Master Changsheng

Chapter 101, page 099: I...I have no way to repay you. [Please subscribe and vote with monthly tickets]

"I knew this kid was going to make a move!"

Hanks watched as Ankai put away the [Brute Force Staff] after seeing his sincerity, and he suddenly felt a sense of relief.

Fortunately, he had always kept this up his sleeve.

This was to prevent Ankai from suddenly returning to the outer city of Chaos City.

This is similar to hiding money from your wife and then labeling it "Saving money for my wife to buy xx".

If it goes unnoticed, this "xx" will never be bought; even if it is, there will be no scolding, but rather praise...

Ankai took the ledger and tossed it to Wayne, who was standing behind him in a daze: "Check the numbers."

Wayne took the ledger, nodded blankly, still looking uninterested...

"Wow! Boss! This is your son?"

Nurnexus, who followed behind, exclaimed in exaggerated surprise upon seeing Hanks…

This greatly displeased Hanks. After glancing at the large black rat, he muttered to himself, "What method should I use to get Ankai to kill this big black rat?"

"He is not the teacher's son. In every respect, the two are not related by blood." Wayne, who was flipping through the ledgers, looked up and corrected Nurnexus's mistake regarding the relationship between Ankai and Hanks.

"How is that possible?! He looks so much like the boss!" Nurnexus chuckled, feigning surprise, and smacked his lips as he looked Hanks up and down.

While smashing things, he muttered, "He calls the boss 'Dad,' but what does he call me? Shouldn't he call me 'Master Dragon'?"

It's confirmed, Hanks confirmed that this damned big rat was indeed treating him.

If Ankai hadn't been there, Hanks would have already slashed him with his sword!

Hanks planned to find a way to get Ankai to kill the annoying big black rat after Ankai finished inspecting the harvest.

Wayne glanced at Nurnexus, shook his head slightly, and then said no more.

In his mind, Nurnexus had already been labeled a "stupid monster".

Wayne's life motto is to never argue with "stupid" people or monsters, as doing so would only waste his time and bring him nothing else.

Wayne understood that even if he pointed out that his teacher's current appearance wasn't his true appearance, that stupid big black rat would still argue his point...

Before long, Ankai confirmed that there were a total of 11235 gold coins in the nine boxes.

The inspection was complete, and with Wayne confirming that the records were correct, Ankai stood up, a warm smile on his face: "Hanks, it's been so many years! I've missed you terribly!"

"Young master, I miss you too!"

Like Ankai, Hanks was also very emotional, as if he truly missed Ankai.

But in Hanks' mind, he knew perfectly well: "Miss me? I think you miss my Philosopher's Stone!"

"Speaking of which, has this kid used up all his magic stones again? So many magic stones, and it's only been two years?"

"This rate of improvement in strength is truly terrifying!"

After so many years of getting to know each other, Hanks has long understood Ankai.

An Kai is the kind of person who disappears when he has resources and reappears when he doesn't.

Now that they've reappeared, even Hanks could guess with his eyes closed that it's for resources.

but…

Ankai has now returned to the outer city of Chaos City, and Hanks doesn't want him to leave so soon. He plans to use Ankai to deal with the noble forces that have come from the Seven Desert Kingdoms...

"Hanks, you know what I want. Take these gold coins."

Hanks thought to himself, "Just as I expected!"

Just as he was about to speak, using the excuse of not having enough magic stones to delay Ankai's stay, he heard Ankai suddenly say:

"By the way, you should move out. This time, I'm not leaving. I'll stay here from now on."

"what?"

"What? Aren't you moving?"

Ankai took out the [Brute Force Staff] again and weighed it in his hand.

"No...no, you're not leaving this time?"

"I'm not leaving."

"What if...the enemy attacks?"

"Enemy? Pshaw!"

Ankai did not offer any further explanation.

Could he possibly attract a fifth-tier orc, the city lord of Chaos City, or Donglin from the Town of the Dead?

Aside from them, what enemy attack does Ankai have to fear?

Malken is a fifth-tier [Assassin] guarding this place, and he himself is no less capable. Among fourth-tier professionals, he could easily suppress anyone at the second or third level.

In the present desert, although the turmoil in the seven surrounding countries has led to a surge of professionals entering the desert, raising the average level.

However, a fourth-tier expert is still a true powerhouse!

Fifth-tier experts are legendary powerhouses!

Moreover, An Kai believed that he had not directly provoked those fifth-tier experts.

After all, he was just a first-tier, first-level mage...

Even if you provoke them, would you send out a fifth-tier professional to face a first-tier mage enemy?

Therefore, An Kai will not leave once he arrives at the outer city of Chaos City, unless those fifth-tier professionals arrive.

His plan was quite simple.

That is to restore the former prosperity of the outer city of Chaos City, open up trade routes, and establish new rules for the city.

He, on the other hand, remained behind the scenes, collecting "protection fees" or, more accurately, taxes...

During his seclusion in the Mage Tower, Ankai kept thinking about how to acquire resources.

Relying on robbery and other methods is not a long-term solution, and with his current improvement in magic, the resources he needs have increased tenfold.

It's possible that this number will double again in the future.

Therefore, Ankai needs a stable force to provide him with resources and support his relentless growth.

After much deliberation, the outer city of Chaos City is now the best target.

Located in the desert, it was not disturbed by war.

