The group continued to discuss their findings for the day.
“Neither Han Xin nor I saw anything worth our while today, so we’re empty-handed.” Baron admitted.
Ban Chao nodded. “Yue Fei and I didn’t fare much better. We only found one item that can be considered useful.” Ban Chao sighed while looking at Yue Fei.
Meng Yi grinned. “I have something I think you will all be interested to see.” Meng Yi took out a blueprint and showed the others.
“A ship? Aren't you more of an aerial strategist?”
Meng Yi nodded. “That’s true, but I figured that you guys should start investing in naval blueprints sooner rather than later. It’s never too early to begin preparing, especially for a strategist. This particular blueprint is of an ancient Athenian trireme.”
“Yes, I heard it was quite the obstacle for those facing it. Exceptional find, Meng Yi. Great work. Just this blueprint will have made this day worth it. It must have cost a small fortune, though.”
“Mhmm. This one blueprint cost close to 25,000 silver coins. Expensive, yes, but well worth it in my opinion.”
Baron nodded. “I agree. Meng Tian, Xu Da. How much did we make today?”
Xu Da answered. “We made quite a bit. After that little incident with the Vespers, there were quite a few people looking to buy our goods. We made almost double of what we had made yesterday.”
“That's good, although I don’t necessarily agree with how you treated those goons. They may be scum, but we shouldn’t stoop to their level.”
Xu Da chuckled. “Heh, don’t worry too much about it. How do you think I have so many friends? It’s because I’m a breath of fresh air, as they say.”
“Alright, well don't overdo it. Who knows who they’re going to bring next?”
“That will have to be on your shoulders since you will be manning this station tomorrow. Also, I know my limits.”
And so, the third day of the event arrived.
“Are you ready, Meng Yi? It will be just us for the next while.”
“I'll be fine. What does a semi-master have to fear when selling blueprints.”
Baron nodded. “Fair enough. I just hope the Vesper faction doesn’t come to bother us. I’m really curious as to how they’ve lasted so long here in the first place.”
“I have heard a number of baseless rumors over the years, as has my brother. However, I overheard my father one day when he was discussing the Vesper faction. I'm not sure how accurate it is, but what I heard was quite interesting.”
“What is it? You’ve piqued my interest.”
“I overheard that the Vesper faction is a subsidiary faction of one of the four great strategists of the Warring States era.”
“Such a big faction is only a subsidiary? Hm. I guess that would help explain how they’ve survived for so long despite their antagonistic practices. Did you happen to hear which one of the four is responsible?”
“Unfortunately no. We can guess as to whom it might be, but your guess is as good as mine.”
“Why is that?”
Meng Yi thought for a bit before answering. “The most plausible one would be Wang Jian, but who's to say one of the other three wouldn’t plan for something nefarious? Anyway, it's impossible to guess.”
“So that's what you meant, no wonder.”
As non-vendors were allowed into the building, customers quickly flooded their way to their booth, wanting to ask Baron and Meng Yi about what had happened the last few days. Baron spent a few moments to explain what had transpired between them and the Vesper faction. Afterwards, some of the more grateful ones bought a few blueprints to show their support.
Many hours passed by and business was good. That is, until Gou Shi, Ho Yang, and a few individuals with refined appearances approached the booth.
“Where did that potty-mouthed little kid from yesterday go?”
Baron dryly responded. “I assume you must be the infamously terrible dresser that Xu Da told me about.”
“Are you going to start insulting me too? I'll have to warn you before you try anything — there are three elders from the Vesper Faction here.” Gou Shi said with an evil smile.
Baron looked at him with an expression close to pity. “So, you thought just because you brought some of your faction’s elders, we would do whatever you wanted? You’re not very bright, are you? How did you even qualify to be sent to this planet?”
Gou Shi tsked in response. “Quiet, kid. What can the two of you do? Even if you have the support of the Forever Pirates, our elders aren’t scared of them.”
