Chapter 489: Section 276: Winds Rise at Snowbird Port
Early morning.
The sunrise had just begun, and the sunlight still retained the cold of the night.
The chilly morning breeze gently fluttered the banner of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
The gangway was set up, and the Dragon-man youth walked off the ship.
Different from yesterday, this time, the Dragon-man youth was not only followed by Lan Zao but also by two Silver Level individuals, Chi Lai and Menshi.
As soon as the trio disembarked, they detected numerous gazes being cast in their direction.
Looking back in response to the feeling, some were brazen, while others were hidden in inconspicuous corners.
Chi Lai briefly sensed the aura of these people, with at least five of them being of the Silver Level.
Things had escalated.
All of this was because the Dragon-man youth had successively challenged two leaders of the Saber Gang yesterday.
He had revealed a unique demeanor of the strong in battle.
Yesterday was just the beginning of the Dragon-man youth’s public challenges, and the incident was sudden. Most of those who paid attention were ordinary bystanders, with few Transcendents.
After fermenting for a day and a night, especially last night, stories about the Dragon-man youth had begun to spread in every major and minor pub in Snowbird Port.
It could be said that the impact of the conflict between the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps and the Saber Gang had turned into a gale, spreading throughout Snowbird Port.
Snowbird Port’s power hierarchy was topped by four Golden Level individuals: the City Lord, the bishop of the Sea Bird deity, the branch Chairman of the Bambu Guild, and the Gang Leader of the Saber Gang.
The Dragon-man youth’s brave challenge to the Gang Leader, Teng Donglang, was undoubtedly shaking Teng Donglang’s power. Should the latter handle it poorly, the Dragon-man youth might further affect the balanced stand-off among Snowbird Port’s upper echelons.
It wasn’t that no one had ever challenged Teng Donglang.
But such a forceful contender as the Dragon-man youth, who could make others recognize his power to shake Teng Donglang’s status, was rare.
Watching the Dragon-man youth’s receding figure as he gradually left the dock, four Silver Level individuals gathered on an open-air balcony, discussing among themselves.
They were all prominent figures in Snowbird Port, either Mercenary Group leaders or owners of large shops, fishing boats, and other enterprises.
A Dwarf with a big beard looked enviously at the Dragon-man youth: “With Dragon bloodline, his physical qualities are simply amazing, far surpassing the Human Race, Snow Elves, and Dwarves. At the Silver Level, he already has the capital to challenge the Golden Level!”
The Dragon Clan was originally an Upper Species, as reflected in the myths of the Creator God. Most who had ties with the Dragon Clan were not lacking.
A Human elder with a sorrowful face remembered his own past as he looked at the Dragon-man youth, his eyes flickering with the mist of memories: “Coming to Snowbird Port to make a living isn’t so simple.”
“There is already a stable power structure here, no extra space for outsiders.”
“In those years, when I led my Mercenary Group here, I had to visit around, pull connections, and build a network. In the end, I still had to spar with an opponent to be recognized.”
“Now, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps is doing what I did back then. Only by proving their strength will those around them recognize them. Only if they prove themselves as fierce beasts will the other beasts make way for them to have their own hunting grounds.”
The Dwarf with the big beard shook his head: “The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps is just a small-scale power, it’s a good move to seek fame through valorous duels to prove their might, but they’ve chosen the wrong opponent. Why pick a fight with the Saber Gang? In fact, by challenging a smaller power, they could achieve the same recognition and earn the right to make a living in Snowbird Port.”
His words were met with laughter.
It was the Snow Elf woman among the four Silver Level individuals.
The Snow Elf woman, wearing black-framed glasses, squinted her eyes: “It seems you guys haven’t collected enough intelligence, and you’re not aware of the details of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps. They’re not as simple as they seem on the surface. Rumor has it that their predecessor was actually an arms smuggling gang.”
“It’s just that due to an accident, they formed the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps to facilitate their arms dealing. They are indeed a small power, but we shouldn’t see them that way because they have a strong backing.”
The Dwarf with the big beard’s expression changed slightly. He knew that the backing capable of dealing in arms was obviously not simple.
He realized: “No wonder Long Fu acts so rashly, he does have greater confidence.”
The Snow Elf woman with black-framed glasses continued her analysis: “It’s not just that, I believe there’s a deeper level of interest behind the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ actions.”
The Human elder had an epiphany: “Are you saying that they want to sell their arms in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom?”
The Snow Elf nodded: “That should be the case, otherwise why would they challenge the Saber Gang? Only such an opponent can give them enough space and tolerance to smooth the way for their future arms deals.”
“So that’s the reasoning,” the Dwarf with the big beard muttered to himself.
“It’s all business!” the Human elder exclaimed with a sense of realization.
The Dwarf with the big beard clapped his fist into his palm: “Now that I think about it, the conflict between the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps and the Ice Eagle is not so simple!”
“That was a giant-type Intelligence Potion, who would need it under normal circumstances? Only the Ice Eagle, who wants to cultivate his giant slaves, would have a strong demand for that Gold-level potion, a need that could easily be discovered.”
“In that case, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps must be deliberately creating discord and conflict,”
The fourth Silver Level Snow Elf felt puzzled, “If they are deliberately creating discord, can they be certain of their success? Is Ice Eagle bound to come after them? If Ice Eagle were to give in, wouldn’t their plan fall through?”
The bespectacled female Elf smiled, “If the plan falls through, then just implement another plan. The Saber Gang has monopolized the dark side of Snowbird Port for many years, and provoking such a behemoth is actually quite easy.”
