（xiii）

Before noon on the same day

Phase Port West Port "Silver Dragon Landing Wharf"

"How much property will a dragon, or silver dragon, have?"

Looking at the high-spirited silver dragon daughter in front of him, Naimon asked the question in his mind, asking the most reliable advisor he could find.

This is a question that has no exact answer, and dragon treasures are usually huge accumulations of hundreds or even thousands of years. Medieval peasants and bards generally believed that dragons had more wealth than the richest princes. In the Eastern Empire, the term 'dragon slaying' was used to refer to the use of power and force to seize the world, implying the assumption that the possession of dragons could be compared to the whole world. If you accept the number......"

The Voice of the Magic Web used Anne Sefir's voice to say a number that fluctuated widely. Even on the lowest side, it's a breath-taking number enough to form two new freelance divisions from scratch.

It was only after a long hour that Major Namen Soleton, the Interim Governor of Phase Port, took a deep breath.

Heavy wheezing echoed through his own skull, as if he could hear the hoofs of horses galloping through the veins of his brain.

His throat was a little dry due to nervousness. His left eye uncontrollably entered the magical field of vision, which was the cause of his nervousness.

In this vision, he could see the two graceful ladies around him—and the huge magic force that surrounded them.

Looking closely, the magic group was actually composed of countless magic net force field lines, and these threads were intertwined to form an illusory, as if the finest silk was the finest silk structure, exuding a dazzling magical light.

The lady standing across from him with her silver hair and proud figure was a dragon with a silver wingspan, one of the Twin Dragons who stood at the top of the sacred covenant of the Holy Koman Empire.

Her skin was almost transparent, glowing with silvery scales, and there was a breathtaking beauty that made it almost impossible to take his eyes off it. The Lady of the Silver Dragon had slender fingers and long, scary dark purple nails, which Naimon knew were probably some kind of deformation of the dragon's claws.

Naimon had never seen the Daughter of the Silver Dragon so closely. He had seen her silver dragon form on the battlefield of the Jena-Blenheim double battle, and it left him with unforgettable memories.

Even the "Dragon Slaying Melody" that had invested millions of taxes and gathered almost all the high-level magic industry experts in the south could only barely suppress this silver dragon daughter.

If it weren't for Her Excellency Archbishop Bonnie Sefir, the first Protestant theocracy, she would probably be able to suppress all the high- and low-rank spellcasters in the field alone.

"Just tell me. If I'm going to take a stake in your little business, how much will it give me?"

The silver dragon asked, staring straight at the young priestess who had stopped her with two of the most powerful combined magics.

Archbishop Bonnie Seiffel hesitated, tilted her head slightly, and asked Naimon beside her with her eyes.

Intuition prompted the young major to step past Bonnie and stand up to the daughter of the silver dragon.

"His Excellency Archbishop Séfir does not ask these specific secular questions. If you want to invest, just come to me, we always welcome independent investors...... Well, of course, you are also welcome to invest in His Highness Long. ”

Namen's welcome sounded dry, barely able to hide the husky throat and obvious nervousness. As he said the rest of the polite words, he thought hard about the current situation.

There is no doubt that the situation has changed dramatically. Bonnie's arrival and the formation of reinforcements were all on the original agenda, and whether they were successful or not was at most a financial plan that would affect the future of the military regime in Hong Kong.

But the appearance of the silver dragon makes all this very different. She holds so much wealth and can control such a huge amount of money and situation, whether or not she can be successfully pulled into the camp will determine the success or failure of the whole plan.

What was supposed to be a morale-boosting exercise has suddenly turned into an important battle that can determine the outcome of a war.

One of the things he learned as a staff officer in the Free Army was that battles could not be avoided.

A war can be avoided, a battle can be, but only a campaign cannot. A battle breaks out because the armies of both sides are there - then sooner or later a result will be produced, win or lose.

In a sense, this Miss Silver Dragon can even be regarded as an enemy. It was clear that she had been invited by another guest who could barely be considered a friend.

"Oh. So you're that Soleton?

A crack appeared on the silver dragon's noble and cold expression. She clearly recognized Naimon as well—a memory that was unusual for dragons in general with their attitude toward humans.

"Major Namen Soleton. is the issuer of this small business. ”

Naimon tried his best to make his voice sound funny, but it was dry. On the other hand, although the daughter of the silver dragon on the opposite side had a straight face, her words were not so serious.

