Chapter 813: Always Staying Ahead of the Version

Chapter 813: Always Ahead of the Curve

“Achoo!”

At the military base on Death Coast, Mosquito, standing by the warehouse, suddenly sneezed without warning, sniffled, and muttered to himself.

“Damn it, who’s secretly crushing on me again…”

Hearing that “Achoo,” the rat-man lackey beside him quickly took off his own coat and draped it over Mosquito’s shoulders with eager attentiveness.

Though it wasn’t cold at all, Mosquito appreciated the gesture.

Truth be told, even though he had downplayed this follower in front of Brother Fang, it was just talk.

That kind of talk was probably like a father complaining to other fathers about how useless his own son was—clearly not to be taken seriously.

To be fair, the guy was timid, a bit shifty-eyed, lacked spirit—especially the spirit of an ace pilot—but he still had plenty of good qualities.

For instance, he was good at reading the room and knew how to handle things.

While expecting him to inherit Mosquito’s legacy was out of the question, grooming him as the CEO or CSO of Goblin Tech wasn’t a bad idea.

In short, make the best use of what you’ve got!

Thinking this, Mosquito’s urge to show off kicked in again, so he waved his hand.

“Jerry, come here.”

He had made up that name on the spot at the rat-man’s own request.

According to the guy, it was to shake off the stigma of the Brahmin Province, better integrate into the Alliance’s society, and avoid re-entering the cycle of a thousand tribes and a thousand gods.

Though Mosquito was an atheist and didn’t believe any of that, he still granted his follower’s wish, hoping the guy could live with some dignity.

The survivors of Brahmin Province weren’t the same people as those who lived there three centuries ago. They looked no different from other survivors who had fled the Great Desert, and with a name change, no one could tell where they came from.

At least survivors outside Brahmin Province couldn’t tell.

Hearing Mosquito call him, Jerry quickly stepped forward, bowed, and leaned in.

“What are your orders, sir?”

Pulling the coat tighter on his shoulders, Mosquito tilted his head slightly with an air of importance.

“Watch and learn. I like you… Selling little cards is beneath you. From now on, I’ll take you into bigger business.”

Hearing Mosquito’s grand promise, Jerry was moved to tears, almost kneeling on the spot to call him godfather.

“Enough, enough. Look at you, no backbone.”

Mosquito waved his hand to cut off the gratitude, then cleared his throat loudly and called out to the officer emerging from the warehouse.

“Ahem! How’s your inspection going?”

The man coming out of the warehouse was the big client from Tiger Province—Chopra, the quartermaster under Jahavan, commander-in-chief of the Tiger Army, with the rank of Chiliarch.

Glancing at the rat-man beside Mosquito, Chopra, being a tiger-man, instinctively showed a hint of contempt in his eyes.

But when he looked at Mosquito, his face was full of respect.

“We’ve finished the inspection… We’re very satisfied with your goods! These weapons are a huge help to us!”

Twelve Conqueror Mark X heavy tanks, thirty-six Conqueror Mark V light tanks, and forty-eight 100mm howitzers!

Plus a large quantity of “Blade” assault rifles and 7mm ammunition!

All of it was ninety percent new—not as durable as the Alliance’s LD-series weapons, but far superior to the “Rippers” sold at West Sail Port!

With these fine arms, the Tiger Army could easily raise another armored division of ten thousand, plus four or five infantry divisions of ten thousand!

And all to the Legion’s standard specifications!

Then, not even the nobles of Tiandu, but even MacLenn himself, if he came to White Tiger City, would have to kowtow twice to their Lord Jahavan before leaving!

Lost in thought, Chopra’s grin nearly drooled, and he wished he could fly back to White Tiger City with this equipment to claim his reward.

Seeing his client so pleased, Mosquito’s face also lit up with a cheerful smile.

“Glad you’re satisfied! Small business, no credit. If it’s convenient, please settle the payment first. Once I receive the money, I’ll ship immediately! Free delivery!”

“No problem!”

Chopra agreed at once, but then gave an embarrassed chuckle and lowered his voice.

“Oh, by the way… Can we pay in Xilan currency?”

Pay in Xilan currency?

Mosquito was taken aback, then raised his eyebrows and glared at the man.

“You trying to welch on the deal?”

Good grief!

Trying to pull a fast one on his turf?

Asking for trouble!

Not only did Mosquito’s look turn hostile, but Jerry beside him also scowled at the tiger-men, along with Peacemaker, Godslayer, and the rest of Mosquito’s crew.

Seeing the Alliance bigwigs turn unfriendly, Chopra quickly explained.

