The frigid wind swept ice chips across the deck of the Winter God, striking it with a fine rustling sound.
Zong Shen's words left Ragnar's burly body standing stiffly. His knotted fingers clenched the axe haft until it creaked, while a dark crimson glow flowed uneasily along the blade.
"I can help you deal with the Trivashin Family."
"And the payment would be insignificant to you..."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"Of every territory I conquer, I want half."
He stopped beating around the bush and stated his terms directly.
Territory and population were both things he needed.
Yet this condition filled Ragnar with fury.
Half of the Trivashin Family's actual territory.
The demand was like a red-hot dagger driven viciously into his heart.
Then it twisted repeatedly through his deepest ambition and his most profound humiliation.
Buried there was his obsession with tearing out the Trivashin cancer, along with the disgraceful image of Queen Sandina's betrayal.
"You..."
His Adam's apple bobbed violently, and Ragnar's voice came out as harsh as a rusted hinge being forced open.
"You demand one-third of my Lodbrok Family's lands?"
Zong Shen shook his head and corrected him.
"You're wrong. Even if the Trivashin Family is completely eliminated, I would only receive one-sixth of Nord."
"You would occupy five-sixths. You would still be the King of Nord."
"Zong Shen, my benefactor, you're digging out the kingdom's heart!"
He suddenly stepped forward, his heavy war boots crushing the thin layer of ice on the deck and sending shards flying.
"That is Nord's sacred, indivisible flesh and blood!
"Without it, even if I ground that venomous woman Sandina's bones to dust, it would be meaningless!
"What would I use to cleanse the filth she brought upon the throne?!"
Fury instantly reddened his eyes.
The image