Chapter 795: Section 583: The Ice Sculpture King
Ice Sculpture Royal Capital.
Somewhere within an alchemy laboratory.
The lid of a coffin-like treatment tank opened, and immediately a great puff of mist leaked out.
Rising slowly from the pale green mist, Hua Tang sat up slowly before getting out of the treatment tank.
“Cough, cough,” he coughed twice, and immediately there was a faint metallic sweetness of blood in his mouth.
“Your injuries will need to be treated two more times before they can fully heal,” Mei Lin’s voice came from an alchemy broadcasting device in the corner.
Hua Tang furrowed his brows, “Long Fu is clearly only Silver Level, but its attack power was entirely that of a Golden Level.”
“This is inconsistent with the intelligence.”
Hua Tang had seen the duel footage of the Dragon-man youth and Teng Donglang.
Mei Lin seemed unconcerned, “He also killed the leader of the Axe Gang, Jia Bing, and Lin. Personally, I lean towards the belief that his fight with Teng Donglang, since it was under the watchful eyes of many, was a carefully staged performance.”
“Do you really think he is only Silver Level?”
Hua Tang nodded slightly, “Perhaps you’re right.”
“He has quite clever methods of disguise on him, his true strength is more than this.”
“Maybe, before long, he will publicly announce his ‘promotion’ to Golden Level.”
At this point, Hua Tang let out a deep sigh, “I was rash this time.”
“I should have listened to your suggestion to rest and recuperate, to adjust my condition before launching a surprise attack.”
“It’s already too late, the mistake has been made, and the commotion I’ve caused will definitely lead to a major investigation by the Kingdom’s officials.”
Mei Lin then offered words of consolation, “Hua Tang, you needn’t be so hard on yourself.”
“Actually, your opportunities were not plentiful.”
“Had you rested, could you have brought your combat power to bear in full? You simply didn’t have enough time for the surprise attack.”
“And I could not possibly mobilize the military’s forces to help you break through the defenses of the Lijian family and track down the exact movements of Long Fu.”
“So, had you waited longer, you wouldn’t have had the chance to act at the right moment either.”
“In fact, as you also know, the National Ceremony is about to be held. The defenses of the Royal Capital will become stricter and stricter, and your identity greatly restricts you.”
“That is why I agreed to your reconnaissance.”
Hua Tang raised an eyebrow, “Oh? Isn’t it because I was too indignant to be forcefully directed by you at that time, and you knew you couldn’t command me?”
Mei Lin chuckled, “Of course, I admit, that was part of the reason.”
She continued, “I am very satisfied with the results of this operation.”
“You’ve uncovered a lot of important intelligence.”
“For example, Long Fu secretly worships the God of War of the Empire, not the God of Justice he pretends to on the surface.”
“This belief adds to his suspicion, and I am more doubtful that it’s not some arms dealer behind the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps but the Empire itself.”
Hua Tang’s expression tightened, “You mean, they might be the Empire’s spies?”
Mei Lin said, “When I saw they landed from Snowbird Port, I started to suspect.”
“The political faction of the City Lord of Snowbird Port in the Kingdom is clearly Pro-Emperor.”
“Now, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps is also collaborating with the Lijian family to a degree that is far from normal.”
Hua Tang thought for a moment and nodded slightly in agreement, “Indeed, there is a very strong suspicion in this regard.”
“Once my injuries have healed, I will take action again!”
Mei Lin, however, said, “Hua Tang, among all duelists, you are unique.”
“Don’t go on any more reconnaissance.”
“Looking at the injuries you’ve sustained this time, Long Fu has the ability to kill you.”
“With the National Ceremony approaching, the defense and control of the Royal Capital will peak, and it’s not suitable for you to continue high-profile actions.”
“The results of this battle are already quite fruitful.”
“Long Fu has been hit by your Combat Skill Floral Willow, and it’s not so easy to heal.”
Hua Tang said unwillingly, “Are you telling me to back off now?”
“Then why did I bother rushing back here?”
“Although the Floral Willow Combat Skill is unique and difficult to counter, killing Long Fu is the surest solution, is it not?”
Mei Lin sighed deeply, “We cannot resolve issues too directly.”
“According to the current intelligence, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps is very likely the representative force of the Empire’s spies abroad!”
“If Long Fu is killed, and the mercenary group is eradicated, we might provoke a powerful retaliation from the Empire’s spies.”
“And relying on the strong power of the Empire’s spies, sending another such mercenary group would also be quite easy.”
Hua Tang fell silent.
Their speculations had made a significant error.
But it was not surprising.
For up to this point, the strength and methods displayed by the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps had clearly surpassed those of typical arms smuggling felons.
Within Mei Lin’s purview, who among the covert forces had such capability?
In the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, apart from the duelists, there were only the Empire’s spies.
Zi Di would never have guessed that when she was tense, her opponent—the strategic planner of the mysterious power in her eyes—Mei Lin was also equally tense, if not apprehensive.
Mei Lin said, “To deal with the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, we have to use finesse.”
