Establishing His Own Power Base?

The sun was setting, and it was approaching evening.

Today, the storm has subsided in Danfeng Lucerne, but the undercurrents remain strong. Conspirators are living in constant fear, and all rumors, gossip, and malicious remarks have instantly died down. Bustling pubs and cafes have posted signs saying "Please do not discuss political issues," and some have even chosen to close down.

The powerful and wealthy frantically colluded and discussed the matter. Some gritted their teeth, while others prepared gifts. The powerful feared Kang De's declaration and his retribution, while the pawns were placed as scapegoats. The impatient ones had already taken action to silence them. The silent city was filled with unbelievable cries and pleas for mercy.

Blood was already flowing.

Soon, the powerful and wealthy heard the latest news.

A metallurgical war machine roared away from Danfeng Lucerne, carrying a messenger, a driver, two green-skinned soldiers, and a heavy machine gun mounted on a Ma Deuce, heading east.

Those in the know understand where this war machine is headed.

Valentan.

Because Kang De declared in his address in the audience hall that Valentan was his.

Given the prestige of the Dragon of Cathay in Valentan, securing the unwavering allegiance of the entire city would be no problem. Goth's rulers had only two options: either pull up a fig leaf and, in an official capacity, grant Valentan and several surrounding areas to Lord Kang De.

Otherwise... let the whole world know that Goth's territory has been openly deprived and occupied.

"Feeling that in this incident, our side could only passively endure the rumors, hostility, and pressure, and that there were no powerful spokespeople or allies in the Goth political arena to speak for us, no strong military force to deter hostile enemies, no all-pervasive intelligence agencies to wage a covert war against the enemy, and no channels of public opinion to gain the right to speak and control the narrative... Therefore, I have decided to formally establish my own power."

"In our local dialect, it's called establishing a government office and setting up a military headquarters."

"We need to establish an independent force separate from the Taidariel Family, our own army, our own territory, our own interest groups, our own channels of communication, and our own political representatives."

Beyond the Distant Harbor, on the open sea, the silver hull of the Knight Astolfo reflected the orange-red glow of the setting sun. Kang De sat atop a 76mm naval gun, speaking casually.

Lily pulled her long dress tighter and sat on the other side, her long hair swaying gently in the sea breeze.

The Dragon Girl turned her head to the side, her face revealing a different kind of charm in the setting sun.

She asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

Kang De smiled. "Of course, I'm trying to get you on board."

"Join us?" Lily scoffed. "You fought with your father-in-law, seized his territory, his mines, his subjects, humiliated him, and dragged your fiancée into a family feud, trying to teach those who opposed you a lesson—what do your family's affairs have to do with me? Why should I..."

The Fire Thief drawled, "Shares—"

Lily jumped up with a bang. "Oh right! Five percent! My five percent!"

Kang De nodded and said, "There are shares, but definitely not five percent..."

Before he could finish speaking, his collar was grabbed, and Miss Dragon said fiercely, "What did you say? You clearly promised! You stupid ant, you dare to withhold money from the dragon..."

Kang De whistled and snapped his fingers.

A voice message automatically played from the loudspeaker nearby. "Five percent—If Goth manages to acquire this secret exclusively, I can offer you five percent of the shares in the subsequent development of this area as a token of my gratitude for your contribution."

It was Kang De's voice, exactly the proportions that should have been divided up in the underground world.

"Listen," Kang De said, his innocent eyes wide, "Goth can no longer keep this secret to himself; the preconditions are no longer met, so of course it can't be done in this proportion..."

"I don't care!" Lily shouted, "It's not my fault!"

"What are you talking about?" Kang De retorted. "Weren't all those Green Dragon echelons your lapdogs?"

"What Green Dragon Mission? Besides Cuixisi, who else is a green dragon?"

The little dragon roared, "And that's not the point! Five percent! Divided into twenty parts, just give me one! You won't even give me one? Waaah, we lived and died together underground, fighting so fiercely, and you heartless bastard, you turn around and deny everything! Waaah, you even entered my body and took some things, I only want a little compensation, and you're even trying to withhold this..."

