Chapter 942: Chapter 730: Shuanglian and Bu Quan vs. Long Meng and Long Fu
At the center of the Ice Sculpture Royal Capital, a towering white castle surrounded by towers stands.
This is the King Castle, the political center of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom.
The news about the Dragon-man youth becoming a duelist and appearing at the peak of Anqiu quickly reached the Ice Sculpture King’s hands.
Any changes involving the God of Duels are urgent intelligence.
The Ice Sculpture King immediately put aside his affairs and quickly read through the intelligence content.
“A new duelist has been born, it’s Long Fu.” The Ice Sculpture King’s pupils slightly contracted, then he fell into deep thought.
According to common sense, intelligence of this kind being closely related to the God of Duels should never be leaked.
However, the Ice Sculpture Royal Family oversees the entire operation, and generations of kings have been vigorously developing, never suppressing the dueling activity. The Royal Family has a high level of control over the Duel God Country.
To say nothing else, among the members of the Royal Family, there have always been duelists.
Only their names are not qualified to be listed on the tombstone, just like the Ice Eagle from the Saber Gang.
In fact, successive kings have vigorously promoted dueling activities, with faith naturally inclined towards the God of Duels. Even if the main faith isn’t, in the value calculation of the Duel Godhood, their contribution is absolutely enormous.
In this regard, the empire’s spies cannot compare to the Ice Sculpture Royal Family.
“Long Fu indeed has the potential to become a duelist. Through dueling, he has gained too much fame and fortune. Those who benefit so much often love dueling activities immensely, and this hobby can generate a strong Duel faith.”
“Having such faith is a good thing.”
The Ice Sculpture King’s vision and structure are beyond ordinary people.
In his view, Long Fu has been pushed out as a capable general by international arms dealers. Now this general believes in the God of Duels, as if his thoughts have been altered, adding a layer of constraint.
This constraint is undoubtedly advantageous to the entire Ice Sculpture Kingdom.
It should be noted that Long Fu has the potential for Holy Domain!
“Eliminate Long Fu?” For a fleeting moment, this thought indeed crossed the King’s mind but was quickly discarded.
Why do this?
If he was concerned about outsiders, he wouldn’t have allowed Mifang, Zhu Gan, and Yunzhong to become duelists.
Compared to these people, Long Fu can actually bring more benefits.
“Long Fu himself, with good qualifications, is worth recruiting.”
“The arms dealers behind the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps have some things, perhaps they will have many places for cooperation in the future.”
The Ice Sculpture King is very interested in the backing behind the survivors.
Just like Cang Xu analyzed, the Ice Sculpture Kingdom and the Holy Bright Empire are in fierce competition. As the ruler of a country, the Ice Sculpture King is willing to cooperate with any force or individual that can help him deal with the Holy Bright Empire.
And he knows very clearly that relying solely on the Ice Sculpture Kingdom of this size is unable to resist the vast Holy Bright Empire.
As for the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps successively taking down four Golden Level duelists, including Teng Donglang, the Ice Sculpture King’s reaction wasn’t as strong as Mei Lin, Bao Ligen, Gudong and others.
He is a Superior, a political figure. In his eyes, these duelists are his chess pieces, not his comrades.
He would think more calmly, even coldly analyze the advantages and disadvantages, make pure benefit and loss comparisons.
“Only, who exactly are the arms dealers behind them?”
“I have already dispatched many people, specially investigating this secret, yet there is no progress at all.”
“The Divination Technique has also been requested to use several times, without any results!”
The more he fails to investigate the “mysterious arms dealer,” the higher the Ice Sculpture King’s evaluation of him becomes.
He never doubted whether the arms dealer exists.
Because Long Fu is right there.
A competent general with Holy Domain potential is sent by the “mysterious arms dealer” to open up the market. This shows that the “mysterious arms dealer” undoubtedly has strong courage and strength.
“Since the arms dealer can send a future Holy Domain out for affairs, he must have equipped considerable means and trump cards.”
The Ice Sculpture King and Mifang have similar judgments.
From this judgment, Zong Ge’s earlier challenge of killing three Golden Level duelists single-handedly is very reasonable.
This further convinces the Ice Sculpture King that he should not act against Long Fu.
To act would mean facing numerous trump cards in Long Fu’s hands. A Holy Domain Level Teleportation Scroll could render his efforts fruitless, offend the “mysterious arms dealer,” and kill possible future collaborations in the womb.
After all, even the Ice Sculpture King is not against teleportation.
Moreover, the delicate political atmosphere domestically, and the external pressures from the Holy Bright Empire and Da Han, also make the Ice Sculpture King very cautious, unwilling to act rashly.
Past achievements have already proven that Long Fu can’t be dealt with by Golden Level alone. Even deploying Holy Domain Level against Long Fu does not ensure success. The key is, even if successful, the gain is smaller.
