Chapter 423

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Protagonist:

Chen Yi

The noble meetings inside Ma La were incessant, several times more numerous than during the early stages of the war.

Countless great nobles, like chickens, ducks, fish, and pigs awaiting slaughter, like rabbits and mice about to be served, frantically networked and struggled. The Jiasaiye Family was a great clan that had continued in Ma La for nearly a thousand years, a truly precious aristocratic family; the funds they had accumulated were immense, but their expenditures were also enormous, and just like normal enterprises and companies, cash was the lubricant and vitamin maintaining their stability. As long as there was the slightest opportunity, the Jiasaiyes would not give up on recovering the family's money, even if only half of it — that was still years of hard accumulation.

However, no family's money falls from the sky; great clans with frozen corpses on the road can discard even morality and conscience, let alone alliance friendship.

After making such a commotion for two days, the Jiasaiyes, speaking nicely and harshly, managed to scrape together a total of 5 tons of precious metals — one must say he was remarkable, earning 1.5 billion dollars barehanded. For the poor families of the West Continent, this money could buy 100,000 slaves, tens of thousands of pretty young girls. In other words, the Jiasaiye Family's reputation could directly exchange for 5 tons of gold or platinum, an extremely expensive reputation.

However, 5 tons was ultimately not enough.

When Yin Senchen the Divine Art Knight came to collect the money that day, he merely said "not enough," not even leaving a single note; the Jiasaiyes had no recourse, so they thought to drag it out, hoping a turn of events might appear — for instance, the Water Dragon Temple reacting and dispatching a few Divine Art Knights, which would solve the problem.

However, acting on Chen Yi's instructions, Yin Senchen made a trip to the Jiasaiye Family every single day, never missing one, punctual as if attending class. Moreover, each time he took away at least 1,000 Conch Shells, saying in his words, "1,000 Conch Shells is just the deployment cost of a Divine Art Knight, not counted in the tax farming," which amounted to a late fee or interest for the delay. Regarding this, the Jiasaiyes hated it so much their teeth ached; in a city-state using heavy metal currency with virtually no currency inflation, interest was actually quite immoral, because without inflation, money a year later had the same purchasing power as money a year earlier, so interest lacked the soil to survive. And 1,000 Conch Shells of interest, no matter how calculated, was far too high.

But could the Jiasaiyes resist?

First all cash was taken away, then the various precious metal vessels in the household, then the weapons passed down by ancestors… By the time Yin Senchen wanted to move the statues, the Jiasaiyes finally couldn't bear it and began targeting noble families one by one, trying to squeeze money from each. This round, he not only employed the West River Water Fortress's threat tactics, but also used the leverage his family had accumulated over years of holding other families by the throat.

Even so, he only scraped together another 5 tons of precious metals.

Added to his own 10-odd tons, the total came to 20 tons, but still fell short of the 30-ton target — the Jiasaiyes were even considering how to replenish their own treasury again.

He racked his brains behind closed doors for a day, and Yin Senchen came again.

"Lord Divine Art Knight," the Jiasaiye spoke listlessly, "my home is about to be emptied by you; look, whatever valuables remain, just take them all."

Yin Senchen glanced askance and asked, "Really?"

Seeing the other party was serious, the Jiasaiye softened; there were still house deeds and land titles at home — if those were really taken, it would be too late for tears.

He was now incomparably fortunate that his household private soldiers had all gone to the front line; otherwise, the armor, weapons, and mounts accumulated by ancestors would likely share the fate of the defective goods left at home.

"I'll show you a clear path." Yin Senchen relayed Chen Yi's exact words.

"Eh?"

"Tomorrow at this time, you bring the wealthy fellows up to the Tower and look toward Shenqi Mountain."

"Look at what?"

Yin Senchen lowered his voice and said, "We're going to blow up Shenqi Mountain."

"You… what are you going to do?"

"Blow up Shenqi Mountain." Yin Senchen's voice rose: "Tomorrow at this time, you watch. When the mountain is gone and the flames rise, you go talk to those wealthy fellows again. Tell them if they're still stingy, we'll come into the city again to collect money."

The Jiasaiye didn't fully understand Yin Senchen's words, but it seemed like a decent lead.

The next day at noon, he summoned all the city's nobles to the Tower on a pretext, accompanied by seven or eight merchants. Compared to the nobles, the merchants' assets weren't that large; they merely had relatively smaller expenditures than nobles — in modern terms, lower costs.

However, costs determined political status; nobles' expenditures were large, yet they gained political benefits thereby, while merchants scrimped and saved yet held lower political status. In the temple commercial world based on city-states, the distance between them wasn't very far. Successful merchants could become nobles, and great nobles were all paragons of commercial endorsement.

The High Priest also came, his withered yellow face simply like the Jiasaiye's brother. The other nobles were no better, each as withered and thin as adolescent insects.

"Can't see Shenqi Mountain from here." The High Priest spoke into the Jiasaiye's ear, nearly touching his tongue to it.

