Chapter 69 - A deal with the king

With the direction of Lord Zhen, Li Gang entered the throne room.The throne looked grand and imposing. Its base was made up of Rank 6 Woods, polished with great craftsmanship. Its arms had engravings of various divine beasts, and the top had a dragon coiling over it, looking at every other being with incredible majesty.On this throne, King Wei Han was sitting.Wei Han is a Rank 5 mid-stage Warrior. In fact, if he hadn't become king, he might have tapped more of his potential and reached Rank 5 peak!He is still one of the strongest Warriors of the Northern Continent!He glanced at Li Gang and asked with a smile, "How surprising! For someone who has challenged the royalty, why did you suddenly come here?"Li Gang slightly bowed, enough to show his respect while at the same time demonstrating that his status was no lower.He smiled. "I have been really busy with my alchemy. I have been working on a certain formula, and thus, I was unable to respond to your majesty's invitation."He took out a small box from his space ring and said slowly, "Consider this little gift as an apology for disobeying his majesty's orders!"Wei Han narrowed his eyes and waved his hands. A young man came and took the box and verified the content.He came back to Wei Han and said, "Your majesty, it is a Vitality Pill. From the rich spiritual essence, it should be a Rank 5 Vitality Pill!"Wei Han nodded. He glanced at Li Gang and smiled. "You are quite generous, Master Ren. I believe you must have a great purpose to propose since you are ready to take out such a precious item!"In the Northern Continent, Rank 5 pills are very rare. Generally, alchemy pills of Rank 5 and higher are imported from other continents in order to fulfill the needs of higher-ranked Warriors. Being a king, Wei Han doesn't lack resources. Thus, he was still calm when facing such a gift.Li Gang smiled at the king and said calmly, "The Giant Hand catastrophe caused a huge turmoil in the five continents. It had especially higher effects in the Northern Continent. Even though this continent covers vast lands and thousands of kingdoms, it has limited natural resources and spiritual essence. This catastrophe reduced these resources even further and also affected the Spiritual Essence distribution to a certain extent."He continued, "The demand for cultivation resources, healing pills, and alchemical products has increased. This has also caused financial issues in all the kingdoms. Importing vast amounts of cultivation resources and alchemy pills is not a permanent solution, and your majesty should have already realized it!"Wei Han said lightly with a slight hint of sarcasm, "This is why I have invited you multiple times. It's a pity that Master Ren has never had time to show his presence!"Li Gang ignored his mocking tone and continued, "I believe my alchemy will be helpful for the kingdom!"Wei Han narrowed his eyes and asked, "What do you want from the Wei Dynasty in return?"Li Gang smiled. "The Wei Dynasty has always been known as a neutral party in the four great factions of the Northern Continent. I want to use the Wei Dynasty to spread my alchemy pills to the neighboring Wu and Shu Dynasties. If possible, I would like to spread them to the Golden Crow Kingdom as well."Wei Han murmured inwardly, 'As expected, he wants to expand his business to other countries.'Even if the Wei Dynasty is a neutral party in the four great factions, it is impossible not to be wary of those neighboring kingdoms. However, it doesn't mean Wei Han can't see the bigger picture.Wei Han nodded. "It can be done."Li Gang glanced at Wei Han deeply. He didn't believe someone who could rule a whole dynasty would be stupid, and as expected, Wei Han continued, "However, you must pay 60% of the profit as a tax."Li Gang murmured inwardly, 'He is indeed shrewd. 60% was my bottom line.'Li Gang tried to negotiate. "50% is the maximum I can pay."Wei Han looked at Li Gang deeply. "60% is my limit. There is no room for negotiation."Li Gang glanced at Wei Han and proposed another condition. "How about this? I can train 10 alchemists for the Wei Dynasty, and I promise to impart to them the complete knowledge a Rank 5 alchemist possesses. I will make sure they must reach at least Rank 3 Alchemist."Wei Han was surprised at Li Gang's proposal. He narrowed his eyes and said calmly, "If you can do that, I am ready to reduce the tax to 20%."Once again, Li Gang was surprised at Wei Han's decision. 