At this moment, only Suo Lun and Yan Chuo’er remained in the room.
Yan Chuo’er took out the antidote and lightly applied it to the back of Suo Lun’s neck. The medicinal effect penetrated deep into Suo Lun’s nerve centre, then gradually spread throughout his entire body.
Soon, Suo Lun’s entire body regained sensation.
Originally, the Demon Star could have dispelled the nerve paralysis toxin from Suo Lun’s body in a short time, allowing him to regain movement.
But after Suo Lun issued the command, the Demon Star refused to carry it out.
The Demon Star said that she felt Queen Yan Chuo’er’s proposal was more advantageous to Suo Lun, and Suo Lun was in no danger whatsoever. If she removed the nerve paralysis toxin from Suo Lun’s body at this moment, it would harm Suo Lun’s interests.
Thus, under Queen Yan Chuo’er’s methods and the Demon Star’s inaction, Suo Lun was forcibly made into a fait accompli.
Before the Yan Clan people, he and Yan Chuo’er completed their marriage alliance, and gained the loyalty of the entire Yan Clan.
…
Soon, Suo Lun recovered his ability to move, yet for a moment could not utter a single word.
“Little Ling, I am sorry,” Yan Chuo’er said gently.
Instantly, Suo Lun could only smile helplessly, unable to say anything for a moment.
He could hardly say, how could you do this, I am not a puppet, how could you manipulate me like this?
He was not so domineering, so unable to distinguish good from bad.
He could not speak a single word of blame. He could not be so melodramatic.
Yan Chuo’er had done this entirely for Suo Lun’s benefit, and had also done her best to look after the Yan Clan’s interests. Rather, the one who suffered the greatest harm was herself.
The gaze she directed at Suo Lun was still the same as before, filled with gentleness and tender love.
Confirming that Suo Lun had nothing to say, Queen Yan Chuo’er said softly, “We shall continue to interact as before. If possible, you may bear children with me. If you feel the barrier in your heart is too difficult to cross, you may bear children with Xiao Xue’er, and that child will be raised under my care. In short, we must both have a child to serve as the future Yan Clan leader, alright?”
Suo Lun nodded.
Yan Xue’er, due to injuries received, had her intellect permanently fixed at around ten years old, but her body had long since fully developed. Bearing children should present no problem.
“Good child!” Queen Yan Chuo’er stepped forward and lightly kissed Suo Lun upon the forehead.
As gentle as before, she had never been stingy in expressing the tender love in her heart.
Whether toward Yan Xue’er, Suo Ningbing, or little Qin Qin, she would often use kisses to express the affection in her heart.
“Little Ling, what do you plan to do next?” Yan Chuo’er asked.
Hearing her call him Little Ling, Suo Lun still felt somewhat unaccustomed. He truly had not heard that name in a very long time.
Suo Lun said, “My fleet and Hai Gang’s fleet should be sufficient to transport all the Yan commoners and Yan Pirates from the Thunder Archipelago.”
Yan Chuo’er said, “Where do you plan to transport them? Tiansheng Island, or Hualan Island?”
Tiansheng Island was thirteen hundred li from the waters of Tianshui City. The island had some forest and fresh water, but overall rocks exceeded soil, and conditions were somewhat harsher.
Hualan Island was an island of utterly enchanting scenery, with very abundant vegetation and even more fresh water resources than Tiansheng Island. It even harboured many species of animals.
Relatively speaking, Hualan Island’s conditions were much better.
Suo Lun said, “Aunt, you are the Yan Clan king. You decide.”
“Tiansheng Island,” Yan Chuo’er said. “If the Yan Clan wishes to maintain combat strength, they must live in a more arduous environment.”
Suo Lun said, “Very well, then Tiansheng Island it is!”
Yan Chuo’er said, “After the Yan Pirate legion is reorganised, they will need a military camp. Where do you plan to station them?”
Suo Lun said, “The Savage Wilderness Canyon and Tianlang Pass. This area borders the Southern Barbarian Continent and is uninhabited. I plan to construct a completely new defensive line, fully connecting Tianlang Pass and the Savage Wilderness Canyon. The Yan Clan legion’s main base will be stationed along this defensive line. In future campaigns against the barbarians, the Yan Pirate legion will be the absolute main force.”
“Tonight, sleep here for one night. It can also serve as a gesture to perform our marriage alliance,” Yan Chuo’er said.
Suo Lun had not slept properly for several days and nights, but at this moment his heart was still in such turmoil that he could not fall asleep.
Yan Chuo’er sat beside him, gently massaging his temples and humming a little tune.
Soon, Suo Lun calmed down and fell into a deep sleep.
