Chapter 449: Splice Mountain, Graft Town

A sharp pain shot through him, causing Zong Ge's face to twist unnaturally for a moment.

“What happened?” Zi Di asked with concern.

After all, Zong Ge was one of their own. His promotion to gold level was a tremendous boon for the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.

Especially now, when the enemy was powerful and mysterious, and they hadn't yet fully understood their capabilities, Zong Ge had become the absolute mainstay of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps. Naturally, Zi Di hoped he was in good condition.

Zong Ge drew the Blood Vengeance Axe from his back: “It's this weapon! I killed the Axe Gang leader but fell victim to his final trick.”

“Periodically, a crimson blood aura swirls around me, striking vital points inside and outside my body.”

“The exact timing is unpredictable. I must remain constantly vigilant, channeling my battle qi for protection to survive.”

Zi Di's brows instantly furrowed: "The Axe Gang leader?  He's the one who ambushed us? Who are the other two? Let me examine you first. Perhaps I can purge this blood aura."

Zong Ge nodded.

He'd already tried, but could only defend passively, unable to locate the source.

Magic offered more diverse methods than battle qi; perhaps Zi Di could provide assistance.

After a thorough examination, Zi Di confirmed Zong Ge was indeed a genuine gold level fighter but found no other clues.

Having meticulously analyzed the battle sequence Zong Ge described, Zi Di concluded: “This is likely the power of the Blood Vengeance Axe, merely activated by the Axe Gang leader.”

“Based on our current intelligence, the Blood Vengeance Axe is no ordinary gold level weapon.”

“To eliminate this threat, we must focus our efforts on the axe itself. That holds the key to resolving this.”

Zong Ge nodded. "I've taken down three gold level opponents, but we can't afford to be complacent. Let's depart immediately!"

“Wait. Before we go, you must replenish your Deceptive Disguise spell first,” Zi Di reminded him.

Zong Ge looked at himself and nodded. "During intense combat, the Deceptive Disguise spell drains energy extremely rapidly. In fact, I crushed two Pearl Bubbles during the fight."

Following this, Zong Ge explained to Zi Di how the Deceptive Disguise spell and Pearl Bubbles performed in actual combat.

"Before the fight, I used the Deceptive Disguise spell to make myself ‘completely invisible.’ Because the camouflage was so deep, after slaying the first gold level fighter, the spell's effect diminished by more than half."

“I had no choice but to shatter the first Pearl Bubble.”

“The Pearl Bubble's power acted on the battlefield, allowing me to lift the tent flap without alerting the enemy.”

"Under the scrutiny and reconnaissance of a gold level fighter, Deceptive Disguise spell's effectiveness plummeted. Especially after I struck, the moment the enemy suffered heavy damage, I distinctly felt the spell's power diminish drastically."

"Inside the tent, I crushed the second pearl bubble. Even so, the Axe Gang leader launched a death throes counterattack."

“After that battle, these are the only Pearl Bubbles I have left.”

At this point, Zong Ge produced eight Pearl Bubbles.

Zi Di listened intently while retrieving the formation diagram panel and installing the Deceptive Disguise Formation.

Seeing the eight pearl bubbles, she sighed, “The higher the level of deception, the greater the spell's consumption, this is something we'd already tested before.”

“I just didn't expect it to consume this much still.”

Before Zong Ge departed, Zi Di gave him thirty pearl bubbles. Upon his return, only eight remained. Including the Deceptive Disguise spell Zong Ge had to recast before and after the battle, his total pearl bubble consumption was almost thirty.

When Zi Di set out from Snow Bird Harbor, she had carried only about sixty pearl bubbles herself. Meaning Zong Ge's battle alone had used up half her reserves.

Zi Di retrieved only five: “The remaining three are for your use, in case of unforeseen circumstances.”

"Logically speaking, losing three gold level beings at once would be a massive blow to any faction within the Ice Sculpture Kingdom. Even if they wanted to target us, they'd surely hesitate to act."

Zong Ge nodded in agreement with Zi Di's assessment. For the Ice Sculpture Kingdom wasn't the Sheng Ming Empire; its strongest beings were merely at the saint level. Below saint level were the gold level individuals.

Gold level individuals formed the backbone of any force.

Take the Axe Gang, for instance: with their leader deceased, their remaining strongest combatants would instantly drop to silver level, inevitably triggering massive turmoil. Handled poorly, it could very well lead to the gang's dissolution.

Zong Ge carefully tucked the pearl bubbles into his robe: "Our use of the Pearl Bubble is too crude. If we had a high-ranking cleric from the Charming Blue Church, I believe the Pearl Bubble's consumption would plummet significantly, and the Deceptive Disguise spell's effect would be far superior."

He turned his gaze to the three corpses lying on the ground. "The Axe Gang leader was the head of the gang, but he was once a soldier of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom. His identity and background bear a striking resemblance to Teng Dong Lang. I strongly suspect a close connection between them. This might explain why we were ambushed!"

The clue was too obvious. As a commander skilled in battlefield analysis, Zong Ge immediately pieced together part of the truth.

“As for the other two, I also suspect they share the same background as Teng Dong Lang and the Axe Gang leader,” Zong Ge stated.

Zi Di smiled faintly: “They're both gold level, no small figures. A little digging will reveal their backgrounds and identities.”

