Chapter 167: Chapter 167 - Private Force
A week later.
Life in Bara City had returned to training and cultivating for Leyvi. Since he entrusted the authority to govern the city to Layla, he didn't plan to interfere at all.
He heard that in the meeting with the organization's representatives a few days ago, things were going better than expected, with Manager Linda offering to support Layla. She even revealed her Nascent Soul realm cultivation, which she had always hidden previously.
This caused the parties that initially intended to cause some trouble to abandon their plan. In the end, they agreed to pay the same amount of taxes as previously to Layla.
However, this was just what they agreed on at the surface level. Whether they would actually pay their taxes later on remains to be seen. Only time will tell.
Anda had helped Layla determine a few groups that might harbor bad intentions towards her based on the scents their representatives emitted. It wouldn't guarantee anything, but at least they could be monitored closely for now.
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In a certain hall,
"Have you gathered the information about the new city lord and the people around her?"
"Yes, sect master. Here are the reports."
"Hmm....It doesn't seem like they are worth to worry about. The only notable person is this Anda Leyan. But she becoming the Champion of the Alchemy Competition shouldn't be the reason they were given the land's ownership because this never happened before. It should be something else."
"But what about the girls from the Homun, Goldstone, and Clover families? We haven't been able to investigate why they are with the Leyan Family yet. If we are not careful, they might get involved."
"Chahaha! Don't worry. Those three families are like water and fire. They never get along. They are probably scheming something against them. There wouldn't be any clash of interest. In fact, it will be good for us to fish in troubled waters!"
"So, what are we supposed to do for now, sect master?"
"Continue the investigation on them, especially the Deed of Sovereignty's receiver, Leyvi Leyan. Find out why he got it, if possible. In the meantime, let's probe them first. Falsify our accounting records so that we only need to pay them half of what we should."
"Right away? Wouldn't it be too obvious, sect master?"
"Heh, let's see if they can notice it and if they would do something about it. If nothing happens, we will reduce it again and again. They are just a bunch of weak brats, not the Protector's men. They don't even have any manpower we should be afraid of. Why should we pay them so much? If they are incompetent, we should take all the profits from the spirit stone mines."
"Are you sure, sect master? That Treasure Pavilion Manager Linda seemed to support them wholeheartedly."
"Don't worry, she couldn't do much except intimidate the weaker groups. I am a Nascent Soul expert too. I'm not afraid. And we wouldn't be the only one who thinks like this. Chahaha!"
"Haha. Sect master is strong and wise! Our Gold Digger Sect will become richer thanks to the recent change. Gifting the land to a greenhorn, I don't know what the Protector is thinking. They should have given it to our sect."
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In the Leyan Family mansion,
After a week of staying here, Dorin finally realized that she wasn't dreaming. Everything that happened to her since the beginning was real. All the alchemy she had done in the past week was proof that she wasn't dreaming. Why? Because she would never do alchemy willingly, even in a dream.
Anda assigned Dorin as her assistant alchemist, tasking her with making countless tier-1 and tier-2 alchemy products because Anda didn't want to waste her time with the lower-tiered products anymore.
At first, Dorin rejected vehemently.
"Hmph! As the Young Lady of the Homun Family, why should I work as an alchemist here? That makes no sense! That's it. I am going out to the city center to look for some handsome men."
"Sigh, if that's the case, I can only send you back. I will use the long-distance communication service and inform your family to pick you up. It might take a few weeks, but you can wait for them in our mansion while enjoying the last few times of Tasya's food." Anda said, baiting her with Tasya's dishes.
When Dorin realized that she might not be able to taste Tasya's food anymore, she immediately changed her mind and agreed to work as an alchemist for the Leyan Family.
In Leyvi's room.
"Hahaha! I didn't expect Dorin to be so addicted to Tasya's food. You really know how to force people. Anda, you are going to be a panda villain sooner or later. A Pandillain." Leyvi laughed when he heard about the situation from Anda.
"When did I force her? I only offered to send her back. She's the one who agreed, okay? Everything is consensual. Don't slander your wife! I am a panda with integrity. A Pantegrity!" Anda pouted.
