Cong Mang’s eyes were bloodshot red.
The explosion at the City Lord’s mansion directly buried half of his men.
"There was a bomb in the City Lord’s mansion!?"
Cong Mang came to rob, not to give his life.
The battle losses of the Vegetable Basket pirate group were quite severe, not only had their forces been reduced by seventy percent, but even some leaders and elites were buried.
Even Cong Mang’s deputy, the First Officer of the pirate group, was among the casualties.
The only thing Cong Mang could be grateful for was that outside the City Lord’s mansion were some pirates, skilled ones, among them the Bachelors Team. Their role was similar to Cong Mang’s: to fend off the Snowbird Port City Lord and the City Guard forces, fighting bitterly outside.
In doing so, they narrowly escaped catastrophe.
The face of the Snowbird Port City Lord was lit by the flames of the explosion, his expression somewhat dazed.
"A conspiracy, there’s definitely a conspiracy here!" He roared inwardly once he regained his senses.
He was certain that he hadn’t planted any Alchemy Bombs within the City Lord’s mansion, it’s simply not his style!
The pirates couldn’t have blown themselves up either.
Tan Mo? He’s greedy by nature, attacking the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps for fortune, and he’d even signed a contract, why would he blow up an allied foundation?
Adding to the coincidence at the Mage Tower earlier, the Snowbird Port City Lord was convinced: there was definitely a third-party force acting in the shadows.
"That Golden Level presence in the Mage Tower, very likely is the third-party force."
"Cong Mang’s Vegetable Basket pirate group had no disguise of strong capabilities, now suddenly they do, very likely it’s also the third-party force’s doing!"
"Must drag out..."
Boom.
In the next moment, Cong Mang’s combat skill furiously struck.
The Snowbird Port City Lord’s thoughts were interrupted, forcing him to exert Defensive Fighting Skills.
Upon collision, the Snowbird Port City Lord was struck flying, spitting out a large mouthful of blood in mid-air.
"Despicable Snow Elf, die!"
"Kill you, and have my men accompany you to the grave!!"
The heavy personnel battle losses pushed Cong Mang to the peak of fury, launching a wild attack on the Snowbird Port City Lord.
The Snowbird Port City Lord snorted coldly, steadying his position before counterattacking.
His short stick jabbed Cong Mang, but Cong Mang changed his battle style, neither dodging nor evading, tightly gripping the long stick, swinging it with full force.
Combat Skill—Sweep! Divine Arts—Bear’s Strength.
Combat Skill—Direct Stab. Spell—Acceleration.
Cong Mang versus Snowbird Port City Lord!
In a fierce confrontation, Cong Mang stood his ground, a blush quickly crossing his face, then he swallowed a mouthful of blood fiercely.
The Snowbird Port City Lord, once more, flew backwards, his long Snow Elf body bending due to the impact, hitting the ground with his back, then immediately rebounding, agilely flipping mid-air, before landing on one knee, half-kneeling and staring at Cong Mang.
The Snowbird Port City Lord’s left arm trembled slightly, just about to catch his breath when he saw Cong Mang’s whole body pulsing with Golden Fighting Spirit, muscles clashing as he charged at him like a bear.
The Snowbird Port City Lord hastily cast multiple spells to enhance his defense and other statuses.
In the next instance, Cong Mang’s furious attack resembled a storm, enveloping him.
Unlike before, this time Cong Mang firmly held the upper hand, pressing the Snowbird Port City Lord under his assault.
The Dragon-man youth watched from afar, the dragon eyes reflecting various combat details between Cong Mang and the Snowbird Port City Lord.
"The Snowbird Port City Lord masters both fighting energy and spell, utilizing various small combat skills and spells in quick succession to steadily accumulate battle advantage, eventually leading to a change in quality from the quantity to seize victory."
"Cong Mang masters both fighting energy and divine arts, his long stick as the main weapon, attacking with openness and closing with broad strokes. He primarily uses divine arts to enhance his defense, achieving a balance in attack and defense. At the same time, divine arts, being all-purpose, can strengthen his status, granting him strength like a bear, speed like a leopard, and vision like an eagle."
Their fighting styles show significant differences.
Cong Mang is set to use personal battle strength for battlefield breakthrough. Information collected by the Dragon-man youth also supports this, normally when the Vegetable Basket pirate group battles, Cong Mang leads, relying on personal combat strength to break through enemy formations, shattering battlefield balance, followed closely by the Bachelors Team, creating large breaches and stabilizing them for him.
The Snowbird Port City Lord is more meticulous, indeed more skilled in one-on-one combat.
This time being forced into the lower hand was primarily because Cong Mang threw caution to the wind, driven by rage and eager for revenge, willing to suffer injuries to deliver severe damage to the Snowbird Port City Lord.
The Snowbird Port City Lord didn’t wish for such confrontation.
Not that he personally lacked courage, but because he discovered another third party, naturally aiming to conserve strength as much as possible.
Engaging now might later benefit other forces!
Cong Mang went all out, while the Snowbird Port City Lord grappled with concerns, hesitant.
Quickly, the Snowbird Port City Lord felt Tan Mo’s previous agony— repeatedly attacked successfully by Cong Mang, suffering blows continuously.
The Snowbird Port City Lord’s right eye socket got jabbed by the stick, bloodshot and swollen, turning dark purple.
The Snowbird Port City Lord growled at Cong Mang: "You fool pirate, think clearly, do you really think I’d blow up my own home?"
Cong Mang roared: "Why not?"