“Please, sir, calm down! I—I wouldn’t dare cheat you! It’s just… our silver coin reserves are a bit tight right now. We’re having trouble with liquidity.”

“What’s that got to do with me?” Mosquito said darkly. “I only take silver coins. Who wants your worthless paper?”

Seeing that the big shot wouldn’t budge at all, Chopra grew frantic, sweat beading on his forehead like beans.

After a long silence, Mosquito sighed and waved his hand.

“Forget it. If you don’t want to buy, don’t buy. We can’t force you. Besides, I don’t think you’re serious about this deal. I’ll go talk to the warlords of Leopard Province instead.”

Hearing this, Chopra couldn’t stay still. Especially when Mosquito turned to leave, he shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Wait!”

Mosquito stopped and looked back at him, raising an eyebrow.

“What? Got money now?”

Chopra struggled inwardly for a moment, then gritted his teeth and made up his mind.

“Silver coins… we really can’t come up with them. The Imperial Royal Mint keeps refusing to approve our silver coin quota. But—but! We still have plenty of Xilan currency in our accounts! If you’re willing to accept Xilan currency, we can do… 80—no, 90! Wait! 100! 100 Xilan to 1 silver coin! We’ll do the deal at a 100:1 exchange rate!”

This was the last card Jahavan had given him.

If this equipment weren’t so crucial, he wouldn’t have wanted to play this card, because releasing the liquidity from White Tiger City’s bank accounts would mean squeezing the small workshops and the residents who worked in them.

After all, just a few months ago, when the Empire ended the embargo on Golden Port, the exchange rate between Xilan and the Gallon was 5:4, which converted to 12.5:1 in silver coins.

Now doing business at 100:1 was practically a loss to their grandmother’s house!

Hearing Chopra’s words, Mosquito indeed stopped in his tracks and turned back to look at the quartermaster standing by the warehouse door.

100:1!

That was basically the cost price for Alliance banks to “buy in bulk” from the South Sea Alliance Central Bank—pretty reasonable!

If it were a bank in Golden Port, the actual exchange rate of Xilan to silver coins would be even higher, around 80:1.

In other words, if this deal went through, Goblin Tech could make a 25% profit just on the exchange rate difference!

The only risk was simply money sitting idle in hand…

Though a thousand reluctances filled his heart to accept Xilan currency—that “consumption voucher”—he had no choice, for the other side offered far too much.

Mosquito wrestled within himself, and at last made that decision betraying his ancestors.

“MMP! Deal!”

Anyway, once he got his hands on this batch of Xilan notes, he’d immediately haul them to Golden Gallon Port and dump them for silver coins—surely no big problem!

And if the warlord of Tiger Province could grow strong and prosperous with this equipment, who knew—maybe later he’d trade in silver coins?

This was a long-term deal.

Mosquito consoled himself thus in his heart.

Hearing that “deal,” Chopra’s heart likewise bled, and the few lackeys behind him shut their eyes in agony.

100:1…

That meant a Conqueror X, worth a million silver coins each, they had to buy for a hundred million Xilan notes!

Yet just a few months ago, the import price for the same tank was twelve and a half million Xilan notes—and it even came with twenty shells!

The arms on the import list accounted for one-sixth of the Legion’s total weapons reserves in the entire Weifu Wasteland; if later-delivered equipment were also counted, the total value of this arms sale contract would reach a terrifying 50 billion Xilan notes!

And the first batch alone was worth 10 billion Xilan notes!

Almost every soldier from Tiger Province present cursed in their hearts.

Damn it all…

Which son of a bitch stole their money!

…

At that very moment, far away in Dawn City, Bannott knew nothing of the little incident at Death Coast, nor that the arms he coveted had been quietly sold off by one-sixth.

After slamming the door of the Alliance Foreign Minister’s office, he regretted it the moment he reached the doorway, but turning back immediately would be too shameful.

Especially recalling that detestable face, Bannott gritted his teeth, finally stamped his foot, and steeled himself toward the stairs.

Seeing the crowd queuing at the foreign affairs registration office staring at him, the furious Bannott shot a glare back.

“What are you looking at?”

Under that glare, whether genuine diplomats or impostors, all quickly averted their eyes, not daring to provoke this plague god.

The Velants’ pettiness was notorious.

Though they had no ability to take on the Alliance, they were more than capable of dealing with these people—especially with ten thousand-man cohorts stationed in eastern Zhongzhou Continent.

Only after watching that angry back disappear at the end of the corridor did the survivors crowded at the door begin to whisper among themselves.

“Is that… the Legion’s ambassador?”

“With that nose, it must be!”

“What got him so riled up?”

