I have an endless army of warriors, rampaging across the heavens.

Chapter 167 'Friendship Gold'!
"Hey!"

"The Ascension Academy is no ordinary academy!"

If we're talking about anything else, this guy's probably already tired of it.

But Ascension Academy is different.

"Let's put other things aside for now."

"Just the two level-five instructors at the Ascension Academy are terrifying enough. One is named Liu Yuan, and the other is Hu Guangfa. They are both renowned level-five sorcerers in Wuyun City!"

"A level five sorcerer!"

"Furthermore, below them are 8 fourth-level sorcerers, 23 third-level sorcerers, and 300 second-level sorcerers, all of whom are well-known in the city."

"Such a strong faculty."

"And what's more, they don't charge students anything—"

"wrong!"

"It's not that it's free, it's just that we're not charging tuition or miscellaneous fees at this stage, but we have to sign a contract, and we'll have to pay it back after we graduate."

"But this is already a Heavenly Bodhisattva!"

"I've heard that other sorcery academies either have extremely high requirements for talent or extremely high tuition fees, costing at least thirty to fifty gold coins a year, which is impossible for ordinary families to get into. Even if other large and small forces are willing to train sorcerers, the contracts they sign are extremely harsh, requiring them to work for half a lifetime or even their entire lives."

"The Ascension Academy is different."

"Ordinary students can study at the Ascension Academy for eight years, with a total cost of only 30 gold coins, averaging less than 4 gold coins per year, which is too little. Moreover, the debt can be repaid within twenty years after graduation."

“A qualified first-level sorcerer has a minimum income of 3 gold coins per year. Paying off 30 gold coins in 20 years is more than enough. After that, every year is pure profit.”

"This is only a level one sorcerer."

"If I graduate in eight years and become a Level 2 Spellcaster, my annual income will increase tenfold, and I might even be able to pay off my tuition in a year."

"Everyone says this Ascension Academy is like a charity!"

"I've always regretted not becoming a sorcerer, and now that I have this rare opportunity, I have to seize it."

"Guess what?"

"Hey!"

"I'm sending my two younger brothers and three younger sisters to the Ascension Academy. I don't need many, as long as one of them becomes a Level 2 Spellcaster, our family will be different from now on!"

……

The guy excitedly rattled off a bunch of stories, revealing that his younger siblings had also gone to the Ascension Academy.

Han Feng was stunned.

No charge?
If you don't charge fees, where will the money come from?
How can we pay the professors' salaries if we don't have money?

How can the college operate without money?

They say they'll sign a contract, but how many students will actually complete the course, and how many of those who do will actually abide by the contract? What if they break the contract and don't refund the money? How will this be monitored?

Furthermore, even if you abide by the agreement and repay the money, it might take eight years, then another twenty years, and perhaps twenty-eight years to collect 30 gold coins. Is it really possible to break even?
A school of sorcery?

That's not true!

Han Feng asked curiously, "The Ascension Academy is so wealthy and powerful, what's its background?"

The shopkeeper shook his head: "According to those two level-five sorcerers, a legendary senior invited them to become instructors at the Ascension Academy. I guess it was some kind-hearted master who took pity on the world and saved all people."

That's as good as saying nothing at all.

It's hard to say how far this sorcery academy can go.

Han Feng shook his head, not wanting to think about it anymore, and instead asked about the next topic that concerned him most—

"Why is the Iron-Blooded Mercenary Group at odds with the White Gang again?"

……

"The White Gang is in a terrible state!"

Gongye Yiqi's expression was strange: "Ever since the auction ended on the 19th, or more precisely, while the auction was still in progress, the Iron-Blooded Mercenary Group had already begun its attack on the White Gang. They are still the same as before, treating human lives as nothing. They would self-destruct when they found a White Gang stronghold. In one day, they destroyed seventeen White Gang strongholds. Eighty White Gang members were killed, two hundred were seriously injured, and two hundred were maimed. For the next twelve days, until today, April 1st, it is conservatively estimated that everyone in the White Gang is injured, and no one dares to swagger around in public anymore!"

