Chapter 469: Taking Over

Afterward, Li Mochen met his maternal grandfather, Conshuri Wieldonstein, on the top floor of the Wieldonstein Tower.

"Are you satisfied now, ah?"

Li Mochen sat across from Conshuri, looking displeased, his face cold and his words blunt: "I don't understand why you insist on me returning to the Wieldonstein Group. Wouldn't it be better to let this rotten family collapse?"

"Collapse? This so-called rotten family you speak of controls trillions of assets across two worlds through various means, twenty-seven companies with market values over a hundred billion, a city of five hundred thousand, three large military fortresses, fourteen regular armored divisions, and also commands nearly a hundred legends and several demigod-level combatants. Kid, if you want to avenge your parents, this is the best platform. At least for now, your enemy in the CIA, the mage who took Jennifer as his magical bride, is wary but hesitant to act against you."

Conshuri calmly tapped his pipe on the desk: "Of course, if you're dissatisfied and willing to let this vast asset be used by Philip I, then I can have the council remove your heir status."

Li Mochen twitched the corner of his mouth and said nothing more. The old man's tone annoyed him, but it hit the original Li Mochen's weak spot.

Even he had to admit the other party made sense.

"Now that I've gone through the formalities, where is Jennifer?"

"There's one more condition: take over the Saint Stone Fortress and the Crimson Dragon Armor from the Nathan Group."

But Conshuri didn't insist on his principle: "You can rest assured about Jennifer; she's not in the Dark World now. My search there was just a cover."

"Then where is she now?"

"The force that besieged Jennifer's team was the 'Molten Overlord's' troops—an elemental monarch, a great lord of the Dark World, a count of the 'Black Demon Empire.' But the one who ultimately kidnapped Jennifer was the Fenrir Wolf."

Conshuri explained: "She should now be in the hands of an enemy of Jennifer's 'husband,' another powerful mage. As the former's magical bride, certain people can use Jennifer to threaten his foundation. So you don't need to worry about her safety for now; that person cares more about her whereabouts than we do. My people are also following up on this. If it comes to using force, I'll notify you in advance."

"The Fenrir Wolf?"

Li Mochen frowned slightly: "Is that guy still in Atlanta?"

It must be mentioned that twenty days ago, when he returned from the Continent of Antolia, the alert level in Atlanta had dropped to normal, much to the relief of many members of the Magic Tower Committee.

Li Mochen had thought the man was dead or had reached an agreement with several families in Atlanta and left the city for good.

Unexpectedly, this guy had gotten involved with Jennifer again.

"He's still here. The Vandelik family, in conjunction with various sectors of Atlanta, pressured the federal government, forcing the FBI to dispatch two demigods and a mage to Atlanta, temporarily restoring peace to the city."

Conshuri's tone shifted here: "Behind this Fenrir Wolf is a being who has ascended to godhood. It won't be easy for the Vandelik and Vanpeter families to deal with him."

Li Mochen's eyes flickered: "An enemy of these two families?"

"What do you think?"

Conshuri's expression was peculiar: "That's why we Wieldonsteins haven't been taken advantage of in the chaos."

Li Mochen was full of suspicion; he even wondered if the man before him was connected to the Fenrir Wolf.

"Then one last question: why must we get the Saint Stone Fortress and the Crimson Dragon Armor? What's so special about them?"

He had already inquired about the Crimson Dragon Armor and the fortress—this looked like a losing proposition.

"The High Garden King, the great lord of the Bloody Land, has reached the end of his life due to an accident, which will rapidly improve the environment around the Saint Stone Fortress. If you have extra ambition, the 450,000 square kilometers of the Bloody Land are yours to roam. The mineral reserves there are enormous, and the Saint Stone Fortress will be your best bridgehead into the Bloody Land. As for the Crimson Dragon Armor, you'll understand my intention once you obtain it."

Conshuri had already filled his pipe with tobacco and lit it with a rub of his fingers.

"It has been cursed by several popes, but for its true owner, that's nothing."

Li Mochen's eyes narrowed, and curiosity arose. Did Conshuri think he could gain the recognition of the Crimson Dragon Armor?

...

Li Mochen acquired the Saint Stone Fortress and the Crimson Dragon Armor very quickly. Perhaps Nathan Military Industries was indeed eager to get rid of the 'Saint Stone Fortress' burden. As soon as he sent an acquisition request to Nathan Military Industries under the name of the Rising Sun Group, they sent special representatives to negotiate.

The price was very low—only one gold shield, with the Crimson Dragon Armor thrown in, on the condition that Li Mochen take over the contracts for the 120,000 permanent residents of the 'Saint Stone Fortress' and the 4,000 armed personnel of the fortress defense force.

Back then, the Nathan Military Industrial Complex, to quickly clear the dark creatures around the 'Saint Stone Fortress' and ensure the safety of the mining area, had recruited a large number of magical energy professionals to settle there and signed contracts with seven armed hunter groups, guaranteeing free housing, stable bases, and supplies for the next 150 years.

As a result, their tungsten mining failed, but these armed hunter groups and dark hunters made a fortune.

To honor these contracts, with total penalties as high as 600 billion gold shields, they had to station up to 4,000 armed personnel at the 'Saint Stone Fortress' to ensure its safety.

The salary for this force alone amounted to 800 million gold shields per year, plus various types of weapons, fortress buildings, and maintenance of the magical energy defense array. Their income from the 'Saint Stone Fortress' was negligible, only from taxing these hunters.

The problem was that Nathan had set very low tax rates to attract these magical energy professionals. In the first eighty years, they only needed to pay 8% on the magical materials they hunted and brought to the Light World. Half of that was then taken by the IRS—according to the national development tax, newly opened cities in the Dark World only required 4% on all magical materials.

So the annual income of the Saint Stone Fortress was a mere 420 million gold shields.

Thus, when Li Mochen expressed his intention to buy, the board was overjoyed. Even though they had to throw in the Crimson Dragon Armor, there was little resistance.

Li Mochen didn't let them off easy; he additionally demanded that the Nathan Group must gift him all the heavy equipment of the 'Saint Stone Fortress' and also provide individual equipment for 4,000 people.

Surprisingly, the relevant senior management of Nathan Military Industries agreed to his demands after only three hours of consideration. This made Li Mochen realize that the situation of the 'Saint Stone Fortress' was likely worse than he had investigated.