Chapter 1348 I Originally Wanted to Refuse, But He Offered Too Much (2)
Lin Kelei pondered and said, "How about this? On account that we come from the same source, I'll give you another chance, Brother Zhou.
"I don't need you to give up territory to our Gou Mang Heavenly Kingdom. You just need to loan out a piece of land to us so that our people can enjoy the scenery of the ancestral land. How about that?
"I'm not asking you to cede land, and you can still get some benefits. Why not?"
Lin Kelei was secretly excited about his idea.
Zhou Shu looked at Lin Kelei curiously, sizing him up.
For a moment, he even suspected that Lin Kelei was a transmigrator like him.
He almost asked about the classic secret code.
But after observing for a moment, Zhou Shu was finally certain that Lin Kelei was not a transmigrator. The idea he proposed was just coincidentally similar to the concession in Zhou Shu's previous life.
Zhou Shu rolled his eyes. "Brother Lin, do you think I'm a fool?"
Renting territory to the Gou Mang Heavenly Kingdom was equivalent to the Gou Mang Heavenly Kingdom having a concession in the ancestral land.
They would probably never return it.
Moreover, when the time came, it wouldn't be easy to identify whose territory this concession belonged to.
In Zhou Shu's previous life, he had seen how those imperial concessions worked.
Zhou Shu looked at Lin Kelei and said gravely, "Brother Lin, I sincerely want to cooperate with the Gou Mang Heavenly Kingdom. But if the Gou Mang Heavenly Kingdom is like the Xuan Ming Heavenly Kingdom and has designs on the ancestral land, then I'm sorry, we will treat you as our enemies.
"Brother Lin, you have no ill intentions, so I won't hold it against you.
"I'll give you an hour to leave the ancestral land. From now on, no one from the Gou Mang Heavenly Kingdom is allowed to enter the ancestral land. Otherwise, it will be considered a provocation, and you will be killed without mercy!"
Boundless killing intent rose from Zhou Shu's body.
The killing intent was almost tangible. Even Lin Kelei felt it assault his face, making him feel very uncomfortable.
"Brother Zhou, are you serious?" Lin Kelei's expression darkened. In the Gou Mang Heavenly Kingdom, he was only below one person and above countless others. When had he ever spoken to anyone humbly?
He felt that he had given Zhou Shu enough face, but Zhou Shu's attitude made him very unhappy. "Aren't you afraid that our Gou Mang Heavenly Kingdom will help the Xuan Ming Heavenly Kingdom destroy you?"
"Haha! Zhou Shu laughed. "Brother Lin, you might not understand the human race. We humans have never been afraid of battle. If we die, we die. If there are enemies, we will just fight them with our lives! Anyone who wants to destroy us will definitely not have an easy time.
"Brother Lin, it's not me who is insincere, but your Gou Mang Heavenly Kingdom. You're provoking our bottom line by making such an outrageous request right from the start!"
"Is my request outrageous?" Lin Kelei shook his head. "Brother Zhou, tell me. Apart from the territory of your ancestral land, which still has some value, what other benefits can you humans bring to our Gou Mang Heavenly Kingdom?
"Although I can speak on behalf of the Gou Mang Heavenly Kingdom, I, Lin Kelei, can't fight the Xuan Ming Heavenly Kingdom alone. This will require countless soldiers of our Gou Mang Heavenly Kingdom to risk their lives. If I can't give them an explanation, how can I return to the Gou Mang Heavenly Kingdom?"
Lin Kelei said in a deep voice, "Brother Zhou, since both of us are sincere, let's each take a step back.
"I don't want territory, but you humans have to give me something so that I can give an explanation to the soldiers of Gou Mang Heavenly Kingdom!"
Lin Kelei's face was full of sincerity.
Lin Kelei's acting skills could earn him the Best Actor award.
It was impossible to tell what he was really thinking from his face.
Zhou Shu also knew that although Lin Kelei looked young, he was actually an old monster who had lived for countless years.
If such a person wasn't shrewd, he would have long been eaten up.
"Brother Lin, if you say so, I'll believe your sincerity," Zhou Shu said. "I have an idea. Please give me your opinion."
"Tell me."
"Brother Lin, you said that there's no way to explain it to the soldiers of Gou Mang Heavenly Kingdom. How about this? I'll hire your Gou Mang Heavenly Kingdom soldiers to fight. I'll be in charge of all the consumption needed for their battle, and thirty percent of the spoils of war will belong to them.
"In addition, I'll pay them for the job. The payment will definitely satisfy them. How about that?"
If you, Lin Kelei, can propose the idea of a concession, why can't I, Zhou Shu, propose the idea of mercenaries?
"Hire?" Lin Kelei's jaw dropped. Isn't your idea too much of a fantasy?
What do you think our Gou Mang Heavenly Kingdom's army is?
Are you a profit-seeking businessman?
Would the mighty army of the Gou Mang Heavenly Kingdom sell themselves for mere hiring fees?
"This…" Just as he was about to refuse, he heard Zhou Shu continue.
"I can pay a deposit first. Every soldier who's willing to be hired by me will get a connate divine weapon!"
Zhou Shu explained, "I don't know if your Gou Mang Heavenly Kingdom has connate divine weapons. The connate divine weapons I'm talking about are similar to the dharma treasures of the Xuan Ming Heavenly Kingdom…"
Lin Kelei was a little confused.
He originally wanted to refuse, but Zhou Shu offered too much!