Chapter 213: Hun Tong’s Recruitment
Night.
Sprinkling moonlight illuminated Two Eyes Island.
The tide lapped the shore.
Last night’s magnificent landscape had been reduced to ruins.
The weeping mourning of the deceased, desperate whimpers, and resentful curses rang out from time to time through the night, mixing with and shrouding the residents of Two Eyes Island.
Tonight, Two Eyes Island was full of gloom and sorrow.
The chaotic warfare had concluded, and in the stillness, bloody wounds seemed to ache deeper.
Not only did Hun Tong’s troops suffer disastrous losses, the poor people, freemen, and other citizens had everything stolen from them.
Don’t ever underestimate a pirate’s plundering, for they were professionals at it.
Many families had been reduced.
In the fighting, not only were pirates swinging blades at you, but also the fishmen and even other humans.
To the inhabitants here, the loss of their wealth brought about pain, even more than the ones they had lost.
Because this was a Wealth Church parish.
People generally believed in the Wealth Goddess.
In the Wealth Church’s doctrine, wealth was above all. One could look at their burial customs to know this. Even if they died, as long as their wealth accompanied them, they would be happy.
Death wasn’t scary, being poor was.
Unfortunately, most of the people were still alive, but their money was gone!
Even though it was late into the night, the city government building’s gate was still congested with people.
At the front were representatives of the five great merchant alliances, behind them were the people of the smaller merchant alliances.
They were looking for City Lord Hun Tong.
But the gate remained locked.
“I have said many times already, Lord Hun Tong is wounded, he is in the middling of recuperating and won’t see any guests tonight.” One Eye guarded the city government building’s gate.
Hun Tong used to have four silver levels under his command, but two had died in the battle.
The pharmacist had lost his thigh and was sleeping inside Hun Tong’s city government building.
One Eye was the only one left that could keep up appearances.
The merchants were furious!
“What? No guests? Are we guests? We are victims!”
“My representative was shot by a light beam, Lord Hun Tong, will you not explain that?”
“Do you think you can avoid us by not meeting us?”
“Our stores were pillaged by pirates and fishmen, nothing of them remains. Hun Tong is the feudal lord, he is responsible for our protection, and so, we want compensation!”
Some merchants were questioning, some were cursing, and some were beating their chests and stamping their feet.
One Eye had a massive headache.
He wasn’t experienced in dealing with this kind of situation.
As far as the five great merchant alliances were concerned, he couldn’t dare to manhandle them, their background was too deep!
One Eye also didn’t want to offend the other smaller merchants either.
Two Eyes Island was a commerce island, and when the will of the people collapsed, most of Hun Tong’s foundation was done for.
Today’s battle had just concluded, and after the pirates had ransacked Two Eyes Island, its reputation had fallen greatly, its customers felt danger, and fewer of them would ever come back.
Pirates had come here to dispose of booty, producing much economic vigor, but following this, they would forever desert this place.
Under these circumstances, if merchants left in droves too, how would Two Eyes Island recover?
One Eye had no way out of the situation before him, the merchants were growing more agitated and would soon attack the city government building’s gate.
At that moment, the city government building’s gate suddenly opened.
From the gate walked out a silver level.
It was the pharmacist.
The pharmacist looked gloomy, and was leaning on a crutch, “Are you done making a noise?”
Just as his words left him, he pulled a trigger.
An alchemy firearm.
Ding.
He shot a merchant at the edge of the crowd dead!
For a split second, everything was quiet as a cold cicada.
The merchants were stunned.
The pharmacist’s killing intent boiled over as his cold gleaming eyes swept across the crowd.
He was in a terrible mood.
He had been seriously wounded, and the light beam had severed his thigh, leaving his lower leg on the ground.
After the fighting finished, he was recuperating in the safest place, the city government building.
As a result, he had been woken up by the noisy merchants.
The pharmacist’s vented anger had intimidated the troublesome crowd.
In fact, even One Ee was subdued by him.
The latter used an incredulous look to take the measure of the pharmacist.
Sometimes, pain and tribulation really tempered a person.
Before the battle, the pharmacist had immersed himself in research, complied with Hun Tong’s orders, was a yes-man, and was a coward scared of dying.
After the battle, he had survived a serious wound, toughening his guts enough that he could kill, he was far more courageous than before.
The merchants were subdued, but none of them retreated.
The shock and fear subsided somewhat, and many of the merchants looked at the pharmacist coldly.
Some of the merchant alliance representatives had died in battle, but there were still three silver levels present here.
Sensing that the situation might get out of control any moment, One Eye’s heart was in his throat.
But at that moment, he heard the pharmacist say, “Do you see my injury? I am not in a good mood.”
“Because I was shot by a light beam!”
“Of course, I know how badly you feel.”
“Therefore, I’ll give you all a chance.”
“Come, rush in.”
The pharmacist actually stepped aside, opening the gates to the city government building wipe open to the crowd.
“Don’t blame me for not warning you. Breaking into the city government building breaks the law! If you are killed by the garrison, it will be in vain.” The pharmacist sneered incessantly.
Merchants look at me, I look at you.
All of them remained where they were, none of them went in.
The pharmacist sneered, not bothering to cover up his scornful look.
“Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance.”