"You can call me Mara. According to your human etiquette, it's time to shake hands. ”

Mara stretched out her flawless, slender right hand. The silver dragon was not wearing heavy armor, but symbolically put on a close-fitting tight-fitting silver scale armor, and the jade arms of the incarnation into a human were all exposed.

Naimon reached out and couldn't help but wonder: I don't know how much of this beautiful body and costume is real, and how much is magical.

The hand on the other side still feels like human skin, but it is so cold to the touch that you can barely feel your body temperature.

Mara lowered her gaze slightly, looking at the young officer in front of her from head to toe.

"Tsk. I thought it would be a beautiful young man in the wind in Yushu, or a domineering young hero. Of the males I've ever seen, it seems a little more ordinary, huh?"

The silver dragon smiled slightly, and the smile sent chills down his body. Her fingertips—or rather, the knuckles of the dragon's claws—slid lightly across Naimon's palm.

"Of course, the male humans I know, like Arthur Kerman, may have a bit of a high standard. ”

Naimon shuddered. He suddenly remembered that the Miss Silver Dragon in front of him was not only the reinforcement of the first princess Olya Hugh Corman, but also seemed to be a friend of his childhood sweetheart, Danica.

What did she think about it—Naimon was a little afraid to imagine the answer to that question.

"Anyway, nice to meet you. According to your etiquette, it should be this~?~Say~, right?"

Yinlong said lightly, and with a slight force on his right fingernails in Naimon's palm, the two sharp nails like blades easily pierced his palms.

An indescribable pain rushed into the Major's mind, blood running down his fingers, and he reflexively withdrew his hand. Naimon pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth to avoid screaming.

There is a reason why dragons do not use handshakes as a "no weapon and no hostile" etiquette: dragon claws are incomparably sharp and lethal weapons in their own right. During the gesture of withdrawing his hand, Mara's slender nails pierced the back of his hand, leaving two frightening wounds that blurred with flesh. If she had tilted her force a little, I'm afraid his palm would have been cut off in half.

That's the answer. Silver Dragon: Not only does she know about Danika and Olya......

And it looks like he's angry about it!

It's like ...... Knowing that both sisters were deceived by the same scumbag man, the eldest sister who rushed to settle the score?

"Hmm!"

Namen's teeth slammed together, clenching the scream. If no one notices the anomaly here, then there's still a chance, he thought.

But someone else had already noticed: a man who had been watching him from the sidelines.

Before the drop of blood could fall to the ground, Archbishop Bonnie Sefir's expression changed, and he took a small half step forward, flicking his right hand with an imperceptible movement.

The highly concentrated ball of healing light was thrown along the throwing line of the right hand and accurately dropped between the fingers of Naimon's right hand, instantly healing the wound there - although it did not heal the pain signals on the nerves, it could stop the bleeding.

Mara's expression became solemn. She understood the horror of this reaction, observation, and combat power, and the silver dragon quickly withdrew her hand and pressed the few strands of hair on the top of her head that had stood up slightly due to the vigilance—that was supposed to be the position of the dragon's crown.

"Investing in His Highness Long, isn't your etiquette too intense?"

"Where, I've always been known in dragon circles for being proficient in human etiquette. Although it's a small circle. ”

One man and one dragon were tense again, as if they would go to war again at any moment.

Naimon clenched his right hand, which was still in great pain, and hurriedly stopped between the two of them, deliberately raising his voice.

"Since...... After the greetings, then may I ask His Royal Highness Investment Long, how much money do you plan to invest in this small business?"

Naimon deliberately blocked the lines of the two sides' shots. Since the silver dragon lady in front of her was invited by Olia...... I don't think it's going too far.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at where the Imperial Princess stood. As expected, Olya's lips opened and closed rapidly, conversing through magic that was invisible to the naked eye.

"Okay, okay. Mara shook her head slightly, and refocused her gaze on the young man in front of her, "The amount of investment...... Well, so be it. ”

The silver dragon lowered his voice and said a number, which was measured in pounds of gold—not gold pounds.

When she heard that number, even Bonnie Sefir, who came from later generations, was stunned for a moment. Her eyes rolled a few times, she did a quick math in her mind, then held her breath and took a step back.

This number also made Naimon's mouth grow and he couldn't close it for a long time.

"That's more than the limit you've provided, Anne?"

"I can only search for correspondence studies from historians in the world. Besides, the Imperial Silver Dragon must be much, much richer than the average dragon. If you have any doubts about the numbers in the statistical results, you can find help in the Encyclopedia:Statistics entry. Need a detailed entry on posterity statistics?"

