Chapter 447: Section 234: Chi Lai, Menshi vs Long Fu
After leaving Twin Eyes Island, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps had been sailing for three days and nights. At noon on this day, they docked at a small island.
Soon, the survey team finished their work and returned to report that the island was safe, an uninhabited deserted island.
There were scarce resources on the deserted island; its only advantage was the presence of a small amount of fresh water.
The Dragon-man youth immediately ordered his subordinates to draw water to replace and replenish the freshwater reserves on the ship.
After having lunch, the Dragon-man youth landed on the deserted island.
He stood atop a hill of rocks, looking around, the landscape was barren; white and gray stones covered the ground, with only a few stubby trees surviving stubbornly in the cracks between the rocks.
Menshi trudged up to the Dragon-man youth with heavy steps, his face full of anxiety and worry, “Lord squad leader, have we lost the Iron Lump?”
Of course, the sudden decision of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps to go ashore was very abnormal.
Logically, they should have pursued relentlessly without stopping, just as they had done for the previous three days.
The fleet had plenty of supplies, and Menshi could not find a reason for the sudden shore leave.
In fact, of course, it wasn’t that the Dragon-man youth was deliberately delaying.
They had already arrived at their destination.
Crying Pine Island was very close to this deserted island. It would not be good for the fleet to continue following, or else it would easily expose their presence.
According to the plan of the Dragon-man youth, they had to dock here, waiting for the right moment. They would wait until the gathering of the Undead Mages ended, until Cang Xu successfully completed the transaction, until most of the people had left, then they would stage a good show with the Iron Lump, which would deliberately depart last.
In the meantime, if something unexpected happened to Cang Xu and he encountered danger, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps would also set out early to provide urgent support.
It wasn’t appropriate to explain the real reasons to Menshi.
The Dragon-man youth could only half-truthfully say, “The scouting puppets we sent out have brought us important intelligence.”
“The Iron Lump has already landed on Crying Pine Island.”
“This island erupts with negative energy tides every month, forming the winds of Pine Island at sea.”
“The actions of the Iron Lump are unusual, we surmise that Crying Pine Island might be the nesting ground for the Undead Mage. It’s possible there’s his temporary camp on the island.”
“So that’s it!” Menshi was greatly shocked and did not doubt, “When I was on Twin Eyes Island, I also heard about this Crying Pine Island. The island environment is special, accumulating a large amount of negative energy. If he is an Undead Mage, this is their natural treasure land.”
This honest middle-aged Dwarf immediately frowned with worry as he thought of his own people, “If there is a nest of the Undead Mages on the island, would my people become experimental subjects for the Undead Mage, or even be turned into undead creatures?”
At this moment, Menshi heard the Dragon-man youth console him, “Don’t be too anxious, Menshi.”
“Our best plan right now is to wait.”
“Wait for the winds of Pine Island to scatter, and we’ll attack the island immediately!”
Menshi nodded and sighed, “That is indeed what we should do. The sea wind of Pine Island is a tide of negative energy, in that environment, Undead Magic becomes much more powerful, which is too much of a disadvantage for us.”
“Lord squad leader, I’m really grateful to you. Without you, I would have no chance to rescue my people.”
The Dragon-man youth laughed heartily, clapping Menshi on the shoulder, “You’re my comrade-in-arms, and now even more so a member of my group, I’ll do my utmost to help you save your people.”
“I was actually looking for you, too.”
“Come on, let’s have a good fight right now.”
“To tell you the truth, I’ve been cooped up on the ship these few days, and my bones are itching for some action!”
Menshi was slightly taken aback, adding a bit more understanding of the Dragon-man youth, “It seems our squad leader is quite a martial addict, isn’t he?”
This kind of preference was not uncommon.
But Menshi did not immediately agree, instead hesitating, “Lord squad leader, I would be willing to accompany you if you’re in the mood, but now with a great battle imminent…”
The Dragon-man youth waved his hand, “This is just sparring, not a fight to the death.”
“Besides, I need to spar with you personally to confirm your strength and methods. That will be more helpful for the upcoming battle, won’t it?”
The Dragon-man youth’s words successfully dispelled Menshi’s hesitation.
“Then please forgive my impertinence,” Menshi immediately turned around his hands to take out his two-handed warhammer from his back.
The Dragon-man youth stood empty-handed, stepping back a few paces and shouted enthusiastically, “Yes, that’s it!”
Then, he charged straight in.
Bang bang bang.
The two engaged in combat, creating a commotion that immediately attracted the attention of the surrounding mercenaries.
“What’s going on, why are they fighting?!”
“What happened?”
Lan Zao stood at the edge of the battlefield, “What’s the panic about? This is normal sparring!”
After some explanation, the mercenaries all watched the fight with excitement, calling their friends to join them.
The mercenaries who had landed quickly retreated behind the stones, peering out to watch.
The mercenaries on the ship all leaned over the railing, watching from afar.
After some preliminary testing.
The Dragon-man youth let out a light roar and unleashed Combat Skill turbulence, delivering a Blast Fist.
Menshi felt an immediate surge in pressure and quickly used Defensive Fighting Skills, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack with his two-handed warhammer.
The two moved back and forth, each strike more powerful than the last.
Xu Ma excitedly ran around on the ship, calling out, “The bets are open, the bets are open.”
