CHAPTER 812: CHAPTER 812: ALWAYS STAYING AHEAD OF THE PATCH

"Achoo!"

At the military base of Death Coast, Mosquito suddenly sneezed without any warning while standing next to the warehouse, sniffing and mumbling.

"Damn it, who the hell is secretly infatuated with me now..."

Upon hearing the "Achoo," his Rat-man follower immediately took off his jacket and diligently draped it over Mosquito’s shoulder.

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

In fact, although he didn’t give a high evaluation to this underling in front of Elder Fang, he was just voicing his thoughts casually.

And this kind of casual talk is probably just like a father ranting about how useless his son is in front of another dad, not serious at all.

Fairly speaking, although this guy is a bit timid and fearful, looks somewhat sleazy, and lacks vigor—especially the attitude of an ace pilot—he has quite a few merits.

For instance, he can read the room and knows how to get things done, etc.

However, hoping for such a person to inherit his mantle is hopeless, but it’s still good to cultivate him as the CEO or CSO of Goblin Technology.

In short, make use of everything!

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

"Jerry, come over."

This name was made up by him at the insistence of his Rat-man follower, whom he casually helped to make it up.

According to his follower’s own words, this was to get rid of the mark left by the Poluo Province and better integrate into the society of the Alliance, and also to avoid entering the reincarnation cycle of Thousand Tribes and Thousand Gods in the future.

Although Mosquito himself is an atheist and doesn’t believe in that stuff at all, he still complied with his follower’s request, hoping this guy could live a more proper life.

Survivors from Poluo Province and residents who lived there three centuries ago are not the same group of people. They don’t look much different from other survivors who escaped the Great Desert; with a name change, no one can really tell where he’s originally from.

At least survivors from outside of Poluo Province wouldn’t distinguish too much.

Upon hearing Mosquito calling him, Jerry quickly stepped forward, leaned slightly, and listened intently.

"What orders do you have, sir?"

Adjusting the jacket on his shoulder, Mosquito slightly tilted his head, speaking with an air full of attitude.

"Observe more, learn more, I have high expectations for you... It’s beneath your talent to buy small cards; I’ll take you to do bigger deals in the future."

Hearing the grandiose promises from Mosquito, Jerry was so overwhelmed with emotion that he almost kneeled on the spot and recognized a godfather.

"Oh come on, look at you, with such low ambition."

Mosquito waved his hand, halting his follower’s gratitude, then cleared his throat loudly, and shouted towards the officer walking out of the warehouse.

"Ahem! How do you guys think about it?"

The person walking out from the warehouse was the quartermaster Jopra from the Tiger State’s major client, under the command of Colonel Jieha Wan of the Tiger army, holding a military rank of Thousands of leaders.

Glancing at the Rat-man standing next to Mosquito, the Tiger Clan’s Jopra instinctively showed a hint of disdain in his eyes.

However, when he looked at Mosquito, his face bore an expression of respect.

"We’ve already seen it... We’re very satisfied with your goods! These weapons are a huge help to us!"

In total, twelve Conqueror No.10 heavy tanks, thirty-six Conqueror No.5 light tanks, and forty-eight 100mm cannons!

On top of that, there’s a massive quantity of "Blade" assault rifles and 7mm ammunition!

These items are ninety percent new; although not as durable as the League’s LD series weapons, compared to those "Opener" from the West Sail Port Tentacles, they are way superior!

With these sophisticated armaments, the Tiger army can easily pull out another armored ten-thousand team, and even four or five infantry ten-thousand teams!

And all according to the standard format of an army!

By then, not only the nobles and dignitaries from Tiandu, but even McCullen from White Tiger City would have to kowtow to their master Jieha before leaving!

Thinking about this, the corners of Jopra’s mouth almost drooled, eager to fly back to White Tiger City immediately with this batch of equipment to claim credit.

Seeing his customer so delighted, Mosquito also revealed a joyful smile.

"Glad you’re satisfied! Our small business doesn’t do credit; please settle the payment if convenient, as soon as I receive the money, I’ll ship right away! Door-to-door delivery guaranteed!"

"No problem!"

Jopra readily agreed, but then awkwardly chuckled and softly said, "By the way, can we pay with West Winds currency?"

Pay with West Winds currency?

Mosquito was first stunned and then raised his eyebrows, glaring at the person in front of him.

"Are you bloody trying to cheat?"

Good heavens!

Playing tricks with empty hands on his turf?

He must be tired of living!

Not only did Mosquito’s gaze turn unfriendly, but Jerry standing beside him also glared at the group of Tiger Clan people, along with Mosquito’s followers such as Discourage and Kill God.

