Chapter 147 - Cardu City

Chapter 147: Chapter 140: Cardu CityAfter Lu Hong and the old Hank conducted some reconnaissance, they finally understood Yuanhua’s current situation.

It could be said that the situation for the empire was very poor, being beaten back continuously by the Golden Family.

At that moment, they were considering how they could involve themselves in the military conflict to slow down the Golden Family’s advance.

"It’s still the same old tactic, hit their supply line, that’s all we need to do." Old Hank pointed to the nearest official road to them, "Isn’t this the Silver Family’s supply route? Just attack it."

"The Silver Family is subordinated to the Golden Family. If we can cause internal strife within the Silver Family, it would definitely alleviate the front line’s situation." Old Hank was spot on.

Lu Hong nodded in agreement, then said, "Not only that, I also found out that the Silver Family’s eldest son is currently handling the logistics and military supplies in Cardu City. Why don’t we take him out too?"

"That’d be great, but the risk is quite high. If they find out and seal off the city gates in time, then our chances of escape would be slim." Old Hank was concerned about his clansmen and didn’t want to take too big of a risk.

"You don’t need to go," Lu Hong shook his head, "I can do it alone. You lead people to set an ambush along the supply line, while I sneak into Cardu City and try to assassinate this eldest son of the Silver Family. We’ll proceed on two fronts."

"Are you sure?" Old Hank didn’t doubt Lu Hong’s abilities but knew that without understanding the enemy’s strength and deployment, the chance of surviving such an assassination, even if successful, would be very low.

"Of course, I will not only kill but also set up measures to sow discord," Lu Hong confirmed once more, "Rest assured, I won’t act rashly. Besides, such a big city can’t hide one person like me, can it?"

"Alright then, safety first," Old Hank patted Lu Hong’s shoulder and said, "It’s said that every three days, there will be a batch of supplies passing through this official road. Tomorrow is the day for delivering supplies. I’ll burn their supplies and then come to the outside of Cardu City to support you."

"Okay." Lu Hong took off his space ring and handed it to Old Hank, "Keep this ring with you; if you see something good, keep it; don’t destroy everything, that would be a shame."

Though Lu Hong had a space ring, there wasn’t really anything good inside. He snatched it from the Rat King back then, thinking there might be some treasures inside, but to his disappointment, it was filled with women’s clothes and quite a few toys for pleasure. As for any treasures, they were probably already offered to the Golden Lion.

After the two detailedly plotted things out once more, Lu Hong set off alone towards Cardu City.

Cardu City was still quite some distance from their hiding place. After nearly a day of a mad dash, Lu Hong finally arrived outside the city in the afternoon.

After paying a ten copper coin entry fee, Lu Hong easily entered Cardu City. It seemed that the Golden Family hadn’t paid much attention to their small unit yet. After all, they were just a small force of over a hundred people. If they caused a great stir, it would make the Golden Family look incompetent.

Cardu City was a medium-sized city, entirely allocated to the management of the Silver Family. As most of the Silver Family’s soldiers were involved in the front line battle, the defense was relatively weak.

It was still early. Lu Hong wasn’t in a rush, so he wandered around inside Cardu City, seeing if he could gather more useful information.

If anywhere in addition to the bars at night was easiest to gather information, it must be the tea house. However, tea, being such a commodity, wasn’t produced in all realms. At least, it wasn’t produced on the Continent of God’s Grace. Thus, drinking tea there was certainly a status symbol since it involved inter-realm transportation, which naturally included logistics costs.

Yuanhua was a realm rich in various teas, and this was the largest industry chain of the Golden Family.

Lu Hong walked into a large tea house. Inside was a bustling atmosphere of people resting and chatting in the afternoon.

"Boss, a pot of good tea please," Lu Hong estimated his sparse gold coins and glanced at the tea house’s price list. Though a bit strapped for cash, he could still afford one spend.

"Right away!" The waiter quickly brought over a set of exquisite tea utensils and began brewing the tea on-site for Lu Hong.

"Enjoy your tea." The waiter took the two gold coins Lu Hong pushed over and smiled, "You must be visiting our small establishment for the first time."

"You guessed right," Lu Hong smiled, without offering any explanation of his identity.

"Then you came to the right place. My tea house is the best in Cardu City, even in the North District, we are well known."

"Oh? Then I must have a good taste."

"Certainly, enjoy your tea."

Lu Hong carefully tasted a sip, and indeed, he couldn’t discern its quality.

Putting aside the matter of tea, Lu Hong’s attention shifted around the room as he strained his ears to listen.

However, this tea house was not like a bar, being quieter, with tables spread far apart, and conversations were kept very low, making eavesdropping difficult for Lu Hong as he could barely hear anything.

"My friend, are you here to gather information?" A shabby-looking man approached Lu Hong, "If you could buy me a cup of tea, I might know something."

