Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Deciding Fate in the Depths of the Alley_l
Translator: 549690339
“As I said before, one cannot sleep soundly with an enemy beside them.”
This applies to us as well as to the local powers.”
With a faint smile, Taylor was led into a quiet alley.
Leaning against the wall, Leo Ray asked, “Taylor, how do you think the City Lord would react when he discovers that a force like us exists just a few kilometers away in The Demonic Shadow Forest?”
“My Lord, based on his ruthless temperament, I fear he would unite all the forces in the city to attack us at any cost to eliminate the imminent threat.” Taylor responded with a fist-and-palm salute after some thought. “That’s right; if that happens, it would be a big trouble.”
With a slight nod, Leo Ray continued, “After resolving the crisis of the Half-Elves and Half-Orcs in the Barrier, the biggest threat we are facing now is undoubtedly Cyan Town itself.
So, what we need to do is to strike first to avoid the worst-case scenario.” “I see, you’re very foresightful, Lord!” Taylor said, looking up to Leo Ray.
Waving off Taylor’s flattery, Leo Ray asked, “Taylor, if it were up to you, based on the information we’ve obtained, how would you play this game?” “My Lord, since there are already many complaints in the city, we should first dismantle the city’s power from the inside and try our best to weaken the City Lord’s strength.”
After pondering for a moment, Taylor answered with another fist-and-palm salute.
“Very good, go on.”
Leo Ray stroked his chin and nodded.
‘My subordinate thinks that the city’s power is divided into three parts.
First, the oppressed mercenaries excluding the Blood Scorpion Mercenary Corps. As long as we can bring this force to our side, our strength will undoubtedly be greatly improved.
Second, the Sanders’ Trading Conference. Based on Kombu’s description, their relationship is obviously not harmonious. Even if we cannot fully utilize their powerful background, we should at least keep them neutral. Judging by Mason Banks’s performance earlier, this should not be difficult to achieve.
Third, the low-paid ordinary soldiers. If we can get some of them to join us while cooperating with the mercenaries, I believe we can definitely break through this city.”
“Your reasoning is good, but you’ve overlooked two key points.”
Second, and most importantly, based on your personal combat strength, your power already surpasses anything here. Do we really need to take the city by force?” “Lord, what do you mean by that?”
Hearing this, Taylor’s eyes lit up, and he finally understood.
“Exactly, a beheading operation!”
With a slight nod, Leo Ray grinned, “While directly eliminating the City Lord and his loyal minions, we can also implement the three measures you just mentioned.
In this way, with minimal cost, Cyan Town will fall completely under our control.”
“Lord, you’re truly wise!”
Hearing this, Taylor showed an expression of sudden realization, “Lord, when shall we start our operation?”
“Don’t be hasty; now is not the right time.”
Signaling Taylor to lower his voice, Leo Ray continued, “At present, even if we capture the city, we have no way of holding it.
After all, Cyan Town is part of this human kingdom.
Unwarranted actions that invite the kingdom’s army could bring greater disaster.
So, before that, I need to make two moves.
One is to gather as much information about this kingdom as possible. The breakthrough lies with the young chairman of the Sanders’ Trading
Conference.”
“I see, even as a collateral branch of the Royal Sanders family, their information about this kingdom would be unmatched by ordinary people or nobles.”
Understanding Leo Ray’s thoughts, Taylor stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“That’s right; do you remember Kombu’s description of the young chairman earlier?”
Leo Ray adjusted his Illusion Cloak and continued, “Because he is from a collateral branch, he seems to be out of favor with the mainstream Sanders family. Hence, he has been assigned to such a remote place.
This creates the perfect opportunity for us to establish a connection with him.”
“I see, Lord! As you said, if we display our strength and promise to help him gain control of the family,
it will be a win-win situation for both us and the young chairman, with long-term benefits for our territory’s development.”
“Of course, this is just the ideal situation; if it doesn’t work, we’ll have to resort to force.”
With a smile, Leo Ray added, “Alright, now that we’ve made up our minds, let’s return to the Sanders’ Trading Conference.”
With that said, the two emerged from the alley corner and began walking back to the street where they had come from.
At the same time, in a certain part of the City Lord’s Mansion in the city center,
a middle-aged man, about forty years old, dressed in magnificent robes, sat on a throne in a spacious and bright hall. He exuded an extremely cold and powerful aura.
A group of young and beautiful maids stood on either side of him. Though the middle-aged man’s expression seemed gentle and harmless,
the maids around him shivered with fear, barely daring to breathe, showing how much they dreaded him. They seemed to believe that the next moment, the man before them would tear them to shreds.
Just as the middle-aged man in the robe was leisurely resting with his eyes closed, a thin, black-robed man entered the hall, running all the way from outside.
The man’s presence also exuded an intimidating power, causing the trembling maids to shudder once more.
“Lord, Commander Cuttlebone of the Blood Scorpion Mercenary Corps requests an audience.”
The thin man gave the maids a lewd look before laughing creepily..
