Qianye was actually quite impressed with Kong Yu’s words. Such words couldn’t be a bluff even if Yin Qiqi wasn’t here. Those wanting to boast in front of the current Qianye required a certain level of clout.
Yin Qiqi burst into a chuckle but didn’t try to undermine the other party. Seeing Qianye looking at her, she said with a shrug, “This Elder Kong is not simple at all. He was probably authorized by the clan lord for this trip.”
Qianye nodded. “Since that’s the case, let’s hear how much support the Kong family is offering and what do you want in return.”
Kong Yu said seriously, “I want Sire Qianye to mobilize his army and intervene in the situation on Transcendent!”
Qianye frowned. “Are you joking?”
Kong Yu shot to his feet and said loudly, “The aristocracy of Transcendent are useless, they still haven’t cleared the beast army. Wouldn’t all life be wiped out if another wave arrives? Sire, you hold a million brave soldiers and are the best power to deal with this horde. Our Kong family will provide enough transports for a hundred thousand men, please send troops to the Transcendent Continent!”
Qianye shook his head. “That’s not possible.”
“Sire, the aristocratic families of Transcendent have failed to defend their land. By the law of Great Qin, their titles can be removed if they don’t recapture the territories by the deadline. There are sure to be families struck off from the register due to mismanagement. As long as you lead your troops into Transcendent and clear out the beasts there, land and title will be readily available to you. Why would you not take such a good opportunity?”
Kong Yu spoke earnestly, but Qianye wasn’t moved by the proposition. “Change your condition.”
Kong Yu smiled wryly. “If you’re not willing to field troops, there’s really not much our family can do.”
Qianye said, “It’s somewhat regrettable that we can’t work together, but there’s no helping it. What are your thoughts, Qiqi?”
“Sire, wait a moment, please. I really want to know why you’re not willing to field troops to Transcendent.”
“Why must I?”
“Sire, you’ve gained the loyalty of the werewolves and control a million-strong army. If you don’t use them to claim new land, are you going to just feed them for nothing? This is a great opportunity for you to claim land and cement your position in the Empire. Why wouldn’t you want to?”
Qianye said calmly, “My army isn’t too big, it’s too small for what I’m doing. I have no spare troops to send to Transcendent.”
Kong Yu wanted to convince Qianye again, but Yin Qiqi stepped in. “There won’t be any opportunity left if you keep going in circles. You’ll be in hot water if the Kong family sends someone else!”
Kong Yu said through gritted teeth, “Then I’ll be blunt! Our Kong family wants to borrow troops from you!”
“Transcendent again?”
“Yes, our family has several counties of territory in the most fertile parts of the continent. We never had a lot of troops there because it used to be peaceful year-round. Who would’ve thought the Nangong family would move away once the beast horde appeared? This opened up a clear path into our lands. Currently, most of our private soldiers are gathered in Qin Continent, so we really don’t have the spare manpower to defend Transcendent. The families there are now holding onto their last fortified line of defense and might be routed any moment. I came here hoping to borrow some of Dark Flame’s soldiers to alleviate the situation over there. As you know, it’s not an easy task to recruit new soldiers when everyone is panicking.”
Qianye nodded. In truth, it was more difficult to get new recruits up to snuff than it was to recruit them. Human life was worth the least on the lower continents, so it wasn’t hard to draft large groups of adventurers in a flash. Hence, it was almost impossible for them to reach the level of an aristocratic private army. And considering the Kong family’s situation, a horde of cannon fodder wouldn’t really help much.
“Sire, you now have a mighty army at your command. Some ten thousand troops will not only help us resolve our predicament but also recapture all our lands! As for the salary, reward, and compensation of the soldiers, we will pay everything according to Imperial standards!”
Without taking into account the Great Qin’s supply of high-end equipment, this offer was even better than the void continent battle in terms of mercenary fees. Qianye didn’t react, however. “What about my benefits?”
Kong Yu said, “After reclaiming our territory, we can split all new land between us. How does that sound?”
Transcendent was different from Fort Continent in that it had been under the Empire’s rule for hundreds of years. It was so rich in resources that a random county there could compare to a province on Fort. The only problem was that the continent was one of the Empire’s core territories, with no space left for a third party to enter. Even under present circumstances, claiming new fiefdom there would require help from the Kong or other aristocratic families.
Qianye didn’t give an immediate reply. “What is the Yin family suggesting?”
Yin Qiqi said, “Our Yin family wants to form an alliance with you, to open up new land on Fort Continent and on Transcendent. We suggest splitting whatever land we gain by half. Whatever military supplies you need, our Yin family can supply. Of course, the size of your current army is somewhat… beyond our expectations, so the promise just now isn’t entirely practical. But, we can complete our end of the deal over fifty years.”
Qianye sat quietly, waiting for her continuation.
Yin Qiqi looked back at him in silence.
“That’s all?”
“Yes, that’s all.”
Qianye shifted into a more comfortable position and scanned the two. “Both of you mentioned Transcendent. It’s understandable for the Kong, but the place has nothing to do with the Yin if I remember correctly. Why the sudden interest?”
Yin Qiqi glanced at Kong Yu. “Can I say it now?”
Kong Yu shrugged. “What else? I’ve done my best.”
“It’s like this. The situation there is so bad that the local aristocracy can no longer clean up the mess. The Empire is also short on hands, so they’ve posted massive rewards to encourage the other nobility to help. This is also to discourage Evernight from taking advantage of the chaos. However, every family is busy trying to protect themselves. Who would have the spare energy to save other people? After some thought, you’re the only variable in this equation.”
“Massive rewards? What kind?” Qianye sat firmly on the fishing platform, waiting patiently for the price quotes.”
