Chapter 122 - 119 The Advancing Indians
Chapter 122: Chapter 119: The Advancing Indians
Chapter 122 -119: The Advancing Indians
Regardless, with the Dragon Slayer Guild’s involvement, Da Fei finally felt a great relief; now he could focus all his efforts on clearing out the insect nest. The most important thing right now was to level up Selvia’s experiences and skills.
At level 30, Selvia’s Sea Hymn specialty provides a 30% boost to the effects of Light Magic when at sea, plus an additional 25% from being a Master-level Nun, totaling a 55% increase. If this effect were applied to an individual unit, that would transform a healing of 100 hit points into 155 hit points. However, when applied to a large army, the situation is different—the amount of Mana consumed for healing a large army is often tens of times more than healing a single person. So, a 55% enhancement would mean a 55% reduction in Mana consumption. In other words, conserving Mana is the priority.
And the Meditation Skill, along with its sub-skills, were quite formidable too. In short, as long as she could address her Mana problems and ensure untroubled resurrection, the ensuing battles would only become faster. Therefore, even a slight loss in troops at this stage was acceptable.
One insect nest alone grants 100,000 Experience, and the countless minor bugs provide an unknown amount of additional Experience. It seemed Selvia was not far from reaching level 25. As long as she took down this fifth insect nest, a level up was guaranteed, and with a full Mana bar, she could fight another battle!
Da Fei’s calculations were complete, and with that, he rushed toward the next insect nest, once again marveling at how Ma Yinglong, a source of hemorrhoid ointment who hadn’t been seen for years, had turned into someone so eager to help others.
Meanwhile, the Dragon Slayer Guild had already begun to finance the purchase of stone materials from the Demon Flame City Commerce, and mobilized all senior members they could to carry materials to the designated location for assembly. Yes, blocking a path was not as simple as picking up a few stones in the game; it required building materials like stone and wood—a not too small expense. Of course, in accordance with the principle of secrecy, the members temporarily had no idea what the stone materials were for.
For the Dragon Slayer Guild, winning over Da Fei was one reason. After all, the emergence of such a powerhouse within the Bright Alliance was something that no one with eyesight could ignore. Moreover, Ma Yinglong himself originated from the internet cafe youth culture and had his share of booking venues for PKs and gaming with illicit equipment, so he didn’t mind dealing with people like Da Fei.
What’s more important though, was contending with Star for influence.
As long as the Dragon Slayer blocked the Spider Demon passageway, delaying the game’s progress, the Elf Kingdom would opt to remain a spectator and not engage in war. This would leave Star no choice but to stand by and watch helplessly. Meanwhile, the Dragon Slayer had already begun to lead players from the Hell Zone of the China Region to engage with international players, gaining attention, expanding influence, attracting more members. And most crucially, the Dragon Slayer’s own strength as the Hell Race was not formidable—losing would only damage the ordinary players’ morale, not causing a significant detriment to the Guild. In the name of patriotism, it was a dignified defeat. But a win on top would be icing on the cake. In any case, this was a gamble with little to lose and much to gain, where regardless of outcome, they would be the winners.
As for the statement about slowing down the leveling progress of foreign players, it, of course, could be considered a half-truth, half-joke.
Thus, for the Dragon Slayer Star, a large guild with hundreds of thousands of members, they pursued conflicts of grand scale and did not care for the gain or loss of a city or a pool. Even less did they concern themselves with players like Da Fei who nitpicked over the gain or loss of a ship or soldier—they did not exist on the same level.
Could Da Fei use a scroll as leverage against the Dragon Slayer? Obviously not.
To the Dragon Slayer Guild, the scroll was both important and unimportant. If someone contested them for it, then it would be important. If no one did, then all the better, but surely they would not be coerced by anyone, hence it was unimportant.
How to put it? It’s like a deserted island with little value in itself, but once two countries begin to dispute over it, the situation changes. Each side can use this island for purposes such as probing the other’s strategic boundaries, engaging in diplomatic alliances, expanding military preparations, etc. It allows them to indirectly disrupt the other’s development plans, potentially cripple the opponent’s economy, or pursue ulterior motives.
So, if anyone were to contest the Dragon Slayer for the scroll, the Dragon Slayer would undoubtedly use this opportunity to fight until their adversary choked. If no one competed, the Dragon Slayer was in no rush to name a price—this was the reason Ma Yinglong had never discussed a price with Da Fei from the beginning to the end.
In the end, in the eyes of Star or the Dragon Slayer, Da Fei was just a pawn in a strategic position.
