Chapter 570: Hun Tong Raises Resources
“That bastard Tu Ji...” Tan Mo had hit a brick wall with Tu Ji, and recalling it afterward made him grind his teeth in frustration.
If Tu Ji had come from any other background, Tan Mo might have had room to maneuver. But Tu Ji hailed from the Blood Light Punishment Institution, that was far too formidable. Tan Mo felt completely hamstrung.
As for the claim that “Hun Tong hadn't looted any spoils and made a killing from the war,” Tan Mo had his suspicions.
He preferred to believe the theory that Hun Tong had struck it rich.
“Even if he's strapped for cash, a leaky ship still has three tough nails. I refuse to believe I can't squeeze more out of him!”
“If I let this chance slip away, I'll regret it for the rest of my life.”
“How should I go about extorting him?”
Tan Mo began racking his brains.
If Tu Ji cooperated, he could easily manipulate Hun Tong.
But without Tu Ji's cooperation, it would be difficult.
Though Tan Mo was in the Imperial Secret Spy Agency and secretly bore the expectations of the Seventh Prince, the current situation involved investigators from the Blood Light Punishment Institution. With both sides conducting a joint investigation, neither the Blood Light Punishment Institution nor the Imperial Secret Spy Agency would believe his one-sided account.
If he resorted to outright slander or fabricated evidence, it would be pure recklessness, Tan Mo courting disaster and jeopardizing his career as a Navy Rear Admiral.
“What should I do?” Tan Mo pondered incessantly, while Hun Tong also felt the pressure mounting.
Hun Tong sought out Yan Yi and confided, “Tan Mo won't give up like this, Shadow.”
Advanced in years and seasoned by experience, Hun Tong understood well that the bribe he had offered Tan Mo would never satisfy him.
Hun Tong had long shed his youthful impetuosity. Otherwise, he wouldn't have allied with Shadow years ago, enduring sacrifices, like losing merchant ships, to gradually lure the fishman clan into attacking the island.
Hun Tong sought out Yan Yi this time specifically for assistance.
Yan Yi spread his hands helplessly. "Lord Hun Tong, I'm truly sorry, but I can do nothing more. I've practically emptied my coffers in bribes to Tan Mo, begging him to show mercy this once."
Yan Yi's refusal was delivered with tactful restraint.
This left Hun Tong seething with frustration.
He suppressed his rage, fixing Yan Yi with a piercing stare: “I know exactly how much you've given Tan Mo!”
“In a way, you raised his expectations, which is why Tan Mo is even more dissatisfied with my gift to him.”
“You should understand this logic.”
Yan Yi shook his head and sighed bitterly: “Lord, I am truly afraid.”
“I am not like you!”
“You are the lofty gold level, the de facto ruler of Two Eyes Island, your position unshakable.”
“And me?”
“I'm merely a bronze level. Being the representative of this sea area already feels like walking on thin ice.”
"This time, Tan Mo, as a secret agent, can't easily act against you. But if he harbors ill will toward me and reports it to higher-ups, I'm finished!"
“Tell me, in this situation, what choice do I have but to give it my all?”
“If I hold back and fail to satisfy Tan Mo, leading to my dismissal or even imprisonment, I'll regret it for the rest of my life!”
Yan Yi's almost tearful plea softened Hun Tong's expression considerably.
He continued, “On the contrary, if I satisfy Tan Mo this time and earn his favorable evaluation—”
“Who knows? My current standing might solidify considerably. Perhaps I could even advance to the next level in the future.”
At this point, a hint of longing flickered across Yan Yi's face.
Hun Tong inwardly sneered, thinking: You're just a bronze level, and you want to climb higher? What are you dreaming about? Don't you have any self-awareness?
Hun Tong had calmed down. He thought: I shouldn't push Yan Yi too hard. After all, Yan Yi and Tan Mo are members of the same organization.
But he was desperately short of money.
There was simply no other way.
Hun Tong fixed Yan Yi with a fierce glare, his voice low and menacing. “My predicament stems directly from heeding your advice and letting that necromancer escape.”
“You guaranteed me you could eliminate him.”
“And what happened?”
“Tan Mo needs a pretext to strike against me, my failure to stop the necromancer is perfect!”
“Shouldn't you be held accountable for your flawed command?”
Yan Yi hurriedly protested, “Lord Hun Tong, you mustn't speak recklessly.”
“I was no longer responsible for the necromancer's subsequent actions.”
“How could I have known the new representative would act this way?”
"Besides, war is unpredictable. Anything can happen on the battlefield. A minor mishap can even sway the final outcome."
“On this point, your Lord should understand it best, and feel it most keenly.”
“The primary reason for your investigation wasn't just the necromancer, but the Devil Gold Coins.”
Hun Tong snorted coldly, cutting him off: “The issue now is that Tan Mo won't let me off the hook.”
“We are one. If he won't spare me, how could he spare you?”
"He intends to make things difficult for me. He'll certainly tamper with the final investigation report. If he can give me a low evaluation, do you think you can escape unscathed?"
