Sauron returned to the princess’s residence at the fastest speed and asked Princess Zhiyan to go to the prison and use mental techniques to force Sof to talk.
Grand Eunuch Gao Yin personally led several thousand imperial guards to surround the Hidden Yuan Association.
All the archives and ledgers of the Royal City Gold House had been burned. Then there must be backups at Fang Qingyi’s Hidden Yuan Association.
And Sauron himself, under the protection of Hei Ningqi and the Shadow Pavilion, headed toward the Royal City Gold House headquarters outside the royal city Zidu!
The Royal City Gold House was the Kingdom of Fury Waves’ largest gold house, equivalent to a national bank. It had eleven branches in the Kingdom of Fury Waves. The one in Zidu was the main branch.
The Zidu main branch was originally within the royal city. Later, due to rapid expansion, both the vault and office space were far from sufficient.
Six years ago, a new Royal City Gold House headquarters was built fifty li from Zidu.
Of course, the old headquarters within the royal city was still in use, but it only handled relatively trivial small transactions. The administrative center, large vault, and archives were all at the new headquarters in the suburbs.
At that time, Princess Zhining was responsible for managing the Royal City Gold House, referring to this old gold house within the city.
And the new headquarters in the suburbs had always been controlled by the Hidden Yuan Association.
The Hidden Yuan Association’s relocation of the gold house headquarters to the suburbs of Zidu was inherently harboring ulterior motives.
After several years of operation, the Hidden Yuan Association had already turned the entire gold house into an independent kingdom.
…
After more than half an hour, Sauron arrived at the Royal City Gold House in the suburbs of Zidu.
This was a large castle complex built against the mountains, covering over three hundred mu, with a drawbridge and a moat.
This was not a gold house headquarters at all, but a military fortress.
“What burned was the castle in the central courtyard. It is still billowing with thick smoke. All the archives and ledgers of the entire gold house were inside.” Imperial Guard Commander Li Ruofei said.
Sauron’s eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint flashing through them.
Just now, Li Ruofei’s urgent report had made Sauron think the entire Royal City Gold House was burning. He had not expected that only one castle in the central courtyard was burning. There was something fishy about this.
The entire Royal City Gold House castle complex was still intact.
Moreover, several thousand gold house private soldiers were guarding every place in the castle. Medium-sized ballistae were everywhere, and even trebuchets were present.
The castle gates were closed, and the drawbridge had already been raised.
The entire Royal City Gold House had become a tightly defended military fortress, armed to the teeth.
“I told you to thoroughly take over the Royal City Gold House. Why did you not lead the troops to attack, but merely surround it from outside?” Sauron demanded. “Moreover, you just let them burn the ledgers inside?”
Li Ruofei said, “I had not expected that the Royal City Gold House would possess such strong military force, and that they would dare to confront us with arms! The matter is of great importance. I did not dare to decide on my own and could only report to the regent duke.”
Sauron glanced toward Commander Hei Ningqi and saw a flash of displeasure in his eyes as well.
Hei Ningqi suppressed all distracting thoughts, stepped forward, and shouted loudly, “The kingdom’s regent duke has arrived. Open the gates immediately!”
At this moment, a middle-aged man appeared on the city wall. He bowed toward Sauron and said, “Fang Zeming, chief manager of the Royal City Gold House, pays respects to Your Grace the Regent Duke.”
Fang Zeming? Another person from Hidden Continent! He came to serve as the chief manager of the Kingdom of Fury Waves’ bank?
Sauron asked, “Do you know this Fang Zeming?”
Hei Ningqi shook his head and said, “I do not know. I recall the manager of the Royal City Gold House was surnamed Li.”
Then, Hei Ningqi said, “Did the manager of the Royal City Gold House change? Where is Manager Li?”
Fang Zeming said, “My Hidden Yuan Association was originally the Royal City Gold House’s largest shareholder. Adding the shares mortgaged through loans to my Hidden Yuan Association over the years, my Hidden Yuan Association’s shares in the Royal City Gold House now exceed half. So the higher-ups sent me to take charge of the Royal City Gold House.”
Hei Ningqi said, “No matter who you are, open the city gates immediately. The imperial guards are taking over the Royal City Gold House.”
Fang Zeming said, “I am sorry. The Royal City Gold House has now become the Hidden Yuan Association’s asset. The Kingdom of Fury Waves’ army has no right to enter.”
Sauron said, “Have you already burned all the ledgers and archives of the Royal City Gold House?”
