Liszt wasn’t here to ask for a favor, so there was no reason to lower his stance.
But considering his actions were essentially usurping the throne, he couldn’t be too arrogant, aiming to establish the enterprise SLOGAN for East Sea Zhongyi Hall.
In short, he needed to have the image of a victim.
Noticing that there was no tea on the conference table, Liszt got a sense of the situation.
"The front lines are not tight at the moment, General, why are you wearing heavy armor indoors? The situation isn’t urgent enough to require immediate reinforcements. It’s a bit intimidating, making me nervous."
Liszt sat down casually, wearing a mournful expression as if he were wronged.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t met Uborio before.
This person had the typical Mulong appearance: tall frame, scruffy beard. Liszt was a man of the world, and the armor this man wore was not cheap, constructed with magic patterns as well.
Judging by the workmanship, it was no worse than the armor Edmond had at Wind Breath Canyon Mine.
A robust man with tiger eyes and a fierce look, unfortunately, with disheveled hair and a gloomy expression.
According to the plan, there was a chance to capture Silver Moon City and decapitate Crocodile Island, but unfortunately, Zote emerged midway, disrupting all his deployments.
His right-hand ally, Santilla, was originally a miner before Aran’s invasion, involved in many railroad tunnel explosions over the past half year, even contracting pneumoconiosis.
Undoubtedly the person Uborio trusted the most, yet he betrayed at the most critical moment, rendering the rear defenseless, and now he’s at the mercy like fish on a chopping board.
Uborio didn’t respond immediately, just stared fixedly at Liszt with a calm demeanor.
He already knew it was like negotiating with a tiger.
But Liszt hadn’t gone all out; if he had sent the Double Dragons a month ago, it wouldn’t have come to this. The lost ground would have been recovered, Crocodile Island beheaded, and the orthodoxy upheld.
He had been waiting for his own exhaustion, so he could be replaced.
"It’s really frightening, brother. We’re all aware, so let’s speak openly. Once Crocodile Island falls and Zote is dead, the puppet government in the royal capital is paper-thin, terrified by a single word. Crocodile Island likes to drag things out, Zote gives no chances, wanting a winner-takes-all situation, so we have to accompany them. There will be a result before the Continent Martial Arts Competition. Then we can purge the reactionaries in the puppet government, and Her Majesty’s position is weak, she needs someone to support her." Find the newest release on novᴇlfire.net
Liszt figured Uborio was a savvy guy; it didn’t matter to him, a social pharaoh; see if I UFO you or not.
Wolman thought Liszt had some skill in playing officialdom, "This is not interfering with Mulong’s sovereignty, I’m helping you."
"You... were pirates, but the Cross Alliance has lifted the warrants, so you’ve landed. If you achieve significant feats, that also makes you a Feudal Official. This city is the second-largest slave trade center in the world, deserving of your title as East Sea King."
Uborio was neither humble nor arrogant.
If Black Sail truly managed to kill Zote, supporting the falling building, it wouldn’t be an excessive reward.
"I think your urgent task is to uninstall the Tomato Novel app."
Wolman felt baffled; Uborio seemed to be poisoned during a meal, thinking that killing Zote would make not only Drifting City but the entire Mulong belong to Black Sail, that this was the hair of True Nine Cows, and besides, what kind of place was Drifting City, before was before, now is now, based on Aran’s GDP, it doesn’t even qualify as a second-tier city, these inland broken lands, taxing is still a problem."
"Sigh." Liszt raised his hand, doing business requires bargaining, this was instead a positive sign, "Boss Wu truly understands; being a Feudal Official sounds impressive, but I’m not very interested in these inland cities. Golden Palm Port, plus half of the railway tariff revenue, and finally, hoping to participate in some construction projects, of course not for free. I’m not interested in farming or livestock; I’m planning to invest in setting up some factories here. A position in the Ministry of Finance, that will seal the deal."
Black Sail indeed had a few fishing island territories and deeply understood that the poorer the area, the tougher the people, the higher the management cost. Inland cities are better left aside, or else he’d be doing poverty alleviation in Mulong? The crucial thing is securing the port, controlling the transport network, and ensuring railway revenue.
Liszt thought he aimed high, but Uborio seemed surprised, not expecting the infamous East Sea Desperadoes to propose reasonable conditions rather than going crazy.
Capturing Uborio’s deeply hidden gaze, Liszt felt uneasy, realizing he’d perhaps shattered expectations beyond the bottom line.
Liszt was there to do business, but Uborio was facing a battle of life and death, having thought Liszt would make outrageous demands, like marrying Su Yizhana or swallowing half of Mulong’s territory.
Mulong had declined for hundreds of years, compared to the West Continent Five Permanent, it was entirely a third-world nation, vastly inferior even to the second-tier countries like Vadinia, Beima, and others.
Golden Palm Port was not something Uborio could decide, as the Kelor Highlands cut through Golden Palm Port, though nominally part of Mulong, it was a prosperous area of Narrow Sea, where the Marquis listened to appeals but not commands; though participating in the resistance war, he only contributed funds without deploying troops. Uborio surely knew he merely sought better traitorous terms, and he was the one selling out, not the current puppet government that turned all railway revenue over to Aran.
"Alright, I fully agree. But I want to see if Su Yizhana is okay. Send her to me, then it’s settled."