Chapter 314: Leaving the Harbor
Seeing the silver fox mask on the mysterious figure's face, the dragonman youngster couldn't help but take a deep breath.
He had previously collected information about Hua Tang, which included details about the silver fox mask.
Hua Tang always wore a silver fox mask when committing crimes.
According to the information, the silver fox mask was a very effective disguise.
It had also become one of Hua Tang's trademarks.
The dragonman youngster continued watching, but the magic image stopped.
The youngster immediately shifted his gaze to the magician tower master and silently asked a question.
The magician tower master shook his head: “It seems that this is all the tower spirit has calculated.”
The dragonman youngster said disappointedly: “The result is just a silver fox mask?”
The magician tower master explained, "Hua Tang is extremely cunning. He knows the Aura Algorithm, so every time he goes out, he uses methods to conceal or confuse his own aura. This is also one of the reasons why the Ice Sculpture Kingdom's nationwide manhunt for him has been ineffective."
“Therefore, using the Aura Algorithm to predict his whereabouts has significant limitations.”
“On many occasions, official calculations using this method have only yielded a silver fox mask.”
“Because this mask is Hua Tang's outer layer of disguise, its aura cannot be further concealed for it to function normally.”
“If it were concealed, it would be superfluous and counterproductive, actually impairing the mask's effectiveness.”
The dragonman youngster’s brows pursed, and he looked at the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord and asked, “Since that is so, can we confirm if he really is Hua Tang?”
"With this evidence, can we ask the Ice Sculpture Kingdom for help? Can we get powerful reinforcements?"
The Snow Bird Harbor City Lord sighed deeply and said helplessly, “This evidence is too weak, it's difficult to get help from the upper echelons.”
“This might be Hua Tang's cunning strategy.”
“Similar incidents have occurred before, where someone wore a silver fox mask and impersonated Hua Tang to commit crimes.”
“You've gathered intelligence on Hua Tang, so you should know that such impersonations have happened multiple times.”
"The authorities even believed on several occasions that they had already captured Hua Tang. In the end, Hua Tang committed another crime, greatly embarrassing the authorities."
The dragonman youngster fell silent.
The Snow Bird Harbor City Lord continued, "According to intelligence, when Hua Tang is in action, he likes to wear a white robe with colorful flowers blooming on it. His eyes are bright pink. He acts very conspicuously, which is different from the mysterious person who attacked your group this time."
“The existence of all these doubts makes it even more impossible for us to get support.”
The dragonman youngster frowned even more deeply: "If I were Hua Tang and had a secret connection with Teng Dong Lang, I would of course make some changes when taking action against my group. In that case, even if discovered, it wouldn't expose the secret connection between Teng Dong Lang and Hua Tang."
“In my opinion, these differences are actually further proof of his identity!”
The Snow Bird Harbor City Lord spoke sincerely: “Commander Long Fu, to be honest, from my personal perspective, I also find it difficult to immediately request assistance.”
“Before the suspect Hua Tang causes more harm, if I rashly ask for help, it will be a stain on my political career.”
“My governance ability will also be questioned by the upper echelons.”
The dragonman youngster fell silent again.
The Snow Bird Harbor City Lord spoke quite frankly.
The dragonman youngster also heard the subtext of his words.
The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps was just a group of outsiders. Even though they had lost two magicians, it was not a big deal for the Ice Sculpture Kingdom.
It was just a trivial matter!
Until their vital interests were affected, they had no sufficient motivation to help the outsiders and deal with “Hua Tang”.
Especially since the identity of this “Hua Tang” was still in doubt.
The dragonman youngster gritted his teeth, subconsciously clenched his fists, then helplessly relaxed them.
He looked at the mage tower master, his eyes revealing a look of expectation: “Since we have discovered this mysterious person, can we track his current location?”
The magician tower master shook his head and spread his hands: "We failed. We have tried many times, but the other party was obviously prepared and there is no way to track him! "
The magician tower master pointed at the magic image before them: “This is the limit of what we can currently achieve.”
The city Lord added: "In fact, if the mysterious assassin left enough clues for us to track him down, we should be even more vigilant. This is likely a trap set by the other party."
“If it's Hua Tang, he's not alone in Snow Bird Harbor. Behind him is the entire Bayonet Gang!”
Upon hearing this, the dragonman youngster finally looked up and sighed deeply, saying with confusion and bewilderment, "What should we do? Our defenses are completely ineffective against a powerful man like Hua Tang. He can freely sneak onto our ship anytime, anywhere."
“All of our lives are in danger.”
“Against a powerful assassin, even if he doesn't act, he exerts immense pressure on us!”
