Weapon seller in the world of magic

From Bai Xun to Song Tai, no one did expect Mark to flare up against the crown prince right in the presence of the Emperor.

But at the same time, they knew Shang Zexi was also in the wrong to raise his voice like that. Mark/Lu Zhen wasn't your average weapon seller that the crown prince had to showcase his authority over him.

If he is such a person, he wouldn't have been summoned to the palace like this. The crown prince should have handled this matter with grace.

Maybe, it is because of Mark's current status and how valuable he has become. Or maybe it is because the crown prince's situation isn't good in the palace lately. Whatever the case, the Emperor didn't side with him and instead scolded him as soon as Mark lectured him.

"Prince Zexi, I believe I have told you not to speak anything carelessly. Now, I forbid you from speaking any further." The Emperor's stern voice shocked the crown prince and he stammered in his speech. "Me? But… father… he is the one… he is… why?"

As the Emperor's stare became sharper, the crown prince shut his mouth and looked at Mark in hatred.

Then the Emperor gestured for the third prince to handle this matter with his eyes. The latter let out a smile and spoke, "Don't mind my eldest brother. He has been house arrested for a while. So, his emotions aren't stable lately."

The crown prince also took a glance at him in hatred, feeling humiliated. 

On the other hand, Mark nodded in understanding while wondering what this prince is going to say, considering the fact that they didn't get angry. 

No matter, by the end of this meeting, Mark swore to spoil the relations between him and the imperial palace and turn them sour so that it becomes easier for him to shift out of the capital city and openly support Feng Wu. Of course, it can only be done under the premise that they were the guilty party.

The third prince then said, "Okay, here's the situation. The Kunyu bandits are equipped with firearms and some of them aren't known to us. You don't sell them in your store either. 

The Empire is at war and we need the details like their strengths, weaknesses, and how many you sold to them each model. You can do that much for the imperial palace, right?"

Mark thought for a bit and replied, "I have no problem with sharing the details but you might lose the motivation to continue the war with them. Do you really want to know?"

"What did you sell?" The Emperor furrowed his brows, feeling uncomfortable in his chest as he words those words.

Mark turned his head and answered with a mixture of truths and lies, "First, I will tell you about seven key weapons; LARS, Rank-5 Robot, C-4 (advanced), sniper rifle (ether), PANZER IV, and finally Grenade launcher."

The third prince asked for a sheet with details written on them but Mark went on to explain everything orally because the words have more impact. 

And just as he expected, the faces of every listener in the room changed quite a bit when they heard how devastating the firearms used by Feng Wu's army going to be.

"Your Majesty, we cannot let our infantry units fight them," opinioned Bai Xun. "It is a suicide." More than their damage power, the supreme commander was worried about their high range.

Shang Wen agreed with him and further said, "Only archers above 7-circle could have such a high range. But, if we use the mages purely for maintaining a defensive barrier over a large scale instead of offense, we can hold them down until our experts infiltrate their stronghold."

"Hmm…" The others thought about the second prince's strategy. The crown prince on the other hand wanted to say that it is unwise to discuss their strategy in front of a possible enemy. But, he could only shut his mouth.

In the meantime, the third prince was thinking deeply while staring at Mark. The latter felt his gaze and asked, "Do you want to say something to me, Prince Wei?"

Shang Wei responded with a question, "What currency did they pay you?"

"I'm sorry?" Mark was taken aback a bit. As the others looked curiously at the third prince, the latter clarified his question by stating, "I know for sure that the firearms you described cannot be sold cheaply. If they procure such weapons and their respective ammunition, then, where did they get so much amount of money? If they have paid you such an amount, then, someone wealthy should be behind them."

"Hmm, now that you mention it, it is suspicious indeed," Emperor Shang also felt like he ignored such a vital matter. 

"Is there a foreign kingdom or empire that is pulling the strings from behind?" thought everyone.

Unfortunately for them, Mark was already prepared for the question. In fact, it was Allen who listed possible questions that could be asked in this meeting while they were on their way to the palace.

Mark calmly answered, "They didn't pay me with gold. Instead, they put three semi-divine-grade weapons of the Feng Dynasty as collateral. When they paid me in full, I will return their weapons. In the event of default, I will get to keep them."

"Collateral?" Shang Wei thought for a bit and asked, "How much is the bill?"

"Roughly about 6 million." Mark threw a random figure as he knew they won't bother to look too much into it. If such a case arose, then, he will cover it up by stating that there were advanced orders pending too.

Little did he expect that the third prince would suddenly put forth a bold offer.

"The imperial palace will cover the bill and you get to keep those weapons. We will also throw in another semi-divine grade of high quality. In exchange, you just need to lend Venerable Wu for a day."

"6 million?" The crown prince couldn't help but scream at once. Even the Emperor furrowed his brows in displeasure as he commented, "I didn't expect you to take such a decision without discussing it with me."

Feeling the pain, the Emperor has already allotted 10 million gold coins for this war. They will be spent on paying remunerations to the military, guilds, and sects. Of course, there's also compensation for the lost families.

On top of this, if they spent 6 million more just to recruit Wu Weibao (Lan Ju/the zheng) for a day, the imperial palace's treasure will not have sufficient funds to run the empire for a very long time. They would have to resort to rapidly mining more gold and silver to fill the treasury or take a loan from the northern empires.

Even if it wins them the war, it just doesn't seem that worth it. Now, adding on top of that, Shang Wei is also offering a semi-divine grade weapon of high quality (Ruby grade).

It is obvious that the Emperor is angry at his son, who just decided things on his own without considering the aftereffects.

However, the third prince wasn't a person without plans. But, it appeared that he doesn't want to share things openly, "Your Majesty, we cannot afford to lose the Western Yan. I will explain everything later on but for now, trust me on this."

Shang Zexi was told to shut up. Shang Wen was always on Shang Wei's side. Shang Bo never speaks unless he was asked to do so. Bai Xun only speaks on matters of the military. As for Song Tai, he doesn't have any role in this meeting other than staying there as a guard for the Emperor.

Hence, the Emperor is the only one who will think and make the decision. Before he did that, he made sure to ask Mark about it. Looking at him, he asked, "If we give you what Shang Wei has promised, can you promise me that Venerable Wu will bring the head of that mysterious Supreme Being? He doesn't need to battle anyone else either."

Everyone turned their heads to look at Mark. The weapon seller, who thought of a quick excuse, replied by shaking his head, "I'm afraid that's not possible. It's because the enemy is equally powerful as Wu Weibao. To defeat the enemy, Wu Weibao had to fight with his full strength. But if they fight in Gong City, there's a high chance that the entire city will disappear from the world. That means you will have to be prepared to sacrifice hundreds of thousands of innocent citizens."

Everyone's face hardened when they heard his words but only Shang Wei thought differently as he realized something important.

"You know who that mysterious expert is, don't you?"