Chapter 661: Zong Ge vs Bing Yang – Publicly or Privately
Munch munch munch.
Inside the cabin, the big guy buried his head in his food, occasionally opening his wide mouth to stuff a whole ham hock in at once.
He ate with relish, his mouth glistening with grease.
“Some dessert, perhaps?” The Imperial Spy Chief smiled, presenting a tray of small cakes.
Beside the big guy sat Da Dou and Hong Zhu.
The sight of the cakes darkened both their expressions.
Da Dou snorted coldly, while Hong Zhu remarked, “Deep Sigh of the Blue Sea again? As the esteemed Imperial Secret Spy Agency, don't you have any new tricks up your sleeves?”
The leader smiled faintly. “We prioritize practicality.”
“Especially with you three, we have no intention of using force.”
“Such desserts are just right, wouldn't you agree?”
Da Dou and Hong Zhu could only resign themselves.
Earlier, they had not only witnessed but were invited to view the magic footage of the Imperial Secret Spy Agency's battle against the Rope Pirates.
Thus, the trio knew these three ships appeared ordinary yet were lavishly equipped, with two gold level agents escorting them.
Even if their restraints were released, escape might prove impossible. Let alone now, when even walking was a struggle.
The leader narrowed his eyes. “Hurry up, all three of you. Don't keep me waiting too long.”
He began to urge them on.
“Right now, if escape is possible, only he stands a chance,” Da Dou thought to himself, casting an almost imperceptible glance at the big guy.
Hong Zhu shared his thoughts.
To conceal the big guy as their trump card, they had deliberately withheld much of what happened in the earth elemental tribe's underground lair.
Thus, the Imperial Secret Spy Agency remained unaware that the big guy had once undergone divine descent.
Had they known, his confinement would never have been the laxest among the three.
Yet the big guy's reaction was pure delight, his eyes lit up as he excitedly opened his huge hands, grabbed a handful of the small cakes, and shoved them straight into his mouth.
“Good.”
“Delicious!”
His cheeks puffed out as he mumbled his praise.
Admittedly, these little cakes were magic delicacies. Though their effects were negative, the taste was genuinely good.
Da Dou and Hong Zhu sighed inwardly, then resignedly picked up the cakes and ate them one after another.
The Imperial Spy Chief watched it all with a smile.
He was extremely cautious, personally overseeing this process every day. Though he had destroyed the Rope Pirates, the incident had only sharpened his vigilance, fearing he might make another mistake.
Even though Tu Ji's death wasn't his fault.
Da Dou and Hong Zhu finished their entire cakes, prolonging and solidifying the negative effects on their bodies.
Meanwhile, the big guy had already polished off all the leftovers.
He collapsed onto his back and fell asleep, his belly swelling like a small hill.
His body instinctively activated the battle qi technique, but the next moment, the Deep Sigh of the Blue Sea effect kicked in. The big guy let out a deep sigh and collapsed completely limp.
This didn't affect his sleep, however. Instead, it made him sleep even more soundly and deeply.
“This big oaf has a pretty good attitude,” the Imperial Spy Chief marveled at the scene.
Da Dou and Hong Zhu were both speechless.
The big guy's days aboard the Hog's Kiss had been far worse than this. He could endure that, not to mention the treacherous Mystifying Monster Island. Now, though under escort, the Imperial Secret Spy Agency treated him to fine meals daily.
The big guy felt no panic.
He had long been assured by his father that they would meet halfway.
The big guy placed the deepest trust in the dragonman youngster, a trust that had deepened into something akin to faith.
Thus, feeling quite content, he cheerfully awaited his father’s arrival.
While Xiao Guai’s father was still stealing divinity, the day of Zong Ge and Bing Yang’s duel arrived first.
A large arena within the Ice Sculpture Capital.
Over 5,000 spectator seats were packed.
The crowd buzzed with chatter, some arguing over whether Bing Yang or Long Fu was stronger, others discussing how much they'd wagered on this match.
Among the audience, gamblers formed a substantial contingent.
He Gai Tou, concealing his identity under a hood, sat among the ordinary spectators.
He listened intently for a moment, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.
The sheer number of gamblers confirmed his efforts had paid off.
To build his betting pool, he had actively promoted the duel's prestige, touting it as the strongest silver level clash of the tournament. Simultaneously, he stoked ethnic sentiments. The fact that “Long Fu is a dragonman and Bing Yang is a snow elf” allowed him to exploit the situation to the fullest.
“The greatest regret is that although Long Fu publicly announced the duel, he didn't make it entirely public.”
“This duel prohibits the recording of magic footage. It won't be advertised externally, and the magic footage of this battle will never be sold to the public in the future.”
“Damn it, turning down money like that!”
Every time He Gai Tou thought about this, his mood soured.
Running the betting ring, he knew many gamblers had placed hefty wagers on both duelists. Would these gamblers be too poor to afford the ticket money?
Yet, Long Fu had only opened it up to this extent. The duel venue he'd chosen wasn't even one of those super-duel arenas. The number of spectator seats was relatively small even among large arenas.
