Chapter 987 - 929: Seeds of Doubt
Facing the Sirens’ proposal, Da Fei was caught in a dilemma.
Clearly, participating in the battle between two NPC forces is undoubtedly the rhythm of triggering an epic quest. It’s complicating a simple problem. After all, it’s just about going deep into enemy territory to rescue someone, no need to make such a big fuss, it’s purely unwise.
However, if there is truly a Vortex Gate, directly reaching the Naga region, then this is undoubtedly a shortcut. Besides, even if I don’t adopt her suggestion, will it mean less trouble for Brother? I’ll still have to face the Sea God’s Curse. After leaving the North Pole, there’s still a voyage of more than a dozen days to the Eastern World; during these days, can Brother dare to sleep or blink? Probably not, considering there might be gales, giant waves, whirlpools, and sea monsters along the way. If we manage to survive, fine; but if something goes wrong, Brother’s entire fortune would be lost, and I can’t afford that!
And most importantly, she said that her days were numbered. This means if I miss the introduction through this opportunity, I might never encounter the Siren Clan, which indicates missing a chance for safe passage.
Da Fei’s heart was touched, so he asked again, "So, in the Arctic Region and the area controlled by the Siren Clan, the Sea God’s power cannot penetrate?"
The Siren replied, "Yes, the situation in the Arctic Region is complex, and there is interference from the Undead Demon Force. The Sea God’s influence is weak here."
Undead Demon Force? At that moment, Da Fei suddenly recalled Fire Dragon Island. Back then, when arriving at the island, I inexplicably encountered a God-level Albatross that could hide in the sun, and then encountered the Undead Viking in the mist. The Arctic waters are indeed a bit deep.
Da Fei asked again, "Since the Siren Clan Leader has the ability to directly teleport me to the frontlines of the Naga Sea Domain, can I return via the frontlines?"
The Siren solemnly said, "Certainly, because the Siren Clan’s Vortex Gate traverses the Nether Sea, which the Sea God cannot control."
So that’s it! In an instant, Da Fei’s initial plan to bypass the Sea God’s Curse via the Nether Sea took shape!
Only the last question remains: "Well, if I maintain a friendly relationship with the Siren Clan, can I freely traverse the Nether Sea?"
The Siren replied, "Certainly, the Siren Clan’s twilight years are spent in the Nether Sea. But the Nether Sea is even more perilous than the Naga."
So that’s it; no matter how perilous the Nether Sea is, it’s still a target for Brother to conquer soon. Finally, the plan to traverse the Nether Sea is fully formed. Moreover, the weaker the forces one engages with, the more dependence and benefits players receive, as seen from Samael. As for offending the Sea God? There’s nothing to say; it’s already happening, so one can only pull in allies and keep going!
Da Fei finally resolved, "Great! I’ve decided, take me to meet your Clan Leader!"
The Siren excitedly said, "With such a mighty hero as Master helping, my Siren Clan sees hope for survival, and I can die without regret! Please follow me, we will lead the way ahead!"
Thus, the fleet turned, and a new journey began again. With the Sirens navigating, this icy sea held no peril at all. Da Fei couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, then seized the time to rest, recover, and continue learning and reading.
...
At this moment, the cross-region appearance of the European Union Zone and Japan Zone, with Japan Zone assisting the European Union Zone’s Crusaders, became the talk of the town everywhere.
Although this isn’t a bad thing, the Four Countries Team, composed of the UK, France, Germany, and Switzerland, still felt uncomfortable. Even though Japan Zone clarified its intention not to oppose the European Union Zone, spreading the news worldwide made it overly excessive. But there’s no choice; the situation has reached this point, and one can only continue forward thick-skinned.
So for any queries from media reporters, the Four Countries Team responded with, "No comment, it’s just an ordinary National War event; please all players refrain from overinterpreting."
However, life’s unsatisfactory moments are nine out of ten, and even for the Four Countries Team controlling the European Union Zone, it’s no exception. At this juncture, the European Union Zone’s student Pirate Alliance convened an emergency meeting in response to this event.
Emperor Ruoang of Portugal anxiously said, "Friends, brothers, it’s not good, the Japanese want to ally with the Big Four; if they do, it’s not impossible for the Big Four to overthrow the legendary Demon King Hall!"
Osman Emperor of Turkey said gravely, "We must find ways to stop them; we must infiltrate the Crusaders and eliminate Japanese players."
The Flying Dutchman frowned and said, "But we don’t have Crusader game accounts?"
Spanish Armada gritted its teeth and said, "Buy them! Or, contact players who have become Crusaders from non-team affiliations one by one; surely someone is willing to cooperate with us."
Emperor Ruoang shook his head, "We’re just a group of students, limited in financial power. Even if we call for fundraising, it’s unlikely we can buy Crusader game accounts. Moreover, large teams have much stronger appeal, and they may not listen to us. Once our attempt to contact fails, our plan will be exposed, making success even harder to achieve."
