Chapter 929: Chapter 717: Subjugating the Bramble Pirates
The content of the Warm Snow Cup’s second assessment was officially announced on the second day.
Even though Zi Di was mentally prepared, her mood inevitably became heavy upon seeing it in reality.
“Create an automatic combat alchemy puppet on the spot. After activation, defeat the ice sculpture guardian to advance to the next round?”
“The production cycle for an alchemy puppet is at least one month. Even for a small wooden toy with slight functionality, it would still take a week.”
Creating it on the spot with only 12 hours allowed already makes it extremely difficult.
Perhaps a Golden Level alchemist could achieve this, but most of the alchemy mages participating in this year’s Warm Snow Cup are of Silver Level, like Yao Ma.
It’s nearly impossible to achieve this alone.
Fortunately, there was an additional note following the announcement—teamwork is allowed, with a maximum of three people and a minimum of two.
How could it be possible for just two people to form a team?
Only with three collaborating can one barely complete such an enormous workload!
“This is still not the hardest part!” Zi Di frowned.
The final alchemy puppet created must defeat the ice sculpture guardian.
“A silver-level ice sculpture guardian… This demands that the alchemy puppet created must at least reach the Silver Level.”
This is merely the basic standard.
If it doesn’t reach Silver Level, compares to Black Iron Level doesn’t even bother.
Because the true combat ability of the ice sculpture guardian is much stronger than most silver-level alchemy puppets!
The ice sculpture guardian possesses extraordinary vitality, determined by the main material used to create it, which is none other than the ice from the ten-thousand-year-old Ice Lake.
This ice, due to the dragon corpse’s intense divinity radiation, has considerable vitality.
Just by simply carving, it can be vividly alive. With some slight alchemy techniques applied and a framework built, the ice sculpture can move freely. The effect is simply overpowered.
Otherwise, why would people say that the Ten-thousand-year-old Ice Lake is a super resource point?
The entire Ice Sculpture Kingdom developed step by step, based on this.
“Therefore, merely creating a complete silver-level alchemy puppet isn’t enough; it also must have formidable combat power capable of defeating the ice sculpture guardian.”
Zi Di found it hard to breathe.
She couldn’t think of any countermeasure.
Her alchemy talent isn’t high.
If she relied solely on her strength, she would have failed the first assessment. She had cheated by using Elder Jiu Jin, obtaining the topic in advance to fully prepare and practicing extensively in private, that’s how she passed.
Although she achieved first place in that round, it was superficial.
It’s not that Zi Di is entirely devoid of alchemy talent.
She possesses some in the field of magical materials, but put in a high-level competition like the Warm Snow Cup, it’s completely inadequate.
At this moment, faced with the second topic, Zi Di had no idea, no way to start.
“But I must get through it…”
Zi Di’s gaze was filled with determination.
The Dragon-man youth seeks to disconnect from the Lijian family fully and isn’t interested in collaborating with the Jingxiang family. The gossip about collaborating with the Jingxiang family is merely a facade to bide time.
During this period, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps must truly stand up. Given his current strength, why not consume all the profits from the mount magic potion? Why share with others?
The sales channel isn’t a problem, thanks to Zi Di’s leveraging of resources from the Lijian family utterly.
What the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps really needs is a place to produce magic potions.
To meet the kingdom’s potion demand, the production capability must be strong enough. More importantly, it has to be safe!
Previously, the alchemy workshop at Snowbird Port was successively breached by death soldiers arranged by Mei Lin.
This cannot happen!
The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps wants a bigger share, faces the Lijian family, the Jingxiang family, and the Alchemy Guild.
Survivors must anticipate defense in advance.
The best method for defense is to build a Mage Tower.
The defensive capability of a Mage Tower is extremely standout, often serving as the defense hub of a location.
Once built, even if only one level is constructed, it is easy to defend and hard to attack.
With space alchemy techniques applied, each room in the Mage Tower can create vast spaces, suitable for setting up an alchemy factory without any issues.
“As long as I secure the top three places in this year’s Warm Snow Cup, funding is available for building a Mage Tower.”
The funds are actually secondary.
The survivors are holding onto a booming business in mount magic potions, not laden with worries regarding funds.
Zi Di values the qualification!
Within the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, possessing even a Golden Level armor requires complicated approval processes, let alone a Mage Tower.
Attempting to secretly build a Mage Tower is almost impossible.
This is a large-scale engineering project.
Securing a top-three finish grants the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, as outsiders, the qualification to construct their own Mage Tower, this is incredibly significant!
Despite the high difficulty, Zi Di remains filled with motivation.
