Chapter 1302 - 1302: Unrejectable Requests

Soon, news of the Dark Crescent Secret Force's withdrawal was sent to the Men Clan. However, it was not only the Men Clan that received this news. Other clans that had sent spies to keep an eye on their battle also reported it. In particular, the Guan Clan and Sang Clan. They closely followed this battle because it affected their plan to wipe out the Men Clan.

Therefore, in order not to let their plans deviate, the two clans immediately started to deal with the Men Clan. Upon receiving the news, the Guan Clan sent a representative to the Men Clan to demand compensation for the wrongs the Men Clan had done to the Guan Clan. They requested that the Men Clan hand over seven-tenths of the Men Clan's trade territories to the Guan Clan.

The Sang Clan also sent a representative to negotiate. What they demanded as compensation were several mines that could produce Eternal Ore and special ores, as well as several first-tier cities under the Men Clan's control.

Of course, the demands of the two clans were extremely high. If the Men Clan agreed, it would reduce the Men Clan's power and strength by a significant amount, since the mines and trade territories were their main source of income. Without this income, the Men Clan would not be able to find the resources to feed their clan as much as before.

Moreover, accepting these requests was like announcing to the world that the Men Clan was no longer the major clan of the capital.

At Men Clan's main hall…

Bang!

"Those Guan Clan and Sang Clan scumbags! How dare they take advantage of us when we are in trouble? They are so shameless!"

"That's right! Their requests are no different from announcing to the world that our clan is over. Who would agree to this!"

Exactly!

"Since we've come this far, let's fight to the death. At least, it'll preserve our dignity and let those who thought of opposing us know what the consequences would be if they turned their swords against us!"

That's right!

The atmosphere in the hall was fierce and tense. After the negotiators of the Guan Clan and Sang Clan arrived and stated their demands to the Men Clan, they quickly left without waiting for a reply. They just left the hot topic of compensation for the Men Clan to think about, and it was very upsetting.

"What about the alliances? Has there been any progress?"

Although the others were raging and boiling like lava, the Men Clan Leader still had a calm expression. It was not that he was not angry, but because he was so angry that he could not do anything, he did not show any expression. However, if anyone in that hall ignited and exposed his anger, the hall would truly be on fire. In order not to make things worse, he turned to ask Third Elder Men-Hui about their alliances instead.

"Clan Leader, I have sent someone to negotiate with many clans that owed us favors, and they have replied that they'll give us their full support. However, this battle is so enormous, so they hope that we'll give them something in return as well."

Third Elder Men-Hui looked slightly uncomfortable as he answered. He knew that this answer was not very satisfactory, but it was better than getting no answer at all.

"Do they want benefits in return? What do they want?" The Men Clan Leader remained calm as he asked.

"They said since we've to go to battle anyway, why not completely eliminate the enemy and divide all the seized assets between them and us? Of course, our Men Clan would receive the majority of the benefits. They only want a small portion and ask us to accept their clans as part of our clan. What does Clan Leader think about this?"

When Men-Hui saw that the clan leader did not get any angrier, he immediately detailed the conditions that the clans and the various powerful groups that would come to help them wanted.

Sigh!

"If we lose this time, our Men Clan will surely be gone forever. So, no matter what we've to lose, we must end this battle as soon as possible!"

When there was no other way out, the Men Clan Leader decided to follow the conditions that the various powers had proposed. However, even though those people said that they only wanted a small amount, the remaining benefits that the Men Clan would receive would be very little. If he thought about the short-term benefits, this investment would be meaningless, but the Men Clan Leader thought about the long-term benefits, so he agreed to accept those requests.

"And what about the answers you want to give to Guan Clan and Sang Clan?"

"Delay it for a while. Tell them that we need another day to think about it, or more if you can negotiate. Wait until the agreement with our allies is completed, then we'll…"

Thump! Thump! Thump!

"Clan Leader, both the Guan Clan and Sang Clan negotiators came back again to say that they want the answers by tomorrow morning. If our clan does not give them the answers, they'll immediately start a war with us, sir!"

Hah?!

He did not expect that the Guan Clan and Sang Clan would anticipate his thoughts and had already prepared a plan to deal with him in advance. As soon as the Men Clan made a move to cooperate with other powers and thought of stalling for time in giving them an answer, the two clans sent representatives to clearly inform them of the deadline. This was practically cutting off the Men Clan's chance to buy any time at all.

Damn it!

