Your Lord Has A Screw Loose?

Chapter 275: Chapter 277: You Talk About the City Gate Building, I Talk About the Hip Bone Shaft

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…

‘It seems that although this mastermind holds great power, he also faces many constraints within the Demon Soil. Perhaps this time he aims to use the Great Nether Dynasty as a stepping stone to consolidate Demon Soil. Not enough, though, huh. This time he might have to count the chickens before they hatch.’

“Mr. Bai, as for this matter, is it now considered stable?” Zhao Jian’an asked.

“Mr. Bai, please have a seat.” The mastermind, somewhat tired, drank a bottle of Nourishment Liquid and then massaged his somewhat weary head.

“I dare not accept such praise; within the Cabinet, there are many capable individuals. I am merely paving the way for His Majesty,” Bai Lv knew, although he felt satisfied and proud, he also needed to be cautious with his words. Otherwise, saying the wrong thing and meeting with disaster would be a great loss.

“Hahaha, I shall be the foremost man of Great Nether and my deeds will be sung throughout the land.”

“There are still uncertainties, I have to go for negotiations this afternoon, but it is about 90% successful,” Bai Lv said in a good mood.

“Lord Blackhand deals with myriad issues every day, truly a man busy with official duties,” Bai Lv, along with Zhao Jian’an and some civil officers, went to meet the Blackhand.

“Lord Blackhand is straightforward, but are you sure you can decide on this matter alone?” Bai Lv asked.

“Since it’s so, I shall take my leave first, Lord. Take good care of yourself. In the afternoon, outshine the others and glorify the might of Our Great Nether,” Zhao Jian’an said and then left.

“Forming an alliance is not a problem, but for other matters, you’ll need to consult with the corresponding Spirit Monsters, I’ve already communicated with them, and the specifics need further negotiation,” said the Blackhand.

“The Spirit Realm seeks to destroy the alliance!” With that final thought in mind, he then lost his vitality.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ṅονǤᴑ.сο

“Then let me congratulate you in advance on your victorious return, after which you will surely be His Majesty’s right-hand man,” Zhao Jian’an said.

“Handling myriad affairs can’t be achieved, but indeed I am in charge of all major and minor issues within this territory,” the Blackhand said.

“That way, not only can we use the death of the envoy as an excuse to challenge this Demon Soil and gain more benefits, but I can also take all the credit.”

“When did I… I actually got…” In his final moments, clarity returned to Zhao Jian’an’s eyes, and he realized he had somehow been tainted by the Spirit Realm Three Demons.

“This old immortality seeker, he certainly wants to monopolize the credit.”

“I just don’t know what to discuss. The best method would be to pit this part of Demon Soil against the Spirit Realm Three Demons. Then, my Great Nether can intervene, first exterminating the Demon Worms and then dealing with the Demon Machines.”

After leaving, Bai Lv also sighed in relief. The mission was 90% successful, and he hadn’t anticipated it would go so smoothly.

All sorts of ideas occurred in Bai Lv’s mind – suppressing by splitting, drawing in by bribing, and none were missing.

Bai Lv was of the Eighth Realm; strong and not easy to deal with, while Zhao Jian’an of the Fifth Realm was naturally a better target.

Because he was in such a good mood, Bai Lv didn’t immediately notice Zhao Jian’an’s transformation. As for previous matters, he naturally wouldn’t bother about them now while in a good mood, any settling of accounts would have to wait until they returned, not now when things had not yet succeeded.

Bai Lv knew that his power was established on the foundation of the Great Nether Dynasty; the stronger the dynasty, the more potent his power.

Normally, following the rules, he might have been promoted upon returning, but not now.

Originally, there seemed to be no solution, who knew that the emergence of Demon Soil would bring such a variable. Now that the alliance had succeeded, perhaps it would be possible to break through.

After all, whether it was the Demon Worms of the Exotic Realm or the Demon Machines, and the Spirit Realm Demons, they all came with the intent to kill. Even if they surrendered, the outcome would not be good.

This world is not like other worlds. Even if dynasties change, families and scholars in those worlds might descend, but in this world, once the Great Nether Dynasty falls, it’s absolutely extinction, not just changing the ruler above.

Yet, for assurance, he needed more credits; the alliance was just the beginning, and if he could garner more benefits, his position could become even more stable.

After others had left, Bai Lv snorted coldly: “In the absence of heroes, mediocrities rise to fame. With such character, it’s no wonder he’s only a Fifth Realm Magician, capable of keeping his mouth shut but unable to articulate.”

