What Li Qinwu wanted most was actually a stable employment arrangement.
He hoped to work as Grand Master Sigurd's mercenary, selectively taking on certain missions while retaining his independence.
That was very difficult. For someone at Grand Master Sigurd's level, there were only three options: take someone in as a dog, kill them, or have nothing to do with them. There were no other choices.
And with someone of that stature, there was no way to bargain with him. So in the end, Li Qinwu adopted a special approach.
"My lord, after Inquisitor Thraxol died, I too have been quite lost, uncertain where my future lies. Why not point me in a direction?"
A glimmer flashed in Grand Master Sigurd's weary eyes. His mind, battered by paperwork, keenly caught the implications in Li Qinwu's words.
Li Qinwu was turning the tables. He knew that someone at Grand Master Sigurd's level had access to extensive intelligence, and had probably gone through every scrap of information on him.
Just as the old fellow had said, he knew him very well!
Since you know me so well, then read the room properly. What exactly do I want?
Grand Master Sigurd truly was a master at reading the room. He instantly understood what Li Qinwu meant.
According to the intelligence, Li Qinwu was an extremely independent man. He possessed his own warships and his own armed forces.
He operated warship factories and did business everywhere, earning funds to support his troops.
A man like that needed to retain a certain degree of autonomy. If you tried to keep him like a dog, he would just run off and ignore you!
And that was indeed the case. If Grand Master Sigurd had failed to read what Li Qinwu wanted and forcibly tried to take him