“Who knows… lately they’ve been trading plenty of verbal barbs with the Alliance at the Commonwealth—probably still not tired of arguing in meetings.”

“Could the Alliance and the Legion be about to fight again?”

“Hard to say. I heard the Legion is unhappy with how the spoils of Haiya Province were divided, claiming the Alliance colluded with the Corporation to conceal technology related to the Complete Lifeform, and they even dragged in the Academy, which barely spoke at the meeting.”

“I think it’s possible the Academy got the better deal—those swamp-dwelling sharpies love to make a fortune in silence.”

“Ah, I just hope it doesn’t really come to war.”

Hearing rumors of war, almost all the survivors’ faces could not help but show a trace of worry, even gloom.

Most survivors here came from settlements of lawful neutral alignment or above; they were here to hitch a ride on the Commonwealth’s rapid development, not to get involved in the conflicts of two behemoths.

Yet, though the vast majority hoped for peace between the two sides, there were no lack of busybodies sniffing out the hidden business opportunities.

The likelihood of direct conflict between the Alliance and the Legion was actually quite low.

First, the cost of the Legion launching an expedition into the Great Desert was far too high, and the gains negligible.

Second, if the Legion expanded eastward, the Corporation would inevitably step in, and might even drag in the Academy, which was busy recovering lost technology from Haiya Province.

But—

Though the chance of direct conflict was minuscule, proxy wars were not entirely impossible.

For instance, Bister Town was the eternal pain in the Falcon Kingdom’s heart, while the neighboring Honey Badger Kingdom constantly dreamed of exacting thorough revenge.

If the Legion and the Alliance even thought of sparring, Luoxia Province could instantly become a powder keg with a lit fuse.

And then there was Boro Province.

Though it was the domain of the Triumph City civil official clique, and the Legion had no direct military presence there, it was nonetheless a key market for the Alliance’s development—especially the Baiyue Company, which had sunk heavy investment into Boro Province’s east coast.

If the Legion wanted to spite the Alliance, striking from Boro Province would be a fine choice, potentially slashing the property of Dawn City’s residents by half.

While everyone was murmuring with their own thoughts, the furious Bannott had already boarded his official car parked downstairs at the Alliance Building.

“Back to Embassy Row!”

Tossing that order to the driver, he sat in the back, closed his eyes, and said nothing more, though his mind raced.

His secretary Domini, sitting beside him, carefully observed his expression, and only when the latter’s mood had calmed a little did he speak softly.

“Sir, what did the Alliance mean?”

Bannott snorted through his nose.

“I think they don’t want to negotiate with us in good faith.”

Domini gave a wry smile.

“I think… you shouldn’t act on impulse. The Alliance probably doesn’t want us to keep so much equipment in eastern Zhongzhou Continent either.”

Hearing this, Bannott, who had just calmed down, flared up again and burst into curses.

“Am I the one acting on impulse!”

“Am I the one acting on impulse? Those damned Blue Rats—just because they got lucky and beat the ragtag remnants of the Eastern Legion once, they dare to shit on our necks!”

Bannott kept cursing, and Domini beside him had nothing to say, only offering a bitter smile in consolation.

Just then, the car’s communication unit hanging on the door suddenly rang.

The bodyguard in the front passenger seat glanced at the center console, then turned to address Bannott in the back.

“Sir, it’s General Lium calling.”

Hearing the name Lium, Bannott’s brow twitched violently.

That was absolutely the last name he wanted to hear right now.

Without a word, Bannott reached out and took the communicator. The moment he pressed it to his ear, a thunderous roar came through.

“What the hell is going on with that arms shipment bound for Bister Town? Why has it all been sent back to the Weifu Wasteland! Bannott, I want an explanation immediately!”

An explanation immediately, huh…

I’m not your damn subordinate!

Benoit cursed under his breath, but since it was his side that had botched things up, he had no choice but to swallow his temper and speak.

“There was an accident with that batch of arms—”

“An accident?? What kind of accident could possibly make the arms that had already arrived in Bester Town get loaded back onto trucks and hauled back to Weifu Wasteland!”

After being reamed out without mercy, Benoit’s temper flared, and he snapped angrily.

“What was I supposed to do? The Alliance broke their word! They tore up our transport contract!”

“The Alliance broke their word?” Lium sneered. “From what I hear, it was your idiots who got caught red-handed by the other side.”

Benoit’s expression stiffened, his mouth twitching as he said.

“Well, that factor can’t be entirely ruled out—”

Lium didn’t mince words with him, continuing with a cold laugh.

