Chapter 489: Talking Leads to Arguing

Faced with Bao Li Gen's declaration of war, the response from the holy warriors' spirit within the tombstones was sparse.

Even allies of Gu Dong's standing did not approve of Bao Li Gen's offensive and quest for vengeance.

It was too reckless.

Gu Dong paused, choosing not to directly refute Bao Li Gen. Instead, he brought up another matter: "Although Jia Bing, Lin, and the Axe Gang leader have all fallen in battle, judging by the state of their tombstones, their bodies remain remarkably well-preserved. We must recover their remains and lay them to rest in Tranquil Hill. Only then can they find peace, and we can minimize the losses suffered by the Dueling Church."

Unlike the violent declaration from earlier, these words immediately drew agreement from many.

“The Axe Gang leader, Lin, and most crucially, Jia Bing, their life experiences shouldn't be wasted.”

"The more powerful warriors buried in Tranquil Hill, the more combat experience Tranquil Hill gains. The stronger Tranquil Hill becomes, the better it is for all of us."

"Since their bodies remain intact, we should retrieve them whenever possible. This is the honor of a Dueling God's holy warrior, and their true final resting place."

Xue Tuan Zi piped up timidly, "But current intelligence suggests the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps are exceptionally formidable. Could they possess saint level combat prowess? “On the surface, Long Fu is silver level, but in reality, he might be stronger than gold level!”

A ripple of unease swept through the group.

Gu Dong hesitated before analyzing, “I believe that possibility is unlikely.”

“If the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps were merely arms smugglers or just a mercenary group, they absolutely wouldn't possess saint level combat power.”

“If they're a vanguard sent by an enemy nation, it's unthinkable to deploy saint level forces as the initial reconnaissance wave, sacrificing such elite assets for reconnaissance.”

“I lean toward them possessing extraordinary, unconventional methods to achieve such an absurdly overwhelming advantage in combat.”

Bao Li Gen snorted coldly: "So what if they have saint level combat power?"

“Our kingdom has saint level fighters too, three of them, in fact.”

“If we expose the enemy's saint level fighter, he's finished. The kingdom will hunt him down.”

"Even if they're legendary level, there's nothing to fear. Hasn't our kingdom had legend level fighters throughout history?" The royal family must have ways to deal with legend levels!"

Silence fell over the group once more.

Bao Li Gen was a fierce warrior in the military, unafraid of death.

But the prevailing thought among the others was: If the enemy had a saint level among them, then confronting the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps would be nothing short of suicide.

As gold holy warriors of the Dueling God, they did not shy away from challenges or the face of death. Yet this did not mean they were willing to “throw themselves into certain death.”

Mei Lin's spirit waves remained steady and calm: “Regardless of their strength, if they are enemies, we must find ways to confront them, not flee.”

“If saint level foes storm our homeland, slaughtering and pillaging our loved ones, defending our nation is our only choice!”

"However, given their current, eerily formidable strength, our top priority now is reconnaissance. I believe securing critical intelligence will significantly boost our odds of victory."

Mei Lin held a military position, and her personal strength was widely acknowledged.

Among those discussing, she was arguably the strongest combatant. Moreover, among Tranquil Hill's 38 gold holy warriors, Mei Lin was likely second only to Long Meng in combat prowess.

Second to none, above all others.

Thus, no one challenged her perspective, and even the hothead fell silent.

Seeing no objections, Mei Lin pressed further: "Is anyone willing to take on the intelligence-gathering mission? Any volunteers? If you choose to act, I can provide additional intelligence, equipment, and compensation."

Spirit waves rippled across the gravestones, then fell silent.

No one stepped forward.

Bao Li Gen, Gu Dong, and the rest certainly had strong motives to target the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, but they were all frontline combatants, not thieves.

He Gai Tou suddenly spoke up: "According to intelligence, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps is currently in Snow Rabbit City. And as far as I know, the one closest to Snow Rabbit City right now should be Xue Tuan Zi."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Xue Tuan Zi interjected, her tone slightly urgent, "But I still have to do my alchemy! Since the end of last year, I've been preparing for this year's Warm Snow Cup."

"Besides, this mission clearly isn't suited for me. It should be handled by someone specialized." Xue Tuan Zi insisted.

He Gai Tou immediately agreed: “Xue Tuan Zi's right. Among us here, Yi Jiu is the most suitable candidate.”

Named, Yi Jiu felt compelled to speak up: "I'm an assassin, not a thief. My specialty is killing, not gathering intelligence."

"Of course, if the pay is high enough, I might consider it. But I can't guarantee success."

He Gai Tou added, “Besides Yi Jiu, Zhu Gan could also handle it, you are a ranger after all.”

