Chapter 691: Snow Bird Harbor Battle – Performative Tears of Blood
“Although Qi Ling and Xiao Wang Zi aren’t using necromancy, and are instead using magical items and scrolls, they still have formidable firepower.”
“Ku Feng’s influence isn’t that big either. He has a camouflage ability and no one on Two Eyes Island noticed his true identity. His camouflage is from a battle skill and has nothing to do with the undead.”
The dragonman youngster evaluated the captives’ performance on the battlefield via magic images.
To be honest, using undead transcendents was very risky. If it was exposed, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ reputation would become repulsive. As the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ commander, the dragonman youngster’s reputation too would naturally suffer greatly and be called into question universally.
Therefore, all of the captives had muti-layered deception divine spells on them.
During the casting of them, the dragonman youngster also intentionally transformed into his fishman form while using the divine artifact [Mermaid Fairy Tale].
“Fake memories make these captives 100% loyal to me.”
“However, this also affects their performance.”
The dragonman youngster’s careful observation obtained some conclusions.
It was the first time these captives had seen real combat, and it was worth it to watch and study them.
Memory modification would counteract many individual sentiments and affect their performance.
Because things like talent and ability usually come from experience, study, and other accumulations. So long as memory modification was used, it would destroy these experiences to a degree.
“At the present stage, modified memories will render a brilliant person mediocre.”
“This is also my first time doing this work, perhaps in the future in the wake of more experience and increased skill, I can have a qualitative improvement in this?”
“Currently, the fabricating and modifying of memories is still quite crude. I can’t even let these captives be awake for too long, to prevent them from pondering too much and noticing the contradictions and flaws in their fake memories.”
“Making memories more logical, less flawed, and more finely crafted is the main direction to head towards in the future.”
The dragonman youngster watched as he thought deeply.
“But making memory modification better requires an enormous cost.”
“Perhaps Cang Xu can have a breakthrough on his end? The undead orthodoxy have been immersed in it over time, and they might have more mature alchemy techniques for it. If they do and we are able to get ahold of it, it will save us immense amounts of research costs.”
“If the undead orthodoxy don’t have it, or Cang Xu is unable to get ahold of it, what should I do?”
The dragonman youngster thought about it in passing, “Is there a simpler and less costly way of improving technology?”
His mind was suddenly struck with lightning as he thought of an answer, “Hold on, isn’t this how gods foster believers?”
Compared to the dragonman youngster directly fabricating memories, the believers gods fostered was a wide net, its imperceptible influence ultimately cultivated talents that wholeheartedly dedicated themselves to them. Not only would they be exceedingly loyal, but they also had ample experiences in religious organizations and possessed talents that surpassed others.
For a split second, the dragonman youngster had a new layer of understanding of gods and churches.
“Go die!” Tan Mo dashed left and right, then suddenly jumped in front of Xiao Wang Zi.
His hand brandished a blade, and he used a battle skill that cut Xiao Wang Zi’s neck into two.
Xiao Wang Zi’s head flew off, and together with his body, both fell into the sea in a “violent death”.
Not long after, Ku Feng was also beheaded by Tan Mo.
The dragonman youngster hadn’t acted yet.
Although they seemed to have died in battle, they actually weren’t.
The reason why their deaths looked “real” was due to deception divine spells and also because Ku Feng and Xiao Wang Zi really thought they had died! It was like when they had been taken prisoner, the fishman youngster had intentionally deceived them in the same way.
“A pity Ba Qi hadn’t fallen into my hands…” The dragonman youngster’s tranquil expression had a hint of regret.
He was a powerful gold level pirate whose reputation had been sowed far.
While Teacher Si Ling was resting between stealing death divinity, he convinced Ba Qi to turn into an undead lifeform.
Ba Qi’s biggest hidden danger was that he was seriously ill and at death’s door.
Because of this, he was chosen by Qian Xing – even if the subdued Ba Qi died not too long in the future, then Qian Xing could just smoothly take over Ba Qi’s pirate group.
Ba Qi also knew he was dying, and his bottom line was also flexible. He didn’t consider Teacher Si Ling’s advice for too long before agreeing.
Ba Qi’s life goal was to disseminate the Air Pressure battle qi technique, and to an extent, turning into an undead was beneficial to achieving this life goal.
After Teacher Si Ling transformed Ba Qi, he set him free.
Zhou Zhang didn’t make things difficult for Ba Qi, mainly for the sake of Teacher Si Ling’s face.
This development was quite in accordance with Da Han’s future divination via time divine spell.
“Want me to act?” When Hun Tong saw Tan Mo beheading two silver levels, he couldn’t help but ask to be sent into battle.
The dragonman youngster’s unorganized vision slightly converged.
