Chapter 471
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Chapter 471: Getting Rich, All Thanks to Kidnapping
At this moment, Luo Ji couldn’t help but suspect if these two had conspired beforehand, deliberately not letting him enjoy a hot cup of tea.
But after digesting the news for a bit, Luo Ji had to admit that Huo Qiguang’s message had left him somewhat dumbfounded.
“S-son?!”
Rubbing his brow forcefully, Luo Ji’s gaze shifted as he looked at Huo Qubing.
Finally, he asked in a subtle tone.
“Are you Huo Qiguang’s son?”
Upon hearing this, the other party’s visibly changed expression gave Luo Ji his answer.
Thinking about it, Huo Qiguang had probably been developing in his own world for decades. And this Huo Qubing looked to be 18 or 19.
Decades of time, for the other party to find a woman in his world and have a son, it didn’t seem particularly unbelievable.
After all, for players, as long as they had enough Civilization Points, they could practically extend their lives indefinitely, assuming they didn’t contract incurable diseases or suffer fatal injuries.
And for someone like Luo Ji, who had already taken the elixir of immortality, it went without saying.
Now it seemed, with Huo Qubing’s identity as Huo Qiguang’s son added into the mix, for Huo Qubing to surrender to him truly became an almost impossible feat.
After figuring this out, Luo Ji acted with newfound magnanimity.
“Alright, what price are you willing to pay to ransom your son?”
Huo Qiguang’s facial muscles twitched violently upon seeing this message.
He knew that by revealing this, while it would stop the other party from holding onto his son, a hefty payment was now absolutely unavoidable.
“I don’t have any Gold-tier items right now. I’ll add five more Silver-tier items to get my son back.”
“Five Silver-tier items? That seems a bit cheap, doesn’t it?”
Huo Qiguang was almost exploding with rage at this reply, but he had to patiently respond.
“These five Silver-tier items include a Silver-tier Declaration of War. That should be enough, shouldn’t it?!”
“Declaration of War?”
Luo Ji’s eyes immediately lit up at these words.
A Declaration of War was an excellent item.
Although a Silver-tier Declaration of War couldn’t compare to a Gold-tier one and didn’t have the ability to initiate ‘Total War,’ it could still initiate ‘Normal Mode’ wars.
It was a divine artifact for fighting skirmishes and probing enemy strength, making it one of the most sought-after items among players.
After pondering for a while, Luo Ji no longer had any thoughts about keeping Huo Qubing, and quite readily agreed to the deal.
One transaction alone earned him a grand total of twelve Silver-tier items, including a Silver-tier Declaration of War Order.
This time, he had undoubtedly made a huge profit!
He will probably wake up laughing in his dreams.
Getting rich, all thanks to kidnapping!
Luo Ji, returning to his old ways, now had an even deeper understanding of this saying.
Meanwhile, on the other side, within Huo Qiguang’s civilization.
Huo Qubing, back in the royal palace, stood awkwardly at the bottom of the hall. With his head bowed, he looked exactly like a child who had done something wrong.
“What did I tell you initially?”
Huo Qiguang, seated on the dragon throne, asked Huo Qubing expressionlessly.
Huo Qubing pursed his lips, then meekly replied.
“To use the cavalry’s mobility to tie down the enemy, but not to engage them directly.”
“Then what did you do?”
“Your son, your son…”
Looking at the timid Huo Qubing, and then recalling the loss of a full twelve Silver-tier items, Huo Qiguang was practically in so much pain he couldn’t breathe, yet he also felt a surge of anger welling up!
“You can’t even do this much properly?!”
Facing Huo Qiguang’s furious roar, Huo Qubing shrank his neck, then softly mumbled.
“Those bastards on the other side were just too infuriating…”
“You dare talk back?!”
Seeing Huo Qiguang explode in anger, Huo Qubing also felt panicked.
In his memory, his imperial father had always been a calm and wise person, never getting so furiously angry.
This time, Luo Ji’s extortion had truly hit him where it hurt.
A full twelve Silver-tier items, and it even included a Silver-tier Declaration of War Order.
Even for an old veteran like him, who had been developing quietly in the Bronze tier for decades, losing twelve Silver-tier items all at once was definitely a crippling blow.
Who knew how many years he had saved up those items!?
After thoroughly scolding Huo Qubing, Huo Qiguang looked at his son’s aggrieved face. His expression stiffened slightly, and a hint of tenderness flashed in his eyes.
When the child was first born, Huo Qiguang had actually only regarded him as an NPC.
However, human hearts are not made of stone.
After nearly 20 years, from the child’s first tottering steps to his first words, calling him “Imperial Father,” and now to his adulthood, even an iceberg would have melted.
“Phew—”
Exhaling a long, deep breath, Huo Qiguang’s tone had unconsciously softened a few degrees when he spoke again.
“Forget it. Go back to your palace and face the wall for a month. Copy Sun Tzu’s Art of War a hundred times as punishment.”
“Yes, your son obeys.”
Huo Qubing meekly replied.
“Then, your son will take his leave now…”
As he spoke, Huo Qubing had barely taken two steps when Huo Qiguang, as if remembering something else, called out to him again.
“Wait.”
“Does Imperial Father have any more instructions?”
“Your mother doesn’t know about you being captured. Now that you’re back, don’t tell her about it. It will save her worry.”
“Yes, your son understands.”
“Good, you may go.”
After watching Huo Qubing walk away, Huo Qiguang leaned back on his dragon throne, single-handedly supporting his forehead.
There was no need to say more; this time, he had truly suffered a devastating loss!
Originally, he had intended to drag Luo Ji’s forces until the 8th day.
At that point, with Luo Ji’s limited troops, he could have maneuvered his own forces and surrounded them to the death.
A counter-attack would not only reclaim the plundered captives and resources but also eliminate a player, earning him at least a Silver Treasure Chest.
But he never imagined that the simple task of tying down the enemy with cavalry would be messed up by Huo Qubing.
As a result, his goal wasn’t achieved.
Instead, his son, plus several hundred cavalry, were kidnapped by that Luo Ji.
And he ended up losing twelve Silver-tier items on top of that.
Suppressing his anger, he re-evaluated the situation with a relatively calm mind.
He couldn’t deny that this Luo Ji had skills!
Moreover, the other party was also a special civilization.
After much deliberation, Huo Qiguang took a deep breath and made a major decision!
