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Chapter 244: 206, Who Gives More _1
Chapter 244: 206, Who Gives More _1
Chapter 244: Chapter 206, Who Gives More _1
The carrion squad was spread out, dressed in a disorderly manner.
You could see members of the Hammer Party in their inky battle armor, the Iron Guard Knights in their silver chainmail, and various oddly equipped faction members.
It was as if both sides were engaged in battle, and from behind, they began transforming the corpses.
This created such a force.
Both sides suspected the other of being reinforcements, and for a moment, neither party made a move.
“Captain, that’s the City Lord of Lundham City over there. I saw him when I was a little,” Duke said, pointing at the distant city wall.
Wu Heng looked up to see a man in armor, surrounded by many people, looking down from the wall towards the carrions.
This was Wu Heng’s first time seeing the City Lord of Lundham City.
At a glance, apart from being burly, there was nothing particularly notable about him.
“I thought he had run away!” Wu Heng said.
“I thought he ran away too.” Duke echoed and then asked, “Captain, does this mean we’re not fighting? We’ve all separated.”
“We came here, and both sides are uncertain of our identity,” Wu Heng explained.
At the time of their arrival.
A direct attack from the rear, coupled with the Iron Guard Knights’ pincer attack, could have inflicted heavy damage on the Hammer Party.
But he did not do so.
Upon arriving at the battlefield, Wu Heng ordered ‘Glenda’ to scout the battlefield in advance.
The main force of the Hammer Party, especially Skull Crusher from the bounty notice, did not join the battle.
Once the carrion squad attacked, they would inevitably attract the attention of the Hammer Party’s main forces.
He was just here to help, drawing the boss’s wrath onto himself would not be a wise choice.
If the Iron Guard Knights failed to persevere, wouldn’t he become the target of the Hammer Party and possibly end up completely on the defensive?
Thus, upon arrival, the squad did not take immediate action.
Rather, they planned to assess the situation before planning their next move.
What they did not expect, however, was that both sides would suddenly break away from the combat zone, leading to the current stalemate.
“So what now?” Duke asked again.
“Let’s wait, if they’re not in a hurry, why should we be in a rush,” Wu Heng said.
“Oh, okay!”
There was a stalemate that lasted for more than 10 minutes.
From the Iron Guard Knights’ position, a group of people briskly walked out, including a somewhat obese man dressed in bulging leather armor who looked somewhat like a city official.
Upon reaching the outer periphery of the carrion, he shouted, “Sir inside, the Lundham City Hall official would like to meet with you.”
Before Wu Heng could speak, a male voice came from the other side, “The Hammer Party comes with sincerity and would like to meet with you.”
Both voices echoed towards the rear of the squad.
Duke and the others all looked towards Wu Heng.
Wu Heng fell into slight contemplation, “The rest of you step aside so they don’t recognize you. Wen Mansha, you stay.”
“Okay!” They nodded, then left.
…
Inside a room that had been cleared.
Doors and windows were completely open, letting in bright sunlight.
Wu Heng wore a cloak, concealing his gear, and his face was covered with a gas mask.
He was wrapped up tightly, looking somewhat mysterious.
This attire might seem strange on anyone else.
But for a necromancer who was as mysterious as he was bizarre, it actually fit in quite well with his persona.
Wu Heng sat at the head of the table, with a few skeletal attendants behind him.
Below him sat representatives of the Iron Guard Knights and the Hammer Party.
The person from the Iron Guard Knights was a middle-aged man, rather corpulent, sitting upright, his face stern, and his eyes displayed an anxious look.
The man from the Hammer Party was a robed magician holding a wooden rod. His eyes swept over the Blood Axe and Tusk behind Wu Heng. His pupils contracted, displaying a surprised expression.
Two backbone members who hadn’t gathered as planned appeared here.
Moreover, they had become enslaved undead creatures.
Such a terrifying necromancer resided in this small bordering city.
“What may I call you, sir?” the Lundham City official asked respectfully.
“The name is not important, state your intentions,” Wu Heng’s muffled voice sounded from beneath the mask.
The official glanced at the Hammer Party member before saying, “City Lord Ereno promises you a reward of 5,000 gold coins for helping us fend off the Hammer Party.”
Especially the word ‘Gold Coins’, he emphasized heavily.
5,000 gold coins.
There sure was a lot of wealth in Lundham City.
He only asked for 80 gold coins from the ‘Secret Cultivation Hall’ yet they hesitated.
Now, this City Lord casually promised him 5,000 gold coins.
It seemed somewhat absurd.
Upon seeing that Wu Heng did not respond immediately, both men started becoming nervous.
The Hammer Party’s magician directly said, “Sir, although Lundham City is a small frontier city, it is also a transit station for trade between the two races. He’s trying to fool you with numbers. It’s evident the amount, 5,000 gold coins, despite how it sounds, is merely two to three years worth of tax revenue.”