Seeing the alliance’s bigwigs looking disgruntled, Jopra hurriedly explained.

"Sir, please calm down! How could we dare default on your account? It’s just that... our silver coin reserves are really tight, and we can’t manage the turnover at the moment."

"What does that have to do with me?" Mosquito said with a darkened face, "I only accept silver coins here, who wants your scrap paper!"

Seeing that this bigwig was unwilling to compromise, Jopra was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, with beads of sweat hanging from his forehead.

Seeing that he couldn’t get a single word out, Mosquito sighed and waved his hand.

"Fine, if you don’t want to buy, don’t buy. We can’t force you. Besides, I see you have no sincere intention of doing business. I’d better talk to the military faction in Leopard State."

Hearing this, Jopra couldn’t sit still, especially as he saw Mosquito turning to leave, and he quickly called out.

"Wait a minute!"

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

"What is it? Do you have money now?"

Jopra struggled internally for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said resolutely.

"Silver coins... we really can’t produce them. The Imperial Royal Mint is reluctant to approve our quota of silver coins. But, however! We still have a lot of Westland Coins! If you are willing to accept payment in Westland Coins, we can do it at... 80—no, 90! Wait! 100! 100 Westland Coins for 1 Silver Coin! We’ll trade at a 100:1 exchange rate with you!"

This was the last card handed to him by Colonel Jieha.

If it weren’t for the fact that this batch of equipment was too important, he wouldn’t want to play this card. After all, if the liquidity in the White Tiger City bank’s account is released, those small and large workshops and the residents working there will have to suffer again.

It’s worth noting that a few months ago, when the Empire just lifted the embargo on Jin Galun Harbor, the exchange rate of Westland Coin to Gallon was 5:4, which converted to silver coins was only 12.5:1.

Now using a 100:1 exchange rate for this deal is a whopping loss!

After hearing Jopra’s words, Mosquito indeed stopped and looked back at the supply officer standing at the warehouse door.

100:1!

This exchange rate is basically the cost price at which major banks in the alliance "purchase in bulk" from the South Sea Union Central Bank, which is already quite generous!

If it were Jin Galun Harbor’s bank, the actual exchange rate of Westland Coin to Silver Coin might even be higher, reaching around 80:1.

In other words, if this deal is signed, Goblin Technology could earn a profit of 25% just from the exchange rate difference!

The only risk is that the money might get stuck...

Even though he was extremely reluctant to accept Westland Coins, these "vouchers," the amount offered was just too tempting.

Mosquito struggled in his mind but ultimately made a decision against his ancestors’ advice.

"MMP! Deal!"

Anyway, once he got hold of these Westland Coins, he would immediately swap them at Jin Galun Harbor for silver coins, which shouldn’t be much of a problem!

Moreover, if the military faction in Tiger State could grow stronger with this batch of equipment, maybe in the future, they’ll trade with him in silver coins?

This is a long-term deal.

Mosquito comforted himself with this thought.

Hearing this deal being closed, Jopra’s heart was also bleeding, and the few followers behind him closed their eyes in pain.

100:1...

It was tantamount to buying a Conqueror No.10 tank worth a million silver coins for a billion Westland Coins!

And just a few months ago, the import price of the same tank was still 12.5 million Westland Coins, with an additional twenty shells!

The arms on the import list accounted for one-sixth of the legion’s total reserves in the Wufu Wilds. If all the equipment to be delivered later is included, the total value of this arms sale contract will reach a staggering 50 billion Westland Coins!

And the value of just the first batch of arms delivered would be 10 billion Westland Coins!

Almost all the soldiers from Tiger State on the scene cursed in their hearts.

God damn it...

Who the hell stole their money!

...

At this moment, far away in the City of Dawn, Bennott was unaware of the little incident that had occurred at Death Coast, nor did he know that the batch of arms he was concerned about had been quietly sold one-sixth.

After slamming the door of the alliance foreign minister’s office, he regretted it just as he got to the door, but turning back would be too humiliating.

Especially when he thought of that annoying face, Bennott gritted his teeth, stomped his foot, and kept heading toward the stairs with determination.

Seeing those lining up at the foreign affairs registration office looking at him, Bennott, who was still seething with anger, immediately glared back at them.

"What are you looking at?"

Shocked by that glare, whether they were real diplomats or fake ones, all quickly averted their eyes, not daring to provoke this menacing character.

The people of Vellante were infamous for their pettiness.

Although these guys didn’t have the knack for dealing with the alliance, they could definitely handle anyone else, especially with ten ten-thousand troops stationed in the eastern part of the Central Continent.

