I simultaneously traverse countless worlds

After all, while Roarapra is indeed a lawless place rife with all sorts of evils, the profits generated here every year are simply too great. Unless the various factions in Roarapra are out of their minds, they wouldn't smash the treasure trove they possess.

Under these circumstances, the port area of ​​Loarapura is very safe. The diverse group of visitors are very generous, which makes the bars and hotels in the port area very popular. Businesses such as international beauties, fine wines and delicacies, and gambling are very profitable. Moreover, many customers negotiate their business directly in the port area and exchange money for goods.

However, Li Mo came to the port area not to enjoy himself, but to have serious business. He took several of his subordinates who were staying there and went straight to a secluded area of ​​the port area, and then stormed into a three-story villa!

"Mr. Thron, won't you come out and meet me?"

Seeing the bodyguards who had been knocked unconscious before they could even fire, Li Mo signaled to his subordinates who had been implanted with the [Shadow Seed] to disarm the villa's defenses. He then opened the slightly ajar door and said...

"...Sir, is there anything you need me to do?"

In less than a breath, the lights in the villa's living room came on, and a blond, blue-eyed white young man came out. This young man in his twenties, still wearing pajamas, asked very respectfully.

"Oh? Don't you suspect I've been hired to kill you?"

At this moment, Li Mo looked at Solon, the intelligence merchant and logistics provider he knew, raised an eyebrow, and asked with great interest.

"What I do know is that I am not important enough to warrant being targeted by assassins, especially not someone as strong as you!"

Upon hearing Li Mo's question, Solon looked at him with a wry smile, then glanced at the enemy's subordinates silently guarding the door. Several thoughts flashed through his mind, but he dismissed them one by one. He frankly told Li Mo his thoughts. As for things like stalling for time to wait for a chance to turn the tide, he had no intention of trying them at all; that would be absolutely suicidal.

The reason is simple. Thron was a man who had seen the world and naturally knew that if Li Mo, this unfamiliar Asian, came to his door without killing him, it must mean he had something to do with him. And Thron, a former intelligence elite with good skills, shouldn't rashly go looking for death!

"Very good, as expected of an elite member of the Stasi in East Prussia, it seems your judgment is still outstanding!"

Facing the very candid Solon, Li Mo's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile. He sat down naturally on the sofa in the living room, giving the impression of being the owner of the villa. He then looked directly at Solon, whose expression had slightly changed, and said bluntly, "So, Mr. Solon von Lewinsky, the reason I'm looking for you is to join my side, to lead a group away from Roarapra, and to seek better opportunities elsewhere..."

Solon von Lewinsky!

This is the real name of the white youth in front of Li Mo. He was a rising star in the Stasi organization of East Prussia. Unfortunately, he had only been in the organization for less than two years when West Prussia and East Prussia merged, followed by the collapse of the Red Bear and drastic changes in various European countries.

Without a doubt, as a former member of East Prussia's intelligence department, Solon did not receive any preferential treatment. He witnessed that after the so-called unification of East Prussia, all the former intelligence departments and military police were disbanded by West Prussia, and all industries were cheaply swallowed up by the major financial groups of West Prussia. After the brief so-called "unification", East Prussia immediately found itself to be treated as a defeated country, but it was too late to regret it.

For Thrall, his ancestors were minor nobles in the Second Prussian Empire, but after the devastation of World War I and World War II, his so-called minor noble status had long since faded away. After one of his parents died young while serving the Stasi in East Prussia, and the other died of illness because he could not accept this cruel reality, East Prussia, which Thrall served, and even the Red Bear, collapsed. Naturally, he would not have any goodwill towards West Prussia, which was particularly ugly. However, Thrall did not do anything futile and came to the East with two of his familiar subordinates.

At least, Thrawn didn't have to worry about being targeted by West Prussia while staying in the East. The former Stasi and East Prussia had long since vanished. After several years of hard work, he had at least gained some fame in Roa Alapura, becoming a small intelligence broker and logistics provider. He wasn't exactly rolling in money, but he had some reputation and wasn't short of cash. He also owned two thousand-ton transport ships carrying various contraband and did all sorts of business in Southeast Asia with several partners.

As for why Li Mo targeted Thoron, it was because he had planted a spy in the port area using the [Shadow Seed]. Among the candidates he provided, Thoron was the best choice because he had a good reputation and no powerful backing!

"Boss, it seems I don't have any choice?"