Before the Lundham City official could refute him, the magician continued, “If you are willing to side with the Hammer Party, after the matter, you can pick any area in the Outer City Area to govern. Be it taxes or conducting some magic experiments, it’s entirely up to you. You can recoup their price in just a few years and then continue to reap the benefits.”
Wu Heng frowned, surprised by the man’s eloquence.
This Magician didn’t look like he had come from a background of banditry, he seems to have a deep understanding of Lundham City’s internal situation.
Looking at the terms proposed by both parties…
The Hammers Party’s proposition was clearly more enticing.
However, there were distinct differences between the two.
The promises of Lundham City felt like they were cutting their own flesh.
If they could give less, they would give as little as possible.
The Hammers Party didn’t have such concerns, since they didn’t currently own anything, they were more liberal in promising benefits.
Hearing the promises of the Hammers Party, the official couldn’t help but speak first.
In a hurry, he said, “The Hammers Party is just a bunch of bandits and outlaws. There’s no guarantee that they will keep their promise.”
“City Lord Ereno also comes from a faction background, only settling in the inner city area earlier than us. Can your promises be trusted?” retorted the magician from the Hammer Party.
“City Lord, how could you be compared to these murderous and arsonist criminals?”
“Having come to prominence through the same shady paths, why make yourself out to be so noble.”
“You…!”
Wu Heng, watching the two arguing, lightly tapped the armrest of his throne, and directly stated, “I want half of the city’s jurisdiction. Whoever can promise me that, I will aid.”
This…!
The two were stunned in place, half of the jurisdiction?
This was like splitting the city in half, or setting up two City Lords.
His demands were truly staggering.
“Sir, this…?”
Before the official could say anything, Wu Heng waved his hand to stop him, “If you’re not the decision-makers, go back and discuss with your leaders or City Lord. Whether to give up half the city or to vanish along with it, you decide. That’s all, you may leave.”
Directly bidding them farewell, the two wanted to say something but decided against it after exchanging glances.
They bowed lightly and turned to leave.
Once they were far away from the undead troops…
Wen Mansha came from one side and said softly, “Will they agree?”
Wu Heng demanding half the city in one breath had also surprised Wen Mansha.
After all, her master usually kept a low profile. His appetite this time was quite large.
It felt as if he was trying to snatch meat from the mouths of two fierce tigers.
There seemed to be a great risk.
Wu Heng casually took off his mask, “They have no other choice.”
“Which side do you plan to help?” Wen Mansha continued asking.
“Which side do you want to help?” Wu Heng countered.
“As you say.”
“Just say what you think.”
Wen Mansha frowned in thought, then said softly, “It’s better with the current City Lord. Although his management is also rather poor, the city is at least stable. If the Hammers Party took over the city, it would soon become a bandits’ den since they’re all on the wanted list. There won’t be any stability.”
The current City Lord doesn’t seem to mind much.
As long as taxes were in hand, he didn’t care about the rest.
Conflicts among the external city factions happened quite often. The outer city area was crowded with wanted criminals, it was rather chaotic.
But anyway, they still abide by the basic rules, at least there is an association in the city that prevents things from going too far.
If the Hammers Party manages the city, the association will definitely not exist.
No one was sure what it would become.
“Alright, I got it.” Wu Heng said.
Wen Mansha smiled, then softly said, “I’m just saying, of course, it is Master’s decision.”
Wu Heng gave a light pat on her round buttocks to show that he got it.
…
The Hammers Party’s camp.
The Magician recounted everything about his discussion with the other party.
Skull Crusher and another important member frowned deeply.
“He really has a big appetite, he actually wants half the city.” said the dual axe-wielding figure angrily.
If it weren’t for the sudden appearance of the undead army, they would have already invaded the inner city and started the final battle.
Money, women, they would have it all then, simultaneously enjoying the life of those nobles.
But the sudden appearance of the troops not only obstructed their plans but also demanded half the city. It was simply bullying.
Especially when their soldiers had been turned into the enemy’s undead.
It felt as if something was taken from them without anything in return.
“What kind of person is he?” asked Skull Crusher directly.
The magician replied while remembering, “He wore a black cloak, and a strange mask covered his face. He should be a Necromancer judging by his movement and actions, he seems to be young.”
“Don’t you know his identity?”
“He was unwilling to reveal, just said that his name and identity were not important.” The magician replied, and after a moment of thought, added, “There’s another thing, I saw ‘Nagazio’ and ‘Ikshir’ with him…”.
His sentence broke off abruptly, he seemed to hesitate.
Skull Crusher and the Beastman figure both looked at him in confusion.
After hesitating for a bit, the Magician finally said, “I saw ‘Nagazio’ and ‘Ikshir’, they’re dead. They have been turned into skeleton attendants by the other party.”