Chapter 350: Zhong Yong - I Want 500 Gold!
That night, Bu Quan didn't sleep well either.
Unlike the dragonman youngster, she was awakened by nightmares.
In her dream, she returned to the deepest part of her memory, to the moment she couldn't bear to look back on. She held a middle-aged female snow elf in her arms and cried in pain and despair, "Nanny, please don't die, don't die! Don’t leave me…”
The nanny who had raised her since childhood gazed at Bu Quan with eyes filled with tenderness and love: “Xiao Quan, though elves live long lives, they must eventually die.”
“Our parting is merely a bit earlier than expected.”
“Do not think of revenge under any circumstances. Flee, leave this place quickly."
"You're such a kind-hearted child. After leaving, be careful and don't trust others easily. You must know that human hearts are hard to judge by appearance, and even by actions."
“Human hearts are also prone to change.”
“Take good care of yourself. I can no longer be by your side.”
“Live well...”
The middle-aged female elf in Bu Quan's arms had stopped breathing.
The next moment, Bu Quan opened her eyes on the bed, tears streaming down her face.
Grief filled her heart, making it hard for her to sleep.
She sat at her desk, took out an alchemy device from the drawer, and activated it.
A magic image of her nanny appeared before her.
In the past, whenever she felt that she couldn't go on, she would activate this alchemy device to draw hope for survival and the motivation for revenge from maternal love.
“Nanny, please rest in peace.”
“I have avenged you with the alchemy device I gave out.”
How many times had she awakened from similar nightmares like this one?
But this time, recalling the scene that had unfolded in the dueling arena, the sorrow in Bu Quan's heart was no longer as intense, and the pain had diminished significantly.
She closed the alchemy device and put it back in the drawer.
There was another alchemy device in the drawer, which also stored a magic image. This magic image recorded the duel between the dragonman youngster and Teng Dong Lang.
Bu Quan placed the two alchemy devices side by side.
In another corner of the drawer was a graduation certificate.
It had been signed by her mentor.
During her days studying at the Alchemy Guild, her female mentor had provided her with immense support.
The scene of their parting remained deeply etched in her memory.
“Teacher, I'm leaving,” Bu Quan said reluctantly at the entrance of the magician tower.
The middle-aged female elf sighed, “Bu Quan, don't waste your talent. Don't disappoint my expectations of you.”
The female mentor knew what Bu Quan intended to do upon returning to Snow Bird Harbor.
She wanted to say something comforting but knew it was best not to reveal this secret.
She paused for a moment before finally saying, “I won't say anything else.”
“Here is your graduation certificate. Use it to report to the local Alchemy Guild, and you will receive the necessary support.”
“Return as soon as possible.”
“No matter when you return, the doors here will always be open for you.”
The other apprentices behind the female magician heard these words and were immediately stunned, then began to show envy and jealousy toward Bu Quan.
“I'll remember it!” Bu Quan choked up, her eyes reddening, and finally left.
As the memory faded, Bu Quan's gaze once again focused on the graduation certificate.
She gently traced her fingertips over the certificate's cover, feeling the texture of the matte surface.
The nanny taught Bu Quan to doubt.
Her mentor, however, taught her to always maintain curiosity and a thirst for knowledge.
These two principles combined forged Bu Quan’s heart as a magician.
Her original plan was after successfully avenging herself against the Bayonet Gang, she would return to the magician tower, back to her mentor’s side, and continue exploring the vast, mysterious realm of alchemy.
Bu Quan never imagined that the Bayonet Gang’s downfall would come so suddenly, so swiftly.
This surprised and delighted her, but it also caught her off guard.
At the ball, the dragonman youngster's invitation made her heart flutter.
At this point in her life, she had reached a crossroad.
One path led to the magician tower and the world of alchemy that she was curious about and longed for.
The other path led to a dragonman youngster who was smiling and inviting her with outstretched arms.
However, behind the dragonman youngster was a layer of fog.
After thinking about it carefully, Bu Quan realized that she actually knew very little about the dragonman youngster.
"What kind of person is he really? All I've seen is his performance in battle, but what is his true personality? What is his past experience?"
"Could he be just like the Bayonet Gang in reality? He invited me so warmly, so my alchemy talent must be the most important thing."
“After all, my perception of him and his perception of me are completely different.”
“Behind the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps is a mysterious arms dealer. I am an Alchemy Great Master with several alchemy workshops under my command. Isn't that exactly what an arms dealer needs?"
The more Bu Quan thought about it, the more her brow furrowed.
In her heart, she felt curiosity, confusion, and growing suspicion towards the dragonman youngster.
Just as Zi Di had analyzed, when Bu Quan really thought about it, she would drift further and further away from the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
After all, the connection between the two was weak, and they had only met a handful of times.
