Rise of The Demon General

Chapter 286: Chapter 286. Reaching an Agreement

”Authorization to the city’s entrance checkpoints...?” Zhuan San muttered.

”Yes. I believe you have the authority to do that, or am I wrong? Amon asked.

”You are not wrong, but I don’t understand how this helps your organization’s current crisis.”

”You let me worry about that. If you grant me authorization, I can overturn the underworld’s current power balance. Once I take out Dao Se...”

”Do not take him out,” Zhuan San cut Amon’s speech. ”I want the underworld to be ruled by at least three organizations. Three organizations that maintain balance with each other.”

”Very well,” Amon said. ”Once I defeat Dao Se without eliminating him, I will ensure all three main underworld organizations maintain an equilibrium of power.”

”Are you sure you can do that?” Zhuan San asked. Amon could hear the skepticism in his voice.

”Grant me what I asked, and I will prove it to you,” Amon replied.

Zhuan San was silent afterward. He played with the cup in his hand without saying anything. Amon also stopped speaking and waited. Zhuan San’s face never changed, but Amon knew he was contemplating the matter seriously. Finally, Zhuan San said, ”I will give you full authorization to the gate of this city, but I have two conditions.”

”Let’s hear them,” Amon said.

”First, I will grant the authorization only for one gate and one day. Whatever you want to do, you must complete it through that gate in one day.”

”All right. What is the second condition?” Amon asked.

”I want to be the sole distributor of your Thousand Dream Powder,” Zhuan San answered.

”Hm...,” Amon contemplated the condition. Now that the relationship between him and Dao Se had ended, he could freely sell his drug again. He didn’t expect another party to demand a hand on the product so soon after.”

”You seem hesitant. To be frank, I think this condition benefits you as well,” Zhuan San said.

”How so?” Amon asked.

”I have a better network than Dao Se. With my network, I can distribute the powder to every city in this kingdom. The potential is immense. The profit we reap will only be limited to how much powder you can produce. Of course, if you trust me, you can teach me the recipe. If you do, I can create a facility to mass produce this powder, boosting our profit even more.”

”How do I know you won’t just leave me once you learn the recipe?” Amon asked.

”Business is about trust. If you don’t trust me, there is no need for us to speak about any of this,” Zhuan San answered.

Amon nodded. ”I can give you the recipe, but only I can provide one of the ingredients.”

”What ingredient is that?” Zhuan San asked.

”Wet Dream Flower,” Amon answered.

Zhuan San frowned. ”Never heard of it.”

”I know. That’s why I said only I can provide the flowers.”

”How can you have this... Never mind, how many flowers can you provide?”

”I can provide enough flowers to produce ten times the pace of what I last produced for Dao Se,” Amon answered.

Ten times, Zhuan San thought. When Dao Se was still distributing the Thousand Dream Powder, it was enough to supply the needs of this city. If Amon could provide him with ten times that amount, he could sell the products to ten cities.

”Also, I want to put one of my people in your production facility as a supervisor,” Amon said. ”He can help your facility work more efficiently. He has the experience producing this powder.”

”Who is he?” Zhuan San asked.

”A man named San Guo from White Cloud City,” Amon answered.

”Okay. Send him to the capital, Golden Stone City,” Zhuan San said. ”I will have my people help him settle there.”

Amon nodded. ”What about the profit? How will we share it?” Amon asked.

”Seventy-thirty. Seventy percent for me.” Zhuan San answered.

”Very well,” Amon said.

Zhuan San raised his eyebrows. ”You are not going to negotiate?”

”I don’t have time to waste on this petty issue,” Amon said.

”I can hardly agree that getting more profit is petty,” Zhuan San remarked.

”Maybe I can persuade you to give me more percentage. Maybe I can’t. It doesn’t matter. My objective is not to get more profit from you. If you think less of me because I don’t negotiate a better condition for myself, then so be it. I don’t give a shit as long as you grant me the authorization.”

