Chapter 830: Chapter 618: Spit It All Out
Subsequently, Zi Di explained the situation to Fat Tongue.
Fat Tongue: “Oh, I see.”
He felt a great sense of satisfaction: “This kind of betrayal by Jiu Jin is truly infuriating. Our guild sponsored him and helped him become an elder in the Alchemy Guild. But in the end, he’s the first to stab us in the back, swallowing most of our assets.”
Zi Di smiled, her eyes revealing a cold glint: “It’s understandable. After all, there is no emotional foundation between him and the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce, only collaboration and exploitation.”
Fat Tongue sighed: “The guild’s arrangements on Ice Sculpture Island were too hasty. They even distributed Level 0 permissions to attract partners.”
“This is not the style of the old Chairman. He was forced to do it; the situation back then was becoming more urgent, compelling him to expedite the layout.”
“I didn’t expect that he would place the Purple Vine Secret Stash within the Ten-thousand-year-old Ice Lake.”
“This arrangement is truly brilliant, but unfortunately, the current King of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom plans far ahead. Since taking office, he has been setting up deployments. Now, he has constructed a Magic Array capable of probing the lake’s bottom, forcing us to quickly open the Purple Vine Secret Stash.”
“And Yuan Ci, who would have thought this old guy didn’t die, but has been hiding here all along.”
“Humph, he actually wants to open the stash privately…”
Fat Tongue was very disgusted by Yuan Ci’s disloyalty.
“Chairman, what should I do next?”
“Together with me and you, we can be considered as having four Level 0 secret orders. Additionally, Jiu Jin was forced to sign a contract with us, considered half one of our own.”
“In this way, we already have 5 Level 0 secret orders in our hands, qualifying us to open the Purple Vine Secret Stash.”
Zi Di nodded slightly: “Still, it depends on how the subsequent situation develops.”
“After all, only Yuan Ci knows the location of the Purple Vine Secret Stash.”
“This time, luck is with us; Jiu Jin came to us voluntarily. Through today’s negotiation, we have established many advantages. We have great potential concerning the Purple Vine Secret Stash.”
Fat Tongue again showed a worried expression: “Though Elder Jiu Jin is secretly controlled by us, he is not the only elder in the Alchemy Guild.”
“In fact, his authority in the guild is not strong.”
“Chairman, Ice Sculpture Kingdom’s alchemy technique stands unique on the Main Plane; the strength of this country’s Alchemy Guild is extremely strong, we must not take it lightly.”
Zi Di looked at Fat Tongue, understanding the implication behind Fat Tongue’s words: “Are you worried about the gambling agreement I brought out?”
“Exactly.” Fat Tongue nodded, earnestly advising, “Chairman, why must you gamble? We have already subdued Jiu Jin and can force him to sign a more secure and safe contract.”
Zi Di chuckled lightly, explaining: “I actually considered doing so, but upon careful reflection, the gambling form of the agreement is more suitable.”
“On one hand, the result of our negotiation with Jiu Jin is not the final result. Jiu Jin must still apply to the Alchemy Guild.”
“On the other hand, we need to cherish this victory. If the contract’s content is more inclined towards us, leading to the Alchemy Guild removing Jiu Jin from his position, it would be more damaging to us.”
“Lastly, only with a gambling-style agreement can we obtain greater benefits from the Alchemy Guild. Benefits generally correspond to risks, don’t they?”
These words greatly diminished Fat Tongue’s worry, but did not completely dispel it: “Even if it’s a gambling agreement, the Alchemy Guild may not agree.”
“No, I have great confidence that they will agree,” Zi Di showed a confident smile, “Don’t forget, this isn’t the Holy Bright Empire, but the Ice Sculpture Kingdom.”
Fat Tongue was momentarily stunned, then suddenly realized: “I understand, it’s the duel atmosphere here!”
Ice Sculpture Kingdom’s territory is surrounded by islands, with its ancestors originating from the Frost Continent. History and geography have created a unique national condition here.
The citizens of Ice Sculpture Kingdom are passionate about watching and participating in duels.
The alchemy mages here also harbor this inclination deep down. It’s an ingrained cultural gene that cannot be changed.
In essence, gambling is another form of duel.
The mages of the Alchemy Guild hold themselves in high regard; if they refuse, they would subconsciously feel humiliated.
The likelihood of their acceptance is enormous!
“The Alchemy Guild wants to recruit us, revealing their contempt for us.”
“They would never expect us to hold the inheritance of the War Merchant. Our winning chances in this gamble have exceeded 90%.”
“This is a great opportunity for us to tackle the formidable opponent that is the Alchemy Guild.”
As Zi Di spoke, her gaze became sharp: “One day, I’ll make these people return everything they took from us!”
“Chairman…” For a moment, Fat Tongue once again saw the shadow of the old Chairman in Zi Di.
God of Duels.
Anqiu.
The Ice Eagle, the Human Race leader, and the remnants of the Saber Gang, including Lan Zao, were watching the battle.
On one side of the fight was a Bear-man, and the other was a human alchemy transformer.
The Bear-man was massive, with a cross-shaped sword scar on his face, it was Xiong Ju.
And the human alchemy transformer was Spring Boxer.
