Although Dekumont had won victory, his expression was very solemn. Ge Zheng asked curiously, "What's wrong?" Dekumont replied, "In tomorrow's match, I drew Salfir!"
Dekumont, the Third Prince, and Salfir were the three favorites to win the royal challenge this time. None of them would want to meet the other two before the final. Unfortunately, someone had to be unlucky, and Dekumont was the unfortunate one.
"Salfir's family is a major royal family, with strong strength. His father is the cousin of the emperor and holds the important fortress of Serajung in the northern front of the empire, commanding eighty thousand troops. He is one of the emperor's most trusted generals. It is said that Salfir has already joined the Second Prince, and they will also pledge allegiance to the Second Prince."
As Dekumont was explaining, Ge Zheng was flipping through an introduction to Salfir, "Wow, Salfir's 'Ice Snarl Axe' has already chopped off the hands and feet of four people, and one unlucky person had their neck chopped off!"
Dekumont nodded, "The Ice Snarl Axe is Salfir's inherited artifact, almost a divine-grade artifact. Whenever it's wielded, it's bound to drink blood."
"Master, I need to go back and prepare for the battle tomorrow, excuse me." With a heavy heart, Dekumont quickly returned to his baron's residence.
...
In the carriage, Ge Zheng saw a carriage parked at the door, his face changed slightly. He said to Feifei, "I'll get off first. If someone is looking for me, tell them I lost the match and went out alone, not knowing anything else." Miss Feifei was puzzled, "Teacher, where are you going...?" "Avoiding a problem!" Ge Zheng left with a vague sentence, opening the door a crack and slipping away swiftly.
After he got out of the carriage, he hid around the corner and indeed saw Miss Feifei's carriage arrive at the door with the same middle-aged man from the last time.
Ge Zheng saw Miss Feifei's skilled performance from a distance, where she naively shook her head, pretending not to know anything. He couldn't help but smile.
But the middle-aged man seemed persistent, waiting outside. Ge Zheng originally wanted Miss Feifei to send him away so he could go in by himself, but now...
Damn inn, it didn't even have a back door. It wasn't dark yet, and if he was found climbing over the wall, it would be even harder to explain.
Helpless, Ge Zheng tightly wrapped his robe and raised his collar to cover his ears, walking in the opposite direction alone in the cold wind.
He walked aimlessly on the street when suddenly his ears twitched, sensing someone was following him. Ge Zheng quickened his pace, and if the person behind also caught up, it would mean that he was indeed being followed.
As he sped up, the person behind also quickened their pace and seemed reckless. One of them had very heavy footsteps that sounded loud as they hit the ground.
Ge Zheng raised an eyebrow and turned into an alleyway.
The person behind quickly caught up, and when Ge Zheng emerged from the alley, he couldn't help but be stunned.
The chubby bear-man had a chain hammer hanging from his waist, and as he ran quickly, the fat around his waist and the clinking of the chain hammered incessantly, like a hula hoop.
"Ha ha!" The bear-man excitedly swayed his hips and clapped with his thick bear paws, "Look who it is, I wasn't wrong, an alchemist, yes, an alchemist!"
The green-haired elven archer smiled and said, "In Powell's mouth, the alchemist has become synonymous with you. It seems like he only knows one alchemist, you."
Ge Zheng couldn't help but smile, "Emma, Powell, it's you!"
Encountering old acquaintances in a foreign place made Ge Zheng feel a hint of warmth in spite of the bitter cold. Emma and Powell were also very happy. The simple bear clan man was a devout follower of the great Shaman, and the grand teachings of the High Shaman spoke about treating friends kindly, to allow the spring wind to revive everything on the great grassland overnight...
Powell pulled Ge Zheng up, wanting to invite him for a drink. Since Ge Zheng didn't have anything to do, he went to the tavern with Powell, linking arms with him.
"The Giant Sword Demon Tavern, do you guys also like coming here?" Ge Zheng was surprised. Powell's big palm patted the huge sign at the entrance and said with a smile, "This is our main base. If we're lucky, Saniel and Duke might be here now."
"Powell, get your fat hands off my sign. If anything happens to it, I'll ban you from entering my tavern!" After a roar, the pitiable Powell shrank back, saying sadly, "Old Knife, the great Shaman has taught us not to easily provoke your anger..."
The fat tavern owner, the famous adventurer Giant Sword Demon, had finished scolding Powell and then collapsed on the bar counter, falling asleep with a snore. It seemed that he had only momentarily regained consciousness, and Powell's preaching had been in vain.