The wheels of the carriage rolled swiftly over the cobblestone street, emitting a series of soft clinks.
Inside the carriage sat an alchemist, sharing Bu Quan's curiosity and concerns.
"Commander Long Fu, what kind of person is he? How could he defeat and kill a gold level person with only a silver level power?
"What kind of organization is the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps? Is the mercenary corps just their cover identity?"
This alchemist was named Zhong Yong. He was a silver level magician and had reached the level of Alchemy Master.
His body was covered in blue fish scales, his head was that of a fish, and his fish eyes were yellow with a hint of green.
He was not tall but there were fish fins growing on his back that shimmered with a golden glow.
These were the distinctive traits of the fishman race—the Bluefin bloodline.
The magic aptitude of a fishman was quite poor, but the Bluefin bloodline was a relatively rare magic bloodline among the fishman race.
Zhong Yong was also quite fortunate.
The concentration of the Bluefin bloodline within his body was not low, sustaining him through his cultivation journey all the way to the silver level, where he finally reached his limit.
The dragonman youngster's battle record astonished Zhong Yong.
Although he was a magician, as another transcendent, Zhong Yong understood how rare such a record was.
Even before meeting Commander Long Fu, Zhong Yong already felt a sense of pressure.
“Anyone capable of achieving such feats must be extraordinary. This explains why the family transferred me to him.”
Zhong Yong was willing to submit to such a powerful figure.
What he truly worried about was whether the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps could provide him with a good working environment. Could they provide him with sufficient alchemy materials?
One had to know that mercenary groups and families were different.
Mercenary groups are often on the move, but Zhong Yong had already grown accustomed to—and enjoyed—the peaceful life of preparing potions at the family base.
Zhong Yong had never imagined that his once unchanging life would undergo such a drastic change just two days ago.
His personal will was easily overlooked in the face of the family's grand plans.
Zhong Yong, who had been raised by the family since childhood, though unwilling, did not even utter a word to advocate for himself. Because he always understood his place.
He was a fishman, an Alchemy Master cultivated by the family, and now a crucial bargaining chip for the family’s diplomatic relations.
“The most important thing is my salary.”
“My annual salary within the family is 260 gold.”
“The normal market rate is 300 gold per year.”
“When negotiating with the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps later, I'll start by asking for 500 gold, leaving room for bargaining.”
“Both of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps' magicians were assassinated. They are so desperate for an alchemist, and with a mysterious arms dealer backing them, they might agree to the 500 gold condition!”
The carriage arrived at the dock before dawn.
In the distance, where the sea met the sky, a faint white glow had already appeared.
It was dawn.
The fish market had already opened, and the sounds of buying and selling were growing louder.
Zhong Yong stepped down from the carriage, paused at the dock, and spotted the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps' ships.
“Why are there only three ships?” The fishman magician was disappointed, "Even the flagship is only iron level?”
Such assets were quite pitiful.
What Zhong Yong didn't know was that before he arrived at the dock, Zong Ge had already led a group of people out to sea for military training.
During this period, the vast majority of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps lived on the ships and hadn't even set foot on the dock.
After the Bayonet Gang was wiped out, Zong Ge finally got his chance.
He waited patiently for another day until the dragonman youngster returned from the banquet and he was finally sure it was safe.
The next morning, he couldn't wait to lead his men out to sea.
As he put it, these men needed training—a lot of training—to make up for the time wasted earlier!
The fishman magician stated his purpose, and the guarding mercenaries immediately went to report.
Soon, the dragonman youngster personally came down to greet him: “Hello, Magician Zhong Yong, I am Long Fu. Welcome to my mercenary group.”
Zhong Yong hurriedly bowed, showing gratitude.
The dragonman youngster stood alone before him, and his imposing stature and extraordinary demeanor made him feel the presence of a true powerhouse.
“He's so young.”
“The man before me is the one who defeated a gold level as a silver level!”
“Yet he has come personally to greet me.”
Zhong Yong felt a sense of being valued, and his resolve from the carriage only grew stronger.
“It seems the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps desperately needs an alchemist. A yearly salary of 500 gold is very likely. As long as I insist...”
Zhong Yong pondered, but the next moment, the dragonman youngster did not board the ship with him.
A human female magician approached Zhong Yong: "Greetings, Magician Zhong Yong. I am Yao Ma, a silver level magician. Please board the ship first.”
Yao Ma was Zi Di’s new identity.
Zhong Yong was puzzled: “Isn’t the commander coming with us?”
“No, he’s waiting for an important guest!” Zi Di explained with a smile, “We just received the news ourselves.”
At this moment, Zhong Yong finally understood that the dragonman youngster hadn’t come to greet him after all!