Stoick complained incessantly, "Since you can lead the Dragon Knight Squad to resolve the battle, why did you put all the villagers on high alert?! Isn't that a waste of time?!"
"And we were already prepared for battle, but then you wouldn't let us fight. Can you understand how frustrating that feeling is?"
However, Hiccup merely smiled faintly and said, "How about you form your own Dragon Knight Squad?"
Upon hearing this, Stoick was about to agree immediately, but then he thought it over and realized something was off.
He used to be the Chief of Berk Island, and now if he were to form a separate Dragon Knight Squad, wouldn't he be under Hiccup?
He had always been cleaning up Hiccup's messes, and now to be reduced to a subordinate—this drastic change in status was something Stoick simply couldn't accept.
Looking at the silent Stoick, Hiccup smiled faintly, then turned his gaze to Merchant John and asked, "Was this voyage smooth?"
"Smooth, smooth, of course smooth! With the Dragon Knights joining us, those pirates saw my ship and didn't dare to make a move! And they didn't dare to haggle with me either!"
"This time, thanks to the protection of the Divine Emissary, we were able to return with a full load."
"And on this voyage, we heard many legends about the Divine Emissary!"
Hiccup was immediately surprised and asked, "What legends?"
After all, he had always been very low-key. Whether it was hunting sea creatures or annihilating the Beserk Tribe, he almost always led the Dragon Knight Squad to complete it, and almost no one escaped.
Even when attacking Thunder Island, he chose to do so when there were fewer people around.
Merchant John controlled his excitement, then spoke to Hiccup, "Divine Emissary, you are now a celebrity in this sea area!"
"Because your bounty has increased to 50,000 gold coins! After those pirate groups were defeated by you this time, your bounty will definitely increase by more than 10 times!"
"That's it?" Hiccup asked, somewhat speechless.
How was this good news? It was clearly being targeted. Was this considered a legend?
Then John continued, "After I received your order, according to your request, I sold your location for 1,000 gold coins!"
Hiccup's lips curled slightly upward, then he looked at Merchant John and asked, "How much did you sell it for?"
John was grinning from ear to ear, constantly tugging at his big beard, trying to control his smile, and then he spoke, "A full 100,000 gold coins! More than the bounty order!"
"Who is that person, you are simply a genius! I've been doing business at sea my whole life, but I've never seen so much money! And the money from selling armor this time is all on the ship!"
"But please rest assured, Divine Emissary, with this money, once our caravan reaches the continent, we can buy all sorts of rare plants and ingredients according to your requests!"
Hiccup said indifferently, "No rush! After the next batch of new recruits are trained, you can directly drive a warship and leave!"
"Uh~ this..."
Merchant John was instantly too shocked to speak.
After all, the configuration of a warship was enough to withstand a fleet of five thousand people. Even if it was besieged, it would not be defeated.
Moreover, the warship not only had Death Song Ballistas but was also equipped with experienced Dragon Knights and small, high-speed speedboats!
Hiccup said indifferently, "A new batch of warships will be ready soon! By then, there will be enough manpower, enough strength, and the goods will be abundant and sufficient!"
"What? Are you scared?"
John quickly bowed respectfully to Hiccup and said, "I am willing to go through fire and water for the Divine Emissary, to the farther seas!"
Stoick was a bit confused and couldn't help but ask, "Is it for exploration?"
Hiccup said with a half-smile, "It's for expanding territory!"
Stoick: "???"
Clearly, he didn't understand Hiccup's true intentions, his mind still fixated on battle.
Immediately, Hiccup looked at John and said, "Immediately send people to issue a bounty order!"
"The content is the same as those bounty orders, but directly raise the bounty amount to 500,000 gold coins! Then you continue to sell information, and this time it's still 1,000 gold coins!"
"Remember, this time, like last time, take their gold coins, but don't give them a map; you personally bring them over!"
Merchant John immediately said excitedly, "Divine Emissary, you are truly a genius! This way, we can get countless gold coins for free!"
"And these people will ultimately be easily dealt with by the Divine Emissary!"
Hiccup smiled indifferently, then used the broadcast to call over the Dragon Knight Second Squad, instructing them to disguise themselves as pirates and infiltrate Thunder Island, then release the 500,000 gold coin bounty order.
After all, the person sending the message and the person selling the message couldn't be the same, otherwise, if they were seen through, they wouldn't be able to trick people out of money.
Merchant John asked with some difficulty, "Respected Divine Emissary, someone previously bought information from me but hasn't had a chance to cash it in yet. What should be done about that?"
Hiccup smiled faintly and said, "Of course, charge them again! Since a time was agreed upon, it's their problem if they didn't come!"
"If these people dare to cause trouble, then just wipe them out. It'll also be a good opportunity to train the Dragon Knights in the caravan!"
"Yes!"
After John reported the results of the execution, he left immediately!
But Stoick frowned tightly, looking at Hiccup and asking, "How could anyone buy a piece of information for 1,000 gold coins?"
"Don't worry, there definitely will be!" Hiccup said casually.
Then he suddenly looked at Stoick with determination and said, "It won't be long! I'll be able to see Mom soon!"
"I believe that as long as my reputation is big enough, someone will definitely notice me, and then Mom will also receive news of me!"
Stoick was stunned, then looked at Hiccup with some heartache and said, "Odin's willingness to bless you and bring you back to life is already a great grace, but your mother has already..."
"Although I know this outcome is difficult to accept, it's worth mentioning that your mother still left a deep impression on us, father and son, didn't she?"
As he spoke, Stoick carefully took off his helmet and gently stroked it.
Hiccup didn't want to explain too much; after all, he wouldn't believe it until he saw it with his own eyes!
So Hiccup could only say somewhat helplessly, "Father, I'll choose a strong dragon for you later! And I'll train you individually!"
Stoick laughed proudly, "Hahaha! Alright! Maybe my dragon-training talent is even stronger than yours!"