Tang Mo, while speaking, spread his hands as if introducing himself, "In fact, I am just a merchant, a merchant who wants to make money! The goods I sell are the best—that is my advantage. And now you want to use my technology to improve the quality of your goods, of course you have to pay."
Gis stared at Tang Mo, seeming to guess Tang Mo's bottom line, and weighing whether he should make a deal with Tang Mo.
After a long silence, he suddenly spoke, "I don't have to pay so much."
Tang Mo pointed in the direction of the harbor, as if he could see it, "Perhaps! You know I have dozens of ships docked at Brunas' harbor, I can leave at any time. You may be able to take everything here, or you may not... But soon, countless factories will acquire my technology."
Tang Mo confidently said to Gis, "When that day comes, Shireck's technology will be entirely outdated. Maybe you think that destroying me isn't a big deal, but doing so would cost Shireck a lot of money. A great deal of money!"
Gis knew that Tang Mo was telling the truth, he indeed had the capability to do so. Brunas was already in Tang Mo's grip, and any minor play Gis tried to make here would certainly not escape Tang Mo's eyes.
But if he attacked in full force, marshaling troops, Tang Mo might not be able to stop him, but Tang Mo would have enough time to escape—as long as he left Brunas, where in the world couldn't he go?
A Tang Mo rooted in Brunas was troublesome enough for him, but a Tang Mo who was hidden and fanning the flames from the shadows would truly cause Shireck considerable headaches.
He was, after all, a man who possessed advanced weapon technology. If he were to trouble Shireck from the shadows, Shireck would truly pay a heavy price and lose a substantial amount of money.
However, as the head of Shireck, Gis didn't want to submit and bow down just like that. He continued to struggle for the upper hand, "But I think that losing that money, getting rid of a major threat like you, aligns more with Shireck's fundamental interests."
"You think you can get rid of me?" Tang Mo picked up his wine glass and shook it lightly, casually asking in return.
Gis scoffed indifferently, still stubborn, "How will we know unless we try?"
Tang Mo burst into loud laughter, as if the other wasn't talking about killing him at all, "Hahahahahaha!"
"Hehehehehe!" Sitting across from Tang Mo, Gis also chuckled humorlessly.
Tang Mo spread his hands, "So there's nothing to discuss?"
"Pretty much," Gis nodded in agreement.
Their eyes were locked onto each other's eyes until Tang Mo averted his gaze, stood up, and said, "Alright then, I won't see you out."
As if he were an old friend of many years, Gis suggested to Tang Mo, "You can keep me. Kill me, just like you killed Beiji."
"Wait a moment!" Gis stood up, lifted his glass, and gestured to Tang Mo, "We can still have a good talk. I think there is some misunderstanding between us. I just... believed that Mr. Tang had killed my good friend Beiji, so perhaps my tone wasn't very friendly."
"Oh... is that so?" Tang Mo feigned sudden realization, approached Gis, and said, "Why would I kill Mr. Gis's friend? I'm just a businessman, and doing business is my greatest interest, after all."
"It seems so..." Gis nodded amiably, as if he really believed it, "So, Mr. Tang... can we now have a proper discussion about the new weapons matter?"
"No problem." Tang Mo snapped his fingers, and a guard brought over a box, placing it on the table.
Tang Mo opened the box, which contained an ordinary-looking K1 Quick Gun. He ran his hand over the rifle and introduced it to Gis, "I assume Mr. Gis has already seen this weapon, whether on the battlefield or in the office."
"Mr. Tang is joking..." Gis sneered coldly, not intending to admit that he had stolen a K1 Quick Gun.
"During the battle of Northern Ridge, a total of 12 K1 Quick Guns went missing. You're not the only one with informants in Northern Ridge, so I suggest you act quickly, lest other powers come to me to do business first." Tang Mo took the rifle out of the box, worked the bolt, demonstrated it, and then handed the gun to Gis.
Gis instinctively took the K1 Quick Gun, which was indeed identical to the one he had seen. The feeling was familiar because he had used this type of weapon to kill more than one unlucky craftsman.
"Brand new K1 Quick Guns... If Shireck is willing to purchase them, I can supply them," Tang Mo said seriously, marketing his weapon.
"What if I only want to buy bullets?" Gis, caressing the rifle, asked a question that greatly interested him, which also made the smile on Tang Mo's face deepen.
Tang Mo nodded, his gaze shifting away as if he were considering something. Then he looked up and said, "As a matter of fact, what Shireck really wants is the manufacturing method for the bullets used in the K1 Quick Gun, isn't it?"
"Mr. Tang is straightforward, and indeed, I am very eager to make a lump-sum purchase of your bullet manufacturing method!" Gis hadn't expected Tang Mo to lay bare the truth so directly, and he unexpectedly nodded in agreement with his own thoughts.
"This puts me in a difficult position, Mr. Gis," Tang Mo said earnestly, "You are blatantly planning to copy my weapons without intending to pay me."
"So what?" Gis felt that with Shireck backing him, Tang Mo really had no way to deal with a rogue like him.
Overall, Tang Mo's weapon design was not complicated and used existing technology, so for Shireck to copy the Great Tang's K1 Quick Gun was not difficult at all.
And besides, with Shireck's vast resources, even if they produced by hand, they could match the production speed of Tang Mo's factory.
"So, I could just sell the bullets to you." What Gis didn't expect was that Tang Mo actually agreed to this sales arrangement.
However, what Tang Mo said next gave Gis a headache, "I can deliver in batches, 100 bullets for an exchange of one mine, 10 bullets for one worker... No rush, I'm in no hurry."
If Tang Mo didn't supply the bullets, even if Shireck copied Tang Mo's rifles, they would be nothing more than firewood sticks, a problem Gis couldn't shake off, the fatal snag he couldn't sidestep.