Meng Yi lazily drawled. “That may be true, but perhaps your elders will think twice after seeing this.” Meng Yi whipped out his brother’s M.O.M. badge and presented it to Gou Shi.
Ho Yang’s face blanched. “Impossible! How do you have the support of both of those wretched factions?”
Baron responded. “You must be that Ho Yang girl I’ve heard about. I’m glad you had the decency to put on some civilized wear before returning.”
Ho Yang frowned. “Are you patronizing me?”
“No, of course not. So, what do you say? We’ll call it even? I don’t think even you idiots would be willing to further anger these two factions for such a small incident, would you?”
Gou Shi glared at him. “You may have their protection now, but not forever. Who are you, anyway?”
“I'm Baron Magellan, I came here to planet four a few years ago.”
Gou Shi’s eyes narrowed. “A newcomer dares threaten us? Have you not heard of who we are? You should respect your elders, kid.”
Baron shook his head. “No matter the circumstances, scum should stay where they cannot be seen. Do you know what happens to them when they come into the light? Scum will also eventually be stomped out.”
Ho Yang slammed her fist onto the booths’ table, but Baron and Meng Yi were left unimpressed. “Is that a threat?”
Baron cocked his head to the side. “Perhaps. I’ll just say — no matter how powerful your faction is, you won’t be able to touch me.”
“I think you've spoken enough, young man. You have quite the gall to insult my juniors in my presence.” A voice came from the previously silent group of elders.
Baron didn’t bother to conceal his lack of patience. “What’s your name?”
“Wu San Gui. Have you heard of me?”
Baron thought for a bit before responding. “Ah yes, I remember you. You were a decent military strategist, but you turned traitor. Sure, you became emperor for a short period, but at what cost? You’re deemed a traitor of two dynasties.”
Wu San Gui’s expression darkened. “Watch your tongue, brat. Do not presume to know my history.”
“Right… your history. Before we get to that, I have a question for you. What’s your philosophy regarding war?”
“What? Isn't the purpose of war and battle just to kill as many enemy soldiers as you can?”
Hearing such a childish answer, Baron couldn’t help but feel disappointed. “I see. It seems you are a fool to your very core.”
Wu San Gui took the insult in stride. “Perhaps, but I still outrank you by many folds. What are you going to do about it?”
Baron smirked as he tapped the booth table. “Well, I don’t mind forming an alliance between the Men of Meng and the Forever Pirates — and I’ll be sure the Vesper faction knows it was you who made the alliance of two of their larger enemies possible. I don’t know if you’d still be able to hold onto your elder position in the Vesper faction at that point…”
Angered, Wu San Gui suddenly lunged forward, his fist aiming for Baron’s face.
All of a sudden, a shadow appeared from the crowd of onlookers, and blocked Wu San Gui’s punch. It wouldn’t have made a difference, as it was impossible to sustain injuries on planet four, but the man’s intentions were clear.
Those in the area were surprised to see someone risk their livelihood for such a needless act — but upon seeing the shadow’s form, they no
longer felt so shocked. The fellow who blocked Wu San Gui’s punch was an extremely built man, with layers of muscles. A man's man.
“Mister, this doesn't concern you. Why don't you leave?” Wu San Gui withdrew his hand and looked at the newcomer with disdain.
“Father? What are you doing here?” Meng Yi spoke up.
Chapter 54
Great Auction end of Day Three
Gasps of surprise range through the surrounding area, as many realized who the manly man was. It was surprising, as most faction leaders were spending their time at the event in location one, to find the best blueprints to buy. So why was Meng Wu here in location two, in direct conflict with one of the Vesper’s elders, Wu San Gui?
Wan San Gui looked between Meng Yi and Meng Wu. “Father… father?? Meng Wu? Meng Yi?” Wan San Gui exclaimed with fear clear in his voice.
“What, recognize me now?” Meng Wu asked with a sly smile.
“Hmph. What is there to be afraid of? You’re just the leader of some lesser faction.”