Looking helpless, Powell pouted his big lips, looking comical.
"Come on, let's find a seat." Emma and her group were quite familiar at the tavern, with staff and customers greeting them along the way. They found an inconspicuous spot to sit down, and Powell ordered three mugs of barrel barley ale. The three of them hoisted their mugs cheerfully, "Cheers!" The milky and plump foam splashed out with a "pop."
Bao Wei took a big gulp and wiped his mouth with his thick "bear paw," saying, "Ge, we went to the mountain city to find you later, but you were gone. Had we known you were in Delson, we wouldn't have had to go so far. Ha ha ha!"
Ge Zheng smiled bitterly, "I got into some trouble in the mountain city, so I quietly slipped away. I lived in Ouba City for a while, and I only recently came to Delson. What about you guys? How have you been?"
Bao Wei let out a loud belch, drawing the attention of the people at nearby tables. He awkwardly covered his mouth, while Emma spoke for him, "We took on a few missions, registered a small mercenary group afterwards, and recruited a dozen or so members. But we don't have a headquarters yet. Once we finish this mission and get paid, we can establish a headquarters. You can visit then!"
Ge Zheng raised his glass with a smile, "Alright, I'll definitely come."
As the bar door creaked open, Bao Wei, sitting facing the door, could clearly see the person entering. A resigned expression appeared on his face. Muttering, he said, "Supreme Highest One, your devotees are about to defy your teachings again... "
Ge Zheng looked puzzled, while Emma frowned, "It's them again? We shouldn't have come here. They've ruined our mood."
"What's going on?" Ge Zheng asked. Before Bao Wei and his companion could respond, a hand with thick yellow fur was already resting on Ge Zheng's shoulder. "Hey, little guy who hasn't grown a full coat of fur yet, Emma and I have some private matters to discuss. Why don't you go sit over there."
Bao Wei was furious, "Baye, take your dirty hands off. This is my friend. If there's an issue, we'll settle it outside!"
Ge Zheng remained unmoved, but the man behind him exerted more force. Despite being shoved, Ge Zheng didn't budge. The guy called Baye was getting irritated, "You little brat! Just because you have a bit of skill, you think you can steal women from me, Baye!"
Emma, flushed with anger, rose from her seat, "Baye, stop talking nonsense. You want a fight? Let's go outside!"
Ge Zheng slowly turned around, revealing a row of lion-like men standing behind him. In the era of inter-tribal conflict, the lion, tiger, and bear tribes were all royal tribes of the beastmen.
Bao Wei only had two people on his side, while the other group had eight in total. All of them were lions with thick yellow fur all over their bodies and faces, looking like lions dressed in clothes.
Ge Zheng smiled faintly, "Just met a cow and now a few foolish lions."
"What did you say!" Baye shouted, "You're asking for trouble, kid!"
Even without practicing battle qi, relying on their innate divine strength, the lion people could reach the level of a third-tier warrior. Baye's intention was to intimidate Ge Zheng, so he didn't use his battle qi. His target was the table in front of Ge Zheng.
He believed that when Ge Zheng saw the table in front of him explode as it was struck, he would be pale and scared.
But as his strike landed, there was a loud "clang," and the shield in front of Ge Zheng, which seemed thin and probably not very defensive by conventional standards, effortlessly blocked the blow.
Ge Zheng raised an eyebrow, "Poor quality weapon."
Baye, taking a look, discovered how poor it truly was. Several of the metal nails on the mace had been bent. Baye cursed, "That damn alchemist cheated me out of six thousand gold coins and gave me this piece of junk!"
"Anyone paying for this? If not, let's take it outside and settle this," the old man with a huge sword mumbled, half-asleep again.
The lion, Baye, seemed to have some fear of the old man. Sneering at Bao Wei, he gestured, "One of you come out, or the bear people are nothing but soft dung eggs on the prairie!"
Though Bao Wei was good-natured, he couldn't tolerate such insults. Shouting, he jumped out.
Baye had already laid an ambush outside the door. As soon as Bao Wei emerged, a huge mace struck him on the head with a "whoosh."
The bear roared, raising his left arm to withstand the blow. "Clang," Bao Wei was forced to take a step back, as a metal armguard on his left arm blocked the strike.
Baye was also pushed back. Bao Wei let out a roar, yanking a chain hammer from his waist. The iron chain shook and clattered, emitting a dense blue battle qi, which gradually filled the entire chain hammer. Over Bao Wei's head, a green umbrella took shape.