Kang De retorted angrily, "What nonsense are you talking about! I only used my mental power to remove the mutated and corrupted injuries from you, and I haven't even asked you for medical expenses yet! Don't slander me for no reason!"

Lily retorted, "I don't care! If my people find out that the price I agreed on was ripped off using business tactics, what will become of my reputation?!"

The Earthling's eyes widened. "Damn, the dragons are probably envious of you! The underground world has existed independently for countless years, undisturbed by external forces. Not to mention its unique ecological environment and vast development potential, the Paradox Element have long influenced it layer by layer, resulting in countless rare metals and magic crystal resources. Just developing this bottomless underground world, do you know how profitable it would be, how large the industry would be?"

Dragon Girl instinctively replied, "Nonsense! Otherwise, why would I argue?"

Then, under Kang De's gaze, she nonchalantly looked away.

However, she had her methods, and so did Kang De.

The Earthling thought for a moment and said, "Giving you five percent isn't out of the question..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lily's face was close to his. The proud dragon lady wore a fawning smile, her rough movements turning into a gentle massage as she kneaded Kang De's shoulders, smiling as she said, "Tell me, what are your conditions—by the way, if you want to marry me, you'll have to have fifty percent of your money."

"You motherfucker, you even put a price tag on this?"

"You make it sound like you'd be willing to give it up."

Despite Kang De's indignant gaze, Lily remained defiant, arguing that different races naturally had different values. She declared arrogantly, "Fifty percent! Given your human efficiency, if we dragons were to take a nap, in twenty years, based on your described prospects and your abilities, the profits from that underworld might just equal half of the Dragon Defense."

"You offer me fifty percent of your shares to marry me, do you know what will happen? All the dragons in the world will envy me, even if you're a human. If you're willing to join the dragon race, the Dragon Emperor will make an exception and hold a ceremony for you, and personally hand you your tax bill with both hands."

"And the dragon clan's scribes will record this wedding in history, writing it as the greatest love of this era—perhaps even the purest love in the history of the dragons!"

Lily's face flushed crimson, and she was spitting as she spoke.

Kang De, resting his chin on his hand, said, "You seem quite expectant."

The Dragon Girl's eyes flickered, then she snorted, "What else? Which dragon wouldn't do that? If you just put these conditions on Dragon Island, countless male dragons would rush to Elder Li'ensada'ao, the most skilled in shapeshifting, and kneel before him, begging him to permanently solidify their female shapeshifting abilities—the kind of begging until their heads bleed!"

Kang De simply stared at the dragon girl.

Lily felt uneasy under his gaze. "... What are you looking at?"

"I was just thinking..." Kang De chuckled, "... could we try to negotiate the price?"

"..."

The dragon's roar swept across the calm sea, "Dream on!"

"... In short."

Kang De held up one finger. "I can promise you one percent now, and it won't be diluted further. If you want more, no problem, but you'll have to fight for it yourself."

"Damn it." Dragon Girl cursed. "So it's equity incentives. That old bastard Dragon Emperor loves doing this. Tell me, what do you want me to do? Undermine Dragon Island Defense, or find out about their...?"

"..."

What does the Dragon Emperor usually do?

Kang De, his mood complex, interrupted Lily: "Listen to me, it's one to five percent of the equity growth. You'll need to make corresponding contributions. I will grant you a corresponding increase in equity based on your contributions and rewards. The more you do, the more you'll be rewarded, so..."

Lily scoffed, "Come on then, draw up an almost impossible goal, then tell me that's the condition for getting the full 5%, and then set some more difficult but relatively easy goals in between, making me work like a donkey seeing a carrot and pushing a millstone—are you the Dragon Emperor's illegitimate son?"

Kang De snapped, "Just tell me if you want it or not!"

Lily immediately stood up straight, placed her right hand flat on her chest, and gave an elven salute. "What are your orders, sir!"

The reason why capitalists' methods are disliked and hated is, of course, because they have been repeatedly successful.

"At this stage, I need your help with two things: first, short-term tasks; second, long-term tasks."