“The squad leader has put in so much effort; I must strive harder!”
The ghost girl firmly believes: the harder you work, the happier you become.
Fighting alongside her lover, just the process intoxicates her.
Earlier, the Dragon-man youth and Mifang dueled, suffering significant injuries, with the fingers on the hand gripping the fighting energy bomb being blown off. Zi Di felt immense heartache for this.
Clearly, the Dragon-man youth could have won with a lesser cost, but he didn’t do so. For the bigger picture, he tried his best to disguise his combat strength, while simultaneously striving for more reputation; he deliberately grasped the fighting energy bomb and endured all this pain.
Zi Di appreciates the Dragon-man youth’s sacrifice; she too wants to strive for the best goal!
This energetic vigor far surpasses when she was partnering with Zong Ge.
Initially, Zi Di had many conflicts with Zong Ge, was quite wary of him, but gradually understood his character and gained much admiration, their experiences fighting side by side deepened the companionship between them.
Being with the Dragon-man youth is entirely different. Zi Di enjoys every moment, from the depths of her heart she wants to give her all, even recklessly, like a moth to a flame, burning herself up.
“The Warm Snow Cup actually has only two phases.”
“The first phase has a few trial questions provided by the Alchemy Guild, eliminating some and selecting the true elites.”
“The second phase is the display of alchemy achievements. This is the main event!”
“As long as I pass the first phase, the second phase for me is a chance to showcase my skills!”
Zi Di is very confident in her performance in the second phase.
To be precise, it’s not about her, but about the War Merchant.
The War Merchant is a dignified Legendary and alchemy master figure; others work tirelessly to showcase their alchemy achievements from recent years, while Zi Di just needs to make some selections from the War Merchant’s database.
“Therefore, I must cross the first phase!”
Zi Di took a deep breath, gazing at Elder Jiu Jin before her, with cold light radiating from her eyes.
She spoke slowly: “Elder Jiu Jin, I don’t want to make it difficult for you. But why do you always make it difficult for me? I am participating in this year’s Warm Snow Cup just for the sake of our mercenary group. Is it really that hard to pass the first round? Is it worth such grand measures against me?”
Elder Jiu Jin quickly explained: “This is not me making it difficult for you, Yao Ma Mage. It’s Elder Hua Ni! She is very cautious, actually quite petty. Plus, with the instigation from the Lijian family and Jingxiang… Your group’s strength is indeed formidable, making people wary.”
“I don’t care!” Zi Di waved her hand, displaying a spoiled side, “If I can’t pass this time, I will disclose your evidence.”
“So, you better come up with a good plan; otherwise, you definitely can’t continue as an elder of the Alchemy Guild.”
Having no alternative, Zi Di asked Elder Jiu Jin to come up with a plan.
She holds solid evidence proving Elder Jiu Jin had close contact with the Necromancer.
Once this evidence is revealed, Elder Jiu Jin certainly won’t be able to retain his position as an elder, and will be subject to investigation. The investigation by the Ice Sculpture Kingdom itself is still manageable, Elder Jiu Jin may exert his connections and manipulate circumstances, potentially getting by, but if someone from the Blood Light Sanction Court intervenes, things will be tough. It’s known that the forces across the Main Plane almost fully cooperate in exterminating Necromancers, led predominantly by the Blood Light Sanction Court of the Holy Bright Empire.
Elder Jiu Jin instantly wore a troubled expression, for he feared exactly this. Being caught with evidence, he was unable to resist, obliged to give Zi Di advice.
“Relying solely on you, Yao Ma Mage, definitely won’t be enough.”
“To pass the second phase assessment, one needs to focus on other people.”
Zi Di, despite passing the first phase with excellent results, Elder Jiu Jin, being one of the parties involved, knows a bit about Zi Di’s alchemy capabilities.
His idea is: Zi Di alone isn’t sufficient, so find two strong supports, let them carry Zi Di along. Even if Zi Di can’t sprint, she can be dragged through.
Zi Di also had such a thought, but there’s a huge risk.
She continued staring at Elder Jiu Jin: “I don’t trust outsiders much, and am quite worried about spies being planted by Hua Ni, or the Lijian family and Jingxiang. At that moment, if the spies tamper with things, it would be worse than me facing the second phase alone.”
Elder Jiu Jin considered this and promptly said: “Therefore, we must act in advance and contact some alchemy mages from previous events, rather than this one. We secretly contact them, use large sums to buy them over, then bind them with Magic Contracts!”
The current Warm Snow Cup has reached the second phase, but not only those who passed the first phase can participate in the second round.