Seeing Li Mo's ambiguous smile, Solon, whose secrets had been exposed, acted decisively, bowing directly to Li Mo to show his submission. Even in his seemingly resigned words, there was still a hint of inquiry, as he prepared to see what kind of power this new boss who had suddenly approached him possessed to carry out his so-called new developments, and whether he was truly worthy of his service.

Otherwise, Thrawn, a former East Prussian Stasi elite, is not some NPC whose loyalty is 100% once he declares his allegiance. He wouldn't mind backstabbing the new boss when he discovers he's a pushover!

“Don’t worry, Thron, our future is very bright. Your partners will receive a substantial share of the profits. We need a transport ship to leave Roapura, and we’ll also need to make a detour to India…”

Li Mo had a rough idea of ​​Solon's thoughts. He glanced at the other man and chuckled, not thinking that the other man's thoughts were unforgivable. In fact, he could be said to be the most natural reaction of a normal person. He calmly explained his next plan to the other man.

No one with a normal set of values ​​would pledge allegiance to a stranger upon first meeting. Even in ancient times, when people pledged allegiance to a lord, king, or emperor of a unified empire, expecting someone to pledge unconditional allegiance was wishful thinking. The kind of situation where someone with an aura of dominance would have all sorts of people bowing down to them upon their first appearance was extremely rare. Li Mo, who had already experienced the harsh realities of society and overcome numerous hardships, never imagined he would have such good fortune. Naturally, he needed to put in some effort to win over Solong, this shrewd and pragmatic young man.

To be fair, Li Mo's current supernatural power, the [Shadow Seed], is fine for creating subordinates like assassins, but for talented individuals with outstanding abilities, the [Shadow Seed] might cause contamination when fused with them. He doesn't yet know how to solve this problem. However, given his confidence in suppressing Thrall's counterattack, Li Mo doesn't mind spending some effort to win over this future subordinate.

Upon hearing Li Mo's words, Solon was unaware of what the new boss he had verbally acknowledged was planning to do. However, he understood that he was a person whose life and death were in the other party's hands, so he naturally obeyed the orders that the other party was giving him!

(Character design of Thrall)

Chapter 18 Leaving Loarapra (New book, please help!)

Three days later, a thousand-ton transport ship flying the Siamese flag arrived at the port of Singapore on the Singapore-Zhuhai-Macau Strait, which connects Southeast Asia with India. After replenishing its fuel and some supplies, it set sail directly towards India.

Normally, ships traveling to and from Singapore would stay in Singapore for a few days, allowing the crew members who have been at sea to go ashore and relax, refuel, or perform maintenance. However, it is not unusual for merchant ships or transport ships with urgent business or short-distance journeys to pass through Singapore without stopping. No one would think there is anything wrong with this ship flying the Siamese flag.

In fact, if someone were to inspect this thousand-ton transport ship, they would find that it was not carrying any cargo. However, the customs authorities of Singapore and Siam apparently did not notice anything unusual about the ship.

A thousand-ton transport ship with more than twenty crew members, yet not a single ton of cargo. Is this normal?

Unfortunately, the Siamese customs had no jurisdiction over Roa Arapa. While some people in Singapore were curious about why it was an empty transport ship, no one was curious enough to dig deeper and thus did not discover the ship's hidden compartments.

As a well-known intelligence dealer and logistics provider in Roarapura, Thrawn naturally installed a hidden compartment on his transport ship. In the past, this compartment was used to transport high-value smuggled goods such as weapons and electronic products. However, at the request of the new boss, the hidden compartment of this transport ship is now filled with arms purchased from Roarapura and some military communication equipment, the kind of things that would be confiscated without hesitation by customs in normal countries.

At the very least, no country with normal order would allow a ship loaded with enough munitions to equip an infantry company, including military night vision goggles, body armor, military communication devices, and battlefield engineering kits, to freely enter its customs. This amount of munitions is enough to arm more than 150 armed personnel. In small countries like the Maldives, Comoros, or Equatorial Guinea, this could potentially lead to a regime change. Even in some medium-sized countries, it could pose a certain threat, such as forming an armed force that could become a guerrilla group. Normal countries would absolutely not want to see such a scene.

Solon had never done anything this big before. He was sweating bullets as he looked at the arms and military supplies being moved from his ship. Compared to the elite paratroopers at the Moscow Hotel, he, as an intelligence officer, mostly solved problems with his brain. Even in a chaotic place like Roapur, he rarely got involved in high-risk situations like arms dealing. He really didn't know what his new boss was planning to do, buying this batch of arms and heading straight for India.

However, Li Mo obviously wouldn't explain much to Thrall. He simply ordered Thrall to "execute the order," leaving the former Starsier member helpless. Fortunately, they arrived in Starland smoothly from Roalabura and successfully passed through the Starland route!