“I believe that once Ice Eagle is provoked, he will surely respond. Because Ice Eagle is the former Gang Leader of the Saber Gang, his position is actually quite awkward.”
“Having served as Gang Leader of the Saber Gang for so many years, he must have offended many people. So after he retired, he still kept a portion of his most loyal subordinates, as well as that Gold Level giant No Lai, and he has been nurturing new giant enforcers.”
“On the other hand, he must be conscious of his own strength and restrain his development. Once his strength inflates beyond a certain line and breaks the understanding between him and the current Gang Leader, the first person to deal with him would be the current Gang Leader of the Saber Gang, Teng Donglang.”
“After being provoked, Ice Eagle did not take action himself but sought help from the Saber Gang Leader, Teng Donglang. This is a result of his awkward position, on one hand, he must show his strength, on the other hand, he fears his strength awakening Teng Donglang’s wariness. So by seeking help directly from Teng Donglang, he reassures him and simultaneously shows the close ties he has with the Saber Gang to others.”
“Teng Donglang is obviously aware of the meaning behind Ice Eagle’s call for help, and he’s more than willing to maintain this unspoken agreement.”
“That’s why we have the current situation, where it’s clearly Ice Eagle and the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps in conflict, yet the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps is troubling the Saber Gang directly. And the Saber Gang is happy to deal with the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.”
Upon reaching this part of the analysis by the bespectacled Snow Elf, everyone else fell silent.
In their silence, they could sense the deceptively complex power struggle beneath the surface conflict.
After a long while, the Human Race elder was the first to break the silence, “Actually, I’d rather the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps won.”
“You all know my Mercenary Group has had multiple conflicts with the Saber Gang.”
“The size of this gang is too large and they occupy too many places. I don’t believe you all haven’t felt the same.”
“And there’s another important point, I hope to be able to purchase better arms. The quality of arms available in the market now is truly disappointing.”
No sooner had he spoken than his words resonated strongly with the others.
The bearded Dwarf began to complain, “Yes, I don’t know what’s going on with the arms black market recently, up to some trickery. Several large arms dealers suddenly lost contact, completely cutting off supply.”
“Arms smuggling is illegal, and there is not a single country that doesn’t crack down on such activities. Arms dealers suddenly losing contact and supply likely means they have been rounded up. But for so many arms dealers to go out of business at once and disappear without a trace is really rare.”
“Isn’t there news that this was a specific crackdown by the Holy Bright Empire?”
“There’s that claim, but there’s no evidence.”
“What evidence does one need? Doing so is extremely beneficial for the Holy Bright Empire. They are invading the Beast Race Continent. Their weapons and equipment are far superior to the Beast Race, giving them a significant advantage. Naturally, they would be very concerned about arms smugglers selling large quantities of fine arms to the Beastmen, thus they acted early and took them out of the game.”
“The Holy Bright Empire is too domineering, invading wherever they claim! The official reason they gave for the invasion of the Beast Race Continent sickens me! This Human Race Empire also keeps trying to make our Snow Sculpture Kingdom a vassal state, the epitome of wolfish ambitions. I really hope they take a big fall on the Beast Race Continent. The initiator of an overseas expedition has never been victorious in history.”
The Silvers were discussing amongst themselves.
About their doubts concerning the arms market, the survivor could reply.
The answer is the death of the War Merchant.
The War Merchant himself occupied a significant share of the arms market, and he also played many roles.
These roles were the War Merchant specifically selling a certain type of arms to the outside, to avoid drawing too much attention to himself.
With the War Merchant’s death, not only him, but also his other identities ceased to stir, naturally preventing any business from happening.
It’s been more than two months since the collapse of Mysterious Monster Island.
The arms market has been greatly affected. Especially for forces like the Snow Sculpture Kingdom that are closer to Mysterious Monster Island, the impact is quite significant.
While the Silver Levels were in the midst of an animated discussion, an underling of the bespectacled woman came over, whispered into the female Elf’s ear, and quietly reported.
Soon after, the underling stepped back.
The bespectacled woman stood up, “Let’s end breakfast here,”
“I’ve received the latest news, the Saber Gang has dispatched Xiong Ju to battle Long Fu.”
Upon hearing this, the rest of the Silver Level individuals showed varied expressions.
The Human Race elder pondered aloud, “Among the Saber Gang’s six leaders, Xiong Ju is recognized as the strongest.”
The bearded Dwarf laughed, “I said it just yesterday, Xiong Ju’s intervention was inevitable! After the two battles yesterday, Long Fu has already demonstrated his strength. If left to challenge the six leaders one by one, the reputation of the Saber Gang would be greatly damaged. Even if in the end, Teng Donglang takes down Long Fu, people will think that only the Gang Leader of the Saber Gang is any good at fighting. Knowing Teng Donglang’s character, he will definitely seize back the initiative.”
The fourth Snow Elf looked interested, “Xiong Ju has been pushed forward to actively block Long Fu, so he must be well-prepared. Today’s battle will definitely be exciting.”
“Even looking at the whole of Snowbird Port, Xiong Ju is definitely one of the top Silver Level fighters.”
“Long Fu… he hasn’t shown his full strength yet. Although his defense is incredible, don’t forget, Xiong Ju’s weapon is the Gold Level Golden Flower Steel Saw!”
“I only know that we’re in for a good show today. Let’s go together.” The bespectacled woman took the lead, “The Saber Gang has made arrangements, Xiong Ju is in the Snowbird Duel Arena. Long Fu’s group is on their way.”