Allen looked him up and down and said, "Are you serious?"
Melanie didn't comment.
"Alright, then my answer is this." Allen shook his hand and took out Gojoseon from the spatial bracelet. The saber was pressed flat on Melanie's shoulder, and the blade was only a millimeter away from his neck. As long as Allen was willing, he didn't even need to make any movements. He only needed to spit out saber Qi to cut Melanie's fragile neck.
"Spatial equipment?" Melanie's pupils constricted, and her tone finally changed.
Allen nodded, "The spoils of war from Bali. Alright, Mr. Melanie, I'll ask you again. Are you willing to manage Mokedan for me? "
"If I refuse, you'll kill me?"
'"Yes, after all, I don't have that much time to waste on this issue with you, and I don't trust someone who knows everything about Mokedan to stay in this prison. I'm not Gulant, so I don't have that kind of leisure and patience. "
"Then let's change the question. What are the benefits if I agree?"
Ellen laughed and spat out two words from his mouth, "Freedom."
"Freedom?"
"Yes, as long as you serve me for three years. In addition to managing Mokedan well in these three years, you have to nurture talents in internal affairs for me. If you do these two things, you'll be free in three years. Whether you go or stay, it's up to you. " Allen said "Oh" and said, "Of course, if I die in battle, you'll be free immediately."
"That's not enough." Melanie shook her head and raised a finger. "During my service, I ask for the corresponding salary given to me by the empire as an archon of a heavy city. At the same time, I want to take back the property that used to belong to me. Everything! "
"Of course." Allen withdrew Gojoseon. "Then what does Mr. Melanie mean?"
"Of course I agree. Lord Allen doesn't seem to have given me a third option, and death is definitely not my option. Otherwise, do you think I've been in prison for three years just to wait for death?"
Only then did Allen throw Gojoseon back into the dimensional bracelet. He then called the warden to bring a set of clean clothes for Melanie. The man in the new clothes followed Allen out of the prison. Seeing the sun again, he squinted his eyes and murmured, "The air outside is still the best."
"That is for sure." Allen then said to the warden beside him, "Gather your men and report to the military in the afternoon."
The warden was stunned. He looked at the prison behind him and said, "Sir, what about this place?"
Allen patted Melanie's shoulder and said with a smile, "They're already out. What's the point of building a prison? Don't waste my money."
The Warden quickly agreed.
The way Melanie looked at Allen changed. "This prison won't cost much, right?"
"Not much, but right now, I'm very poor," Allen said with a smile.
Then the two of them got into the car. After returning to the City Lord's Mansion, Allen introduced Melanie to Glace and said, "I'll be away for a few days. I hope that when I come back, you can plan the development of this city."
"I want to know what your expected goal is for this city, Your Excellency."
"A solid base in the later stages, enough to support me until I reach Demonic Ring City."
Melanie was stunned for a full two seconds before she squeezed out a few words. "Your Excellency, you're really open-minded."
Allen laughed and walked toward the gate.
Melanie stopped him again. "Your Excellency, you're making an enemy of the Demonic Shadow Empire. Normally, His Majesty might not care about the border rebellion, but if he comes in person, what will you do? "
"If Sbernak comes, I'll fight him. We'll know the result after the fight, won't we? "Allen said." Are there any other questions? "
"None."
After Allen left, Melanie gazed at the closed door and mumbled, "Is he confident or stupid?"
"You'll know the answer as long as you stay by his side," Glace said with a smile.
Melanie nodded. Next, she asked Glace about the current situation in Mokedan. He had stayed in prison for three years and needed to know a lot of things.
In the afternoon, a fleet took to the skies at Mokedan Port, and a hundred or so warships tore through the air. Allen was on one of the warships, and at this moment, an officer was showing him a map of the Empire's southern front. With Moke Dan as the starting point, there were three cities within two hundred kilometers of the road heading north. Two of them were ordinary in scale, but the other, Underflow City, couldn't be taken lightly.
Underflow City was presided over by an Imperial general. This city wasn't as large as Mokedan, but it was larger than the other two. Underflow City was the largest concentration of workshops on the southern border. The Darknight Mountain Range behind it produced a number of precious ores, one of which was called Night Iron, an important material for starship armor. Most of the workshops in Underflow City processed the Night Iron into iron embryos and sold them elsewhere.
