MMORPG: War God, You are Invincible Again
Chapter 396 - 151: King of Mercenaries

Chapter 396: Chapter 151: King of Mercenaries

The mercenaries who drank the Soul Water all had worried expressions, and Bai Baiwan’s face was even paler.

They had been promised a great increase in strength, but they hadn’t expected the cost to be so high.

"I knew it... I knew it..." Not many who became Third Transition mercenaries were fools; there was no such thing as a free lunch, a sentiment deeply engraved in their hearts. Although Bai Baiwan didn’t know how much the cost of enhanced strength would be, he figured it would be within an acceptable range, considering his past dealings with a vile substance that could control life and death with just a sip.

"Baiwan!" Hu Fo said sharply, pulling back Bai Baiwan who was on the verge of madness.

"Hu Fo... what should I do? What should I do?" Bai Baiwan was hysterical, letting out a roar.

"Ah!" Luo Bolun sighed, then said, "There’s always a way. Now that Fang Tianhao is dead, we’re temporarily safe. The urgent task is to find a solution."

As Luo Bolun spoke, his gaze locked onto Lu Hong, and the people around seemed to think of something and also stared intently at Lu Hong.

Since he recognized the Soul Water, he should naturally know the method to counter it.

"Why are you all looking at me?" Lu Hong reluctantly shook his head, "Recognizing Soul Water is one thing, deciphering it is another."

"But you didn’t say it was impossible," Bai Baiwan’s eyes sparked with hope. After all, who would want to be controlled?

"There is a way, but it’s difficult," Lu Hong paused and said, "Soul Water is the filthiest water under heaven, able to corrode and corrupt the soul of the fallen. Only the purest water in the world can neutralize it."

"Where is this purest water?" Bai Baiwan’s question gripped everyone’s hearts.

Lu Hong’s lips curved into a smile, "In the den of the Naga Queen."

Upon hearing this, Luo Bolun and others furrowed their brows. Was this some kind of coercion, or was it...

"Are you serious?" Bai Baiwan asked through clenched teeth, "Should you swear an oath?"

"Of course, I can swear by the name of the Heavenly God that I am telling the truth."

"It makes no sense," Luo Bolun shook his head, "Have you been to the den of the Naga Queen? As far as I know, even the records of the empire barely mention the Nagas."

Luo Bolun wasn’t trying to undermine Lu Hong intentionally, but the situation was serious. The purpose of Lu Hong’s arrival wasn’t difficult to guess.

Thus, when Lu Hong mentioned that the solution lay in the den of the Naga Queen, most mercenary leaders’ first thought was that he was pressuring them to join the empire’s war effort.

There were many ways to persuade the mercenary world to join the war effort of the empire, and deception was the lowest. If this information proved to be unconfirmed, Lu Hong would become the enemy of the entire mercenary world. Luo Bolun had to consider this carefully.

"Rest assured, Uncle Luo, I am not deceiving anyone. But I must make it clear to you in advance that even if you obtain the purest water, it won’t completely remove the control of the Soul Water; you would simply possess the will to resist when someone tries to control you. Whether you can resist or not still depends on yourselves," Lu Hong spoke calmly. "I hope you would help the empire fight the Naga. I won’t resort to unscrupulous methods. If you wish to help, that would be best, but if not, I don’t mind, as long as you don’t stab us in the back."

Having said so much, Bai Baiwan was no longer hesitant, "I believe you. My million mercenary corps will reorganize in three days and head to the empire’s frontlines to help fight the Nagas. If we can defeat the Naga, I hope you can help me obtain the purest water."

"Don’t worry, we’ll definitely defeat the Naga Queen," Lu Hong responded with a smile.

Led by Bai Baiwan, a large number of mercenary groups expressed their willingness to help the empire fight the Naga, and Luo Bolun agreed as well, then looked at Hu Fo, "What say your scathed warriors?"

Hu Fo shook his head slightly, "Honestly, I don’t really want to get involved in this war. From the information we have, the Naga’s forces are almost endless, while our numbers dwindle the more we fight. At this rate, the empire will ultimately be defeated."

Clearly, Hu Fo didn’t take the young man’s words to heart.

Lu Hong was not pleased, "Commander Hu Fo, the empire will surely be victorious."

"And why is that?" Hu Fo looked at Lu Hong, "War is no child’s play."