"Yes, yes. My Alchemist Panda is the most virtuous panda. A Pandirtuous. Every panda should follow her example," Leyvi teased.
"Leyvi, before we enter seclusion to focus on cultivation, we need to form a private force for Layla. There's definitely going to be trouble in the future, so we need to prepare early." Anda changed the topic. Too many pandas.
"Can't we use the Law Enforcement people? I thought we could change the local law now." Leyvi asked.
"Of course we can't. Even though you are the ruler of this area now, they aren't your subordinates. They still work under the Protector's authority to uphold the continent's law. Furthermore, there's no reason to change the law since it worked very well. So, we decided not to change anything regarding the law yet. We might add some in the future after things are under control." Anda replied.
"So, what should we do? Put up a recruitment notice? Hire mercenaries?" Leyvi suggested.
"This is what I'm concerned about right now. I don't think we will have anyone strong enough to work with us. There aren't that many strong cultivators here in the first place. The strong ones already belonged to some organizations." Anda voiced her concern.
"That's true. Any Core Formation experts here were already some kind of big shots." Leyvi nodded. Compared to the Holy Cat City, the difference was obvious.
"That's why I wanted to hire mercenaries elsewhere. I wonder if any strong mercenary groups are willing to relocate here and work as our private force." Anda stated her intention.
"Haha, let's ask Selene, Ava, or Dorin. They are from big families, after all. They might know something. Uhh.... maybe not Dorin." Leyvi didn't think Dorin would have anything reliable in her brain.
Anda giggled. "Don't look down on her too much. In my opinion, her alchemy talent is actually on a par with her sister."
"Huh? Really? Then why is she not as good as Norin?" Leyvi expressed his doubts.
"I observed her and noticed that she wasn't interested in alchemy. Sigh, what a waste of talent. Like Elder Godari said, the world is really unfair." Anda lamented.
Leyvi was silent. Some people had grand ambition but no talent, while some people possessed exceptional talent but no ambition.
Later, Leyvi and Anda seek Selene and Ava, asking for their opinions regarding mercenaries for hire.
Unfortunately, both of them had no knowledge regarding this matter.
The only mercenary group that Selene was aware of was the Bug Lord Mercenaries. A mercenary group consisted of insect-type Beast Tamers. They were quite popular around the Goldstone Family territories. Her fascination with insect demonic beasts originated from them.
As for Ava, she just didn't care enough to know about any of them. She would rather find someone who deserves to be beaten by her.
"Big Madam, darling, were you looking for strong mercenaries?" Nala overheard their conversation and asked. She had been lazing around for a week as her personal holiday after finally settling down from the constant traveling.
Leyvi nodded. "Do you know anyone?"
"Hehehe! Darling, have you forgotten that I used to travel all the time? At one point, I was a member of a certain mercenary group. We got disbanded due to an incident, but I'm sure most of them would agree to join us!" Nala explained.
"Oh?" Leyvi and Anda simultaneously got interested.
"Nala, are they also a bunch of sexy ladies like you?" Anda asked while poking at Nala's spilled side boob.
Leyvi rolled his eyes. Excuse me, horny panda. We are trying to recruit cultivators for our family's private force, not your night battle reinforcement.
"Wow, madam. How did you know? They are not only sexy, but quite strong too. All of them are in the Core Formation realm." Nala replied.
Anda was stunned. She was just making a joke, but it turned out to be true. Anda side-eyed Leyvi and smiled mischievously.
"No, no, no. I can't handle so many powerful ladies at the same time." Leyvi instantly rejected after he saw Anda's evil smile.
"Hehehe. Darling, don't worry. They are not like me. They don't like men." Nala giggled as she realized Anda's scheme.
"Huh? You mean they are lesbian?" Leyvi was curious.
"Well, some are, but not all. To be precise, they were all women who had a terrible past with men, causing them to loathe men in general." Nala explained with a serious expression.
"This....If that's the case, wouldn't I be in danger if we recruit them?" Leyvi could already imagine the hate he would receive if he recruited them.
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