I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The alliance will continue until the Fa-Zhu Party is completely eradicated...

For a moment, Qingdeng thought he was dreaming—Huh? Could such a wonderful thing, like "manna from heaven," really happen to me?

Mogami Kakiyoshi truly lived up to his reputation as a "killer prime minister" known for his ruthless and decisive approach to killing.

After a brief moment of shock, he recovered and regained his composure.

"I understand."

He didn't say anything more, nor did he ask "why," but directly accepted Kinoshita Rin's order.

Then, he turned to face Qingdeng.

"You must be Lord Aki no Kami."

As he spoke, he bent down and bowed respectfully to Qingdeng, his movements and demeanor perfectly flawless.

"I'm so sorry that I'm only introducing myself now."

"I am the most beautiful and pure, and I am fortunate to share her burdens thanks to the favor of my lord."

"Lord Aki no Kami, may I ask what the Hatazu Domain currently lacks? What kind of assistance does our Gourd House need?"

At this point, Zui Shang Jia Qing paused for a moment.

After a moment, he adopted a more serious tone.

"Lord Aki no Mamoru, from this moment on, we are allies."

"From the perspective of mutual benefit, both sides should treat each other with sincerity and work together for mutual progress."

"Therefore, please feel free to speak your needs, there is no need to be polite!"

"We will absolutely do our utmost to meet your needs!"

First, they swiftly announced that "the alliance has been formed," and now they are rapidly and decisively negotiating specific cooperation matters...

Qingdeng felt like he was falling behind the speed at which the Calabash House was handling things...

He finally understood why Gourd House was able to grow so big and powerful—with such drive, what couldn't they accomplish?

Although still feeling somewhat disoriented, Qing Deng has gradually adapted to the current situation.

Since the other party has already made it clear that "there's no need to be polite," it would be impolite for him to be fussy or hesitant!

After a moment's thought, he said in a measured tone:

"We need three things right now."

"Firstly, we need a lot of money to promote various construction projects within the domain."

"First and foremost, agriculture is the foundation of the nation."

"If we can't even solve the most basic problem of eating, then developing industry or training a new army will be nothing but castles in the air."

"Although our domain does not lack arable land, after suffering successive destruction from the 'Tenmei Great Famine' (1783-1787) and the 'Tenpo Great Famine' (1834-1839), countless farmlands were abandoned and devastated, and have not yet recovered."

"Therefore, we intend to manage the old fields, cultivate new fields, and restore agricultural production within the domain."

"And that requires a large sum of money."

Qingdeng recounted the story in detail.

He methodically and meticulously outlined his planned construction strategies, including restoring agricultural production, expanding the scale of specialty products, developing industries, and building bastions.

"Secondly, we plan to explore overseas markets and sell our local specialty products, such as tea and porcelain, overseas to further increase our income."

"Therefore, a large and reliable fleet is urgently needed."

Thirdly, we need guns and cannons.

"It's a pity, but this is no longer the era of wielding swords and spears."

"To defeat the Fa-Zhu Party, we need even stronger and more overwhelming military force!"

"It's a pity... I have the desire, but I have been struggling to find a suitable channel to purchase firearms."

"I hope you can help us make connections and contact overseas arms dealers."

"We not only need the most mainstream guns and cannons of the moment, but also excellent and experienced instructors to teach advanced tactics."

“We are short of money right now... So, before we can be self-sufficient, we hope you can advance the funds for purchasing guns and hiring instructors.”

After saying this, Qingdeng couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

His words just now sounded like he was making exorbitant demands, relentlessly imposing harsh requirements.

Economic development within the domain, the organization of an ocean-going fleet, and the large-scale purchase of firearms... each of these required astronomical sums of money.

Qing Deng couldn't help but think:

—Can Gourd House afford such a huge investment?

He was secretly worried.

However... judging from the current situation, it seems that he worried for nothing.

Kinoshita Rin, Kiryu Boss, and Mogami Yoshikiyo—each and every one of them remained calm and composed.

Kazuki Mogami listened attentively the whole time, without even blinking.

No matter what Qingdeng said, his facial expression remained calm and composed.

After Qing Deng finished speaking, he nodded slightly:

"oh, I understand now."

As he spoke, he turned to face Kinoshita Rin.

"My lord, I understand Lord Aki no Kami's needs. I will make preparations immediately!"

Kinoshita Rin nodded.

"Okay, go ahead. Thank you for your hard work."

Saigami Yoshiki gave a slight bow, then strode away.

In no time, his figure disappeared from Qing Deng and the others' sight.

Although there was no mirror, Qingdeng was certain that his expression was one of utter bewilderment.

—Huh? You're leaving already?

—I've made so many demanding requests, don't you have any objections?

At this moment, as if reading his thoughts, Mr. Kiryu smiled and said:

"Don't worry, Mr. Orange."

"We wouldn't dare boast that we have more money than we can spend, but..."

At this point, he extended his right thumb and forefinger, making a "little bit" gesture.

"We can still meet your requests."

Qingdeng: "..."

The brief silence was Qing Deng's shock.

Since making formal contact with Kinoshita Rin and others, Aoto's assessment of the overall strength of the Gourd House has been constantly updated.

Now, the "data" in this assessment is likely to be updated again!

If it weren't for the fact that asking such a question would be very impolite, he would have liked to ask directly:

Just how rich is your Calabash House?!

Have you guys really maxed out the "money power" attribute?!

No sooner had Kiryu finished speaking than Kinoshita Rin calmly picked up the conversation:

"Aki, you've finally figured it out."

“I’ve been waiting for you to ‘wake up,’ and I’m getting impatient.”

"It's a good thing you managed to say what I really wanted to hear before my patience ran out."

"Could it be that Kuro said something unnecessary to you beforehand?"

After saying that, she glanced sideways at the Kiryu boss beside her and gave him a meaningful look.

As soon as she finished speaking, Mr. Kiryu hurriedly straightened his face and said:

"Absolutely not! I have always upheld the law impartially! I would never intentionally favor Tachibana-kun just because he is my disciple!"

Kinoshita Rin lowered her eyelids, glanced meaningfully at Kiryu-sensei a few times, then slowly looked away and turned back to Aoto.

“Aki, you’re absolutely right.”

“On the level of ‘fighting against the law and punishing the party,’ you and I are indeed extremely complementary.”

“‘If the Gourd House had the ability to eliminate the Fa-Zhu Party on its own, then the other party wouldn’t have been able to roam freely for so long.’... Although your words are harsh, I have to admit that it is true.”

“Those bastards from the Fa-Zhu Party are not just simple lunatics; they are very clever and adept at concealing themselves.”

"I am absolutely certain that their true strength is far greater than what they have shown so far!"

"The more I oppose them, the more powerless I feel."

"Therefore, long ago I planned to establish an anti-law and anti-party encirclement network."

"The best allies are undoubtedly the Ōshio Party and the Shogunate."

"To be honest, I quite admire the Big Salt Party."

“I sent people to try to make contact with them.”

"What a pity... They are very cautious. Even though we have shown goodwill, they still choose to keep their distance from us."

"In that case, the only remaining ally to choose from is the Shogunate."

"However... I do not trust the shogunate."

"To be more precise—I hate the shogunate."

She disregarded the fact that the young man before her was a general of the shogunate army and criticized the shogunate mercilessly in a sarcastic tone.

"The shogunate was already a dilapidated house on the verge of collapse."