Fang Zeming said, “Yes, according to the Hidden Yuan Association’s regulations, once an emergency is encountered, all ledgers and archives must be burned immediately. Important data must absolutely not be leaked, and the privacy and security of clients must be protected.”
Sauron said, “Then do you still have backups?”
Fang Zeming said, “Naturally we do. All important data regarding Hidden Yuan Association assets will be backed up in Hidden Continent.”
When he said this, a trace of a cold smile appeared on Fang Zeming’s face. The meaning was as if to say, if you have the ability, go to Hidden Continent.
Do you have the qualifications to go to Hidden Continent? Do you even know where Hidden Continent is?
Sauron very much detested this gaze. It was completely the gaze of a colonizer looking at a native.
Fang Zeming said, “Lord Sauron, you can no longer obtain anything from me here. Go back!”
“Go back?” Sauron said, “What would I do after going back?”
Fang Zeming said, “Go back and release Lord Sof, release Count Fu’e, and then we can talk about anything. Of course, your actions today will definitely come at a price.”
“Price?” Sauron sneered coldly, “What price? You want to negotiate with me?”
Fang Zeming said, “Of course not. The one negotiating with you is my family’s young lord. However, he has already sent word that he has been waiting for you at the Hidden Yuan Association to negotiate. But before the negotiation, please bring three things.”
“What things?” Sauron asked.
“Count Fu’e, Lord Sof, and the head of Hei Ningqi by your side.” Fang Zeming said, “This can also be considered your sincerity for the negotiation.”
Sauron’s gaze turned cold. He waved his hand and said, “Attack the city!”
Li Ruofei stepped forward and said, “Your Grace the Duke, we did not bring siege equipment. We do not even have siege ladders. We cannot even cross this moat in front of us.”
At these words, Imperial Guard Commander Hei Ningqi’s wrist violently trembled, but he forcibly restrained himself.
Sauron beckoned toward the sky. Instantly, a griffin warrior descended from the heavens.
“Order fifteen griffins to carry out uninterrupted air raids on the Royal City Gold House castle. Use original cluster bombs, use giant gunpowder packs!” Sauron ordered.
“Yes!” That griffin warrior shouted, then flapped his wings and ascended, flying back toward the royal city.
Li Ruofei said in a trembling voice from the side, “Your Grace the Duke, the archives and ledgers inside may not have been burned yet. Moreover, there are large amounts of gold certificates inside. If we bombard them indiscriminately, they will also be destroyed. Please think thrice!”
This Li Ruofei had a problem!
Hei Ningqi’s heart was filled with boundless anger and disappointment. This Li Ruofei was his sworn brother, the person he trusted most.
This man was the son of a servant of the Hei family. From a young age, his martial talent was astonishing. After Hei Ningqi’s father discovered his talent, he immediately released him from servitude and sent the best teachers to instruct him in martial arts. After the age of thirteen, he was sent to the Royal City Academy together with Hei Ningqi.
From that time on, Li Ruofei had always followed Hei Ningqi. He was adopted as a son by the Hei family, and the relationship between him and Hei Ningqi was closer than real brothers.
Ten years ago, with the Hei family’s support, Li Ruofei served as vice commander of the Royal City City Guard, a position of considerable power and authority.
But after the king gradually lost power, the city guard was infiltrated terribly by the Zili faction and became thoroughly corrupt. So Hei Ningqi immediately requested the king to transfer Li Ruofei out of the city guard and into the imperial guards, making him his deputy.
The imperial guards were one level higher than the city guard, so Li Ruofei could be considered to have been promoted one level.
In Hei Ningqi’s view, this sworn brother of his was the most trustworthy person in this world, someone who would never betray him under any circumstances.
However, it now appeared that this Li Ruofei was no longer clean.
His gaze once again turned toward Sauron, asking whether to immediately arrest Li Ruofei?
Sauron did not respond. After all, Li Ruofei was the vice commander of the imperial guards. Many of the ten thousand imperial guards here were his direct subordinates.
If Li Ruofei were openly arrested here, it would greatly harm the troops’ morale and fighting spirit.
Under Hei Ningqi’s signal, several hundred Hei family warriors and Shadow Pavilion warriors all surrounded Sauron, protecting him so tightly not even water could leak through.
Moreover, Hei Ningqi immediately took over command of the ten thousand imperial guards present and ordered Li Ruofei to follow him at all times, not giving him any opportunity to escape!