White Gang!

Terrible! Terrible! Terrible!
What a miserable word.

Gongye Yunshan listened to his eldest son's report with a complicated expression. He never expected that a few words of quarrel outside the Chuyun Auction House would lead to the Iron-Blooded Mercenary Group launching a fierce retaliation against the White Gang.

Moreover, the methods are extremely simple, brutal, and bloody.

"The White Gang's core, inner circle, and outer circle together number over three thousand, and now everyone is injured."

"But the Ironblood Mercenary Group suffered even greater losses. Their self-destructive fighting style was truly terrifying. In just twelve days, they have already lost nearly three thousand suicide soldiers."

Gongye Yiqi was astonished.

How could there be such a powerful force that grows so wildly?
That's not how you fight!
How many lives and how many suicide soldiers can withstand such treatment?
Gongye Yiqi couldn't understand it.

Gongye Yunshan was equally puzzled, and at the same time extremely wary: "There is no way to counter their tactics."

Not only could Gongye Shanghang not solve it.

Even a mercenary group like the White Gang couldn't solve it.

How do I solve this?
A person finds a member of the White Gang, who is walking normally, and suddenly walks up to you, grabs you, and explodes.

So fierce!
How do you solve this?
"The Iron-Blooded Mercenary Group's tactics have left the White Gang helpless. Everyone is now in a state of fear, either leaving or fleeing far away. Only the level four and five members are not afraid of the Iron-Blooded Mercenary Group's self-destruct tactics and are now searching the entire city for the Iron-Blooded Mercenary Group, wanting revenge!"

"Unfortunately, it's impossible to find."

Gongye Yiqi shook his head.

The Iron-Blooded Mercenary Group is incredibly cunning. Each member appears harmless, but until the moment they self-destruct, no one knows whether they are truly members of the Iron-Blooded Mercenary Group.

The wind howls and cranes cry!

Every bush and tree seems like an enemy soldier!

What can be done?

Therefore, the more Gongye Yiqi paid attention to the plight of the White Gang, the more he admired Gongye Yunshan's forbearance and wisdom: "Fortunately, Father reconciled with the Iron-Blooded Mercenary Group early on, otherwise Gongye Trading Company would have been in grave danger!"

No!
Gongye Yunshan was also fortunate.

but--

"Don't be happy."

"Don't be careless."

"The Iron-Blooded Mercenary Group's background is currently unknown, and no one knows what kind of organization they are."

"Previously, they were willing to sacrifice more than 300 elite soldiers to deal with the Gongye Trading Company for the life or death of just one ordinary member."

"This time, we were able to fight the White Gang to the death over just a few words, at the cost of nearly three thousand assassins."

"With their tempers like that, who knows what crazy things they'll do next!"

Gongye Yunshan was extremely cautious.

Are the White Gang members scary?

It's not scary!
Although Bai Cheng was known for his sharp tongue, the Bai Gang ultimately followed the rules and operated within a set of established conventions.

But the Ironblood Mercenary Group is not.

"They act barbarically!"

They're blatant terrorists, attacking anyone they don't like, with no principles, no bottom line, and no control. Who wouldn't be afraid of that? Everyone is afraid of them!
however.

The more you fear something, the more likely it is to happen.

Whatever comes, comes.

As Gongye Yunshan was listening to his eldest son, Gongye Yiqi, report on the Iron Blood Mercenary Group's movements, someone suddenly came to report—

"Master, master, something terrible has happened!"

……

"Commander Xiao!"

Gongye Yunshan saw 'Chopin' again, and this time his attitude was even more serious.

Thinking back to the last Izumo auction, Gongye Yunshan had looked down on the Iron Blood Mercenary Group because their asking price was too low. Now, with the bloody example of the White Gang right before his eyes, nearly three thousand assassins had died without warning. Gongye Yunshan no longer dared to underestimate them in the slightest.

Nerves were stretched to the limit.

Zuo Jing, possessing a bodyguard, laughed upon seeing Gongye Yunshan's attitude.

