Tang Mo, while speaking, spread his hands as if introducing himself, "In fact, I am just a merchant, a merchant who wants to make money! The goods I sell are the best—that is my advantage. And now you want to use my technology to improve the quality of your goods, of course you have to pay."
Gis stared at Tang Mo, seeming to guess Tang Mo's bottom line, and weighing whether he should make a deal with Tang Mo.
After a long silence, he suddenly spoke, "I don't have to pay so much."
Tang Mo pointed in the direction of the harbor, as if he could see it, "Perhaps! You know I have dozens of ships docked at Brunas' harbor, I can leave at any time. You may be able to take everything here, or you may not... But soon, countless factories will acquire my technology."
Tang Mo confidently said to Gis, "When that day comes, Shireck's technology will be entirely outdated. Maybe you think that destroying me isn't a big deal, but doing so would cost Shireck a lot of money. A great deal of money!"
Gis knew that Tang Mo was telling the truth, he indeed had the capability to do so. Brunas was already in Tang Mo's grip, and any minor play Gis tried to make here would certainly not escape Tang Mo's eyes.
But if he attacked in full force, marshaling troops, Tang Mo might not be able to stop him, but Tang Mo would have enough time to escape—as long as he left Brunas, where in the world couldn't he go?
A Tang Mo rooted in Brunas was troublesome enough for him, but a Tang Mo who was hidden and fanning the flames from the shadows would truly cause Shireck considerable headaches.
He was, after all, a man who possessed advanced weapon technology. If he were to trouble Shireck from the shadows, Shireck would truly pay a heavy price and lose a substantial amount of money.
However, as the head of Shireck, Gis didn't want to submit and bow down just like that. He continued to struggle for the upper hand, "But I think that losing that money, getting rid of a major threat like you, aligns more with Shireck's fundamental interests."
"You think you can get rid of me?" Tang Mo picked up his wine glass and shook it lightly, casually asking in return.
Gis scoffed indifferently, still stubborn, "How will we know unless we try?"
Tang Mo burst into loud laughter, as if the other wasn't talking about killing him at all, "Hahahahahaha!"
"Hehehehehe!" Sitting across from Tang Mo, Gis also chuckled humorlessly.
Tang Mo spread his hands, "So there's nothing to discuss?"
"Pretty much," Gis nodded in agreement.
Their eyes were locked onto each other's eyes until Tang Mo averted his gaze, stood up, and said, "Alright then, I won't see you out."
As if he were an old friend of many years, Gis suggested to Tang Mo, "You can keep me. Kill me, just like you killed Beiji."
He deliberately mentioned Beiji out of the blue because the fact that Beiji had gone missing in the direction of Brunas was still an unresolved case that Gis cared about.
Tang Mo didn't hesitate for even a second; with a face full of confusion, he retorted, "Who is Beiji? Why would I kill you? What kind of joke is this?"
His response surprised Gis for a moment, because he didn't expect Tang Mo to act so naturally; so much so that for an instant, even he himself began to wonder if it really wasn't Tang Mo who had dealt with Beiji.
But a moment later, he felt that the main suspect remained to be Tang Mo, the young man, after all, was one of the few he had met within the Leite Kingdom who could stand up to him and not be at a disadvantage.
Just as he intended to think it through and observe Tang Mo, preparing to read something from Tang Mo's eyes, he heard Tang Mo continue saying, "I am a merchant, not a bandit..."
"..." Gis frowned, staring at Tang Mo, without saying a word.
"Goodbye, Mr. Xiuyi Gis," Tang Mo stepped back two paces, bowed slightly with gentlemanly grace, and bid farewell.
"..." Supressing the urge to keep Tang Mo there, Gis just watched Tang Mo closely, watched him turn around, watched his every step.
"Oh, by the way... I forgot to tell you." Tang Mo suddenly turned around, walked back to the dining table, placed one hand on the edge of the table, leaning over and looking down at Gis, "All my technology has already been sold... If Shireck doesn't hurry up and update its own technology, there's a good chance that the challenge you'll face won't be from my little workshop."
As he spoke, he gestured with his other hand, making a large circle, "But rather, a huge workshop built by a great nobility. Tens of thousands of people, producing a hundred thousand rifles a day... the kind used by the Northern Ridge Legion."
"You!" Gis looked at Tang Mo with rage, his expression as if he wanted to strangle him.