"Roar!"
"Roar!"
Both sides of the beastmen roared in unison, the sound waves roiling. Bao Wei, who had been caught off guard a moment ago, was filled with rage and shouted, "Now it's your turn!"
The star hammer, the size of a human head, whistled down, with another one hidden behind it, following silently.
Baye, quite familiar with Bao Wei, swung his mace and launched two strikes, intercepting the two star hammers, then lunged towards Bao Wei.
Ge Zheng's expression changed, realizing that Baye was evenly matched with Bao Wei, who was at a disadvantage with the chain hammer in close quarters.
He wasn't familiar with Bao Wei, but just as he was about to step in to help, he saw Emma, composed and calm, standing on the sidelines, causing him to pause.
Bao Wei blocked with his arm, once again clashing with the metal armguard on his left arm. His other hand turned quickly, and the iron chain clattered as it wrapped around his arm, forming an iron chain glove on his right arm.
Bao Wei's right arm had doubled in thickness, swinging the massive steel arm at Baye, and the two began to fight.
The two had clearly fought before and didn't hold back. Seeing no probing attacks from either side, the lion's companions couldn't wait any longer and were itching to join the fight. Emma drew her longbow and shot an arrow, saying, "Stay put!"
The arrows, flying near the ears of the lion man, caused the rest of them to look unfriendly and spread out, three moving towards Bao Wei and the other four edging closer to Emma from different directions.
Emma remained unfazed, swiftly shooting arrows that kept the lion men at bay, but the situation for Bao Wei was deteriorating rapidly.
Suddenly having three more helpers, Baye was pushing Bao Wei back, sustaining two blows in a short time and receiving injuries. Bao Wei roared, "Apart from outnumbering others, do the Fire Lion Mercenary Group members have any other abilities?!"
Baye laughed heartily, "We just have numbers. What are you going to do about it? Tell Sanil, Bao Wei, not to think about that task. The Fire Lion Group has secured the contract, otherwise, the Frost Blade group will disappear from Delson sooner or later!"
Ge Zheng understood now. It was a struggle between mercenary groups, and Baye hadn't actually shown any interest in Emma. It was just a ploy to provoke the opponent.
Ge stood behind Emma, noticing the four individuals gradually closing in. He knew that if it continued, Emma's fate would be the same as Bao Wei's sooner or later. He reached into Emma's quiver and took out an arrow. Her arrows were slightly better than ordinary ones, with a heavier steel tip and longer feathers to control flight paths.
After a moment's thought, he took out a few magic crystals, quickly inscribed several magic arrays, then removed the arrowhead and attached a magic crystal one instead.
Emma had run out of long arrows in her quiver, so she took the arrows handed to her by Ge and shot without looking. The opponents were getting closer, and four arrows were rapidly shot off, prompting Emma to realize that the arrows were heavier. She was about to turn back to ask Ge, but the arrows suddenly changed in mid-air, rotating and emitting sparks from the crude magic crystal arrowheads before accelerating and flying towards the lion men.
The magic crystals were hard to polish, and Ge's creations were makeshift. The ore was leftovers from alchemy, irregular and crude, akin to stone arrows used by prehistoric humans.
The flames produced by the arrow were not as strong as even basic fireball magic, and posed no real threat to the lion warriors' shields.
The lion warriors, seeing the arrows, raised their shields without hesitation, preparing to advance a few meters under cover.
"Oh..." Emma, seeing the arrows' effect, became agitated, reaching out and saying, "Arrows, quickly, give me my arrows!" Ge grinned, "No need to be anxious."
Emma couldn't help but feel anxious. If the four men got within two meters, her bow and arrows would be useless, and without the deterrent effect of her bow, how could a female elf withstand four lion warriors?
Just as Emma was urgently asking for the arrows, she heard four screams. Looking over, she saw the lion warriors falling one after another, each with an arrow sticking out of them, the arrows identical to hers.
"What's going on?" Emma hadn't grasped what happened. The lion warriors dropped their shields and retreated in disarray. Each person had an arrow lodged in them, clearly Emma's arrows.
Emma looked quizzically at Ge, who shrugged, "It's just a higher rotation speed, enhancing armor-penetrating ability."
He handed over four more arrows, also modified by himself. Having long been irritated by Baye, Emma took her first shot at him. Accelerating the flames, the arrow flew like a fiery snake and landed in front of Baye.