………………

"Boss, we've already passed through the Singapore Sea Route. It will take us about two more days to reach India. Which port are we planning to go to?"

Seeing that the Star Channel had landed behind his ship, Thrawn secretly glanced at the few exceptionally capable members in the cockpit who were secretly carrying weapons before whispering to his newly recognized boss for instructions.

In the past few days, Thron has become less resistant to his new boss. He considers himself a homeless man and doesn't consider Fourth Prussia his hometown at all. Otherwise, even if he were a former Stasi member of East Prussia, he could have easily changed his identity and lived in Fourth Prussia. However, he was unwilling to accept it and preferred to go to the Far East and slowly rebuild his life.

Similarly, Solon is not opposed to finding himself a new employer. His previous doubts about Li Mo stemmed from his suspicion that the other party could deliver on his promises. However, after these past few days, he felt that Li Mo was at least not someone who talked big!

"We won't go directly to India. We plan to change ships in Ceylon first. We can unload our goods on this transport ship and sell them directly in Ceylon!"

Hearing Solon's words, Li Mo, who was looking at the scenery of the Indian Ocean, nodded slightly and directly told Solon his next steps. He also gave his new subordinate a seemingly unnecessary new order: "Remember, we need to change our identification documents. Change our Siamese passports to Hong Kong passports. Also, arrange for our flights from India to America a week from now..."

When Li Mo, Robert, Solon, and their group left Roapura, they had all obtained genuine Siamese passports, and these were not counterfeit; they were official Siamese passports.

After all, Roa Arapa is located within Siamese territory, and the Siamese leadership receives enormous profits, amounting to tens of millions of US dollars, from it every year. Considering that this is before the devaluation of the US dollar when America continued to release its ships, its value could be estimated to be at least one billion US dollars annually 20 years later. Therefore, Siam's indulgence in turning Roa Arapa, a small coastal city, into a lawless place means that unless something truly major happens, they will turn a blind eye to it.

Even if Siam's annual GDP is hundreds of times greater than the benefits offered by Roarapraco, that's the total GDP of Siam's tens of millions of people. After deducting expenses such as defense, military equipment, and public expenditures, the remaining funds are probably less than one billion US dollars. And you still have to consider the occasional military operation or large-scale project, which would require Siam to issue bonds or borrow from foreign banks. While the Siamese high-ranking officials can certainly gain a lot from it, the benefits of tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of US dollars per year are still something they can't refuse.

Moreover, Roarapura doesn't necessarily have to be in Siam. Even if Siam abolishes such lawless places, they can still appear in other countries in Southeast Asia. However, the various forces gathered in Roarapura will definitely not let Siam off easily for ruining their source of wealth. Perhaps they can't do anything to a medium-sized country with tens of millions of people, but helping to deal with a faction within Siam is no problem. After all, the various factions within Siam are by no means monolithic but are constantly fighting each other.

It was precisely because of these factors that Li Mo was able to get Solon a Siamese passport through his own channels without any problem. If he had the money and connections, changing it to a Hong Kong passport would be a piece of cake, not to mention selling a transport ship!

"Understood! I'll process it right away!"

At this moment, Solon finally understood why, before they set off, Boss Li Mo had specifically instructed those who were processing identity documents to keep an eye out for the next business deal, and he didn't find it difficult and readily agreed.

"Very good. Once we reach Ceylon, we can proceed with the next step of the plan!"

Seeing Solon's positive attitude, Li Mo was quite satisfied with his attitude, nodded and told him that he would carry out a new plan after arriving in Ceylon.

As for what the next new plan is, Li Mo did not explain in detail, and Solon wisely did not ask. The two tacitly separated, one staying in the cockpit to keep watch and contact people, while the other turned around and left the cockpit!

……

"Mo, are we going to settle down in India?"

A little later, Roberta, who looked exceptionally beautiful in her everyday attire, looked at the ocean from the top deck of the transport ship with Li Mo. After a moment of hesitation, the beautiful woman asked the man she liked.

"No! Robert, our destination isn't in India!"

Upon hearing Robert's words and discovering that she was actually considering India as her future base, Li Mo, knowing the peculiar nature of India, was speechless. He decisively rejected the suggestion and then looked in the direction of India, saying in a low voice, "We only need to stay in India for a while to acquire resources for our future. It's just that some things are a bit sensitive and we need to conceal our identities..."

If Li Mo were to leave the chaotic place of Roa Arapa, he would naturally consider where to develop his career. Places like the Southeast Asian countries, where the situation is often unstable and unfriendly to Chinese people, would not be considered. He had already considered places like China and Australia.