“While that may be true, you should know that I don't particularly agree with you disciplining this boy. You may not harm him, but the aftermath would not be pretty for him — or for you. I suggest you don’t try again.”
Wu San Gui glanced at Baron. “What does this boy have to do with you?”
“That doesn’t concern you.”
“Tch. Bad luck.”
“What will it be, Wu San Gui?” Meng Wu asked. “I doubt you can risk elevating this matter any further. Don’t you agree?”
“I suppose I’ll make an exception. Let's go.” Wu San Gui turned to leave from his embarrassing predicament.”
“But…” Gou Shi wasn’t happy with the prospect of having to leave in disgrace for the third day in a row.
“Shut it. I still need to talk to you after this is all over.” Wu San Gui said with an ice-cold voice. Gou Shi could only nod in response.
As the Vesper faction’s party left, Baron turned to Meng Wu.
“Thank you for your help elder Meng Wu.”
Meng Wu heartily laughed, his muscled body flexing with each inhale and exhale. “I'm only ranked eighty-eighth, so I barely qualify as an elder, so no need to be so polite, boy.”
Baron responded. “Be as it may, your help in de-escalating the matter is much appreciated.”
Meng Wu grinned. “Well, I wanted to see who was so confident to speak of forming an alliance between my Men of Meng and the Forever Pirates. Such an alliance will be the stuff of legends!”
“Is that why you came?” Meng Yi asked.
“That is the reason, my son. Where is your brother, by the way? I heard he was involved in the altercation yesterday.”
Baron responded. “Your eldest son is elsewhere searching for blueprints to purchase.”
“Is that so? Well, I received your message, and I like it. I’ll be really impressed if you actually manage to get the Forever Pirates to agree to an alliance, though. They much prefer to work alone.”
“Not to worry, I believe we will be getting our response soon. Are you busy at the moment, elder?”
“Not terribly, why?”
“I was just wondering if you could help us with our blueprint sales.”
Meng Wu lightly frowned. “Oh? How?”
“It won’t take long. An announcement to the crowd around us would be fine.”
Meng Wu chuckled heartily. “Hoo, you’re quite bold to ask for a favor like that right after we meet. I like it!”
Baron shrugged. “I won’t take advantage of you. You can have a blueprint as compensation. How about this Mark 1 tank?”
“I’m in the market for a tank, actually. It’s hard to find one. My top brass has been looking for one for a century, but no dice. This will make a nice gift to repay their loyalty to me. Good, good. I’ll do it.” He took the blueprint from Baron’s hands, and turned around to face the crowd.
“Alright everyone, listen up! This stall here is hereby under the protection of my faction, the Men of Meng. So have no fear when you shop here. Looking for a tank? Repeating crossbow? Flamethrower? These guys have plenty of good stuff, so please check it out! Also, today only, 15% off everything in the store!”
Meng Wu finished with a chuckle and immediately left while Baron and Meng Yi were still digesting what he had just said. “Treat my boys well, Baron. Let us speak later, Meng Yi.”
Once the giant left, Baron turned to Meng Yi. “Your father is quite… interesting. How is he running a large scale faction?”
Meng Yi shrugged. “He has moments of genius, but yes. He can be quite childish.”
Just as Meng Yi finished speaking, dozens and dozens of customers lined up in front of the booth, and more appeared as news of this third altercation with the Vesper faction spread.
When Guan Yu, who was browsing products in location two heard, he immediately returned to the booth to help process customers. The sales for the day were phenomenal, tripling their earnings from the previous two days combined.
The moment the doors closed that day, the three manning the booth heaved a huge sigh of relief. closed for the day was when the three of them sighed a big sigh of relief. Though their bodies didn’t tire from the work, their minds were drained from the hectic work. As the others returned, they were surprised, to say the least, to see how much money they’d gained in a single day.
Meng Tian whistled at the hefty sum they’d gained. “How did you guys manage to sell so much in one day? Does it have something to do with my father showing up?”
