My Computer Leads to an Instance Dungeon-Chapter 182 - 154: Ambition! Count?

After speaking, Fang Zhen looked toward Dalia.

A peculiar light flashed in Dalia's eyes. It seemed she had thought of many things, and the more she considered them, the more excited she became, her face beginning to flush.

Fang Zhen recognized one of Dalia's physical tells: the Countess would blush whenever she thought of something exciting.

After a moment, Dalia seemed to snap back to reality from her reverie.

"Okay, I agree to your terms," Dalia said. "But as you suggested, I want to be your sole distributor. And it must be *only* me. I want that exclusive right."

"In return, I can be flexible on the terms. I'll do my best to give you a generous price, or, as you said, help you gather the resources you're looking for."

Fang Zhen nodded.

'Dalia is smart; she's already demanding exclusive distribution rights. Once she has modern weapons and resource support from me, she'll easily be able to control the territory, build an army, and even expand her influence through trade or arms sales.'

'If we can establish a long-term partnership, I'll be able to gather resources conveniently without having to station anyone in this world. It would be a huge saving in time and manpower—profitable and hassle-free.'

'I had a similar idea before, but I didn't have the right connections. Dalia fills that gap perfectly. Our strengths are truly complementary, and I can't see any potential conflicts between us.'

"Let's do as you say. But before that, there's something else I need to discuss with you," Dalia said. "I want to hire you for a few days. I need your help to return to the Ashton Territory, rally the scattered soldiers, and reorganize my army. That's how I can re-establish order, consolidate my power, and regain control of the Ashton Territory."

"That's perfectly reasonable," Fang Zhen nodded. "But the soldiers are completely scattered. Can you really rally them?"

"Only some of them broke," Dalia said. "Every noble's army has a portion of soldiers conscripted from vagrants and Mercenaries. They have the lowest loyalty, the worst morale, and are always the first to break."

"But there's another type of soldier: the sons of the farmers and artisans from my own lands. These men are more resilient and reliable, more disciplined, and easier to command."

"When Ashton's Legion broke, most of those who fled were the hired Mercenaries. As for my own territorial soldiers, even in defeat, they're unlikely to become wandering bandits. They'll return to their hometowns, seek refuge with their families, or simply lay down their arms and armor to become commoners again."

"If I return to the Ashton Territory, I can re-enlist at least sixty or seventy of these men. Add to that the militia who've had some training but aren't formal soldiers, plus some veterans, and it shouldn't be too hard to form a company of one hundred and twenty. If I then absorb a few more Mercenaries, the army could expand to nearly two hundred."

"I'll also write to my godfather, Viscount Perrington, and ask to borrow some of his soldiers. Then, I can absorb soldiers from the Montagu Army. In the end, the legion could be expanded to between three and five hundred men."

"With that kind of military force as a guarantee, combined with the maneuvering of money and power, I'm confident I can merge the Montagu Territory, Ashton Territory, and Baron von Territory. At that point, with the Extraordinary Weapons you provide me as your sole distributor as a bargaining chip, I might even be able to maneuver my way to the rank of Countess."

"Of course, that's a plan for later. The most important thing right now is that I need a powerful Knight to help me consolidate the scattered soldiers of the Ashton Territory first. They are my foundation, the source of my confidence."

'Soldiers from her own lands... far more reliable than Mercenaries.' Fang Zhen thought her long explanation was perfectly reasonable.

'If I were in her shoes, I'd do the same.'

'And it seems Dalia is quite ambitious, already planning how to become a Countess.'

'But Dalia has no heirs. If she becomes a Countess, who will she pass the title to?'

The thought crossed Fang Zhen's mind, but he didn't dwell on it.

"I can do that," he said. "But you'll have to pay me daily."

"Fifty Gold Ropes a day. How does that sound?" Dalia asked.

"Deal," Fang Zhen replied. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

He needed time to prepare for the sale of the DJI drones to Dalia anyway.

'At the very least, DJI drones run on electricity, not an internal combustion engine. I'm not trying to swindle Dalia, so I'll have to provide a diesel generator, won't I? Plus the necessary wires, cables, adapters, inverters, and all that.'

This was all part of the "accessories" Fang Zhen had mentioned.

Fang Zhen and Dalia finalized the terms.

The plan was as follows: first, Fang Zhen would accompany Dalia back to the Ashton Territory to consolidate her soldiers and army. Then, he would return to Redstone Town to retrieve the DJI drones and their accessories. After that, the army would march on the Baron von Territory to either eliminate or absorb Von Klei's remaining forces and rendezvous with the troops borrowed from Viscount Perrington.

Fang Zhen planned to go to the Baron von Territory as well, as he had another objective: to find the potential spatial item.

'Von Klei's spatial item wasn't on his person, so it's most likely in his castle.'