He saw doubt in Hun Tong’s glance.
It was very clear that Hun Tong didn’t understand why Long Fu was standing by and watching his subordinates die in battle!
At the same time, the dragonman youngster also knew from experience the anger Hun Tong held in his heart.
Hun Tong deeply detested Tan Mo!
On the ship, he had witnessed Tan Mo frame him.
Wasn’t the situation before him a good opportunity for vengeance?
The dragonman youngster shook his head, “I have already made arrangements for this battlefield. You will go to the magician tower and be the true crux of that battlefield!”
Hun Tong’s heart shivered, he immediately realized that the dragonman youngster wasn’t just targeting the pretend pirate Tan Mo.
“But is doing this a good idea?”
“At least on the face of it, Snow Bird Harbor City Lord is the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ ally.”
“Is it necessary to deal with two gold levels simultaneously, who are important imperial secret spies at that?”
Hun Tong hated Tan Mo, but he was ambivalent about Snow Bird Harbor City Lord.
After all, Snow Bird Harbor City Lord didn’t scheme against his life, he only wanted to put his hands on the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps. Furthermore, Snow Bird Harbor City Lord hadn’t acted directly, instead he let Tan Mo do it and allowed the latter to play the role of a pirate and run around in circles.
Under these circumstances, Snow Bird Harbor City Lord could still be utilized.
As an imperial noble, Hun Tong also understood compromise.
To him, it seemed the dragonman youngster was acting somewhat recklessly.
But he didn’t give any advice.
Although the dragonman youngster controlled him, he was still loyal to the Sheng Ming Empire. With regards to his current situation, Hun Tong was more inclined that it was fate playing tricks on him,
What he wanted to do most, apart from taking revenge, was to find a channel to make the truth known to the empire’s higher-ups and return to his Two Eyes Island.
That was the place where his lifelong foundation he had exhaustingly worked for lay!
But the dragonman youngster didn’t do as he wished, instead he was dispatched to the magician tower.
“Tan Mo has already left the magician tower, and Snow Harbor City Lord won’t appear in the flesh, the magician tower’s temporary shutdown means it is in its more vulnerable state.”
“Destroy this tower to the best of your ability.”
“If your operation fails, don’t return.”
The dragonman youngster turned his dragon eyes towards Hun Tong, his tone callous.
Hun Tong’s heart jumped, and he promptly bowed his head, “Understood!”
He was under his control and had no choice but to obey.
Reyling on deception divine spells and the magician tower’s current state under “pirate” control, Hun Tong easily snuck into the tower.
“What’s going on?”
“Someone is dead!”
“Enemy attack, an enemy! Find him now!!”
It wasn’t until Hun Tong had killed his way to the main floor did someone notice something peculiar.
It was as the dragonman youngster anticipated, the magician tower was at its most empty, and the navies that controlled it didn’t foresee enemies.
They were unable to see through the deception divine spells and could only passively defend themselves.
But silver level defense wanting to withstand a gold level assassin’s all out attack was extremely challenging.
After a moment, there was not a single witness left inside the magician tower besides Hun Tong.
“Hurry up! Go, go go!!” Hun Tong was in a race against time and moved like the wind.
After massacring everyone, he began to plant alchemy bombs everywhere,
Because he knew that if problems appeared in the magician tower, Snow Bird Harbor City Lord wouldn’t sit still. The performance would not continue and he would intervene personally!
The magician tower was a core defense; it was extremely important!
“What is the situation? Is there really an enemy taking advantage of this crisis?!” Like Hun Tong expected, the moment Snow Bird Harbor City Lord detected abnormalities with the magician tower, his look violently changed.
It had to be at least a gold level enemy to so quickly slaughter silver level navies!
This realization seemed to burn Snow Bird Harbor City Lord’s buttocks with hot tongs, and he leapt up and rushed out of the city palace.
He had been spectator in Tan Mo’s attack on the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
He couldn’t appear and needed to give Tan Mo enough time to carry out his looting.
But now, he had no choice but to appear.
“The magician tower is too important; it cannot be lost!”
Snow Bird Harbor City Lord did not act alone, he instantly mobilized the city guard, primarily the three magic battle squads.
The magic battle squads were still assembling, and unable to wait, Snow Bird Harbor City Lord rushed to the magician tower by himself.
Snow Bird Harbor City Lord jumped across the roofs of buildings while simultaneously shouting, issuing warnings as their city lord.
His main purpose was to warn Tan Mo and the others that the situation had changed, stop performing, retreat without delay!
Tan Mo was caught utterly flatfooted, he hadn’t received the magician tower battle report and couldn’t help but glare furiously and thought, “This [Emancipator], what is going on with him? I am about to win, yet at the last moment, he actually showed up to ruin everything?!”