Zhuan San chuckled. ”Fair enough. After agreeing on the Thousand Dream Powder, I guess I can’t deny you the authorization anymore. When will you need this authorization?”

”Next week,” Amon answered.

Zhuan San nodded. ”If there is nothing else, care to join me for tea?” He poured tea into a new cup and handed it over to Amon.

Amon accepted the cup and drank it directly. He placed the empty cup on the table and said, ”Good tea. Unfortunately, I can’t stay for long. I have much to do.”

”I won’t stop you then,” Zhuan San said.

Before Amon left, he said, ”I must say I am relieved.”

”Because I grant you your request?” Zhuan San asked.

”That is obvious, but my relief is also because you didn’t ask me to wait while you consider my offer. You decided on the spot. This means you don’t need to consult anyone. I know you are an influential person in the kingdom, but I don’t know if you are the one in charge or if someone else with real power is behind you. Now, I know.”

Amon left after his speech.

”Are you sure about this, master?” Xa Jien asked.

”Let’s use this as an opportunity to further measure his capability,” Zhuan San answered. ”Have our people watch the Northern gate on the day he asked. Even if we gave him full authorization, doesn’t mean we can’t record who or what he brings in or out of this city.”

”As you wish, master,” Xa Jien bowed.

*

After leaving Zhuan San’s residence, Amon returned to his house to write a letter. He then visited Xin Wuming and asked him to send someone to White Cloud City to pass the letter to San Guo.

After finishing the task, he left the Royal Academy and went to the edge of the city. He proceeded to leave the city as well. He didn’t hire any steed. He ran using Shadowless Sprint and entered nearby woods.

A distance away, two people traveled the same path. They were following Amon’s trail. When they entered the woods, one of them frowned.

”What’s wrong?” Wei Linkun asked.

”I lost sense of his presence,” Yan Fan answered.

”For a Peak Mystic Stage like you? How can it be?” Wei Linkun asked.

Yan Fan stopped. Since he didn’t know where Amon was, it was pointless to keep moving.

”Let me use my detection art to find out,” Yan Fan said. He closed his eyes.

Wei Linkun stayed silent. He knew about Yan Fan’s detection art. It was one of the arts that helped Yan Fan succeed on many missions when he was still a student of the Royal Academy. After Yan Fan entered the Mystic Stage, he thought Yan Fan no longer needed this art. It turned out it was not so.

Wei Linkun himself had entered this stage some time ago. He was at the Beginning Mystic Stage. He could start sensing other’s cultivation, but his sensing ability still had a very limited range. He also needed to consciously use this ability to sense others’ cultivation.

As for a Peak Mystic Stage like Yan Fan, he could passively sense those around him even if he didn’t want to. If he focused on his senses, he could sense cultivators from ten blocks away.

Yan Fan stayed still for almost a minute. When he opened his eyes, he was frowning.

”I still can’t sense him...,” Yan Fan said.

”Impossible,” Wei Linkun said.

”He must be using a very good concealing art,” Yan Fan surmised. ”No wonder the men I sent can never tail him. Now I feel bad for scolding them, considering I also lost him.”

After his first meeting with Amon, Yan Fan instructed his men to follow Amon whenever he was out of the Royal Academy. But every time, they lost him after tailing him for a while. Yan Fan was frustrated by his men’s incompetence. That’s why he decided to stalk Amon himself this time. He never expected to suffer the same result as his men.

”Well. We might have lost him, but this proves one thing,” Yan Fan said. His face didn’t show disappointment despite his failure.

”Proves what?” Wei Linkun asked.

”To learn such a good concealing art means he has plenty of things to hide,” Yan Fan answered. ”I become more interested in him. Additionally, those strings of murder stopped after I had a chat with him. It can be a coincidence, but since I have exhausted most clues on this case, I guess I will spare a part of my attention on him.”