Yan Yi bowed his head in dejection. Raising his hands in surrender, he relented: "Lord Hun Tong, what assistance do you require from me? I shall do my utmost."
Hun Tong shook his head. “It's not about me. We must weather this storm together.”
“The real problem now isn't Tu Ji.”
"We both share Tu Ji's information. That man is upright. The true issue lies with Tan Mo."
“Hmph. That greedy bastard will never be satisfied with the payment I offered.”
"He won't let this rest. He'll twist the investigation results to his advantage!"
Yan Yi glared: “Then what can we do?”
“Feudal Lord, he's an investigator. He has a magic ship, and it's guarded by a saint level shield guardian!”
“Since we ran into him, we'll just have to accept our misfortune. Better to pay the price and avoid disaster.”
Hun Tong also glared: “What do you think I want to do?”
“Take out Tan Mo?”
“Impossible!”
“Tan Mo himself is a gold level. He made it to Navy Rear Admiral—you think he can't fight?”
"Even if we handle Tan Mo, even without the saint level shield guardian, there's still the Tu Ji. He's from the Blood Light Punishment Institution!"
“This is a joint investigation. We have no choice but to bow our heads.”
“Brother Yan Yi, you've got some nerve!”
Yan Yi was startled and waved his hands frantically. “Feudal Lord, you can't say that! I never had any dangerous thoughts!”
“I'm a member of the Imperial Secret Spy Agency, the regional representative! My loyalty to the Empire is absolute!”
“Enough.” Hun Tong waved him off wearily. “Money. I need money now.”
“I plan to raise another sum to give to Tan Mo.”
“Consider this round a loan from me.”
Yan Yi wore a pained expression. “Feudal Lord, to weather this crisis, I've already used every last coin I own for bribes.”
“Where would I possibly find more money for you?”
Hun Tong's expression darkened instantly. “Stop spouting such nonsense.”
“We're fighting this together, you owe me at least this much!”
With that, Hun Tong held out his right hand, fingers splayed wide.
Yan Yi's eyes widened. He couldn't sit still any longer and sprang to his feet. “My Lord! Even if you killed me now, I couldn't produce that much!”
“It's simply impossible.”
Hun Tong sneered, convinced Yan Yi must be hiding something.
Yan Yi retorted fiercely without hesitation.
After a tense standoff, Yan Yi finally bowed to pressure, reluctantly agreeing to “lend” Hun Tong 1,600 gold coins.
This fell far short of Hun Tong's initial demand.
Yet Yan Yi volunteered to mediate, offering to facilitate friendly negotiations between Hun Tong and Tan Mo.
Considering Yan Yi's status as a secret agent, Hun Tong didn't want to push too hard.
Judging by Yan Yi's demeanor, Hun Tong also sensed he couldn't squeeze any more money out of him. Reluctantly, he nodded in agreement.
“1,600 gold coins alone won't solve the problem.”
“We'll have to think of other ways.”
Still, Yan Yi's attitude satisfied Hun Tong.
At times, Hun Tong felt fortunate that the secret agent assigned to oversee the Two Eyes Island region was only bronze level in cultivation. This allowed him to maintain absolute initiative throughout their negotiations!
Had Yan Yi been gold level, no, even silver level, Hun Tong would never have wielded such effortless leverage and coercion.
Solutions always outnumbered difficulties.
Hun Tong devised a new plan.
He sought out another helper.
After some general conversation, Hun Tong revealed his true intent: borrowing money!
“Bishop Nei Dou,” Hun Tong said, “if you wish to establish a Justice Church parish on Two Eyes Island, now is actually the best opportunity.”
“The Treasure Chest at the dock, and this joint investigation, you should be well aware of both.”
“I myself have no issues, but to navigate this investigation, I'll need some assistance from the Justice Church...”
“As the Justice Church's bishop personally establishing a new diocese, I find it hard to believe you lack startup funds.”
Hun Tong then bluntly demanded 50,000 gold coins. Such an exorbitant sum instantly stirred resentment among the eavesdropping pilgrims.
Nei Dou, an unremarkable middle-aged man, pondered briefly before shaking his head slightly. “Fifty thousand gold coins, we simply cannot produce that amount.”
“It's far too much.”
“We're establishing a new parish; we couldn't possibly carry that much gold with us.”
“But we do understand your current predicament.”
"We are willing to assist you in overcoming this crisis. However, we can only lend a maximum of 20,000 gold coins."
“Furthermore, we demand priority missionary rights, the right to build churches anywhere, and a reserved parish territory.”
Priority missionary rights were clearly intended to counter the Wealth Church.
The right to build churches anywhere was an even more potent offensive weapon.
The right to a reserved parish was the heaviest demand, within this area, only the Justice Church may be professed.
Hun Tong made exorbitant demands of Nei Dou, and Nei Dou returned the favor.
But that's how negotiations work, as the saying goes, ask for the moon and settle for the stars.
Do not be afraid of high demands; but fear a lack of sincerity in negotiations.