Chapter 578: Section 365: Need for a Gang
City Lord’s Mansion.
The City Lord of Snowbird Port, leading the Dragon-man youth, came to the underground dungeon.
The City Lord of Snowbird Port introduced to the Dragon-man youth, “This dungeon was built by the seventh generation City Lord, and almost every succeeding City Lord has contributed to its expansion or, at the very least, its maintenance.”
“It can be said that these dungeons are the safest.”
“I’m worried that if we put the leaders of the Saber Gang in an ordinary prison, they might be rescued.”
“But here, it’s nearly impossible!”
“This way, please.”
The City Lord of Snowbird Port held up a torch as he walked ahead.
The dungeon was dimly lit, but it did not have the mildew or damp stains of neglect; instead, it was very dry.
The brick walls were sturdy, and every so often there were huge iron gates that required the personal operation of the City Lord of Snowbird Port to raise or lower.
And on the walls of the corridors, there were frequently hollowed-out spaces, inside of which stood Alchemy Puppets more than two meters tall.
“The whole dungeon has an effect of dark and dizzying spells,” the City Lord of Snowbird Port said in a ghostly tone. “Without my Alchemy Torch, if we entered here, it would just be darkness. Even the sense of touch against the walls would be altered. One would think they’re surrounded by boundless darkness and couldn’t find their way out.”
“Alright, we’ve arrived.”
The City Lord of Snowbird Port finished speaking and stopped before an iron door.
He reached out and gently touched the surface of the door.
A moment later, a stream of flame light flashed across the ordinary-looking iron door. The light quickly spread over the entire surface of the door, outlining traces of an Alchemy Array just before it vanished.
The iron door opened, revealing the prisoner inside.
This prisoner was gorging on a feast, eating ravenously.
Upon seeing the arrival of the City Lord of Snowbird Port and the Dragon-man youth, the prisoner hastily stood up, then immediately knelt down, bowing in greeting: “City Lord!”
The Dragon-man youth looked carefully and recognized that this prisoner was none other than one of the six leaders of the Saber Gang, a Demon hybrid.
“What’s with him?” inquired the Dragon-man youth, though he already had an answer in his mind.
The City Lord of Snowbird Port proudly said, “After my rigorous interrogation, this guy couldn’t hold out and has already surrendered.”
“That Demon Eye was originally his,”
“He has confessed without coercion that it was he who secretly acted, controlling the Demon Eye.”
“While you, Lord Long Fu, were battling Xiong Ju, he attempted to use the Demon Eye to kill you!”
“However, his plan was quickly foiled by Xiong Ju himself.”
“And then the Gang Leader Teng Donglang arrived at his side afterward to erase the traces of his actions.”
The Dragon-man youth was momentarily speechless.
The methods of the City Lord of Snowbird Port were formidable, having subdued the Demon hybrid.
However, Li Shan, the fairy, upon further thought, understood the Demon hybrid’s motives.
“The Saber Gang used to be very powerful, but essentially, it’s just a local gang.”
“The loyalty of its members to the Saber Gang is largely maintained on the basis of interest.”
“Among the six leaders of the Saber Gang, Snow Elves are rare, and there is a great diversity of races. They each represent themselves, as well as the interests of their own ethnicity.”
“The City Lord of Snowbird Port dealt a Thunderous Strike to the Saber Gang, swiftly wiping them out. These people have no hope left, so surrender becomes a very good option.”
Having understood this, the Dragon-man youth smiled and complimented the City Lord of Snowbird Port, “City Lord, you truly are a master strategist; everything is within your control.”
“Now that we have such a witness, we should disclose it quickly so that the public understands the correctness of our eradication of the Saber Gang.”
The City Lord of Snowbird Port nodded, “Not only this responsibility, but the Saber Gang has also accumulated a litany of crimes over the years. In addition to the Demon leader’s confession, there’s also been a significant bounty on the other leaders.”
“We’ll talk about these gains later. Let’s deal with this fellow first.”
“He interfered with your heroic duel, and according to the customs of our Ice Carving Kingdom, he is a mutual enemy of you and Xiong Ju.”
“So, I want to deal with him and wanted to ask your opinion. After all, our cooperation has been very pleasant, and this relationship will become even closer in the future!”
Upon hearing this, the Demon leader quickly scrambled to the Dragon-man youth’s feet on his knees.
“Lord Long Fu, please spare me, spare me this worthless life!”
“I was wrong, I was blind not to recognize your greatness, daring to plot against you in secret!”
“But I didn’t succeed, ah, after Xiong Ju destroyed the Demon Eye, I suffered a backlash and was severely injured.”
“I dare not oppose you anymore!”
“Please, Lord Long Fu, I beg you to spare me.”
“I am willing to use money to buy back my life.”
The Demon leader pleaded loudly, tears streaming down his face.
The City Lord of Snowbird Port kept silent.
The Dragon-man youth, looking at the pleading Demon leader at his feet and then at the silent City Lord of Snowbird Port, suddenly understood the purpose of the lord’s invitation.
The Dragon-man youth, in turn, sought the opinion of the lord, “City Lord, what do you think?”
The lord then smiled, “In fact, sparing his dog’s life is to our advantage.”
“Although the Saber Gang has been wiped out, the troubles that follow are not trivial.”
“The Saber Gang was a criminal organization entrenched for many years. Although we have eradicated its core, it still has innumerable ties to the outside. In the hearts of many citizens, the prestige of the Saber Gang is still higher than that of the City Lord’s Mansion.”
“Just like, for instance, the kin of the Dwarf leader.”