He knew that the purpose of making an example of someone to intimidate others had been achieved.

The White Gang is that chicken, that mountain.

That's good.

This made the subsequent negotiations much easier. Zuo Jing didn't mince words and got straight to the point: "No need to be polite. I'm here on behalf of the Iron Blood Mercenary Group to collect 'Friendship Fees' from Gongye Trading Company."

"Friendship money?"

"collection?"

Gongye Yunshan was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

Zuo Jing explained: "Given the repeated provocations against the Iron Blood Mercenary Group by various forces in Wuyun City—first the Gongye Trading Company, then the White Gang—it's become unbearable. The elders of the group have decided to levy a 'friendship fee' on all forces, large and small, in Wuyun City. Those willing to pay represent a desire to befriend the Iron Blood Mercenary Group, and they will naturally become friends in the future. Those unwilling to pay clearly harbor malicious intentions to deal with the Iron Blood Mercenary Group, and we will not be lenient with them. The methods used against the Gongye Trading Company and against the White Gang will be repeated against these unfriendly and unwilling forces, in order to resolve the issue once and for all."

"..."

Gongye Yunshan's heart sank.

Oh shit!

What 'friendship money'?!
This is 'protection money'!
Those damned Ironblood Mercenary Groups just extorted 100,000 gold coins from Gongye Trading Company a few days ago, and now they're trying to blackmail us again!
You're utterly inhuman!

But as this 'Chopin' said—

There was the Gongye Trading Company ahead of them.

Then came the White Gang.

Two bloody examples are laid out before us, with the Gongye Trading Company being one of them. How could Gongye Yunshan dare to disobey?

He immediately said, "Gongye Trading Company's friendship with the Ironblood Mercenary Group is as clear as day. However, the auction has been a major blow, and we had to squeeze out 100,000 gold coins before, and then rebuild the shops in various places. At present, the trading company is really in dire straits. I wonder how much 'friendship money' Commander Xiao needs?"

Zuo Jing's aim in collecting money is to make small profits but increase sales volume; he won't ask for exorbitant fees.

As far as he knows.

A powerful firm like Gongye Trading Company, through generations of operation and accumulation, has assets that are difficult to quantify. However, its cash holdings can be roughly estimated at around 100 million, equivalent to about 500 grams of gold.

of course.

This is just a rough estimate.

The fluctuations will certainly be significant, more or less.

For example, the Guo and Xia families, who were among the thirteen elders of Wuyun City, made preparations in advance and ultimately spent a fortune at this Chuyun Auction, spending a total of 1670 grams of Serkin, equivalent to 334 million gold coins.

It's really appalling.

From this, we can roughly deduce the financial situation of the other elders.

Gongye Trading Company has indeed incurred considerable expenses recently.

Another 100,000 gold coins in compensation.

It's time to rebuild shops everywhere.

There are also expenses incurred at the auction.

Moreover, the bank has only been issuing shares and not receiving any new ones recently.

Etc., etc.

In every aspect.

This has resulted in Gongye Trading Company's current cash flow being reduced by at least 500,000.

Even so, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse, and Gongye Trading Company can easily scrape together 500,000 gold coins now.

Zuo Jing originally planned to collect a token 'friendship fee' of 3000 gold coins annually from veterans of the city like Gongye Trading Company.

However, one should not flaunt one's wealth.

After learning about the large sums of money Guo and Xia spent at the auction, I realized how petty I had been.

then.

He quietly raised the standards.

At this moment, he smiled at Gongye Yunshan and said, "Not much, not much. 30 grams of serkin will suffice for the first year, and 3 grams of serkin for each year thereafter."

How much?
Not much!
Gongye Yunshan silently breathed a sigh of relief.

30 Kserkins in the first year.

3 grams of sergin each year thereafter.

Converted to gold coins, it would be 6 gold coins in the first year and 6000 gold coins each year thereafter.

I've heard a lot about it.

But for a large company like Gongye Trading Company, as long as they could do business steadily, their annual income would be more than ten times six thousand.
Sprinkle some water!