Allen tapped Underflow City heavily. This was his main objective for this trip, and the other two cities were also in his pocket. After this operation, the hundred or so square kilometers of the Empire's southern border would be under his control. Only at that time would Allen's territory have some depth to speak of.
Two hundred kilometers was covered in the blink of an eye at the airship's speed. Allen had already jumped down from the airship when the alarm rang out above Underflow City. Below him was an energy barrier that was rising with all its might. Unfortunately, it was far inferior to the gemstone wall. Allen didn't even need to use the Anthem of Annihilation. He merely whipped out Gojoseon and, with a sweeping slash, destroyed the barrier that had just closed up.
A powerful aura rose up from within the city as the barrier was shattered. It was just that this aura looked strong on the outside but weak on the inside.
Over the course of two days, Allen swept through three cities, including Underflow City. The general of Underflow City immediately surrendered after receiving a blow from Allen. It was clear that he was only putting on a show to give the Empire an explanation. Allen was both angry and amused, but he didn't kill him. On the contrary, he allowed this general Zhuo De to continue managing Underflow City. Such a relaxed attitude surprised and puzzled the general. After several fruitless probing attempts, he no longer dared to harbor any disloyalty and obediently followed orders.
Allen hadn't even taken an hour to take control of Underflow City. If Zhuo De was disloyal, the time would be even shorter next time. He wouldn't have the chance to surrender the next time around. Zhuo De was also clear about this, so he chose to obey orders. Unless the Empire killed Allen, that would be a different story.
After spending over a day to stabilize his control, Allen left the fleet and soldiers behind and returned to Mokedan.
It took him four days to go back and forth.
Four days was enough for Melanie to come up with an initial plan.
"Since the Sire hopes that Mokedan can become a logistical base to support your war efforts, this also means that this city needs to be equipped with the ability to recruit and train soldiers, control large amounts of ores, and have workshops capable of processing them. We might even need a factory capable of developing and producing weapons and equipment. As for airships and combat vehicles, I'm more inclined to purchase them from outside. After all, building a production line for this aspect will require a huge investment, and it'll take several years of effort to form an assembly line. "
Melanie briefly explained his plan in the study. Generally speaking, Melanie planned to tackle the root of the problem. He would pull in the big shots of Mokedan's various trading companies and invest in the construction of a series of processing workshops. At the very least, he would be able to produce his own weapons and equipment. This would help Allen save a large sum of money. At the same time, he would open up some trade routes and sell the abyss crystals of the Legacy Realm to Dobia in exchange for their airships and combat vehicles.
Apart from that, there were other plans. These plans seemed unrelated, but after careful consideration, the strength of the entire Mokedan would increase severalfold when the goals of these plans were realized. If one were to divide governance into ranks, then Melanie's ability to govern should be among the top. The height of his vision was just like how ordinary people couldn't see the scenery in Allen's eyes. Only the heavens knew where Gulant had recruited such a talent, yet he had left him in prison for three years. What a waste. But then again, if Gulant hadn't left Melanie empty for three years, who knew what would become of Mokedan? Allen would probably have to spend more effort to kill his way in.
Thinking of this, Allen had to thank Gulant for his suspicions.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and the butler came in with a flustered expression. "My lord, there's a message from the military headquarters just now."
"What message?"
"It's from Demonic Ring City. They say that an envoy will come to see you tomorrow for the ransom of the captives. However, that envoy isn't an ordinary person. "
Allen replied with an "oh" and asked, "Who is it?"
"I heard it's Lord Lamer."
Melanie's body tensed up when she heard the name. "Hidden Demon Lamer?"
The butler nodded.
Melanie immediately looked at Allen. "My lord, you have to be careful. Lamer is also an Imperial Great General, but his combat strength can't enter the top three. However, he is no less dangerous than other generals in other aspects, especially in assassination. Lamer is simply the ancestor of all assassins in the entire empire. You have to be on guard against him coming to Mokedan personally. "
"I've also heard of his vicious reputation. Speaking of which, I was the one who knocked out the Berserk Shadow Army's stronghold in the wasteland. Don't worry, I won't let my guard down. " Allen thought that it was time to call Belmore and Trisley by his side. Although they couldn't compare to Imperial Great Generals, they were also proficient in concealment and assassination. With them by his side, if Lamer wanted to do something, he would be able to detect some clues.
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