“In Snowbird Port, there lives a group of Dwarves. Their leader had joined the Saber Gang, becoming one of the six major heads,”
“The Dwarf head, in participating in the Saber Gang’s operations, contributed his own strength and also rallied the Dwarves to forge weapons and armor for the Saber Gang. But the majority of the Dwarves didn’t join the Saber Gang.”
“Snowbird Port is one of the eight major ports of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, quite prosperous, and serves as an important window to the outside world for the Kingdom. Therefore, there’s a large influx of people, a complex population. Dwarves, the Human Race, goblins, and so on, all active in the streets and alleys, in every corner of Snowbird Port. They earn their living here, and many are undocumented.”
“It is difficult for the City Lord’s mansion of Snowbird Port to oversee these people.”
“The city lord’s mansion represents the Kingdom, represents the Snow Elves, not these foreign groups.”
“So, gangs like the Saber Gang would naturally arise. There is fertile ground for the existence of gangs here, with the survival concerns and logic of the lower classes.”
“Do you believe it? Even if the Saber Gang is annihilated, soon, a new gang will emerge here.”
“If we don’t intervene, these gangs will fight each other, collude with each other, and eventually form another kind of stable force. It might be the Chopper Gang or several gangs in a standoff.”
“In this process, there will be a lot of bloodshed and casualties. The public order of Snowbird Port will be greatly troubled, and the city lord mansion’s various taxes will also be severely impacted.”
“I certainly don’t want my last term in office as acting city lord marred by such ugly performance records.”
The words of the City Lord of Snowbird Port left a profound impact on the Dragon-man youth.
He had always believed that organizations like the Saber Gang shouldn’t exist; they commit crimes and are a cancer, causing disaster to those around them for their own interest.
But the City Lord of Snowbird Port offered a different interpretation—although the Saber Gang is a criminal organization, its very existence also maintains much of the order.
In managing Snowbird Port, it acts as a grassroots complement to the city lord’s mansion.
In some sense, the city lord’s mansion couldn’t do without the gangs. Gangs are like weeds, cut one down and in time another will sprout, impossible to eradicate.
The Dragon-man youth remained silent for a moment, then looked up at the City Lord of Snowbird Port.
He cautiously spoke, “I understand what you mean, City Lord.”
“To be honest, I’m not a Snow Elf, not a citizen of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom. My understanding and feeling about honorable duels are far from being as profound as those of your country’s people.”
“I am willing to let go of this grudge,” the Dragon-man youth paused, then added, “as long as the reward is reasonable.”
“Hahaha.” The City Lord of Snowbird Port slapped the Dragon-man youth’s shoulder, “I wasn’t mistaken, Lord Long Fu, you are a great partner!”
“With his submission, I can quickly stabilize the situation, win over the people, and control the emergence of new gangs.”
“I thank you on behalf of the vast populace of Snowbird Port!”
“As for the reward, I have already prepared it for you; I believe you will be satisfied. Please come this way!”
The City Lord of Snowbird Port was very pleased as he left the Demon head behind, closed the iron door, and led the Dragon-man youth away from the dungeon, back to the city lord’s mansion.
In his study, he took out a document and handed it to the Dragon-man youth.
“There are some nice things on here, I believe you’ll find them interesting.”
“If it hadn’t been for you slaying Teng Donglang, annihilating the Saber Gang wouldn’t have been so easy for me. Those other heads would have been much more stubborn and resistant.”
“These are all spoils of war.”
“You may choose any three items.”
The Dragon-man youth carefully looked through and his eyes soon lit up.
He discovered the complete breeding method for the Ice Eagle’s giants.
This was the complete cultivation method.
He also saw some Golden Level weapons and armor like the Golden Flower Steel Saw, and more.
He saw a multitude of Alchemy Diagrams, methods for crafting weapons and armor.
“So, the Ice Eagle has confessed…”
“So many diagrams and weapons and armor crafting methods imply that the Dwarf head has also submitted.”
“The City Lord of Snowbird Port must have a knack for interrogation, to have the Ice Eagle submit so swiftly was unexpected for me.”
The Dragon-man youth analyzed for a moment and once again looked at the City Lord of Snowbird Port with new respect.
However, he didn’t play by the rules of the City Lord of Snowbird Port.
Having experienced so much already, the Dragon-man youth was no longer what he once was. He stated outright that there were several things he was interested in, and if the terms were right, he would be willing to trade.
The City Lord of Snowbird Port didn’t refuse, and while the two discussed, Lan Zao slowly opened his eyes.
“What… what happened to me?”
His memory quickly returned, and at the same time, he realized he was no longer in the captain’s room but in the foretower of the ship.
The Big guy was right beside him, looking after him.
“You’re awake, take it easy, let me take care of you,” the Big guy said.
Lan Zao tried to stand up but almost failed.
He touched his forehead, burning up.
At the same time, his throat was in intense pain; even swallowing saliva was as painful as scraping with a blade.
“Where is the Captain?” Lan Zao inquired of the Big guy.
The Big guy, not knowing much, only said, “Dad left, in a hurry.”
Lan Zao’s expression instantly darkened: “It seems there was an accident!”
“How could a Magic Potion that enhances talents be so easily concocted?”
“Back in the days, the god of life carried out bloodline experiments, over a million people sacrificed their lives, and only a little over a hundred survived with enhanced bloodlines.”
“Even the gods did so; how could I be lucky enough to take the perfect Magic Potion and effortlessly enhance my talent?”
“Now with this bloodline conflict, I fear I’m going to die!”