'Only with a spatial item could I buy real firearms and bring them back home. So a trip to the Baron von Territory is a must.'

After that was done, Fang Zhen would spend two days teaching Dalia how to operate the drones, thus fulfilling his side of the arms deal and receiving his payment in Gold Ropes.

Fang Zhen was a man of action. With the plan settled, he excused himself, left Redstone Town, and headed for the Light Gate.

'The main questline for the Fallen Knight was technically complete; I could go home and "clear" it anytime. But the important side quest for the spatial item, as well as the "arms deal" side content, wasn't finished yet. There was no rush to finalize the instance rewards.'

After returning to the modern world through the Light Gate, he immediately pulled out his phone and drew up a shopping list.

It included: DJI agricultural drones, a small or medium-sized diesel generator, gasoline, diesel, a repair manual for common DJI drone issues, spare batteries and parts, and various other accessories like adapters and inverters.

Once the list was complete, he double-checked it for any omissions, then sent it to a particularly capable employee at his company.

"Buy everything on this list within two days and have it delivered to me. Get the money from Vice President He. Keep the receipts; the company will reimburse the expenses.

There's a bonus if you get it done. If not, I'm docking your performance pay."

He sent the list to the employee via a chat app.

A moment later, the employee replied with a sticker: a cartoon office worker saluting, with the word "Received" underneath.

Fang Zhen put down his phone.

'Starting this company was the right move. Having an organization to handle resource gathering is so much more efficient than doing it all myself.'

After finishing, he thought for a moment and wrote up another list.

On this list were items like exquisite porcelain dinnerware, silk, and high-quality tea.

'Trade with the Otherworld doesn't have to be limited to arms sales. The luxury goods trade has always been quite profitable.'

'I don't know if Dalia will be interested in these things, but porcelain, silk, and tea earned Ancient Huaxia a fortune back in the day. When in doubt about what to trade, you can't go wrong with these.'

'They're just modern manufactured goods anyway. These three items look even better than their ancient counterparts, and they're relatively cheap. There's no way the people of the Otherworld won't be into them.'

He sent this procurement list to the employee as well.

After taking care of these matters and making a few more preparations, he pushed his motorcycle back through the Light Gate.

「Redstone Town.」

When Fang Zhen returned to the Redstone Tavern, Dalia was already packed and ready to set out for her castle in the Ashton Territory.

The one-eyed female guard had a two-person carriage ready. Matthew had procured a horse from somewhere; it looked like a warhorse that had been spooked by the fire and bolted from one of Viscount Montagu's Quasi-Knights.

Dalia hadn't kept her deal with Fang Zhen a secret from Matthew and her one-eyed guard, who were her most staunch supporters. They both knew the plan.

Fang Zhen rode Jue Ying up to the carriage window.

The carriage window slid open, revealing Dalia's face. She wore a thin, black veil, whether to protect against the dust or to advertise her status as a widow, it was hard to say.

"I'm preparing the items you requested. I'll be able to pick them up in Redstone Town in two or three days," Fang Zhen said. "Would you also be interested in some luxury goods? Porcelain, tea, silk, that sort of thing?"

"You can get those too?" Dalia asked, surprised.

Fang Zhen nodded. Her reaction confirmed that this world had similar products.

"You continue to surprise me," Dalia said, her gaze exceptionally soft, almost amorous.

Ever since Ashton's death, Dalia had stopped hiding her feelings for Fang Zhen. It wasn't just fondness, but a passionate, more fervent emotion.

Fang Zhen, however, remained clear-headed.

'I don't think this is love. It's more of a powerful sense of need.'

'For the nobility, love is a luxury. Alliances of interest are the main melody.'

'Even Kings and Queens are mostly in political marriages. Back on Earth, European history is filled with records of monarchs and their consorts having separate affairs. It's easy for the so-called upper class to cover such things up. While it might be immoral, it's highly accepted within aristocratic circles, to the point of being the norm.'

'What I can give Dalia is exactly what she needs most. That's the cornerstone and source of her passionate feelings.'

Fang Zhen was indifferent to it.

'I didn't come here for romance. I'm not pursuing it, but I won't resist it if it happens.'

'As long as I stay focused on my main objectives and don't lose sight of them, it'll be fine.'

'Then again, if I were a native of this world and hadn't come here through the Light Gate, a union with Dalia would be a perfect match. We each have what the other lacks. A relationship between us would be incredibly stable.'

"Let's get going," Fang Zhen said.

"Yes, I'll follow your lead," Dalia said agreeably.

Dalia closed the carriage window. The one-eyed guard took the reins, ready to depart.

"Sir! Sir! Wait!"

Ande's voice rang out.

Fang Zhen stopped the motorcycle and looked back.

Ande came running from a short distance away, a round crystal bottle in his hand.