Chapter 411: Blood Vengeance Axe and Fire Axe Cavalry

Ice Sculpture Kingdom.

Blood Kin City.

After reviewing the ledgers, Zi Di discovered something peculiar: the largest purchaser of dragon rider potions in the city was a single gang.

The shopkeeper explained, "Lord Magician, you may not be aware, but the Axe Gang is the largest gang in Blood Kin City, owning a vast herd of long-haired horses. These horses are exceptionally cold-resistant. Though their charge distance is short, they possess remarkable endurance, allowing them to gallop freely in icy, frigid weather."

“Some superior long-haired horses even possess racial magic that provide warmth to their riders.”

“The Axe Gang has formed a cavalry unit with these horses, known as the Fire Axe Cavalry.”

Zong Ge, who had accompanied Zi Di, initially paid little attention. But upon hearing the shopkeeper's words, his keen interest was piqued, and he turned his gaze toward them.

Noticing Commander Long Fu's attention, the shopkeeper elaborated further: "The Fire Axe Cavalry wields long-handled battle axes as weapons and cultivates the Blood Rage battle qi technique. Only a small number are snow elves; most are humans and dwarves."

"When fighting at full strength, the Blood Rage battle qi erupts, often igniting the warriors themselves. Their long-haired horses catch fire too. In such moments, both rider and mount are bathed in crimson flames, their attack power surging severalfold!"

Zong Ge listened intently, encountering this type of squadron for the first time.

He envisioned countless scenarios in his mind, pondering how such a unit could be deployed for optimal battlefield performance.

Zi Di, however, focused on another point and asked the shopkeeper, “What exactly does a local gang accomplish by maintaining a cavalry unit?”

The shopkeeper hastened to reply, "The Axe Gang's biggest business is escorting merchant caravans. They protect goods for caravans traveling to and from Blood Kin City. The Fire Axe Cavalry is their biggest selling point."

“Of course,” the shopkeeper lowered his voice at this point, "if any merchant alliance refuses to cooperate with them, the Axe Gang members turn into bandits and carry out robberies. Very few caravans can defeat the Fire Axe Cavalry, so by now, most merchant alliances in Blood Kin City basically cooperate with the Axe Gang."

“Even major merchant alliances like the Clam Cloth Merchant Alliance, despite having their own formidable guards, maintain ties with the Axe Gang.”

Zi Di furrowed her brow slightly, her expression growing grave. "The Axe Gang is merely a local gang, yet they control the trade routes outside Blood Kin City, extorting protection fees from caravans large and small. Does the Blood Kin City Lord not intervene in this?"

“The Axe Gang leader is gold level, but the Blood Kin City Lord is also gold level—and he's a magician.”

Before setting out, Zi Di had already purchased extensive intelligence on the towns along their route through the Thieves' Guild.

The shopkeeper lowered his voice further. "Our Blood Kin City Lord is indeed gold level and a magician, but he hasn't been seen in ages. Rumor has it he's been training in the royal capital, preparing to win this year's Warm Snow Cup tournament. His disciple, merely a silver level magician, has been handling Blood Kin City's affairs in his stead."

“Moreover, the Axe Gang leader isn't just a gold level fighter, he wields a gold level weapon - the Blood Vengeance Axe.”

"The Blood Vengeance Axe isn't an ordinary gold level weapon. Far surpassing ordinary gold level weapons, it long served as the symbol of authority for Blood Kin City's rulers."

“However, over forty years ago, a rebellion erupted in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom.”

"At that time, Blood Kin City was still known as Snow Fall City. The ruler of Snow Fall City, a member of the royal family, suffered defeat and, fearing death, shamefully surrendered to the rebels."

"The king successfully quelled the rebellion and reclaimed Snow Fall City. He intended to execute the Snow Fall City Lord, but the king's mother interceded on his behalf. After all, he was of royal blood."

"The king thus kept the city lord's position, merely changing the city's name. It was only after this renaming that it became known as Blood Kin City."

Upon learning the city's new name, the city lord was overcome with guilt and took his own life that very night.

