Chapter 1039: Chapter 648, 2 Pages Remaining
Xu Haide smiled and took his seat, looking at Shi He Ming and asking, “What brings you gentlemen here today?”
He was aware of their origins; they were representatives from the Sea Tribe sent to negotiate with the council.
However, he had no prior interactions or acquaintance with these people.
Suddenly turning up as they did, he couldn’t help but be curious about their intentions.
Shi He Ming turned back and someone immediately placed a silk-wrapped brocade box on the table and unwrapped the silk.
“Hearing that Mr. Xu Haide has become a council representative, I’ve been eager to make your acquaintance. This is an item from the Sea Tribe, the ‘Dawn Blue Coral,’ which I happened to come across. I hope Mr. Xu Haide won’t disdain it,” said Shi He Ming.
When the brocade box was opened, the luminescent blue coral inside shone brilliantly.
Under the sunlight, it was exceptionally eye-catching and beautiful.
Dawn Blue Coral?
Xu Haide’s eyes instantly lit up.
Although he didn’t know the value of the item, he had seen it in the Archbishop’s study.
If it was displayed in the Archbishop’s room, it was certainly a rare treasure.
Now, he was somewhat tempted.
It wasn’t that he liked the item for himself, but giving it as a gift to the Archbishop seemed like a thoughtful gesture.
Though Xu Haide was tempted, he didn’t linger over the item.
After a brief glance, he shifted his gaze away.
He continued to inquire, “Let’s hear what brings you here, to see if I am capable of assisting.”
He wasn’t foolish, and his position hadn’t come easily.
Naturally, he wouldn’t rashly accept gifts from others.
“Mr. Xu Haide misunderstood; we genuinely intend to form a connection with you and have no hidden agendas,” Shi He Ming quickly explained.
Xu Haide frowned, not quite understanding the other party’s intentions.
Why would someone bring such valuable gifts out of the blue, merely to foster connections?
Had his presence become that commanding?
If it hadn’t been for his near-death experience a few days ago, he might have believed them.
“Speak frankly, or I dare not accept this item,” Xu Haide spoke again.
Shi He Ming maintained his smile.
After pondering a moment, he said, “Speaking of business, we indeed may need Mr. Xu Haide’s support in the future!”
“Let’s hear it!”
“You are aware that our birthplace is on the Sea Tribe’s island, a place utterly unsupportive of further development. Should the opportunity arise, we may settle in the Federation, and we would be grateful for Mr. Xu Haide’s support,” Shi He Ming said softly.
The reason he presented the Dawn Blue Coral to Xu Haide was due to his status as a transmigrator’s representative.
This offer served to establish some valuable contacts for himself.
In the future, it could provide beneficial connections.
Upon hearing these words, Xu Haide displayed a smile, subtly accepting the brocade box, and said, “Someone, the tea has gotten cold. Let’s change it for our guests.”
…
Dusty Mud Valley.
The air around was hot and dry.
If this place weren’t a barren rock hill, it might even have ignited a forest fire.
Anjia and Beiyehu, took shelter at the back of their group.
Demitrija, as a Lizardman, had shed a thin layer of skin due to the heat and dryness.
“My lord, the battlefield has been cleared; here are the spoils,” one said.
Cart after cart was pushed over, each neatly piled with collected materials.
Wriggling Spine, 3211; Demon’s Tooth, 572; Hard Hoof, 123; Demon’s Essence, 75; Forgotten Soul, 5.
Over three thousand Wriggling Spines.
This haul completely offset the losses from the battle and even produced a surplus.
The uses of Demon’s Tooth, Hard Hoof, and Demon’s Essence were still unclear.
But they must be rare materials, given the rarity of demons themselves and their considerable strength.
The value of the materials was undoubtedly high.
What delighted Fang Hao the most were the five Forgotten Souls.
With these five, it meant he could recruit 505 Nisbits and elevate them to heroes.
Soon, he would really have a team composed entirely of heroes.
It was truly a bountiful battle.
“My lord, here is also a weapon unearthed from a deep pit,” Demitrija brought over a sinister dark red giant sword.
The hilt was covered in protruding scales, and the blade flickered with faint glints of fire.
Hatred Tooth (Orange)
Category: Heavy Sword
Damage: Level five
Skills: Flame, Hatred
Flame: Each attack carries an additional 150% flame damage.
Hatred: Every ten minutes, the ‘Flame’ effect increases by 5%, reducing the holder’s ‘sanity’ by 5% (combat stops, gradually recovering).
(Description: A sword emerged from the hellish forge, bearing malice and hatred, making every one of its bearers lose themselves in battle.)
It was the giant sword used by a Demon Hero, who had used it to single-handedly stop the advancing Undead.
He had quite the stance of a man who held off thousands.
This weapon had reached an Orange tier.
Aside from his own Thunderhawk Blade, it was the highest quality weapon he had obtained.
With its own level-five damage and a very aggressive skill attached.
The second skill also increased damage, but at the cost of reducing sanity.
The loss of sanity could turn one into a beast, blindly seeking combat.
That was quite troublesome.
Even though it gradually recovered after stopping combat.
But if not controlled well, like today, if the enemy kept you engaged.
It was highly dangerous.
