World-Ending Demon Emperor
Chapter 733: Three Six One: The Blood of Turing Duo! Yan Mo Sacrifices His Wife!

Chapter 733: Three Six One: The Blood of Turing Duo! Yan Mo Sacrifices His Wife!

Suo Lun’s two main economic pillars, one was salt, and the other was the Magic Mirror.

The monthly income in Gold Coins was an astronomical figure, far surpassing the entire tax revenue of the Southeast Province and enough to support the military expansion of Suo Lun.

Besides, whether it was salt or the Magic Mirror, Suo Lun’s market faced the entire Human Kingdom.

Earlier, due to Suo Lun’s losing struggle against Zhi Li, whether it was the Magic Mirror or salt, they had been boycotted by eighty percent of the Rage Wave Kingdom’s lords and counties until the victory of this great battle when most of the Rage Wave Kingdom’s market finally opened up to Suo Lun.

But even so, the Rage Wave Kingdom’s market accounted for less than one-quarter of all profits, far less than the Flame Empire, and even less than the East Li Kingdom.

In the Flame Empire’s market, sixty percent was transported by sea and only forty percent by land. As for the East Li Kingdom, it was completely reliant on sea transportation.

Therefore, for Suo Lun at this time, maritime transport was as vital as a lifeline. Tian Shui City had long surpassed Luan Yang City and had become the largest merchant of the Rage Wave Kingdom, with over sixty percent of its income coming from sea routes each month.

As for Pirate Harbor, that was the world’s largest transshipment point for maritime trade, with over half of Suo Lun’s maritime trade conducted there.

Now, the Suo family’s trading firm had undoubtedly become the largest business organization in the entire Pirate Harbor.

But relying solely on the Suo family’s navy was hardly enough to protect such a vast maritime trade, and like other merchants, Suo Lun paid regular protection money to the Ocean Guild, according to the rules.

The so-called Ocean Guild was completely a pirate organization.

The Hai Clan of Yingzhou Island had previously held the top position in the Ocean Guild, but after several devastating defeats, the top position in the Ocean Guild was now taken by the King of the Rock Pirates, Yan Mo.

Suo Lun was now paying the Ocean Guild a protection fee exceeding twenty thousand Gold Coins every month, a whopping figure that constituted about one-third of all the protection money received by the guild.

Any merchant who had paid the protection fee could not be plundered by pirates, a clause clearly written in the maritime covenant.

And the latest protection fee was paid at Pirate Harbor just four days ago.

Unexpectedly, Yan Mo had torn his face right after receiving the money and attacked Suo Lun’s maritime merchant fleet.

This fleet consisted of thirty ships, twenty of them carrying salt and one carrying a Magic Mirror for sale.

Another eight ships were transporting weapons, armor, and iron materials, necessities for the army’s expansion.

And one was carrying cash, a sum totaling several hundred thousand Gold Coins, to be brought back to Tian Shui City.

All thirty ships were looted, resulting in a total loss of over two hundred thousand Gold Coins and goods. Even for the affluent Suo Lun, this was a substantial blow, not to mention the eight ships carrying weapons and armor, pivotal for the current restructuring of the army. Once seized, the reorganization of at least ten thousand troops would be thoroughly delayed.

Yan Mo’s actions were excessively outrageous.

For the first time, he personally kicked Suo Lun into an abyss, and Suo Lun did not seek justice.

The second time, even when Yan Chuoer, his mother, sought his help, he refused outright. Not only that, but he also added insult to injury by sending five thousand Rock Pirates to follow Gui Xingfu’s navy for a hit during the crisis.

As his half-brother, Yan Mo repeatedly provoked conflicts, yet Suo Lun did not retaliate.

And now, he went even further, aiming to sever Suo Lun’s lifeline and cut off his sixty percent revenue.

The current Suo Lun, having won against Zhi Li and annihilated Fang Qingshu, now had an unassailable position, and no one in the Rage Wave Kingdom dared to provoke him, with countless nobles and lords looking up to him.

Unexpectedly, Yan Mo delivered a fearsome slap to Suo Lun’s face.

What was more fatal was that Yan Mo claimed to completely blockade Suo Lun’s maritime trade.

Now, whether it was the expansion of the Tian Shui City Army or the governance of the Southeast Province, all depended on astronomical sums of Gold Coins.

Because Suo Lun had almost made the worst assumptions, if one day the King suddenly passed away, Suo Lun would have to confront the whole Rage Wave Kingdom with just one province.

Whether for the final showdown with Zhi Li or the suppression of the country’s lords and nobles after Zhi Yan’s ascension to the throne, Suo Lun needed an army of over three hundred thousand.

An army of three hundred thousand was an enormous beast that devoured gold.

And all of this could not be separated from money, with sixty percent of it dependent on maritime trade.

Therefore, Yan Mo’s attack on the Suo family’s merchant fleet was akin to directly castrating Suo Lun, cutting off his path to survival.

Making a quick decision, Suo Lun immediately returned to Tian Shui City, entrusting the affairs of the Southeast Province to Gui Xingfu and Yan Wuzhi. With ten thousand Ashi Li Cavalry stationed at Donghai City, he believed no one would be able to cause any trouble.

...

Luan Yang City!

"I refuse to be slaughtered at will, I must govern my own destiny!" Turing Duo muttered to herself in her wheelchair.

At this moment, her wheelchair was on top of the castle, overlooking dozens of steep steps below.

She had long since recovered, but in order to avoid sleeping with Tuli Yang, she had been pretending to be paralyzed.

Now, she was about to have a secret affair with Zhi Li and needed to get pregnant, so she could no longer pretend to be paralyzed, it was time to get better.

On every sunny day, Turing Duo would be at the top of the castle to watch the sunset. So, each time, Tuli Yang personally carried both her and the wheelchair up the hundreds of steps, and after watching the sunset, he would carry her back down laboriously.