"This must be their plan. They had planned it all along and tricked us into complacency, then slapped us in the face with such an ultimatum. Third Elder, you quickly contact the leaders of those powers, tell them that we're willing to accept their conditions, and ask them to send troops to join us tonight. Tomorrow morning, we'll attack the Guan Clan and Sang Clan before they realize it!"

After suppressing and enduring for a long while, the Men Clan Leader finally could not contain his anger. He quickly ordered Men-Hui to contact all the alliances and have them send their troops that night. So that the next day, he would lead the attack on the Guan Clan and Sang Clan without giving them a chance to react.

Umm!

"I'll take care of it right away, Clan Leader!"

Although Men-Hui's face looked serious, there was a mocking smile hidden inside him. The more the Clan Leader lost his mind, the higher his chance of seizing his position. Of course, he had already prepared a plan to solve the problem after he seized power as Clan Leader.

Meanwhile, the Guan Clan and Sang Clan had spread their forces to surround all the areas that belonged to the Men Clan. Of course, they had already announced to the public that there would be a battle. If anyone's houses and properties were damaged, both clans would definitely compensate them, but they would have to evacuate the area where the battle took place. Anyone who was still in the area and suffered damage would not receive any compensation.

This announcement caused the entire city to fall into chaos beyond the imperial court's control. However, it did not mean that the court would not do anything. The court and the Bei Clan, who had the most power in governing the empire, had announced that the court would monitor and control the violence of the major clans' battles. If any actions were excessive and affected others, the war would have to stop, and those who caused the trouble would be held solely responsible.

Despite the imperial court having made an announcement, the turmoil within the city showed no signs of stopping. After all, this war was caused by the powerful major clans. As a result, some small clans and powerless citizens living near the war zones came out to protest and demand an end to this conflict. However, they were merely ordinary citizens who could not change anything.

At an entertainment venue in the capital…

"What the hell is this!? My business is going well, why are the major clans fighting each other?!"

"Calm down, Big Brother! There's nothing we can do about this. The only way is to wait for them to end their feud among themselves before we can start our business again."

Smack!

Ouch!

"Why did you hit my head, Big Brother?!"

"I already know that. There's no need for you to tell me. But what if they fight for months? Don't we starve to death first?"

Hmm!

"But the goods we sold last time also made us a lot of profit, didn't they, Big Brother? It should..."

"How can that be enough? That small profit won't last long. Hurry up! You guys quickly go out to check and find a new way to make money!"

All right, Big Brother!

Flop!

Who's that!?

"Calm down, Comrades. I'm not here to harm you. I'm here because I saw that you and your comrades are looking for new ways to work. If you're interested, we can talk."

While those ruffians were discussing a way out of their business that was affected by the war, a young man had suddenly walked into the entertainment venue before he offered them a job.

Hah!

As the ruffian gang chief looked closely, he found that the young man was actually Sang-Long, Sang Clan Young Master.

"Isn't this Young Master Sang? Erm... You come to us, what job would you like us to do?"

When he realized who the newcomer was, his earlier panic and suspicion subsided. His feelings then changed to joy because he could smell the scent of money that came along with Sang-Long.

"This job isn't difficult. It can be said that it's a job that you guys are familiar with and do often."

Hah?!

Do you mean the slave trade?!

The ruffian gang chief was not stupid, so he immediately understood what Sang-Long meant. However, he was still not sure what Sang-Long wanted them to do. After all, just buying slaves, a high-ranking young master like Sang-Long did not need to lower himself to talk to them.

"Yes. So, I won't beat around the bush. In fact, someone asked me to collect as many slaves from the Human Race as I could. And it's not just your group; there are many other groups that I have agreed to do business with. Of course, the rewards for this job are not small. The more slaves you can get, the bigger the rewards you will get," Sang-Long explained to the ruffian gang chief about his business proposal.

Umm!

"Then, Young Master Sang, do you have any conditions about the slaves, such as age, gender, or strength? If you have any conditions, please tell us."

"Does that mean you have accepted the job?"

"Yes, sir, Young Master Sang. If we don't accept such an easy job, we are complete fools."

Good!

"The only condition for the slaves that my comrade wants is that they must not be evil or depraved. I'm sure you know what counts as evil and depraved. As for gender, age, and strength, there are no restrictions; just gather as many as you can."

Umm!

"Then it's easy. Young Master Sang, you can look forward to seeing our work."

Good!