Chapter 560: The Situation Develops
Due to Da Dou's destruction, Ci Hai Shen's plan to select assistants through the tasting event had failed.
However, during the battle where Yi Jiu and the other sacrificial warriors attacked the city's alchemy workshop, Ci Hai Shen unexpectedly discovered Tripleblade's talent.
At the time, Ci Hai Shen was still engaged in the eating contest. It was only after reviewing the magic footage of the battle that he learned of this.
“Who is that short human?”
“His sword technique is precise, swift, and accurate. He could barely qualify as my assistant to help process rare ingredients.”
Faced with Ci Hai Shen's recruitment offer, Tripleblade pondered for a long time before politely declining.
Ci Hai Shen initially assumed Tripleblade was playing hard to get and raised his offer.
Tripleblade's declaration of his true intentions left Ci Hai Shen utterly perplexed!
Having personally come to recruit him, Ci Hai Shen had naturally gathered some intelligence on Tripleblade.
He knew clearly: Tripleblade held no prominent position within the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, merely an iron level.
Now, faced with an invitation from a gold level, he had actually refused!
The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps didn't even have a single true gold level member. Within the group, Tripleblade would have to participate in dangerous battles.
But if he became Ci Hai Shen's assistant, he'd only need to chop vegetables and prepare ingredients to earn far more than his current wages. Not only would it be safe, but also easy and pleasant.
Yet Tripleblade had turned down such an opportunity!
Rejected, Ci Hai Shen felt his face burn with shame. With a hint of irritation, he promptly departed Snow Bird Harbor's docks.
Intelligence regarding this incident swiftly reached Snow Bird Harbor City Lord.
The city lord pondered thoughtfully, his mind drifting back to the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps' arms smuggling background, “It appears their backers aren't confined to high-level operatives, they've also infiltrated mid-level positions, demonstrating significant control over this mercenary group.”
“Di Bi's true allegiance lies not with the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps itself, but with the mysterious arms dealer behind them.”
“That explains his extraordinary loyalty!”
“I find this arms dealer increasingly intriguing.”
Snow Bird Harbor City Lord remained unaware that the primary reason for rejecting Ci Hai Shen's invitation lay in Tripleblade's own personal resolve.
“Had this been before the Mystifying Monster Island incident, I likely would have accepted Ci Hai Shen's offer.”
“But now, I have resolved to follow Lord Zong Ge!”
“Even if Lord Zong Ge hasn't ascended to gold level yet, he remains more worthy of my allegiance than Ci Hai Shen.”
Tripleblade's loyalty to Zong Ge stemmed not only from Zong Ge saving his life, but also because Tripleblade had pinned his life's dreams upon Zong Ge.
"The big guy is still lost."
“Shuang Lian, Bu Quan, even Honey Snow Tower have vanished.”
“But our business plan continues.”
“All thanks to Lord Zong Ge's efforts, and of course, Zi Di's.”
“The Li Jian Clan has taken over potion production; we no longer need to manufacture them here.”
“And according to their schedule, they should be nearing the royal capital soon, right?”
Within the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps' business strategy, Zi Di and Zong Ge's entry into the royal capital held extraordinary significance.
It signaled the preliminary completion of their shop network and the successful establishment of sales channels. This laid the foundational platform for their upcoming grand expansion.
Not only Tripleblade was monitoring Zong Ge and Zi Di's progress; Mei Lin was watching as well.
Despite their recent victories over Shuang Lian and Honey Snow Tower, Mei Lin showed no signs of relaxation or complacency.
“The tactic of attacking the enemy's weak points can no longer be sustained,” Mei Lin assessed the situation.
The Snow Bird Harbor raid she personally orchestrated had destroyed four alchemy workshops, achieving its objective.
However, Shuang Lian's subsequent reinforcements, bolstered by the Honey Snow Tower's formidable resources, swiftly rebuilt all four workshops. This rendered the sacrifices of the sacrificial warriors almost laughable.
It meant Mei Lin had traded the lives of her sacrificial warriors for a mere portion of the enemy's resources.
Such a costly exchange and outcome were not something Mei Lin was willing to bear.
“Besides, the Li Jian Clan now handles production of the dragon rider potions.”
Mei Lin had no intention of continuing raids on potion production facilities.
The Li Jian Clan ranked among the kingdom's top three clans. Targeting them would cause immense repercussions, creating complications too difficult to manage.
“What price did the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps pay to persuade the Li Jian Clan to set aside their pride and engage in such deep cooperation?”
Mei Lin was deeply curious.
Unfortunately, even she found it difficult to uncover intelligence on this matter.
The only participants in that negotiation were Zi Di, Zong Ge, and Mian Li Zang.
“Even without targeting the Li Jian Clan, we can still thwart the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps' plans.”
Mei Lin had already envisioned two approaches.
The first was to continue leveraging the Alchemy Guild.
Earlier, Mei Lin had visited the Snow Cake Tower Master, successfully curbing the Guild's search efforts for Shuang Lian.
“The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps' attempt to monopolize the dragon rider potion market directly infringes upon the Alchemy Guild's interests.”
"The two sides are natural adversaries. However, the Alchemy Guild suffers from bloated personnel, a cumbersome structure, and rampant corruption, rendering it sluggish. At present, its response in the potion market lags behind even the Jing Xiang Clan."
The Jing Xiang Clan represented the second avenue.
Thus far, this family has shouldered the primary task of blocking the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps' commercial advance.
Though they haven't been completely stopped, they have certainly slowed the enemy's progress.
“Long Fu, Yao Ma, and their cohorts are nearly entering the royal capital.”
"Their strategy is indeed clever, overlaying operations on top of the Li Jian Clan's existing shops. This makes it extremely difficult for us to take action against these establishments."
"Their true weakness lies with Long Fu. Of course, that's also the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps' greatest strength."
“To truly crush them, we must uncover how Long Fu single-handedly defeated three opponents, swiftly eliminating Jia Bing and the others without giving them a chance to fight back.”
“The other gold level members who know the truth refuse to confront Long Fu. I won't sacrifice lives for intelligence either.”
“Hua Tang... he's the ideal candidate for reconnaissance.”
“This guy vanished without a trace after setting sail from Snow Bird Harbor.”
“Where the hell did he end up?”
Achoo!
Hua Tang sneezed violently.
He found himself in a dimly lit cave.
“Keep it down!” Other transcendents nearby glared at Hua Tang in unison.
Hua Tang raised his arm and laughed heartily. “Sorry, I think... I've caught a cold!”
“Don't speak so loudly!” The transcendents opened their mouths, silently shouting through lip movements.
But it was too late.
A shrill crow suddenly pierced the air.
The transcendents all wore horrified expressions and scattered in a panic.
“It's coming!”
“Run, quick!”
“Eat that guy instead, don't eat me!”
The transcendents fled frantically.
The caves here branched off in countless directions, forming a complex network of passages.
A colossal figure suddenly darted out, moving so swiftly it left afterimages on their retinas.
The massive form abruptly halted, snatching a transcendent in its jaws.
Simultaneously, it became visible to ordinary eyes.
It was a gigantic python, its body at least three meters in diameter. Its head resembled a rooster's, covered in fluffy blue-green feathers.
A massive comb, transitioning from red to yellow, stood erect atop the head, fiery and vivid.
The python's scales were black, interspersed with yellow markings.
The unfortunate transcendent, seized by the beak, froze instantly. In the blink of an eye, he was poisoned to death.
A Cockscomb Ration Python.
Saint level!
Hua Tang pressed his back flat against the cave wall, his breath utterly still.