailun Continent, the Terras Forest spanned tens of thousands of miles. It was desolate and far away, and thus, the Banto nobles regarded it as a public space. In order to avoid their enemies getting in the way of their plans, the Banto nobles kept a low profile, hoping that they could gain solid control of the land in a thousand-mile radius around Wissen Town before they announced it publicly.

nBut unexpectedly, news of their activity had reached the Rossi Empire, prompting their interference.

nAfter hearing Harribell repeatedly emphasize that the Banto Empire was keeping a low profile, Yang Ling had a thought. He deliberated for a moment before saying, “Miss Harribell, what you mean is that the Banto Empire won’t risk the fanfare of sending a large army to occupy Wissen Town until they truly control the situation?”

n“That’s correct in theory. Terras Forest has been accepted as public domain by everyone on the continent. Even though the Banto Empire has their sights on the resources here, they won’t be willing to invite more trouble for themselves because of it!”

nAfter saying this, Harribell gently took a sip of the refreshing jasmine tea. In actuality, thanking Yang Ling for his benevolence wasn’t the only reason she had come to Wissen Town. She was also here to execute a secret mission.

nThe Livenza Alliance, situated between the Banto and Rossi Empires, maintained a neutral position. If the Banto nobles obtained the rich resources in the Terras Forest, it might break the delicate balance of power between the Banto and Rossi Empires.

nAny successful merchant’s association would have tens of thousands of connections with the government of their home nation, and the Boulade Merchant’s Association was no exception. Thus, when a messenger of the Alliance sought them out, Harribell did not decline to their requests immediately.

nOn the larger scale, foiling the plans of the Banto nobles would benefit everyone within the Alliance. But from the point of view of the merchant’s association, monopolizing the resources in Terras Forest would mean that the power and wealth of the Boulade Merchant’s Association would quickly increase by leaps and bounds.

nAfter understanding the plans of the Banto Empire, Yang Ling rubbed his temples as he considered how he could obtain the greatest profit from this conflict. With his current abilities, trying to fight the Banto Empire head on would be like throwing eggs at a rock. He had no chance of winning. But if the Banto Empire had other considerations that made them hesitant to act, Yang Ling would have a chance, a chance to take advantage of the crisis for large personal gain.

nHe had gone with the flow ever since arriving in this foreign world. He hadn’t wished to build an empire; all he had hoped for was to comfortably enjoy his new life and one day find a way back to Earth.

nOriginally, he had wanted to set up a few shops in Wissen Town and build his own merchant team when the time was right. That would allow him to enjoy the life of a rich person, and it would also allow those who followed him to live life without worry for food or clothing.

nBut when Steve appeared out of nowhere, Yang Ling had felt threatened. Without powerful abilities, without status, even living on to the next day might be a problem, much less living a comfortable life and building his own merchant team.

nPolitical power grows out of the barrel of a gun!

nOriginally, Yang Ling had hoped to complicate the situation in Wissen Town using the sneak attacks of the Rossi forces, giving Steve no time to think about Yang Ling. Now that he understood the delicate balance between the various empires and the Banto Empire’s plans, Yang Ling had clear plans for the first time. Wissen Town was the camp that he was going to build his life around; it was his gateway to exploring this world. He would not allow anyone to pollute this place.

nSeeing Yang Ling’s wavering expression, Harribell knew that he was going through a difficult decision. She was silent, not speaking a word, as she sipped on her jasmine tea. Even though Yang Ling did not elaborate, her spies had already made her aware of the situation in Wisen Town. She would not have accepted the request of the Alliance without a certain level of confidence, nor would she have come to Wissen Town under the guise of thanking Yang Ling.

n“Miss Harribell, might I ask how many guards you brought with you on this trip?” After thinking for a while, Yang Ling made a decision. If he was going to act, then he was going to mobilize all his resources and spare no effort.

n“I’m sorry, in order to avoid drawing suspicion, I have only led a few dozen guards here.” Harribell instantly understood Yang Ling’s intentions when she saw the cold gleam in his eyes. “Furthermore, I have received a piece of very bad news. Even though the Banto Empire won’t send an army, they have already gathered ten thousand Black Armor Guards under the name of the Waize family. They will arrive in Wissen Town soon!”

nTo avoid violating the Alliance’s facade of neutrality and bringing risk to the merchant’s association, Harribell had only led a few dozen guards into Wissen Town. She was pinning her hopes of completing the mission on Yang Ling.

nAfter sufficient investigation, she thought that Yang Ling had both the brains and the brawn. She believed that he could defeat Steve’s three thousand Black Armor Guards before the reinforcements from the Banto Empire arrived. All he lacked was the determination to risk it all and a few premium weapons.

nOf course, Harribell had a backup army. They were the Wolf Troop Team that escorted her here.

nThere was a reason why the Livenza Alliance hadn’t been defeated in over a thousand years. Other than their impressive economic power, they also had powerful soldiers. Of the ten most well-known troop teams in the Tailun Continent, five of them belonged to the alliance, and the Wolf Troop Team was the frontrunner amongst them.

nIf they were needed, the Wolf Troop Team would also extend a helping hand even without Harribell’s instructions. After all, they also had a vested interest in Wissen Town. If the Banto Empire grew stronger and broke the balance with the Rossi Empire, the alliance and their relatively weaker army would be the first to suffer. Countries would fall and families would break apart. No one wanted to be a lowly slave from a defeated country.

nTen thousand Black Armor Guards?

nYang Ling shook his head and let out a bitter smile. He hadn’t expected Harribell to have brought a mere few dozen guards, nor had he expected Steve to be receiving reinforcements so quickly. If Steve’s reinforcements arrived fast enough to defeat the Rossi forces entirely, Steve would be able to turn his full attention on Yang Ling.

nThe situation is getting worse!

nAfter his surprise, Yang Ling once again felt the disadvantage of not having enough information. If not for Harribell, he might only have learned about Steve’s reinforcements when they arrived in Wissen Town. That would have been disastrous.

nIf he had gotten this information earlier, he would have hurried to come up with a plan to deal with the embattled Steve.

nTime is of the essence. I need to deal with this swiftly!

nClenching his teeth, Yang Ling decided to risk it all. With Steve’s personality, he would definitely not allow a faction like Yang Ling’s to exist in his land. If Yang Ling was unable to gain the upper hand before Steve’s reinforcements arrived, then he’d have no choice but to run for his life.

nWith more than two hundred fierce barbarians, more than a hundred elf archers, nearly three hundred high level Swordsmen, coupled with the three hundred slave warriors Harribell had given him, he had nearly a thousand men under him. His forces were equal with Steve’s.

nYang Ling believed that if he chose the right time and launched a surprise attack with the Rossi forces, coupled with his powerful Magical Beast army, he could definitely defeat Steve’s Black Armor Guards. If he adopted the right strategy, he might even be able to exterminate all of the arrogant Steve’s forces.

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