"Uh...... Not for now, thank you. If there's an entry for dragons, please add the 'irresponsible' suffix to powerful, noble, proud, and trustworthy. ”

If the number provided by Anne before was enough to arm the two Free Divisions, then the number now spoken by the silver dragon Mara herself should be able to rearm the entire Free Army and Navy once again, and support their military salaries for a year and a half. How long it can be supported is not something that can be calculated by Naimen's poor oral arithmetic ability.

"Metty, Metty, accept my teleportation!"

Such a large number is not something that Naimon dares to agree to casually. He hurriedly contacted Meti, who was looking at the bustle with her neck straight, and threw the amount of money Mara had offered through teleportation magic.

To use a vulgar analogy, it is like throwing a stone into a pond, and to use the analogy of the staff officers, it is like throwing a cannonball into the ranks of the militia.

Méty passed the news to her accountant and Zhang Shiyi on the side, and Zhang's Qu Shuai whispered to the Oriental strategist next to him, who wore a wide robe and big sleeves and held a strange feather product. Everyone had a "this is a joke" expression on their faces. Admiral Fisher, the treasurer of the Seventh Fleet, also heard the number, but did not join the discussion, but just nodded in the direction of Naimon with a serious expression, making it difficult to understand his intentions.

"Well? Your little business, can I get a reasonable return on my investment? I don't need a decent return. ”

Mara smiled meaningfully.

Dragons don't bother to lie, and they usually don't bother to hide their intentions: "Ben Long is going to embarrass you bastard boy with a huge number" The phrase was almost written on her face.

"And I also want a few basic investor safety clauses. Don't whisper over there, let's listen together!"

Mara turned halfway and pointed her hand at the crowd closest to the docks. Out of conditioned reflex, everyone except the Imperial Masters and Zhang Shiyi took half a step back.

"First of all, I will not be an enemy of the Empire, and it is the Corman royal family who has signed a contract with me. I'm afraid it won't have any effect, so I hope you don't do it too much. ”

Naimon could clearly see that some of the guests were not looking good. Yinlong's statement was almost a demonstration on behalf of the empire - it was not so much that she was here to invest as to add to the chaos.

Although the main colonies of the Curman Empire were in Northern New Continent, and there was little power on the most lucrative Eastern Shipping Route, this did not mean that the Empire did not pose a threat to the shipping lanes. The 100,000 Emperors* that the Emperor had gathered in Lenny alone was a great threat: a few thousand men would be enough to capture most of the ports of Intre with the help of a powerful navy, as was the case now.

One can't help but wonder if the appearance of the silver dragon would symbolize the Empire's continued efforts to maintain its presence in the southern seas, and Mara sneered at the second condition, as if to prove their conjecture.

"Of course, in order to use or transfer this fund, you should obtain my permission in advance. I don't want to let thousands of years of savings go down the drain overnight. I believe that even if you have an army, you will not be able to withstand the dragon's revenge on you personally. ”

"Of course. We will definitely guarantee the safety of your funds. ”

Naimon coped with the official article, and glanced at Olya bitterly, but what was in his mind was the threat implied in Yinlong's words. That means, of course, "I can strike at your weaknesses if necessary."

The princess of the empire seemed to have been staring at him before. Seeing Namen's gaze, Olya looked up at the sky in a bit of a panic, and spelled out the sentence "I'm sorry, I'll talk to her again" with her mouth.

Her Royal Highness represents the official attitude of the Empire: not to let the sea power be completely controlled by any of the main enemies, whether they are the Holy Forest Elves or the Free Rebels. The Empire did not invest much in the offensive and defensive warfare in the southern seas, but only supported the separatist forces and royalists in capturing a few ports around Interre.

Unless it was her ploy - the thought flashed through Naimon's mind, making him shudder.

Using a silver dragon based in the Interre Sea would be able to monitor the situation on both sides of the sea - if not the best way to use the dragon, it would be a brilliant plan. For those weak harbor guards and marines, a single dragon can really change the whole situation......

Although immersed in such a staff thought, Naimon did not ignore the last request made by Yinlong.

"Finally, I want to keep access to this fund at all times. Every dragon should have basic dragon powers, such as rolling on shiny things and the like. How, are these conditions still acceptable?"

This slightly humorous condition made Naimon hesitate and look in the direction of the girls. The conclusions reached by those of his collaborators are obvious.