As for India, although it seems like a good place, in Li Mo's eyes it's actually speechless. India's poor public health conditions are world-renowned, and its lazy nature and caste system are even more speechless. As for industry, it goes without saying that just looking at the Indian Air Force that crashes planes every year and the Navy that occasionally has accidents due to improper maintenance, you know that India is really not suitable for developing industry. Moreover, India is mostly wary of foreign capital.

Li Mo, who had no intention of experiencing the taste of Ganges water, never even considered India as a potential destination. Even if he were to go to Hong Kong, he wouldn't bother developing his business in India. Besides, China was a very suitable investment target at the time. However, Li Mo lacked sufficient capital. Considering the difficulty of establishing and developing a power base, the million US dollars he had collected through his small actions in Loa Lapra was far from enough. He had already spent most of it on purchasing weapons and obtaining an identity. The resources he needed to establish a power base were practically nonexistent.

After only a rough estimate of the resources and time it would take to establish a power base, Li Mo knew he couldn't develop at such a leisurely pace. He needed a sufficiently large sum of money. Considering the situation in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries, and to avoid future troubles, Li Mo ultimately chose India as his target. He carefully replaced the identity documents of himself and his group to prevent the Indians from discovering anything amiss and investigating.

The target Li Mo chose was naturally not an institution like an official Indian bank. He had a very good appetite and chose a very suitable target, which was the temple treasure in Kerala, which was supposed to be discovered in India more than ten years later!

Chapter 19 The Targeted Treasure of the Indian Temple (New book, please help!)

The treasures of the Indian temple!

This is the treasure that Li Mo found in a temple in Kerala, India in 2009, before he traveled through time. The confirmed gold artifacts alone weigh tens of tons, and there are thousands of gems, gold coins, antiques and other collectibles, with an estimated value of trillions.

Of course, Indians use their own currency, the Indian rupee. But the Indian rupee is not like the rampant Zimbabwean dollar, which, even if it's hundreds of trillions, can only buy a few eggs. One trillion Indian rupees is worth at least 20 billion US dollars. Moreover, considering that these are not banknotes printed in America, but are genuine gold, gems, diamonds, and antiques, their economic contribution to a country is far beyond what simple banknotes can match.

In any case, the value of the US dollar depends on how much paper America wants to print. Gold and other precious metals are undoubtedly hard currency. If any country has enough gold reserves, its currency will not depreciate too much.

If there isn't enough gold as capital, and the country recklessly issues its own currency...

Well, please refer to the gold yuan issued by the Kuomintang, or the large-denomination banknotes issued by Prussia after the end of World War I. Those banknotes would become worthless after a few months in your hands. Some Prussians used the banknotes as toys, while ordinary people carried large bags of gold yuan to buy dozens of kilograms of rice. They even found that burning gold yuan was more cost-effective than burning paper money.

Therefore, all countries welcome you to exchange gold for banknotes. Using gold to purchase goods or conduct trade is especially welcome. Many high-ranking officials may not necessarily like to use banknotes, but gold is something they would never refuse. The famous saying in China, "Antiques in prosperous times, gold in chaotic times," fully illustrates the popularity of gold in everyone's eyes.

In his play *Timon of Athens*, Shakespeare's description of gold is simple and direct: "Gold! Golden, shining, precious gold! In a little bit all that can make black white, ugly beautiful, wrong right, lowly noble, old young, and scholar a hero." During the Age of Exploration in the West, the captains and sailors who risked their lives to explore overseas territories had the same primary goal: to acquire wealth. Large gold mines or gold itself were their constant pursuit, a trend that extended to later colonies where the discovery of gold deposits would lead countless people to risk their lives panning for it.

Both England and America considered their gold reserves of paramount importance. England waged the costly Boer War for gold, while America seized the opportunity during World War I and World War II to acquire most of the gold reserves of various countries, which gave it the confidence to use the pound sterling and the US dollar as world currencies. Even now, with America pegging the US dollar to oil, gold remains the most popular precious metal in all countries and is by no means just an ordinary equivalent.

That's why the temple treasures discovered in India back then were the envy of countless people. Li Mo casually noted down this news that was very popular at the time, and when he wanted to raise start-up capital, he naturally set his sights on this easiest target.

Li Mo wasn't sure if the Black Lagoon world he had transmigrated to was the same as the modern world he had been in. He needed to make careful choices to obtain his first pot of gold. While it was easy to steal from others in Roa Alabura, he knew that it would be extremely difficult to use that to obtain the initial capital for his own development. It was easy to set up a few small forces, but if he really wanted to take the lead, it would easily attract the attention of others.