The Ice Sculpture King has no motivation to act against Long Fu, at least not now.
“Then let’s focus on appeasement.”
“The current trouble is, he has a good relationship with Shuanglian and will surely stand up for her.”
The Ice Sculpture King gently frowned.
Shuanglian is a powerful elder of the Alchemy Guild, she herself controls the Honey Snow Tower. You should know that this is the Mage Tower in the Royal Capital!
This is not a simple building, but a military fortress with strong offense and defense capabilities.
The Ice Sculpture King of course knows Shuanglian and also pays considerable attention.
The construction of Shuanglian’s Mage Tower was funded by the Royal Family because Shuanglian used to be a champion of the Warm Snow Cup competition.
Shuanglian’s half-plane mainly produces Snow Honey, which is mainly supplied to the military of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom!
In summary, Shuanglian is one of our own.
It’s just that the secrets of the Duel God Country are too advanced, Shuanglian doesn’t know about them.
The Ice Sculpture King also doesn’t want her to know.
But unexpectedly, Shuanglian found out! She is not a duelist, without faith constraint, and will not be bound by Divine Arts’ contracts.
The Ice Sculpture King’s plan for handling her is to temporarily imprison her in the Duel God Country, preventing her from contacting the outside world, to protect the secrets related to the God of Duels to the greatest extent.
On one hand, this is temporary. Once the Duel Godhood is complete, resolving the issue with Shuanglian will be very easy and simple. On the other hand, the Ice Sculpture King also wants to use the opportunity to reprimand Shuanglian, to grind down the arrogance of subordinates for easier future employment.
But now it’s not possible.
The Ice Sculpture King quickly realizes that to appease Long Fu, he must inform Shuanglian of some secrets as well and also appease her.
“Just right, the defense of the Duel God Country is still somewhat low. Let the Honey Snow Tower make up for it a little.”
With this thought, the King issued orders, which include notifications to the Alchemy Guild Master.
The King does not know that with the support of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, a new faction has emerged within the Alchemy Guild. The King will not focus on such trivial matters.
His notification reaches the Guild Master’s hands immediately, causing his plan involving Cai Jing to collapse.
The order reaches Gudong’s hands, who is both disappointed and relieved, realizing how to deal with Long Fu without being at a loss.
Inside Honey Snow Tower.
Long Meng, Long Fu, along with Shuanglian and Bu Quan sit opposite each other, drinking tea.
In the room, there are only the four of them.
Bu Quan couldn’t help but stare at the Dragon-man youth. She was so surprised and delighted. Her beloved appeared this way to rescue her, she was overjoyed.
Shuanglian also stared at Long Meng: “I never expected you to have such a secret. You’ve never told me.”
Her tone was somewhat plaintive.
The Dragon-man youth immediately focused on following orders, his gaze shifting back and forth between Shuanglian and Long Meng.
These two have a story!
Long Meng sighed softly: “You’re not a duelist. If I had told you, you’d be confined somewhere, isolated from the outside world, just like you are now.”
Shuanglian snorted coldly: “But now I know. It turns out this is the layout of successive kings. It’s truly monumental!”
“Why are you actively confessing to me now?”
Long Meng turned to look at the Dragon-man youth: “Because of him.”
He briefly explained the reason and the circumstances.
Bu Quan’s eyes sparkled, holding a teacup, looking agitated: “Squad leader, you have saved my life again, once more! I really don’t know how to thank you properly.”
The Dragon-man youth gazed at Bu Quan with a sincere tone, tinged with a bit of guilt: “Ever since you disappeared, I’ve been searching for you.”
“Although many people said you were already dead, I didn’t believe it.”
“A voice in my heart told me that you must still be alive. You’re someone I recruited, and my people can’t just die so easily!”
“From a rational standpoint, I also didn’t believe that you, being in the Honey Snow Tower and under the protection of your mentor, would lose your life. You were just missing.”
“Sigh!” The Dragon-man youth sighed deeply, “Honestly, I never thought I’d unexpectedly find you here.”
“Seeing this Mage Tower resembling the Honey Snow Tower, I rushed over!”
“Squad leader…” Bu Quan was moved to tears.
Long Meng’s gaze kept shifting between Long Fu and Bu Quan.
These two have a story!
“Cough cough cough!” Shuanglian coughed harshly, her expression turning severe.
Her cherished disciple’s submissive demeanor made her both angry and helpless.
What annoyed her more was the Dragon-man daring to flirt with her disciple right in front of her, practically ignoring Shuanglian.
Immediately, Shuanglian put on a grim face and said to the Dragon-man youth: “Leader Long Fu, I should thank you. If Bu Quan hadn’t joined your mercenary group, she wouldn’t have encountered danger. If she hadn’t encountered danger, I wouldn’t have come to rescue her. Consequently, the reason why we’re trapped in the Duel Divine Country is because of you.”