'Those who reign a dynasty can never be underestimated.'Li Gang smiled and said calmly, "I am willing to pay 50% tax; however, I want 70% of the profit those ten disciples will make in the future."The whole Northern Continent has less than 40 Rank 3 Alchemists! Most of them belong to the Golden Crow Kingdom. Thus, one can imagine how great of a profit the Wei Dynasty can have if they get 10 more alchemists!Wei Han was surprised at Li Gang's decision. However, he immediately denied it. "Impossible. 70% is too much. Even if you are willing to pay 50% tax, I can't give a future prospect to your disposal like this."Li Gang glanced at the king and asked, "How much are you willing to give up?"Wei Han said lightly, "At most 20%."Even though he said that, the whole negotiation was already under Li Gang's control. Even though Wei Han knew the value of future prospects, he couldn't overcome the current predicament with them.Long-term goals can't overcome short-term problems.Li Gang said lightly, "60%, and I can't bend anymore."Wei Han insisted, "20% is my bottom line."Li Gang converged his smile and said calmly, "It appears that his majesty doesn't want to have a deal. In that case, forget it."It never occurred to Wei Han that he could capture Li Gang. In fact, from his perspective, it was quite obvious.To become a Rank 5 Alchemist, one should also have a strong soul to back up their mental power and concentration. Thus, in most cases, an alchemist's rank is lower than their cultivation rank! He believes Li Gang is at least a Rank 5 Warrior.Seeing Li Gang was returning, Wei Han gritted his teeth and sighed internally. 'I need him more than he needs me, and I can't deny it.'He said calmly, "Alright. I can agree to your proposal; however, you must teach at least 20 Warriors and also become chief alchemist of the Wei Dynasty."Li Gang glanced at Wei Han and smiled faintly. "It's my honor to serve the kingdom. It's just..."He suddenly paused.Wei Han narrowed his eyes. He asked, "What is it?"Li Gang said slowly, "We lack raw materials. I hope your majesty can help with it."Wei Han nodded. "Naturally."In fact, this is something that the kingdom must do. Even though many resource points were destroyed, they still possess large reserves. During this period, these reserves should be utilized appropriately.Li Gang said slowly, "There are various resources that don't exist in the Northern Continent."Wei Han narrowed his eyes. "You can speak frankly. What do you want?"Li Gang smiled. "I want the premium token of the Global Commerce and Trade Chamber. With this, I can purchase the materials easily."Wei Han said coldly, "Do you think we are pushovers? Even though we need your alchemy pills, it doesn't mean you can do anything!"The premium token of the Global Commerce and Trade Chamber is very expensive. Only Rank 7 Warriors and higher generally possess them. It has the ability to purchase materials from anywhere in the whole five continents. You can also do instant transactions with anyone having this token! Generally, every Rank 7 Warrior possesses this token. Its value itself is around a high Rank 7 material!Li Gang calmly said, "Your majesty, I can personally make Alchemy pills for the Dynasty for the next five years, without charging a single gold. Up to Rank 5 pills, you can ask me to refine any pill every month!"Wei Han said coldly, "20 years!"Li Gang smiled. "Okay, 20 years it is."Wei Han's face instantly changed color. He realized it was the scheme of Li Gang, and he somehow fell for it. It is true; what Li Gang wanted was that premium token, no matter the price.As for refining pills for the kingdom? If he becomes stronger than the dynasty, would he care about a trivial deal?Chief Alchemist is a great position. It not only raises the status of Li Gang but also grants him more connections.This is how Li Gang got close to Wei Han and got affiliated with the Wei Dynasty.In the next three years, Li Gang had more deals with Wu Ming. He supplied them with some resources, and in return, he got information about the other dynasties. He also started developing his own loyal subordinates and inserting them throughout the continent.As for how he did it?To supply the alchemy resources and expand the business, Li Gang had to open the market everywhere. Those who sell products should also have some knowledge about the products, including how they are stored, how they are handled, and when they will expire, and so on.Thus, Li Gang taught many Warriors and inserted them through the 'business' everywhere.His business has started growing more and more under the name "Renhuo Trading." Li Gang carefully selected the name "Renhuo"—"Ren" means kindness, and "Huo" means fire, which symbolizes power. This name attracted both the people who value peace and those who seek power. Moreover, "Ren" was also the name by which people knew him across the continent.