Lord of the Magical Beasts

After placing public notices in front of places like the Dwarf Weapon Shop and the Shangri-La, news of a Troops Association being set up in Wissen Town quickly spread throughout the Magical Beast Territory. The troops that knew of the news made their ways toward Wissen Castle, prepared to learn more.

There would be a huge impact on each and every soldier and adventurer if there really was an association in Wissen Town.

Tthey would be able to receive missions in Wissen Town and obtain news from the various lands. They would also not have to travel back to the Livenza Alliance after every mission, nor did they have to worry about no one being able to prove that they have completed each mission.

At the same time, if there was a Troops Association in Wissen Town, none of the troops would dare act recklessly anymore. The incident of publicly snatching loot in front of the Shangri-La would never happen again.

“Oh Yiblis, is this real or fake?”

“Could it be that someone is pretending to be the leader and spreading this news? Where’s the leader, why is he not personally coming out to verify this?”

“That’s right, you can’t build an association just because you say so. Is this news true or false?”

The troops had gathered in front of Wissen Castle, deep in discussion. But they did not dare cause trouble there even if they had consumed the guts of a leopard. Even though they were extremely agitated, they each controlled themselves.

Some time later, just as the troops’ emotions were at their peak and they were becoming noisy, Yang Ling finally appeared, with Kerband behind him.

“I know that you are all wondering if the news is true or false!” Yang Ling smiled calmly and continued. “Beside me is the leader of the famous Wolf Troop Team. Under the instructions of the main association, he had already investigated the various circumstances of Wissen Town. If there are no accidents, the main association will spread news of a Troops Association being set up here in Wissen Town, and throughout the entire Tailun Continent!”

Looking at the wolf print on Kerband’s armor, then seeing his calm smile and muscular frame, the troops whispered amongst each other, their excitement brewing.

Even though they had never seen the Wolf Troop Team personally, they had all heard their name!

Most of the soldiers had once journeyed the continent, and had heard tales of the Wolf Troop Teams’ abilities, background and status. Even though they had never truly crossed paths with the Wolf Troop Team, many of them had seen Kerband himself on occasion.

The people would still have a little doubt if the leader Yang Ling were to come out and confirm the news, but with the leader of the Wolf Troop Team Kerband’s personal confirmation, the effect was even greater than placing ten thousand posters around the land. No one doubted the legitimacy of the news!

Many of those people had come to Wissen Town, despite the great distance, because there were so many jobs. They could go into the forest and hunt for Magical Beast Essence Crystals. They could protect merchant teams on their journeys to and from the area. If there was an association in Wissen Town, they would be able to save time and energy, and take their missions from the town itself.

A man’s life, other than women and battles, revolved around wine. That night, the alcohol stored in the bar in Shangri-La sold by the bucketful, completely exhausting their supply. In the inn, on the streets… There were tipsy drunks everywhere.

Leaving behind a team of troops to monitor the situation, Kerband quickly returned to Montson, prepared to settle setting up the Troops Association as soon as possible. Even though Wissen Town was not large, it had already attracted a few thousand troops because of its proximity to the resource-rich Terras Forest. When it got developed the next year, with the arrival of more merchant teams and a lot of manpower, it would attract even more troops.

Combined with the various circumstances within Wissen Town, they had already met the criteria for setting up of a Troops Association, thus Kerband was confident. He believed that with him personally asking for favors, he would be able to properly settle the Troops Association issue quickly.

Even though the Wolf Troop Team was powerful, the Terras Forest spanned tens of thousands of miles. Finding the underground city sealed by the Holy Dragon with any kind of timeliness was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Even though he could find ways to obtain information from various spy agencies, letting the leader Yang Ling help him was also a good idea.

Furthermore, since Wissen Town was so resource rich, there was also an increasing number of merchant teams coming to and from the town. He would not miss such an opportunity.

A large troop team functioned similarly to the way a merchant does business. When they reached a certain scale, they mainly used their reputation and human connections to sustain themselves. Killing and fighting became less important. With an exceptional reputation and good connections, business would naturally come knocking on their door.

As the leader of a large troop team, Kerband understood the significance of setting up of a Troops Association more than anyone. The new Troops Association would benefit Yang Ling, the ordinary troops, and Kerband himself.

While Kerband traveled back to the Livenza Alliance to pull the necessary strings, Yang Ling properly settled the beginning phases of his plan. Choosing a suitable address, budgeting the required crystal coins and manpower…

In the long term plan for his territory, the empty land on both sides of the Donau River would become the focus of Wissen Town’s development. Then, the area he was residing in would become the older sector and would gradually be eliminated.

