"Thale, I need an explanation."
"How could you be so useless as to be messed up like this by those three guys?"
Xia Ai'er's first action upon appearing was to pick a fight.
"The opponent had a Beyonder of the Sun Pathway, and also a Sealed Artifact of the Sun Pathway."
"The other two also carried large-caliber firearms."
"Werewolf" Thale, seeing his boss return, offered the excuse he had already prepared.
"This time, you pass."
Xia Ai'er snorted softly, walking to a chair and sitting down.
"'Steve' and Zatwin have left, sir."
The pale-faced, black-spotted Sequence 6 Zombie, "Living Corpse" Jason, respectfully presented an item.
It was a beautiful crown shaped like a full Moon, inlaid with crimson gems around its edge, and engraved with Moon runes and mysterious symbols.
This was a Grade 2 Sealed Artifact, the crimson moon crown, corresponding to the Moon Pathway's Sequence 5 Scarlet Scholar.
"You keep it; without this Sealed Artifact, you wouldn't even be able to hold out for my support if you encountered Sharon."
"Did Zatwin leave any instructions before he left?"
Xia Ai'er glanced at the Sealed Artifact, then shifted his gaze and asked.
His fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the chair. If Steve had carried this Sealed Artifact, perhaps he wouldn't have fallen so easily into Xia Ai'er's hands. Unfortunately, Steve was an experienced Sequence 5 powerhouse; his resource allocation was fine, and his combat experience was even better, but he just encountered someone who didn't play fair.
"Zatwin only told us to continue apprehending the remnants of the Temperance Faction."
"Living Corpse" Jason, seeing that his boss had no intention of reclaiming the crimson moon crown, quickly put away the palm-sized Sealed Artifact, using his spirituality to set up a layer of blockade.
Although this Grade 2 Sealed Artifact was powerful, its negative effects were no joke either.
Xia Ai'er, seeing that "Living Corpse" Jason didn't know the whereabouts of the Rose School of Thought saint, nodded indifferently.
Saints don't need to report their itineraries to mid-Sequence Beyonders.
If this saint was dedicated to capturing Sharon and Maric, would Steve and the other two still need to chase them all the way from West Balam to Backlund?
"Sir, why didn't you just kill those three guys?"
"Werewolf" Thale asked, puzzled.
He had originally thought his boss would deal with the trio after possessing 'Steve', but instead, he shot himself.
"We came to Backlund to capture Sharon and Maric."
"Those three clearly have ties to nobles and the Orthodox Churches, and the kid I possessed even carried a Night Holy Tome."
"If they're not dead, the Machinery Hivemind will eventually give up searching for you after a long time without clues, assuming you've left Backlund or hidden in areas not under the Machinery Hivemind's jurisdiction."
"If they died, my existence would be exposed, and a Sequence 5 is enough to draw significant attention from the Orthodox Churches."
"Nobles would also continuously demand that the Orthodox Churches apprehend us."
"It's easy for us to hide, but Sharon and Maric would gain more breathing room."
Xia Ai'er briefly explained the difference between sweeping up crime and counter-terrorism.
If only commoners died, after a period of time, no one would care about the matter.
Their families would grieve, but be powerless.
Their survival pressures would also not leave them much time to mourn the loss of their loved ones.
If Xiao Meinade died, then Xiao Meinade's family would visit the Night Church every now and then.
This is helpless, but it is reality.
"I understand, sir."
"Werewolf" Thale nodded. He didn't care about nobles or anything, but he knew what this trip was for.
"Backlund truly lacks the freedom of the sea."
"Living Corpse" Jason also had no objections; he didn't want to be constantly chased by the Orthodox Churches either.
"I wonder when that guy Senor will be killed and turned into a bounty."
"When he dies, we can just take over his fleet."
Xia Ai'er directly cursed his colleague to an early death in front of his two subordinates.
"42,000 pounds, such a large bounty, I'm a bit tempted."
"Living Corpse" Jason licked his lips; he too craved those bounties and the Blood Pirate General's Beyonder characteristic.
"Werewolf" Thale was a bit weaker and didn't speak, just nodded; he was also tempted.
The internal workplace relationships within the Libidinous Brothel were just this healthy and natural.
"Let's talk about our plans going forward."
"Although Sharon and Maric are not strong and don't know how to use the power of desire, their anti-divination abilities are equally troublesome. We can't just chase them and do nothing else."
Xia Ai'er tapped the armrest of the chair twice, signaling for both of them to look at him.
"They're not good at fighting, but they're quite good at running."
"Sir, do you have any instructions? Chasing them all the time is quite annoying."
"Living Corpse" Jason and "Werewolf" Thale both looked at Xia Ai'er; they had been chasing for a long time and were quite annoyed.
"Thale is not convenient to continue operating in the Bridge District."
"Jason, you and Thale go to the East Borough. That's the territory managed by the Storm Church's Punishers, and it's not easy for the Machinery Hivemind to bypass the Punishers to conduct large-scale searches for you in the East Borough."
"Don't be idle either; find something to do."
"There's a gang in the East Borough that mainly engages in black businesses like prostitution; I remember they're called the Hui Li Party."
"Take out the leader of this gang, take over their territory and business. We also need some scum to run errands for us, who can be sacrificed at any time. When the Moon is full, the flesh and souls of these scums will also please us."
"No one will care if the hoodlums in the East Borough disappear."
"The worse they are, the stronger their desires, the more delicious their taste."
Xia Ai'er thought for a moment and said.
He planned to throw these two Libidinous Brothel guys into the East Borough to eat kitchen waste.
"Leave it to us, sir."
"Living Corpse" Jason and "Werewolf" Thale agreed without any hesitation.
They wouldn't dare defy Xia Ai'er's orders anyway, and besides, the order itself suited their tastes.
"Remember a few points."
"First, quickly take over the Hui Li Party; don't cause too much disturbance and attract official attention."
"Second, you can appropriately expand the controlled streets, but be moderate. Too much territory will only bring us trouble and is meaningless."
"Third, you can fight with other gangs if you want to have fun, but the fighting must only be with gangs. Do not easily expose your strength, and absolutely do not cause too much disturbance in the streets you control or those controlled by other gangs. Gang matters stop with gangs. You must not hinder the normal commute of those residents in the East Borough; they will starve if they don't work, and we are not like the Numinous Episcopate; too many dead people are worthless to us."
"Fourth, if you collect protection fees in the streets, then maintain good public order. We can establish a long-term stable gang organization in Backlund, primarily responsible for collecting various intelligence, rather than extorting a few copper coins from the pockets of those poor people. You don't lack that little bit of money."
Xia Ai'er first laid out four basic rules.