Furthermore, the foundation of the outer city of Chaos City is already in place.

The facilities and personnel are all in place; all that's needed is to take over, establish rules, and restore commerce so that the business can resume operation.

Ankai's plans included not only selling the goods held by the residents of the outer city of Chaos City, but also trading with these merchants.

More importantly, they hoped to find new ways to exchange gold coins and magic stones in the seven desert kingdoms, which were in turmoil within their own borders, along the merchant route.

And the exchange rate must be appropriate.

As time goes by, Hanks' appearance has visibly aged.

Once he dies, will Ankai not raise his spell level?

Therefore, finding a way to exchange magic stones for an alternative to Hanks is one of Ankai's most important ideas for this move to the outer city of Chaos City.

"Hanks, don't rush to pack. I need to discuss something with you. If this goes well, it could be a multi-million dollar deal!"

Hanks, who was about to pack his suitcase, froze, looked at Ankai, and his eyes conveyed only one meaning: "I don't believe it."

"Don't believe me? Hanks, ask yourself honestly, when have I, Ankai, ever lied?"

An Kai didn't offer any further explanation. If the outer city of Chaos City were truly built as he envisioned, the tax revenue alone would amount to millions in profits!

With his hands behind his back, An Kai walked towards the main hall of the Changqing Gang.

Behind him was Wayne, who looked dazed, and Nurnexus, who followed with a pigeon-toed gait.

As he passed Hanks, he couldn't resist teasing him, saying, "Remember this, next time you see me, call me Grandpa Dragon!"

As soon as Nurnexus finished speaking, he swayed and staggered towards the main hall…

But just as he was about to enter the main hall…

boom!

Ankai kicked Nurnexus out of the hall: "Go guard the door!"

Just then, Nurnexus fell right next to Hanks.

Hanks laughed and muttered, "So it's just a watchdog, huh?"

Then, with his head held high and chest out, he walked towards the main hall.

"You just wait, you dare to mock me?!"

Nurneseus glared hatefully in the direction Hanks had left, gritting his teeth.

For some reason, he disliked Hanks the moment he saw him.

I have a feeling this old man will be my rival for the position of the boss's top lackey...

In hindsight, it was right after all…

They entered the main hall.

Ankai was already seated in the chair in the middle.

As soon as Hanks entered, he asked, "Hanks, how many residents are left in Chaos City?"

Hanks paused, pondered for a moment, and slowly said, "Before the Seven Kingdoms refugees arrived, there were about 1000 left. Now that the Seven Kingdoms refugees have arrived, the number has reached about 4000."

"So few? Why were there only about 1000 residents in the original city?"

Ankai exclaimed in surprise, and Hanks, who was standing at the door, gave Ankai a strange look.

"The reason there are so few people is all thanks to you, aren't it? Killing some, driving others away..."

Unfortunately, Hanks didn't say those words aloud.

He didn't know what An Kai was planning, and if he spoke rashly, who knew if it would displease the kid and cause him to vent his anger on him...

"4000 people..."

An Kai muttered to himself, finally understanding why Hanks had only received 11235 gold coins after paying protection money for nine months.

He estimated that among these people, only a handful would be able to pay the 5 gold coin protection fee on time each month.

Most of them probably flee to the desert when they need to pay, hide for a while, and then come back.

If they encounter danger, they will never be able to return to Chaos City.

If I weren't so broke, I wouldn't have chosen to flee to the desert, risking my life to escape the protection money collection from Chaos City...

"Sigh! It hurts me to see these people living such miserable lives!"

"As fellow human beings, how can we not help each other at a time like this?"

"Now that I have the power, I believe I should contribute to the future of our Desert Human race!"

An Kai stood up, and like a compassionate saint, he uttered these words.

Hanks was speechless for a few seconds before finally managing to stammer out, "Young master, you are truly virtuous..."

Wayne, however, was different. Upon hearing his teacher's words, he immediately asked, "Teacher, is there anything I can do for you?"

Upon hearing Wayne's words, Ankai didn't mince words and directly stated the plan he had already thought of: "There really is one."

"I would like to borrow your royal credentials from the Kingdom of Shak to establish a route between the Seven Desert Kingdoms and this place."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wayne took out a plaque, which was proof of his Shak Kingdom.

He walked up to An Kai and handed it to him, saying, "Teacher, if you need it, just take it."

"The royal family of the Kingdom of Shak?"

Hanks shrank back upon hearing this…

"Hanks, don't shrink back. I've already pleaded for you. The Kingdom of Shak won't hold your past mistakes against you."

Hanks was taken aback, looking at Ankai with a face full of confusion…

To be honest, he didn't quite understand it.

It feels like I haven't seen Ankai for almost two years, and his behavior has become increasingly...confusing...

"The teacher is right. As the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Shak, I assure you that the Kingdom of Shak will not pursue your mistake any further."

When Hanks heard Wayne say the same thing, his heart skipped a beat.

He realized that An Kai, that rascal, had something he wanted him to do!

Otherwise, why would he be so kind?

"Th-thank you..."

"Young master... I... I have no way to repay you..."

"Hanks, what are you saying? Don't be so modest. How could you possibly have nothing to repay me with!"

At that moment, looking at Ankai's smile, Hanks suddenly had the urge to turn and run away...

(End of this chapter)