“We could leverage the Alchemy Guild, or influence the Jingxiang family through Mifang, to mount a full-scale obstruction of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ magic potion business.”
“I also plan to deploy a large number of Silver Levels to challenge Long Fu.”
Golden Level duelists, for the most part, didn’t want to take the risk of dueling with Long Fu. Mei Lin couldn’t give them orders easily either.
Besides, Mei Lin didn’t want to take too much risk herself; these Golden Level forces were precious.
And her side had already suffered many casualties.
The injuries at Hua Tang were a wake-up call for Mei Lin. If a strong fighter like those at Hua Tang could be seriously wounded, what would be the consequences for other Golden Levels?
Golden Levels couldn’t be used, but Silver Levels could. Even if they were to suffer casualties, it wouldn’t be a big issue. Such a loss would be bearable.
After some contemplation, Hua Tang approved of Mei Lin’s subsequent plan, “This plan is good, the National Ceremony is approaching.”
“The grand dueling competition will sweep up all ambitious individuals throughout the country.”
“Long Fu has been the most prominent figure in the kingdom recently.”
“Facing challenges from Silver Levels, he couldn’t possibly back down. If he were to refuse the challenge, his reputation would plummet, losing the advantageous position he currently holds.”
“The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ magic potion sales are booming largely because the buyers acknowledge Long Fu’s strength.”
“If he were to avoid combat, the sales of the magic potions would definitely plummet.”
“But if he were to accept the challenge, then he would no longer have time to find a way to solve the Combat Skill problem presented by Floral Willow.”
“By keeping him preoccupied with battles, we can weaken him step by step, until the Floral Willow blooms—that will be his end!”
Mei Lin smiled, “There’s no need to wait until that time.”
“Once he is weakened to a certain extent, other Golden Levels can enter the fray and openly challenge him.”
“Perhaps, we won’t even need to act ourselves.”
“In such a grand national dueling event, when hasn’t it attracted foreign Golden Level participants?”
The Ice Sculpture Castle was the Royal Family’s residence as well as the political center of the entire Ice Sculpture Kingdom.
It stood erect above the Ten-thousand-year-old Ice Lake, right in the heart of the Ice Sculpture Royal Capital.
The white ice bricks made up the soaring walls and myriad towers, also reflecting the architectural aesthetic standards of the Elf Clan.
In the study room.
The Snow Elf King slowly placed the intelligence report on the desk before him.
As the master of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, he possessed the exquisite beauty of a pure-blood Snow Elf as well as the firmness of a sovereign.
His snow-white eyebrows were delicate, yet straight as swords.
Beneath those brows, his eyes emanated a stern light.
The stern light was cast across the desk, where a Snow Elf Elder stood, dressed in a white robe, his temples frosted with age.
“Teacher, shall we continue to keep the Purple Vine Shop?” the Snow Elf King asked.
After the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce had been divided among the major forces of the Holy Bright Empire, most of their assets in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom had been taken over by local powers.
The only remaining Purple Vine Shop was in the Royal Capital.
The Royal Family had backed off.
Because they had detected the empire’s spy activities.
In response to the King’s question, the Snow Elf Elder slowly said, “An enemy in the open is always easier to deal with than one lurking in the shadows, Your Majesty.”
The Snow Elf Elder was the Royal Mage of the Royal Family.
Like the King, they were both at the Holy Domain Level of Transcendents.
“Do you have any guess as to who the empire’s spy was targeting in the shop, Teacher?” the King continued to ask.
The Elder shook his head slightly, “With the National Ceremony imminent, it’s not unusual for rats to sneak in.”
The King, growing impatient, raised his voice slightly, “Teacher, you understand what I mean.”
The Royal Mage sighed lightly, “Your Majesty, are you implying that, since they are enemies of the empire’s spy, they could possibly be useful to us?”
“But I believe that with the National Ceremony upon us, it’s not necessary to be distracted by minor details and lose sight of the main narrative.”
The King shook his head, “I want both the details and the main narrative!”
“The intelligence shows that it wasn’t just a fight in the Purple Vine Shop; thereafter, the empire’s spies activated a teleportation spell and continued their confrontation in the alchemy laboratory by the Ice Lake.”
“Whoever compelled the empire’s spies to such lengths must be quite exceptional.”
“Subsequent investigations revealed that the alchemy laboratory was breached by a mini-submarine, followed by a pursuit.”
“The empire’s spies did not catch up with the mini-submarine, likely because they were worried about causing too much commotion and decided to withdraw voluntarily.”
“Being able to escape after being ambushed by empire’s spies, and to even receive assistance afterwards—I’m very interested in this power.”
The Royal Mage nodded, “This force capable of contending with the empire’s spies is indeed impressive.”
“Your Majesty, do you think they could be a country that is hostile towards the Holy Bright Empire?”
“However, forming an alliance is not so easy.”
“Your younger brother, the thirteenth prince, is due to return.”
The Snow Elf King’s expression darkened slightly, “With the National Ceremony imminent, he ought to appear.”
He brought the conversation back, “I hope we can make contact with this force as soon as possible.”
“I have a premonition, and I believe this force is quite extraordinary.”