Baron nodded. “He helped advertise for us. He even said we were going to give people a 1% discount without consulting us. I mean, we set the price, so it didn’t matter, but what a character!”
“That sure sounds like something he’d do. Did he say anything about me or my brother?”
“He told me to treat you two well. That's about it.”
“Heh. Seems like he’s still the same as before.”
Baron sighed. “Well, I won’t get involved in your personal matters, but I have to say he seemed to care for you. And he doesn’t seem like a bad person.”
“Forget it. I'm going to do a bit of training before the event starts tomorrow. Come on, Meng Yi.”
The two Meng brothers left.
“Those three sure have an interesting relationship.” Baron sighed, staring off into the distance. Anyway, good job, everyone. I feel that I haven't given you guys enough benefits lately, so everyone can take two thousand silver coins for themselves. I’ll let the two Meng brothers know tomorrow.”
Xu Da raised his eyebrows. “Wow! You sure are being generous. I haven't been given this much in one go, ever. I'm not sure I can accept this.”
Baron patted Xu Da on the shoulder. “I know you don’t follow me just to make money, but you should also know that I wouldn’t feel right not paying you guys anything after all the effort we’ve put into realizing my dream.”
Guan Yu shook his head. “Baron, we are brothers. I have never met anyone as worldly as you, even amongst those in the community who’ve visited the other communities. We have naturally benefitted from your expertise.” He said with conviction.
Yue Fei nodded. “Same with me. I would never have learned so much from anyone else. In fact, I think I’ve benefited more from working with you than you have from me.” Yue Fei said happily.
Ban Chao chuckled. “How can I disagree with the two elders? You’ve been an exceptional man to learn from.” He emphatically nodded.
Han Xin piped up as well. “Yes, Baron. You reignited my passion for battle, my boy. I hadn’t been motivated for battle in the past millennium, until I met you. You have a knack for persuasion.”
Xu Da agreed. “Yeah, what they said. Besides, my friendship with you all has really made me question why I took it solo for so long.”
Baron rolled his eyes. “Oh, you all. Stop being so sentimental and just take the dang money. If all goes well I’ll distribute it tomorrow.”
Yue Fei ra
ised a hand. “Wait, I think they’re adding something new to the event this year. If there’s any money given out, it should be done after that.”
“Oh? Are you talking about the Heavenly Auction?” Asked Guan Yu.
Yue Fei nodded. “Yes, that. From what I heard, the first half of the day tomorrow will be the same as the previous three, but the second half will be different.”
“I've only heard that they plan on inviting everyone to participate in an auction where the Sun Coalition will be selling some of their prized blueprints.”
Han Xin couldn’t believe it. “No way! The number one faction is selling some of their best blueprints? Why would they do that? This is certainly news.”
Baron grinned. “In that case, it’s a good thing we’ve made so much money these past few days. I’ve been itching to find a blueprint that is capable of considerably increasing our strength.”
Chapter 55
M.O.M. Meets the Forever Pirates
There was no doubt in the Chinese community that the Sun Coalition was clearly planning for some huge — otherwise, they’d never auction off their prized blueprints. As for what would cause even the top faction in the community to want for money, nobody knew.
The first half of the fourth day went by in a flash. During this half-day, the two that were manning the stall didn’t make much, only about fifteen thousand silvers. A paltry sum compared to their profits from the last few days.
Seeing the visible lack of customers compared to the previous few days, some merchants just packed up and left. Guan Yu and Han Xin, who were in charge of the stall for the day, were also about to pack up shop when the rest of the team showed up at the booth.
“What are you guys doing here? Aren't you going to shop for blueprints?” Asked Guan Yu.
“Everyone’s packing up, so there’s no real point.” Baron said disappointedly.
“I’ll say. Most of the stalls are closed and there’s still a few hours until closing.” Xu Da said in an annoyed voice.
“I see. I suppose everyone is just trying to save up for the event that is being held later.” Said Han Xin.
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