Chapter 842: Chapter 630: The Earth Element Army
Magnetic Islands.
Tu Ji concealed his form, gazing from afar at the cave on the mountain top.
Beside him was the empire’s spy, the leader in charge of this area of the Magnetic Islands.
"Lord Tu Ji, the Red Jewel you’re looking for must be in that cave." The empire’s spy spoke with certainty in both expression and tone.
This time, for the sake of his own life, he truly spared no effort, investigating the information at all costs, even to the point of reaching into his own pockets, providing substantial subsidies to his subordinates to boost their motivation.
Such an outburst did indeed yield results.
In the end, the empire’s spy’s ability in training personnel and recruiting talent is excellent.
The empire’s spy quickly discovered the whereabouts of the Red Jewel.
Tu Ji squinted his eyes, observing the cave.
Out of caution, he did not use reconnaissance-type combat skills. With his extensive experience in pursuit, he knew many defensive techniques, especially those that quickly warned against these reconnaissance skills.
Tu Ji also did not charge ahead directly because he had obtained new intelligence.
According to this intelligence, he learned that the Red Jewel was not acting alone but with two others, using the cave as their temporary base of operations.
"Da Dou, a Golden Level magic chef, hailing from Fire Island."
"Sleeping Man, a giant from the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps. Sleeping Man is just a nickname; his real name is unknown."
Tu Ji remembered the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps well.
Because he had recently completed an investigation on Twin Eyes Island, where the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps had performed remarkably in the chaotic battle.
"Da Dou engaged in a food consumption duel at Snowbird Port with Ci Haishen and was defeated."
"He seems to have been impressed with Sleeping Man’s talent and revealed himself immediately after the duel to take Sleeping Man away."
"Shuanglian from the Ice Sculpture Kingdom’s Alchemy Guild once drove the Honey Snow Tower to pursue Sleeping Man. Not only did she fail, but she also disappeared."
Tu Ji did not fear the big guy; it was Da Dou that was his main concern.
Under normal circumstances, although Da Dou was at the Golden Level, he was merely a magic chef, his combat strength inferior to that of a combatant like Tu Ji.
However, Da Dou’s latest achievement made it unclear to Tu Ji just how strong his combat abilities were.
According to the intelligence, it seemed Da Dou was responsible for Shuanglian’s disappearance.
How did he manage to do that?
Getting rid of a Golden-level mage who used a Mage Tower in battle!
It was somewhat incomprehensible.
"Da Dou, being from Fire Island, should probably be overestimated."
"Additionally, I must capture the Red Jewel alive and subject her to harsh interrogation to obtain the next step of intelligence and clues."
Capturing alive and killing are two different concepts.
The difficulty of capturing alive is undoubtedly higher.
Cang Xu and Zi Di had used the Deception and Disguise Skill and Anti-Intelligence Prophecy Skill, leaving almost no clues.
Tu Ji only had this one clue of the Red Jewel.
What he didn’t know was that the Red Jewel knew nothing. She was just unlucky, wanting to fight to establish a closer relationship with the people of the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce to facilitate her future sales and purchases.
Even if Tu Ji succeeded in capturing the Red Jewel alive, it would yield nothing, destined to be fruitless.
But he wasn’t aware of that.
In fact, he had no choice. The Red Jewel was his only clue.
Tu Ji quietly took out an eyeball from his chest.
The empire’s spy beside him quickly identified it and couldn’t help but stare: "A Golden-level True Eye for spying?"
"It’s a consumable, lasting only 5 minutes once used."
"Spending it here, is it worth it?"
Generally speaking, such True Eyes are used for observing fortifications, one of the strategic resources for an army’s siege operations.
And the cave before them was obviously just a temporary dwelling; even if it had defensive capabilities, they wouldn’t be very high.
Yet Tu Ji used it without hesitation.
What could be said?
The provisions from the Blood Light Sanction Court were truly extravagant.
Tu Ji activated the True Eye for spying.
The True Eye floated about 2 meters above the ground, aimed at the cave, and continuously observed.
Throughout the entire process, it emitted no aura, sound, or odor. If not observed directly, it was impossible to detect.
Tu Ji shared the vision with the True Eye and soon discovered many flame runes arranged inside the cave.
Then, he saw the big guy and Da Dou.
"No sign of the Red Jewel," Tu Ji’s face darkened, turning to the empire’s spy.
The empire’s spy, however, was unflustered, pointing to the mountain’s base in the distance: "Lord Tu Ji, isn’t that the Red Jewel right there?"
The downside of the True Eye is its narrow field of view. After using it, Tu Ji was also affected.
Tu Ji shifted his gaze in the direction the spy pointed and indeed saw the Red Jewel.
She was carrying a large bag of materials, running towards the mountainside.
"Yes, that’s her!" A sharp light flashed in Tu Ji’s eyes.
The empire’s spy quickly said, "Then, my lord, may I leave now?"
He did not wish to get involved in the upcoming Golden Level battle.
As for intelligence, it would naturally be collected by his subordinates.
