Chapter 499: The Commander Should be Zong Ge

Chi Lai entered the dining hall.

Inside, two transcendants sat at opposite ends of the long table.

One was none other than the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord, seated at the head.

The other was a male sea elf. His ears resembled scallop-shaped fins, and his body was covered in scales, possessing the distinctive, ethereal beauty characteristic of the elven race. However, his gloomy gaze diminished the charm of his appearance.

After a quick glance around, Chi Lai fixed his eyes on the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord.

He bowed respectfully, using carefully prepared words to seek the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord's assistance.

A sharp gleam flashed in the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord's eyes.

He had already known Chi Lai's purpose when his subordinate reported the visit.

In truth, the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord had long maintained an interest in the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps. Thus, he had already received intelligence about the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ caravan being ambushed and intercepted by a gold level powerhouse, resulting in the loss of both men and goods.

“The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps is my ally. Without your assistance back then, I would have lacked a proper justification to wipe out the Bayonet Gang. Nor would Snow Bird Harbor exist as it does today.”

The Snow Bird Harbor City Lord was willing to assist.

On one hand, he was eager to uncover the arms dealer behind the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps. On the other, Lan Zao, also known as Hen Fa, had infiltrated Tranquil Hill.

Thus, maintaining ties with the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps would greatly benefit the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord.

After pondering, the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord presented his solution.

Not only that, he personally funded the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps with substantial supplies and expressed concern over their recent heavy losses.

Chi Lai thanked him and departed with a full load.

The restaurant was once again left with only the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord and his guest.

The Snow Bird Harbor City Lord smiled as he introduced the sea elf across from him: “The silver fighter who just entered is a member of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps. This mercenary group is the most prominent in our nation. Their leader, Long Fu, though only silver level, publicly slew a gold level opponent. Now, his name is known throughout the kingdom!"

The sea elf shook his head. "None of that concerns me. My sole focus now is whether I can create a Sea Feast worthy of my standards for this kingdom's celebration."

“You know why I'm here, don't you?” the sea elf asked, turning to the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord.

“Of course,” he replied without hesitation.

He then called someone in from outside.

This was his head chef, responsible for the city lord's meals.

The chef was a human, ordinary-looking with a large belly, a silver level magic chef.

“You are Mei Lan Du?” The sea elf scrutinized him from head to toe.

The human chef nodded and bowed, “Lord Ci Hai Shen, greetings. I am indeed Mei Lan Du.”

The sea elf nodded, his gaze lingering on Mei Lan Du's belly. "I am to attend the kingdom's celebration this time. What do you think? Would you join me to participate in such a grand event?"

“I need you to serve as one of my deputies, assisting me in completing the Sea Feast.”

"Upon its completion, I shall impart to you our sea elves' exclusive gold level recipes!"

Yet Mei Lan Du shook his head, declining the invitation.

This human magic chef looked at the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord with utmost loyalty: "I will follow the city lord my whole life. Serving him meals each day brings me the greatest joy and gives my life its deepest meaning!"

At first, the sea elf Ci Hai Shen thought Mei Lan Du was playing hard to get, so he raised his offer several times.

But each time, Mei Lan Du refused outright, his stance unwavering.

Only then did the sea elf Ci Hai Shen grasp his true intentions and reluctantly withdrew his offer.

After Mei Lan Du withdrew, Ci Hai Shen inquired of the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord: "What would it take to make Mei Lan Du my deputy?"

The Snow Bird Harbor City Lord shook his head: "Mei Lan Du is not my slave. I deeply respect his personal wishes!"

Unwilling to concede, Ci Hai Shen attempted to raise the offer again, only to face another refusal from the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord.

He snorted coldly, finally falling silent, his expression deeply displeased.

The Snow Bird Harbor City Lord, however, grew even more cordial, smiling warmly as he understood the other's foul mood.

He initiated conversation, complimenting Ci Hai Shen as the most formidable magic chef at the Ice Sculpture Kingdom's grand ceremony.

Ci Hai Shen shook his head. Though he possessed the proud nature of his elven race, he hadn't lost his sense of self-awareness.

