MMORPG: War God, You are Invincible Again
Chapter 390 - 145: Target! Mercenary Continent

Chapter 390: Chapter 145: Target! Mercenary Continent

"What to do?" Caesar chuckled, "What can I do?"

"If we don’t think of something, the Sea Clan will eventually break through our defenses." Lu Hong said gravely, "Do you really have no plan at all?"

"There are plans, but... they are difficult to carry out." Caesar tapped his fingers lightly on the table and after a moment he said, "There are three ways, but right now, there’s no suitable person to execute them. However, now that you’re back, you might be able to give them a try."

"Which three ways?"

"First, reclaim the planes that have slipped out of the Empire’s control beneath the Star Sea. There are no fewer than hundreds of such planes. Together, they could provide a substantial living force to replenish the Empire. Or we could resolve the dilemmas faced by the planes under the Empire’s command. According to reports sent back by Black Pupil, the elven race and a church known as the Disaster Church are continuously causing chaos; for instance, in Umbra and many other planes, large and small, nearly thirty in total are suffering from invasions. Solving this issue would also provide a significant amount of living military force for the Empire."

Lu Hong didn’t even need to think about it; he knew he couldn’t do it, so he asked about the second option.

"The second way, well, is to ask the Eagle Alliance for help. If the Eagle Alliance were willing to send troops, the problem could be greatly alleviated."

"I’ve tried that, the Eagle Alliance has recently encountered a major crisis too. With Lei Shan’s betrayal, the other three Dukes prefer to stabilize the internal situation before making any plans," Lu Hong shook his head, rejecting Caesar’s second suggestion.

"Then there’s only the last option left," Caesar said. "You know about mercenaries, right?"

"Yes, what about them? Didn’t the mercenaries participate in this national war?" Lu Hong was surprised. After all, nearly seventy percent of mercenaries are human, and in a war concerning the survival of the human nations, it would be indefensible not to participate.

"They didn’t, and even if the Empire funds mercenary missions, no single mercenary legion is willing to take them up."

"Why not?" Lu Hong found this incomprehensible.

"Because of the newly crowned Mercenary King," Caesar explained in a deep voice. "At the onset of the war between the Empire and the Sea Clan, most of the mercenary groups on the Mercenary Continent had prepared for battle and had fully deployed and distributed their forces with the Empire—this is all on record. But then, out of nowhere, a mercenary group issued the challenge for the Mercenary King, defeating all the leaders of the mercenary groups and becoming the new Mercenary King."

The mercenaries of the Mercenary Continent abide by the ancient rules of the mercenary world; with the birth of the Mercenary King, they become the emperor of the Mercenary Continent, a legend in the mercenary world, and all mercenary groups must obey his edicts.

And this new Mercenary King, he issued just one decree: a strict prohibition on participating in any of the Empire’s current conflicts.

"Damn it!" Lu Hong slammed the table. "This is a clear targeting of the Empire. Who is this guy? Is he human or some kind of messed up spectral creature?"

"He is human, and...," Caesar said, his voice growing heavier, "it’s highly likely he’s from the Third Infernal family."

"At first, I didn’t think it was related, but after you told me about Lei Shan’s betrayal and his backing from the Infernal family, I seemed to find a reasonable explanation. The man who ascended the mercenary throne is Fang Tianhao, leader of the Howling Mercenary Group. According to investigations, three years ago he was merely an Early Stage Third Transition strongman; yet, in less than three years, he swept across the Mercenary Continent with strength rivaling that of a Tower Master. He definitely must have had secret backing. Yesterday, the Lion King conveyed a message to the Empire stating that the force besieging the Tower Masters originated from the ancient Infernal realms. Therefore, I deduce that the Howling Mercenary Group that is restraining the mercenary world is the Third Infernal family."

Again, the Infernal realm. Connecting all the dots, Lu Hong found that the Infernal realm seemed to be taking advantage of the Sea Clan invasion to set up a grand strategy. The demon race, elven race, and Disaster Church were likely all involved, and their main target was probably the fall of the Sacred Empire.

"I’ll make a trip to the Mercenary Continent," Lu Hong declared. "If we can resolve this Mercenary King, the Empire will get a chance to breathe, right?"

"Of course. Though mercenaries lack top powerhouses, their numbers are huge. While the various planes have many people, only about ten or twenty percent could be turned into soldiers. But it’s different with the Mercenary Continent—with millions of inhabitants, it’s an entire nation of soldiers. One plane can match the strength of ten ordinary planes. Moreover, these mercenaries possess their own legacy, combat techniques, and teamwork, which undoubtedly makes them more formidable than the Empire’s regular forces; they are a force to be reckoned with." Caesar held the mercenaries in high regard. Mercenaries might not have many top powerhouses, but that didn’t mean they were weak. During his full victory period, Landry managed to escape from the clutches of Tai’e, and there were certainly others just as powerful, simply unknown.