The Jiasaiye shook off the old man in disgust, leaned on the railing like a melancholy woman, and said, "That's what they said; we just watch."

The High Priest also leaned on the railing with bowed head, like a dead courtesan who had committed suicide.

He stared west for a long time, then "pu-chi" burst out laughing.

"What now?" The Jiasaiye's respect for the temple had vanished completely.

The treasury had been looted by them, and a temple that didn't dare let out a fart — what dignity did it have?

The High Priest remained oblivious, recalling something amusing, still chuckling: "I was thinking of those old men at the Iron Workshop; they've been looking for me for days, wanting me to get Shenqi Mountain back for them — joke, how could I get it back?"

"Oh? It's being blown up today; won't their nest be blown up too?"

The High Priest gripped the Tower's hard stone window fiercely, venting: "When they were powerful before, making them increase supply was one excuse after another; now it's good, they need us…"

"No use anymore either." The Jiasaiye was now like an ordinary old man, a belly full of complaints.

"Best if it's no use."

As the High Priest finished speaking, the Tower suddenly began to shake violently, with large amplitude.

"Dragon God's Wrath!"

A heaven-shaking, earth-shattering roar spread sound waves in all directions from the plain. Quite a few Combat Skill Level knights automatically activated defensive barriers against the tsunami-like shock wave.

"The mountain blew up!"

A group of nobles all rushed to the west side of the Tower, watching thunderclouds rise in a brush-stroke shape in the distance.

"Really blew up the mountain?"

"Go see?"

The two young nobles' dialogue hit everyone's thoughts exactly; the gentlemen on the Tower swarmed down, only to discover many people had already climbed the city walls, and bold youngsters had even run out of the city.

"Knights, form ranks." The Jiasaiye vaulted onto his Sharp-toothed Beast, a five-colored painted Sharp-toothed Beast with a belly fat as if pregnant, not much different from the Jiasaiye himself.

A line of knights formed a column and rode toward where the gray mist rose; when they reached the Ring City Highway, everyone's speed naturally slowed.

The flat road stirred the nobles' emotions; they were all worldly people who had seen such high-standard roads occasionally in political and economic centers everywhere, but each stretch cost a fortune.

On the road were two armored vehicles forming a patrol squad; they did not stop the knights from crossing the highway but tailed them all the way and reported to Upper Management.

Near the newly built mine road, the Jiasaiyes and company were intercepted. A Level 3 Soldier carrying an Automatic Rifle directed: "Sightseers behind the yellow line, behind the yellow line — free white water supplied; cross the red line, watch out, bullets have no eyes."

Sir Heinuo of the First Cavalry Regiment raised his brow and struck, shouting angrily: "What beast are you, daring to block nobles' path."

The Jiasaiye didn't investigate in time, only saw the soldier fly backward without a sound, and was instantly scared stiff.

The soldiers behind were also terrified, shouting "Yun San Ri" while working bolts or switching safeties.

Amid the "ka-ka-ka" of bolts, a native officer shouted in a tense voice: "Dong Guai, I'm at the yellow line, I'm at the yellow line, knight attacked soldier, soldier down, repeat, soldier down."

The native troops had gone a stretch without casualties, and two armored vehicles quickly drove over, their machine cannons sweeping up and down, aiming at Heinuo and the others.

Gasa Ye fanned his nose with his hand, thereby driving away the thick smell of smoke and dust; he knew he had to step forward, went up and performed a grand salute, saying: "Gentlemen, I was sent by Yin Senchen, Divine Art Knight; please report this, this... soldier, let me take a look at him."

"Who are you?"

"Grand Knight Gasa Ye."

The native soldier's arrogance was checked, and one turned back to report, but two more armored vehicles quickly arrived; this time the armored vehicles carried the latest ceramic anti-tank missiles, more advanced than Milan by an era, just right for dealing with Combat Knights.

The Level 3 Soldier lying on the ground was holding his breath; Gasa Ye used battle qi to tidy him up a bit and he was fine, but this one stood up and did not leave, glaring at Manno with furrowed brows and glaring eyes, making him want to hit someone again.

After a while, Chen Yi and Yin Senchen both arrived.

"Grand Knight Gasa Ye, bringing money?"

"Hehe, still scraping it together." Gasa Ye said, staring at an officer beside Chen Yi; this "Jiangning Person" who had gotten down from the armored vehicle was whispering in someone's ear.

He still hadn't figured out what was going on when he heard Chen Yi ask: "Hit someone?"

"Yes."

"Step out." Chen Yi drew out the final syllable, with a lazy tone.

Heinuo stepped out, just about to say some stirring words, when he saw Chen Yi wave his hand, and he knew nothing at all.

"Not dead; we'll go up front and see how the blown-out ore is." Chen Yi turned and went forward; Gasa Ye and the High Priest hurried to follow, while that Level 3 Soldier took the opportunity to come before Heinuo, hawked up a big mouthful of spit with all his might, and spat it on his face.

... (Unfinished. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian. com) to cast recommendation tickets and monthly tickets; your support is my greatest motivation.)