Chapter 518: Shuang Lian – I Don’t Approve of Your Marriage!

The ice wall towered so high it rivaled the city walls in scale.

Blizzards raged, yet they could not breach the ice barrier.

The space enclosed by the ice wall was vast and open, making Cai Jing and his companions feel as if they stood at the foot of a city rampart.

Cai Jing gasped heavily, staring at the ice wall in awe. “Could this be a saint level spell?”

“It once was,” Da Bei replied. “This scroll was excavated from an ancient ruin. Originally saint level, its power has greatly diminished due to lack of maintenance.”

“In their quest to study the ancient frost magic documented within, the Alchemy Guild conducted extensive experiments on it, further weakening its potency.”

“By the time it reached me, only a fraction of its saint level power remained.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than a deafening crack echoed through the air.

The trio witnessed a massive crack appear in the ice wall.

Cai Jing and the others froze in horror.

“It couldn't even withstand that?” Zhong Bei clutched his head, utterly discomposed, his emotions already shattered.

“So Elder Shuang Lian hadn't been using her full strength before,” Da Bei's expression went blank.

Cai Jing's face darkened. "We can't count on reinforcements. We must save ourselves!"

At this point, Cai Jing suddenly shouted, “Magician Shuang Lian, you are so powerful, we humbly admit defeat!”

“Magician Zhong Bei has been terrified into paralysis by your might, cowering before your battle aura.”

“If you wish to discipline him, I fully agree. My coming here was never to support him.” You may have misunderstood my purpose!"

Upon hearing this, Da Bei's expression instantly changed.

But Cai Jing had no time to care for him.

After all, he had already used Magician Da Bei as a conduit to connect with the Alchemy Guild, even becoming one of its members himself.

For Master Cai Jing, the urgent priority was to appease the enraged Elder Shuang Lian.

Clearly aware of what Shuang Lian valued, he continued pleading, “Your student, Bu Quan, is in grave danger. You may not know this yet, but the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps is facing immense trouble.”

“They've been attacked by a mysterious organization. Their leader was ambushed in Cold Wind Valley, and their caravan was destroyed by a gold level assassin.”

"The highest level of personnel the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps left behind in Snow Bird Harbor are merely silver level. If I were the enemy, I would certainly strike at the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ weakest point."

“Therefore, Bu Quan is now in grave danger as well.”

These words immediately struck a chord with Shuang Lian.

In truth, before Shuang Lian could finish reading all the letters, Cai Jing and the others arrived.

Cai Jing's words could be easily verified.

For Shuang Lian, obtaining the latest intelligence on the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps was straightforward.

The Ice Sculpture Kingdom's Alchemy Guild was a colossal, nationwide organization, with branches covering Ice Sculpture Island and extending to numerous surrounding islands. It maintained outposts or shops in nearly every town. Even in remote, uninhabited areas, covert alchemy laboratories were often established.

The Alchemy Guild possessed considerable financial resources. Thus, beyond its extensive network and natural access to vast information, it also had ample means to purchase intelligence. The Thieves' Guild would never neglect such a major client!

After Shuang Lian used her privileges to investigate the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ recent activities through the Alchemy Guild, the raging blizzard disaster finally began to subside somewhat.

Cai Jing had struck a nerve with Shuang Lian.

Suppressing her anger, Shuang Lian refocused her attention and swiftly scanned the remaining letters from Bu Quan.

Finally, in the last letter, Shuang Lian discovered Bu Quan's plea for help.

“That foolish child not only sold herself but gifted her entire alchemy workshop to the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.”

“It is precisely because of these workshops that the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps possesses the capability to mass-produce dragon rider potions.”

“The potions themselves are merely decent, but they capitalized on a gap in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom's potion market, creating enormous influence.”

“The Alchemy Guild reacted too slowly. Their structure is bloated, filled with many incompetent members, and they've only just begun operations in this area.”

“Strange. Logically, the Jing Xiang Clan should be the leading force in the potion market. Have they not moved either?”

“Is it because the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps is collaborating with the Li Jian Clan that the Jing Xiang Clan hesitates? No. Perhaps the Jing Xiang Clan has already taken action. Could they be behind the recent ambush that destroyed the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps' transport convoy?"

Though devoted to her alchemy experiments, Shuang Lian had risen to become a tower master through sharp intellect and strategic acumen.

She quickly analyzed the intelligence and assessed the current situation. Her conclusion mirrored that of Master Cai Jing, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps was in dire straits, and Bu Quan's position was equally perilous.

“Given the circumstances, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps has realized the weakness of their branch.”

"Hmph, they actually used Little Quan Quan to leverage my forces! "

“This Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps is too cunning. Long Fu exploiting Little Quan Quan's power and connections like this, his motives are impure. He's definitely a very shrewd scumbag!”

“Little Quan Quan, I'm sorry. A scumbag like that doesn't deserve you.”

“Ah, it's all my fault for focusing only on teaching you alchemy knowledge and neglecting to train you in love.”

“This time, your teacher will learn from past mistakes. Don't blame me, I won't tolerate a relationship like yours! I refuse to approve of your marriage!”

With this resolve, Shuang Lian's focus on disciplining Zhong Bei and the others faded.