Under Goode’s advisement, Yang Ling set the address of the Troops Association to be on the left bank of the Donau River. Even though it was a little further away from Wissen Castle, it had the advantage of a large expanse of land surrounding it, making it convenient for him to build relevant facilities in the future as need arose.

An ordinary person would see the resources in Terras Forest as wood, stones and Magical Beast Essence Crystals. But in Yang Ling’s eyes, the land in Wissen Town was the resource that would earn him the most money in the shortest amount of time. He would require a huge swath of land to build many houses for the merchant teams and people who would migrate there in the future. A large merchant team usually needed a place to stay. Then, auctioning his land would bring him many crystal coins.

After finalizing the general plan, Yang Ling once again freed himself of obligations. The finer details of the plan would be worked out by someone else. But Yang Ling looked at Goode’s white hair and bloodshot eyes, and he knew that it was time to recruit a few more tacticians. As the scale of his territory got larger, there would be more things to tend to, and life would get busier. Goode wouldn’t be able to keep up alone.

It would be best if he could get Harribell to come over and help out!

Yang Ling recalled Harribell, the formidable businesswoman. He remembered her intelligence, wit, and concentration, and then he remembered her flowing white shirt. Shaking his head and smiling bemusedly, he dismissed the thought. Even though he had some territory and had discovered a few mines, all of his valuable things added up probably still wouldn’t equal the net worth of one of her fingers.

Returning to the villa where he slept, he had just taken out the Magical Beast Knowledge Guide and flipped through a few pages when the old butler Murbaqi knocked on the door> “Sir, the Aragon Merchant Team has sent some visitors, do you want to come out and have a chat with them?”

The Aragon Merchant Team?

Even though he had never heard of the Aragon Merchant Team, he knew that the old butler was meticulous in his work and would never bother him needlessly. Yang Ling sighed, tucked the Magical Beast Knowledge Guide under his arm, and swiftly joined Murbaqi outside.

With the old butler’s introduction, Yang Ling soon understood the influence and background of the Aragon Merchant Team.

They were similar to Harribell’s Boulade Merchant Association: both large merchant associations were famous in the Livenza Alliance. They were involved in many industries, from bolts of cloth to rations to wood and minerals. They were one of the few very rich teams on the Tailun Continent. They were slightly superior to the Boulade Merchant’s Association in terms of overall influence.

The Aragon Merchant Team would not bother him for no reason. Yang Ling would not miss this great business opportunity and soon arrived at the meeting hall. A middle aged man dressed in a long black robe was sitting in the hall. Behind him stood several ferocious looking warriors.

With the old butler’s introduction, Yang Ling learned that the other party was the Aragon Merchant Team’s tactician, named Arismede. Even though he did not have any direct authority, he had significant influence over the decisions the merchant team made.

“Mister Arismede, welcome to Wissen Town!” Yang Ling said as he lifted his wine cup in a toast.

“Sir, you personally receiving me is my honor!” After returning the toast, Arismede drained his cup. He then shot his warriors a look, signaling for them to leave.

After a few formalities, the two men fell to business. Yang Ling talked about many things, but did not ask about Arismede’s intentions. Doing business was like a negotiation: those who showed their cards first usually did not enjoy the last laugh.

After chatting for some time, Arismede could not hold it any longer and blurted, “Sir, I have heard that you are going to attend the birthday celebration of the King in Montson. Would it be convenient for you to visit our merchant team at that time?”

“No problem, I’ll happily come visit!”

Yang Ling laughed. His invitation to attend the King’s birthday celebration could not be hidden from those who truly wanted to find out, but he did not expect the Aragon Merchant Team to come and seek him out.

“That’s right, some time ago, the troops we employed found a forest of Anacardia south of Wissen Town. May we have your permission to harvest those trees? We can pay you five hundred thousand Purple Crystal Coins as compensation.”

With that, Arismede revealed his main purpose of his visit. There were so many resources in the Terras Forest, and the Anacardia was merely one of them. He had come to Wissen Town for the rights to harvest the Anacardia. He also hoped to establish a relationship with Yang Ling, building a solid foundation for the entry of his merchant team into Wissen Town.

Yang Ling was silent. For the most part, Goode had spent his energy on scouting mineral mines and hadn’t paid too much attention to other resources, like wood. Even though five hundred thousand Purple Crystal Coins was a large sum, he was not sure of how much the forest was truly worth.

Then Yang Ling had an idea. He met Arismede’s gaze and said, “Mister Arismede, I regret to tell you the Boulade Merchant’s Association came by not long ago and made a similar request!”

Arismede creased his brows. He knew that Harribell had stayed in Wissen Town for a time, but he was surprised that she might act that quickly. It was alright if they lost a forest of Anacardia, but it would be an unbearable loss for Aragon Merchant Team if they lost the handful of stone and crystal mines that they had scouted.