While Da Fei himself may not have the realization of being a pawn, he at least had the awareness of being an ordinary player concerned with his personal gains and losses. So, the Flower Demon matter was put to rest for now. After all, Deirdre’s mentor had been promoted to a temporary chief, and as her proud disciple, she naturally rose with the tide. Becoming a hero was in the foreseeable future. Even if the Flower Demon needed to be rescued, that would have to wait until after Deirdre became a hero—then it would be possible to turn against her without any reservations.
….
The Demon Camp began to bustle with activity as increasingly more players from various Hell Race nations appeared, with most being scattered members of the European Union. Many flags seemed familiar but were hard to name. These players meandered around the camp, and instead of being here to fight, they seemed more like tourists here for sightseeing, or perhaps to gather intelligence. As for the large teams, not a single one from Japan, the United States, or Russia showed up.
After all, this was the first National War, and the main battlefield wasn’t even in the New World. They were merely auxiliary forces, with unclear objectives and benefits, so naturally, the large teams wouldn’t make reckless moves.
Moreover, the Japanese players who had been bustling around before the war hadn’t made a move, so other teams were even less inclined to rush. Therefore, the big teams were simply scouting the area, evaluating whether the National War was worth committing their entire forces to. They were also collecting information about the China Region, whose players’ emotions seemed unusual and certainly warranted serious consideration.
Aamirhan, a player with the Indian flag above his head, strolled leisurely around the Demon Camp.
Though India is a large country, it seldom wins medals in international sports competitions, and their flag resembles many European countries, causing many players to be unfamiliar with it. Thus, at this moment, Aamirhan seemed as ordinary as any other visitor in the crowd.
Ordinary is good, being ordinary is an essential trait for a spy, unlike the movie personas like 007.
Indeed, Aamirhan was the spy sent by India’s top Guild, the “Eight Heavenly Dragons.” Indian guilds were different from others: the United States focused on the Human Race, Japan on the Hell Race, South Korea on Elves, Russia on Dwarfs, the European Union had a mix, and China vied among three major powers. As for India, they went all-in! The so-called Eight Heavenly Dragons referred to the guild’s eight divisions focusing on the six traditional branches of Light and Dark races, as well as researching how to enter the Neutral Clan Mage Academy, and one Hidden Race. The divisions were named: Heaven, Dragon, Yaksha, Qiandapo, Asura, Jialouluo, Jinnaluo, and Moluoji. The most crucial Heaven and Dragon divisions were tasked with studying the Magic Academy and a certain Hidden Race.
In short, the name of the Indian guild was outrageous, and their all-encompassing strategy was equally breathtaking. Naturally, as a nation known for its exploits, India indeed had the capital to be arrogant.
Firstly, they boast a population second only to China; secondly, they have a developed electronics information industry; thirdly, India often prides itself as an ancient eastern civilization, which also possesses British heritage, giving it substantial international leverage. All they need to do is display a stance antagonistic to China, and Western countries would instantly roll out military sales in droves. Compared to their neighbor, with various restrictions and sanctions, not to mention an aging population, India has always felt a sense of superiority.
Because India has such broad acceptance internationally and many options, they have fewer concerns and don’t need to cling tightly to the United States like Japan does—not at all. Instead, it is the United States that must pay heed to India’s interests in the Indian Ocean.
So, Indians truly shouldn’t feel too superior—here’s to drinking Ganges River water and still being Indian in the next life.
Yet with such self-satisfaction, India is somewhat capable in many areas but still falls slightly short of taking a leading role, often appearing to muddle through opportunistically. Wherever there’s an advantage to be had, there’s the shadow of their opportunistic approach.
Likewise, the Indian Guild also adopted this opportunistic attitude. Aamirhan’s mission was to see whether this National War would bring any benefits.
As a spy, Aamirhan’s talents naturally made him an elite within the Indian Zone, and his thinking was unlike that of ordinary people. He often noticed things that others couldn’t see or think of. Of course, this could also be perceived as having a broader, albeit mentally erratic, perspective.
At this moment, with spies from various countries wandering around the Demon Camp searching for tasks, Aamirhan’s unique sense led him to focus his attention on the towering Magic Watchtower. The flashing green light at the watchtower’s summit didn’t resemble the usual spell energy form of the Demon Race; there must be secrets beyond the reach of the average player.
Quietly, very quietly, he moved towards the watchtower, his figure becoming more and more blurred, then vanished altogether under the watchful eyes of the public—he went into Stealth. Amidst the crowd yet unnoticed, this was his talent.
He shot a grappling hook towards the watchtower’s window and climbed, and climbed, until he reached the windowsill. Then, peeking stealthily inside, a face of breathtaking beauty met his eyes, and he was spellbound! He knew he had discovered what ordinary spies had not.
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