However, given that Gongye Trading Company had just given the Ironblood Mercenary Group 100,000 gold coins, it was rather despicable that this group would turn around and extort another 60,000 gold coins from them.

With such frequent extortion, who knows if they'll actually accept this and only charge 6000 gold coins per year thereafter?

Hard to say!
Gongye Yunshan didn't care about 6 or 6000 gold coins; what he cared about was whether the Iron Blood Mercenary Group's word was law!
He hesitated.

Don't dare to ask.

Zuo Jing saw through it all and said frankly, "You can rest assured about the reputation of the Iron Blood Mercenary Group. A promise is a promise. After we pay this 60,000 gold coins, if anyone in the Iron Blood Mercenary Group comes to you again this year to ask for even a single copper coin, may our leader die on the spot!"

"of course."

"The premise is that your Gongye Trading Company doesn't cause any trouble. Don't gain the Iron-Blooded Mercenary Group's friendship only to secretly plot against them. If you do, don't blame us for your own mistakes!"

Zuo Jing speaks directly.

He's always been direct, and that's the confidence that the Infinite Warriors give him.

Gongye Yunshan had no idea whether Zuo Jing was telling the truth or not. He wanted to stall for time, so he pretended to be in a difficult position: "30 grams of serkin is not a small amount. Could you give me a few more days?"

Zuo Jing shook his head: "There's no room for discussion. The friendship of the Iron-Blooded Mercenary Group cannot be delayed."

"..."

Gongye Yunshan steeled his resolve and gritted his teeth, saying, "Commander Xiao, please wait a moment."

Then.

He hurriedly sent his eldest son, Gongye Yiqi, to collect the gold.

About half an hour later.

Gongye Yunshan personally handed 30 grams of Serkin to Zuo Jing: "I hope Commander Xiao can convey to the elders and commander of the Iron Blood Mercenary Group that the friendship between Gongye Trading Company and the Iron Blood Mercenary Group is as clear as day!"

Zuo Jing weighed it in his hand, then used his teeth to verify its quality. Seeing that the gold was genuine and the weight was correct, a smile immediately appeared on his face: "Don't worry, don't worry, I'll definitely bring it."

But he didn't leave.

After receiving the money, there was a second matter: "The White Gang has angered the Iron-Blooded Mercenary Group. Bai Cheng is unrepentant and completely unlike Brother Yunshan in his sincerity. Therefore, the group has decided to kill him, and the bounty is as follows—"

"Kill Bai Cheng, the leader of the White Gang, and you will receive 50 gold coins."

"Kill either of the two vice leaders of the White Gang and you will receive 10 gold coins."

Zuo Jing looked at Gongye Yunshan: "In addition, the White Gang has fourteen fourth-level sorcerers. They are all scum of Wuyun City. As one of the thirteen elders of Wuyun City, Gongye Trading Company's mission is to kill at least one of the White Gang's fourth-level sorcerers."

At last.

He asked, "Do you have confidence?"

"..."

What else could Gongye Yunshan say?

He was curious to know what would happen to the Iron Blood Mercenary Group if they disobeyed their orders and failed to kill any of the White Gang's Level 4 sorcerers.

Another extortion attempt?

Another act of destruction?

Or will they eliminate the Gongye Trading Company in the same way they eliminated the White Gang?
Gongye Yunshan wanted to ask.

But he ultimately didn't ask.

Not interesting.

Since we can't resist, we can only obey.

Shoot the first bird.

'Gongye Trading Company will not be the first to stick its neck out.'

'The Iron-Blooded Mercenary Group's domineering behavior is bound to backfire sooner or later.'

Gongye Yunshan was well aware that the Iron-Blooded Mercenary Group's modus operandi was unsustainable, but he was even more aware that even if the Iron-Blooded Mercenary Group was doomed, at least for the time being, Gongye Trading Company must not show its face.

otherwise--

The first to perish will surely be the Gongye Trading Company!

……

(End of this chapter)