The opponent was quite capable, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to secure a Fourth Grade position with the power of the Fifth Realm. Generally, to reach Fourth Grade, one would need at least the Sixth Realm, Third Grade would require the Seventh Realm, Second Grade the Eighth Realm, and First Grade at least the Ninth Realm.

For the Black Hand, forming alliances and engaging in trade were beneficial for the development of their territories. If they could conquer, they would simply take by force; if not, they would turn to trade and commerce.

Zhao Jian’an’s eyes flickered. He hadn’t expected things to proceed so smoothly, which definitely changed his initial impression.

The two of them stuck to their respective topics, but somehow eerily managed to cooperate.

The Black Hand wasn’t clear about the other party’s intentions, and straightforwardly said, “I fully understand your intentions. Forming an alliance is naturally not an issue. However, the specific terms need to be thoroughly discussed, such as trade and system exchanges, which require further negotiations.”

After pondering a while, it seemed he really couldn’t handle it all; business needed to be dealt with a smile, and agricultural exchanges involved farming and the like. He could only determine the broad direction; professionals had to handle these specific terms.

Back at the inn where they were staying, everyone, previously utterly unwilling to wear protective gear, now donned it. In this city, if one didn’t wear it, one from the Lower Three Realms would likely drop dead.

But what the Black Hand actually meant was that he had found the people, and they would come over in the afternoon to see how they could reach cooperation between both sides.

Yet he was utterly oblivious, instead constantly cursing verbally, while in his mind emerged three bewildering voices.

The two sides, because of systemic reasons, resulted in one discussing the city’s gatehouses, while the other talked about hip bone axles.

Qin Muye was a hands-off manager who didn’t handle matters personally, so domestic affairs were all handled by him. Fortunately, he had the help of numerous Spirit Monster Heroes; otherwise, the Black Hand couldn’t have coped.

Now, he was also responsible for foreign affairs, squeezing time out of his busy schedule for this.

In his expression, madness increasingly took hold, and the three poisons of greed, hatred, and delusion swiftly devoured all his Divine Thought.

Killing an envoy was the easiest way to stir up ripples in an alliance.

He was wary of Zhao Jian’an. Although the man had some capabilities, he was timid and overcautious, useful but only superficially so.

He had thought it would require various complications, yet success had come before even raising the issue.

They had assumed they would meet in some grand hall, but unexpectedly, it turned out to be a place resembling a study, where the other party was even handling official duties.

He was now only a Second Grade official, though exceptionally promoted to the Cabinet, but his official rank was still too low. Just a break into the Ninth Realm and he would be within reach of a First Grade post.

Hearing this from Black Hand, Bai Lv was somewhat surprised. Was this really it?

Understanding the implications of these words, a sharp light flashed in Bai Lv’s eyes. The other party had sidelined the entire Demon Soil, and the current Lord of Demon Soil might just be a puppet, with the man before him being the real decision-maker.

The idea was good, but Zhao Jian’an overlooked a major issue – the undeniable power gap between the two of them was an insurmountable chasm.

Thus, in terms of maintaining the interests of the dynasty, he was much better than those nobles and scholars who didn’t care whether their leader was legitimate or barbaric.

In Bai Lv’s ears, Black Hand’s message was that they needed to balance the different forces themselves, and the cost of that had to be borne by them.

In Bai Lv’s eyes, this practically equated to being cowardly where achievements were certain but modest upon return, with not even self-preservation guaranteed, let alone any chance of turning the tables.

Zhao Jian’an had a fierce expression. Unbeknownst to him, the three poisons had appeared in his once pure Divine Thought.

This blade did not care whether you surrendered; it only slew.

This encouraged his boldness, and an unthinkable idea emerged in his mind, “If I killed Bai Lv, and I handled the negotiations myself, wouldn’t that be better?”

This was equivalent to killing a major general before achieving a great task – completely insane.

As the Great Nether Dynasty’s development was nearing its limits, population increase, land consolidation by noble families, and other internal factors were about to erupt. There were ways to handle these internal threats, and that was by transferring conflicts outward to expand territories and alleviate the situation.

Since arriving at the new server, he had been incredibly busy, given it was a New World with many issues to manage. Moreover, after advancing to stage 5, his territory had grown larger, and with the amplification of a Divine Artifact in the New World, infrastructure developments had to keep pace.

In the end, his mind’s eye fixated on his Fear on the Envoy Ship. By then, greed, hatred, and delusion had already arisen in his Divine Thought.