Munitions Empire

So when he heard the price, he could hardly believe his ears: he really feared that these two didn't truly understand just how valuable the circles he mingled in were.

He then turned to look at the noble with a face full of disbelief, "Miss Susan is really the top female singer in the kingdom?"

"Uh... yes, yes, she really is," the young noble answered nervously, stammering.

"I am absolutely the best singer!" Susan stated seriously and assertively in her own defense.

Tang Mo could tell from the two's somewhat embarrassed expressions that they were probably telling the truth. He also didn't believe that after the battle of Brunas, anyone who still wanted to make a living inside the borders of Leite Kingdom would have the guts to try to cheat him out of his gold coins.

So, after a brief moment of consideration, he spoke up, "I'll give you 500 gold coins a year! Your troupe will change its name to the Great Tang Troupe, and afterward, I'll send people to deliver scripts and management strategies to you! The development of your troupe will be fully taken over by the Great Tang Group, any problems with that?"

"This..." The noble was a bit lost and looked at Tang Mo, not knowing what to say for the best.

Susan was also startled by Tang Mo's generosity, and confirmed uncertainly, "How much did you say?"

Tang Mo repeated the figure he had quoted and then emphasized again, "500 gold coins a year! In addition, ticket sales and advertising costs will be part of your performance commission, for you to distribute yourselves!"

"You're serious?" Joy showed in Susan's eyes as she stared at Tang Mo, her gaze almost brimming with tears.

Tang Mo nodded and replied, "Yes."

"You're really a good person," Susan's voice rose in sickly sweetness at a geometric rate.

Tang Mo felt it was still necessary to clarify things further, "No, miss, I am a businessman!"

"So, what would you like to buy from me then? Tonight... I can have a good talk with you about opera," Susan said, puffing her chest out and assuming a seductive air.

She was an old hand at this, having maneuvered among the nobility, how could she still be the picture of an innocent young girl?

In fact, she was also romantically involved with the young noble beside her, otherwise he wouldn't have brought her here to lobby Tang Mo in such a setting.

Clearly, Tang Mo wasn't much interested in such well-known women of easy virtue. The collection of female celebrities he had gathered before crossing over included those from Huaxia and abroad, of every skin color, tall, short... there were simply too many.

Tang Mo also caught the subtext in her words. Her so-called chatting about opera at night was plainly an attempt to seduce him.

So he stated his position firmly, quickly steering the conversation back to more appropriate grounds, "I have no time to talk about opera! Miss! I'm here to buy your troupe, not your body!"

"" The other party hadn't expected Tang Mo to so bluntly refuse an amorous encounter and still wore a look of surprise on her face.

Fearing that she might misunderstand and think he disdained her as damaged goods, Tang Mo explained further, "You indeed are a beauty, but I am no randy old wolf like those from the Shireck Consortium... Do your job well, make me feel the troupe I'm paying for is worth the money, and that's enough! Understand?"

Susan swallowed hard, sensing that the man in front of her was somewhat different from the other nobles. She felt a tinge of regret for giving her body away too soon to others.

But, that regret was fleeting. Then she nodded at Tang Mo, responding, "Understood, I understand."

After sending the singer away, Tang Mo received several more nobles and merchants who came to discuss business collaborations. When no one else came over, Alice finally returned to his side, holding a glass of wine.

Alice looked at Susan in the distance, socializing with several nobles, and deliberately asked Tang Mo, "Isn't that Susan?"

Tang Mo nodded without any denial, "It is."

"Why did she leave? Aren't you going to talk with her about art tonight?" Alice, who was quite familiar with Susan, directly asked Tang Mo.

Tang Mo straightforwardly answered Alice, "I have to rush back to Brunas tonight..."

"You really are a man who does not understand romance," Alice said, unable to hide the amusement in her eyes after hearing Tang Mo's reply.

"Perhaps," Tang Mo nodded, agreeing with Alice's assessment. When it came to women, he was very picky; for those he disliked, he could be described as an unromantic straight guy or even cold and heartless.

Alice smiled at Tang Mo and said, "But I like that."

"…" Tang Mo looked at Alice, then her lips sealed his before he could respond.

Tang Mo could not stay in Wolf City for long; in fact, he returned to Brunas that very night, traveling on his own train.

This mode of transportation was very convenient and required no preparation. His guards could also follow on the train, ensuring his safety.

Before leaving Wolf City, Tang Mo sent a telegraph to remotely command the Brunas expedition fleet to leave Brunas Port under cover of darkness.

The scale of this fleet was immense, for after Tang Mo had taken out Shireck, he also acquired several transportation fleets that had been affiliated with the Shireck Consortium.

Then, he commandeered almost all the ships, taking virtually everything he owned, led by Roger, the fleet set off for Black Dragon Island in an impressive voyage.

Tang Mo's fleet included 19 large transport ships, 32 small transport ships, and armed merchant ships, along with 1 Ironclad Warship for escort.

The entire fleet transported nearly enough equipment and raw materials to build two factories on Black Dragon Island, as well as about 2000 workers and their families.

Similarly, a battalion of the Great Tang Group's security forces was on the move, transferring all their weapons with them.

According to the plan, the Great Tang Group would build two factories on Black Dragon Island, construct a simple dock, and also erect housing to ensure the settlers could survive on the island.

Bernard's reconnaissance fleet had already returned home; they would serve as the escort for the second batch of transport ships, taking another 40 small transport ships to Black Dragon Island.

This development plan was more than twice the size of the original plan drafted by Tang Mo, a change forced by shifting circumstances.

At the time the original plan was drawn up, Tang Mo had not yet defeated the Shireck Consortium, so the expansion plan was far more conservative.

Now, with his influence firmly established in Brunas and even throughout the Leite Kingdom, he could commit more resources to competing for Black Dragon Island.

In short, for Tang Mo, time was his most precious commodity; to accelerate development, he did not even have time to spend a tender night with Alice in Wolf City.

Because the Ironclad Warship followed, Tang Mo could maintain real-time control over the expansion progress on Black Dragon Island and also remotely command the troops he had stationed there.

Therefore, he had nearly half of his forces positioned on Black Dragon Island, as he was quite concerned that the other countries that had also discovered Black Dragon Island might covet it.

As a result, on the same day Tang Mo returned to Brunas, he received new information: the Poplar Kingdom had defeated its old rival, the Gales Kingdom, annexing the Sena Plain and nearly doubling its territory.

The Poplar Kingdom's steam engines and K1 Quick Guns gained fame, and the influence of this Elf Kingdom surged to unprecedented levels.

Upon hearing this news, John, who was in Brunas worrying about the entertainment kingdom Tang Mo owned, walked into Tang Mo's office with a troubled expression.

He first apologized once again for his father's broken promises and also made it clear that he distanced himself from the positions of the Augustin Family.

Tang Mo comforted him, then handed him a bill—the Augustin Family owed him 3.1 million Gold Coins, the debt snowballing with interest…

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A 4000-word long chapter. I'm not in good form today, so this is all I've written, and there won't be a second update. Don't wait for it, everyone. I'll aim for three updates tomorrow to make up for it. Apologies.