Zhang Shiyi nodded slightly, but he didn't look resolute, and the brown-faced strategist beside her was anxiously trying to persuade something. Méty shook her head with a big movement, and her mouth seemed to say "we can't do this amount". Alya was wiping the sweat from her forehead, discussing something with Ionette, and the handsome archbishop still had a wry smile on his face.

The opinion of the majority is "against". From a staff officer's point of view, it didn't seem to do any good to have a silver dragon who was clearly loyal to the Empire to stay here.

But the part of Namen's mind as a commander was roaring—just as he had been on the battlefields of Fortyburg, Fort Steel, Jena, and Lenny.

The most important ability of a staff officer is to estimate what the enemy wants and analyze what the enemy can do, and to know what our army wants and what our army can achieve. The most important ability of a commander is knowing when to use this knowledge.

If this was a battle, it had been the silver dragon Mara who had the absolute advantage, but at the end of her last request, Naimon felt like he had seen a vague turnaround.

"Could it be that the goal of the advisor who sent the silver dragon, or lured it here, is different from the goal of the silver dragon Mara herself?"

He turned his gaze to Bonnie Sefir, who was standing almost side by side with him.

"If it were me, I would leave Her Highness Mara and her money. ”

A message rang in his ears, with the advice of His Excellency the Young Archbishop.

"Do you think so, Miss Bonnie?" he replied.

"Because it's going to be more interesting. "There was a rare sense of relief in the message sent by the archbishop, who had always been serious. That's when Naimon realized that this person was indeed the sister of Anne Seffer, who was always surrounded by a pleasant atmosphere.

The letter strengthened his resolve. He pretended to ponder for a moment, then raised his head and met the shining and threatening pupils of the silver dragon without flinching.

"That's really a couple of very reasonable requests. Naimon nodded, "It's just that we may still have some difficulties in execution." I would like to ask Your Highness Investment Dragon a small question about the way you withdraw your returns. ”

Mara put away her smile: "Say it." ”

"I may be a loner, but I've never heard of dragons buying anything with money. We, the Free Nations, have tried to contact your people many times, but have been refused, right?"

"It's not like we don't buy things at all, we just don't have a lot of money to need. Even in human form, if you open your mouth to a human, you can solve a problem immediately without spending money. ”

Yinlong calmly said something similar to the general statement of a certain emperor in the allusion of the Eastern Empire, "If you don't have food to eat, why don't you eat meat porridge". Naimon seemed to hear someone "cut" softly, but he couldn't tell who it was.

"That means that if you're a shareholder, you shouldn't accept a form of return like goods, negotiable notes, or privileged shares, right?"

"Give me cash, cash!" said Maralho, a little impatiently, "please exchange it all for shiny currency—gems are fine." I don't really need magic items and rare materials. ”

Nai Door Suit frowned in embarrassment.

"I'm curious. Since you don't need to spend money, and you don't need magic items, items, materials, or anything like that, what's the use of collecting money and gems?"

"It seems strange to us that gold and gems are collected for the sake of spending money. Mara's tone was high-pitched, "Just as you humans love to collect all sorts of strange things, we dragons love the gold and jewels themselves! You don't know how to spend these beautiful works of art! Look at the gold coins and ornaments of all ages! How wonderful it feels to rub the scales with them!"

"I'm sorry, I don't have scales. Naimon pretended to smile wryly and said, "But it's hard for us to do that." Our little business, we need to actually use the money-"

"If it really can't meet my requirements, then Benlong will have to express regret. Mara shrugged.

Seeing that the silver dragon was already starting to get impatient, Naimon took a small step forward: "No, no, I have already thought of another solution. One last thing, all you need is these shiny treasures, not spend them, right?"

"Yes. Mara asked, slightly alarmed, "What do you mean?"

"Then I can give you at least three times as much in return. Naimon replied, "You don't have to worry about the returns, the shares, and all the other mess that humans have made. As long as you bring the treasure trove here, I guarantee you will be able to polish the scales in three times as much gold. Moreover, tripling is just the beginning, and the gold and jewels in it will only increase. ”

The triple number made Mara's ears move, and she couldn't help but repeat it out loud.

"Three times? three times the number just now? You're not kidding, young human? That's my savings for two thousand years!"

"At least three times. Naimon nodded decisively, "If all you need is the gold and the treasure." ”

This figure sounded like the head of the new bank that was about to be established, and Métie Crosso's face changed dramatically. She glanced at her chief accountant and made up her mind to shout, "Triple no, it's going to be difficult—"

As soon as she called this, she suddenly withdrew her finger in astonishment, and pressed her right ear in a panic to receive a new teleportation.