He said, "Both the Earth Feast of the giant magic chef Da Dou and the Snow Feast of your nation's Xue Ying pose a formidable threat to me. Moreover, this occasion marks the Ice Sculpture Kingdom's once-in-a-century grand celebration, likely drawing other powerful figures as well."

“When the head chefs are of comparable strength, the role of the deputy chef becomes crucial to the overall outcome.”

“With so many ports in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, I specifically chose Snow Bird Harbor to enter your kingdom because of your subordinate, Mei Lan Du.”

The Snow Bird Harbor City Lord shook his head with a bitter smile, indicating that while Mei Lan Du was willing to follow him, he was exceptionally unique. The Snow Bird Harbor City Lord refused to force him to do anything against his will.

At this, the sea elf Ci Hai Shen's expression turned icy, and he said no more.

The Snow Bird Harbor City Lord seemed oblivious, maintaining his composure. Even without Ci Hai Shen's response, he could carry on the conversation himself, keeping the atmosphere lively.

After the banquet ended, Ci Hai Shen, wearing a sour expression, promptly declined the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord's invitation to stay at the city government palace.

The Snow Bird Harbor City Lord stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, watching Ci Hai Shen's departing figure below.

In the shadows behind him, Mei Lan Du's silhouette gradually emerged. The latter also gazed at Ci Hai Shen's back, sighing regretfully, "What a pity. If only the Tranquil Hill mission hadn't made such significant progress this time. I could have followed Ci Hai Shen and infiltrated the grand ceremony."

The Snow Bird Harbor City Lord shook his head slightly, “Tranquil Hill takes precedence above all else!”

Snow Bird Harbor Dock.

Just as Chi Lai was about to knock, the door opened.

Tripleblade welcomed Chi Lai warmly, ushering him to the seat of honor.

“You're finally back,” Tripleblade remarked.

Though only an iron level fighter, Chi Lai did not underestimate him.

For one thing, Tripleblade was Shi Qi's confidant. Underestimating him would easily offend Shi Qi,  the second-in-command of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.

Moreover, Tripleblade had recently managed the corps' affairs with remarkable efficiency. His demonstrated competence forced Chi Lai to take him seriously. This explained why the leadership of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps had entrusted command of the branch to Tripleblade, an iron level fighter.

“I hope I haven't disappointed your expectations. This trip yielded significant results,” Chi Lai detailed the specific assistance offered by the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord.

Tripleblade's face lit up with delight.

“So, the Mountain Peak Merchant Alliance was secretly controlled by the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord all along. By leveraging their transport convoys, we can resume delivering magic potions.”

“Ah, this truly solves our most pressing crisis.”

"Ever since our transport convoy was ambushed by a gold level foe, all major guilds have been watching from the sidelines. Previous negotiations to utilize their convoys all failed."

"This time, the Mountain Peak Merchant Alliance's assistance means their caravans will face annihilation if the enemy discovers them. Snow Bird Harbor City Lord took a tremendous risk helping us this time."

“Moreover, he's funded us with substantial supplies... Hmm, we'll never reveal the truth about our minimal losses this time.”

Tripleblade visibly relaxed, “Outstanding work, Chi Lai. You've truly excelled this time.”

His words were laced with praise for Chi Lai.

Chi Lai, a former Imperial Navy officer, remained pragmatic. He shook his head. "It wasn't my doing, but Commander Long Fu's. I believe the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord assisted us so generously because of the commander's standing. I merely handled some minor tasks."

Tripleblade nodded. "Your perspective is correct, but your personal contribution cannot be overlooked. Per our corps' regulations, your earned merits will be duly recorded."

After Chi Lai departed, Tripleblade pursed his lips.

He held differing views on Chi Lai's praise for Long Fu: “The commander has been missing for far too long. He's utterly incompetent.”

“Even if his absence was to recover Lan Zao, his dereliction of duty remains undeniable!”

“The current Long Fu is merely a disguise worn by Lord Zong Ge. Only Lord Zong Ge can resolve the crisis before us.”

“Even if Lord Zong Ge has no such intention, he is the rightful leader of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, the leader of all us survivors!”

“He alone is gold level. If he isn’t our leader, then who could possibly be?”

“Once he demonstrates his transcendent gold level prowess, the outside world will finally recognize our Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps as a true gold level force!”