The Snow Bird Harbor City Lord mused, “Commander Long Fu, your group has already performed exceptionally well.”
“If the opponent is Hua Tang, this is already an extraordinary achievement.”
“You must know that the entire Ice Sculpture Kingdom has no effective countermeasure against Hua Tang.”
“However,” the city Lord shifted his tone, “under the current circumstances, we do have countermeasures.”
“Do you remember the invitation I once extended to you?”
“Hua Tang targeted you to protect the Bayonet Gang led by Teng Dong Lang.”
“There must be deep ties of interest between them. I suspect the Bayonet Gang has provided Hua Tang with significant intelligence.”
"We can't catch Hua Tang, nor can we defend against him. But his weakness is right under our noses, isn't it?"
The Lord looked deeply at the dragonman youngster: “Blindly defending has no future. Sometimes, offense is the best defense!”
The dragonman youngster looked hesitant.
The magician tower master beside him spoke with a serious expression: “Commander Long Fu, please trust our sincerity!”
“All along, the City Lord has been biding his time, secretly gathering evidence of the Bayonet Gang’s crimes.”
“Earlier, they dared to interfere in the heroic duel—this is the biggest flaw they’ve exposed, and it’s the best opportunity we’ve been waiting for all these years!”
"The Bayonet Gang is definitely a cancer tumor in Snow Bird Harbor. Eliminating them will be good for everyone! It is an act of absolute justice!"
“The mysterious assassin suspected to be Hua Tang attacked your corps and killed two of your magicians. This was revenge by the Bayonet Gang and a stern warning to the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps!”
“But such retaliation also proves their weakness.”
“We must join forces and fight terror with courage. Only by taking up arms against such vicious enemies can we make them understand that evil cannot prevail in this world!”
The dragonman youngster looked even more hesitant.
After a long pause, he said, “This matter is too important. I need to consider it carefully!”
"It's about time, and I need to return to my ship. It's best for me to personally command the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps right now."
The city Lord patted the dragonman youngster on the shoulder and said, "Think it over carefully. I'll accompany you to the pier, and my presence will also serve as a deterrent to the assassins."
“But I can't guarantee how effective it will ultimately be.”
The dragonman youngster hurriedly thanked him.
In the carriage rushing back to the pier, the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord once again recounted the various evils and crimes of the Bayonet Gang to the dragonman youngster, persuading him to cooperate with him.
The dragonman youngster only made excuses, saying he needed to think about it.
By the time they returned to the pier, the senior members of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps were ready to welcome the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord.
The dragonman youngster led the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord onto the Love Triangle and into the captain's cabin.
While serving the Lord tea, the dragonman youngster suddenly said, “I've made up my mind, City Lord.”
“I'm sorry, but I may have to disappoint your expectations.”
Upon hearing this, the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord's expression suddenly darkened.
The dragonman youngster said sincerely, "The Bayonet Gang is the local powerhouse in Snow Bird Harbor, while we are just a small mercenary group. We cannot possibly be a match for Teng Dong Lang."
"Whether or not the person who came this time was Hua Tang, this assassination attempt alone shows how weak we are. Facing such a powerful assassin, we had almost no chance to fight back."
“The two magicians in our group both lost their lives because of this.”
"Such a loss is too devastating!"
“This has also made me deeply realize the gap in strength between our sides.”
“Continuing to confront the Bayonet Gang head-on would be extremely unwise.”
“Since the city Lord is here, I'll be straightforward: our group wishes to apply to leave the port immediately.”
“Of course, our transactions will continue and will not end because of this.”
“However, the locations and times for the next two transactions will need to be arranged by us.”
The Snow Bird Harbor City Lord had a stern expression.
He had a deep background and a strong personality.
This could be seen from the way he invited the dragonman youngster.
First, he sent an invitation letter, and then when he heard that the dragonman youngster was pretending to be sick, he sent a set of gold level medicine directly. After that, he even threatened to visit the dragonman youngster himself.
The dragonman youngster knew the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord's determination and had no choice but to accept the invitation and go to the Lord's mansion ahead of time.
Although the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord was enthusiastic at the dinner party and reached an agreement with the dragonman youngster, his main purpose was to obtain the most legitimate reason to deal with the Bayonet Gang and make the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps the sharpest weapon against them.
He never gave up on this goal from beginning to end.
When he heard that the mysterious assassin had attacked the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, he immediately took the dragonman youngster to the magician tower to investigate the magic image after receiving the request for help.
This action was still self-serving, as he had been trying to persuade the dragonman youngster to cooperate closely with him in dealing with the Bayonet Gang.