From that day forward, the Blood Vengeance Axe fell into the hands of outsiders, changing masters many times before finally landing with a powerful snow elf warrior. Armed with this axe, he carved out a domain within the city and founded the Axe Gang.

“The Axe Gang's leadership has passed down to the current generation, and the gang's influence has grown immensely.”

"Our acting city lord has attempted several times to retrieve the Blood Vengeance Axe from the Axe Gang. Each attempt was thwarted by the current Axe Gang leader, costing our acting city lord dearly."

“Sigh, she's still too young.”

"After several clashes between the two sides, the Axe Gang has consistently gained the upper hand. The city lord's faction has grown increasingly weak. All other factions witnessed this, powerless to challenge the Axe Gang."

"So now, though the acting lord's faction holds nominal authority in Blood Kin City and commands the city guard, the Axe Gang remains the true dominant force.

The shopkeeper paused here, his expression shifting to one of satisfaction and delight: “Truth be told, the dragon rider potion is truly remarkable.”

Thanks to this potion, our shop has established connections with the Axe Gang."

“Before, some competitors tried to squeeze us out, but since the Axe Gang started bulk-buying dragon rider potions, that kind of harassment and exclusion has dropped significantly.”

After hearing the shopkeeper's words, Zong Ge and Zi Di exchanged silent glances.

They hadn't imagined the true state of affairs in Blood Kin City would be like this.

In Snow Bird Harbor, the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord was undoubtedly the most powerful figure. Yet here, the acting city Blood Kin City Lord was being dominated by a local gang.

Though the acting city lord held the title, it was clear she was powerless against the Axe Gang. When it came to the power struggles of local factions, one had to look first to the leaders themselves.

After a moment's thought, Zi Di made a swift decision: “Prepare gifts. It seems we must pay a proper visit to the Axe Gang's leader.”

“Is that really necessary?” Zong Ge frowned at the suggestion.

Coming from a military background, he harbored little regard for pirates or local gangs.

Zi Di nodded slightly, “Our alchemy workshop in Snow Bird Harbor focuses almost exclusively on one thing: brewing dragon rider potions.”

“Our shipments will only grow larger.”

“If the Axe Gang acts against us, Blood Kin City will struggle to distribute our goods.”

"And Blood Kin City is one of the closest cities to Snow Bird Harbor. For nationwide distribution, this is a crucial transportation hub. The Axe Gang controls the nearby trade routes, which is a major factor."

“Very well,” Zong Ge nodded, “I'll go with you.”

Despite their serious disagreements and even arguments, when problems arose, he would set aside their differences and cooperate with Zi Di to handle them first.

The Axe Gang was the most powerful faction in Blood Kin City. With their Fire Axe Cavalry, they now control the trade routes surrounding the city.

The acting city lord has been powerless against them. She hasn't even deployed the city guard.

Zi Di immediately suspected: The Axe Gang has likely corrupted many officers. If the acting city lord ordered their eradication, the city guard would likely defect.

She felt no motivation whatsoever to restore order for the acting city lord. Her purpose in this journey, aside from entering the Ice Sculpture Capital, was to conduct smooth reconnaissance along the way and execute her business plans.

Sales of dragon rider potions were booming, yet Zi Di remained unsatisfied. The mount potion market in Blood Kin City still held vast untapped potential.

The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps had significantly increased potion production, meaning more dragon rider potions would soon flood the city's market.

Only by nearly monopolizing this mount potion niche could she achieve relative security.

Even if similar potions emerged later, they'd struggle to gain traction in Blood Kin City. The market space would be almost entirely occupied by dragon rider potions.

Although a direct teleportation formation connects Blood Kin City and Snow Bird Harbor, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps cannot possibly use teleportation for shipping due to cost.

Generally speaking, this mode of transport was reserved for major military operations.

Using teleportation formations for cargo shipment was prohibitively expensive. Even Zong Ge knew such a venture would incur massive losses.

The most cost-effective transport method was caravan delivery.

If the Axe Gang interfered, it would inevitably cause Zi Di immense trouble. She aimed to seize the market with dragon rider potions, and timing was crucial.

Any delay would mean achieving the same market impact later would require more than double the effort. It might even become impossible to ever achieve equivalent results.