Lin Zhan chuckled, "That would be too awkward. William and I are brothers, after all."
William, well aware of Lin Zhan's shamelessness, quickly replied, "Precisely because Big Brother and I are brothers, this is merely my humble offering as a younger brother, a token of my sincerity. Please, Big Brother, don't be polite. Otherwise, you're not treating me as a brother."
Lin Zhan laughed heartily and said, "Then I'll respectfully accept your kindness."
With that, he handed the storage bag to the young Taoist.
Seeing Lin Zhan's actions, Lancelot immediately produced another storage bag and offered it to Zhang Haoming, saying, "Regarding the affairs of our Great Britain, young friend Haoming has also been of great assistance, which makes this old man feel extremely indebted. This small token of appreciation is nothing significant, but please accept it, young friend."
The young Taoist happily accepted the storage bag and said, "Then thank you, Lord Lancelot. I have been rather short of funds lately, so thank you very much."
Lin Zhan turned to Lancelot and said, "Mr. Lancelot, please don't return just yet. You can depart with the old ancestors in three days for added safety. Send word back, and have them prepare."
"Also, there's one more thing. The legion being deployed this time is our Great Shang's Xuan Niao Army. It does not belong to any military force and is solely under the command of our ancestor Wu Ding."
"As for the four Clan-Protecting Human Kings, besides our ancestor Di Xin and your family's fifth-generation Heavenly Master, the other two Clan-Protecting Human Kings are the two commanders of the Xuan Niao Army, Prime Minister Bi Gan and Grand Tutor Wen Zhong."
"You don't need to doubt the strength of these two. One is the imperial uncle of our ancestor Di Xin, and the other is ancestor Di Xin's teacher."
"However, since this matter is being spearheaded by my Lin family and it involves Great Shang's private troops, I hope Mr. Lancelot will convey to your family the utmost importance of keeping this a secret."
Upon hearing Lin Zhan's words, Lancelot was startled and quickly said, "Young friend Lin, rest assured. Our Great Britain will definitely keep this news confidential."
Lin Zhan nodded with satisfaction and said, "Then thank you, Mr. Lancelot. Additionally, I will speak with our ancestor and help Great Britain with some peak-level Clan-Protecting Quasi-Kings to advance to Kings. If you have any suitable candidates, Mr. Lancelot, you can inform our ancestor Di Xin first." Su Dan Novel Network
After speaking, Lin Zhan gave Lancelot a knowing look.
Lancelot returned Lin Zhan's look with a glance and said, "Then thank you, young friend Lin. William and I will take our leave now. I must contact my family as soon as possible to arrange these matters."
Lin Zhan nodded and said to William, "Brother, let's leave it at that for today. When you have time, come over again, and Big Brother will host a grand meal for you. Coincidentally, our ancestor personally dealt with a King-level Black Demon Tiger not too long ago, and I've brewed some tiger bone wine. Take some to try."
He then instructed a maid, "Bring my brother and Mr. Lancelot two jars of tiger bone wine each."
Watching Lancelot and William disappear, the young Taoist leaned towards Lin Zhan and said, "Big Brother, these scoundrels are too rich! They're handing over 15 billion just like that. Including gifts, military expenses, and other miscellaneous items, it's easily over 23 billion."
"This is equivalent to 23 billion Lord-level crystal cores in resources, not some other low-level stuff. Where did they get so much?"
Lin Zhan pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Our ancestors had similar suspicions last time, but Ancestor Da Yu found nothing out of the ordinary during his trip. And look at how happy Lancelot seems. It's clear that while these resources aren't insignificant, Great Britain can afford to part with them without great difficulty."
"This is what's puzzling. Even with all our efforts on the Ten Thousand Races Battlefield each year, our Huaxia can't even acquire a fraction of this. Where are they getting it?"
The young Taoist took out a storage bag and probed it with his spiritual sense, exclaiming, "Holy cow, Big Brother, this old guy's reward for you alone is 300 million in resources! These bastards must have robbed the treasure vaults of the Ten Thousand Races!"
"Damn, I got 50 million! The rewards for both of us are almost as much as Ancestor Da Yu's appearance fee."
Lin Zhan looked at the young Taoist, his eyes shining with greed, and said, "Alright, brother-in-law, stop sighing. Ancestor Shang Tang will also be going this time. Let him investigate thoroughly. We'll keep today's rewards for ourselves. After all, we're both married men now and have families to support. Also, don't let my sister know, alright?"
The young Taoist quickly nodded and said, "I understand, Big Brother. I definitely won't tell Ya'er. Don't worry."
Saying that, he handed Lin Zhan's two storage bags over, while also tucking his own away.
"By the way, these barbarians are going back, and they'll surely think that the various great families of our Huaxia are at odds with each other. Otherwise, why would they deploy troops normally, and why would it need to be kept secret?"
"Tomorrow, tell Ancestor Di Xin that once they reach Great Britain, Lancelot will surely try to bribe him in secret. Let the ancestor accept all the benefits."
The young Taoist nodded, a look of disdain on his face, "These guys would never have imagined that Huaxia originated from the ancient Eight Surnames. We are all one family. And they still want to divide us."
On the other side, Lancelot and William, back in their villa, sipped the black tea served by the maid and spoke in low tones.
"Your Highness, the Lin family's strength is truly terrifying. Currently, they have revealed two foundational Human Emperors and three Clan-Protecting Kings. Lin Xiang, Lin Hai, and Lin Shan are all likely to advance to Kings, not to mention Lin Wu Fa, who is already a King. Just how many powerhouses does the Lin family have?"
William shook his head and said, "Regardless of how many powerhouses Lin Zhan has behind him, we just need to get along with him. Any further calculations are useless. We can't even defeat a single Di Xin, so there's no need to consider the rest."
"From Lin Zhan's words tonight, it's clear that the relationships between the various great families of Huaxia are not as harmonious as they seem. Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken the first pick of benefits. I believe we should offer more resources to Lin Zhan and let their Great Shang grow stronger."
"This way, other great families will surely unite against Great Shang, and we can gain a lot of benefits in the process. As for this time, didn't Lin Zhan actively offer to cultivate King-level powerhouses for us? This is something no amount of resources can buy."
Lancelot nodded and said, "Your Highness has a brilliant insight. So, who have you chosen to cultivate into Kings this time?"
William thought carefully and said, "You and Old Lancelot, Old Gawain, Old Kay, Young Kay, and Galahad. Let's primarily request Huaxia to focus on these six. We're not asking for too much; if just two of them successfully advance, we'll have made a profit."
"Oh, and be sure to prepare an additional token of appreciation for the elders of Great Shang. Pass it secretly to Ancestor Di Xin."