Chapter 223: Three-way Split Of The Exiled Lands, The Vast Sea Lord Returns Laden With Spoils
Inside the hall, the glow of fluorescent stones cast a cold white light, illuminating every minute line and emotional fluctuation on each face in stark detail.
Chen Mo frowned slightly, wearing just the right touch of regret on his face, as if deeply helpless about how things had developed to this point. His left hand firmly pressed down on Liushuang beside him as he gently shook his head, whispering something in her ear, barely managing to calm this girl whose fist was already clenched, ready at any moment to turn into a bristling little beast.
Although he had prepared as thoroughly as he could, he had never imagined the other side could be this stupid.
To slander him in person!
At this rate, he might have to plead on their behalf later so they would not actually get killed…
The Baroque City Lord, seated at the head, nodded.
“I understand. Since Exile Land speaks with such apparent confidence, and our General Hansen also declares he has absolutely not released anyone out of favoritism, then it seems there is only one possibility left.”
“I, Baroque, am an accomplice of Lord Chen Mo!”
“Or, it should be called a ‘co-conspirator’!”
With a loud crash, the Yellow Bone Shattering mage, who had just been changing color in outrage, fell to the floor along with his chair.
Baroque could not be bothered to watch this fool’s clumsy performance any longer and rapidly issued a series of orders.
“Notify everyone: from today onward, we will no longer accept any Professionals from Exile Land to take missions in our Molten Fire City. All ongoing mission commissions are to be terminated.”
“General Hansen, please, in the capacity of Molten Fire City’s garrison, issue a notice to Rustbone Town to cut off all internal and external communication channels. Exile Land may be entered but not exited, and all transactions with Exile Land are to cease.”
“In addition, I ask you to jointly submit a report with me to the Silver Grand Duke’s palace, explaining this matter, and request the duchy to thoroughly investigate evidence of our supposed crimes. If anything is found, we will accept whatever punishment is due. However, if it is proven we were framed…”
“A pile of bones may be without rules, but in my Silver Country, there is national law and royal covenant!”
“Whatever the proper disposition is, that is what will be done!”
Having said this much, although Yellow Bone Shattering and his group tried to explain, beg, and admit fault, the City Lord no longer wished to listen. They were directly expelled from the city and, under dedicated supervision, driven all the way back.
The news instantly triggered a massive earthquake throughout Exile Land, almost immediately causing a complete split of factions.
Though Yellow Bone Shattering still clung to his own narrative, in the past the other mages had remained silent because their own interests were not yet involved. Now that Exile Land stood at the brink of life and death, how could they allow the main culprit to continue holding power and drag everyone into the abyss?
High-tier mages argued openly, colluded in private, clashed with one another, and even confronted each other head-on. After a round of intense internal strife, the factions split into three major camps, each determined to seek its own way out.
The first camp, represented by Yellow Bone Shattering, was the stubborn conservative faction. They held most of the political and economic legacy left by the former Gravedigger, and there was still a nominal heir, so they would never willingly accept a downfall.
Although Yellow Bone Shattering had lost disastrously in Molten Fire City, once back in Exile Land he quickly steadied himself and launched a series of self-rescue measures.
Even though he could no longer leave, he could still send letters.
Through his connections at Rustbone Town at the mouth of the valley, Yellow Bone Shattering sent dozens of letters to the outside world, full of apparent heartfelt sincerity and bearing the seal of the new Gravedigger of Exile Land.
To Chen Mo, they claimed that misunderstandings had occurred during the investigation. Exile Land offered its sincere apologies and was willing to provide the highest level of compensation.
To Molten Fire City, they directly executed several “culprits” responsible for previously “slandering” Lord Chen Mo, and just as they had once presented Hong Yan’s head, they now presented another batch of heads, begging for the City Lord’s forgiveness.
Truly the spiritual successor of the former Gravedigger; even the way he slaughtered scapegoats was exactly the same.
In addition, Yellow Bone Shattering activated connections at all levels, seeking aid from other nobles of the Silver Duchy, even managing, through twists and turns, to deliver his tearful, blood-written pleas before the Silver Grand Duke.
All their demands focused on surviving the current crisis and preserving their hard-won power.
Facing this situation, Chen Mo personally persuaded Baroque: “Exile Land’s legacy is long-standing. If their livelihood is cut off so abruptly, it may cause endless trouble for the Silver Duchy.”
“A light punishment will suffice. After all… after all, they are of the same necromancer line as I am. I do not wish to see them choose a path of confrontation with the duchy.”
