Weapon seller in the world of magic

While it appeared like he was just silently kneeling in front of the demon king, in reality, his soul was pulled into an illusionary realm created by Bael.

There, he was being tortured with all kinds of punishments the demon could think of.

The reason, he didn\'t speak the name of the mastermind and maintained his stance that he was the one who ordered the execution of Lu Zhen\'s parents but wouldn\'t give the reason for it.

As threats didn\'t work on him because of lacking any family and Mark clearly didn\'t buy Li Zheng Kang\'s lie, he ordered the demon to punish him in his own style until his time in the mortal world is finished.

In the meantime, he returned to Helios City and acted as if he was just woken up from sleep.

As one more hour passed away, the last VIP guest finally arrived at the palace while the preparations for the lunch are going on in the kitchens. It is the fourth prince of the Kun Empire, Qin Zhi.

As one of the most popular people of the Vermillion Bird Continent, Qin Zhi was welcomed grandly at the palace but he couldn\'t meet the birthday boy who was somewhere else. Qin Zhi could only go to his room and freshen up.

On his way to the guest room, he inquired about the whereabouts of everyone else. The soldier told him what he knows.

"Oh, Princess Shen was here? Perfect. This is a good time to talk to her about the issue in Western Yan. If I play my cards right, then, we can acquire a stake in the southern region too. The only problem would be Lu Zhen. 

More than his mysterious background and powerful servants, his detachment and neutrality are troublesome to handle. Hmm… if he would actively support one side and will have a stake in the war too, then, he will be tied to something and his actions will become more predictable."

While Song Yue was engaging in conversation with other ladies in the palace and the two experts (Jinlong and Lan Ju) were strolling in the gardens without being bothered by anyone else, Mark, on the other hand, went with some of his fellow royal male guests to the Imperial temple.

Currently, Ouyang Zen was praying for the statues of his ancestors while a giant pig (5-circle, fierce grade) was being slaughtered by the Supreme General of the kingdom as a part of the sacrifice. The priests of the temple started incantations while walking around the kneeling King.

Meanwhile, the royal guests standing far away became busy chatting with each other as they were too bored and disinterested in the ritual that was going on for the past 30 minutes.

Mark was no exception either. He was chatting with the general of Leon Empire.

"Nah, I\'m not interested in supporting anyone. I\'m just a weapon seller you know," answered Mark as he was asked about the latest developments in Western Yan.

It\'s already been a few hours. It shouldn\'t be a surprise for the news to reach these royal guests who have spies in almost every independent kingdom and empire.

Upon hearing Mark\'s words, General Fan Zongmao of the Leon Empire couldn\'t help but comment, "War is the most lucrative business for a weapon seller, Mr. Lu."

He then further added, "And the weapons you sell could make them lethal even in the hands of a civilian. If you of all the people don\'t take advantage of it by supplying the weapons to the weaker party and prolonging the war, it is really a pity."

Mark was slightly surprised by his suggestion. He asked in wonder, "Do you support those bandits? I thought Leon Empire is an ally to Phoenix Empire."

"Well, our alliance isn\'t as strong as you imagine. You can say we are more like business partners. We don\'t involve in each other\'s internal matters no matter how serious they are," replied the general.

He further explained, "Even if we are requested for the support, we aren\'t obliged to send our troops or economic support. Our self-interests take priority. And our interests definitely lie in the weakening of our neighbors for sure.

Our Emperor is interested in making the third prince, Shang Wei, his grandson-in-law but despite that, our commitments won\'t change. This is something everyone knows and even we acknowledge it publicly.

There\'s a reason why no one is approaching me or our ambassador in the friendly way they did with the others. They knew that we are just meant for business."

Mark stared at him in silence for a few seconds and let out a smile, "You are quite straightforward, Mr. Fan."

"Just like the symbol of our empire, we are known for our straightforwardness and directness in our hunting or social behavior," General Fan spoke with pride.

To which, Mark responded with a comment, "But lions are also known to display slyness on certain occasions. Especially, a male lion is often seen trying to lure away the leader to a trap and take over the pride."

General Fan shook his head with a smile, "Mr. Lu, just like how the countless stars in the sky disappear as soon as the sun rises in the sky, you cannot compare ordinary lions to a legendary auspicious beast like Leon. It\'s humiliating for us. 

Our Leon is the symbol of strength, bravery, determination, resilience, and nobility. We believe that slyness is something that weak people do to stronger people due to their lack of strength. Our Empire is like the sun. We don\'t need to opt for slyness to eradicate our enemy."

Mark wanted to retort that their sun is just one of the mediocre stars in the universe but since this general has no idea about the concept of galaxies while he would unnecessarily go off-topic, Mark kept his opinion to himself and just agreed with his statement, "Yes, your Empire is indeed like the sun."

General Fan smiled in response, "Glad we are on the same page."

"Indeed," mumbled Mark while thinking that this general was just like a frog in the well. 

What he truly wanted to say is that Sun behaves like a king in its solar system but in reality, it was also a servant just like planets, revolving around the center of the galaxy where a supermassive black hole is located. 

Mark thought that the general would understand it over the course of time.

To keep their conversation alive, Mark then asked after staying silent for a while, "So, General Fan, I was wondering what are your opinions on our firearms?"

"I knew this topic will come up sooner or later." The General behaved a little bit arrogant but he made sure to not sound like one. He replied, "Personally, I feel like civilians shouldn\'t get such power. And spirit warriors shouldn\'t depend on external weapons whether it is swords or firearms. But, if you are curious about our Emperor\'s stance on it, then, I must say he seems interested. 

The problem is that we are interested in those flying puppets you sold the purchase rights and the bulk amount to your Emperor. Those bulky metal puppets (Panzers), on the other hand, were too weak. Those things that cause blasts over a wide area are expensive and just one-time use.

Furthermore, we would want weapons that our enemies have no idea how to counter them. If you have anything like those, His Majesty would be willing to be your client. 

And after getting to know about the ether weapons from Western Yan, we strongly suspect that you possess more potent weapons, which will only come to light once your store\'s popularity reaches the certain level you wanted. Am I wrong?"

Something suddenly clicked inside Mark\'s head and realization dawned upon him. "So, you are planning to talk to me about business from the start. You wanted me to confirm that I have new firearms." After a brief pause, he added with a smile, "I must say that is slyness, General Fan."

The general rigorously shook his head and clarified right away, "No, you misunderstood me. I didn\'t start a conversation because of business. I\'m here to give you a mission on behalf of His Majesty."

"Mission?" Mark furrowed his brows in displeasure. He didn\'t hide his true feelings this time. "Does your emperor think I\'m an adventurer or something?"

The General realized that he had misspoken. He quickly corrected his words, "No, what I mean is that his majesty needs your help in accomplishing a difficult task. Consider it as a deal regarding the Church of Nuwa. Since it is in the territory of Western Yan, we cannot step in without Emperor Shang\'s permission. This is why I asked you about your opinion on the war."

"Church of Nuwa? War? Please be clear…" As Mark asked for the details, the general glanced around his near surroundings where he saw the guests who could hear them. He shook his head and said, "Not here."