As long as one performed relatively well in previous Warm Snow Cup events, they will be granted permission by the Alchemy Guild, allowing these elites to bypass levels and participate in future Warm Snow Cup Alchemy Competitions.
Because, essentially, the primary purpose of the first phase of the Warm Snow Cup is selection.
Alchemists from previous events that have already been selected naturally don’t need to be reselected.
Of course, many details exist here. According to scores, some mages can skip the first assessment, some can skip two assessments, while some directly qualify for the second phase alchemy achievement display. Previous champions can directly display alchemy achievements and also enjoy the best exhibition hall locations.
But this privilege to bypass levels also has a time limit. The longer the time, the more weakened the eligibility. If dragged too long, the alchemist must participate again from the first assessment item.
However, there are exceptions. For example, certain alchemists, having achieved fame and success outside the Ice Sculpture Kingdom long ago, when participating, will be specially approved by the Alchemy Guild to automatically advance, directly going to alchemy achievement display.
In short, the Alchemy Guild has considerable flexibility in operations in this aspect.
Regarding “previous alchemists can bypass levels”, Zi Di is aware.
She immediately asked: “Elder Jiu Jin, have any recommended candidates?”
Elder Jiu Jin was prepared and directly pulled out a list: “These are those eligible to participate in subsequent events; this information is copied by me from the guild’s database, definitely comprehensive!”
“Of course, if foreign alchemy masters suddenly appear to compete, that is beyond our prediction.”
Zi Di received the information, and didn’t easily let Elder Jiu Jin go, but continued questioning: “I’m asking if you have any recommended candidates?”
Elder Jiu Jin initially didn’t want to take responsibility, apologetically refused, unwilling to express opinions.
Zi Di snorted coldly, reiterating her previous words: “If you don’t speak, and I can’t pass, you’ll certainly be doomed.”
Elder Jiu Jin wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, helplessly had to mention a few names, evaluating their outstanding strength.
Zi Di found these people on the information.
The data was comprehensive, not only with names, brief introductions, but also importantly their past competition performances were well recorded.
After Elder Jiu Jin left, the Dragon-man youth’s figure appeared in a corner of the room.
He already knew about Elder Jiu Jin being constrained by Zi Di, and had praised Zi Di’s craftiness at the time. Observing on-site now, he thought Elder Jiu Jin remained constrained to their side, speaking rather sincerely and reliably.
Seeing the worrying look on Zi Di’s face, the Dragon-man youth said understandingly: “Are you worried about the recommended candidates being problematic?”
Zi Di nodded: “What we can think of, there’s no reason opponents can’t fathom. The recommended people’s data show high evaluations too. Won’t these individuals be focused on?”
“They are the local tyrants; perhaps they have already been contacting these people.”
“If we can’t discern the truth, rushing forth means stepping into traps.”
If you use a large sum of money to bribe, others will use more funds.
The Magic Contract is not omnipotent, just like the offensive and defensive relationship of a gun and shield, there is always a way to solve it.
The Dragon-man youth deeply empathized with this.
Previously, when the Lijian family signed a contract with Zi Di and Zong Ge, he resolved it with the Charming Blue Divine Skill after returning.
Back in the White Hair Sea Trench, as strong as the Necromancer who painstakingly gathered and collected Death Divinity, he ended up making a wedding dress for the Fishman youth, who stole four portions from it. Even if the Undead Master held the Divine Artifact [Truth Stone Tablet], of what use was it? A mindful attack against a careless defense still proves effective.
The Dragon-man youth thought for a moment: “Do you remember the Little Prince I told you about?”
“If all else fails, we can spend heavily to buy off a former Alchemist, then secretly control him and have the Little Prince masquerade as him for the competition.”
The Necromancer Little Prince has a certain alchemy foundation.
He can independently produce magic tools like the Sorrowful Song Tombstone with teleportation effects.
Zi Di shook her head and sighed softly: “This can only be an alternative.”
The true alchemy strength of the Little Prince is questionable.
He is a Necromancer, if discovered during the competition, it would be a disaster.
There’s also another hidden danger, the Little Prince’s memories have been altered.
In tense combat, it’s manageable as there’s no time for the Little Prince to wander mentally; he must focus on dealing with formidable foes.
But alchemy is different.
An Alchemist needs rapid thinking, constantly finding and solving problems. In this state, their thoughts become very active, they must explore learned knowledge from memory and increase reliability through experience.
This is quite unsecure and could easily lead the Little Prince to realize the falsity of the fabricated memories. In mild cases, it could cause cognitive disorder, in severe cases, uncover the truth.