…
Early the next morning!
Fifteen thousand Yan Pirates and over thirty thousand Yan commoners all evacuated the Thunder Archipelago.
Among them, fifteen thousand Yan Pirates boarded Suo Lun’s supply fleet. And over thirty thousand Yan commoners boarded Hai Gang’s fleet.
Watching these people evacuate, Suo Lun’s heart was truly filled with emotion.
Almost every Yan commoner boarded the ships empty-handed, bringing no possessions whatsoever.
The Yan Clan was a very wealthy race. Because they lived by plundering, they had endless silk and satin to wear, endless fine wine and delicacies to consume. But the Yan Clan had absolutely no habit of accumulating wealth.
Even, every Yan commoner had large quantities of gold coins in their hands. Only last night, all the people had already handed over their gold coins to Queen Yan Chuo’er, filling three entire ships with gold coins.
One ship of gold coins was what Yan Mo had plundered from Suo Lun’s merchant convoy, which naturally had to be returned to Suo Lun. And according to the Yan Clan elders council’s deliberation, because the Yan Clan would from now on pledge loyalty to the Suo Family, and because the Tiansheng Island where the Yan Clan would reside was granted by Suo Lun, the Yan Clan should offer up one ship of gold coins to Suo Lun.
Thus, after this great battle concluded, Suo Lun had gained a total of over four hundred thousand gold coins, sufficient for the reorganisation of over a hundred thousand troops.
However, after the Yan Clan chose to pledge loyalty to Suo Lun, their wealth was once again reduced to nothing.
What belonged to the Yan Clan was merely one ship of gold coins, and this ship of gold coins had already been handed over to Queen Yan Chuo’er, to be redistributed by her to the Yan Pirates and Yan commoners.
From this, one could see how faint the Yan Clan’s concept of money was. They truly regarded money as dirt.
Not because they were detached from worldly concerns, but because they lived by plundering and had never lacked for anything. Moreover, Yan commoners never set foot in human kingdoms and could not conduct any trade. Even with money, they could not buy things.
Whatever they lacked, they went to plunder. Whatever they needed, they went to plunder.
The Yan Clan had originally plundered to survive, and later plundered for the sake of plundering itself, but they had never plundered for the sake of money.
Perhaps, this was the root of their strength.
They existed for combat, not combat for existence.
…
Suo Lun and the Hai Gang fleet coalition marched south in grand array from the Thunder Archipelago.
At this moment, this maritime force was already the strongest force in the Eastern Sea of the entire continent. Any merchant convoy, any pirate force that encountered them, without exception retreated three houses’ distance and sounded horns of submission.
Once such horns were sounded, it meant the entire fleet was open to you. You could board their ships and take anything you desired.
The morning sun rose, and the Pirate Harbour several dozen li ahead was already faintly visible.
Suddenly, a distant and stirring reception horn sounded from the sea surface, at least a hundred horns sounding simultaneously.
Then, a reception fleet composed of over a hundred ships appeared ahead.
Every ship was draped in red silk, with beautiful women dancing upon them. Every ship had a band playing music.
The leading ship was a tower ship, magnificent and splendid, roughly three thousand tons.
Standing upon the deck were over a dozen people, old and young, male and female, of every skin colour.
Among this group were maritime magnates, pirate chiefs, guild chiefs, and even the city lord of Pirate Harbour.
Of course, these over a dozen people shared one common identity, members of the Maritime Guild.
The so-called Maritime Guild was better described as the Pirate Guild, managing the trade order of the entire Eastern Sea of the continent.
Any sea merchant wishing to conduct maritime trade had to pay taxes to the Maritime Guild.
Any merchant wishing to open a shop and do business in Pirate Harbour had to pay taxes to the Maritime Guild.
Of course, this was better described as protection money rather than taxes. If you dared not pay, in minutes your ships would be destroyed and people killed, your family ruined.
The Maritime Guild’s annual income could truly be described as mountains of gold and seas of silver. Previously, Suo Lun alone had paid over twenty thousand gold coins in monthly taxes to the Maritime Guild.
The entire Eastern Sea region, with nearly two hundred thousand pirates, had eighty percent supported by the Maritime Guild.
Previously, the leader of the Maritime Guild had always been one person, Hai Gang. He had held this position for a full fifteen years.
Later, after several successive failures in the wars to destroy Suo Lun, plus Yan Mo’s rise, Hai Gang had stepped down a year and a half ago, and Yan Mo became the new leader of the Maritime Guild.
So Yan Mo had dared to tear up the maritime convention, collecting twenty thousand gold coins in monthly protection money from Suo Lun while also hijacking his ships and blockading his maritime trade.
