Chapter 572: Yan Yi Talks Things Over

As the intermediary, Yan Yi sought out Hun Tong, concealing the fact that he had contributed intelligence. He merely stated: “I was forced by Tan Mo to act as a go-between. That damned Tan Mo, utterly despicable! Just because I'm only bronze level, he dares bully me like this!”

Hun Tong felt a surge of joy inside. He patted Yan Yi's shoulder and tried to show empathy: "You and I are on the same side. Back then, I teamed up with you because we're from the same clan."

"That bastard Tan Mo cares about nothing but money. And he's got powerful connections in the Imperial Secret Spy Agency. He's been extorting bribes for years, and no one can bring him down!"

Yan Yi stated bluntly, “Tan Mo's attitude this time is exceptionally brutal and unyielding. He demands at least 30,000 gold coins before he'll let it go.”

Hun Tong's rage boiled over: “He really dares to ask for that much!”

He'd painstakingly raised funds, yet still fell short of the 30,000 gold coins. But the gap wasn't insurmountable. To reach 30,000 gold, he'd have to dip into his own savings to make up the difference.

Yan Yi pleaded, “My Lord, circumstances are beyond our control. A step back opens up a world of possibilities.”

Hun Tong fought to suppress his rage. Under Yan Yi's imploring gaze, he finally chose compromise. “30,000 gold, truly, not a penny less?”

"Truthfully, I can produce 30,000 gold. But I fear this might only fuel Tan Mo's greed further."

“Bargaining is essential, he must understand my absolute limit!”

Yan Yi hastened to respond: “My Lord, your stance is truly most wise.”

“Rest assured, as the intermediary, I will exhaust every effort to negotiate with Tan Mo. I'll push and pull until he comprehends that 30,000 gold is the absolute bottom line.”

Hun Tong nodded. "Shadow, I have complete confidence in your work. If anyone else were the intermediary, I'd worry their words might provoke Tan Mo and worsen the situation. But you would never make such a mistake, correct?"

Yan Yi's body trembled slightly, understanding this was Tan Mo's warning. He hastily assured, "Of course not! Rest assured, Lord."

Yan Yi left Hun Tong and approached Tan Mo for negotiations.

Returning with the outcome, Yan Yi reported to Hun Tong.

Hun Tong roared in fury: "What? Tan Mo has his eye on my alchemy components? Beyond the 30,000 gold coins, he also wants the Golden Eye thrown in as a bonus?"

Yan Yi replied, “Tan Mo suggested that since Lord lacks the means to repair the Golden Flash, why not part with the Golden Eye instead?”

“He also remarked that the name alone would suit his Treasure Chest perfectly.”

Hun Tong laughed in anger.

“The Golden Eye reconnaissance component aboard the Golden Flash is an alchemy artifact of gold level! It's practically a sacred relic of the Wealth Church!”

“Because it is augmented with Appraisal!”

"It can appraise the value of everything within its scouting range. It's a uniquely effective reconnaissance tool with exceptional results."

"Its market value is conservatively estimated at 4,000 gold. And in Tan Mo's words, it's merely a ‘bonus’?"

At this point, Hun Tong fixed his gaze on Yan Yi, his expression darkening as he made no effort to conceal his anger.

Yan Yi took a step back, cold sweat pouring down his brow. “Lord, I have already negotiated the price to the absolute limit.”

“Tan Mo's greed is truly staggering.”

"Upon my return, I explicitly warned Tan Mo that this asking price would be nearly impossible to meet. I told him not to harbor any expectations."

“Perhaps, Lord, if you were to confront him directly and state your firm stance, it might make him truly recognize the reality of the situation.”

Hun Tong did not nod at Yan Yi's suggestion.

He needed an intermediary to mediate this matter.

He was reluctant to confront Tan Mo directly, partly out of distaste and pride, partly because he held the weaker hand in such negotiations. To maneuver effectively, he needed room to maneuver. Yan Yi was that room, his forward-deployed defense line.

He was well-suited for this role.

On one hand, Yan Yi held significant power and influence as the head of the secret spies in the Two Eyes Island region. On the other hand, Yan Yi was also easy to manipulate. A bronze level individual was truly insignificant in the presence of a gold level one.

After pondering for a moment, Hun Tong stated, “I won't agree regarding the Golden Eye, but I can offer a bit more in gold coins.”

“30,000 gold coins is out of the question, but 3,200 gold coins is feasible.”

"Remember, this is my absolute bottom line. Go negotiate again!"

Hun Tong dismissed Yan Yi.

Yan Yi then sought out Tan Mo. After some discussion and negotiation, he returned to Hun Tong with results.

After several rounds like this, the negotiations showed no signs of ending, instead, they deteriorated significantly.

Tan Mo's demands grew ever more exorbitant, while Hun Tong, constrained by circumstances, could only concede step by step.

But Hun Tong wasn't an emotionless puppet. Anger and fury swelled within him.

“That scoundrel Tan Mo!”

“I, Hun Tong, a feudal lord, am actually being threatened like this by him!”

"He utterly despises me, thinking I'm old and easy to bully!"

“I'm starting to envy the Ice Sculpture Kingdom. If customs here allowed it, I'd challenge him to a heroic duel!”

Yan Yi desperately tried to reason with Hun Tong.

“Take one step back and your choices will expand, my lord.”