The Dragon-man youth sighed.
He knew the suggestion wasn’t great either.
He also wished to help personally.
Unfortunately, although he is now a Golden Level Mage, the Divinely Endowed experience is concentrated in casting, with scant knowledge in alchemy.
He felt powerless for Zi Di.
Zi Di noticed the frustration and helplessness in her sweetheart, she reached out to gently stroke his chest and comforted him softly: “My lord, you have more important matters.”
“Leave the Warm Snow Cup to me.”
“If it fails, it’s not unacceptable.”
“But if we succeed, it will be even better.”
The Dragon-man youth nodded, indeed he had more important things at hand.
After bidding farewell to Zi Di, he called for Cong Mang.
After transforming into Fishman Form, he used Divine Descent to tear open the space curtain, taking one step to a place on the sea thousands of miles away.
On the sea surface, the Vegetable Basket Pirate Group and Thorny Pirate Group were already facing off.
The two flagships slowly sailed out, eventually docking alongside each other.
The Fishman youth did not make an appearance; instead, Cong Mang led the charge, jumping onto the other’s flagship.
He saw the leader of the other side and immediately showed a disdainful expression: “You’re the current leader of the Thorny Pirate Group?”
“Heh, just a Silver Level, what gives you the right?”
“What qualifies you to discuss cooperation with me?”
The original head of the Thorny Pirate Group was named Jing Wen, who was slashed by Feng Lian. The new leader is merely Silver Level, a Human Race member, short and thin, with long curly hair, a gloomy face, and deep eye bags. His skin was somehow a strange dark green.
He slightly raised his head, looking at Cong Mang, who was a head taller, and sneered: “I am called Thorn. Whether I have the qualifications to discuss cooperation, why don’t we have a direct fight to decide.”
Cong Mang was taken aback, not expecting Thorn to be so straightforward.
He started to see him in a new light and immediately nodded: “Okay, let’s fight first.”
Thorn had already prepared, taking a few quick steps, leaping, and landing on the sea surface.
He stood on the water with no signs of sinking, walking as firmly as on flat ground.
Cong Mang drew out a new Golden Level long stick (the previous long stick was damaged in a battle with the City Lord of Snowbird Port), also landing on the sea surface to start the battle with Thorn.
Thorn’s weapons were two daggers.
Cong Mang swung the long stick, stirring up a whooshing wind, his attacks were fierce.
Thorn was agile, very adept at sea combat. He sometimes darted, sometimes dived into the sea, then emerged from beneath Cong Mang’s feet to launch a surprise attack.
Cong Mang, being the type who strikes ferociously and charges aggressively, found the battlefield to be actually the most suitable place for his performance. For a moment, he was somewhat flustered.
The Fishman youth observed in secret, surprised to find that although Thorn was genuinely a Silver Level, his physical qualities displayed were of Golden Level caliber.
Moreover, he exceeded Cong Mang in terms of speed by a margin.
However, when Cong Mang performed Divine Arts to enhance himself, making him faster than Thorn, Thorn began to fall into a disadvantage.
Do not look down on Cong Mang as a frontal assault type of fierce warrior; in fact, he is a Druid, with Divine Arts as his main practice and Fighting energy as his secondary.
Cong Mang’s aura grew stronger the more he fought.
Following the young squad leader and being in the Ice Sculpture Royal Capital, he naturally dared not slack off, being very cautious. Returning to the sea and engaging in fierce combat is what he was accustomed to and loved, making him feel invigorated.
“Again, again!”
“Can you be even faster? Stop dodging, dare you face this strike head-on?”
“If this is your limit, then for this operation, you listen to me!”
Cong Mang drank repeatedly, initially recognizing Cijing’s strength.
Being at the Silver Level and able to fight across levels like this with Cong Mang is indeed rare.
But the Fishman youth could see that Cijing still had some strength left.
He used the Divine Descent Technique to control the Big guy and had the latter take the stage.
“Cong Mang, step down.” The Big guy’s eyes glowed blue, his voice not loud but resonated throughout the area.
Cong Mang dared not disobey, hurriedly put away his stick, withdrew from the battle, and returned to the ship, all looking as if he was following orders.
Everyone in the Thorny Pirate Group was astounded.
Cong Mang is openly the squad leader of the Vegetable Basket Pirate Group. How could he bow down and obey a small giant at the Silver Level? What’s going on?
Cijing had an expression of shock and doubt on his face, thinking about the intelligence that “Cong Mang was taken away by a mysterious Fishman powerhouse during the battle at Snowbird Port.”