"The triple refers only to gold and precious stones, not to the actual currency to be issued. ”

Bonnie Seiffel from the future prompted with a smile. As if to annotate her prompt, Naimon continued to speak of the conditions.

"Of course, we also regularly replace some of these gold and jewels to ensure that they will bring fresh and pleasant sensuality to Your Highness. ”

The silver dragon suddenly understood, "Aren't you going to build a new big vault?" it sounds like what I want...... It's not quite the same. ”

"But does that make a difference? Is this vault different from yours? You can transplant all of the treasure trove guard systems that dragons are best at. You can decorate this treasure cave of Wai Long with three times as much gold and jewelry. ”

Mara hesitated for a moment, looked at Namen's enthusiastic gaze, and finally nodded a little reluctantly.

"Yes, I don't think it's any different from my treasury...... Well, at least it's three times bigger. You convinced me. ”

"Then I can now accompany you, the most important investment dragon, to choose a site for a new treasure trove. Naimon bowed deeply, "I happen to have a few guests from the Imperial Orthodox Church here, and if this makes you feel comfortable, they can accompany you as well." ”

"Now?" Mara's forehead trembled a few times, and her arrogance couldn't help but lower, "Now it's convenient for you? Aren't there a lot of very important ceremonies or something?"

"In the face of an important investor like you, the agenda can be changed. ”

Naimon turned to Bonnie and winked at her.

"I believe that the next matter, in my capacity as the Archbishop, can be handled well for me. Ms. Yinlong, please come here. ”

Naimon dragged Silver Dragon and Olya away from the docklands almost with a half-forced, and Ionette reluctantly followed them. The crowd around them, with surprised expressions, consciously made way for him and his guard platoon.

"It's all of a sudden, several. ”

When the sound of the horses' hooves died down, Bonnie Seiffel stepped up to the crowd. She looked at Méty first, then at the army and navy cadets and lieutenants, and finally stopped at Zhang Shiyi's hair.

The archbishop smiled at the "gold and black" gradient hair, lowered his voice, and said, "It's probably better for you to ask for this matter." Lady Silver Dragon believes that there will never be such an inferior counter-intrigue among people in the Empire. We'll have to tell her by action that there are still some territories that aren't under the jurisdiction of the Empire. ”

"I understand. This is already being done. Zhang's female commander nodded, "The so-called strategy is not only used against the enemy. ”

Bonnie's fingers drew a semicircle in the air, enveloping the crowd not far away: "It's already started?"

"Yes. Within five days at the latest, all the surrounding areas around the Narrow Sea will know the news. ”

Hearing Zhang Shiyi's reply, a hint of praise flashed in Bonnie's eyes.

"Hmm. The Imperials would certainly not believe in this counter-plot - unfortunately, in the thousands of kilometers of ocean around Phase Harbor, there must be only one or two thousand Imperials combined. Soon, it will become known that the Southern Army Command in Phase Harbor has a silver dragon. ”

"Sorry to interrupt, I'm going to pass on what happened here to Commander Wei right now. Can you borrow one or two bishops from the church? Neither my shipmaster nor the priest are here. ”

It was the representative of the Navy, General Fisher, who interjected. Bonnie looked at him for a moment, nodding in agreement.

"In such a hurry, the Seventh Fleet is about to make an operation?"

"Yes. We wanted to see how long Intereus could shrink with his fleet. I'm afraid it's been just these two days. ”

"By the way, send a detachment off the coast of my Phaedes......

While the people in the inner circle exchanged information and greetings, the onlookers in the outer circle had already entered the commotion under the encouragement of the grapevine.

"Is that really a dragon? How does it look like a woman?"

"I've heard that real dragons can take on human form. ”

"But where did that dragon come from, and why are you laughing and talking to our temporary governor?"

"Dragon...... It's not ours anyway. ”

The nations of the Free have never been able to secure the support of the Dragon. In fact, the southern countries that have been established for less than a hundred years are not to mention dragons, and there are not even many flying monsters such as pterosaurs or pegasus, and they are not even enough to form an air force. Compared to the powerful firearms and magic forces of the Free Army, the air force is really their biggest weakness.

"I heard that it was one of the Empire's Twin Dragons. ”

"That beautiful woman?"