“I have a feeling this time, our gains will be substantial!”

The triple reconnaissance of Xu Ma, the alchemy puppets, and the modified ghosts kept the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps ahead in intelligence gathering.

After reapplying a Deceptive Disguise spell, Zong Ge reunited with Zi Di and his subordinates.

None of them were privy to the fact that during Zong Ge's brief absence, he had achieved the formidable feat of slaying three gold level opponents.

The journey ahead proceeded smoothly.

By evening, the group entered Rabbit Fur Town.

Their first task was to request teleportation.

The teleportation formation in Rabbit Fur Town remained heavily used. Even with Zi Di spending a fortune in bribes, they were still booked until the following afternoon.

After consulting with Zong Ge, Zi Di decided to stay overnight in Rabbit Fur Town and use the teleportation formation to reach Snow Rabbit City.

After a hearty dinner, they obtained a crucial piece of intelligence from information purchased from subordinates.

“Magician Jia Bing?”

“A powerful magician retired from the military, an Alchemy Great Master. His specialty is crafting variants of the alchemy puppet, a gargoyle – an ice gargoyle.”

“So, his storage belt should contain ice gargoyles?”

“Fantastic!” Zi Di's eyes lit up, already envisioning acquiring ice-carving techniques from Jia Bing's legacy.

This was an alchemy technique unique to the Ice Sculpture Kingdom!

"Additionally, Magician Jia Bing maintains an alchemy laboratory in Grafting Town. He occasionally trades with outsiders, mainly selling alchemy tools.

Noticing this, Zong Ge spoke: "It seems we need to make a trip to Grafting Town."

A gold level magician, who was also an Alchemy Great Master, made Zi Di and Zong Ge decide to make a detour to his alchemy laboratory.

Zi Di immediately checked the intel on Grafting Town.

Situated at the foot of Splice Mountain, Grafting Town was the closest settlement to the mountain. Due to environmental factors and poor transportation, its size was less than a third of Rabbit Fur Town.

The origin of Grafting Town was tied to the legendary druid, Fan Sheng Za Zhong.

This great druid, a wood elf and direct descendant of the Fan Sheng Clan, excelled in grafting techniques that enabled different plants to coexist and thrive.

During his travels, he had journeyed to the Ice Sculpture Kingdom and conducted numerous cultivation experiments on Splice Mountain. The drastic transformation of Splice Mountain's landscape drew widespread attention, threatening the rule and interests of certain factions.

The snow elves' transcendents united to expel Fan Sheng Za Zhong. The great druid descended to battle the snow elves. His masterful grafting abilities displayed in combat shattered their morale, forcing their retreat.

The battlefield became home to several colossal, grafted hybrid magic plants, formed from the residual power of the great druid.

Years later, some snow elves successfully survived the harsh cold of Splice Mountain beneath these plants, gradually forming Grafting Town.

"According to intelligence, the five magic plants in Grafting Town still retain potent grafting capabilities. Severely damaged plants can be directly grafted onto their trunks, drawing life-sustaining nutrients to slowly recover and sprout anew."

“Interesting.”

Zi Di began anticipating the journey to Grafting Town.

Night deepened.

As the ship neared port, the captain breathed a sigh of relief, navigating at night carried far greater risks than by day. It wasn't the danger of getting lost; that probability was low. The captain's greatest fear was pirate attacks, especially since the emergence of the Pirate Throne had unleashed rampant piracy worldwide. Even once-safe routes now harbor hidden dangers.

The Gold level Magician Da Bei and silver level Magician Zhong Bei disembarked, formally setting foot on Flower Skirt Island.

They suppressed their auras and activated magic artifacts, disguising themselves as two iron level fighters.

The identity of iron level transcendents drew less attention while still commanding enough respect to deter many from acting rashly.  This saved Da Bei and Zhong Bei a lot of trouble.

Especially since their mission was to seek Master Cai Jing's assistance in crafting a replica of the dragon rider potion, minimizing unnecessary complications was paramount.

It was precisely for this reason that they concealed their true identities.

Da Bei didn't want to expose himself to arouse suspicion from the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, potentially forcing him into conflict with these arms smugglers.

What Da Bei hoped for was to handle the matter discreetly, eliminating the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps while remaining entirely uninvolved.

"Let's head to the tavern first and inquire about Master Cai Jing's residence. It's too late for a visit, so we'll need to find an inn for the night." Da Bei whispered.

Zhong Bei nodded repeatedly.

The largest tavern on Flower Skirt Island was located right in the harbor.

Da Bei and Zhong Bei entered the tavern, still drawing no attention.

Though they were unfamiliar faces, the harbor was a place of constant movement, teeming with strangers.

The first and second floors were filled almost entirely with ordinary folk, while the transcendents occupied the third and fourth floors.

Bearing the status of iron level fighters, the two ascended to the tavern's third floor.

There, they found a crowd gathered around a massive fish tank, shouting and cheering incessantly.

Zhong Bei scanned the scene and spotted a blue-skinned, curly-haired, triangular-headed fishman and a snow elf fighter engaged in a high-stakes wager over a miniature fish-themed tactical board game.

By the time Zhong Bei and Da Bei found an empty table and sat down, the match had become a one-sided affair.

The fishman held a clear advantage, drawing roars of encouragement from the crowd: "Hen Fa! Hen Fa! Hen Fa!"