…
Thus, Sauron continued to lead the troops in surrounding the Royal City Gold House. The two armies maintained a standoff several hundred meters apart.
“Go back, go back…” Chief Manager Fang Zeming of the Royal City Gold House waved his hand and said, “Duke Sauron, your leading troops here is futile. It will only increase your troubles and embarrassment. The Royal City Gold House is now the Hidden Yuan Association’s property. Once you violate it with military force, there will be no way to salvage the situation. It will only be an irreconcilable fight to the death.”
Sauron paid no attention.
Fang Zeming continued to smile and said, “Duke Sauron, it is still not too late to turn back! Negotiation is your only way out. Without our support, your Kingdom of Fury Waves cannot be maintained. As long as we lightly ignite the fuse, the entire Kingdom of Fury Waves will explode like a massive volcano. By then, you, the regent king, will naturally be reduced to ashes.”
Sauron still paid no attention.
Fang Zeming continued, “Prince Zili was also once angry, once resisted, but in the end he still compromised. There is a saying in this world that is very well said. Politics is like rape. Since you cannot resist, then silently enjoy it.”
Just at this moment, over a dozen black dots appeared in the sky!
Over a dozen griffins flew to the airspace above the Royal City Gold House and began circling, began aiming!
Fang Zeming’s expression changed drastically in shock, and he said, “Duke Sauron, what do you think you are doing? This is the Hidden Yuan Association’s asset. This is Hidden Continent’s territory.”
The griffins continued to circle.
Fang Zeming shouted fiercely, “Duke Sauron, think carefully. Once you attack Hidden Yuan Association assets, there will no longer be any room for reconciliation. The volcano of the Kingdom of Fury Waves will be completely ignited and erupt. You and I will be completely deadlocked, completely irreconcilable.”
Sauron’s hand waved fiercely.
“Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh…”
Over a dozen giant gunpowder packs and original cluster bombs fell.
And the giant ballistae within the Royal City Gold House madly shot toward the sky.
However, the griffins were now flying at a height of seven to eight hundred meters. How could they possibly be shot?
The key point was that the Royal City Gold House was hastily engaging in battle and had no time to specifically deal with Sauron’s griffins.
And the entire Royal City Gold House castle complex was several hundred meters large. One could hit it even with eyes closed while dropping bombs from above.
In an instant…
Over a dozen giant gunpowder packs and original cluster bombs fell.
“Boom boom boom boom…”
One wave of earth-shaking explosions after another.
The entire Royal City Gold House was completely submerged in flames and thick smoke.
The metal rainstorm produced by the explosion of the original cluster bombs madly slaughtered every person within the gold house castle.
“Boom boom boom…”
Thus, fifteen griffins traveled back and forth between Zidu and the gold house castle, bombing without cease!
Madly reaping the lives of the Hidden Yuan Association warriors inside.
…
Two hours later!
The Royal City Gold House castle was breached. Several thousand imperial guards charged into the Royal City Gold House castle, wantonly killing the remaining Hidden Yuan Association warriors.
After more than half an hour, the remaining armed forces within the Royal City Gold House were killed completely clean.
Several dozen managers, several hundred staff members, including Chief Manager Fang Zeming, were all captured!
Under Hei Ningqi’s protection, Sauron entered the Royal City Gold House headquarters castle, now filled with devastation.
Kneeling at the very front was Chief Manager Fang Zeming. His face was blackened, his eyes filled with boundless terror.
When he saw Sauron’s gaze turn toward him, Chief Manager Fang Zeming said in a trembling voice, “Sauron, what do you want to do? We are people of Hidden Continent. I am the direct subordinate of the master of Hidden Continent. I was once the young lord’s teacher. What do you want to do?”
“Kill!” Sauron waved his hand!
Instantly, the imperial guards pressed the first row of Hidden Yuan Association captives to kneel atop the city wall, extending their heads outside the wall.
Blades rose and fell.
Blood splattered in all directions. Over a dozen heads directly fell into the moat.
“Kill!”
“Kill!”
As the blade light flashed, row after row of Hidden Yuan Association captives were beheaded.
In a short while, all the Hidden Yuan Association staff members at the Royal City Gold House were killed completely clean.
Sauron looked at Chief Manager Fang Zeming and said indifferently, “I do not care that you burned the account books and materials. As long as the money is there, it is fine. Take me to the vault. I want to take over all the gold coin reserves of the Royal City Gold House.”