"Dragons can take on human form. Legend has it that in the eastern part of the holy land where the giant deer is located, even the emperor himself was incarnated by a dragon. ”

"Why are you here? Invasion? Should we run away?"

"No, it looks friendly...... Could it be that even the Empire has decided to support this company?"

"Maybe it's true. You see, the emperor's ambassadors went out with them. ”

The secret to manipulating public opinion is to disseminate a variety of plausible inferences on the basis of solid facts. The advisors of the Hengqu Zhang clan were obviously well versed in this. In the short time before the official opening of the exchange, they have already spread a lot of news around the "silver dragon landed in phase port".

"So...... Could it be that the archbishop's prophecy will really come true?! Even the hostile dragons have come to join ......"

"Shengsen Oriental Company has been arrogant for 200 years, and their monopoly should also end!"

"It seems that today's transaction price and contract auction will go up. ”

"Yes, look, even the silver dragon has made a special trip to ......"

On this very day, not only the most prominent dignitaries of the Protestant congregations visited the port of Phase, but even the dragon descended here.

Whatever the reason, this fact is enough to give a strong confidence that the day of a counteroffensive in the Narrow Sea is coming. Only a small group of young women in the corner, and some small businessmen in a similar situation frowned.

Anyone could have guessed that the upcoming bond fair and the auction of military suppliers would be an uphill battle, but for these girls, they were not even qualified to give up.

"No matter how you count it, I don't think we have enough money for today. ”

Bai Ruisi, who is the Taoist advisor of "Huaicui Xing" and is actually a remnant of the banned Phase Port Thieves Guild, pondered for a long time and concluded in distress.

"Eldest sister, do you think it will rise so much?"

"At least thirty percent. Hearing Di Meiyi's question, Bai Ruisi replied, "Although everyone knows that today is just a big show, the archbishop and the dragon can't fake it. After such a display of strength, a rise of 30% is considered a small amount. ”

She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. This is a relaxation gesture she learned from the Orientals of the Thieves' Guild when she was "White Silk", forcing herself to calm down.

"If it's really not enough...... Then let's prepare to use that shipment. Perhaps, there won't be any big problems. ”

After a few more moments, the crowd squirmed again. You can hear the hoarse shouts of the gendarmes and militia in charge of the guidance, as well as the shouts of the ordinary clerks who have been urgently requisitioned from the major trading houses.

"The bonds of the new concessionaire and the Union Bank will be able to be used to subscribe to these warehouses, factories and fleets, and will be able to subscribe for future shares! All munitions supply orders can be repaid in the form of bonds, and a good return will be made! We will accept everything on the list! All those who cooperate with the independent gendarmerie will be paid handsomely!"

It was an emotional afternoon, and the eagerness and intensity of the scene are hard to describe in words. The rules of the trade alone were changed four times, and even Archbishop Bonnie Séfir was present to mediate disputes between the churches, congregations and convents that were almost ready to snatch these sacred contracts.

Money flows almost in the air, between shouts and gestures. The banknotes issued by Union Bank were urgently stamped with a dragon-shaped stamp, hand-engraved by Archbishop Bonnie Sefir, and the divine power that oozes from them makes it glow silver. People use an affectionate attitude to refer to this "dragon guarantee banknote" as dragon banknotes, and bonds printed with this seal as dragon bonds.

When the three of them, who called themselves "Huai Cui Xing", finally stepped into the carriage on their way home with a contract and a stack of bonds, they all felt as if they had escaped death, more tired than the night when the thieves' guild was swept away by the gendarmes with a thunderous force.

"We, Huaicui Xing, are finally one of the more than 40 munitions dealers that have been recognized. At the very least, all three of us left our names on the contract, so we had an identity that we could do publicly. ”

After calmly crossing the phase bridge, Brireth sighed and leaned back into the carriage seat. Di Meiyi was still driving the light carriage, and the thin Yin Rujing had long lost the strength to continue moving, and she was hunched and leaned on Bai Ruisi's thigh.

"But we can't rest today, beautiful clothes. Although the rental time of this car has passed, we still have to rush to the warehouse in Donggang. ”

Di Meiyi's reins shook and the horse turned on the road to Donggang.

"Are we going to transfer that batch of goods tonight, eldest sister? Wouldn't it be too sensitive? There were many people in the Thieves Guild who knew about the existence of this batch of goods. ”

"That's why it's all the more important to move tonight. It will take almost half the night to transfer the supplies, and while all the dignitaries are having a banquet, let's hurry up and get the business done here. "We can say that we bought this batch of goods cheaply at the trade fair - as long as the goods are transferred, the paperwork and fictitious middlemen are easy to handle." ”

"But at this time, there won't be a lot of hard labor on the docks, right?"