Baroque opened his mouth several times, then finally turned it into a helpless sigh.
“Ah… brother, your heart is too soft! Fine, fine, I know you are thinking for my sake, afraid I will offend too many people!”
“In that case, tell me what you want, and I will send someone to negotiate for you!”
With the arrival of the negotiators from the Molten Fire City Lord, the second major camp, the cooperation faction—or one could call them the “surrender faction”—burst into elation.
The leader of the “surrender faction” was, of course, none other than Fu Nang.
This fellow had privately sent several letters to Chen Mo already. Without his continuous stream of information and intelligence, Great Lord Chen’s plan would not necessarily have proceeded so smoothly.
As a man of clear rewards and punishments, Chen Mo directly commissioned the negotiators to deliver a generous gift to Fu Nang and personally stated, face to face, an invitation for Mage Fu Nang and his fellow mages to head north and become “guest necromancer advisors” of Hanhai Territory.
Spurred on by Fu Nang, a group of high-tier necromancers from the Ring of Sorcerers, together with their families, vassals, and subordinate low-level mages, set off toward that beautiful new world in the distant north.
Last was the neutral faction, or centrist faction, led by Night Whisper.
These mages usually focused more on cultivating personal strength or pursuing particular academic paths. Their interest in power struggles was limited, and from beginning to end they opposed fabricating accusations and stirring up trouble without conclusive evidence.
At the same time, they respected the former Gravedigger’s contributions and the difficult development of Exile Land, and used their influence to try to secure a path of peaceful resolution.
When the stubborn faction and the surrender faction had already fixed their courses, the centrists still wavered in confusion. Eventually, the entire centrist camp shattered into many smaller groups: some stayed in the valley, some decided to head north, and others, unwilling to remain in this lightless valley yet disinclined to go to the so-called Northern Lands of “blade-like winds, icy frost, thunder and gunpowder smoke,” received new suggestions from Chen Mo at just the right time.
The remaining centrist mages transferred, in a one-time deal at a relatively generous price to Lord Chen Mo, the debt rights of their “Eternal Slumber Shacks,” the “employment rights” of a portion of undead creatures, certain academic results, and large-scale control magic arrays.
Chen Mo obtained for them from the Baroque City Lord legal status in the Silver Country. From then on, they could leave Exile Land and live as wealthy gentlemen and idle folk in the comfortable, warm south, far from conflict, living freely.
Of course, Fu Nang sneered at their choice.
“Too… too naive!”
“If you cannot control power, you must attach yourself to it; otherwise, what use is wealth in abundance?”
“Look at the dwarves’ fate throughout history; what vivid examples! Without power, you are but a wolf cub waiting for the butcher’s knife. With power, you are a man-eating beast!”
Reluctantly moving the last green plant from his magic tower’s manor onto a skeletal carriage, Fu Nang delivered a stirring speech to his colleagues.
“They say the north is dangerous!”
“My god, what are they thinking—do they think not making money isn’t dangerous?”
“Is it not dangerous to live beyond the shelter of power?”
“They themselves are doing the most dangerous thing, yet claim the place we are going to is dangerous. How utterly absurd!”
After seeing off the long line of transport wagons, Fu Nang, as a “trusted” insider of Lord Chen Mo, still had to stay a while longer.
He needed to cooperate with the representatives commissioned by Lord Chen Mo to handle a series of issues concerning Exile Land: economic compensation, property division, personnel allocation, and technology transfer.
This sort of thing was precisely his specialty.
For example, on the matter of allocating the “Dark Energy Gathering Magic Arrays” in the valley, Fu Nang chose a unique angle of approach.
“There are three gathering arrays. If we allocate them by number of high-tier mages, our ‘northbound’ faction is entitled to one, no matter what! We will dismantle that array and take it with us!”
“The ‘centrist faction’ should get half an array. We have already paid to acquire full ownership of that half from them, so we will dismantle and take that half as well!”
“What? You say you cannot use the remaining half? Well, the half I am taking is unusable too. We paid a huge sum and suffered such a loss without complaint—what are you whining about?”
Facing Yellow Bone Shattering’s livid face, Fu Nang mocked him without mercy: “If not for your stupidity, how would we have ended up like this? We mages are about to leave our homes and head north just to survive. Is that not all thanks to you?”
“Stop pretending to be the good guy!”
“Here, out of consideration for our years as colleagues, I offer you one last preferential condition: I will reduce a portion of the compensation demanded from you by the Molten Fire City Lord and in exchange you transfer your remaining half array to me!”