"The short-term mission is the current situation of the Dragon Clan. The entire Dragon Clan delegation has been wiped out, and the Dragon Clan legion has been almost completely destroyed. This is actually the most unstable factor at present, and it should be the greatest loss for the Dragon Clan in recent years. We do not yet know how the Dragon Clan will respond, so..."

Kang De said, "You need to help me find out the situation, contact the Dragon Emperor, sound out his opinion, find out the Dragon Clan's stance, and do your best to facilitate a peaceful resolution to this matter. After it's done, I'll increase your share by 0.2%. This is your urgent task right now."

Lily nodded and said, "The Dragon Emperor is a businessman. All those who died were conservatives. Besides, we have the video recording. Cuixisi betrayed her own kind. If this gets out, it will cause division and turmoil within the conservative faction. The Dragon Emperor definitely wants this incriminating evidence. This is one of the important bargaining chips in the negotiation... This is not difficult."

At this point, Dragon Girl glanced at Kang De and said, "Giving me 0.2% of the shares for this easy, short-term task to motivate me is a good incentive. Now, tell me, what's the difficult one?"

"A long-term task, it sounds simple."

Kang De replied, "I will begin the development plan for the underground world as soon as possible, and will provide you with funds and logistical support from now on. I require you to use the funds I provide to infiltrate the Dragon Island Defense. Initially, I will not seek any reward, but my goal is to enhance your influence and status in the Dragon Island Defense and even the entire Dragon Clan. You can use the funds I provide to buy off sycophants and cultivate your power."

"As your status in Dragon Island Defense and even the dragon race gradually rises, the forces you control will provide us with more dragon military power, deterrence, and material support. This is normal business activity; we will pay you, and you can also receive generous commissions and brokerage fees."

"The more help and support you can provide to us, the higher your status on Dragon Island will be, and the more shares I will continue to increase your shareholding. The more shares you have, the more dividends you will receive. You can use these generous dividends to continue to win over Dragon Hearts, enhance your influence within the Dragon Clan, and acquire even more shares..."

As Lily heard this, her eyes gradually widened.

Finally, she angrily retorted, "Does it mean I have to become the Dragon Emperor to get five percent?"

Kang De, with a nonchalant shake of his head and an extremely irritating look, said, "What else?"

The Dragon Girl retorted angrily, "If I were the Dragon Emperor, would I even care about what you have...?"

Kang De countered, "Don't you think so?"

"... OK."

Because Lily had seen that mighty, flowing, almost endless River of Origin.

The evil pact was thus made.

There's no need for contracts, agreements, or oaths; a verbal agreement is all it takes. The process is as frivolous as a joke, but whether it's truly serious is only known to the two parties involved.

They sat together, watching the sunset.

Have you appeased your wife?

"Um."

"Is the plan ready?"

"Um."

Lily glanced at him. "This is no easy task, extremely difficult."

Kang De nodded and said, "Yes, we're short of people, we're short of talent, and we're short of manpower. The operation is too big, and we don't have enough people. There are many things I want to do, and my plans involve a huge scope..."

In his previous discussions with Hong San and Tina, he stated that at least three points needed to be controlled within Goth's territory.

Valentan is one such example. Kang De had a broad base of support and recognition there, and there was little resistance to experimenting with certain ideas or promoting certain concepts, because the people there had actually seen Forbidden Spell.

In Kang De's vision, he would first build Valentan, rapidly develop this land with many advanced concepts and technologies of the earth, and transform the liberated and upgraded productive forces into huge advantages that would Fallout in all directions, gradually dismantling the ruling foundation of the Goth aristocratic class and smashing them to pieces.

To liberate productive forces, it's simple: grow more food with fewer people, and use the surplus labor force for industry. Industry needs materials, so extract them from the rich mineral resources of the underground world.

Therefore, the underground world needs to be developed.

The problem now is that the entrance to the underground world is a full two thousand meters below the surface. When Kang De went down, the road was winding and convoluted, making it extremely difficult to transport people or export minerals. Even on Earth, digging a mine two thousand meters deep is a huge undertaking.

Moreover, there are too many secrets hidden underground, and while gradually opening it up, we must also pay attention to secrecy.

