Chapter 1274: Annihilation

Land of Rainbow.

In a luxurious castle-style villa in the mountains—

“Damn Land of Demons, actually united with the Ninja of the Land of Lightning, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Water to annihilate us! If this continues, the alliance will perish!”

A dignified male voice sounded, but at this moment, it seemed angry and out of control, lacking the detached demeanor a great merchant ought to have.

It’s no wonder, the paradise for merchants was established by numerous merchants in the Ninja Realm—Isolated Island, which was directly devastated by the Land of Demons without having time to react.

Three of the Five Great Nations participated in the destruction of the Isolated Island: the Land of Lightning, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Water.

Although the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind did not get involved, they had even established connections with the Daimyo’s Mansion in the Land of Fire’s upper echelons, but before having time to process this, such an unexpected event occurred, one can imagine the inner anger and frustration.

Due to plans to construct a second merchant paradise in the Land of Waves, part of the merchants from the Isolated Island had already begun relocating within the territory of the Land of Waves.

Thus, on the day the Isolated Island was destroyed, those far away in the Land of Waves did not fall into the capture of the Land of Demons and other countries, and successfully escaped calamity.

But when they learned of the news of the Isolated Island’s destruction, their first thought was not how to retaliate, but shock and panic.

They then urgently led their subordinates, swiftly and decisively escaping from the Land of Waves to avoid being attacked by the Ninja of the Land of Demons stationed within the Land of Waves territory.

Only after fleeing to a secret stronghold in the Land of Rainbow did they slightly calm their nerves and no longer flee as recklessly as before.

Having caught their breath, they began to gather the remnants of the Merchant Alliance, attempting to regroup with hopes of revival, even seeking revenge against the Land of Demons and other countries that destroyed their alliance.

Of course, engaging the ninja squads of these countries head-on is a dead end.

They were not foolish enough to immediately implement a revenge plan.

Even if they wish for revenge, it is not something that can be completed overnight.

The purpose of their meeting now is only one thing: to quickly go silent and evade the arrest warrants from the Land of Demons and other countries.

As for the companies on the surface, they have been jointly sealed off by several countries, thoroughly divided. Their assets in plain sight have been partitioned by the Witch of the Land of Demons, along with the Daimyo and nobles of three great nations. The affiliated Ninja Villages of the three great nations can also gain sufficient development funds from it as a reward for their actions.

No resistance whatsoever.

Now what remains in their hands are powers in the darkness that outsiders find difficult to trace.

They can effectively utilize this portion of resources as the foundation for their comeback.

As long as these riches remain, they are not truly extinct.

There are numerous greedy Daimyo and nobles in this Ninja Realm; someone will inevitably take the risky path and collaborate with them, plundering wealth and trampling all laws of human world.

Thus, networking relations are not a problem.

The only concern is that their future actions must be more cautious and meticulous, and they must think clearly about cooperation with the great nations, avoiding rash actions.

“That is unavoidable, but being able to escape is a good thing. Next, abandon all companies on the surface, sever all ties.”

Once they connect with forces on the surface, it is easy to be traced by the Land of Demons and other countries.

The Ninja Realm is not too big, nor too small.

Especially with three of the Five Great Nations engaging in the encirclement operation, the vast influence displayed by these countries envelops most regions of the Ninja Realm.

Thus, they can only hibernate.

It’s clear they can’t contact the companies on the surface again; exposure of location would lead to the eradication of the alliance’s last seed.

Though it’s painful, all the great merchants present understand the gravity of the situation, and have no objections to this decision.

“The next step is finding a place to hide for a while. Does anyone have any good suggestions?”

A female merchant in her fifties asked.

“Indeed, although the Land of Rainbow is safe, it is very near to the Land of Water; but deciding which country to hide in…”

The merchants were in a quandary.

The east is within the sphere of influence of the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water, the north borders the Land of Earth, and the west bears the significant influence of the Land of Demons; though the Land of Wind will not attack them, its current strength might not be enough to counter the Land of Demons.

Thus, only the nations in the southern part of the Ninja Realm can be chosen.

Moreover, the southern sea area holds many uninhabited islands, ideal for concealment.

The problem is, they don’t have much foundation there, and if they wish to develop there, they need to re-establish their network.

“For us, concealment should be the priority. The time spent in the Land of Rainbow cannot be too long; activity here can be easily exposed to the Land of Water.”

“Then, let’s go south. The influence of the Land of Demons and other countries hasn’t reached there yet.”

“South, huh? Yes, given the current situation, it’s indeed suitable. However, foundations need rebuilding, though it’s not a difficult task. As long as our wealth is intact, rebuilding our network won’t take several years. Moreover, this time we must not only establish a stronger Merchant Alliance, but also acquire a military strength surpassing that of the Isolated Island!”