"I've copied new magic from the magic web, and I can summon a few invisible helpers to act as human hands. That spell doesn't seem too difficult, you can practice it too. ”

The sound of their conversation woke Yin Rujing. The girl reflexively touched the dagger in her boot and asked, "Do you need to prepare other weapons?"

"I hope not. ”

When the first rays of the sun shone on the top of the warehouse complex on the docks, their carriage stopped in front of the East Harbor.

Compared with the West Port, today's East Port is extremely deserted. If you look across the strait, you can see the inextinguishable banquet lights and magical lights in the sky over the West Harbor, and even the lighthouses on the west coast appear brighter. There are almost no large ships moored in the harbor, and only the last few regular ships and barges from Westport are still slowly approaching the harbor.

"We need some porters, and two four-horse freight wagons, to warehouse 16!

Di Meiyi waved her horsewhip and shouted to the foremen who came up.

Then, the carriage galloped to the warehouse management office, and Yin Rujing, who was nominally the shopkeeper of Huaicui Xing, checked the bill of lading and settled the storage fee. Unsurprisingly, there are also gendarmes on duty here, and Naymen Soleton's minions have accurately infiltrated many key corners of the city.

"Pig iron from warehouse 16. The prepaid deposit is three days past due, and the difference is made up. ”

They looked at the official and the gendarmes with a little apprehension, lest he see anything suspicious about the document that had been stored for a month in warehouse No. 16. Fortunately, these bureaucrats seem to be in a hurry to change shifts for dinner, scribble the formalities, and even miscalculate the deposit.

Finally, the "remnants" of the Phase Port Thieves Guild stood outside the door of the warehouse full of pig iron ingots. The three women glanced at each other and tacitly divided the work: Di Meiyi went to organize the workers, Yin Rujing took the lead, and Bai Ruisi went in to inspect the goods.

An ordinary wooden crate containing an ordinary iron ingot, handled by an ordinary leather bag company, and there is no connection to the Thieves' Guild. Only a closer inspection can reveal something special in each box of ingots: a faint glow of magic flickering on the smelter's steel seal in their corners.

Aside from the guild leaders who had died, she was the only one who knew the code words to lift these secret seals. The chief mage of the guild who set them up was a very old Eastern Taoist priest, and he had just returned from this batch of goods a few days before he died that night with the "Cui Jie". Bai Ruisi took a deep breath, retrieved his memories as a trade union cadre "White Silk", pressed his finger on the steel seal, and whispered the code words.

"Only death can unlock the answer. ”

Now that I think about it, this code phrase seems like irony. The sides of the ingot slowly opened, revealing the contents within.

It was the supplies that she and the guild had spent a month getting from the continent that all kinds of magicians would need. Refined parchment, induction ink, fine gold dust...... The vast majority came from the black markets of Lenny and Fortibourg. The management of military supplies of the Emperor* and the Free Army was relatively strict, and the management of war trophies was relatively less strict, but in the past war, both sides accumulated a lot. Of course, the methods they use are hardly bright.

The magic materials hidden in this warehouse are enough for tens of thousands of new mages and low-level mages, and enough to arm two divisions of magic guide troops. Of course, the Royal Ministry of Security and the Free Army Gendarmerie are probably also tracking down this eye-catching consignment. Bai Ruisi even suspected that the liquidation of the Phase Port Thieves Guild was also related to the fact that the goods they got were too large and sensitive.

"But only they can bring in enough money. To unravel the answer is to die. ”

She sighed, recited the code word in reverse, turned off the ingot, and ordered the unsuspecting dock workers to come in and load the "Fatesian pig iron" onto the wagon. The two carriages seemed to be a little inadequate, but Brireth did not want to add a third, but instructed the workers to load some of the extra iron ingots onto the rented light carriage.

Soon, the figure of the sun disappeared completely, and the light of the stars and torches continued to shine on the people who worked in its place. The last regular ship also entered the East Harbor and extinguished the lights. When the port was almost completely silent, the three paid for their labor, dismissed the porters, and one set out on the way home in a horse-drawn carriage.

"Where are we going to transport it, eldest sister, I'm afraid this carriage won't be able to enter your residence, right?" asked Di Meiyi, who had changed into a big cart.

