Chapter 624: Section 411: Blood Vengeance Axe, Fire Axe Cavalry
Ice Sculpture Kingdom.
Bloodline City.
Zi Di had checked the account books and found it strange that the largest buyer of Dragon Power Riding Potions in the city was actually a gang.
The store manager explained to her, “Mage, you might not be aware, but the Axe Gang is the largest gang in Bloodline City, owning a large number of long-fleeced horses. These horses are very cold-resistant, and although they do not have long charge distances, they have good endurance and can gallop freely in cold snowy weather.”
“Some of the better long-fleeced horses even possess magic-like abilities that keep the riders warm.”
“The Axe Gang has formed a cavalry team with these horses, called the Fire Axe Cavalry.”
Zong Ge, who had accompanied Zi Di, was initially indifferent, but the store manager’s words greatly piqued his interest, and he turned his attention to the conversation.
Seeing that the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps squad leader was also paying attention, the store manager elaborated, “The Fire Axe Cavalry uses long-handled battle axes as their weapons and practices the Blood Rage Fighting Energy Decree. Only a minority are Snow Elves; most are from the Human Race and Dwarves.”
“When the Fire Axe Cavalry fights at full strength, their Blood Rage Fighting Energy bursts forth, often igniting themselves. The long-fleeced horses they ride are also set ablaze. In such cases, both the riders and their mounts are bathed in blood-red flames, and their attack power increases many times over!”
Zong Ge was enthralled, for this was a type of squad he had not encountered before.
In his mind, he imagined many scenarios, considering how best to deploy such a squad in order to perform optimally on the battlefield.
Zi Di, however, was concerned about something else and asked the store manager, “What is a local gang doing with a cavalry team?”
The store manager hurriedly replied, “The Axe Gang’s biggest business is guarding caravans. They escort goods for caravans inside and outside Bloodline City. The Fire Axe Cavalry is their biggest selling point.”
“Of course,” the store manager added in a lower voice, “if a guild refuses to cooperate with them, the Axe Gang members will turn into robbers and loot them. Very few caravans can defeat the Fire Axe Cavalry, so by now, almost all the guilds in Bloodline City have chosen to cooperate with the Axe Gang.”
“And large guilds like the Clam Shell Guild, even if they have their own strong guards, still maintain a relationship with the Axe Gang.”
Zi Di furrowed her brow slightly, her expression solemn, as she asked, “The Axe Gang is just a local gang yet they manage to control the trade routes outside Bloodline City and collect protection money from various large and small caravans. Does the Bloodline City Lord not care about this?”
“The Gang Leader of the Axe Gang is at the Golden Level, but the Bloodline City Lord is also at the Golden Level and he is also a Mage.”
Before leaving, Zi Di had already purchased much information about the towns along their route from the Thief Guild.
The store manager continued in a hushed tone, “Our Bloodline City Lord is indeed a Golden Level Mage, but he has not shown himself for a long time. According to rumors, he has been practicing in the Royal Capital, preparing to compete for the championship in the upcoming Warm Snow Cup. His disciple, who is only a Silver Level Mage, has been acting in his place to take care of the municipal affairs of Bloodline City.”
“Moreover, the Gang Leader of the Axe Gang is not just a Golden Level fighter; he also possesses a Golden Level weapon—the Blood Vengeance Axe.”
“The Blood Vengeance Axe is not an ordinary Golden Level weapon. It significantly surpasses the standard Golden Level weapons and has been a symbol of power for the Bloodline City Lords for a long time.”
“However, more than 40 years ago, there was a rebellion in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom.”
“At that time, Bloodline City was known as Snowbird Port. The City Lord of Snowbird Port, a member of the Royal Family, disgracefully surrendered to the rebel forces out of fear.”
“The King successfully quelled the rebellion and reclaimed Snowbird Port. Initially, he wanted to dispose of the City Lord of Snowbird Port, but the King’s mother pleaded for mercy on behalf of the City Lord. After all, he was also of the Royal Bloodline.”
“The King thus retained the position for the City Lord of Snowbird Port, only changing the name of the city to Bloodline City.”
“After learning the new name of the city, the City Lord of Snowbird Port was overwhelmed with shame and committed suicide that very night.”
“From that day forward, the Blood Vengeance Axe fell into external hands, changing many owners, until it finally reached a Snow Elf warrior. With this axe, he carved out a domain in the city and established the Axe Gang.”
