Chapter 343: A Welcome Procession

The bald man carried in by Tangmu and Dawei was none other than the leader of the Laen Society.

Although he had not been injured during the capture that morning, after being escorted back to the port and undergoing interrogation by Wali Knight, he not only looked extremely dejected but also bore many bloodstains on his body, which clearly indicated he had been whipped.

Luoning walked to the chair in front and sat down, looking the other man up and down.

Although this bald man was a Bronze Knight and his strength ranked among the top on Jiliu Island, his courage was nothing to brag about.

At this moment, seeing Luoning, this great noble, Laen's knees went weak, and he knelt on the ground:

"My lord, spare my life! My lord, spare my life!"

"This was all instigated by Marcelo! He said that since we had the numbers, we had absolutely no need to fear Wali Knight and his troops. I... I listened to his nonsense for a moment, which is why I kept negotiating with Wali Knight, demanding more supplies."

Just imagine how much of an impact it would have to see a bald man crying his heart out with snot and tears in front of you.

"I am aware of Marcelo's crimes; what awaits him is likely the gallows."

Luoning said, "As for you..."

"My lord, spare my life! My lord, spare my life!"

Laen grew anxious.

"I only demanded a bit more food and tools from Wali Knight; I never thought of killing him, let alone smuggling with outsiders. Besides, besides, the timber from the Laen Society was basically all handed over; I didn't intentionally hold it back!"

"My lord, I beg you not to send me to the gallows, I beg you to save me!"

Most people on Jiliu Island lived hard lives, but as a leader, Laen still lived a life of luxury.

This type of person cherished his life dearly; he did not want to die yet.

Luoning smiled faintly.

Although this Laen could be considered a troublemaker, he was merely greedy for wealth and had not done things like colluding with outsiders or smuggling timber.

Although guilty, it was not a capital offense.

In Luoning's view, it was relatively easy to control such a cowardly person who feared death.

He only needed to show the other party absolute strength, even the ability to decide his life or death with a single word, and Laen would definitely be obedient and not dare to act rashly for Along time to come.

"I can indeed save you," Luoning said.

As the commander of this operation, he did indeed have the authority to decide who to arrest and who to release to a certain extent.

Moreover, Bruno only asked him to resolve the trouble on Jiliu Island, without specifying the exact methods or means.

Pacifying these troublemakers and letting them continue to serve the Kingdom as they did before was also one way to resolve the trouble.

Laen trembled all over upon hearing these words!

He looked up at the young noble sitting in front, an excited and surprised expression appearing on his face, as if he had grasped at the last straw.

"My lord, as long as you can save me, from now on this wretched life of mine is yours. If you tell me to go up the mountain, I will never go down to the sea; if you tell me to go east, I will never go west!"

Luoning nodded.

He was currently very short-handed and could not spare anyone to manage Jiliu Island.

As a native of this place, Laen understood the situation here very well, making him very suitable to handle things for him.

As for the other party's character and private conduct...

The most important thing right now was to manage and operate this place well to create value for the Wubei Territory.

As long as Laen could get things done and did not do anything too outrageous, it would suffice.

Next, Luoning gave the other party a few more instructions, then had Tangmu and Dawei take him away again.

After all, he was not yet the master of Jiliu Island, so to avoid giving people grounds for criticism, matters here were still managed by Wali Knight for the time being.

Therefore, before that, Laen would still be locked in the port's dungeon.

With this, the trip to Jiliu Island was considered a complete success.

For Luoning, besides racking up some military achievements, the most gratifying harvest was the crop known as the potato.

He had already packed quite a lot into his Space Ring, preparing to take them back to the Wubei Territory for planting.

In just one year, this high-yield food would become popular in his territory.

Over the next two days, while Luoning had people assist Wali Knight in controlling the territories of the Laen Society and the White Flower Society, he also briefly recorded the process of this operation and sent it back to the Jinyu Palace using Jiliu Island's Letter Bird.

Two days later, as order on Jiliu Island gradually recovered, Luoning set sail with captives like Marcelo and Clifford, embarking on the return journey to Niujiao Bay.

Jinyu Palace.

Luoning's letter soon reached the hands of King Bruno.

In his eyes, annihilating the White Whale Pirate Group and quelling the chaos on Jiliu Island were tasks without any difficulty; he did not feel surprised at all that Luoning could succeed.

It was just that he had not expected the residents of Jiliu Island to have made contact with the outside world, and even involved the "Blood Sail," another pirate organization of the Screaming Sea.

Such large pirate groups all had their own channels of cooperation.

As far as he knew, the shadow of the Screaming Count family was behind the Blood Sail Pirate Group.

"Truly a qualified merchant; they will run over wherever there is even the slightest bit of profit."

Saying that, Bruno knew that a few ships of timber would not satisfy the other party's appetite.

Occupying Jiliu Island, vigorously mining timber, and expanding profits—this was the ultimate goal.

Bruno pondered slightly, thinking to himself: "It seems more necessary to introduce new forces into the Screaming Sea."

He looked at the intelligence officer Meier beside him, "Luoning's ships should return to Niujiao Bay in a few days; before that, go and spread the word about his achievements in this operation."

His Majesty the King paused and said in more detail: "Just say that he not only destroyed the lair of the White Whale Pirate Group and cleared the sea, providing higher safety for passing merchant ships, but also quelled the turmoil on Jiliu Island for the Auduin Royal Family and captured the third leader of the Blood Sail Pirate Group, the Golden Knight Clifford."

Meier bowed slightly, "As you wish, Your Majesty!"

He knew the King's purpose in doing this was nothing more than to build momentum for Luoning, so as to proceed with the conferment of titles in a logical manner.

Not to mention, with Luoning being a member of the Wushan Family and a Champion Knight, plus the achievements Bruno just mentioned, as long as they were described with a little exaggeration, it would indeed make Luoning's reputation soar.

Meier already had many ideas in his mind.

Five days later, a warship flying the flag of the Auduin Royal Family sailed into Niujiao Bay Port.

Before even landing, Luoning saw the port crowded with many people welcoming him; they waved the flags of the royal family and the Wushan family, shouting Luoning's name.

"What is going on?"

Not to mention the others on the ship who were startled by such a display, even Luoning was taken aback.

He knew in his heart that such a spectacle was perhaps arranged by Bruno, but wasn't it a bit too exaggerated?

With no other choice, he could only puff out his chest, wear a smile on his face, and while disembarking, offer sincere and friendly greetings to his fake fans. (End of chapter)