Chapter 532: Serious Injury and Specially Made Delicacies
Snow Bird Dueling Arena.
Due to a series of unexpected events, the big guy had become the center of attention.
People watched as he shoveled fried rice into his mouth, his belly swelling visibly with each bite.
“Did you notice how much faster this giant eats now?”
"His digestion is unbelievable! He only slept for a short while, yet he's already burned through all that transcendent food."
“He is a giant, after all. He seemed incredibly hungry when he barged in.”
Before long, the big guy was full again and collapsed directly onto the floor, sleeping right next to the long table.
Staff members gathered around once more, intending to move him away.
“Leave him be. He'll wake soon enough,” Da Dou interjected, his gaze fixed on the big guy with keen interest.
"I didn't expect this giant to be so interesting." In the observation room, Snow Bird Harbor City Lord said.
"His bloodline is quite special to have such an appetite. Is it the Big Eater bloodline? It could be the Abyss bloodline too." The bishop guessed.
These words would be very familiar to Tripleblade.
Because before this, Tripleblade had speculated the same thing.
But right now, Tripleblade was teetering on the edge of life and death!
The next moment, Tripleblade, who thought he was about to die in battle, heard a roar behind him.
He ducked down immediately. The water pigman leader instantly leaped over him, blocking the incoming club attack for him.
The water pigman leader staggered back several large steps before steadying himself.
He was only iron level, at a disadvantage in level, but behind him stood a group of water pigmen, forming a last-stand formation.
Relying on the strength of his formation, the water pigman leader furiously pumped up his battle qi and engaged the silver level opponent in fierce combat.
Tripleblade seized this crucial moment to breathe, immediately seizing the opportunity to retreat slightly.
In that instant, the Quick Knife Squad charged in, joining the Backwater Battle Squad in battle.
Though small in number, both squads had trained relentlessly since their founding. Zong Ge had invested immense time, resources, and manpower into their training, and the fruits of this labor were concentrated in these two squads.
This time, neither squad were a disappointment.
They played a pivotal role!
One squad engaged the silver level enemy, while the other forcibly shattered the enemy formation.
Another silver sacrificial warrior, unable to sit idly by, shouted to his comrades before launching a pincer attack against the Backwater Squad.
Their tactical intent was clear: concentrate all forces to eliminate one squad first, then deal with the other.
But at that moment, the alchemy workshop door burst open from within, and a group of dwarves charged out.
It turned out that Men Shi, after observing for a while and confirming that the fierce battle outside was neither an illusion nor a decoy, had decisively chosen to strike.
Men Shi charged into the enemy ranks, engaging a silver level sacrificial warrior and directly disrupting their tactical plan.
Thus, the silver level forces found themselves mutually counterbalanced.
Yet the Quick Knife Squad remained beyond the reach of the sacrificial warriors, despite their best efforts to target them.
Led by the dogman Kuai Tui, the Quick Knife Squad swiftly gained the upper hand, cutting down numerous sacrificial warriors.
Blood spattered, battle qi erupted.
The mercenaries fought fiercely; the sacrificial warriors fought fearlessly.
The clash between the two forces quickly reached a fever pitch, with casualties mounting relentlessly.
For every three sacrificial warriors who fell, only one mercenary collapsed. The casualty ratio stood at three to one.
The sacrificial warriors possessed high combat proficiency and decent equipment, though their average age was notably advanced.
The mercenaries fought with exceptional ferocity, a result of rigorous training and the morale surge ignited by Tripleblade's relentless combat. Most crucially, the mercenaries' gear was generally superior to their opponents'.
This was especially true for the two battle squads, where nearly every member was fully armed.
Given their small numbers, Zong Ge had invested heavily to equip them. Substandard gear would lead to heavy casualties. Too many casualties would shatter the squad's formation, rendering all their grueling training futile.
Before this battle, Tripleblade considered the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps' constant expenditure on acquiring equipment to be unwise. But after this clash, he deeply understood how superficial his previous understanding had been.
Compared to their enemies, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps held another significant advantage.
They had numbers!
Mei Lin had already accomplished a great deal by organizing a group of sacrificial warriors to reach Snow Bird Harbor in such a short time.
Infiltrating this city required considerable effort.
After all, Snow Bird Harbor was under constant surveillance by the mage tower.
If the sacrificial warriors had gathered in one place, their numbers would have been formidable. But they attacked in scattered groups, deploying forces across multiple fronts. While assaulting the alchemy workshop, they suffered heavy casualties from magic traps and other defensive measures.
This resulted in their numerical disadvantage on the battlefield near the small alchemy workshop.
Battle skill - Venomous Fang Slash!
Tripleblade drew the curved blade from his waist, seized the moment, and suddenly plunged into the fray, striking a silver level sacrificial warrior.
The sacrificial warrior was slashed across the lower back, a thin, elongated wound gouged into his flesh.
