"Well then, there's no need for subtlety... Augustine John, what have you brought to tempt me, to stop me from killing you right now to vent my anger, and from visiting the Poplar Kingdom another day, when I'm in a good mood, to utterly crush the Augustin Clan into dust?" Tang Mo asked, staring at John with a smile that belied the harshness of his question.
The moment his words fell, nearly everyone behind Tang Mo drew their pistols. Seven or eight dark muzzles coldly pointed at John's forehead.
At that moment, John's reaction speed seemed to surpass his own limits, and he immediately blurted out, without a moment's hesitation, "I've brought you a map!"
Although an elf warship was moored not far behind him, John knew that the ship's cannons couldn't save his life.
By the time those elf sailors realized he had been harmed, Tang Mo would likely have already left the harbor, returning to Brunas City.
Tang Mo was momentarily taken aback when he heard this; he certainly hadn't expected the other party to offer land as a bargaining chip—he did indeed covet land, but he had little interest in enclaves far away in the Poplar Kingdom.
What he hoped to acquire was land he could manage himself, land that could become part of his own territory. For him, the best kind of land would be an island, a very large one at that.
So, Tang Mo's tone noticeably softened a bit, and he asked John with interest, "Ah! A map... I'm starting to get a little interested. Tell me, what kind of map is it?"
"About a year ago, we discovered an island in the Endless Sea! A very large island!" John's voice trembled slightly, as this was his first time witnessing Tang Mo's somewhat volatile negotiating style.
In their previous encounter, Tang Mo was like a salesman, endlessly chattering but amiable and seemingly easy to get along with.
But this time, the Tang Mo before him seemed angrier, somewhat fierce, and John even sensed a killing aura about him.
It was a subtle feeling, but as he had seen sailors and soldiers who had killed before, he was sensitive to this sort of dangerous atmosphere.
"Continue," Tang Mo interjected when he noticed John had paused in his explanation. But as he spoke, he waved his hand backward, and fingers like Wes's were no longer on their pistol triggers.
Startled, John immediately continued, "The island is far from the Poplar Kingdom and other kingdoms, including Leite Kingdom. Its location is very remote."
To convey the size of the island, John gestured with his hands while describing, based on the information he knew, "We tried to explore the island, but we couldn't reach its edges! We found no signs of people on the island; it was completely pristine."
"Hmm, go on," Tang Mo urged, even more interested in the island now. As long as it wasn't located on an earthquake zone and was arable, if he could get his hands on it, it would be quite a coup.
Just as Tang Mo was figuring out how to make use of the island, John dropped an even more astonishing piece of news: "There is oil on the island! There are even streams flowing with black oil! That's why we've named it... Black Dragon Island!"
Damn it! Tang Mo cursed inwardly. This was truly a heaven-sent treasure! Not only large but also with oil on it? Fate is with me, I must seize it! Otherwise, I would live in vain!
For his future endeavors, he would certainly need to exploit oil resources, and if he could hold an oil field in his grip now, that would be incredibly satisfying.
What's more, even if he merely sold the oil, having an oil field would mean he could literally make money while sleeping, right? What is this? This is like becoming a Saudi prince, a winner in life!
"Although several countries have discovered the island, none have yet managed to get other countries to recognize their sovereignty over it..." After throwing out several positives, John finally added a brief comment about the ownership of the island.
Tang Mo snorted, "A hot potato... John, is this how you ensnare your friends?"
"This is an opportunity! If you take that island, you can become its uncrowned king!" John immediately said.
Tang Mo shook his head, feeling it unnecessary to take such a risk, "Sounds more like a trap to me."
"..." John no longer knew what to say, as he had more or less said all that he could.
Tang Mo released his grip from John's shoulder and casually pushed down the muzzle of Wes's gun, "But... the nut inside this trap does seem quite tempting."
Seeing his action, the guards behind him who had their guns pointed at John also put down their weapons one after another.