“The position of Gang Leader of the Axe Gang has been inherited to this generation, and the gang’s influence has grown even larger.”
“Our acting City Lord has tried several times to retrieve the Blood Vengeance Battle Axe from the Axe Gang. All attempts were thwarted by the current Gang Leader of the Axe Gang, and the acting City Lord has suffered greatly.”
“Alas, she is still too young.”
“After several confrontations, the Axe Gang has always had the upper hand. The City Lord’s side has become increasingly weaker. All other parties see this and feel powerless to oppose the Axe Gang.”
“So now, although the acting City Lord faction occupies authority in name and controls the City Guard, the real prime force still remains the Axe Gang.”
The store manager revealed a smug, joyful expression as he spoke, “Honestly, the Dragon Power Riding Potion is really great.”
“Thanks to this potion, our pharmacy has established a relationship with the Axe Gang.”
“There were some peers who tried to crowd us out before, but since the Axe Gang started purchasing large quantities of the Dragon Power Riding Potion, such crowding and ostracism have greatly diminished.”
Zong Ge and Zi Di looked at each other in silence after hearing what the store manager said.
They had not expected the actual situation in Blood Vengeance City to be like this.
In Snowbird Port, the City Lord of Snowbird Port is undoubtedly the strongest faction, but here, the local gangs seemed to be riding roughshod over the acting City Lord of Blood Vengeance City.
Although the acting City Lord holds the title, it was already clear that he had no means to contend with the Axe Gang. When dealing with local factions, one must first consider the power of the leaders themselves.
After thinking for a moment, Zi Di made a decision immediately, “Prepare gifts, it seems we need to pay a proper visit to the Gang Leader of the Axe Gang.”
“Is that necessary?” Zong Ge frowned at her words.
Coming from a military background, he had little fondness for pirates and local gangs.
Zi Di nodded slightly, “At our alchemy workshop in Snowbird Port, we mainly produce one thing, which is the Dragon Power Riding Potion.”
“Our output will continue to grow.”
“If the Axe Gang is against us, it will be very difficult to ship out of Blood Vengeance City.”
“Blood Vengeance City is also one of the closest cities to Snowbird Port, and if we want nationwide distribution, this place is a transport hub. The Axe Gang also controls the nearby trade routes, which is significant.”
“Alright then,” Zong Ge nodded, “I will join you.”
Despite having significant disagreements and arguments with Zi Di, when issues arose, he was willing to set aside their differences and collaborate with her to resolve the problems.
The Axe Gang is the most powerful force in Blood Vengeance City. After acquiring the Fire Axe Cavalry, they were even able to control the trade routes around the city.
The acting City Lord has been unable to manage them. Even with the City Guard, they have not been deployed.
Zi Di immediately guessed that the Axe Gang might have already corrupted many officers. It’s probable that the moment the acting City Lord orders the eradication of the Axe Gang, some of the City Guard would turn traitor.
Zi Di had no motivation to restore order for the acting City Lord. Besides entering the Ice Sculpture Royal Capital, her purpose here was to smoothly inspect and execute her business plan.
While the sales of Dragon Power Riding Potion were booming, it still did not satisfy Zi Di. This was because there was still a huge space to be filled in the mount potion market of Blood Vengeance City.
The potion production of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps had already increased significantly, and going forward, there would be even more Dragon Power Riding Potions sold in this city.
Only by almost completely occupying the mount potion market here could she feel relatively safe.
Even if similar potions appeared in the future, they would have a hard time becoming popular in Blood Vengeance City because the market space had mostly been taken up by the Dragon Power Riding Potion.
Although there is a direct Teleportation Array between Blood Vengeance City and Snowbird Port, due to the cost, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps could never use teleportation to transport goods.
Typically, this mode of transportation is only used for significant military movements.
Transporting goods via the Teleportation Array would be too expensive. Even Zong Ge knew that it would be severely unprofitable to do so.
The most cost-effective means of transport is by merchant convoys.
If the Axe Gang caused trouble, it would undoubtedly bring huge problems for Zi Di. Zi Di needed to use the Dragon Power Riding Potion to seize the market, and time was extremely critical.
Once there is a delay, achieving the same market impact later would require more than double or triple the effort. It would even be possible that they could never achieve the same effect.
ps: I’ve seen everyone’s advice, and commonly, it has been about the volume of updates. However, in reality, group dramas are much more difficult to design in terms of plot and outline than typical online literature. I have just…