"Good, I’ll head to the Mercenary Continent then." Lu Hong nodded, accepting the task.

Caesar couldn’t help but laugh. "What’s the hurry, kid? What could you possibly do once you get there? The current Mercenary King, Landry, has nearly Tower Master level combat prowess. Are you going there to die?"

"Um...," Lu Hong grimaced, he really was too weak!

"There is a way," Caesar’s tone shifted, "I can lend you strength, of course, if your body can withstand it."

Lu Hong recalled the spell curse Caesar had placed in his mind before: "Like before in the Endless Forest?"

"Similar, but spell curses are too low-level, they won’t solve the problem. I can, through the Holy Emperor Sword, channel Divine Power into your body using the spell curse as a medium. However, this method consumes a lot, and I can only do it once. Plus, I can’t guarantee your life. You might just explode halfway through the process."

"I’m in," Lu Hong gritted his teeth. He wasn’t one to shrink from difficulty, and with the Sacred Empire facing crises, as a transmigrator, it was his duty and obligation to save the Human Race.

"Good, rest here today. I’ll go and prepare the Array."

Before, Caesar might not have come up with this method, but after a deep study of the Holy Emperor Sword, he discovered an Array inscribed in the sword that could be utilized. One of them was a small Array etched at the bottom of a cup used for insulation—not for heating, but for replenishing Magic Power, achieving a perpetual effect.

Caesar’s research was still not complete, hence the self-regulating warm cup.

Another Array that Caesar mastered was the energy transmission Array, which was also a fundamental condition for Lu Hong to be qualified to resolve the issues on the mercenary continent.

Even with his current strength, even at full effort, Lu Hong was no match for a Tower Master. The Eagle Alliance’s Zun Long seemed powerful enough but still left Lu Hong at his wit’s ends. After all, Zun Long was not as good as Xina or Raven, and as for Xina and Raven, they were only barely comparable to Tower Masters. When put together, the gap was immediately evident.

Caesar had Lu Hong stay overnight, probably because he had more to discuss with him.

Sure enough, after spending all afternoon preparing the Array, Caesar brought two bottles of fine wine into the partition prepared for Lu Hong that evening.

"Come, how about a drink?" Caesar squinted and smiled.

"Sure," Lu Hong did not ask about Lock Fan or Lai Li, guessing that Caesar would mention them soon enough.

As expected, after two glasses of wine, Caesar began to open up. Lai Li’s search for Lock Fan had yielded no news to date, which worried him as a father. He wanted to search for him, too, but with the sea tribe threat still present, he couldn’t spare the effort and had to confine himself to this secret chamber, waiting for an opportunity.

And Lu Hong was the opportunity he was waiting for. Even though Caesar wasn’t very optimistic about his strength, he was, after all, one of their own and could handle many matters. While Nightingale and others within the Black Iris could be relied upon, some things just couldn’t be substituted.

In casual conversation, Lu Hong also brought up Anna. Caesar chuckled, "You boy, dumping the woman you hooked up with in the Eagle Alliance on me, what do you expect me to do with her? I’ve sent her to Nightingale. Once you’ve taken care of business on the mercenary continent, I’ll have Nightingale bring her back."

"No rush, as long as she’s safe," Lu Hong nodded. He had too much on his plate right now to deal with, and it wasn’t the right time to meet.

"I say, kid, do you have a thing for older women? This Anna looks quite a bit older than you, so are Danni and Lando, haha!"

"Ah... love is blind, what does age matter!"

Hearing Lu Hong’s forced defense, Caesar didn’t pursue it and just leisurely said, "This wine... it should taste quite good, right?" Caesar had lost his sense of taste and couldn’t discern the flavor of the wine, but if he restrained his Magic Power, he could still get drunk.

"It’s alright," Lu Hong thought for a moment before suggesting, "Do you remember the solution I told you about before?"

"Nonsense, didn’t your woman come and remind me again?" With that, Caesar’s eyes became deep, "You think I don’t know what you’re up to? The Heart of Naga... isn’t it right in front of us?"

Lu Hong had sent Anna with that message to remind Caesar that the three seemingly unattainable items needed to solve his taste problem were actually within reach.

"As long as we can kill the Naga Queen, the first item would be accounted for," said Lu Hong. "And for the second item, the Soul of the Dragon, I’ve prepared it for you." The Ancestor Dragon was sleeping within him, borrowing a bit of the Power of Soul was not a problem.

"Really?" Caesar’s eyes brightened, leaving only the Blood of the Lion King left to find. It wasn’t too difficult; just needed to catch Tai’e off guard, draw some blood... well, let’s leave that for later. Overpowering Tai’e... haha!