The Dragon-man youth quickly stood up, saluting Shuanglian to express gratitude for her past help, and offered substantial compensation to both Shuanglian and Bu Quan.
“Do you think I care about your money?” Shuanglian’s expression was extremely dismissive.
She had money, very much so.
The Dragon-man youth already anticipated her reaction; before coming, Cang Xu had already deduced this for him.
The Dragon-man youth pretended to be puzzled, then gritted his teeth, as if making a painful decision, and said he could attempt to offer some Alchemy Diagrams as an apology.
This proposal immediately intrigued Shuanglian.
The reason she initially helped the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps was largely due to Bu Quan’s persuasion, as well as the alchemical knowledge they provided.
If Long Fu were to offer alchemical knowledge of a corresponding level, it was indeed a proposal Shuanglian found difficult to refuse.
Bu Quan gritted her teeth, full of concern: “Squad leader, if it’s too difficult, then forget it. Knowledge is priceless…”
“Shut up!” Shuanglian watched as her cherished disciple favored an outsider, instantly becoming furious and vocal.
Bu Quan, scolded by her mentor, immediately recoiled, utterly fearful.
Long Meng laughed heartily to ease the atmosphere: “Ah, youth is wonderful, Shuanglian, why make things difficult for these young people?”
Shuanglian then directed her grim expression towards Long Meng, her gaze sharp as a blade: “Long Meng, I also have questions for you. You say you’ve long been a duelist and can freely enter and exit the Divine Country.”
“You must have known I was trapped for a while now.”
“Why are you only coming now? What were you up to before?”
A deadly question, a soul-searching interrogation!
Long Meng was immediately speechless, at a loss.
It was Long Fu’s first time seeing Long Meng in such a state, and he was greatly astonished.
In the Dragon-man youth’s impression, Long Meng was powerful, always decisive and outstanding in his duels. Long Meng was also calm and wise, having guided the Dragon-man youth in combat techniques, providing significant help with Resonance Power, allowing the latter to quickly master various strengths.
Seeing Long Meng suppressed and utterly speechless delighted the Dragon-man youth… secretly cheering.
“Long Meng and Shuanglian surely have a history. Perhaps Long Meng owes Shuanglian.”
“This is great, I never imagined they had such a connection.”
With Long Meng in the spotlight, the pressure on the Dragon-man youth was greatly reduced.
In the ensuing conversation, he seamlessly proposed the cooperation plan between the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps and Shuanglian.
“Our corps needs to firmly establish ourselves in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, and currently we’re eager to part ways with the Lijian family…” The Dragon-man youth explained his situation.
He suggested they could help Shuanglian sell Mixo and other alchemical products externally.
Long Meng had already told Shuanglian that she would have to stay in the Duel Divine Country for a while, unable to return to the Ice Sculpture Royal Capital.
The Dragon-man youth used this to persuade Shuanglian: during her disappearance, many things occurred in the Alchemy Guild. Hua Ni, the Honey Snow Tower Master, and others were targeting her with arrogant and vile attitudes. Shuanglian’s influence was rapidly declining.
If at this time, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps and Shuanglian formed a cooperation, the act of selling Mixo and other such actions would be simple yet significant, enough to transmit the crucial information that Shuanglian was still alive to the outside world.
This would significantly restore Shuanglian’s waning influence and keep her opponents in the guild from being arrogant and getting carried away.
Shuanglian weighed things back and forth, and under Bu Quan’s wide-eyed stare, she finally agreed to the collaboration.
After the matter of parting, Long Meng felt as if pardoned.
Bu Quan reluctantly watched the back of the Dragon-man youth disappear from view.
“Still watching?” Shuanglian snorted coldly.
Clearly, she was also watching, like Bu Quan, staring at Long Meng’s back.
Bu Quan exclaimed: “Teacher, you seem to have some prejudice against the squad leader?”
Shuanglian exploded: “What do you mean by prejudice? This is not prejudice!”
“Let me tell you, dragon nature is inherently lustful; these Dragon-men are not good people, inherently frivolous. Bu Quan, you haven’t been out in the world much, especially in matters of love. You’re too easily swayed by a few sweet words.”
“This is very disadvantageous for you.”
“Sigh, back in the day I…”
Shuanglian fell silent, lost in memories.
“What happened back in the day, teacher?” Bu Quan pricked up her ears, trying her hardest to catch anything, but as Shuanglian said no more, she couldn’t resist urging.
Shuanglian’s thoughts were interrupted, and returning to reality, she saw her cherished disciple gazing up at her, eyes wide with curiosity.
Shuanglian curled her index finger, lightly flicked Bu Quan on the forehead, embarrassed and annoyed, turned around: “Let’s go back!”
“Do combat training.”
“Write three more alchemical assignments I gave you.”