He organized a betting pool, immediately attracting many mercenaries to join.
Many seasoned members watched with arms folded, sneering at the spectacle.
Zong Ge soon received news that someone had set up a gambling operation, and he snorted coldly, “Gambling is strictly forbidden on board! Any gambler will be severely punished!”
As a commander, he had a deep distaste for such behavior. Allowing such activities to spread wildly among the military could greatly undermine the soldiers’ fighting spirit and add enmity between them, severely affecting unity and, consequently, reducing the army’s combat effectiveness.
But just as Zong Ge was about to issue an order, he received proactive contact from Zi Di.
Zi Di’s voice transmitted from the communication device, “Don’t act now, wait until the betting pool is set up and everyone has placed their bets. That’s when we’ll clean up, making them truly feel the pain. They won’t make such a mistake again in the future.”
Zong Ge fell silent for a moment, immediately seeing another, perhaps the main, intent of Zi Di, which was the confiscation of the gambling money.
Nevertheless, Zong Ge agreed to the plan.
Just as Zi Di had said, they needed to make these gamblers feel the pain!
Zong Ge then cast his gaze upon the island.
The contest between Menshi and the Dragon-man youth took place close to the shore.
Their combat also attracted the attention of a powerful figure like Zong Ge.
Half a minute later, Zong Ge saw the direction of the fight, “Unless there’s an upset, the victor will be Lord Long Fu.”
Menshi displayed his style of combat.
Like most dwarves, he excelled at defense.
But defense rarely leads to victory.
Menshi’s primary weapon for attack was his two-handed warhammer.
The quality of the warhammer was not bad; it was a Silver Level weapon.
However, when used against the Dragon-man youth, it was inadequate.
The Dragon-man youth’s Dragon Scale armor could even resist Golden Level combat skills.
Menshi’s attacks could not truly threaten the Dragon-man youth, reducing him to nothing but a punching bag.
Of course, the Dragon-man youth was even more aware of the outcome than Zong Ge was. Suddenly, he stepped back to widen the gap between himself and Menshi.
The Dragon-man youth shouted, “This is not very satisfying. Chi Lai! Join the battle as well.”
Chi Lai was still on the ship. Upon hearing this command, he was momentarily stunned, but then he quickly leaped from the ship and ran to the shore to join the fray.
Chi Lai and Menshi teamed up against the Dragon-man youth.
The mercenaries were even more electrified, feeling exhilarated by their squad leader’s fighting spirit.
At the same time, everyone became even more curious about the final outcome of this spar.
Facing two Silver Level opponents simultaneously, the Dragon-man youth immediately felt a surge of pressure.
However, he quickly adapted.
Undoubtedly, both Chi Lai and Menshi were elites among the Silver Level.
They had their own notoriety and had reached the limits of their bloodlines, unable to advance further.
Whether it was combat skills or Divine Arts, they used them very proficiently, almost as if by instinct.
But the previous problem persisted.
They severely lacked offensive power.
Even when Chi Lai cast the Divine Art Justice Blade, doubling his and Menshi’s attack power, they could not penetrate the Dragon-man youth’s tough Dragon Scale.
“That’s enough, we admit defeat!” After fighting a while longer, Menshi voluntarily conceded.
Chi Lai also promptly stopped, “That’s right, to continue fighting is just a waste of fighting energy. If Lord Long Fu had fought as he did on Twin Eyes Island, we would have been defeated long ago.”
The Dragon-man youth laughed heartily, “As I said, this was just a friendly match.”
Then, he reined in his laughter, looked around at the broken and disheveled stone beach, “It’s inconvenient to sail the seas, there are too few places where one can spar freely.”
Although the White Bandage was a vessel powered by demon energy, it was only Bronze Level and could not withstand a clash between Silver Level fighters.
Hearing the Dragon-man youth speak this way, Chi Lai and Menshi exchanged glances, both recognizing the Dragon-man youth’s martial nature.
This is a world for the strong.
Enjoying martial challenges was an excellent trait.
Seeing the fight concluded, the mercenaries cheered loudly, praising the might of their squad leader.
In this celebratory atmosphere, Sanda led a decisive strike, clearing out the betting pool and the funds, capturing all the mercenaries involved in gambling.
Xu Ma, as the leader of the offense, regretted it so much that he was almost in tears.
Watching the gambling money seized, his grief and misery filled his chest, in stark contrast with the surrounding cheers and shouts.
“Our squad leader is so strong!”
“Chi Lai and Menshi joined forces, and still they weren’t his match.”
“Our squad leader is the strongest!”
“No, there’s also Lord Lion Flag.”
“You think, between Lord Lion Flag and Lord Long Fu, who is stronger?”
“Is that even a question? Just look at their ranks to know.”
“But, Lord Lion Flag’s fighting energy already has a Gold sheen. He’s also used a Healing Potion to heal his injuries and is able to cultivate normally again. When he advances to Golden Level in the future, that’s when it’s not so clear.”
The murmurs of the mercenaries reached Zong Ge’s ears.
Zong Ge was unconcerned, he slightly flexed his fingers, feeling a bit itchy to join the fight himself.
Meanwhile, Sanda couldn’t help feeling somewhat smug. Looking at Zong Ge beside him, he became even more certain that this was the right side.
As for the Dragon-man youth, he quietly began to channel the power of his Big Arena Badge.