As they watched the furious figure disappear at the end of the hallway, a group of survivors lining up at the door began whispering softly to each other.

"Was that... the legion’s ambassador?"

"Look at that nose, it must be him!"

"What got him so worked up?"

"Who knows... lately they’ve been having quite a few verbal spats with the Alliance on the Sticky Community, maybe they didn’t argue enough during the meeting."

"Could it be that the Alliance and the Army are going to fight again?"

"Hard to say, I heard the Army is dissatisfied with the way the spoils of Haiye Province were divided, thinking the Alliance and companies conspired to hide the technology related to the Perfect Life Form, and it seems they even pointed at the Academy, which didn’t make much noise in the meeting."

"I think it’s possible the Academy took advantage, these guys from the swamp... they love to silently make a fortune."

"Sigh, I just hope they don’t really start fighting."

Upon hearing the rumors of war, almost every survivor couldn’t help but show a trace of worry or even gloom on their faces.

Most survivors standing here came from orderly and neutral or above settlements, mostly to catch the high-speed development wave of the Sticky Community, not to participate in the conflict between two giants.

However, while the majority of survivors hope for peace, there are also some opportunists who smell potential business opportunities hidden in the situation.

The possibility of a direct conflict between the Alliance and the Army is actually quite low.

First, the cost for the Army to launch a campaign against the Great Desert is simply too high, and the gains are negligible.

Second, the enterprise would definitely get involved if the Army expands east, which might even drag the Academy that is busy reclaiming the lost technology of Haiye Province.

However—

While the chance of direct conflict is slim, a proxy war is not entirely out of the question.

For example, Bister Town is the permanent pain in the heart of the Falcon Kingdom, and the Honey Badger Kingdom next door is always thinking of a complete revenge on the latter.

As long as the Army and the Alliance even think about sparring, Luo Xia Province can immediately become a powder keg with a fuse.

And there’s Poluo Province.

Although it’s the territory of the Triumph City Official Group, the Army doesn’t have a direct military presence there, but conversely, it’s a key market for the Alliance, especially Baiyue Corporation has invested heavily in the East Coast region of Poluo Province.

If the Army wants to disturb the Alliance, starting from Poluo Province is also a good option, it might even give the residents of City of Dawn a hit on their finances.

As everyone was discussing with their own agendas in mind, the angrily fuming Bennott had already boarded the special car parked downstairs of the Alliance Building.

"To Embassy Street!"

He threw a command at the driver, then sat in the back seat with his eyes closed, not making another sound, as his mind raced.

Sitting beside him, the secretary Dominie carefully observed his facial expression, and only when his mood had somewhat stabilized did he softly say.

"Sir, what does the Alliance mean by this?"

Bennott snorted coldly through his nose.

"I think they don’t want to hold proper talks with us."

Dominie gave a bitter smile and said.

"I think... you should probably avoid acting impulsively, the Alliance likely doesn’t want us leaving so much equipment in the eastern part of Central Continent either."

Upon hearing this, Bennott, who had just calmed down, flared up immediately and shouted.

"Am I the one being impulsive?"

"Am I the one being impulsive? These damn Blue Ground Squirrels... just because they got lucky and won against the remnants of the Eastern Legion once, they dare to shit on our heads!"

Bennott kept cursing aloud, and Dominie sitting next to him could only smile bitterly and try to comfort him, without saying anything.

Just then, the car phone hanging on the door suddenly rang.

The bodyguard sitting in the passenger seat glanced at the central screen, then quickly turned and said to Bennott sitting in the back seat.

"Sir, it’s a call from General Lucien."

Hearing Lucien’s name, Bennott’s brow twitched hard.

It was definitely the last name he wanted to hear at the moment.

Without a word, Bennott reached out and picked up the phone, placing it to his ear, only to be met with a thunderous roar.

"What happened with that batch of arms sent to Bister Town! Why were they all shipped back to the Weilante Plain! Bennott, I need an explanation immediately!"

An immediate explanation...

I’m not your subordinate!

Bennott cursed in his heart, but since it was his side that messed things up, he could only hold his temper and say.

"There was a bit of an accident with that batch of arms—"

"A bit of an accident?? What kind of accident could cause the arms already delivered to Bister Town to be loaded back onto trucks and sent to the Weilante Plain!"

After getting scolded, Bennott’s temper flared up too, and he angrily said.

"What can I do if it’s the Alliance not keeping their word! They tore up the transportation contract with us!"

"The Alliance didn’t keep their word?" Lucien sneered, "How come I heard it’s your underlings who got caught with evidence by the other side?"

Bennott’s expression stiffened, his mouth twitching as he spoke.

