"The second option is, give me five Lord-level crystal cores, and I'll turn you into an idiot. You'll recover in ten days, though."
Fuzi readily handed over the crystal cores, and Lin Zhan replaced the soul gems on the three men's heads with high-quality fakes.
Not long after, William and the others returned. Seeing the three bald men with their mouths askew and drooling, they were relieved. They also assured Lin Zhan that they would give him all the crystal cores as soon as they exited the secret realm.
Lin Zhan stated he didn't mind. After all, the two elder masters of the Lin family were still outside, so he wasn't afraid of anyone defaulting.
What's more, for the Lin family, it was even better if people didn't pay. That way, they could take both the money and their lives, and sometimes even more if they were lucky.
Lin Zhan announced that after crossing the river, they would reach the center of the secret realm, where everyone would rely on their own abilities. It was better to split up now.
William and Babulu understood. William summoned a winged unicorn and rode it across the river.
Babulu, on the other hand, took out a dugout canoe and paddled across.
"Lin Laohei, I'm impressed. You've already acquired ten Lord-level crystal cores in such a short time," Ying Xuan said with admiration.
"Heh heh, we have so many brothers, we can't let everyone suffer, can we? This is small stuff. Besides, William still owes me five," Lin Zhan replied.
"If he dares to renege, your two elder masters could personally march to the Great British Special Administrative Region."
The group found a suitable landing spot. Zhang Haoran opened his storage space and released a Dharma boat, unique to the Celestial Master Mansion.
Zhang Cong, however, didn't board the boat. He removed his combat suit, revealing a water armor made from special Crocodile Dragon skin from the Zhang family, and plunged into the water.
Watching Zhang Cong in the water, everyone marveled at how much more agile he was than a fish.
Lin Zhan summoned Xiao Jin and Xiao Hei. Xiao Hei, being a Profound Water Spirit Turtle, felt naturally at home in the water, while Xiao Jin, a Dragon Python, was unaffected by the water.
"Old Leng, release your Skylarks and let these little guys search the water surface for any sign of those two teams," Lin Zhan said to Leng Shan.
"I already released them. But Old Lin, we might not be able to find the Roman Church's team. Don't forget, those bird-people have wings," Leng Shan said, looking at his Skylarks, and remembering that the Angelic race had wings.
"I anticipated this. This time, we're primarily here for the Americans. Didn't Second Uncle ask us to kidnap Adam Sol? Let's capture him first, then deal with the Church's team."
"Chirp chirp chirp." The group, chatting idly, heard the calls of the Skylarks.
"Old Lin, someone is crossing the river. It should be Adam Sol's team," Leng Shan informed Lin Zhan, relaying the message from the Skylarks.
"Zhang Haoran, speed up the crossing. Old Leng, have the Skylarks scout the nearest high ground to the riverbank. I'm going to bombard America this time, and it'll be fun all day," Lin Zhan told everyone.
"Bomb? Where did you get a bomb? Lin Laohei, bombs are military contraband. Don't mess around," Ying Xuan said, bewildered. Large-scale military equipment like energy cannons were used on the Ten Thousand Races Battlefield, and even elite disciples like Lin Zhan were not allowed to use such heavy weapons in the human territory.
"Why panic? Who knows what kind of cannon it is from that distance? If anyone asks, just say it's Lin Zhan's Italian cannon."
"Zhang Cong, as soon as I finish firing, you go immediately to check if there are any survivors. I hope Adam Sol isn't blown to smithereens, or who will I get the ransom from?"
"Old Leng, have the Skylarks lock onto the target and don't lose them. Zhang Haoran, did you skip breakfast? Hurry up, if you dawdle any longer, they'll get ahead of us," Lin Zhan said irritably to Zhang Haoran.
"It seems Lin Dage has lost his temper this time, even resorting to cannons," the others muttered.
"Old He, you guys keep an eye on those three idiots. Don't lose them again. These three are worth a lot of money. When we get out, I'll extort another sum from San Muha and tell him I can cure these idiots," Lin Zhan said happily, looking at the three bald men.
"Holy cow, Big Brother, this Lin Dage is like a leech, squeezing every drop. He'll do anything to make money," Wang Er Zhuang said, helping his sworn brother tie up the three idiotic masters of Yin San.
"What do you know, brother? This is all on the company's dime. With Old Lin's personality, everyone will get a share of the ransom from this kidnapping. Just do your job well, and you'll have plenty of opportunities to split money later."
He Dazhuang and his brother's conversation wasn't hidden from the others, and everyone heard it clearly.
"Old Zhang, you see? I told you Lin Laohei must have done a lot of plundering, smashing kilns, and kidnapping people. These guys are too skilled," Ying Xuan whispered to Zhang Haoran, observing the situation.
"Old Ying, do you think we should also focus on training in this type of business? Look at Lin Laohei's earnings this time, ten Lord-level crystal cores, and it's not over yet. With his personality, he won't let these fools go until he's squeezed every last cent out of them," Zhang Haoran, who had suffered from poverty, said enviously.
"It's true. Why didn't we think of this way to get rich before?" Ying Xuan also realized. How could they bring their brothers along without money? Although they were all from prominent families, they had many people to support, and without some extra income, it wasn't enough.
"You don't know. I asked my junior brother to inquire from Zhang Lingxiu. When Lin Laohei led a team to fight the Ten Thousand Races Church, he rode a turtle and killed several Gold-ranked opponents. The spoils alone were enough for both of us to earn for half a year," Zhang Haoran also knew the situation well.
"We can only dream of going out and having fun. Look at how generous Lin Laohei is. He treats everyone to food and drink without batting an eye, and he himself is accompanied by beautiful women, enjoying the best of everything. That's what life is about. We can only survive."
"Relying solely on the resources provided by our families is only enough for our own cultivation. It's not even enough to eat well. Look, my junior brother is a bit malnourished."
Ying Xuan looked at the young Taoist Zhang Haoming, who was delicately carved, fair-skinned, and plump. How could he be malnourished? And yet he was still hanging around Zhang Lingxiu, calling her "sister" and eating for free.
This little fatty is malnourished? Are the people from Celestial Master Mansion mentally impaired or visually impaired? However, what this charlatan said made a lot of sense.
"What are you two doing here? Old Zhang, why aren't you accelerating the boat and talking to this reckless fellow?" Lin Zhan appeared behind them at some point.
"Old Lin, didn't your great-uncle ask us to capture him alive? Did you really bomb him?" Zhang Haoran asked with doubt.
"Don't worry, Adam must have some protective treasure. He won't die so easily. Besides, it only said Adam had to be alive, not the other two. It's likely that Asgard and we have reached some kind of agreement."
The two of them were enlightened by Lin Zhan's words and couldn't help but marvel at how Lin Laohei's mind worked.