Yellow Bone Shattering clutched the young Gravedigger’s hand, his arm trembling as he let out an anguished yet helpless cry: “You! You are taking away two arrays. Without the nourishment of dark energy for so many undead creatures in Exile Land, what are we supposed to do?”
“Can’t support them? If you can’t support them, give them to me!”
Fu Nang looked at him as though he were an idiot. “You keep one array to nourish however many undead creatures it can support. As for the remaining burden, package them all up and let me take them away, problem solved.”
“I am helping reduce your burden so you can save energy to nourish the high-tier undead. Is that not the best of both worlds?”
“…”
When Chen Mo received the final outcome of these multi-party negotiations, a long-lost smile appeared on the young lord’s face.
After so much time and several twists and turns, they had finally achieved a result far better than the previously envisioned comprehensive cooperation.
It fully realized Lord Chen Mo’s intentions: he wanted mages, he wanted technology, he wanted undead, he wanted artisans. In short, money was optional; they could even pay in reverse, but everything else—take as much as possible.
The negotiations were full of gunpowder. Fu Nang fully displayed his nature as an unscrupulous merchant: at times hysterically shouting, at times smiling gently, at times baring fangs and pressing aggressively, at times threatening coldly and subtly.
Beside Fu Nang stood not only Doyle, the old fox who had spent most of his life as a mercenary group commander, but also Wood, who had been commissioned by Hanhai Territory long ago to go ahead to the Silver Duchy.
Yes, this was the same man originally named Stone, who later, due to Helan’s governing principle of “avoiding offense to the discontented,” changed his name to Wood. He had headed south last year to establish a Hanhai office in the Silver Duchy. Although, due to his low status and lack of background, he had not achieved much in diplomatic terms over the past year, his intelligence gathering and groundwork were solid.
With support from Hanhai’s professional team, Fu Nang brought his talents into full play.
The final negotiation results were as follows.
In terms of talent, Hanhai Territory would take about two-fifths of the high-tier mages, sixty percent of the low-level mages and mage apprentices, repair artisans, and other family members.
In terms of undead creatures, Hanhai Territory would receive twenty percent of the high-tier undead creatures, eighty percent of the low-tier undead creatures, as well as all disabled undead, discarded undead, and written-off undead.
In terms of technology: more than two hundred various necromancy research results, experimental data, magic models, and so on, were to be made open and shared by Exile Land.
In terms of facilities: two complete large-scale dark energy gathering magic arrays, multiple small and medium auxiliary nourishment arrays for undead creatures, and a large quantity of necromancy spellcasting materials, specialized tools, magic items, experimental instruments, and so forth.
All of these would become part of the “Return to Cemetery” that Hanhai Territory planned to build.
Just listen to that grand, far-reaching, and meaningful name; compared with the decadence and decline of Exile Land, its superiority was simply immeasurable.
Fu Nang also reported to the lord with apparent deep shame: “Respected, great lord, since high-tier undead creatures have always been at the core of the Gravedigger’s control and most are bound by contracts to the high-tier mages of the valley, it is most unfortunate that I secured only this small share!”
Chen Mo replied straightforwardly:
“My hope is to give both necromancers and undead creatures a new home. Low-tier and high-tier are all the same. In my territory, there is no distinction of status between them.”
“You have done very well! Once you arrive in Hanhai, I will confer honors upon you in recognition!”
Of course, reaching a basic framework agreement was only the first step. There would still be a vast amount of inspection, verification, handover, and transportation to handle afterward.
But Chen Mo did not have time to remain here; he had to leave!
At his final banquet with the Baroque City Lord, both sides agreed upon the future trade frequency and methods for Spring Rain. Chen Mo produced a batch of strange industrial test products, and the Baroque City Lord patted his chest in assurance that he would vigorously collect all kinds of novel technology and magical items for Hanhai.
They parted reluctantly.
“What a pity I cannot leave the city. Otherwise, I truly would like to visit your Hanhai!”
Chen Mo raised his hand in salute. “There will be a chance!”
“When the time comes, I will personally be your guide!”
The lord and his personal little guard—one could also say the valkyrie and her black cheat—returned to Fusion Port, boarded the Qiming Hao, and, with a long blast of the horn, as sails billowed and paddles spun, they set off on their northbound voyage.
As the ship sailed farther away, the majestic outline of the Silver Country’s port slowly sank beneath the sea surface at the horizon. The surging journey in the south was about to come to an end, while a new chapter for Hanhai Territory was only just beginning.
The afterglow of the setting sun spilled across the sea, coating the hull of the Qiming Hao in a layer of golden-red light.
