CHAPTER 852: You Must Obey Him Too

One of the teenagers stared blankly for a moment. They did not understand why Han Hao would ask such a question. "Well, we carried a lot of black crystal coins with us when we entered the Fringe. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to live in the Omphalos until now," one of them half-answered after hesitating for a moment.

These teenagers came from various Dominions. They were either degenerates or had done something reprehensible. Otherwise they wouldn't have been excommunicated by their families and banished to the Fringe. The fact that they could afford to live in the Omphalos for years, spending at least a hundred black crystal coins a day, meant that they had plenty to spare.

Han Hao looked carefully at the young people, knitted his brows and began to think. He remained silent for a while before announcing, "I will take you as my disciples, but each of you must pay five hundred thousand black crystal coins as a fee. I will not guarantee your safety - in fact, you will be in constant danger. However, I will guarantee that none of you will be treated like cannon fodder.

"What? Five hundred thousand?" the shy-looking girl exclaimed in surprise.

The teenagers looked at each other, struggling to make a decision. Five hundred black crystal coins was no small fortune for the teenagers. It was more than enough for them to live safely in the Omphalos for at least a decade. Paying that amount of black crystal coins in exchange for exposing themselves to constant danger didn't seem reasonable.

"You all come from family clans from all twelve Dominions. I promise that if you follow me, when you have gained enough strength, I will help you to reclaim what is rightfully yours from your family clans. And of course, I will help you take care of the people who forced you to flee your home," Han Hao said calmly after noticing their hesitation.

Han Hao then gestured for them to leave as he said, "Go back and think carefully. If you do not have enough strength, even if I gave you your family clan, would you be able to secure it?"

The teenagers seemed somewhat tempted by Han Hao's words. They looked at each other again and considered Han Hao's proposal. Then one of them said, "Your words make sense. Let us go back and discuss it. After all, it's not easy for all of us to take out five hundred black crystal coins."

Han Hao closed his eyes again and became as still and silent as a statue.

The teenagers bowed to Han Hao before they left, their brows furrowed.

Immediately after they left, Han Tu asked hastily, "Brother, why would you want them?"

"They come from influential family clans from various dominions. If we can train them according to our teachings, with their blood relations and our help, we could install them as patriarchs of their family clans. We, in turn, would have control over those family clans.

""I asked for five hundred thousand black crystal coins only to cripple their way out. It is only when they are penniless that they won't think of escaping to the Omphalos whenever they run into danger. Only then could they bring out their fullest potential.

"These people have been taking all sorts of divine essences since they were young, therefore they should have decent aptitude and potential. All that they lack is real combat experience and baptism through blood. I will give them that," Han Hao explained after opening his eyes to look at Han Tu. Then he lectured, "Little Earth, in addition to improving your strength, you should also improve your understanding of the ways of the world. Try to understand what people think and how they think. Only with greater worldly wisdom can you be more helpful to Father.

Han Tu looked pensive after hearing Han Hao's words. He thought that Han Hao fully deserved to be their big brother. Not only did he have greater strength, but also greater wisdom and intelligence.

"Got it, brother!" Han Tu could not be more in awe of his eldest brother. He thought, <i >Eldest brother is so farsighted that he could think a hundred steps ahead of others. No wonder he has risen so high so fast in the Death Dominion.

***

Han Shuo, Romon, Zovic, Rose, and the Elite Zombies were nearing the Omphalos. As soon as they arrived at the entry checkpoint, that Omphalos guard who had previously given Han Shuo kind warnings laughed out loud and greeted, "Hello, friend! Welcome back!"

It was also this person who divulged Kage's whereabouts to Han Shuo. Although he had not shown any evil intent so far, as he was a servant to one of the Sovereigns, Han Shuo remained cautious towards him. Han Shuo smilingly said, "Hey! It's you again. What a coincidence. Do you always man this checkpoint?"

"No, but it will be for the foreseeable future," the person replied before putting on a serious face and saying, "I did not properly introduce myself last time. You call me Luolong, a servant of Sovereign Ossora. May I know your name, sir?"

"I am Bryan. I'm new to the Fringe and would be grateful for any advice," Han Shuo replied calmly. He handed some crystal coins to Luolong, received several small badges and distributed them to Romon and the others.

"Hehe, I heard that Kage is dead! Salas' people are looking for the killer," Luolong said in a low voice after suddenly grinning. He looked at Han Shuo intensely to observe the emotions on his face.