Zhu Gan flatly refused: "I'm not from the Ice Sculpture Kingdom. I won't get involved in such matters. I've never had any interest in this sort of operation. But I am interested in fishing at Ice Pillar Lake again. Does anyone care to join me?"

Gu Dong's eye twitched.

Here we are, burdened with grievances and national hatred, and you're inviting friends to go fishing?

Yet Zhu Gan, being a holy warrior of the Dueling God, had every right to participate in this discussion.

No one was willing to take on this espionage mission.

Though all were of the gold level, most excelled in direct combat. Thieves were few and far between.

Gu Dong couldn't help but sigh inwardly: “What a pity Hua Tang isn't here!”

The composition of the present holy warriors was quite complex. Though all were believers of the Dueling God and shared a fellowship, their bonds weren't particularly strong.

The largest group of holy warriors had military backgrounds. Examples included Teng Dong Lang, the Axe Gang leader, Gu Dong, and Mei Lin. A smaller group hailed from diverse origins: Xue Tuan Zi from the Alchemy Guild, the foreign ranger Zhu Gan, and Yi Jiu from the Thieves' Guild. Enlisting their aid demanded additional compensation.

Mei Lin lamented inwardly: without Long Meng, her personal authority was insufficient to mobilize these forces.

Long Meng commanded the highest prestige.

He was the undisputed top duelist of the entire Ice Sculpture Kingdom, having crossed swords with many present and sparing their lives on multiple occasions. Thus, they owed him favors. Moreover, Long Meng possessed an open, generous personality and profound personal charisma, earning the respect and admiration of many.

Mei Lin sighed inwardly: “If he were here, he could rally them all with a single call.”

“Though I hold high rank and authority, I cannot directly mobilize the army's gold level soldiers to confront the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.”

The military boasts many skilled scouts whose intelligence gathering is highly specialized.

But Mei Lin couldn't do that.

The reason was akin to the Axe Gang leader seeking vengeance, he'd never openly mobilized the gang's forces for a direct confrontation with the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.

They were the holy warriors of the Dueling God, an organization hidden in the shadows. They couldn't openly reveal that identity.

In a sense, whoever exposed that identity would be the loser.

Mei Lin waited a while, but seeing no one step forward to take the intelligence mission, she reluctantly conceded: “Intelligence gathering is crucial. We must wait for the right person to carry it out. We cannot rush this.”

“In the short term, we can weaken the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps from another angle.”

"Long Fu's group is currently touring major cities across the kingdom, opening shops everywhere and mass-selling their potions. Clearly, they aim to penetrate our nation's potion market."

“Regardless of their true motives or plans, whatever the enemy seeks to do, disrupting it is never wrong.”

“This operation requires no prior intelligence gathering—we simply intercept their supply convoys en route.”

“Success isn't guaranteed every time. Dealing them several heavy blows will inflict significant losses, forcing them to deploy more forces to protect their caravans and divert precious resources.”

As soon as she finished, Bao Li Gen cheered loudly.

Gu Dong furrowed his brow slightly, pondered for a moment, and also deemed it a sound plan.

But Mo Gui Ji sneered coldly, “How amusing. A commander from the Kingdom's Navy actually taking on the role of a bandit.”

“Of course, I understand.”

"You are soldiers, after all! War has no room for ethics."

"But you shouldn't always talk to yourselves and act so self-righteous. I've never once considered the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps my enemy."

"If they were enemies, I'd rather invite them to a heroic duel, a fair fight face to face. Even if I lost or died, it would be honorable!"

Mo Gui Ji publicly undermined him, enraging Bao Li Gen into shouting, “You want a duel? Fine! Come fight me! Let's settle this once and for all!”

He remained unfazed, even taunting him, "You think I'm afraid of you? Come on then! I'm in Aurora City. I'll be waiting for you!"

Bao Li Gen roared, "Aurora City, huh? Fine, I'm coming. Just wait!"

The two bickered incessantly, giving others waves of headaches.

Zhu Gan remarked, “How amusing. Perhaps I should alter my plans and head to Aurora City to witness your duel.”

Though a ranger, combat was his second passion, second only to fishing. Otherwise, he wouldn't have followed the Dueling God and become one of the holy warriors.

“I'm interested too!”

“Then I'll join as well.”

Suddenly, several gold holy warriors emitted spirit wave fluctuations.

They hadn't participated in the earlier discussion, remaining silent until now.

Gu Dong let out a long sigh.

He was speechless.

Weren't they here to discuss how to deal with the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps?

How did the conversation veer off course like this?

Accustomed to the military atmosphere where orders were followed without question, Gu Dong felt utterly helpless in the face of these holy warriors each pursuing their own agendas.