Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
Marcos and Li Xiu looked at each other with a knowing smile. They both knew that if they wanted to follow Wang Tong, they needed first to adjust their attitudes. Base on the current situation, it was impossible to oppose Wang Tong’s rule. Not even a legendary warrior could go against him, much less the two of them. Therefore, they either had to come to terms with working for him for the rest of their lives, or they had to pack up and leave the city right now.
Marcos knew that although there seemed to be two choices for him, he only had one option: support Wang Tong.
He had leaked the details of the incident involving Han Dun in order to help Wang Tong gain the trust of his people. Solidarity inside the city wall was essential for survival. Without full trust in Wang Tong, Marcos would not do him a favor for free. During several conversations, Wang Tong had alluded other options to him, and today, he had finally given him the answer.
After some time, a soldier came in.
“Captain Marcos, Lord Wang Tong invites you to his office.” It was Duo Lun who came to deliver the message.
Marcos cracked a smile and then said, “I will be there in a moment.”
“Ah-if Mr. Li Xiu has time, Lord Wang Tong would like to meet him as well.”
“Me?” Li Xiu pointed the finger at himself and asked incredulously.
“Yes.” Duo Lun answered firmly.
Unlike Tan Bu, Duo Lun was a more introverted person, and was better suited for more clandestine duties, such as Wang Tong’s personal guard. Wang Tong initially didn’t want a guard, but the other leaders insisted their suggestion, quoting that all City Lords had a personal guard on their side. Being the closest person to Wang Tong, Duo Lun was regarded as the most trusted friend of his.
Li Xiu’s heart throbbed in the chest as excitement shot through his body. ‘What? Wang Tong wanted to see me?’
…
The lord of the Egypt City found it hard to believe that his son was held hostage in the Maersa City. It was a blatant kidnapping of a member of a prestigious family. Such a barbaric act had never been heard of in human-settled soils on Mars.
After the reality set in, the Lord refrained from making military retaliation. First of all, it was his son’s fault. He shouldn’t have bailed out on the agreement that he had already made. That being said, he couldn’t just let the matter slide and agree to the kidnapper’s terms.
Military might was useless under such situation as it called for a very different form of power
…
“Boss, representatives from the Egypt city have arrived.”
“Oh? Did they bring our goods?” Wang Tong’s face was lit up with glee.
Ross shook his head. “I don’t think they are here to apologize. There is a legendary warrior among them, looking angry and all.” Ross’ face was contorted with anger. Ever since he underwent the crystal space training, he was constantly wired up as if he were going into a battle the next moment.
“Very good. Show them our hospitality, please. They are our guests after all.”
“Yes, boss!” Ross turned around and stormed out. Unlike Aamir and Marcos, these young warriors wanted to test their new power eagerly. Although they had done so during the Zergs’ siege, they hadn’t used their power on any human opponent yet.
From an outsider’s point of view, the City of Maersa and the power of the new faction that dwelled within it was both pathetic: the city was a ruin, and the faction a motley crew.
As soon as the dozen or so representatives from the Egypt city arrived at Maersa, they started shouting boisterously. “Who is in charge here? Who is the City Lord?”
“Please wait for a second. Our Captain will be here in a minute.” Tang Duo spoke. Although he was much more powerful than the then hooligans combined, he spoke in a polite voice just as he was told.
The representatives didn’t even look Tang Duo straight in the eyes. One of them snorted, and another shouted, “F*ck off, peasant! How dare you speak to me?”
Tang Duo didn’t mind the insult as he kept a smile on his face and welcomed the group into the meeting hall. The fighters entered the lobby and waited for Wang Tong impenitently.
Soon, Aamir arrived at the lobby.
“Ah! Welcome, everyone. Please sit! My lord will be here very soon.”
“Who the hell are you?” The leader of the pack asked arrogantly. This was the first time that Aamir had been greeted in such a manner.
“I am Aamir, and I am in charge of most of the domestic duties in the city,” Aamir spoke calmly; however, the smile on his face slowly faded.
“Aamir of the Blizzard?”
“Yes. That will be me.” Blizzard was one of the biggest war bands in the Maersa district, and its name always made it to the top list of the warbands on the Mars.
The leader of the pack softened his expression and then said, “I am the vice general of the Egypt City, Captain Lewinsky. We have received a report that your Captain has held our young lord hostage and beaten him up. This is unacceptable!” Lewinsky knew that Aamir was quite a character, and therefore, he turned down a notch while he spoke to him. However, he wondered why a renowned veteran would be willing to serve under a young fledgling. Five years ago, when the world first discovered Wang Tong, he was far away from becoming a legendary warrior. How much could he have improved in the short five years? Perhaps, Aamir was not as powerful as he had thought.
“Captain Aamir, what is your job in Maersa?” Lewinsky figured that Aamir was someone whom he could talk sense with. After all, he was the one who had first negotiated a business deal with Han Dun. He remembered that the city lord of Egypt wanted him to persuade Aamir to join his side.
“Just random chores…helping our Captain Wang as much as I can.” Aamir said indifferently.
“Gosh! The leader of Blizzard doing chores? That is not fair! What a waste of talent! You know what? The City of Egypt will always have a place for you and your band.”
“Brother Lewinsky, you think too highly of me. I am very content with my current position.” Aamir said with a placid expression. He might seem amiable at first, but he did so because he had to, but not because he liked to.
The guests finally sat down as they ran out of energy to continue the farce. The one sitting in the middle of the group had an exceptionally well-built stature, and was unusually quiet.
As the guests were about to protest for the long wait again, Wang Tong finally appeared. The guests stood up in unison and Lewinsky closed in.
“Wang Tong, where is our young lord!”
“Hehe, you guys are very quick to respond. Did you bring us the goods?”
“What goods? Are you thick? You kidnapped our young lord and tortured him, but you still want your goods?” Lewinsky’s face turned red as he found Wang Tong’s question preposterous.
Wang Tong was unaffected by Lewinsky’s harsh tone. He shrugged and said, “Pay up what you owe us, that’s all that I care about. Then, and only then, we will talk about your young turd. Also, as a token of our goodwill, I will cover the expense of your stay here in Maersa.”
“Haha! That is very nice of you, my lord.” Li Xiu put in.
Seeing the negotiation was going nowhere, the group of warriors started their GN force at once. Wang Tong could sense that their average power was of level seventeen to eighteen. However, there were four warriors who didn’t join in the other fighters. Although Wang Tong could not gauge their power, he knew that they were much more powerful than the first group.
“Wang Tong, hand over our young lord. Otherwise…”
“Alright, alright! Save your energy. You won’t leave without that prick, and we won’t let him go until we see the goods. So, why don’t we settle it with a match?” Wang Tong cut Lewinsky short and waved his hands impatiently.
“Very well. Best two out of three!”
“Bah! You guys are our guests, so I will be fair and play nicely. If you can win one match against us, I will let you take your young turd, no questions asked.” Wang Tong said with a smirk.
“How… arrogant!” Lewinsky murmured under his breath.
“My lord, the space is very limited here. Why don’t we do it outside?” Li Xiu proposed politely.
“Good point! ” Wang Tong nodded at Li Xiu and walked out of the meeting hall with the group of guests in tow.
Sensing the promise of a good fight, Maersa City suddenly became alive. It was Battle Wolf versus the warriors from the Egypt City. The drama of the fight itself had piqued many citizen’s interests.
“Boss, let me do it!”
“Captain, give me a chance.”
The streets of the Maersa City boiled over as warriors were eager to fight for justice.