Now Yan Mo had suffered a crushing defeat and died a violent death. Tens of thousands of Yan Pirates had all gone to Suo Lun.
So Suo Lun had taken his place, becoming the sole hegemon of the Eastern Sea region, and naturally also becoming the greatest leader of the Maritime Guild.
And the entire Maritime Guild was trembling with anxiety, fearing that Suo Lun would directly dissolve the guild, then annihilate all the pirates completely clean, or directly swallow all the Maritime Guild’s interests.
Because Suo Lun completely possessed this strength.
Originally, when he had only twenty-five thousand naval troops, he had been able to annihilate Yan Mo’s entire army.
Now, he had recruited fifty thousand Yan Pirates and gained Hai Gang’s support. It could be said that he alone could thrash all the pirate forces in the entire Eastern Sea region.
So, while still a hundred li from Pirate Harbour, the Maritime Guild had organised an unprecedented reception fleet, using the most respectful etiquette to welcome Suo Lun’s arrival.
They cared not that Zhi Li and Suo Lun were currently contending for the world, nor that Zhi Li’s eight hundred thousand troops were preparing to besiege Suo Lun.
In their eyes, everything on land had nothing to do with them. They only knew that Suo Lun could now decide their fates.
So they would use every means to fawn upon Suo Lun.
…
“All members of the Maritime Guild pay respects to His Majesty Suo Lun!”
While still several hundred metres from Suo Lun’s flagship, those over a dozen Maritime Guild bigwigs had already all knelt down, pressing their foreheads tightly against the deck, not daring to rise!
These people truly had no shame.
Suo Lun and Zhi Li had not yet determined victory or defeat. Suo Lun was not yet regent, yet they were already calling him Your Majesty.
Were they not worried about what Zhi Yan might think?
However, Princess Zhi Yan truly stood by without a care in the world, finding everything before her eyes quite interesting.
Suo Lun walked out of the cabin and came to the bow of the ship.
To his left stood Queen Yan Chuo’er.
At this moment, the Yan Queen showed no avoidance of suspicion, affectionately linking her arm through Suo Lun’s and docilely leaning against him.
She was using this method to show the maritime forces that the Yan Clan had completely pledged loyalty to Suo Lun, and even she as Yan Clan queen had become Suo Lun’s woman.
And as Yan Mo’s widow, Hai Gang’s daughter, Hai Die’er wore no mourning garments. Instead, she was dressed in magnificent splendour, standing to Suo Lun’s right, her beautiful eyes gazing at Suo Lun with tender affection.
And as Governor of Yingzhou Province and head of the Hai Family, Hai Gang actually stood behind Suo Lun, slightly bowed, incomparably respectful.
Seeing this scene, the hearts of the Maritime Guild chiefs sank once more.
Suo Lun’s fleet was already invincible under heaven. Now the Yan Queen was personally attending Suo Lun, and Hai Gang’s daughter had become Suo Lun’s concubine.
This represented that both the Yan Clan and the Hai Family had pledged loyalty to Suo Lun.
Then, from this day forth in the entire Eastern Sea of the continent, Suo Lun completely covered the sky with one hand!
Let alone dissolving the Maritime Guild, even the life or death of everyone present could be decided with a single word.
Thus, several Maritime Guild bigwigs were inwardly extremely uneasy, because they had once been very close to Yan Mo, and when Yan Mo decided to blockade Suo Lun’s maritime trade, they had cast votes in favour.
“This lowly one deserves to die, this lowly one deserves to die!”
“Because of Yan Mo’s coercion, this lowly one actually offended the heavenly majesty of His Majesty Suo Lun. Ten thousand deaths would not be enough…”
Immediately, several Maritime Guild chiefs kowtowed desperately, soon drawing blood from their foreheads.
Suo Lun had indeed considered reorganising the Maritime Guild, or even completely dissolving it!
But currently, all his focus was still on the mainland. The sea was merely a place where he made his fortune, and also his great rear base.
So stability and order were most important. If you dissolved the Maritime Guild, the remaining hundred thousand plus pirates with no food to eat would stir up the entire Eastern Sea region into chaos. Although Suo Lun’s fleet was invincible under heaven, across the vast tens of thousands of li of sea, pirates emerged endlessly. To truly annihilate them completely, Suo Lun’s fleet would truly be run ragged.
Suo Lun gazed at the Maritime Guild chiefs present for a long while, then opened his mouth and said, “The Maritime Guild will continue to be preserved. All those present will remain Maritime Guild members.”
Upon hearing these words, the over a dozen Maritime Guild bigwigs were overjoyed beyond measure, kowtowing desperately.