More ironic was the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ reaction.
“Snow Bird Harbor City Lord has come to assist us! He has finally appeared.”
“Persevere, we shall be victorious.”
“If these wretched pirates want to leave, then they shall pay the price in blood!”
Snow Bird Harbor City Lord was quite peeved to see that because of him, the morale of the enemy he wanted to deal with, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, had soared.
Tan Mo also bit his teeth.
He was irritated that Snow Bird Harbor City Lord’s appearance had caused the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ morale to bounce back and many of its members had become dauntless and unafraid of death.
Tan Mo couldn’t help but be suspicious, “[Emancipator]. Are you really an ally?”
He really wanted to keep fighting.
But at that moment, he received the battle report from the magician tower.
Tan Mo wanted to bellow in anger, but rationality told him he had to retreat!
If he didn’t, he would have to fight Snow Bird Harbor City Lord.
Reaching this kind of development would be too hilarious!
Tan Mo was utterly sullen but had to withdraw.
He waved his arm and shouted to retreat, and the navies obeyed. They bit their teeth and after methodically arranging themselves, they retreated.
“This is actually a defeat!”
“But I won’t let you off Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps!!” Tan Mo roared in his thoughts.
Snow Bird Harbor City Lord burned with anxiety.
He rushed to the magician tower with all speed.
But the moment he was about to storm the magician tower…
Boom!!!
The magician tower exploded.
The fierce detonation burst apart the magician tower and blew up the entirety of the top floor.
The formidable air wave nearly blew away Snow Bird Harbor City Lord. The latter did his best to remain standing as he activated his defensive battle skill.
By the time the explosion finished, what Snow Bird Harbor City Lord saw when looked up wanted him to cough out blood in anger.
The magician tower…ceased to be.
Only the bottom floor remained, with another half floor on top of it.
The magician tower had been returned to ruins.
The disastrous loss caused Snow Bird Harbor City Lord’s eyes to go dark.
“I…he…I…” He wanted to curse loudly but just stammered.
Hun Tong had left long ago and was hiding in some hidden corner.
Seeing Snow Bird Harbor City Lord’s warped and pained expression, Hun Tong couldn’t help but sympathize with him. He and Dao Hen had personally investigated Snow Bird Harbor City Lord’s and Tan Mo’s conspiracy.
These two wanted to play a trick, but in the end, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps had beaten them at their own game, resulting in the magician tower getting blown up.
This loss was too heavy.
Were it not for the magician tower being “controlled” by pirates and shutting down the main defenses, how would Hun Tong be able to get inside? To say nothing of the magician tower getting blown up.
The magician tower was Snow Bird Harbor’s strongest defense and the core of it too. Because of a trick, it was so easily destroyed.
“I didn’t expect these alchemy bombs to be so powerful!”
“But why didn’t Long Fu wait until Snow Bird Harbor City Lord entered the magician tower to detonate the bombs?”
“He doesn’t want to deal with Snow Bird Harbor City Lord?”
Hun Tong’s mind sprouted many more suspicions.
He was unable to make sense of what the dragonman youngster was doing.
For a few seconds, Snow Bird Harbor City Lord stood in place, rigidly gazing at the ruins of the magician tower, pain and animosity all across his motionless figure, like he was a statue.
After a few seconds, he became convinced of something and suddenly turned around to look at Tan Mo and the others.
“You, it was you!”
“You band of despicable pirates actually dared to destroy my magician tower!!!”
“Die, you will all die!!”
Snow Bird Harbor City Lord’s former grace was gone as he flagrantly charged the navies.
Tan Mo took a deep breath, then promptly ordered, “Retreat now, I will hold him back.”
Boom, boom, boom.
The two began to fight, trading extremely fierce and vile blows.
Hun Tong’s mind stirred, “Could it be that the reason why Long Fu didn’t kill Snow Bird Harbor City Lord in that explosion was that he wanted him to fight Tan Mo?”
“Hold on, I fear killing Snow Bird Harbor City Lord with that explosion is impossible. The reason why the magician tower was so frail was because its interior was damaged and it had no defensive mechanisms.”
“Long Fu this guy, don’t be fooled by his thick eyebrows and big eyes, he really is a bit…treacherous.”
At that moment, Hun Tong sympathized more with Snow Bird Harbor City Lord,
The latter obviously knew this wasn’t done by Tan Mo. But he had to continue the performance, and as far as the scene of the crime was concerned, these “pirates” must be the perpetrators.
Therefore, Snow Bird Harbor City Lord had to act, he had to fight with his full strength, and he had to carry out fierce vengeance mixed with animosity.
This was the heavy responsibility of guarding his territory that he, as city lord, had to carry out.