Chapter 668: [Gold Hand]’s Death

In the underground dungeon, Snow Bird Harbor City Lord continued giving his statement to Tan Mo.

"Although Xiong Ju crushed the Evil Eye, [Flute] had indeed intervened in the duel between Xiong Ju and Long Fu. I immediately notified the Snow Bird Arena's owner, and together we dispatched an investigation team to [Flute]'s location."

"However, Teng Dong Lang was exceptionally sharp. He arrived at [Flute]'s location ahead of time and cleared away the evidence. Simultaneously, he persuaded Snow Bird Arena's owner, causing my attempt to verify the facts to fail."

"I did not give up. After the duel, I proactively sought out Long Fu to communicate with him. I informed him about the matter concerning the Evil Eye, intending to incite Long Fu to expose it."

“Even without concrete evidence, if he publicly voiced suspicion, I would have grounds for a formal investigation.”

"To persuade Long Fu and stir his distaste for the Bayonet Gang, I specifically prepared numerous documented crimes committed by the gang. But though Long Fu worships the Justice God, his faith clearly lacks devotion. He chose not to publicly question them, fearing it would enrage the Bayonet Gang and make them enemies. He opted to endure in silence."

"Though this attempt also failed, I remained undeterred. For I knew that even if I couldn't sway Long Fu, the Bayonet Gang would make their own moves."

“Sure enough, as I anticipated, the Bayonet Gang resorted to underhanded tactics. They manipulated the investigation team to probe the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, pressured port officials to demand and impose additional docking fees, and so on.”

"I promptly dispatched a team of alchemists to step forward and assist them in repairing their ships. Most crucially, I proactively lent the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps several pieces of gold level equipment."

"This deepened the rift between the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps and the Bayonet Gang, while earning me greater trust and goodwill from the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps."

"But the real focus of my plan wasn't any of that."

"What came next was the critical move!"

“I deployed [Gold Hand] to impersonate Hua Tang, secretly infiltrating the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps' ship. His mission was twofold: to steal the treasure equipment I had previously provided, and to assassinate the magician members of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.”

"Gold Hand executed this operation flawlessly. He assassinated the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps' only two openly acknowledged magicians and recovered the equipment I had lent them."

"This created a deep, irreparable enmity between the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps and the Bayonet Gang, greatly increasing the likelihood of them seeking vengeance with full force. Simultaneously, the loss of these treasures gave me greater leverage to dominate our future dealings with the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps."

"Enraged by his men's deaths, Long Fu abandoned his previous stance and actively sought my assistance. I feigned cooperation, leading him into the port's mage tower. After investigation, I deliberately revealed certain ‘evidence’. This, of course, had been deliberately leaked by [Gold Hand]. Thus, I successfully misled Long Fu into believing that Hua Tang was responsible and closely linked to the Bayonet Gang."

Tan Mo nodded. "Now, please elaborate, City Lord. I'll be direct: [Gold Hand]'s sacrifice is precisely the focus of my investigation."

Snow Bird Harbor City Lord's expression grew even more solemn: "The earlier shifts in the situation unfolded exactly as I had planned. But Long Fu's subsequent actions greatly exceeded my expectations."

“He actually ordered his ships to voluntarily leave the harbor, appearing to prepare for evacuation.”

"Naturally, I was unwilling to let such a valuable pawn leave the stage. Upon rushing over, however, Long Fu was already prepared. He proposed a collaboration, and what shocked me even more was that he knew the precise location of [Gold Hand]!"

Snow Bird Harbor City Lord sighed at this point: "In that moment, I suddenly realized the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps wasn't as straightforward as it appeared on the surface. Rumors suggested arms dealers backed them. From that point on, I became more inclined to believe those rumors."

"The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps knowing the location of Gold Hand was a significant problem. Because if they captured Gold Hand or uncovered more clues, they might deduce the truth, that the Gold Hand wasn't Hua Tang, and the Bayonet Gang was framed."

"So, when Long Fu proactively suggested I take action against the Gold Hand, I chose to agree. As the city lord, I could not tolerate such a gold level criminal.   My agreement was the most natural response."

"At the same time, I also hoped that with my deep involvement, the situation would never slip beyond my control."

"So next, I deployed three magic squads and brought in the Sea Bird Bishop to launch a feigned encirclement against [Gold Hand]."

Because too many people were involved, I didn't notify [Gold Hand] beforehand to avoid arousing suspicion or revealing any flaws.

“Once the battle commenced, since I was in command, everything unfolded precisely as I intended.”

"Gold Hand, caught off guard by the assault, recognized the magic squads and immediately understood the situation. When I entered the fray, he secretly used battle qi transmission to communicate with me."

“I explained the entire plan to him. After discussing it, we decided he would use his alchemy puppet to escape.”

“Gold Hand activated the alchemy puppet. I feigned deception, allowing him to retreat to the battlefield's edge.”

“But just as he was about to escape, the port's mage tower unleashed an offensive spell.”

"Gold Hand absolutely had a chance to flee. If he'd dodged that spell, he could have vanished without a trace. But what I never anticipated was that at the most critical moment, he attempted a battle skill and failed!"

He was struck by the spell and disintegrated on the spot.

“Huff...” The Snow Bird Harbor City Lord exhaled a heavy breath, his expression grave. “I made a mistake.”

“I bear grave responsibility for [Gold Hand]'s death!”

“I should have devised a more reliable plan. I should have communicated clearly with [Gold Hand] beforehand before initiating the operation.”

“I was too reckless.”

"Perhaps it was because since taking office, I've been relentlessly ambitious, achieving constant successes, which made me arrogant. Or maybe it was because all my energy was focused on the Bayonet Gang at the time, and I didn't pay enough attention."

"I thought everything would go smoothly... Never did I expect [Gold Hand] to falter at the critical moment, perishing under the mage tower's assault!"

“So that's how it was.” Tan Mo sighed as well, offering a few words of consolation to Snow Bird Harbor City Lord.

After several minutes spent composing himself, the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord resumed his account.

Meanwhile, upon the sea.

The allied forces of three pirate crews had encircled the Divine Wind Pirates.

The three pirate captains stood at the bows of their flagship vessels, bellowing threats and promises at Feng Lian. They demanded he surrender every drop of the sorrow-dispelling red wine.

Feng Lian snorted coldly. “How naive you are!”

“You think mere words will secure the treasure?”

“Come at me. Let me see if you have what it takes to make Feng Lian bow his head.”