Although it was modified from a merchant ship, it appeared slightly smaller than the Da Fu Ship No. 1, yet it was still a colossal entity.
Twenty-eight Da Fu Ships, along with over two hundred medium patrol ships and Hai Cang Ships, surely were not something the Star Moon Sect could rival. In fact, no force in the East South Sea Domain, including the Lv Sheng Dynasty, could match this number of large ships.
"For us, battle ships are minor; I am more curious about how many Innate Martial Artists are on that ship!" the elder said, stroking his graying beard.
"Does Third Master know any of the Innate Martial Artists from Da Rong?" Zhu Ming asked softly.
The elder before him was Zhu Changxing, one of the heads of the Zhu family from Earth Fire Island, a family-based force. Although the family had grown to tens of thousands, with numerous branches, the Zhu family still maintained a family-centric governance model.
All the heads of this governance were Innate Martial Artists, and they respected neither seniority nor age, only strength. The order of the heads was ranked according to the time each broke through to the Innate Realm.
The current Third Master before him was ranked third on Earth Fire Island, which meant there were two other family members who reached the Innate Realm before him.
If any of those ahead passed away, he would move up in rank.
Zhu Changxing took a deep breath, "There are a few acquaintances, but it has been several years since I last saw them. It seems I should pay a visit to an old friend!"
"The situation in the East South Sea Domain might change soon; we should also start making preparations in advance!"
Zhu Ming nodded in agreement, "What about Mr. Xue Ping, Third Master? Should we cooperate with them?"
Zhu Changxing chuckled, "Even if we were to choose a partner, it wouldn’t be him. He is just a Deputy Magistrate in Da Rong."
"Then what does Third Master suggest?" Zhu Ming was somewhat disappointed; he was actually quite optimistic about cooperating with Xue Ping.
Zhu Changxing explained, "Xue Ping is the Deputy Magistrate of the Tenglong Advanced Guard, and I know that this Tenglong Guard was personally trained by Marquis Jing’an Yang Zhenshan of Da Rong, yes, Yang Zhenshan, the Prime Minister of the Four Seas Navy!"
"So, our partner should be Da Rong’s Marquis Jing’an Yang Zhenshan, not just a Xue Ping!"
Xue Ping was not yet qualified to collaborate with Earth Fire Island. It wasn’t that he looked down on Xue Ping, but Xue Ping truly did not qualify.
Whether in terms of identity, status, or strength, Xue Ping was far from qualified.
Zhu Ming suddenly realized, "Third Master has considered it thoroughly!"
Zhu Changxing ordered, "Prepare a generous gift, once the Four Seas Navy returns triumphantly, I will personally visit Marquis Jing’an!"
Zhu Ming hesitated, "What kind of generous gift would be appropriate?"
This really made him feel somewhat troubled. To mention silver coins, they were naturally abundant on Dongyang Island, as were various types of merchandise, but he felt that ordinary items would probably not catch the eye of Innate Martial Artists.
If it were a finer item, they did not possess it.
"Prepare some ordinary items; I will personally prepare the important gifts!" Zhu Changxing stated.
During this time, Earth Fire Island had not been idle, continuously gathering information about the internal affairs of Da Rong, including the Four Seas Navy, Yang Zhenshan, and Da Rong Court’s attitude towards the East South Sea Domain.
Thus Zhu Changxing now had a good understanding of Yang Zhenshan and knew some of his preferences.
Of course, they had also discerned Da Rong Court’s attitude toward the East South Sea Domain, especially why Da Rong Court targeted the Star Moon Sect this time.
The Star Moon Sect had doomed itself; they naturally would not intervene. As long as Da Rong Court did not intend to swallow the East South Sea Domain, they would not mind cooperating with Da Rong.
This knowledge that Da Rong harbored no covetous intentions towards the East South Sea Domain was precisely why they chose to stand by and watch; otherwise, they would have banded together with the Star Moon Sect to counterbalance Da Rong.
However, although Da Rong had no desire to covet the East South Sea Domain, Da Rong’s expedition to punish the Star Moon Sect would still affect the balance of the East South Sea Domain, leading Earth Fire Island to decide unanimously to select a collaborator from within Da Rong.
Why not cooperate directly with Da Rong Court?
Because they knew they were not qualified!
In fact, they didn’t even qualify to become a subordinate dynasty of Da Rong, in the entire East South Sea Domain, only the Lv Sheng Dynasty qualified to be a subordinate of Da Rong.