World-Ending Demon Emperor
Chapter 744 - 365: Alliance and Marriage! Want to marry Suo Ningbing?_2

Chapter 744: 365: Alliance and Marriage! Want to marry Suo Ningbing?_2

Suo Lun has taken the initiative to show weakness.

Hai Gang said, "Indeed. Yan Mo is a man of wolf-like ambition. I kindly lent him the Thunder Archipelago for temporary residence, but he took the opportunity to occupy it by force. Not only that, but he has gotten worse, constantly annexing my subordinate islands and repeatedly suppressing me in the Ocean Guild. My Hai Family used to earn fifty percent of the profits in the Marine Guild, but now it’s merely twenty percent."

Suo Lun said, "This man is really despicable! Does Lord Haigang know why he wants to block my maritime trade?"

Hai Gang said, "I would like to hear the details."

Suo Lun said, "He proposed an alliance with me, claiming that as half-brothers, united we would be invincible."

Hai Gang said, "If you joined forces with him, you would indeed be invincible, and my Yingzhou Island would surely be lost."

Suo Lun said, "Unfortunately, he is too assertive, and his ambition is too great. The terms he demanded were completely beyond my limits."

Hai Gang asked, "What did he demand?"

"The Sky-Shaking Thunder," Suo Lun said. "My top-secret ultimate weapon. It’s the reason I was able to defeat Gui Xingfu’s Allied Army, annihilate Zhi Wei’s army, and scare away the Turing Tuo Army. Yan Mo actually demanded this from me, so of course I turned hostile. I even proposed to him that I could send troops to help him take Yingzhou Island, and then completely withdraw, leaving not a single soldier behind, and surrender the entire Yingzhou Island to him. Yet, he still refused, continuing to demand the Sky-Shaking Thunder."

Upon hearing this, Hai Gang’s expression subtly changed.

With these words, Suo Lun was laying down his bottom line. Yan Mo demanded the Sky-Shaking Thunder as a condition for the alliance, which Suo Lun refused. Meaning, Hai Gang shouldn’t even bring it up.

Then, Hai Gang laughed heartily and said, "It seems that Great King Yan Mo’s ambition isn’t confined to just my Yingzhou Island."

Suo Lun said, "We have a common enemy. If you and I form an alliance and the Allied Army attacks Yan Mo, I’m seventy percent confident of victory. Not only will Yingzhou Island be safe, but the Hai Family will once again be the dominant sea power in the eastern seas. Our alliance would indeed be a perfect match."

"Yes, a perfect match," Hai Gang said. "I see Lord Suo Lun as a rain that refreshes the parched earth. Today, with your eminent presence here, my humble abode is graced."

Suo Lun said, "Then, shall we form an alliance?"

Hai Gang said, "No, not just an alliance, but something deeper."

Suo Lun said, "I would like to hear more!"

"There’s no rush," Hai Gang said. "Lord Suo Lun has traveled a long distance, and I believe you must be starving. It would be a breach of etiquette if I failed to offer you fine wine and good food."

Then, Hai Gang clapped his hands and said, "Bring on the banquet!"

Immediately, groups of graceful young girls filed in, presenting a feast of delicious cuisine.

Afterward, they filed out, leaving behind just one girl.

This girl’s face was veiled with light gauze, but her eyes were like jewels, shy and bright, deep and enchanting.

Moreover, her figure was slender like a willow, appearing to be only fourteen or fifteen years old.

"Please!" said Hai Gang.

Then, the two sides ate and drank, discussing only mundane topics and not business matters.

The graceful girl just sat quietly by Hai Gang’s side, pouring his wine, silent and shy. Other than an initial glance at Suo Lun, she kept her head down and eyes low, exuding quiet timidity.

...

After they had eaten their fill, Hai Gang said, "Lord Suo Lun, shall we continue?"

"Continue," Suo Lun said.

Hai Gang asked, "In this battle against Yan Mo, how many warships and sailors can Lord Suo Lun provide?"

Suo Lun said, "More than two hundred warships, twenty-five thousand sailors, and fifteen Griffin Beasts."

"Good," Hai Gang said. "After you destroyed an army of forty thousand sailors, it took me a great deal of effort to muster another twenty thousand, but they are barely an army and not very strong in combat. I will keep these twenty thousand to defend Yingzhou Island. The remaining sixty thousand naval main forces will all be deployed. In addition, I will also recruit twenty thousand pirates. Together, we’ll have over one hundred thousand sailors, which will be enough to battle Yan Mo."

Suo Lun slammed the table and said, "Good! A hundred thousand against a hundred thousand, I’m eighty percent confident we can defeat Yan Mo."

Then, Suo Lun said, "So, what are your conditions, Lord Haigang? Please state them directly."

Hai Gang said, "The Sky-Shaking Thunder is your limit, and I obviously cannot ask for that. As tempting as the Magic Mirror Industry and Chaos Stone Salt Field are, since the largest trade happens at the pirate harbor, we’ll naturally get our share after defeating Yan Mo. Hence, I won’t interfere with those two lucrative areas. What I need is only one thing."

"What is it?" Suo Lun asked.

"A marital alliance," Hai Gang said. "Lord Suo Lun, as you know, I have always sought closer ties with the mainland kingdoms, because Yingzhou Island is, after all, a place beyond the normal bounds, mountainous and lacking rain, abundant in fruits and vegetables but not in grain. Its prosperity relies entirely on maritime trade. Once you and I cooperate more closely, we could have the trade of the magic mirrors and salt take place on Yingzhou Island, making it even more prosperous. Now, I have already formed a marital alliance with the Turing Tuo Clan, and since I’m investing in both sides, I naturally need to form one with you as well."

Suo Lun’s gaze sharpened.

While marital alliances were not entirely reliable, they were the most direct method of forming alliances, a practice that had continued for thousands of years.

Suo Lun said, "So, how would you propose we form this marital alliance?"

Hai Gang said, "The first option is for your Aunt Yan Chuo’er to marry me."

Suo Lun shook his head and said, "That’s not possible. Mrs. Yan Chuo’er is the commander of my navy; I cannot do without her."

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