“Merits, land, and candidacy for major clan status.”
“Oh, not bad.” Qianye wasn’t that interested. These three things might be a tremendous boon to the high-ranking aristocratic families, but they held little value for Qianye. He had no intention of jumping into the Great Qin’s system, anyway.
“What do you want? As long as our Kong family can do it, we will.” This promise was sufficiently serious. Qianye’s origin and life were no longer a secret among the nobility. They had also seen Qianye’s tendency for independent operation after the void continent battle. Hence, Kong Yu knew that it wouldn’t be easy to move Qianye. He was mentally prepared to fork out quite a bit.
Qianye said calmly, “I’m not going to meddle in the Empire’s affairs, at least not now. If the Yin and Kong family can provide sufficient resources, officers, and technical talents, I can consider working together on the pioneering of Fort Continent.”
Kong Yu shook his head. “These are troubled times, we don’t even have enough soldiers to solve our own problems. How can we have extra resources?” The new world was alluring, but everything was unknown and speculative. The threat of the “door” had already shaken these families to the core, so preserving their foundations took priority.
“Our Yin family will provide five division’s worth of equipment!”
Yin Qiqi’s words came as a shock. Kong Yu jumped to his feet, saying, “Where would you get so many?”
“We have resources stored away throughout the years. Every family should have their own stash, no?”
“T-That’s for emergencies! How can we touch them? Won’t that affect the family foundations?”
Yin Qiqi replied, “This is precisely the time to utilize these reserve equipment. What’s the use of these lifeless items once the opportunity is gone?”
Kong Yu fell silent, but Qianye finally seemed interested. “What does the Yin family want?”
Yin Qiqi said, “We want to be a part of the new world’s pioneering efforts and claim our fair share of the rewards. Also, please give us some help on Transcendent if possible.”
Qianye fell into contemplation. “Pioneering the new world is fine. As for Transcendent, is it the second wave over there? Have they not eliminated the beasts?”
“It is indeed the second wave. Roughly a third of the beasts are roaming about outside, and more of them are still coming out from the door. Although the new arrivals are small in scale, it remains that ordinary troops can’t deal with them.”
“I see…”
While Qianye was pondering, Kong Yu said, “Our family is also willing to offer five divisions worth of equipment!”
Qianye glanced at him, saying, “Not bad, then the Kong family can also join the new world expedition. As for Transcendent, I can only offer a bit of help and I can only help one family.”
Kong Yu glanced at Yin Qiqi, saying, “The Yin family has no territory on Transcendent, why not work with us?”
Yin Qiqi nodded. “That’s a good idea, how do we split?”
Kong Yu said decisively, “Each family will bring out half of our private armies, save the Kong family first, and then move on to claim land. Regarding the rewards after the battle, your side can take seven parts and we will claim three.”
“Fair enough, it’s a deal.”
The two thus concluded their split in a few short words. Qianye seemed indifferent, but he nodded secretly. There was a tradition among the aristocracy—each would take what they needed and split things fairly in a win-win fashion. Reaching a deal in such a short time would help the two families work together better in the future.
Now that the two parties had reached an agreement, they looked to Qianye eagerly for his answer. They wanted to know what kind of help he could offer.
Qianye said with a smile, “The difficulty in dealing with the beast army is because of their speed. Ordinary forces will find it hard to clean them up once they spread out into the wilderness. From my personal experience, I can say that your private armies are sufficient for the fight. However, they might not be as mobile, and the larger beast squads are usually led by powerful monsters. How about this? I’ll send someone to help you. Caroline!”
Caroline responded to the call and entered the parlor. “What is it?”
“Head to Transcendent Continent for a while and help them clear out the rampaging beast army. You can return after the Kong family’s predicament has been solved.”
Caroline replied, “I’m okay with that, but what about here?”
“I’ll handle it.” Next, Qianye introduced Yin Qiqi and Kong Yu to Caroline.
Seeing that she was an Evernight descendant, Kong Yu reached out to shake Caroline’s hand. However, the latter ignored him and, instead, released a flash of lighting aura from her forehead.
Kong Yu was badly shaken, taking several steps back almost as though he had been struck by lightning. Shocked and overwhelmed, he exclaimed, “Divine champion?”
Qianye said, “To be precise, Her Excellency Caroline is an intermediate divine champion. So, don’t be careless.”
Kong Yu’s expression turned from shock to great delight. With a divine champion to hold the fort and the elite soldiers he had just mustered, the endeavor was bound to be a success. He adjusted his headdress and bowed deeply, saying, “This junior was too short-sighted and failed to recognize your honor. Please forgive me for inadvertently offending you just now!”
Caroline, of course, wouldn’t hold it against him. She actually understood Qianye’s intention—the Yin and Kong would owe her a big favor for helping them on Transcendent Continent. These two families would have to return this favor when she claimed territory and migrated her clansmen. It would also serve to silence objections in the Imperial court.
Even someone like Qianye who was opening up new lands outside of the Empire’s influence would need inside support. At the very least, it would serve to reduce unnecessary trouble.
To a massive entity like the Great Qin Empire, there was a stark difference between the rise of a power and that of a nation within its sphere of influence.
With an agreement reached, Kong Yu did not want to dally any longer. He made straight for the Empire after discussing a rendezvous point with Caroline. He needed to round up his forces and produce the resources he had promised Qianye.
Yin Qiqi didn’t follow Kong Yu, leaving most of the arrangements to him. Kong Yu didn’t refuse the extra work since every extra day was dangerous for the Kong family’s fortress.
After Kong Yu and Caroline had left, Yin Qiqi jumped up and grabbed Qianye by the collar. “How many more secrets are you hiding from me? You can casually send a divine champion to help people?”
