Chapter 490: Attacking the Caravan

Xue Tuan Zi sighed regretfully, "I'd love to watch too, but I need to prepare for the Warm Snow Cup Alchemy Tournament. Sigh... If you guys go, please record the magic footage for me."

“Speaking of which, I wonder if the duel is public or private?”

When two heroic duelists wished to avoid spectators, it would become a private duel. Only the combatants would enter the arena, which would transform into a sealed battlefield isolated from the outside world.

In reality, private duels far outnumbered public ones.

Even when invitations were extended, most duelists only invited a select few to witness the fight.

Mo Gui Ji declared, "I couldn't care less! A real man should fight with honor! Besides, letting everyone witness me defeat this brute, Bao Li Gen, would be quite entertaining."

“Defeat me? You're dreaming!” Bao Li Gen roared, “Then let's have a public duel! I'll crush you!”

Suddenly, someone interjected: "Bao Li Gen, aren't you under confinement right now? Do you really have the chance to come out and duel?"

Mei Lin: ...

Xue Tuan Zi: ...

Bao Li Gen fell silent for a moment, then suddenly roared with fury.

Mo Gui Ji sneered, “This is hilarious! Turns out you can't even get out of there!”

Bao Li Gen: "Confinement? What's that? I'll sneak out tonight and be in Aurora City tomorrow!"

Mo Gui Ji sneered coldly: “Fine, I'll wait for you. If you don't show up, you're a coward!”

“You're the fucking coward!” Bao Li Gen bellowed.

“My apologies, Bao Li Gen.” Mei Lin had silently resolved to report this immediately through military channels after this conversation.

Compared to the excitement of a duel, she couldn't tolerate soldiers violating military discipline.

Gu Dong, meanwhile, observed the figure who’d spoken up to remind Bao Li Gen about his confinement: "It’s Yun Zhong. He never says much, but when he does, he hits the bullseye."

Yun Zhong was the most rapidly rising archer in the royal capital lately.

His formidable strength had earned him fame through numerous heroic duels.

Numerous factions sought to recruit him, including the influential Li Jian Clan of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, but Yun Zhong declined every offer.

Accustomed to solitude, he disliked being bound by obligations.

Recently, he had also ascended to become a holy warrior of the Dueling God.

The scene was quite “lively.”

Bao Li Gen and Mo Gui Ji bickered incessantly, their intense spirit wave fluctuations severely disrupting others' conversations.

Without Long Meng present, Mei Lin couldn't control the situation.

She tried to intervene, but Bao Li Gen, consumed by rage, ignored her completely.

Mo Gui Ji, equally furious, paid no heed to Mei Lin's urges either.

Pushed to her limit, Mei Lin temporarily withdrew and immediately used emergency communications to report Bao Li Gen to the army in her personal capacity.

“What? Intelligence indicates Bao Li Gen is secretly preparing to escape the barracks?” The army was startled upon receiving the report.

Though Mei Lin belonged to the navy, her reputation was widespread, extending even to the army.

The army took no chances, immediately dispatching personnel to break into the detention cell.

Disturbed, Bao Li Gen was forced to open his eyes, halting his prayers. This severed his connection to Tranquil Hill's remote communication.

“Aaaah!” He bellowed incessantly, his rage piercing the heavens.

"As expected, Bao Li Gen's condition is abnormal! " The army swiftly verified Mei Lin's intelligence and immediately mobilized elite forces to suppress Bao Li Gen.

Chaos erupted throughout the military camp.

Mei Lin resumed her prayer, her spirit returning to the divine domain of Tranquil Hill to reconnect with the others.

The group remained puzzled, wondering why Bao Li Gen's spirit had abruptly withdrawn.

Mei Lin stated calmly, “I reported him.”

Everyone: ...

It was highly unusual for the holy warriors to communicate across such distances. Each prayer drained a massive amount of divine favor. Only when their spirits were anchored within the tombstones did they cease consuming divine favor.

This meant Mei Lin's two consecutive prayers had cost twice as much divine favor as the others combined!

For a moment, everyone was stunned by Mei Lin's ruthlessness.

After an awkward silence, Mi Fang cautiously offered, “If we need to deal with the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps' caravan, I can assist.”

Xue Tuan Zi's mind flashed through intelligence on Mi Fang.

He was a human alchemist who had come to the Ice Sculpture Kingdom years ago to study. At the academy, he had romantic entanglements with several noble ladies, earning him the enmity of many male students.

Consequently, Mi Fang frequently participated in heroic duels.

He himself proved highly skilled in combat, winning more often than he lost, and was eventually taken in as a son-in-law by the kingdom's Jing Xiang Clan.

The Jing Xiang Clan has long dominated the kingdom's potion market. Is this move by Mi Fang against the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps driven by a dispute over interests?

“Then...” Mei Lin was about to agree.

Suddenly, another spirit fluctuation rippled through the air: “Step aside. I'll handle this.”

Instantly, many hearts sank. Gu Dong felt a faint headache returning as he muttered to himself, “Qing Hong Yan... Another troublesome fellow.”

Gu Dong voiced his concern: “Qing Hong Yan, if I recall correctly, it was Teng Dong Lang who defeated and captured you back then, right?”

Qing Hong Yan stated bluntly: “To be precise, that day, Teng Dong Lang spared my life. He could have killed me outright, but he didn't. He was an excellent soldier. Even after he retired and formed a gang, in my eyes, he remained a man worthy of respect."

“Therefore, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps is my enemy!”

"To take revenge on my enemies, I'll start by eliminating their caravans. Heh heh heh, Hahaha, muah hahaha..."

As he spoke, Qing Hong Yan erupted into maniacal laughter, radiating a chilling aura of murderous intent!