The strict limit on in-person attendance significantly dampened gamblers' enthusiasm, stifling the growth of He Gai Tou's betting pool this time.
This dealt a severe blow to his profits.
Every time he thought about it, resentment flared within him.
As for Magician Yao Ma, Zi Di had taken her seat in the VIP section early.
Her seat was extremely close to the duel arena, offering an excellent view.
Zi Di scanned the packed crowd and sighed inwardly: "After all that picking and choosing, we ended up with this arena. Controlling the spectator numbers will also drastically reduce the consumption of pearl bubbles this time."
The reason they only opened a portion of the arena wasn't by choice, but sheer necessity.
Their pearl bubbles was nearly depleted!
Fewer spectators meant less deception required, preserving more pearl bubbles.
The ban on capturing magic images stemmed from the same necessity.
“Therefore, the stakes are even higher for Zong Ge in this battle.”
“Not only must he win decisively, but he must win swiftly!”
“The longer it drags on, the more pearl bubbles are consumed.”
As agreed between the two, after this public duel, Zong Ge, in his Long Fu impersonation, would temporarily announce a suspension of duels.
Publicly, they would claim: silver level opponents offered no challenge, and they had lost interest in continuing duels.
In reality, they were desperately short on pearl bubbles and needed to conserve it.
Zong Ge would avoid public appearances as much as possible afterward, reserving the remaining pearl bubbles for Zi Di's use.
Participation in the Warm Snow Cup was non-negotiable.
As long as Zi Di achieved strong results in the Warm Snow Cup and demonstrated her alchemy prowess, she would gain widespread recognition within the alchemy industry.
She would eventually become independent, running her own alchemy business, and thus be less likely to face exclusion or suppression from other alchemists.
She also had to break free from the Li Jian Clan to allow the survivors to truly develop and grow.
Of course, future collaboration with the Li Jian Clan could not be ruled out. After all, both sides had a foundation for cooperation, having achieved mutual benefit at least twice, and the collaboration had been pleasant.
However, the contract currently proposed by the Li Jian Clan absolutely cannot be signed. Such an arrangement would effectively make the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps a dependent of the Li Jian Clan, subject to their strict oversight.
This would create excessive dependence on the Li Jian Clan, making the survivors unstable and without a secure future.
Should the Li Jian Clan face trouble, the survivors would be dragged into it. If no trouble arose, they would be held hostage by the Li Jian Clan.
The scarcity of pearl bubbles ironically delivered a precise strike against one of their enemies, He Gai Tou—an outcome neither Zi Di nor Zong Ge had anticipated, a fortunate mistake.
Besides He Gai Tou, the duelist Mi Fang had also arrived.
Ever since he successfully poisoned Zong Ge last time, his focus on the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps had intensified.
With the recent launch of the new mount potions [Smooth Stride] and [Spirit Stimulation], which were selling like hotcakes, Mi Fang's desire to eliminate the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps grew even stronger and more urgent.
Yi Jiu did not come. Last time, he suffered significant losses in his battle against Shuang Lian, losing much of his equipment. After all, he had physically traversed the spatial vortex. Currently, he remained at the Thieves' Guild, relentlessly accepting quests to earn money.
He personally held no interest in the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, even looking down on most of its members.
After all, he had personally led a surprise attack on their Snow Bird Harbor branch, effortlessly subduing their “Zong Ge” (an alchemy puppet). Though he later learned the deputy commander had survived such severe injuries, which surprised him somewhat. But overall, it was nothing special.
After subduing Bu Quan, Yi Jiu suffered a setback at the hands of Shuang Lian.
Apart from Long Fu, the others didn't warrant his serious attention.
Bao Li Gen hadn't shown up either. He mainly looked down on the ex-criminal He Gai Tou, believing Bing Yang's chances of victory were slim. After all, Long Fu had once taken on three opponents single-handedly, effortlessly eliminating Jia Bing, Lin, and the Axe Gang leader from Blood Kin City.
Qing Hong Yan certainly wouldn't come. Ever since his alchemy transformation, he'd grown eccentric, preferring solitude and loathing public appearances.
Hua Tang did show up though.
Disguised as an ordinary person, he bought a ticket and entered to watch the battle. Most duelists remained unaware.
He secretly recorded magic footage to hand over to Mei Lin for analysis.
Mei Lin wanted to attend, but she couldn't.
As a naval commander responsible for coastal defenses, her duties demanded her full attention.
Though the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps had banned magic imaging, such regulations were no match for Hua Tang.
The arrangements of the arena couldn't contain someone like Hua Tang.
Similarly, the Li Jian Clan, though figures like Kong Pan weren't present in person, were secretly monitoring events.
After all, Long Fu's win or loss would significantly impact the sales of their mount potions.
For the Li Jian Clan, covert filming wasn't even necessary. They had already secured connections. After the battle, the arena would discreetly provide them with magic footage captured from an exceptionally advantageous angle.
The Li Jian Clan were local powerhouses. At this level of influence, rules were merely tools they designed to regulate others. These regulations were their instruments, not their shackles.
Whether the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps made things public or not was utterly irrelevant to them.