Initially, crimson blood flowed from the wound, but within seconds, it turned green. Simultaneously, a greenish hue spread from the wound, gradually enveloping the surrounding flesh.
The silver level sacrificial warrior even felt a wave of dizziness.
“Damn it! That blade is poisoned!”
“How despicable!”
The silver level sacrificial warrior attempted to pursue Tripleblade, but the latter's first move after landing the strike was to retreat.
Constrained by the battle's momentum, the warrior couldn't move freely and could only watch helplessly as Tripleblade successfully withdrew.
He hastily retrieved a vial of potion and downed its contents in one gulp.
The dizziness immediately subsided, though the wound still tingled and numbed.
This antidote wasn't strong enough!
The silver level sacrificial warrior growled, warning his comrades nearby, “Watch out for that shorty's poisoned blade!”
Bam!
The next instant, an alchemy bullet whizzed toward him. Had the silver sacrificial warrior not ducked his head, it would have blown his skull apart.
“Guys, I'm here!” Chi Lai materialized atop a rooftop, bellowed once, then vanished into cover.
Men Shi and the rest rejoiced.
Chi Lai was silver level, a formidable fighter. His long-barreled musket had been upgraded to silver level, capable of hitting minute targets at extreme ranges.
Chi Lai disappeared, then fired bullets from shadowy corners. Each bullet posed a severe threat to silver level foes or claimed the lives of other transcendent sacrificial warriors.
This was the world of the strong.
Chi Lai's arrival drastically shifted the combat balance between allies and enemies at the small workshop.
The sacrificial warriors couldn't help but wear expressions of grim resolve.
They all understood this battle held little hope for survival.
Yet they showed no sign of retreat.
The two silver level sacrificial warriors exchanged a swift glance and nodded simultaneously.
They abruptly changed course, charging together toward the workshop gates.
Even as the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps' attacks struck them, their direction remained utterly unaltered!
“Quick! We must hold the line!” Men Shi cried urgently.
Though he had left a few dwarves inside the workshop, their numbers were meager.
Crucially, these dwarves were no match for two silver level sacrificial warriors!
Men Shi rushed to pursue them.
Joining him in this unified action were the Backwater Squad, Tripleblade, and others.
Bu Quan's disappearance meant the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps couldn't control the facilities within the small alchemy workshop.
Men Shi opened the door and went outside to reinforce the others. But he couldn't reseal the alchemy door completely.
This left an opening for the enemy.
“We can't let this effort go to waste!” Tripleblade arrived first.
Gripping the dagger Sweet Talk in one hand and the poisonous curved blade in the other, he charged at the two silver level opponents.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion sent Tripleblade flying violently, slamming him into the workshop wall.
His entire body sank into the wall, temporarily unable to dislodge himself.
Critically wounded!
Agonizing pain made him grimace. His extensive combat experience told him at least two ribs were broken.
The big guy woke up feeling great.
Just as the magic chef Da Dou had anticipated, he recovered quickly this time.
While he slept, Da Dou had once again piled the long table high with fluttering boat fried rice.
Without hesitation, the big guy grinned like an idiot and dove in with everything he had!
He wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but even he realized this was an exceptional, rare opportunity.
Eat! Eat! Eat!
He ate voraciously.
He stuffed himself senselessly!
His appetite had grown.
This time, he devoured not only the iron and bronze level fried rice but also several bowls of silver level food.
Consequently, the big guy's sleep cycle stretched considerably longer.
The audience was universally stunned by this spectacle. In an instant, many gathered around the big guy to discuss.
"Hey hey hey, did you guys see that? He actually ate a silver level transcendent dish!"
"Eating beyond his level isn't really surprising. Previously, iron level transcendents have tried silver level fried rice, but this giant's situation is different."
“Exactly! He devoured all the iron and bronze level fried rice first, then polished off three huge bowls of silver level fried rice on top of that!”
“How can he have such an enormous appetite?”
“What's his background, anyway?”
The big guy had been under scrutiny for quite some time, and his identity could no longer be kept secret at this point.
So, more and more people came to know him as a member of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
"Their leader, Long Fu, slew Teng Dong Lang in this very place. Now, his comrade is making a stunning showing here too!"
The citizens of Snow Bird Harbor held strong affection for the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
Upon learning the big guy's identity, they developed considerable fondness for him as well.
Many had previously perceived the big guy as crude and wild, but now, observing him eat and sleep, they found him somewhat honest and down-to-earth.
“No, this can't go on any longer.”
“This giant is absolutely the key factor in this eating contest!”
Seeing his points clearly falling behind his opponent, Ci Hai Shen was forced to adjust his strategy.
He resolved to prepare a dish tailored to the giant's palate, hoping to win the big guy over to his side.
Crafting meals specifically for particular diners, creating dishes that perfectly match their tastes, is also one of the hallmarks of a master chef.
“I've decided, I'll make a stir-fried dragon liver dish!”