However, Kang De already had a plan for this. The Paradox Engine has many ingenious uses, and combined with his spatial abilities, it should be able to create all sorts of amazing things... The delivery of the Knight Afu is an example.

However, even if the transportation problem is solved, the labor force problem remains.

The underground world is so vast and rich in resources that it is impossible for the small population of Valentan to develop it quickly, and even with Goth's current national strength, it is not possible to develop it rapidly.

Seeking investment from around the world and expanding the market is a reasonable option.

But it is essential to ensure that all of this remains firmly in Kang De's control.

Therefore, an airtight control zone needs to be established from underground to the surface.

This is the second point that needs to be controlled.

As for the third one, it was Tina who brought it up herself.

When the princess decided to take a clear stand on Kang De's side, she showed no mercy in selling her father's business. Tina immediately pointed out that Kang De wanted to take this opportunity to control the Distant Harbor.

Distant Harbor was the largest port on the west coast of Goth, once a trade hub in the western seas and the most prosperous port city in the past. However, due to the decline of national power and the machinations of competitors, its trade status has been greatly reduced and replaced by the Broken Sea. But Kang De first cast a Forbidden Spell on the Broken Sea and then launched a super warship that was enough to crush the navies of various countries. It was time to have a chat with the Broken Sea.

Because the various resources of the underground world need to be in circulation.

The entrance is very close to the Distant Harbor.

Maritime trade is the most efficient mode of transportation.

But all of this... requires people.

"Hong San has personally returned to Valentan. He intends to mobilize and issue ultimatums in my name, and select some capable personnel. In addition, he also plans to recruit Cathayan have been stranded in Goth or even other countries. There are also some useful talents in the mercenary group that A Xing previously assembled."

Kang De gestured behind him. "Horus is continuing its engineering work in the semi-automation and fully automation fields in an effort to reduce manpower requirements, but our initial estimates suggest the shortage is still significant. However, every beginning is difficult, so we can only proceed one step at a time..."

Listening to Kang De's rambling, Lily stood silently for a moment, facing the sea breeze. "Perhaps... I can be of help?"

Kang De asked in confusion, "What?"

Lily hesitated for a moment, then gave a self-deprecating smile, "Although I am considered a disgrace by the dragons, that's only within my own race. My bloodline is still respected by some races and nations, thanks to the kindness and help my mother gave me in the past, such as the dwarves... Kang De. Dwarves are natural metallurgical experts; the many mineral veins in the underground world are rare treasures to them..."

Kang De's expression shifted, but looking at the Dragon Girl, he asked, "... Is it alright?"

He could see the sadness and sorrow on her face, which must have stemmed from longing. She was still brooding over her mother's death, and dealing with her mother's old friends would likely reopen old wounds.

"It's alright." Lily forced a smile, her eyes gradually reddening, glistening with tears. She tucked her long hair behind her ear and said sadly, "You can give me shares."

"...0.1 percent."

"This is all? Couldn't you have rounded it up?"

"If you can name a few hundred dwarf experts and tens of thousands of dwarf miners to work for me for free for fifty years, with their own food, I'll round it up for you."

"You're dreaming! This favor is just a way to start a conversation, make a connection, act as a guarantor, and make business easier. Do you really think dwarves are loyal and righteous? My mother has been dead for so many years, and my father isn't..."

Lily stopped talking after that.

Kang De simply pretended not to hear.

He scoffed, "What the hell are you talking about? I still have to pay the dwarves' wages, don't I? Sigh, I'm having cash flow problems, so I have to settle the debts with liquor. Do you even know how expensive liquor is?"

A few liters of Red Star Erguotou would cost several tens of yuan.

After a while of laughter and commotion, Horus's voice rang out. "Father, someone from the Distant Harbor has arrived."

Turning my head, I saw three monks flying slowly across the blue sea.

"Your wife's sister is looking for you."

Lily grinned mischievously, "Go ahead, tell her that you recently offended her father badly, and now you want to take control of Distant Harbor. What do you think she'll do?"

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PS1: West Goth Company!