"Indeed, we can’t rule out this aspect—"

Lucien showed no courtesy, sneering as he continued.

"Ha, I’ve said it long ago, the friends you made in the zoo are unreliable. They’re nothing but a drag—"

"Who’s the one pushing me to pressure the Alliance?" Bennott suddenly erupted, shouting angrily, "If it weren’t for some fool urging me to act quickly, would things have developed to this point? And you, Centurion Lucien, don’t forget you were involved in this too! You agreed to the Armed Empire’s plan! Don’t try to dump all the blame on me!"

The carriage fell silent, only Bennott’s heavy breathing resounding.

The driver nervously gripped the steering wheel, the bodyguard in the passenger seat stared out the window, and Dominie wiped the sweat from his forehead.

It wasn’t just inside the carriage.

On the other end of the phone, Lucien was also silent for a while. After a moment, he said.

"...Let’s think of a way to solve this problem."

Knowing it wasn’t the time for arguments, Bennott quickly calmed down.

His index finger softly tapped on his knee, his mind raced, quickly forming an idea.

"The Western Legion... the ships of the Western Legion could help. I’ll contact them to send some transport ships to the southern sea area. Once the equipment is moved to West Sail Port, we have enough capacity there to haul the equipment back to Triumph City... at least part of it."

Lucien lowered his voice.

"Then you’d better hurry. Our soldiers are eager to return home, and if it doesn’t work, I’ll dispose of the excess equipment on the spot."

Upon hearing this, Bennott quickly said.

"Wait, I’m not against disposing of it on the spot, but you should at least leave us a third. Otherwise, the stock we have is far from enough to exert pressure on the Alliance’s military presence in Poluo Province—"

"That’s your problem. For every extra day we stay in the eastern region, we lose over a million dinars, and we must withdraw over ninety percent of our forces west of the Great Desert by the end of the year, as instructed by the Legion Leader."

After saying this, Lucien didn’t wait for Bennott to speak before hanging up the phone.

Listening to the busy tone on the other end, Bennott cursed, slamming the communicator back onto the car door.

"...That bastard keeps throwing problems at me every day!"

Before the end of the year...

It’s already mid-December!

Even if they switched from road to sea, where could he find so many ships in such a short time?

Dominie hesitated for a moment, then spoke softly.

"Actually, if they can dispose of the arms locally, it wouldn’t hurt to let them. Those weapons left in the eastern Central Continent would cause some trouble for the Alliance and the companies, which wouldn’t be a loss for us."

"Who cares about them," Bennott said with a smirk, "what I care about is the arms they have... it’s crucial for our Armed Empire! At least we need to take the portion they promised us!"

Dominie, pinching his chin, pondered.

"Entrusting the Western Legion is definitely too late. Not to mention the cost of inviting them, even if they do come, the earliest would be the beginning of next month..."

"Summon a fleet from West Sail Port, mobilize the local residents. Those who do business probably have some ships, just grab as much as you can." Bennott rubbed his sour brow, speaking with exhaustion.

For the sake of West Winds, this "ally," he could be said to have worried excessively, helping to develop their industry, recruiting instructors for their training, and even providing equipment to them at a discount.

Unfortunately, this group of people couldn’t be supported like mud, and not only couldn’t they defeat the Alliance, but they also couldn’t even beat bandits from the mountains, losing a state almost as big as Haiya Province!

If these people had shown a bit more vigor, he wouldn’t be so anxious...

Seeing the worried face of Colonel Bennott, Dominie quickly said.

"I’ll get the message to West Sail Port as soon as possible!"

Bennott nodded.

"Alright, I’ll leave it to you."

Getting the message to West Sail Port isn’t as simple as making a call to the frontline. After all, currently, only Jinjaron Harbor in the entire Poluo Province has a League cable, and even the Mammoth State Authority, a League subordinate, is only in the application stage.

Perhaps...

Triumph City might consider investing in a cable to West Sail Port.

At least connect the Empire’s vassal, the Falcon Kingdom, in the eastern Central Continent, making it quicker for us to obtain information from Poluo Province.

Thinking this, Bennott casually picked up the Survivor’s Daily inserted in the car door, preparing to pass the time by reading the news.

However, as his gaze fell on the newspaper headline, he was stunned.

The headline read:

["Sky Ladder" Orbital Transportation Company Registered! Ideal Group Acquires 33% Share, "Sky Ladder" Plan Officially Enters Construction Preparation Stage!]

He had always thought that the Alliance’s announcement of the space elevator plan was to divert the attention of many members of the Sticky Community from issues like the unfair distribution of war spoils from the Paradise War.

Never expected—

"...These guys are serious?!"