“Heh, I told you long ago that those friends you made at the zoo were unreliable. All they do is hold us back—they’re useless for anything else—”

“Then who was it that told me to pressure the Alliance?” Benoit suddenly exploded, roaring. “If some fool hadn’t been nagging me to do something, would things have come to this? And you, Lium the Myriarch, don’t you forget you had a hand in this too! You agreed to the plan to arm the empire! Don’t try to pin all the blame on me!”

The carriage fell silent, save for the heavy sound of Benoit’s breathing, in and out.

The driver gripped the steering wheel nervously, the bodyguard in the passenger seat kept his eyes fixed out the window, and Domini wiped the sweat from his brow.

It wasn’t just inside the carriage.

On the other end of the line, Lium was silent for a moment, then spoke after a pause.

“…Let’s figure out how to solve this problem.”

Knowing this wasn’t the time for a quarrel, Benoit quickly calmed down.

He tapped his index finger lightly on his knee, his mind racing, and soon an idea came to him.

“The Western Legion… the Western Legion’s ships can help. I’ll contact them to send a few transport vessels to the southern sea. As long as we get the equipment to Westsail Port, we’ll have enough transport capacity there to haul it back to Triumph City… at least part of it.”

Lium lowered his voice.

“Then you’d better hurry. Our soldiers are eager to go home. If it comes down to it, I’ll just dispose of the surplus equipment on the spot.”

Benoit quickly replied.

“Wait, I’m not opposed to you disposing of it on the spot, but you need to leave us at least a third. Otherwise, with the meager stock we have now, we won’t be able to put enough pressure on the Alliance’s military presence in the Boro Province—”

“That’s your problem. Every extra day we stay in the eastern region costs us millions of denarii. We must withdraw over ninety percent of our forces west of the Great Desert before the end of the year—that’s the Legion Commander’s order.”

With that, Lium hung up without waiting for Benoit to respond.

Listening to the dial tone, Benoit cursed under his breath and slammed the communicator back onto the car door.

“…That bastard! Always throwing impossible problems at me!”

Before the end of the year…

It was already mid-December!

Even if they switched from land to sea, how was he supposed to find that many ships in such a short time!

Domini hesitated for a moment, then said quietly.

“Actually, if they could dispose of the arms locally, it wouldn’t be a bad thing… Leaving those weapons in the eastern part of the Central Continent would at least cause some trouble for the Alliance and the corporations. It wouldn’t be a loss for us.”

“Who cares about them,” Benoit scoffed. “What I care about is that batch of arms in their hands… that’s the key to arming the empire! At the very least, we need to take the part they promised us!”

Domini rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“Commissioning the Western Legion is definitely too late. Not to mention the cost of bringing them in, even if they actually set sail, the earliest they’d arrive would be early next month…”

“Assemble a fleet from Westsail Port and send it over. Mobilize the local expatriates—those merchants should have some ships. Grab as much as we can.” Benoit rubbed his tired brow, speaking with exhaustion.

For the sake of this “ally,” Xilan, he had worn himself out—helping them develop industry, scouting instructors for training, and even selling them equipment at a discount.

But those bastards were hopeless. Not only couldn’t they defeat the Alliance, they couldn’t even beat a bunch of bandits from the mountains, and they’d even lost a province almost as big as Bihai Province!

If only they’d shown a bit more backbone, he wouldn’t be this anxious…

Seeing the worried look on Myriarch Benoit’s face, Domini quickly said.

“I’ll get the message to Westsail Port as soon as possible!”

Benoit nodded.

“Mm, I’m counting on you.”

Getting the message from here to Westsail Port wasn’t as easy as making a phone call to the front lines. After all, in the entire Boro Province, only Golden Harbor was connected to the Alliance’s telegraph cable, and even the Mammoth State authorities, another Alliance lackey, were still in the application stage.

Perhaps…

Triumph City could consider investing in a cable to Westsail Port.

At least connect the Legion’s vassal, the Falcon Kingdom, in the eastern part of the Central Continent, so they could get news from Boro Province faster.

Thinking this over, Benoit casually picked up the *Survivor’s Daily* stuck in the car door, planning to read the news and kill the remaining time.

But the moment his eyes landed on the headline, he froze completely.

There it was, written in bold:

**【“Ladder” Orbital Transport Company Registered! Ideal Group Acquires 33% Stake, “Ladder” Project Officially Enters Construction Preparation Phase!】**

He had always thought the Alliance chose this moment to unveil the space elevator plan and spin a bunch of conspiracy theories about the “Celestials” mainly to divert the attention of the Concord’s member states and cover up issues like the uneven distribution of spoils from the War of Heaven.

But he never expected—

“…These bastards are actually serious?!”