“Hmm, did you find any chests or the like?” Fang Hao stored the materials and the orange sword into his storage space.
Demitrija shook his head, “Not yet, it might be inside the caves.”
“Well, then let’s wait until the fire dies down a bit!”
“Yes, my lord.”
…
Ding!
Ma Tianyi once again opened the Book of City Lord.
Within the Alliance channel.
Someone was again asking him about the progress of the battle.
“@Ma Tianyi, Alliance Hierarch, how is it on your side? Which side won?”
“Yeah, there are so many mosquitoes here. Are we moving or going back?”
“I’ve calculated, and Fang Hao should have won by now—it’s been such a long time.”
“It’s uncertain. We can’t be sure until the very end.”
Ma Tianyi took a glance at the large fire in front of him.
He said, “Let’s head back. Fang Hao has already won. He’s doing the final wrap-up work. Don’t spread word about the combat here to avoid any special circumstances.”
“Damn, he really won.”
“Really? Don’t kid us, Alliance Hierarch.”
“Has Fang Hao become this fearsome now!”
Ma Tianyi deliberately avoided the undead soldiers below and took a photo of the collapsed demon camp, sending it over.
Although it looked different from what they had seen before, they could still recognize it as Dusty Mud Valley at a glance.
“It’s Dusty Mud Valley. He really cleared out the demons.”
“So powerful, so domineering.”
“Yay, we can go home now, no need to walk anymore.”
Ma Tianyi also sent a message saying, “Deputy Hierarch, lead the team back and take everyone back to their respective cities.”
“Received!”
…
The fire continued to burn until the afternoon.
Only then did it slightly subside.
After all, in the belly of the mountain, once the bodies were burned, there were hardly any flammable materials left.
The fire died down quickly then.
But the residual heat left in the whole valley felt like standing on a mountain of flames, oppressively hot and uncomfortable.
Fang Hao controlled the Demon Doll, directing the undead in their final task.
He stood in front of the stone gate.
After peering inside, he stepped in with his soldiers.
The inside of the cave was burnt pitch-black.
The corpses, the fleshly tentacles, had all disappeared.
They had been burnt to a crisp.
Leading the soldiers to the end of the cave, what remained of the embryo was just a dried-up clump, hanging there like cured meat.
But the message notifications had disappeared, indicating it was dead.
Such a big fire, and yet it hadn’t burned it completely.
It was quite durable.
“Chop this into mincemeat,” Fang Hao ordered.
The Skeleton Warriors behind him immediately stepped forward and hacked away chaotically.
By the looks of it, it was indeed durable, not flesh-like, but they still chopped it into pieces.
After confirming there was no danger,
Fang Hao continued, “Okay, search the cave, see if there are any spoils of war, especially pay attention to any treasure chests and such.”
Receiving a new command, the skeletons dispersed again, beginning their search anew.
Fang Hao then turned his attention to the stone platform under his feet.
The layer of ‘Tai Sui’ flesh membrane that had covered it was burnt away by the fire, revealing its original appearance.
This place really was a huge altar.
Even though it was heavily damaged, some remaining symbols could still be discerned.
It seems, Ma Tianyi and the others had reopened a place that had been sealed by someone else before.
Luckily, it hadn’t caused too much damage.
After looking around inside for a while, Fang Hao walked out to the door, waiting for the skeletons’ search results.
Soon, the skeletons searching the cave came out one after another.
Bang!
A muted thud; a gold treasure chest was thrown at his feet.
After the entire chest was brought out, a cloud of white smoke instantly rose.
This kind of treasure chest must belong to the system.
The fire couldn’t burn it.
Otherwise, it would have been damaged by the heat long ago.
Without much hesitation, he directly opened the chest.
“[Regent’s Battle Flag Blueprint (Purple), Chaos Armor Blueprint (Purple), Warfire Coin 182, Demon Stone 23.]”
The variety wasn’t much, but the quality was still acceptable.
Two purple blueprints appeared at once.
“[Regent’s Battle Flag: Hardwood 1, Leather 5, Linen Cloth 12, Spun Yarn 22, Silk 5, Metal Parts 12.]”
(Description: A battle flag that boosts the morale of troops.)
The blueprint for a battle flag.
They had never appeared before.
All cities and lands have their own flags.
For example, Silver Wing City has a blue background with a silver sword with wings depicted on its flag; the Hall of Justice, Church, they also have flags representing their own forces.
It can be said that a flag represents identity and allows one to recognize at a glance which faction’s team you belong to.
It’s very important.
With this blueprint, if needed, one could also make a battle flag.
But morale isn’t very useful for the undead.
Unless it is used for living creature troops.
“[Chaos Armor: Thick Leather 15, Cast Iron 12, Fine Iron 5, Metal Parts 22, Demon’s Tooth 1.]”
(Description: Armor representing chaos and disorder.)
So that’s where the Demon’s Tooth is used.
An item resembling a beast’s fang actually is a material for armor.
It’s hard to understand.
But the Chaos Armor is actually not bad.
Purple armor, just a pity it’s not a set.
Will see if size adjusts, could potentially be exported.
After stowing the blueprints safely, he was about to call for a retreat,
when yet another Skeleton Warrior squeezed over.
It was holding a piece of paper.
“[Page from the Demon Tome]”.
“Demon page….”