Han Shuo had seen all kinds of situations and all kinds of people. It was clear to Han Shuo what Luolong was trying to do. He pretended to be surprised and replied, "What? Damn it! I heard that he had managed to loot some very rare ores, and I wanted to buy some from him. But who would have thought he'd be murdered so soon! How unfortunate!" After a short pause, Han Shuo curiously asked, "Do you know who killed him and where the ores are?"

Luolong had been observing Han Shuo's expressions attentively but noticed nothing unusual. <i >Huh? He has nothing to do with Kage's death? That's strange, thought Luolong before he shook his head and replied, "I only know that his head had been cut off. There were bodies of Sovereign Tyre and Logue's followers around him. Nobody knew who did it. However, I do know about those ores. Kage had submitted them to Sovereign Salas as a tribute."

Han Shuo pretended to stare blankly for a moment before he grimaced, shook his head, and said, "Since it's with Sovereign Salas, I guess it's not possible to get those ores. He definitely won't be in any shortage of black crystal coins. Sigh, I guess I will just give up on that."

Han Shuo was secretly rejoicing when he heard that Kage had been murdered and that no damning evidence had been left behind. It left no shroud of doubt in his mind about Han Hao's capabilities. Meanwhile, Metal Elite Zombie who was standing not far behind Han Shuo was grinning ear to ear. He knew that Han Hao must have had something to do with Kage's death and he admired his eldest brother even more.

"It's good that you think so. That Salas is a madman. Few in the Fringe would even try to do business with him," Luolong remarked very quietly. Then Luolong suddenly leaned closer to Han Shuo and asked in a low voice, "Mister Bryan, the master I answer to, Sovereign Ossora, would like to meet you. Would you be interested?"

Han Shuo was stunned. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Sovereign Ossora? Would you like to meet me?" Han Shuo paused for a moment before he put on a faint smile and replied, "You should know that I'm not interested in working for anyone, not even the Five Sovereigns."

"You misunderstood me!" Luolong hastily clarified, "Sovereign Ossora definitely has no such intention. I can guarantee you that! In fact, His Sovereignty is looking for opportunities to cooperate with Mr Bryan in the Fringe. Sir Bryan, even if you do not want to kowtow to any power, even with your extraordinary strength, it is still necessary to have friends in this confusing and complicated place called the Fringe.

Those words from Luolong had managed to pique Han Shuo's interest. Although it was true that Han Shuo would not bow down to any of the powerhouses, he was more than willing to work with a sovereign to defeat other sovereigns.

After thinking about it, Han Shuo smiled. "Very well then, you may go and arrange the meeting. I will stay in the Omphalos for a few days. Just notify me after it has been arranged."

"Alright, I will do just that. I will not bother Mr Bryan any longer," Luolong seemed very happy to hear that Han Shuo had agreed to meet his master. He called to his guards, "I want you all to remember their faces. They are the guests of Lord Ossora. Make sure that they have a pleasant stay. Kick anyone who tries to give them trouble out of the Omphalos!"

Han Shuo nodded with a smile before stepping into the Omphalos with Rose and the others.

With a thought in his mind, Han Shuo immediately located the positions of Han Hao and Han Tu. He immediately led his party to their location.

Han Shuo was even more reassured of Han Hao's safety after hearing of Kage's death. It wasn't just Han Hao's strength, but also his ability to carry out a mission so perfectly that even Luolong hadn't suspected him. This showed that his intelligence was far beyond the average being on Elysium.

As Han Shuo revelled in his amazement, he arrived at a remote region of the Omphalos.

As he approached, he saw the cold-looking Han Hao sitting cross-legged on a boulder. Several teenagers dressed in luxurious, expensive clothes were kowtowing to him, solemnly swearing their devotion to Han Hao. They also took out large quantities of black crystal coins and respectfully presented them to Han Hao.

When the crystal coins were presented, Han Tu smiled broadly and stepped forward to receive the crystal coins on behalf of Han Hao. He even patted their shoulders in a friendly manner and said, "Good, good... From now on, we are all in the same boat... Hehehe..."

Han Hao raised his head and looked at Han Shuo and his party approaching in the distance. He solemnly instructed the teenagers, "Remember - in addition to me, you must also obey him!" he pointed at Han Shuo.