After all, what kind of place is Roalapura?

As mentioned in the original Black Lagoon anime, it is a lawless place where mercenaries, smugglers, arms dealers, flour merchants, and many other people gather, including the Triads of Hong Kong Island, the Russian gangs of Eastern Europe, and America's intelligence agents.

In other words, the conflict of interest in Loarapra involves many forces, including those from Southeast Asian countries and surrounding countries. Even Russia, America, and China are involved. Those who stir up trouble here won't last long. If Li Mo, who has no powerful background, suddenly appears, his every move and the reasons behind it will be scrutinized under a magnifying glass.

Li Mo never underestimates anyone. Having been hardened by society, he knows very well that the price of underestimating anyone is severe. For example, if he thought that a lawless place with complex power dynamics could act recklessly without any external influence, he would likely face a harsh reality check immediately. Even if he possessed a semi-manifested supernatural power like the [Shadow Power], so what? The various heavy firepower equipment provided by modern human armies would be enough to teach him a lesson.

For example, heavy equipment such as armed helicopters, tanks, armored vehicles, self-propelled artillery, and fighter jets possess firepower that is far beyond what flesh and blood can withstand. If all else fails, there are also high-powered weapons such as heavy rocket artillery, napalm bombs, thermobaric bombs, chemical weapons, and even tactical nuclear weapons. Li Mo is very confident that if he accidentally displays extraordinary power and is discovered by America's intelligence department and cannot be subdued, he will soon be able to experience the power of those heavy equipment and even high-powered weapons, which is definitely not a joke.

Li Mo, who didn't want to become a target of attention for countries around the world, and also didn't want to slowly develop in Loarapura, naturally gave up the idea of ​​staying in this lawless place. The treasure of the Indian temple naturally became something he was determined to obtain.

The treasures of the Indian temples have not yet been unearthed, but given the immense wealth involved, Li Mo naturally wouldn't reveal any information rashly. Even Robert only knew that he was going to India temporarily to search for the treasure. Li Mo himself had already used the [Shadow Seed] to arrange for people to go to the location of the Indian temple treasures to confirm the situation, just waiting for him to bring his people there to directly excavate the treasures. With the [Shadow Power], Li Mo could even easily obtain those temple treasures.

Of course, in Li Mo's mind, obtaining the treasure of the Indian temple was only the first step. In his planned development, Southeast Asia and India were not his targets. America was his next destination, and then he would go to his ultimate goal, Japan.

In fact, when Li Mo went to India, he wondered what his plans would be in the other worlds if he was preparing to excavate the treasures of the Indian temple.

In this regard, Li Mo in the Naruto world and the late Qing Dynasty film and television drama world is developing in seclusion, but Li Mo in the Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress world is even more aggressive than himself in the Black Lagoon world. He has already begun his scheme against the Kenjin Station!

Chapter 20 Hope for Xianjin Post Station (New book, please add to your favorites and vote!)

"Bah!"

In the world of Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, atop a high outer wall of the outskirts of Kenjin Station, a crisp gunshot rang out. Hundreds of meters away in the open wilderness, a wandering Kabane suddenly collapsed to the ground, quickly turning into a cold corpse.

Upon closer inspection, it can be seen that the core of this Kabane has been pierced by a high-speed bullet. The steel membrane surrounding the core, which is usually difficult to penetrate with a steam gun, was easily pierced by a 6.5x50mm rifle bullet. Even though the attack was conducted at a range of 600 meters, which is a difficult sniping distance for most snipers, the full-power rifle bullet that hit the core was very accurate and pierced through the steel membrane instantly.

To put it simply, the misconception in anti-Japanese war dramas that the Type 38 rifle bullet was weak stems from people who haven't witnessed a full-powered rifle bullet hitting a target. At a distance of 600 meters, the Type 38 rifle bullet was powerful enough to penetrate a steel helmet!

"Roar!"

Faced with the death of one of their own Kabane, the dozens of Kabane who had been wandering around unconsciously reacted. One of the Thieves, still wielding two katanas, suddenly roared and led the charge towards Kenjinze.

The charge of over fifty Kabane was a terrifying sight. Their eyes were as red as flames, and their bodies were covered in flame-like tattoos and glowing cores, making them resemble cannibalistic demons resurrected from hell. Any human caught by them was either completely devoured or turned into one of them. Ironically, it was difficult to kill the Kabane with steam guns, forcing the survivors of the Japanese to huddle in their various strongholds.