Dealing with Zhong Bei could wait.

But Bu Quan's situation was urgent and perilous, prioritizing her safety was the wise choice.

The blizzard's fury gradually subsided.

Sensing the shift outside, Magician Zhong Bei instantly realized that Cai Jing's words had struck a chord with Shuang Lian.

He hastily shouted, offering to pay any price to appease Elder Shuang Lian's wrath.

Da Bei had come prepared, swiftly retrieving vast quantities of magician resources from his storage gear.

Among them, specifically tailored to appeal to her tastes, were many rare, high-grade alchemy materials.

Though the Da Bei himself lacked combat prowess, his status and seasoned diplomatic skills allowed him to accumulate quite a few valuable items over time.

These offerings as compensation tapped into his own reserves.

He endured the pain of parting with them, knowing he had no choice.

After all, Zhong Bei was his own flesh and blood!

By now, the massive ice wall was riddled with cracks, through which gusts of snow and wind were seeping.

Shuang Lian noticed the resources Magician Da Bei had produced. Only then did she truly confirm: Magician Da Bei and his party had indeed come to make amends.

The blizzard weakened again, its power reduced to less than a third of its previous intensity, yet it still raged on relentlessly.

From the blizzard's transformation, Cai Jing grasped the subtle message Shuang Lian intended to convey. Gritting his teeth, he retrieved the inheritance information gained from Master Fan Sheng Za Zhong.

Da Bei was startled but showed no intention of stopping him.

The offering of the Master Fan Sheng Za Zhong's inheritance information finally satisfied Shuang Lian, temporarily quelling her fury.

The next moment, the three were transported back to the Alchemy Guild Headquarters, standing once more before the Snow Honey Tower.

“We've been kicked out of the demi-plane!”

“Magician Shuang Lian accepted our compensation...”

Cai Jing and Da Bei quickly exchanged a glance, each seeing in the other's eyes the relief of having narrowly escaped death and overcome the crisis.

“Waaah...” As for Zhong Bei, he lay sprawled on the ground, still sobbing uncontrollably.

The teleportation ripples vanished in an instant, and Shuang Lian materialized atop the mage tower from the demi-plane.

“Little Quan Quan, your situation is dire. I'm bringing you back!” Shuang Lian resolved, beginning to manipulate the mage tower.

The entire Snow Honey Tower radiated a pale blue glow.

Within mere seconds, the light intensified, blindingly bright.

The tower trembled slightly, the ground quaked faintly, and the Alchemy Guild Headquarters blared warning sirens.

Surrounding mage towers immediately emitted magic fluctuations. Numerous tower spirits sent messages, inquiring what the Snow Honey Tower intended to do.

The response from the Snow Honey tower spirit was that everything is being personally controlled by the tower master.

“What else could it be?” A faint smile touched the corners of Shuang Lian's lips, her eyes flashing with a cold light.

In the next instant, the Snow Honey Tower lifted off the ground and began to rise slowly.

The students and disciples living within the tower were caught off guard, jolted violently, and some fell to the ground. Numerous alchemy reagent bottles shattered with a series of loud crashes against the floor tiles.

Amidst the apprentices' screams and the surrounding tower spirit's inquiries, and the stunned gazes of Cai Jing, Da Bei, and the others, the Snow Honey Tower ascended into the sky.

Then, it suddenly erupted with a powerful radiance, propelling the entire tower like a giant ignited rocket, soaring skyward!

In the blink of an eye, the Snow Honey Tower vanished, shooting into the clouds and disappearing from everyone's sight.

All that remained was the Alchemy Guild still blaring its sirens, along with a massive crater where the Snow Honey Tower had once stood.

“It, it just flew away like that?!” Cai Jing gasped, her mouth slightly agape.

Da Bei swallowed hard, struggling to process it. "Though Shuang Lian relied on the Alchemy Guild to build this mage tower, her debts were long since paid off."

"She established the nation's largest Snow Honey production base within the demi-plane."

"Every year, the Snow Honey sold externally is in such high demand that it can't meet the demand."

"What's most terrifying is that her primary customer is the kingdom's military!"

Master Cai Jing swallowed hard as well.

Intense envy and jealousy surged within his heart.

Snow Honey.

He knew it was a peculiar resource, edible by humans, not only satisfying hunger but also replenishing battle qi. It could also be used in ships, converted into magic power when placed in magic pools, though its conversion rate was lower than ice elements.

Snow Honey was so practical it had long become standard issue for the Ice Sculpture Kingdom's army and navy.

Shuang Lian had amassed a fortune through it, becoming rich beyond measure.

Her mage tower was named the Snow Honey Tower for a reason!

The current head of the Alchemy Guild grew anxious, fearing Cai Jing and the others might fail in their task. He urgently contacted Shuang Lian: "Elder Shuang Lian, where are you headed? Elder Da Bei doesn't have my backing. I hope no unnecessary misunderstandings arise between us."

Shuang Lian replied coldly: "I'm going to Snow Bird Harbor to bring back my student. Keep Pit No.3 open for me."

"Understood, this spot is yours. I hope you have a fruitful journey and return quickly!" The Alchemy Guildmaster sighed a breath of relief, feeling assured.