“The future belongs to you. This setback will merely serve as a footnote in your life, highlighting your admirable flexibility and resilience.”

"We weathered the fishman invasion. We survived the crisis caused by the Devil Gold Coins. We endured such hardships. There's no need to let it all come crashing down now."

Beyond pleading, Yan Yi offered Hun Tong strategic advice.

“My Lord,” he suggested, “you could leverage external forces.”

“Those merchant alliances possess considerable capital.”

Hun Tong refused.

Yan Yi pressed on: "Since you wish to bring in the Justice Church, these groups could also be utilized. Borrow a substantial sum from them! They must have funds, especially for developing new districts."

But Hun Tong had already exhausted that avenue.

At a loss, Yan Yi suggested again: “My Lord, perhaps you could sell off some furniture, wine collections, or antiques from the city government palace?”

Hun Tong shook his head, dismissing the idea outright as utterly ridiculous. Such a move would utterly destroy his reputation as a noble.

He had truly reached his limit. Refusing to back down any further, he asked Yan Yi if he could provide some support.

Yan Yi stated he was completely penniless, the gold coins he had given earlier being his entire fortune.

Hun Tong angrily rebuked him, saying such deceitful nonsense was unnecessary in his presence.

Yan Yi reiterated that he truly had nothing left.

Hun Tong retorted, “As the head of the Secret Spy Agency here, can't you access the organization's operational funds?”

Yan Yi was alarmed: At this critical juncture, tapping into the organization's funds would be handing over weaknesses to others. Tan Mo would be delighted to learn of this.

Hun Tong's face remained cold: “I'm already in this state. Do you still have such reservations?”

“Besides, we are on the same boat. This is us weathering the storm together.”

“After this, I will compensate you tenfold!”

With no other choice, Yan Yi reluctantly agreed to try allocating some funds.

After being pressed once more, Yan Yi sought out Tan Mo and declared, “I have a solid plan to secure at least 50,000 gold pieces for you, sir!”

Tan Mo paused, then grew intensely curious.

Like Hun Tong, he too had reached his limit in this grueling negotiation, his patience nearly exhausted.

He’d expected concessions, but jumping from the agreed-upon 20,000 gold coins to 50,000? There was definitely something fishy going on!

Yan Yi looked at Tan Mo’s astonished expression, spread his hands, and said, "The one offering this 50,000 gold isn’t Hun Tong. Lord Tan Mo, allow me to introduce you."

Tan Mo's expression steadied as he fixed a deep gaze on Yan Yi, “Lead the way.”

The submarine plowed through the icy-blue lake water, cutting a path through the frigid depths laced with shards of ice.

The vessel was remarkably compact; its interior cramped even with just two occupants.

Clearly, though this small submarine was a magic ship, it was a specialized craft, nothing like the Deep Sea Monster Fish.

It was only suitable for certain specific scenarios.

Like the escape they were undertaking now.

Hidden within the submarine were Zi Di and Elder Yuan Ci.

This elder of the Wisteria Merchant Alliance had pale skin, a bushy beard, and a large frame, though he was very thin.

This differed significantly from Zi Di's recollection of Elder Yuan Ci.

In her memory, he had been tall and robust, boasting a booming voice he used to drown out rivals during negotiations.

Most crucially, he had been an ordinary human. Yet now, he radiated the aura of a silver level magician.

While investigating the Wisteria shop in the Ice Sculpture Capital, Zi Di fell into an ambush. Just as defeat and death seemed imminent, Elder Yuan Ci suddenly piloted a submarine, breaking through the floor's ice layer to rescue Zi Di in the nick of time.

The enemies lying in ambush for Zi Di naturally wouldn't let it go, pursuing them relentlessly.

Meanwhile, the submarine, under Elder Yuan Ci's control, sped along at breakneck speed, desperately fleeing until it finally shook off the pursuers.

During this time, Zi Di and Yuan Ci exchanged a few words, establishing a basic level of mutual trust.

“Once we pass this shattered ice layer, we'll reach my alchemy laboratory,” Yuan Ci stated.

“I never imagined the underground of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom would look like this,” Zi Di marveled.

The Ice Sculpture Kingdom was a magnificent capital city built upon the Ten Millenia Ice Lake. Beneath the city lay not soil, but thick, massive ice.

Yet it was more than just a solid ice layer.

As Yuan Ci explained: The Ten Millenia Ice Lake comprised four distinct ice layers.

The uppermost layer was decade ice. Yet, fortified over countless millennia by the kingdom and reinforced by numerous magic formations, it had become exceptionally resilient and thick.

Beneath lay the century ice layer, from which century ice could be mined.

Deeper still was the millennia ice layer.

And the final layer was the ten-thousand-year ice.

This ten-thousand-year ice encased the god level remains of the Ten-Thousand-Year Dragon. Even after countless millennia since its demise, its immense power continues to permeate the entire Ten Millenia Ice Lake and the Ice Sculpture Capital.

Near each ice layer lay the shattered ice layers, where fragments of frozen ice intertwine with the lake water, undergoing constant transformation

Beneath the ice lay flowing lake water and a unique cold freshwater ecosystem.

Almost all life that thrived here was magic beasts, with many species found exclusively in the Ten Millenia Ice Lake.

Beyond this lay the alchemy chamber.