At this moment, Yan Xinghe also spoke up, "If Baron Sir can provide a convincing reason, my Merciless Flame Mercenary Corps will also join the battle. After all, we are all of the Human Race. Commander Hu Fo thinks so too, but we need to consider not only our own kind but also our brothers’ lives; they can’t be sacrificed in vain."

"A reason?" Lu Hong paused, then said, "The Naga Queen is about to give birth, she will enter a weakened state, and her strength will be greatly reduced. If several peak warriors join forces, they can kill her. Once the Naga Queen dies, the Sea Tribe will be leaderless. Although the Sea Tribe is vast, the various races do not get along. Without the Naga Queen to suppress them, we won’t even need to act; the Sea Tribe will descend into chaos, and their defeat will be inevitable."

"The queen is pregnant?!" Lan Sa’s heart skipped a beat, "Who told you all this?"

"What’s it to you?" Lu Hong glanced sideways, "Uncle Lan, doesn’t everyone have their own sources?"

Lu Hong couldn’t answer Lan Sa’s question; he surely couldn’t admit it was just a speculation from playing video games, could he?

"Hah!" Lan Sa chuckled bitterly. This kid was really standing up to him now, probably dissatisfied with what had been said earlier.

Meanwhile, Hu Fo fell into deep thought. Yan Xinghe, on the other hand, didn’t think much about it. As long as Hu Fo was in, he would join too; he trusted Hu Fo, and if there was anyone who was conservative in the mercenary world, it had to be Hu Fo.

At that moment, Luo Bolun whispered, "Boss, let’s join the battle!"

Hu Fo glanced at Luo Bolun, then made up his mind, "Alright, the War Scars Mercenary Group is willing to fight."

"Then my Blazing Flames Mercenary Group is also ready to join the battle."

With the last two major mercenary group leaders’ nod of approval, the entire mercenary world agreed to join the battle.

Though the mercenary realm was not a top force, its strength was not to be underestimated. They would bring vitality to the empire and rejuvenate the nearly exhausted imperial forces.

"Thank you, everyone. I represent Konstantin and thank you all in advance!" Lu Hong bowed deeply, "I know the cost of joining this battle is immense, and many of us might die, possibly without retrieving even whole corpses. But the empire is the foundation of the Human Race. Without the empire, the Human Race will suffer endless humiliation in the Star Sea. This battle is not for ourselves, but for the continuation and future of the Human Race."

Lan Sa patted Lu Hong on the shoulder, "Kid, you speak grandly. But isn’t there still the Eagle Alliance if the empire falls?"

Lu Hong shook his head, "Having returned from the Eagle Alliance, I can tell you it’s also in constant turmoil. Lei Shan, as a minion of the underworld, has hollowed out a significant amount of military power from within the Eagle Alliance. This ticking time bomb could explode at any moment and shatter the Eagle Alliance to pieces."

Everything Lu Hong said was true; these were also the greatest worries of the three Dukes. When Lei Shan returned, the Eagle Alliance would face another existential battle.

The group of leaders sensed the impending grave crisis and couldn’t help but turn a bit pale. Truth be told, they had planned that if the empire fell and the sea tribes expanded outward, they would seek refuge with the Eagle Alliance, as they were not citizens of the Sacred Empire and the Eagle Alliance had no reason to refuse their allegiance.

But what if the Eagle Alliance couldn’t be relied upon either?

Lan Sa took a deep breath, "Then we have no choice but to fight with our backs to the water!"

Yes, a fight with their backs to the water!

Suddenly!

A dazzling white light burst forth from Mercenary Cliff.

Bai Baiwan’s eyes widened as he watched transparent souls drift out, "The... the King of Mercenaries?!"

Yes, the first generation King of Mercenaries had awoken from his slumber.

And the King of Mercenaries, without a word, raised his index finger and pointed at Lu Hong.

Then, a colorful crown appeared out of thin air, slowly floating to the top of Lu Hong’s head and resting there.

Seeing this, the faces of the mercenary group leaders all changed.

Lu Hong, with a puzzled face, asked, "What’s wrong?"

Amidst speaking, a purple rose medal also materialized on Lu Hong’s chest. This was the insignia of the Rose Mercenary Group. Since the death of the first generation King of Mercenaries, the Rose Mercenary Group had been disbanded and had never been seen again. Now, affirmed by the first generation King of Mercenaries, Lu Hong had inherited this legendary mercenary group and become the proud leader of the Rose Mercenary Group, albeit currently with zero members.

"We salute the King of Mercenaries!"

With the crown’s coronation, Lu Hong needed no one’s affirmation—he was the ruler of the mercenary world!