As for the entire Vegetable Basket Pirate Group, they had long been incorporated, so they found nothing strange.
The Big guy stared at Cijing, the blue light in his eyes growing even stronger.
Cijing felt an intense gaze upon him, as if stripped naked and thrown into the water. He immediately snorted coldly in displeasure: “Hey, who are you?”
Da Dou stepped forward: “How dare you! A mere pirate, shouting like this. How could you easily know my master’s name?”
Da Dou was naturally enhanced with a Deception Divine Art, his appearance greatly altered. But his aura of the Golden Level had not been tampered with.
Seeing yet another giant appear, claiming to be a servant but emitting the aura of the Golden Level, the entire Thorny Pirate Group was shocked.
In an instant, their perceptions of the Big guy changed completely, reaching a consensus—this Big guy’s origins are extraordinary, likely a central member of a major power.
Under the control of the Fishman youth, the Big guy spoke in a deep voice: “Is that a Totem you are wearing?”
Cijing’s expression slightly changed: “Since you’ve noticed it, there’s nothing to hide.”
“Indeed, it is a Totem, the Magic Spirit Totem of Captain Jing Wen. It is precisely because of it that I possess combat power equivalent to the Golden Level!”
Totems are one of the characteristics of the Shaman sect, prevailing among the Beastman tribes in the current Main Plane. However, they are not just found among Beastmen but also widely among other intelligent races.
Just like the Dragon-man youth had seen a Flame Totem on Da Dou.
When the remnants of the Saber Gang escaped from Snowbird Port, they relied on the Rocket Assault Boat, which was also etched with many Totems.
The Big guy stood proudly, lifted his leg to take a step, ascending into the air, looking down on Cijing: “Is that a Magic Spirit Totem? I can tell you haven’t fully unleashed all the power of this Totem.”
“I permit you to do so!”
“Next, if you can withstand my punch, the Vegetable Basket Pirate Group will ally with your Thorny Pirate Group, swearing by the name of the Pirate Throne to split the spoils evenly.”
Cijing, however, looked very grim: “And if I can’t block it, what then?”
The Big guy raised his head, looking down at Cijing with his nostrils: “Submit to me, and I’ll allow you to still lead your people.”
Cijing was furious, raising his head to shout: “Pirates are free!”
The Big guy rubbed his fists: “Then, I’ll grant you a greater freedom—death.”
Cijing clenched his teeth.
He deeply regretted at this moment, questioning why he should cooperate with the Vegetable Basket Pirate Group.
Damn it, the intelligence gap was too vast!
The situation was stronger than him, so what could he do?
Cijing shot a fierce glance at the Big guy, then looked at Cong Mang and Da Dou, and finally focused back on the Big guy.
He snorted coldly: “I accept!”
“Let me show you the full power of the Magic Spirit Totem!”
With that said, he bit the tip of his tongue, spitting out blood, and sprayed it on his palm.
He smeared the blood on his chest and arms.
The blood was quickly absorbed, and his dark green skin “came to life,” transforming into strands of dark green vines that waved independently.
In an instant, Cijing was wrapped in layers of vines, hundreds of them intertwining to form a massive spherical structure around him.
The aura of the Golden Level surged to its peak, while Cijing’s own Transcendent aura was suppressed to almost non-existence.
“Come on!” From within the vine sphere came Cijing’s muffled voice.
The Big guy chuckled lightly, slowly stepping forward, descending through the air.
He arrived before the vine sphere and slowly extended his palm, touching the surface.
Combat Skill—Giant Wave Palm.
Enchanted—with Penetration!
The palm strength, like a giant wave, carried immense gravity and impact, crashing down. With the enhancement of Penetration, it struck straight through, hitting the center of the vine sphere where Cijing was.
No matter how strong the external defense was, Cijing himself was merely at the Silver Level.
The Big guy’s fighting energy had fully transformed into the Silver Level, and his physical aptitude had been nurtured by the Silver Fighting Spirit. Under Da Dou’s carefully crafted cuisine, every aspect saw an explosive growth.
In terms of individual attributes, the Big guy comprehensively overshadowed the Human Race’s Cijing. He bypassed the Totem’s defense, striking the very core.
Thud.
Cijing felt as if hit by a massive wave, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood, and then passed out directly.
He lost consciousness, and with no one to control the Magic Spirit Totem, it quickly retracted over his body, covering him entirely, reverting to its dark green skin form.
One strike to victory!
The entire Thorny Pirate Group was filled with an ashen pallor, while the Vegetable Basket Pirate Group erupted in deafening cheers.