Both were Silver Level fighters, and the battle had reached its most intense moment.
Xiong Ju wielded a Silver Level Two-Handed Greatsword, utilizing his combat skills adeptly, and his fighting technique was seasoned.
Spring Boxer was not unarmed as usual but held a Silver Level long whip.
Combat Skill — Fast Whip.
Combat Skill — Extra Whip.
Combat Skill—Returning Whip.
…
The Spring Boxer frequently used whip-type combat skills, creating a flurry of whip shadows in the sky, his offensive dazzling.
“Just like Teng Donglang, the gang leader,” the Human Race leader sighed.
The Spring Boxer had absorbed many memories from Teng Donglang, mastering these combat skills deeply from nothing.
Although he focused on recuperating in Anqiu, his combat strength had increased significantly.
This is the allure of Anqiu’s heritage.
“No wonder Ice Eagle and Spring Boxer went through so many ways to have the duelist’s body buried in Anqiu,” the Human Race leader’s eyes sparkled.
He was a spy, with the important duty of gathering intelligence on Anqiu.
Having lived in Anqiu for many days, he had now achieved great success, collecting valuable firsthand intelligence.
But he couldn’t get out.
Hence, he had no way of sending this intelligence out.
Lan Zao shared the same status, being a spy as well, but Lan Zao was more dedicated to aiding the Dragon-man youth.
He spied on Anqiu’s intelligence to help the Dragon-man youth, seeking a method to resurrect Zi Di and Cang Xu.
Reality changed faster than planned.
Lan Zao didn’t yet know that the Dragon-man youth had already mastered the Resurrection Technique.
He was keenly observing the battle, “The Spring Boxer is very strong. Previously, Xiong Ju would certainly not be his match.”
“But now, Xiong Ju has also lived in Anqiu for many days, and his strength has improved very quickly!”
Xiong Ju was a fanatic of the God of Duels!
He strictly adhered to the rules and philosophy of dueling. Even when dueling with the Dragon-man youth, he refused to let the demon human race hybrid leader intervene.
During the Spring Boxer’s recuperation, Xiong Ju’s strength was also evolving day by day.
He trained here, frequently receiving Divine Revelation, acquiring a variety of combat experiences from predecessors.
Previously, Lan Zao could still spar with Xiong Ju, acting as his training partner. But as time passed, the gap between Lan Zao and Xiong Ju gradually widened, and Lan Zao lost the qualification to be a sparring partner.
“Becoming a fanatic of the God of Duels yields such rich rewards.”
“But it’s unfortunate, no matter how hard I try, I can’t fully commit my faith to the God of Duels.”
Lan Zao felt very regretful.
Faith is not something that deepens just because one desires it; it doesn’t accompany subjective wishes to deepen.
On one hand, inducement has limits. Relying solely on inducement to raise faith has significant drawbacks.
On the other hand, Lan Zao was a foreigner, unlike Xiong Ju, who was a native and had been immersed in the dueling atmosphere since childhood. Lan Zao came here with scheming intentions. Naturally, he was wary of the Saber Gang remnants and this Divine Country.
As a result, the barrier in his heart prevented him from effectively enhancing his faith in the God of Duels.
In a word, it’s difficult for people to truly deceive themselves!
Suddenly, Xiong Ju growled lowly, executed a combat skill, closing the distance with the Spring Boxer.
Xiong Ju wielded his two-handed greatsword, launching fierce attacks.
The Spring Boxer kept retreating, eventually having to abandon the long whip and use his familiar fists for close combat with Xiong Ju.
Though he had acquired many memories and combat experiences from Teng Donglang, they did not suit him well. He had never used a long whip before; his fighting style was close combat, differing from Teng Donglang’s medium-range strategies.
The Spring Boxer had gained a lot, but it didn’t significantly enhance his combat power.
On the contrary, this wasn’t the case for Xiong Ju.
His deep faith frequently brought him Divine Revelations during training, passing down many combat experiences of predecessors.
And these inheritances were precise, tailored to Xiong Ju’s own combat habits, style, and methods.
Just like Lan Zao practicing Air Bomb, he also gained others’ experiences with this skill.
Spring Boxer was akin to starting anew, while Xiong Ju was reinforcing himself.
Thus, after engaging in close combat, the Spring Boxer immediately showed signs of fatigue, falling into a disadvantage.
“That’s enough,” Ice Eagle timely stopped, “Little Spring’s condition is poor, he needs more rest. This bout is just practice and sparring; if it continues, it would be excessive.”
Previously, the Spring Boxer would have fought to the end, even if he lost it wouldn’t matter.
But now, after absorbing Teng Donglang’s memories, the Spring Boxer considered his position. He was set to become the gang leader of the Saber Gang, and losing to Xiong Ju would severely damage his prestige, potentially shaking the cohesion of the entire Saber Gang.
Thus, the Spring Boxer wisely withdrew.
“Stopped already?” Xiong Ju was eager for more, still wanting to fight.
Just then, a few loud booms suddenly echoed from the mountain.
The Saber Gang remnants looked towards the sound, seeing figures flipping over Anqiu, engaged in fierce combat.
“What’s happening?”
“Seems like an enemy attack?!”