The Qin-Chu War

"Flawless City, Lord of the Nine Dragons... Nine-Dragon City!"

Cao Zhizi straightened, a strange light in his eyes. Even his breathing quickened as he spoke like a man in a dream.

Jian Shang's heart jolted, but he did not leap to conclusions as Cao Zhizi had. Instead, he asked calmly, "Roughly how much would it cost?"

Dreams were beautiful, but reality was crueler.

Poverty had taught Jian Shang caution. He dared not make sweeping promises, and he firmly believed that great rewards demanded a great price.

"Priceless!"

Cao Zhizi glared at Jian Shang and snapped the answer as though Jian Shang had insulted Nine-Dragon City by measuring the supreme city in worldly terms.

Vulgar! Utterly vulgar!

Jian Shang frowned deeply and fell silent. He could not help wondering whether Cao Zhizi's ready, if veiled, offer of loyalty had been for the sake of Nine-Dragon City all along.

"Ahem! Ahem! Your Majesty, Cao Zhizi and I have discussed this. Completing the initial phase would require about one million Diamond Coins!"

Murong Yi, the Righteous Mohists' grand elder, quietly signaled to Cao Zhizi with his eyes. After clearing his throat several times, he turned to Jian Shang.

Realization dawned on Cao Zhizi, and cold sweat broke out down his back...

"One million..."

Jian Shang's eyes narrowed. "Diamond Coins?! And that's only the initial phase?"

One million Diamond Coins. Jian Shang doubted that, although Huan Kingdom was worth far more than that, selling the entire kingdom would bring in one million Diamond Coins in cash.

Still, the upheaval at the kingdom's founding had wiped out nearly two million Otherworlders, more than half of them Advanced Otherworlders and Apex Otherworlders. Raising the sum might not be impossible.

Jian Shang did not doubt Nine-Dragon City's power. What troubled him was whether spending one million Diamond