Chapter 537: Section 324: We are the victims
Teng Donglang nodded slightly, acknowledging Ice Eagle’s analysis.
Ice Eagle continued, “The City Lord of Snowbird Port is the key issue here, with the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps being the second. All the trouble started due to this external force.”
Teng Donglang shook his head, “A mysterious assassin attempted an assassination last night; now it is absolutely impossible for us to make a move on them.”
“Once we make a move, it will confirm their accusation against us, making everyone believe we are trying to eliminate the victim.”
Ice Eagle then said, “At the docks, a large number of the City Guard has already been deployed—all these are arrangements made by the City Lord.”
“Now is not a good time to eliminate them.”
“But, there are many ways to handle this force. For instance, enticing them with high rewards. If we could get Long Fu to voluntarily withdraw his accusation, we would greatly alleviate the unfavorable situation we’re facing now.”
Teng Donglang looked at Ice Eagle and said, “The probability of success in enticing him would be rather low, wouldn’t it?”
“He’s the victim, the only two Mages in the Dragon Lion Mercenary Group were assassinated.”
“At this critical moment, if he were to withdraw the accusation, there would undoubtedly be a huge backlash against him within the mercenary group.”
“If I were Long Fu and I had to retract my previous accusations, it would be very difficult. My reputation in Snowbird Port would be greatly diminished, and no one would trust me again.”
But Ice Eagle said, “Gang Leader, it may seem unlikely that this would work, but after careful consideration, I think it’s not as implausible as it seems.”
“Look.”
“The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps is not just any ordinary Silver Level force; they’re backed by arms dealers. They are a group of smugglers.”
“They are special. Do you really think they only have two Mages in their ranks, Mages who don’t even reach Silver Level at that?”
Teng Donglang appeared thoughtful.
Ice Eagle continued, “Have you noticed, Gang Leader?”
“Even though Long Fu has publicly disclosed that we rigged the brave duel, he has not provided any evidence!”
“Does he really have any evidence?”
Teng Donglang immediately recalled his actions that day; he had thoroughly cleaned the scene, removing all traces of magic.
Now the main piece of evidence was the Demon hybrid leader.
But how could he possibly testify that he was the assassin?
After thinking it over, Teng Donglang shook his head assuredly and said, “I believe that Long Fu most likely has no evidence.”
“His public disclosure is just some kind of reactive response.”
“Because two Mages in his Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps have been assassinated. With such a major commotion last night, he must have paid a huge price to mobilize the City Lord of Snowbird Port.”
“If he had any evidence, he would have produced it by now!”
Ice Eagle nodded, “That’s what I was thinking too.”
“He has no evidence, and the mysterious assassin was completely disintegrated by the Decomposition Light. They are far from pinning anything on us.”
“On the other hand, the worst-case scenario is that he does have conclusive evidence. But why hasn’t he shown it yet?”
A flash of insight struck Teng Donglang, “As members of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, they wouldn’t want a mutually destructive fight with us, the Saber Gang.”
“We’re the local tyrants!”
“Long Fu has a crucial mission; they need to smuggle arms and open up the market in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom.”
“Coming to a foreign land and risking their entire group in a firefight with the local gangs—how could that be sensible?”
“Not rational at all!”
Ice Eagle nodded, “Exactly as we had not wished to fully commit to eliminating this mercenary group either.”
“Any war carries great risks. One loss could mean losing everything!”
“Of course, there’s another possibility.”
“Long Fu is holding onto the evidence, waiting for us to negotiate.”
“He will take this opportunity to name his price, attempting to extort us. I can already imagine what he might want—it will definitely be about us giving concessions, or even collaborating with them to help in their future arms trafficking!”
“So, whatever the situation may be, we should definitely have a proper discussion with Long Fu.”
“If we can persuade him to retract his statement, we will have crossed this difficult hurdle. And if he accuses us again in the future, we can expose the extortion. As long as we make the public see his inconsistency, their trust in him will plummet!”
Teng Donglang was silent for a long moment, finally nodding.
“You make a good point.”
“But who would be appropriate to send?”
Teng Donglang eyed Ice Eagle and deliberately said, “Ban Langen is too dull, he already messed up my directive once, and was defeated by Long Fu with a single punch.”
“Xiong Ju is too rash; sending him into the fray is ideal, but I worry they might start fighting at the docks.”
“And if we send the Spring Boxer…”
He was cut off by a voice from outside the door.
“Let me in!” It was the Spring Boxer’s voice.
But the door guard stopped him, “The Gang Leader has ordered, no disturbances while discussing important matters.”
“Let me in!” the Spring Boxer shouted.
The door guard struggled to withhold him, firmly guarding the door.
“I must clear this up!” Blocked outside, the Spring Boxer had no choice but to shout, “Gang Leader, are the rumors true outside?”