Without a second’s pause, he continued his furious assault!
The City Lord of Snowbird Port froze for a moment, forced to retreat in embarrassment, jumping around erratically.
Upon seeing this scene, Da Dou couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
As a Golden Level Giant Magic Chef, he should have been an honored guest, but instead, he was secretly arrested by the City Lord of Snowbird Port, forced to consume the modified products from the Deep Sigh of Blue Sea every day. If it were other magic potions, it would be tolerable, but the key issue was that the modified products were undoubtedly magic dishes, which to Da Dou was a complete slap in the face.
Now seeing the City Lord of Snowbird Port fighting so embarrassingly, Da Dou naturally felt pleased.
However, at the same time, he did not forget to stay vigilant of the surroundings.
Snowbird Port fell into turbulence and chaos.
The commotion from the pirate attack was too loud, but fortunately, the battleground was limited and did not expand; civilian casualties were minimal.
Beside him, Hong Zhu was already excitedly counting the treasures in his arms.
Da Dou then looked again at the Big guy.
The Big guy remained silent, his eyes emitting a blue Divine Light. Clearly, his current state was a Divine Descent state.
It was precisely by relying on the rescue, guidance, and dismantling in this state by the Big guy, that the three of them could obtain the enormous treasures within the City Lord’s Mansion and set up illusions, disguising countless treasures to firmly attract the frenzied pirates into the trap.
The Dragon-man youth controlled himself while manipulating the Big guy to maintain the Divine Descent state.
At the beginning, he certainly couldn’t manage such a feat.
But things evolve this way, one practices to gain proficiency.
The Dragon-man youth grew skilled from repeated use.
Of course, the Divine Blessing brought abundant spellcasting experience, allowing him to skip the prolonged, inefficient personal accumulation period and reach a level of multi-a-tasking, diverting attention for Divine Descent.
In fact, it wasn’t just multi-tasking; the Dragon-man youth was also evaluating in his mind.
"People differ from one another."
Cong Mang’s nature is impatient, he loves adventure, often disregarding his own life and death. So, for him, installing bombs and undertaking suicide bombing attacks is normal. He judges others by himself, assuming the City Lord of Snowbird Port would do the same. This resulted in a misunderstanding.
As for the City Lord of Snowbird Port? Installing bombs at his residence is not his style. It’s highly likely he wouldn’t do such a thing.
He prefers to plan meticulously, ensure his side’s winning odds, then take action. His style is either not to act or to strike with a lethal blow.
The Dragon-man youth personally experienced the downfall of the Saber Gang, hence gained considerable understanding of the City Lord of Snowbird Port.
Coupled with intelligence he obtained later, his understanding of the City Lord of Snowbird Port deepened further.
The City Lord of Snowbird Port plotted to dismantle the Saber Gang, having conspired for a long time. He feigned politeness while planting spies.
The spies he planted became two of the six main leaders of the Saber Gang. A third of the Saber Gang’s top echelon were his people!
Yet he still didn’t act immediately, rather he awaited the opportune moment. He waited until the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps appeared; he saw his cover. Therefore, he tirelessly used heavy incentives to motivate the survivors to step forward.
Then, as the City Lord of Snowbird Port, he intervened as a third-party force. In the early stage of action, he neutralized the Saber Gang as much as possible.
Subsequently, he secretly manipulated Teng Donglang’s diet using Mei Landu’s ability.
Throughout, he strove to avoid direct confrontation, maximizing success probability. These measures created enormous advantages accumulated over time, leading to decisive action.
Once he acted, it was like a thunderbolt, swift and impactful!
This is not the behavior of a general, but rather that of a conspirator, a politician.
Would such a politician, conspirator install bombs at his residence?
Rarely would.
Because someone with the City Lord’s temperament would lose sleep over it. Immersed in the world of conspiracy, he’s already sufficiently suspicious.
Placing bombs in his residence, he would daily wonder: Will the bomb misfire, explode unexpectedly? Could an enemy discover and exploit it?
This conspirator would yearn for the safest environment possible, avoiding self-created troubles unless in special circumstances!
"Moreover, the City Lord of Snowbird Port holding this position also has the empire’s spy mission."
"Snowbird Port is a coastal city, one of the eight major trade ports of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom."
"The empire’s spy controlling the City Lord position is perhaps aimed at deeper mastery of Snowbird Port."
"Thus, the next City Lord of Snowbird Port, if not sidelined, very likely also hails from the empire’s spy ranks!"
"Under these conditions, installing bombs at the City Lord’s Mansion is even less feasible."
The Dragon-man youth kept thinking, various thoughts freely roaming in his mind.
This was his first time battling like this, acting as the mastermind behind the scenes.
This altered his usual approach, bringing a novel and unique practical experience, which benefited him greatly.
He saw shadows of himself in the past from Cong Mang.
From the misunderstandings and conflicts between the City Lord of Snowbird Port and Cong Mang, he further appreciated the significant impact of personality in conspiracy.
"Is this the feeling of a chess master arranging pieces?"
"Truly unique, this sense of control, achievement, immerses you deeply, and...leaves a lingering taste."
If he previously, in the Ocean Nest, exploited the power of the Mei Lan God, succeeding in deceit under Divine Revelation, was accepting guidance, a lesson.
Now, independently steering a battle, completing this activity solo is applying what he learned.
Learning, applying, validating learning in practical application, continuous insight—these triggers made the Dragon-man youth feel like he opened a door to life, he glimpsed a brand new vista of life!