At this time, Tu Ji trembled slightly, and then his face was full of strangeness.
"This can wait," he said.
"No, I’m really in a hurry," the empire’s spy almost blurted out.
"I remember you mentioned earlier that on this Magnetic Island, the Earth Element tribes fight amongst themselves?" Tu Ji suddenly asked another question.
The Empire’s spy, though puzzled, nodded: "Yes."
Then, with a slight smugness, he said: "In fact, we played a key role in such a situation."
"To prevent a unified regime from emerging on Magnetic Island, whenever a powerful figure arose within an Earth Element tribe, we would conspire until they were dead or crippled."
"Besides that, we’ve also been sowing discord to create conflicts and deep-seated blood feuds between these tribes."
"You could say, for the ongoing warfare on Magnetic Island, we claim the primary credit."
As for why not just unify Magnetic Island once and for all?
On one hand, the Empire’s spy is an intelligence agency, not a military organization, so they lack the power and authority to do so.
On the other hand, doing so would cause serious diplomatic issues. This isn’t the territory of the Holy Bright Empire, but near the Ice Sculpture Kingdom’s sphere of influence.
As for secretly controlling and supporting an Earth Element tribe to achieve unification?
Also not feasible.
If they push too hard, it would leave obvious traces, hindering their ability to remain hidden.
The Empire’s spies stationed here have another important task, which is to transport supplies to Wind Revival Island.
If Magnetic Island were unified, the bustling scene at the docks would vanish.
Every day, a multitude of outsiders come here to adventure and seek treasure.
In such a crowded and chaotic environment, transporting military provisions and equipment becomes much easier to manage.
For these reasons, the current handling approach by the Empire’s spy is the best.
They maintain the situation at minimal cost while continuously fulfilling their duties.
Seeing the faint smugness on the Empire spy’s face, Tu Ji slowly said: "If that’s the case, what about the Earth Element army I just scouted?"
The Empire’s spy was stunned, feeling like he misheard: "What?"
Tu Ji continued: "Over a dozen Golden Levels, thousands of Earth Elements, more than eight hundred Magnetic Soil Elements."
"I even saw two Earth Element battalions, each numbering in the hundreds."
"Right beneath our feet."
The Empire’s spy: "Ah? Sir, are you... joking?"
"They’ve already established a Divine Text Array; it just hasn’t been activated yet." Tu Ji frowned slightly, telling the Empire’s spy about the newly discovered situation.
The Empire’s spy waved dismissively with a confident smile: "That’s impossible!"
Tu Ji looked at the Empire’s spy with a skeptical gaze, expressionless.
"Is this the quality of the Empire’s spy?"
Inside the cave.
The big guy, mouth open, said to Da Dou: "Hungry, eat."
"That food."
"Golden."
"Many people, delicious food!"
Even though the big guy spoke unclearly, Da Dou still understood.
Da Dou confirmed: "Master, do you want to eat Yangzhou Fried Rice? The kind you had at the Snowbird Duel Arena?"
The big guy nodded repeatedly, even drooling unceremoniously.
"Alright, I’ll make it for you." Da Dou smiled.
He took out a large Black Iron pot and poured a large amount of rice into it.
He took coconut oil, cracked eggs, and mixed them into the iron pot.
The egg mixture quickly solidified and was then crushed by an iron spoon into yellow, white, green chunks or granules.
The rice was soon stir-fried to a golden yellow hue.
Da Dou tossed the iron pot. Each time, the tricolored rice rose high and then fell, beautifully like a golden sand waterfall.
A strong aroma soon filled the cave.
The big guy inhaled deeply, eyes fixed unshaken on the fried rice in the pot.
Seeing the big guy’s entranced expression, Da Dou’s smile deepened: "Seems like you’re really eager to eat my fried rice. Hehe, you’ve got good taste!"
"This special recipe was invented by my master."
"Master..."
Thinking of his mentor, Da Dou’s mood became melancholic.
His eyes hazed over, memories of the past flooded his mind.
His master, in his final moments, lay on the sickbed, telling Da Dou: "Let me see it once more, cook one more dish."
Da Dou successfully made Yangzhou Fried Rice before his master.
His master was very gratified: "Da Dou, you truly are my chosen disciple. Hahaha, I didn’t expect you could succeed after just half a month of practice."
"In my twilight years, I pioneered a new path for the Magic Chef, but I’m too weak to continue it."
"Master!" Da Dou knelt by the bed, vowing, "I will definitely follow this path and carry it forward!"
His master smiled: "You know who inspired me. Go to the Ice Sculpture Kingdom; there, you might find more opportunities."
"The Ice Sculpture Kingdom is about to hold a National Ceremony, and you’ve received an invitation from the Ice Sculpture Royal Family, haven’t you?"
Thinking of this, Da Dou couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
Now, going to the Ice Sculpture Kingdom is not possible.
In a way, he had let his mentor’s expectations down.
However, Da Dou did not regret it at all.
He once again looked at the simpleminded big guy, thinking: "This is a seed of the Holy Domain!"