"So, you might as well consider, consider carefully, my proposal. I can provide you with newer technology, better weapons technology, at least ensuring that Shireck doesn't immediately lose its status as the world's arms manufacturer." After Tang Mo finished speaking, he ignored the infuriated Gis and turned to walk towards the door.
"Mr. Tang!" Just as Wes was opening the door for Tang Mo, Gis, suppressing his anger, called out to Tang Mo, who was about to leave the room.
He truly hadn't expected Tang Mo to have already taken a step ahead by spreading such valuable technology to unknown places.
The most beneficial approach for Shireck would have been to contain the situation within a small scope, deal with Tang Mo, and obtain the formulas Shireck wanted.
But who would have thought that before Shireck could find Tang Mo and prepare to handle the matter, Tang Mo would, without any warning, sell off such valuable technology.
This unconventional approach caught Gis off guard and threw him into confusion—he no longer had the ability to manipulate the situation locally and monopolize Tang Mo's technology by ruining him.
Although there were still many things to consider, in a moment of panic, Gis couldn't think of a good way to deal with Tang Mo. So, he called out to him, losing his initiative.
Tang Mo looked back at Gis with an expression that said, "If you have something to say, say it quickly. I've got soup simmering at home."
"Wait a moment!" Gis stood up, lifted his glass, and gestured to Tang Mo, "We can still have a good talk. I think there is some misunderstanding between us. I just... believed that Mr. Tang had killed my good friend Beiji, so perhaps my tone wasn't very friendly."
"Oh... is that so?" Tang Mo feigned sudden realization, approached Gis, and said, "Why would I kill Mr. Gis's friend? I'm just a businessman, and doing business is my greatest interest, after all."
"It seems so..." Gis nodded amiably, as if he really believed it, "So, Mr. Tang... can we now have a proper discussion about the new weapons matter?"
"No problem." Tang Mo snapped his fingers, and a guard brought over a box, placing it on the table.
Tang Mo opened the box, which contained an ordinary-looking K1 Quick Gun. He ran his hand over the rifle and introduced it to Gis, "I assume Mr. Gis has already seen this weapon, whether on the battlefield or in the office."
"Mr. Tang is joking..." Gis sneered coldly, not intending to admit that he had stolen a K1 Quick Gun.
"During the battle of Northern Ridge, a total of 12 K1 Quick Guns went missing. You're not the only one with informants in Northern Ridge, so I suggest you act quickly, lest other powers come to me to do business first." Tang Mo took the rifle out of the box, worked the bolt, demonstrated it, and then handed the gun to Gis.
Gis instinctively took the K1 Quick Gun, which was indeed identical to the one he had seen. The feeling was familiar because he had used this type of weapon to kill more than one unlucky craftsman.
"Brand new K1 Quick Guns... If Shireck is willing to purchase them, I can supply them," Tang Mo said seriously, marketing his weapon.
"What if I only want to buy bullets?" Gis, caressing the rifle, asked a question that greatly interested him, which also made the smile on Tang Mo's face deepen.
Tang Mo nodded, his gaze shifting away as if he were considering something. Then he looked up and said, "As a matter of fact, what Shireck really wants is the manufacturing method for the bullets used in the K1 Quick Gun, isn't it?"
"Mr. Tang is straightforward, and indeed, I am very eager to make a lump-sum purchase of your bullet manufacturing method!" Gis hadn't expected Tang Mo to lay bare the truth so directly, and he unexpectedly nodded in agreement with his own thoughts.
"This puts me in a difficult position, Mr. Gis," Tang Mo said earnestly, "You are blatantly planning to copy my weapons without intending to pay me."
"So what?" Gis felt that with Shireck backing him, Tang Mo really had no way to deal with a rogue like him.
Overall, Tang Mo's weapon design was not complicated and used existing technology, so for Shireck to copy the Great Tang's K1 Quick Gun was not difficult at all.
And besides, with Shireck's vast resources, even if they produced by hand, they could match the production speed of Tang Mo's factory.
"So, I could just sell the bullets to you." What Gis didn't expect was that Tang Mo actually agreed to this sales arrangement.
However, what Tang Mo said next gave Gis a headache, "I can deliver in batches, 100 bullets for an exchange of one mine, 10 bullets for one worker... No rush, I'm in no hurry."
If Tang Mo didn't supply the bullets, even if Shireck copied Tang Mo's rifles, they would be nothing more than firewood sticks, a problem Gis couldn't shake off, the fatal snag he couldn't sidestep.