“I will give you half an hour, you lot can discuss whether you should attack the city government building!”
“We’ll be going.”
The pharmacist indicated to One Eye.
The two wanted into the city government building, leaving behind the wide open gate.
The merchants weren’t obstructed, but all of them were at a loss on what to do.
“What should be said?” One of the five great merchant alliance silver levels deeply frowned, they felt that the situation before them was impossible to stop halfway.
“We can’t break into the city government building, isn’t it handing someone the sword hilt?” Another silver level asked.
“Then should we stay here?”
“Alas, then let’s disperse, I still need return to my shop over there to deal with the terrible mess. I believe Hun Tong will give us an explanation on the matter of compensation.”
“Then we’ll come tomorrow!”
“If no one gave them a way out, the troublesome crowd could only give themselves a way out.
After everyone had a lively discussion, they sighed one by one and walked away with raised brows.
Not long after, the pharmacist and One Eye came out to the gate.
“You really dared to take a gamble?” One Eye asked.
“Merchants, humph, a group of cowardly profit seekers, how could they have the guts to attack the city government building?” The battle had given the pharmacist a thorough look into the natural disposition of merchants.
One Eye shook his head, still feeling it was an immense risk, “What if you lose your gamble?”
The pharmacist sneered, “They didn’t attack the city government building immediately, what makes you suppose that they will have the courage to do so later?”
“Besides, what is there to be afraid of?!” The city government building is tightly guarded and filled with magic and mechanical traps. If that group charged in, most of them would lose their lives, and the few silver levels would be a dirty mess!”
Upon mentioning that, the pharmacist regretfully exclaimed, “Those gangs of pirates were indeed crafty, they surprisingly never attacked the city government building!”
“By the way, where is Lord Hun Tong?”
One Eye whispered, “His Lordship has already left clandestinely for the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ interim encampment.”
The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ ships were still berthed at the port.
The captain’s room at the aft house.
An open window let moonlight in.
The seawater’s moisture brought in the lingering scent of blood into the captain’s room.
Inside the captain’s room, there was just Zong Ge and Hun Tong.
Zong Ge led Hun Tong to his seat, then asked his purpose in coming, “Feudal Lord, paying a visit so late into the night, do you need us for an urgent mission?”
Hun Tong smiled and shook his head, “No I don’t. I have come to express my thanks to your corps for their outstanding contribution to the battle.”
“Commander Long Fu?” Hun Tong asked.
The dragonman youngster was still on the Deep Sea Monster Fish and wasn’t present.
Zong He was prepared for this, “So sorry, Feudal Lord. During the battle, the commander used his final form and is currently recovering.”
Hun Tong immediately understood, “Commander Long Fu was a flourishing dashing figure, and with his final form’s military might, he was capable of fighting Er Gua Zi head on and was only a bit weaker than him.”
“To tell the truth, I obtained information about your corps, learning of how exceptional you performed during the naval battle where Rou Zang was captured.”
“But during today’s battle, I finally realized that I greatly underestimated you all.”
“Commander Long Fu isn’t a peak silver level, yet he was able to accomplish such things. Adding on you, Shi Qi, a peak silver…the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps is a quasi-gold level mercenary corps.”
Hun Tong was misled by Zong Ge into thinking that the dragonman youngster’s final form had a strong repercussion and was thinking that he was in the middle of urgent recuperation.
Zong Ge slightly frowned, he wasn’t good at dealing with this situation and didn’t like it either.
After thinking about it, he dryly replied, “Your Lordship is too kind.”
Hun Tong laughed, proceeding to sign praises of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
He recounted the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ feats. He exclaimed in admiration of how on the port battlefield, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps was a tower of strength. Without the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ distinguished display, the fishmen would have taken the port.
He also spoke of how the dragonman youngster accepted his mission, and in spite of the huge risks, he left the destroy the enemy’s subterranean spell casting. Regardless of how it ended, their choices and actions were in stark contrast to those of those merchants, and the Iron Club and Bandage Mercenary Corps. They were the entirety of the human’s core!
After that, Hun Tong took out a large amount of gold coins and supplies from a storge device.
Zong Ge’s brows wrinkled deeply, “Feudal Lord, your reward is too much. We weren’t able to complete the mission of destroying the subterranean casting.”
“Even if we did, we shouldn’t be receiving this many rewards!”
“It isn’t much, I don’t think it’s enough.” Hun Tong then explained his true purpose in coming, “I want to use this remuneration to hire your corps, to officially join Two Eyes Island!”
Zong He couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows and head.
Hun Tong continued, “If you are not satisfied with this price, then we can continue discussing it.”
“I want to say that this time, I have come in immensely good faith!”
Zong Ge nodded and thought, “Looking at this sum of money, I can sense Hun Tong is recruiting in good faith. He really is rich and imposing! I didn’t think that even after this battle, he was still so wealthy!”
Zong Ge looked at Hun Tong.
As a matter of fact, this was Hun Tong’s old foundation.
“But it doesn’t matter. The seafloor has massive riches! The underground patrol puppets have already dredged them out of the sea, at dawn tomorrow, I will have all of the island’s riches! Compensating those merchants will be a trivial matter.” Hun Tong felt that everything was under control.