Chapter 323: Commotion at the Port

The entire Snow Bird Harbor was discussing last night's battle.

Who was the enemy? They were so powerful that they forced the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord and the bishop to join forces.

The deployment of three magic teams and the fatal blow from the magician tower were both grand gestures, causing people from all walks of life in Snow Bird Harbor to actively investigate.

“That mysterious gold level assassin has been killed in battle!”

“Some people speculate that he is Hua Tang?”

"Hua Tang! That's unlikely, right?"

“What's going on with all this?”

“It has something to do with the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps...”

Because of his previous heroic duel, the dragonman youngster had become the center of public opinion.

Although he did not participate in this gold level ambush battle, he was very involved before and after the battle.

Before the battle, he took the initiative to ask the city Lord for help.

After that, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps quietly left the port in the middle of the night, obviously with the permission of the city Lord. Snow Bird Harbor even sent a patrol fleet to protect their fleet.

After the battle began, the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord took the initiative to come to the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps' fleet and bring them two pieces of gold level equipment.

After that, many people saw the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps' fleet sailing into the port again. Commander Long Fu and the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord stood side by side at the bow of the ship, looking quite close with each other.

Snow Bird Harbor, Clam Cloth Branch.

“Haven't you found out the inside story yet?” The Clam Cloth Branch Leader questioned his subordinates.

The three subordinates broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly reported.

“We are already investigating with all our might.”

“The gold level who died in battle assassinated two magicians of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps during the previous operation and stole a large amount of property.”

“And this property was precisely the first transaction completed between the city government palace and the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps yesterday evening.”

"My guess is that although the mysterious assassin was targeting the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, he undoubtedly also caused the city government palace to lose face. That's why there was such a fierce battle last night..."

The subordinate who was reporting hadn't finished speaking when he was hit on the head by a vase.

The vase shattered, but the subordinate, being a transcendent, remained unharmed. 

He immediately knelt on one knee and apologized to the branch leader of the Clam Cloth Merchant Alliance, repeatedly saying, “I deserve to die.” 

“You are all incompetent!” the Clam Cloth Branch Leader growled, scolding them repeatedly.

“Just because it's embarrassing, the city Lord teamed up with the bishop to risk their lives and attack an enemy of the same level?”

"Clearly, a lot has happened here. There must be a huge conflict and entanglement of interests!"

“I want the inside scoop, the real key information!”

"What did you find out? Who doesn't know this information? The whole of Snow Bird Harbor is already abuzz with it."

The Clam Cloth Branch Leader was extremely powerful.

He was one of the four gold level experts in Snow Bird Harbor and one of the most authoritative figures in the city.

But he had not received any advance warning of last night's fierce battle.

This made the Clam Cloth Branch Leader angry, but he also felt a vague sense of fear.

He had been operating here for a long time and had always believed that Snow Bird Harbor was his territory.

But even in such a place, such a major conflict had occurred, and he was the last to know.

Did this prove that his control over Snow Bird Harbor was far less than he had imagined?

Had all the effort and time he had invested here been nothing but a dream, a very illusory thing?

“Get out of here and investigate thoroughly!” 

“Understood, Lord!” 

“I will do my best!”  

The Clam Cloth Branch Leader dismissed his three subordinates, his brows furrowed in deep thought. 

“Even if we don't uncover any crucial information, the sudden changes in Snow Bird Harbor indicate that something major is about to happen.”

“Although the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps is only a small mercenary group, based on various clues, this force must play a very important role.”

“It is very likely that it is related to the previous heroic duel and the Bayonet Gang.”

"What puzzles me most is the city Lord. The mysterious assassin targeted the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, so why did he fight so desperately and bring the Sea Bird Bishop with him? What was the deal between him and the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps? What was it that made it worth his while to do this?"

Just as he thought of this, there was a knock on the door.

A subordinate reported excitedly from outside the door, “Branch Leader, there's new intelligence!”

“Oh?” The Clam Cloth Branch Leader raised his eyebrows, "Come in.”

He took the intelligence and quickly reviewed it.

The next moment, he jumped up from his seat.

"What?  

“Commander Long Fu filed a complaint against the Bayonet Gang. During his previous battle with Xiong Ju, the Bayonet Gang secretly interfered, committing sacrilege!”

“And just after Commander Long Fu reported this crime to the city Lord, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps suffered an assassination and theft by a mysterious gold level assassin.”

“A large amount of property was stolen, and the mysterious assassin took away three gold level equipment items that had just been purchased.”

“Furthermore, the only two magicians of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps were assassinated!”

Something big had happened!

The Clam Cloth Branch Leader couldn't tell if Long Fu's accusation against the Bayonet Gang was true.

But he knew that the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord had taken such drastic measures, so his attitude was very clear.

The Snow Bird Harbor City Lord was on the side of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, and a standoff had formed between the city government palace and the Bayonet Gang!

The Clam Cloth Branch Leader immediately ordered his men to gather and guard the shops, warehouses, and other important industries in Snow Bird Harbor.

He was a human from the Sheng Ming Continent.