“Did we really ambush Long Fu, the leader of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, during the brave duel?!”
“This guy…” Teng Donglang frowned deeply.
He knew that if he didn’t respond, the Spring Boxer would keep bothering him, constantly shouting outside the door.
Thus, Teng Donglang coldly scolded, “Of course not.”
“The Dragon-man squad leader must be misunderstanding something.”
“This is not important, after some time, this misunderstanding will be cleared.”
“Stop worrying about this matter and get back to your own business now!”
After being scolded, the Spring Boxer got the answer he wanted. He shrank his head and called out with a grin, “I just knew it would be this way.”
“Gang Leader, I’m rolling out now, hehe!”
Silence fell outside the door.
Teng Donglang looked at Ice Eagle and sighed helplessly, “I’ve spoiled this brat too much.”
Ice Eagle just smiled, “Innocence of a child is precious.”
“He is the Coffin Carrier you nurtured, enviable indeed, don’t act all coy now!”
Teng Donglang, usually stern-faced, let out a rare smile.
But that smile soon disappeared, replaced by a grave expression.
Teng Donglang said, “If even a leader like him has begun to waver, you can imagine the internal state of our gang.”
“The Saber Gang, despite its vast scale and multitude of members, still can’t find a suitable negotiator.”
Ice Eagle smiled again, knowing that Teng Donglang was saying this on purpose.
So the next moment, Ice Eagle took on the responsibility himself, “Then let me go.”
“This…” Teng Donglang feigned hesitation.
Ice Eagle stated, “The person to negotiate needs to carry weight. The current six leaders, although influential enough, do not have the suitable personality and abilities.”
“Being the Gang Leader, you absolutely cannot act personally. Because you are the face and dignity of our Saber Gang. We must leave some room for you to maneuver later.”
“Only I can go, I am Silver Level, and also the former Gang Leader. Most importantly, the dispute with Long Fu started because of me.”
Speaking thus, Ice Eagle looked up and sighed heavily, “I never expected, there would be such a situation today.”
“If I had known this day would come, I would have graciously given up that Intelligence Potion to Long Fu on that day.”
Teng Donglang shook his head, comforting, “This is not your fault.”
“The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, new to the area and carrying a significant burden, would definitely choose a target to flex their muscles, show their strength. Only then can they pave the way for their arms dealing business.”
“You just happened to be there, running right into it.”
“I reckon, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps didn’t want to actually clash head-on with our Saber Gang.”
“If Long Fu had evidence, why didn’t he point it out in the duel with Xiong Ju? Even if he didn’t realize during the duel, he should have accused us publicly afterward.”
“He initially wanted to control, the scale of their fight with us. But last night’s incident happened too suddenly. It startled him!”
Teng Donglang was pleased that Ice Eagle was willing to take on this matter, and he was grateful.
Ice Eagle indeed was the best choice for negotiation.
But Teng Donglang couldn’t just order him to go.
On one hand, Ice Eagle was the former Gang Leader and both came from military backgrounds. On the other hand, if Ice Eagle consulted, he could likely be insulted.
Only if Ice Eagle volunteered could he avoid harboring resentment towards Teng Donglang if he were mocked or humiliated.
Based on Teng Donglang’s understanding of Ice Eagle, he was confident that Ice Eagle would volunteer.
And indeed, events unfolded just as he predicted.
Ice Eagle got up, “No time to delay, I’ll prepare now and set off as soon as possible.”
“I will explain to Long Fu that the assassins last night had nothing to do with us.”
“He certainly won’t believe it, but this isn’t an explanation for him, it’s an explanation to the people of Snowbird Port!”
Teng Donglang stood up to see him off.
“I will have the other three leaders concede voluntarily, urging Long Fu to duel with me promptly!”
“Then, on the dueling field, I can take Long Fu’s life with my own hands.”
“This Dragon-man has caused us a lot of trouble, plunging the Saber Gang into a crisis of survival; I can’t relieve the hatred in my heart without killing him!”
“Of course, if circumstances allow, like if he has already secretly cooperated with us, then I may spare his life, to show the magnanimity of our Saber Gang.”
Ice Eagle nodded, “This scoundrel really needs a good lesson.”
“This plan to solve the problem is very thorough.”
“Teng Donglang, you are more suitable as the Gang Leader than me. You always prioritize the gang’s interests. You do better than I did.”
“For the sake of the Saber Gang, a little loss of face, a bit of sneering, what’s that really worth?”
Teng Donglang sighed deeply, “The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps deliberately caused trouble, the outside world misunderstands us deeply.”
“We are the real victims here.”
Meanwhile, aboard the Triangular Love Ship.
In the cabin, there were only two people.
Snowbird Port’s City Lord: “Dragon-man squad leader, all these pieces of equipment have been carefully selected, prepared just for you.”
“With them, your chances of defeating Teng Donglang will greatly increase!”