“Many thanks to His Majesty Suo Lun!”
“Kneeling in gratitude for His Majesty Suo Lun’s heavenly grace!”
They had thought they would not die without shedding a layer of skin this time, never expecting that not only would they not die, but their positions could be retained.
Little did they know that Suo Lun was also filled with emotion. Pirates were truly straightforward! After Suo Lun defeated Yan Mo, he naturally became the Maritime Guild’s leader, without even a symbolic election. Absolute victory made the king!
Suo Lun continued, “As a marquis of the Furious Wave Kingdom, it is inconvenient for me to hold a concurrent position in the Maritime Guild. So, I propose that Lord Hai Gang serve as the leader of the Maritime Guild.”
Upon hearing these words, Hai Gang was overjoyed, then bowed respectfully and said, “Many thanks to Lord Suo Lun!”
He still wanted some face, not daring to call him His Majesty Suo Lun at this moment.
“Of course, Lord Hai Gang will not hold this position of guild leader for long,” Suo Lun said. “I believe before long, Lord Hai Gang will become a duke of the Furious Wave Kingdom, with a hereditary title that never lapses.”
At this moment, Hai Gang finally knelt down on both knees and said, “I bow in gratitude to Her Highness the Princess, I bow in gratitude to Lord Suo Lun.”
Suo Lun pointed to Hai Die’er behind him and said, “This is my concubine Lady Hai Die. From this day forth, she will remain at Pirate Harbour, acting on my behalf to fulfil all duties and powers in the Maritime Guild.”
Although this was already an agreed matter, Hai Die’er still trembled with excitement all over.
Boundless happiness surged toward her from all directions.
Vast power, vast wealth, from this day forth all would belong to her, Hai Die’er, alone.
This happiness nearly made her faint, even exceeding by tenfold, by a hundredfold the happiness Yan Mo had brought her.
After all, by Yan Mo’s side, all her power had come from reflected glory.
But with Suo Lun, she actually enjoyed this power exclusively. From this day forth, she would be the queen of Pirate Harbour, calling the wind and summoning the rain across the entire Eastern Sea region.
The only person she needed to please was Suo Lun. Even her father Hai Gang could be disregarded.
She swore that to preserve this power, to preserve this happiness, she would use every means.
Even if it meant serving Suo Lun as an ox or horse, as a pig or dog, in any position, with any humiliation, she was willing to endure.
…
Wangcheng Zhidu!
Over these past twenty-some days, Zhi Li had been extraordinarily pleased with himself, enjoying a taste of power unprecedented in his life.
Although he had not yet formally ascended to the throne, he already stood at the peak of power!
All feudal lords, all nobles, all generals, all civil officials were prostrate at his feet.
The two Supremes of the Divine Dragon Temple had also publicly expressed their support.
He had already become the de facto king of the Furious Wave Kingdom!
Now the three main forces, the Southwest Legion, the Northern Legion, and the Dragon Guard Legion, totalling five hundred thousand troops, had already assembled nearby.
The fifteen thousand troops from ten provinces were also not far from Wangcheng Zhidu.
The one hundred thirty thousand troops from nineteen feudal lords were also successively marching toward Wangcheng.
The eight hundred thousand troops besieging Suo Lun was within sight!
Moreover, the naval battle between Suo Lun and Yan Mo had already been ongoing for some time.
This was a battle without suspense. Yan Mo’s fleet was invincible under heaven, nearly ten times Suo Lun’s size!
So Zhi Li was here waiting for news of Suo Lun’s defeat.
Once Suo Lun suffered a naval defeat, his maritime trade would be cut off, his land trade completely blockaded. The entire economy of Tianshui City and the Southeast Province would completely collapse.
Suo Lun’s reorganised army of over a hundred thousand troops would collapse without battle, completely disintegrating.
Actually, the so-called eight hundred thousand troops besieging Suo Lun was truly a grand spectacle rather than a real war.
Once the naval battle was lost, it already meant Suo Lun’s destruction.
And just at this moment, the eunuch Li Zhu flew in and said, “Your Highness, a secret letter by flying kite from the Eastern Sea.”
Zhi Li was overjoyed and said, “So fast? It has only been a few days of fighting, and Suo Lun has already been thoroughly defeated? He truly is too useless.”
Opening the secret letter and looking!
At first glance, Zhi Li seemed unable to believe his eyes. He rubbed them forcefully, then looked again.
The secret letter’s content was very simple, only a few words: “Yan Mo crushingly defeated!”
Instantly, Zhi Li felt his vision go black, his mind swim with dizziness, his entire body turn ice cold!