If a violent conflict broke out between the city government palace and the Bayonet Gang, his first priority was to ensure that the interests of the Clam Cloth Merchant Alliance were not harmed.

Teng Dong Lang's face was gloomy.

He had learned of the dragonman youngster's accusation that the Bayonet Gang had desecrated the duel a little earlier than the Clam Cloth Branch Leader.

When he first saw the information, his heart skipped a beat. 

The demon hybrid ringleader had indeed committed the act. 

As the gang leader, Teng Dong Lang personally covered up the crime for his subordinates and promptly reached an understanding with the master of the Snow Bird Dueling Arena. 

The exposure of the crime was not what weighed heavily on Teng Dong Lang's mind.

The Bayonet Gang was a gang, and many of the things they did were illegal. In the past, their crimes had been exposed many times.

Teng Dong Lang's main concern was the attitude of the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord.

“He helped the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps in this way and even personally took part in the fight. How many benefits did the former promise him?”

There was one more thing that weighed heavily on Teng Dong Lang's mind.

"A mysterious gold level assassin was encircled and killed. Someone saw a broken silver fox mask, which eventually melted and disintegrated."

“Was it Hua Tang?”

Teng Dong Lang met with Hua Tang, and after eating and drinking together, the latter left.

Hua Tang had a motive to deal with the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.

“It shouldn't be him.”

“The other characteristics don't match him.”

“With his skills, how could he easily be defeated in Snow Bird Harbor?”

Teng Dong Lang comforted himself in this way.

But until it was confirmed, he felt uneasy inside.

He was uncertain.

Putting himself in Hua Tang's shoes, if Hua Tang had secretly helped him, he should have actively concealed his own features, but the silver fox mask could not be concealed. 

Although Hua Tang was highly skilled, facing such an overwhelming force last night, his defeat and death were not entirely impossible. 

At that moment, a subordinate reported, “Leader, Lord Bing Xiao has arrived.”

Bing Xiao had arrived.

Last night's fierce battle and this morning's testimony from Long Fu had left the old leader restless. Upon receiving the news, he had immediately rushed to the gang's headquarters to meet with Teng Dong Lang.

Teng Dong Lang dismissed those around him.

In the room, only he and Bing Xiao remained.

Bing Xiao impatiently asked, “Is what Long Fu said true?”

Teng Dong Lang's expression grew somber, and he did not answer the question directly.

He said, “Discussing this now is pointless.”

Bing Xiao's heart sank instantly.

He knew Teng Dong Lang well and immediately understood the implication of his words. He paused, holding his walking stick: "You're too foolish. Why interfere in the heroic duel? Don't you have the confidence to deal with a mere silver... no, wait... someone acted without authorization. Who was it?" 

Teng Dong Lang's gaze sharpened as he stared at Bing Xiao: “I said, discussing this now is pointless.”

Bing Xiao tilted his head slightly; he knew Teng Dong Lang was determined to protect his errant subordinate.

Bing Xiao fell silent for a moment before nodding: “You're right; discussing this now would indeed be of no help.”

Under the current circumstances, the Bayonet Gang absolutely cannot admit to it. Even if they did do it!

Once they admitted it, their reputation would be completely ruined, despised by everyone. Even beggars or children would look down on the Bayonet Gang from the bottom of their hearts, despising them deeply. The gang itself would also face internal conflicts, with many demanding the purging of the traitors.

For an organization like a gang, if no one feared them, internal turmoil ensued, and they were not the sole dominant force—the consequences were obvious.

Bing Xiao asked again, “Was it the Hua Tang who carried out the assassination operation at the dock? Is it related to us?”

Teng Dong Lang sighed and shook his head, admitting that he couldn't confirm this either.

Bing Xiao gritted his teeth: “We have to find a way to prove our innocence!” 

“Right now, public opinion in Snow Bird Harbor is running high. As per tradition, the city government palace will definitely send an investigation team.” 

“We can use this investigation team to help us prove our innocence.” 

The Bayonet Gang has been corrupting the officialdom of Snow Bird Harbor.

Teng Dong Lang nodded: “The key question now is, what is the city Lord's attitude?”

As he spoke, memories flooded his mind—the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord smiling and raising his cup, drinking with him and enjoying the conversation.

Teng Dong Lang also thought of last night, when the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord personally went into battle and surrounded the mysterious assassin.

“What price did the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps pay to get the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord to help them like this?” Teng Dong Lang asked Bing Xiao.

Bing Xiao also frowned and tried to analyze the situation: “A gold level assassin who sneaked into Snow Bird Harbor without reporting it basically has bad intentions.”

“Moreover, he assassinated members of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps. Even if the latter was not a local of Snow Bird Harbor, this illegal act was a provocation to the city Lord.”

“What's more, the city Lord had just handed over the money and goods to the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps when they were stolen by a mysterious person.”

“Of course, I think the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps must have paid a heavy price to get the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord to help them.”

“Now, Long Fu has publicly accused my gang of crimes, and he is also coercing the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord and forcing him to uphold justice.”

“This time, we have to get the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord to stand on our side, but I'm afraid it will cost us dearly!”