"I also rented a spare room, which I never used, just to put this shipment of ......," Bridice frowned, "Why, is there no light in the East Harbor at night? ”

Without an oil lamp, Barreth found a lighting spell from the magic net and fixed a blue ball of light to his right wrist. Under the blue light, she was shocked to find that in the darkness at the exit of the port, two barricades made of logs had been erected at some point!

"U-turn, like a mirror! Try to rush out from the north—"

A strong wind brushed past Briss's ears and struck the carriage guard behind her with a low, frightening thud. She turned her head and found that it was not a crossbow arrow nailed to her ear, but a throwing spear!

"Please don't resist. While you won't give up on these shipments, there's no need to lose your life for them, right, Miss Whitesilk. ”

Brireth cast his gaze and noticed that behind the barricades, there were about twenty or thirty people, the leader of whom looked like a woman.

She sighed and said, "Don't run away, come to me like a mirror and beautiful clothes." We have completely fallen into the trap of others. ”

"You have a really unique eye for purchasing on the black market, Miss 'White Silk', and your point of view is impressive. 'This city will definitely become the center of the magic web. People will come from all over the world to phase ports to learn and refine the paradigm magic associated with the magic web, to preach new theories, and to change the world with new experiments and conclusions. ’”

Hearing the woman's words, Barreth's face changed. This is what she said to the chief mage of the guild.

"It was your men who took over the guild. ”

"We're just collaborators. There were not enough priests and doctors from the gendarmes to hand over the wounded to us for rescue, which is why I am here. The visitor hesitated for a moment, then added,

"The Taoist priest was badly injured. ”

"Collaborators...... Are you...... Hengqu Zhang's people?"

"I am the Qu Shuai of the Hengqu Zhang family, Zhang Shiyi. ”

The woman at the barricade waved her hand, and her entourage lit torches, illuminating the neighborhood as if it were day. She has a striking single ponytail, and her hair is a strange gradient of black and gold.

Hearing this, Bai Ruisi let go of the reins.

Both of her companions had jumped out of the carriage, but were too nervous to speak. Strange to say, even in the face of such a dangerous scene, she didn't feel nervous at all. Perhaps, people with only short-term memories have not yet learned what fear is.

"I don't think you're just here for this shipment. ”

Zhang Shiyi nodded and said, "I'm very interested in the heroine who swept away the property of the Thieves' Guild and secretly burned the Thieves' Guild's ledger, so that one-fifth of the members got rid of the purge of the Thieves' Guild. Hearing the news of her, I came on the last regular boat. ”

"You didn't even push off the dinner, did you? That's really flattering to me. Brish sarcastically said.

"Don't be so vigilant, I have no ill intentions, and I don't intend to ask for your shipment. Zhang Shiyi spread his hands, "Whether there is really a Huaicui line or not, it is already a recognized military supplier." I'm here for ......"

"Okay, let's join. "My real name is Briss. If you wish, you can continue to call me 'White Silk'. ”

She didn't want the conversation to last too long. If the other party is really just here to poach, she is not rejected: two identities are safer than one. Her sanity told her that even if they were enemies, they were only enemies of the Thieves' Guild, not her own—her own enemies should look much more dangerous.

"We will support you in rebuilding a new underground force. It won't be as powerful as the thieves' guilds of the past, but we don't need to be that strong either. Zhang Shiyi said, "And I don't really want you to be seen as our peripheral forces. ”

Bai Ruisi nodded secretly in his heart, and already had some inferences of his own about tonight's events.

"I want to ask an abrupt question. You have to move your forces out of the phase. Is there going to be a war?"

"It's going to be fast. ”

Zhang Shiyi replied briskly, "So, I need to find more capable companions to join." You seem to know how to advance and retreat, and you are wise, and you are exactly the person I am looking for. ”

"I have a personal question at the end. Are you really incapable of rescuing more people from the guild? Wouldn't it be better to absorb the old guild directly than to let me, a nobody, rebuild the guild?"

"I'm sorry, but we were a weak family, and even now we weren't very strong. ”

Zhang Shiyi was a little lonely and said something as if it was not the answer.

"Compassion is expensive compared to greed. ”

Britz didn't ask any more questions.

A few days later, Wai Cui Hong opened a small storefront on the outskirts of Westport's business district and acquired stakes in several new ships. In the midst of the expansion frenzy of new military suppliers, this move does not seem very remarkable.

Almost at the same time, the reconquest operations of the Seventh Fleet and the Southern Army began.