"Ah!" This sudden arrow caught him off guard. Baoye quickly raised his arm, but a sharp pain followed. He let out a cry, only to be cut off halfway, as the arrow had pierced through his sturdy arm, its tip spinning and getting closer to his forehead!
The rotating arrowhead drove the arrow shaft, grinding against Baoye's forearm, causing excruciating pain. Despite this, Baoye ignored the pain and forcefully seized the arrow shaft, halting its movement. The magical crystal arrowhead was now just a finger's width away from his forehead.
Drenched in sweat, his yellow lion fur clung to his body. The other three lion people were at a loss for a moment. Emma opened her bow, the magical crystal arrow gleaming with a cold light. "Take this mangy cat and leave. I don't want to see him again!" Baoye held his bloodied arm and, enduring the pain, said, "Let's go!" The remaining three quickly helped him escape.
Ge Zhengshan went to help Baoye, but the bear-man pushed him away. He touched his own wound and said, "It's nothing, just a minor injury, just disrupting our gathering. That scoundrel Baoye!" Although he said it was nothing, he could not help but grimace in pain, making Ge Zheng unable to hold back a laugh.
Ge Zheng and Emma helped Baoye to receive treatment. Ge Zheng had intended to find Gronia, but Baoye, a loyal follower of the Shaman Supreme God, refused to go to any temple outside the Supreme God's temple. The two had no choice but to take him to the Orc Temple. Spending several dozen gold coins, the orc shaman priest was quite skilled, and when Baoye came out, he was once again a lively and robust black, chubby bear.
After leaving the Orc Temple, Ge Zheng asked, "Who is this Baoye, and why did you have a conflict with him?" Baoye replied bluntly, "That mangy cat has also formed a mercenary group, gathering riffraff from the market and bullying smaller mercenary groups. Of course, we are not willing to accept this. We clashed a few times, and he has held a grudge ever since. Every time we take a mission, he has to interfere. Every time I see him, I beat him."
Ge Zheng chuckled knowing that this was probably the boastful talk of the chubby bear, but he did not expose it. Emma's eyes sparkled as she looked at Ge Zheng, who seemed hesitant to say something. Ge Zheng straightforwardly said, "I can help you craft a magic arrow, but my price is not cheap. Do you have enough gold coins?" Emma clapped her hands, saying, "Don't worry, money is not a problem!" Emma was definitely not extravagant enough to say "money is not a problem," but it slipped out in her excitement.
Unfortunately, someone walked by at that moment and overheard Ge Zheng's "my price is not cheap" and Emma's comment. Baoye, looking like a bodyguard, was standing behind Emma. The passerby shook their head and sighed, "Ah, the nobility these days, truly decadent, even at such a young age they're hiring gigolos." Another person looked at Ge Zheng with an odd gaze and said, "Not bad, but this sort shouldn't be too expensive, I suppose..."
Ge Zheng and Emma's faces were very interesting, and Baoye thought it was not right, so he took the opportunity to step out. "Hahaha..." Baoye laughed, clutching his bulging belly.
It was already late, and Ge Zheng and Emma exchanged addresses and went their separate ways. Outside the inn, the third prince's carriage had disappeared, and Ge Zheng breathed a sigh of relief, no longer needing to sneak over the wall in the middle of the night.
During breakfast, the alchemical proposition for the day had already been delivered in the Imperial City. This time, the chosen match was, as expected, between the third prince and another mediocre contestant.
Ge Zheng flipped through a couple of pages, and Dinora exclaimed loudly, "Freak, don't hold back this time. You must produce the best work. I don't believe that if your work is several levels better than Laurent's, those judges can still downplay its power!"
Solgviel daringly spoke up during the meal for the first time, "It's no use. You don't know how shameless humans can be!"
Dinora glared at him, "Are you not human?" Solgviel felt a little embarrassed, but he thought his wise brain had helped him, "Can't I engage in self-critical reflection?"
"Don't argue," Ge Zheng waved his hand, "I know what to do."
Norodon said, "Master, if you keep losing, it's not good for our future business plans." Ge Zheng sighed helplessly, "I understand this, but if the judges take someone else's gold coins and don't judge me as the winner, what can I do? Do I also have to give gold coins?" Everyone was at a loss for words for a while.
Miss Fifi said, "Teacher is right. Even if the teacher makes a spear and Laurent makes a shield, and the teacher's spear pierces the shield, those judges would still say it's because the third prince's fighting spirit is purer, not because of the teacher's superior workmanship."