"Please sit." Lu Hong poured a cup of tea for the man and asked, "How did you figure out that I was here for information?" Sёarch* The Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Haha, it’s not difficult. Who comes to drink tea and looks around aimlessly? Besides, you’re not a local from Yuanhua; tea drinking isn’t a common habit in other realms, I presume?" This man wasn’t entirely sure, but he felt there was no harm in taking a chance with Lu Hong.

"Haha, you have a keen eye."

The man savored a sip, sighed, and said, "This is the taste, just as before, nothing has changed."

"Have you enjoyed it before?"

The man nodded, "My name is Andre. I was to be the next city lord of Cardu City. To show goodwill, the Golden Family allocated Cardu City to the Silver Family when it merged with them, and I was removed from the city lord position."

"Even without the city lord position, Brother An should not be in such a poor state, right?" Lu Hong was dubious; a man set to be the next city lord couldn’t possibly fall to such a state where he couldn’t afford a cup of tea.

Andre gave a bitter smile, "It’s not like that. It’s my family’s unreasonable wife. Upon hearing I couldn’t be the city’s lord, she went to the Silver Family and caused trouble, angering them. As the saying goes, a new official’s three fires; the Silver Family’s first fire burned my family to ruins. I was lucky to survive, but my family was completely destroyed."

After hearing Andre’s story, Lu Hong tentatively asked, "Do you wish for revenge?"

"No, I don’t," Andre shook his head, "Even though the main force of the Silver Family is at the front, I have no hope of revenge."

"By the way, speaking of the front line, do you know much about it, Brother An?" Lu Hong changed the subject. It was best not to expose his target for now.

"The front line is doing alright. The initial momentum of the empire’s aggression has been curbed entirely by the Third Young Lady. I heard the empire’s troops have been repeatedly pushed back and are huddled defensively in Baiyun Mountain."

"Let me tell you. Baiyun Mountain is not a good place," Andre opened up further, "The geography there is very poor, easy to attack, hard to defend. If I were the empire’s commander, I would never retreat into there. Of course, the fact that the empire’s troops retreated into Baiyun Mountain can’t be separated from the Third Young Lady’s strategy."

"Easy to attack, hard to defend? Does that mean the empire is doomed?" Lu Hong asked further.

Andre shook his head, "It’s still early. Rumors from the front say there are two exceptionally powerful individuals in the imperial troops. One of their identities has been confirmed as the Third Palace Master of the Ice Snow Shrine."

Lu Hong was stunned. Why wasn’t it Lai Li? What on earth was the Ice Snow Shrine? How come he hadn’t heard of it?

"As for the other, all we know is she is a bodyguard of Fina Noro, a rare soul-walker occupation. But her specific identity remains unknown."

"Brother An, what is the Ice Snow Shrine?" After learning that Lai Li was the second mysterious expert, Lu Hong turned his attention to the Third Palace Master.

"You don’t seem to be from the Continent of God’s Grace." Andre seemed completely at ease now, his words unreserved, "The Ice Snow Shrine is a very famous force on the Continent of God’s Grace, almost everyone knows it."

Very famous? Why don’t I know? Is this how you concluded I’m not from there? Lu Hong thought helplessly.

"It’s located in the northern boundaries of the Sacred Empire, founded by the Blue Tower Master, one of the Seven Towers. The Blue Tower Master is the Grand Palace Master of the Ice Snow Shrine. As for the Third Palace Master, it’s said she’s the woman most likely to inherit the Blue Tower Master position in a hundred years, and her understanding of ice spells nearly rivals the master’s."

"But I’ve heard Fina Noro was ambushed a while back and remains unconscious. With such a powerful expert by her side, how did she get hurt?" Lu Hong was evidently puzzled about Nono’s injury.

"Ah," Andre drank another cup of tea, a bit smug, "Although the Third Palace Master of the Ice Snow Shrine is formidable, the Golden Family is not without strong figures, like the Fourth Divine Envoy, Master Huo Lie, a Third Transition Peak powerhouse who’s even mastered a Secret Skill. It’s said he’s only one step short of becoming a god."

Secret Skill...

Lu Hong hadn’t heard the term for some time, having once stumbled upon it in online forums regarding games. It was the ultimate skill of each class, representing the first step toward godhood, but the path was long.

Nevertheless, someone who mastered a secret technique was of the highest caliber. Lu Hong hadn’t considered that the Golden Family had such forces standing by.

A Secret Skill is a most personalized skill, embedding one’s unique imprint onto the strongest skill of each class, from the passive mastery to the first creation step.

"Let me tell you, during the empire’s frenzy of invasion, Master Huo Lie’s Secret Skill, the Burning Realm: Scorching Plains, burned three thousand soldiers of the empire. It was a frightening scene to imagine."

"Indeed, it’s frightening." Though it was negative news, Lu Hong had to acknowledge their strength. To have such combat power while being suppressed to Second Transition Level 6 was truly impressive.

"Of course, the Third Palace Master of the Ice Snow Shrine is also formidable, halting Master Huo Lie’s advance," Andre said, "Anyway, despite the empire not facing immediate defeat, their desperate struggle’s outcome is already fated."