The atmosphere suddenly eased, and John knew his life was safe for the moment. He glanced at the guards beside Tang Mo, then swallowed to hide his nervousness. He continued, "I swear to you! If you can take control there, you will surely..."
"I don't have time," Tang Mo resignedly pulled himself back to reality, similarly bringing John back with him.
He simply didn't have the strength to deploy troops to that distant island, even if he was willing to sacrifice his family's business here and send out all his troops, he lacked the basic ability to transport them.
Yes, even if he had a dozen large ships, this wasn't a simple matter of deploying forces! He had to ensure these troops had supplies while also guaranteeing the safety of the shipping routes.
This wasn't something a dozen old ships could assure; even maintaining basic supplies proved to be a struggle. Should war really break out on that distant island, he estimated all the wealth he had painstakingly gathered would likely be lost on Black Dragon Island.
The place could be taken, just not now. Tang Mo needed to build up strength, so that one day in the future, he could seize the island.
"Huh?" Upon hearing Tang Mo say he didn't have time, John was initially taken aback, it took him a moment to respond in shock as he looked at Tang Mo with a puzzled face, dragging out his words with questions.
Shrugging his shoulders, Tang Mo made a helpless gesture, "I don't have time for expansion now, let alone that island, even if you gave me Brunas, I couldn't manage it."
He spoke the truth; in fact, he had expanded to the current limit of his capabilities. To continue expanding, he would need to find a much bigger buyer.
After all, earning profit to acquire more production materials was the foundation for his continued expansion. And obviously an Earl from Northern Ridge could not support the factory scale that Tang Mo had now.
"…" Hearing Tang Mo speak , John found himself at a loss for words once more, capable only of a disheartened silence.
While he sulked in silence, Tang Mo's tone took on a more cordial note, "However, since you're here, there is some use for you, at least, you allow me to exploit your identity to keep blustering and deceiving around here."
As he said this, Tang Mo draped an arm over John's shoulder, "After all, I can't really kill you, right?"
"…" John felt it may have been a mistake to come here.
As he regretted his decision, Tang Mo's gaze shifted from him to the Elf Race's warship in the distance, "Oh… right! That warship isn't bad either, if I confiscated it, do you think your father would be furious?"
It was a brand new first-rate warship, each side bristling with 30 cannons—considered both costly and powerful in this era.
"…" John mulled it over but couldn't bring himself to disclose that the warship was merely there to bring him over and was soon set to return.
He feared that if he didn't leave the warship with Tang Mo, Tang Mo might actually throw him into the sea to feed the fish.
As John maintained his silence, Tang Mo nodded assuredly, delightedly saying, "Seems he will be angry then; perfect, tell your men to lay down their weapons and hand over the warship to me! If they resist, I'll show you my new weapon."
"You! You have a new weapon again?" Hearing this, John's fear was replaced by shock as he looked at Tang Mo, hoping to decipher some clue from his face.
And at that moment, Tang Mo gazed at the distant warship as if eyeing a target, nodding and threateningly said, "Yes, after you left, my technical engineer had a stroke of genius and came up with a brand new field gun… Hmm, not exactly perfect yet, but sinking a warship with it is pretty easy."
"…" John felt that Tang Mo was now like a devil. His threats sent shivers down John's spine and left him without the courage to even think of resisting.
Because deep down, he believed that Tang Mo truly had a new weapon that could easily destroy warships…
"Come! Join me for a drink, and I'll introduce you to some people… Oh, right, you can call me Master just like they do," Tang Mo, arm still around John, prepared to step into the carriage as if taking him hostage.
"…" John looked at Tang Mo sullenly, wanting to remind him: Didn't you just say that we are best friends? How come in a blink of an eye, I've become your subordinate?
Stopping in his tracks, Tang Mo looked at John, who was not following him to the carriage, "What? Don't I seem like it?"
John immediately acquiesced, "As you wish, my Master."
"Hahahahaha!" Tang Mo laughed loudly, with a tinge of loneliness in his laughter.