Wang Zhen paused for a moment, then rubbed his chin with a hint of pain on his face.
"Twenty thousand portions? This..."
After a moment of thought, he gritted his teeth and said,
"Alright! Twenty thousand it is!"
"My Wang family will cover these military supplies!"
Lin Ran continued to smile without speaking, shook his head, and then held up two fingers towards Wang Zhen.
Wang Zhen's face lit up, and he asked eagerly,
"Could it be twenty thousand?"
Lin Ran remained silent, still waving his fingers.
Wang Zhen was dumbfounded this time, stammering,
"Hero Lin, you wouldn't possibly be talking about two million, would you?"
Lin Ran sighed,
"Foolish!"
"People of our grand vision should not quibble over every little gain or loss..."
"The Wang family is wealthy and powerful, dominating the cosmos. Would you really haggle over a few supplies?"
"I mean... twenty million!"
"Twenty million portions of military supplies!"
Wang Zhen was struck by lightning, nearly biting off his own tongue.
"What?!"
"Twenty million?!"
Lin Ran burst into laughter and patted Wang Zhen's shoulder.
"That's right, twenty million..."
"And I want the highest-grade alloy, second only to magic energy equipment!"
"I presume the Wang family patriarch will not be stingy with these meager resources for the safety of the people of Jiang Gu and Wei Yang?"
Wang Zhen's face had turned so ashen it was almost indistinguishable.
"No, no, absolutely not!"
"Even if you emptied out my Wang family, we couldn't do it!"
"Hero Lin, do you know what twenty million portions of the highest-grade alloy equipment means?"
"Even without counting the Dragon Coins, the refining value of this alloy is immeasurable..."
Lin Ran smiled and waved his hand gently.
The million-strong army behind him immediately understood and surged forward, surrounding Wang Zhen and his men.
Wang Zhen had initially intended to use Prince Zifu, a tenth-level expert, as a show of force to intimidate Lin Ran and achieve victory without a fight.
Therefore, he had only brought fewer than a hundred thousand soldiers, who were merely there for show.
However, he had not anticipated that Prince Zifu was still being held captive in the sky and pummeled...
As for his subordinates, they were not even enough to tickle Lin Ran's teeth.
Wang Zhen's face crumpled, and he glanced at Prince Zifu in the sky, who was being beaten into a pulp. He was on the verge of tears.
"Hero Lin, twenty million is truly impossible!"
"Let alone the fact that my Wang family cannot afford that much..."
"Even if we could, gathering such materials would be an immense undertaking."
"It feels like it would take at least half a year to a year to purchase everything from Jiang Gu and its surrounding counties, manufacture it, and transport it all back."
Lin Ran sighed,
"Given your sincerity, I will make a concession..."
"Ten million... that should not be so difficult, right?"
Lin Ran knew that twenty million was an exaggeration, but he was merely raising the stakes.
His actual target price was around three to four million.
This would allow him to equip all the Children of the Elements and have some reserves.
However, the people of the Dragon Kingdom always favored compromise.
If he had asked for four million upfront, Wang Zhen would have inevitably tried to negotiate it down.
But by starting with a sky-high demand of twenty million, asking for four million later would be much more palatable for Wang Zhen.
Hearing that Lin Ran had somewhat relented, Wang Zhen knew this was his last chance to bargain. He gritted his teeth and said,
"How about this, Hero Lin..."
"Let's not beat around the bush. One price for five million sets of the highest-grade alloy equipment!"
"What do you say?"
When he heard a price higher than his psychological target, Lin Ran, despite his inner delight, feigned hesitation.
"Just five million..."
Wang Zhen, being quite astute, immediately added,
"Of course, that's not all..."
"In addition, we will also provide basic supplies such as food and tents."
"Furthermore, our family's logistics center will handle the entire process, delivering all items, including the alloy equipment, directly to your doorstep..."
"What do you think?"
Lin Ran nodded and smiled,
"Very sincere, Patriarch Wang..."
"Then, I presume you will know where you are not welcome in the future?"
Wang Zhen gave a wry smile,
"Of course, Hero Lin..."
"From now on, not only myself but all families will be barred from entering the dozen or so counties around Jiang Gu."
"Even more so from the vicinity of Chang Yuan."
Wang Zhen's words were accurate.
Lin Ran's current display of strength clearly indicated that he considered the Jiang Gu-Chang Yuan region his territory.
With such a formidable figure present, who would dare to challenge him?
Moreover, the Wang family's significant concession served as a warning to other families, informing them that Lin Ran possessed a formidable army and a tenth-level expert.
With such legitimacy, Lin Ran had firmly established his footing and taken the most crucial first step in building his empire.
Lin Ran smiled and patted Wang Zhen's shoulder again,
"Then I will not keep you any longer, Patriarch Wang."
"Chang Yuan has been devastated, and there are many matters awaiting my attention there."
Wang Zhen immediately clasped his fists and instructed his men to take the severely injured Prince Zifu, who had been beaten by the Black Dragon's body.
"Consider this compensation my token of respect for Hero Lin..."
"We are now acquainted through this ordeal. If you ever require the assistance of my Wang family, Hero Lin, please do not hesitate to ask!"
Lin Ran stroked his chin, thoughtfully looking at Wang Zhen.
"This fellow is a subordinate family of the Lu family, yet he dares to engage in political maneuvering with me?"
"It seems that Wei Yang Province is not entirely unified at this moment..."
Seeing that Lin Ran did not reply, Wang Zhen knew that this matter could not be rushed. He chuckled heartily, exchanged a few pleasantries with Lin Ran, and then turned to leave Chang Yuan with his men.
Watching Wang Zhen's retreating back, Lin Ran sighed softly. He recalled the Black Dragon's body and flew back towards Chang Yuan, standing on the watchtower and gazing at the entire forbidden area.
"Excellent! Let's start from here!"
"Occupy the forbidden area, control Chang Yuan, expand eastward, quell the rifts, claim the secret realms, unite the factions, leave Jiang Gu, enter Wei Yang, and then..."
"Forget it. Let's take things one step at a time. Slowly building my strength is the only way. The future is unpredictable."
Lin Ran spread his wings and flew at a low altitude, then turned and headed east.