“Has this guy gone mad again?”

"Bao Li Gen and Mo Gui Ji might be a bit violent, but they're still normal people. This Qing Hong Yan... Dealing with someone like him always keeps you on edge."

“Qing Hong Yan...” Mei Lin's mind swiftly recalled his information.

Qing Hong Yan was a snow rabbitman captured as a slave, then resold multiple times until ending up in the hands of the Alchemy Great Master Luan Gai.

During Luan Gai's alchemy experiments, he was transformed into a half-flesh, half-alchemy being. While his combat power skyrocketed, his sanity suffered severe damage.

During one alchemy experiment, he completely lost his mind, destroying the laboratory, severely injuring Luan Gai, and escaping. He caused extensive destruction to surrounding villages.

The kingdom mobilized its army to search the mountains. Teng Dong Lang was part of one such squad. They encountered Qing Hong Yan, clashed with him, and ultimately subdued him.

After his capture, though treated by royal physicians, Qing Hong Yan retained his profound mental instability.

He could not tolerate stimuli. Often, the slightest emotional fluctuation would trigger uncontrollable rage, plunging him into a dangerously enraged state where he indiscriminately slaughtered friend and foe alike.

Thus, for years, he had lived in seclusion on the mountain, moving alone.

“Does anyone else wish to make a move?” Mei Lin asked. No one responded.

Her mind raced: Should she choose Mi Fang or Qing Hong Yan?

The former was backed by the Jing Xiang clan, while the latter was one of the elders of the snow rabbitman tribe. Qing Hong Yan's lineage was also extraordinary, descended from the snow rabbitman tribe's high command. His capture as a slave prompted the snow rabbitman higher-ups to intervene directly, appealing to the royal court. The Ice Sculpture Royal Court held the snow rabbitman tribe in high regard, consistently nurturing their relationship.

When Qing Hong Yan rebelled, broke out of the alchemy chamber, and revealed his whereabouts, the court mobilized troops and ordered his capture alive.

Though Mei Lin was a naval commander, her position naturally required strong political acumen.

After some consideration, she offered a pretext: “Then I request your assistance, Qing Hong Yan. Your location is closest to Snow Bird Harbor.”

"I shall relay all pertinent intelligence to you. In short, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps' production bases are all in Snow Bird Harbor, and their caravans all depart from there."

“Intercepting them around Snow Bird Harbor would be the most convenient and efficient approach.”

"Of course, I'm not rejecting you, Mi Fang. You may also take action simultaneously. I'll have someone deliver the corresponding rewards to both of you."

Mi Fang gave a fake smile: "Heh. Since Qing Hong Yan is handling it, I'll stay out of it."

After assigning this task, Mei Lin initiated a mental communication: "The Axe Gang leader is dead. His coffin bearer is his son, Fu Zhao. Gu Dong, can you go retrieve him?"

Gu Dong immediately replied, “Of course! I'm honored to take this assignment!”

Mei Lin felt deeply relieved. After all, these were professionals from the regular army, their dedication was incomparable.

Zhu Gan sighed and volunteered, “Lin and I were fishing buddies. Now that he's gone, I'd like to assist his coffin bearer.”

Xue Tuan Zi added, “I can handle Jia Bing's side too.”

Mei Lin considered, "Zhu Gan will take charge of Lin's coffin bearer. But Jia Bing hasn't designated one yet, it's unfortunate."

Not every gold holy warrior of the Dueling God had a coffin bearer; in a sense, the coffin bearer was the heir.

Choosing an heir was often exceedingly difficult.

Gu Dong then asked, “Bing Xiao brought many outsiders here to Tranquil Hill without authorization. How should these people be dealt with?”

"During his ritual, the divine domain unexpectedly expanded its reach. This anomaly was likely orchestrated by hostile forces to facilitate their infiltrators entering Tranquil Hill!"

“As we all know, covert factions or individuals have persistently spied on us and Tranquil Hill.”

He Gai Tou concurred, "Perhaps even the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps this time was targeting us. We've already lost four gold level holy warriors to them!"

“Why not just kill them outright?” Mo Gui Ji sneered, “What's there to hesitate about?”

"Bing Xiao is our Lord's silver level holy warrior. Though he lacks the standing to erect a tombstone, he's worthy of trust. Killing his men outright wouldn't be wise." Gu Dong stood up for his comrade-in-arms.

Mei Lin echoed the sentiment: "I spoke privately with Bing Xiao. He's already shared his proposed solution with me. I believe it's prudent."

Mei Lin emitted a wave of spirit fluctuations, relaying Bing Xiao's arrangements to the group.

“Then let's proceed with that plan for now.”

“Just because they've converted, can we truly trust them?”

“At least they won't threaten Tranquil Hill anymore.”

“I have no objections.”

“Relax, Tranquil Hill is a divine domain.”

“Hmph! If anything goes wrong, you'll all be held responsible!”

Opinions varied, but most accepted Mei Lin's solution.

After that, everyone spoke their minds. Since private conversations weren't possible, constant mental fluctuations flooded in, filling the air with chaotic messages.

Mei Lin felt utterly drained.

She'd rather command an army than make arrangements here.

But there was no choice.

Even she had to admit: these gold level holy warriors were formidable fighters individually, stronger than the elite in the military. They were essentially the backbone of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom's combat strength!

“Our military infiltration here isn't deep enough.”

“The situation was steadily shifting in our favor, but the death of Teng Dong Lang, Jia Bing, and the other two has suddenly pulled it back.”

“For now, we can only treat them as high level mercenaries.”

“Though if Long Meng were here, he could likely command their obedience.”

Truthfully, Mei Lin deeply envied the stature and authority Long Meng commanded among them.