The Osman Emperor said in a deep voice, "There’s still one way: spread rumors!"
Everyone exclaimed, "What rumors?"
Osman sneered, "Just say that the Japanese are carrying out a massive conspiracy. They’ve received a very important epic quest. They outwardly appear to be cooperating with the European Union Zone, but actually they know they can’t oppose thousands of Crusader players from the European Union Zone with just 15 players, so they’re deceiving the European Union Zone, planning to wipe out all Crusader players from the European Union Zone at once, and then complete the task!"
Everyone was shocked, "Impossible, no one would believe that! The Japan Zone and the Four Countries Team all have business dealings; how could they betray the Four Countries? And how can they possibly have the strength to eliminate the entire European Union Zone with just 15 players?"
Osman sneered, "If you repeat a lie ten thousand times, it becomes the truth. Isn’t that the way the Japanese operate now? We spread this rumor everywhere; some skeptical Crusader players are bound to believe it, and then they’ll likely stand with us."
The Flying Dutchman suddenly realized, "Even if the Japanese can’t oppose so many players from our European Union Zone with their own strength, they can use the power of NPCs?"
Everyone suddenly realized, "That’s right! They can completely trick our European Union Zone players into the NPC’s trap, use the NPC to eliminate the European Union Zone, and then find a way to avoid blame! Think about the Pearl Harbor incident decades ago; that’s how the Japanese deceived us!"
Emperor Ruoang said excitedly, "Good, let’s do it! This will be our material for spreading rumors!"
And so, while the European Union Zone was still amazed at the potential changes from the Japan Zone and European Union Zone alliance, rumors of the Japanese conspiracy quietly began on the forums. Keenly capturing the wind direction of the European Union forums, various major guilds from China, Russia, and India immediately joined in, fanning the flames, with endless conspiracy theories flooding in!
Mitsubishi Team received the news in shock!
Mr. Igarashi’s first thought was that our team has a traitor! Otherwise, how could our meticulously planned strategy be leaked? The question is, who is the traitor? Countless names flashed through Igarashi’s mind.
Impossible! It’s impossible that the leak came from within! Our team members’ patriotism is hotter than flames, and they’re all managed together, with messages strictly audited, so no one has the opportunity to leak. Someone must have guessed our intentions. But, what if there really was an internal leak? What if someone was bought off by the enemy? Just like how we planted spies within the enemy?
As the seeds of doubt were sown in Igarashi’s heart, his face became increasingly gloomy. Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the entire Mitsubishi Team Command Center was oppressive, and everyone’s faces were tense, as if sitting on pins and needles.
At that moment, the secretary stepped forward and said, "President, the British Team has something to ask us."
Igarashi gritted his teeth and said, "I will persuade them."
So, when Igarashi entered the Four Countries chat room, Prince George again smiled and asked, "Mr. Igarashi, have you seen the rumors on the forum?"
Igarashi nodded excitedly, "Your Highness, gentlemen, to us, appearing in the European Union Zone was entirely by accident, because our main team members are very busy within our own zone and have no need to stay in your zone wasting time. If Your Highness questions us, we have nothing to say; we will immediately cancel the mission and return home. We will prove it with actions."
Prince George waved his hands with a laugh and said, "Mr. Igarashi has misunderstood. We believe there are certain opponents who don’t want to see our alliance, so they intentionally spread rumors trying to disrupt this operation. We had this meeting to tell Mr. Igarashi that our alliance trust is extremely firm; no one can ruin it with rumors. Please do not pay attention to outside rumors, otherwise, it would be a huge loss for us."
Igarashi said excitedly, "As expected of Your Highness! To have your trust truly moves me deeply. We will use our actions to make those who oppose us swallow their bitter fruits!"
Napoleon laughed, "Exactly! The more others don’t want us to unite, the more we should prove it to them!"
The chat room discussion ended, and Igarashi breathed a sigh of relief. Yet within the internal Four Countries Team of the European Union, things might not truly be as sincere as he imagined.
At this moment, in the British Royal Team Command Center. After the video conference ended, Prince George lit a cigar, his gaze deep as he stared at the rumors on the forum without saying a word.
Gao Wen knew that the prince usually didn’t smoke, so he must have something significant on his mind. Thus, he stepped forward to ask, "Your Highness, although the viewpoints on the forum are ridiculous, they have a possibility of being successfully implemented, so we can’t completely trust the Japanese."
Prince George blew out a smoke ring and nodded, "Right, only friends who are completely incapable of posing a threat to us are truly trustworthy friends! We cannot put all our forces into a battlefield designed by the Japanese, nor let the Japanese know the strength of our European Union Zone."
"Understood."
Thus, even though the rumors didn’t break the cooperation between the Japan Zone and the European Union Four Strong, the seeds of doubt have been planted, and their cooperation in the Divine Punishment City will certainly move slowly through the tangled mire. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)