"What are you all standing around for?"
Xia Yu put on a fierce posture and spoke: "Hurry up and get up. You've been cured; do you still want to hog the space?"
"Now go find a place to clear off the Originium Crystals from your bodies. Be careful not to cut yourselves!"
Faced with her words, the Sarkaz Mercenaries merely remained motionless, feeling the changes within their bodies.
However, when Little Tarnished directly pulled out the Giant-Crusher and slammed it into the ground, they suddenly became quite sensible.
Every single one of them ran like the wind!
"Can't communicate without a beating?" Xia Yu shook her head at the sight. "Is this just how the Sarkaz are?"
"Doctor Bailu..." Chen Huijie's voice was a bit dry. "That thing just now was..."
"Yeah, what was it? What was it?" Nian wasn't nearly as awestruck as her; she leaned right into Xia Yu's face.
"Lichdragon Fortissax," Xia Yu replied briefly. "A defeated opponent of Sister Tarnished. After defeating it, Sister Tarnished gained its power."
"Mainly, it's because my skills are lacking. If I had summoned the Dragon Lord..."
"There's absolutely no need for that!" Upon hearing this, Chen Huijie nearly jumped out of her skin. "Doctor Bailu, if there is ever a need for action, please just tell me. The LGD will sweep away all obstacles!"
If that dragon from just now had gone on a rampage in Lungmen... the LGD would likely have had no way to deal with it.
Those two pairs of wings weren't just for show!
Once it took flight, everyone would be left staring helplessly.
"That's a dragon from the West, right?" Nian leaned in again. "I didn't expect such things to actually exist. But how come I haven't heard of them after all these years?"
"Because they're basically all dead," Xia Yu stated. "Sister Tarnished's blade was relentless. From the Dragon Lord down to the Ancient Dragons below him, she cut through them all."
"From the Demigods of the Golden Order to the powerhouses of every race, she essentially killed her way through them all, ascending to the throne by sheer force."
"Hiss, sounds terrifying," Nian hissed. That Dragon Lord sounded like a Feranmut-level entity, yet he was actually killed by someone.
"Why is such a figure unheard of?"
This was what she was most puzzled by.
"To reverse the fate of one person, Sister Tarnished chose to receive the Frenzied Flame herself. After achieving her goal, she went to Farum Azula to seal it, beating Dragonlord Placidusax along the way."
Xia Yu shrugged. "After that, the glorious Golden Order was already half-dead because of the disorder of life and death, so she chose to hide the history regarding herself and the dynasty to prevent anyone from following history to seek the power of the Frenzied Flame."
"To think she was such a great figure?" Nian didn't harbor any doubts. Mostly, that Lichdragon clearly wasn't something to be trifled with; even its suppressed Incandescent Red Lightning made her wary.
"Alright, let's end the small talk here," Xia Yu turned to look toward the square, where LGD officers and the people from Graytail Hall had already expertly set up the venue.
"Let the treatment begin."
Seeing this, the two of them couldn't ask further and could only let her begin the Free Clinic first.
Meanwhile, the Governor's Mansion on the other side had exploded in chaos.
When the silhouette of Lichdragon Fortissax emerged in the slums, the Rat King shot to his feet, staring fixedly in that direction.
As an Ancient Dragon, the truth was that Lichdragon Fortissax's presence in the Deathbed Companion's questline wasn't remarkably high, but according to the lore, its strength was definitely extraordinary.
After all, it was one of the last remaining Ancient Dragons. That hand of Red Lightning and that abstract domain surely left a deep impression on every opponent who had faced it.
At the moment the Lichdragon appeared, the sky over the slums began to distort! Red Lightning gathered within the dark clouds.
Of course, such a massive commotion was purely intentional on Xia Yu's part. Even without turning into a Lichdragon, the Tarnished was more than enough to handle those Sarkaz.
After all, she had only become smaller in stature, not weaker in stats.
But Xia Yu needed to reveal a power that was strong, yet not overwhelmingly strong.
She wanted to fish.
As for who she was fishing for...
She still had to make a trip to the Snowfield, after all.
However, while she was having a blast, Wei Yenwu was suffering a great deal.
When that Giant Dragon emerged in Lungmen, he almost grabbed his weapon and rushed out.
Fortunately, the dragon came quickly and left just as fast.
He had also learned the details of the incident from the Shadow Guards accompanying them.
"Just to deal with a group of Sarkaz Mercenaries..." Wei Lao'er rubbed his temples with a headache. "I mean, was that really necessary!"
That Giant Dragon, which could make him feel a lethal threat, was qualified to attack Lungmen all by itself. After all, it could fly, making it naturally invincible.
And yet, you used it just to beat up fifty or so Sarkaz Mercenaries?
Hearing this, Wei Yenwu was truly laughed into a state of fury.
What were those LGD people watching on the sidelines doing? They were only fifty or so Sarkaz Mercenaries; their numbers were several times that of the Sarkaz, and they were well-equipped and well-trained. Could they not do something practical?
Go stop her! Go fight the Sarkaz!
You just watched her go on a rampage in the city?
The Grandmaster hasn't arrived yet! Wei Yenwu didn't have the confidence to turn hostile! But the people below don't understand how to read their superior's mind at all!
Right, who was in charge down there?
Oh, Chen Huijie, his good niece.
...I mean, how did a good child grow up to look like this? Her heart is entirely set on being irreconcilable with evil...
She doesn't really want to be a cop for the rest of her life, does she?
Sigh, what a headache.
Grandmaster, when will you arrive? I really can't hold out much longer!
Rubbing his temples, he returned to his desk and glanced at a document.
Yo, an application regarding the resettlement plan for the Infected submitted by that sick tiger, Adams Swire.
Needless to say, that was definitely Bailu's doing.
To be honest, in the past, if someone could help the Lungmen government solve such a troublesome matter, he would certainly be glad to see it happen.
But now that this person was Bailu... he had to consider it carefully.
What if she really intended to do something with those Infected?
However, looking at the contents of the document... they were all very normal terms. At most, a request for a subsidy was mentioned every few sentences.
It was the sick tiger's habit.
Wei Yenwu stared at the document for a long time in conflict, but ultimately signed his name with a sigh.
A factory to manufacture mobile ground plates, an agro-processing plant, and an international logistics company.
At a glance, it looked like someone was planning something big.
Food, 'land'—oh, and she could easily gather people.
She wouldn't really be trying to build a Mobile City, would she?
Surely not?
But she had sought out Nian. As a former Crown Prince of Yan, Wei Yenwu naturally knew her identity. The ninth of the Sui family, the strongest smith in Yan; she had put a great deal of effort into the infrastructure projects of Great Yan.
It was only because the projects were nearing completion these years and didn't require her constant presence that she was able to go around and play.
Even the Department of Sui Affairs didn't dare say much when they saw her; they could only miserably follow her around.
Who told her to be so truly meritorious? Without Nian's abilities, Great Yan would have had to empty the national treasury to carry out such large-scale infrastructure.
As for why other countries didn't have such massive projects... everyone knew the benefits of population and infrastructure, but even Victoria, as the hegemon of the core circle, hadn't been able to engage in such frenzied infrastructure like Yan.
And at a time like this, Bailu was approaching the Yan Grand Artisan... he couldn't convince himself that Bailu had no ulterior motives whatsoever.
But he had no other choice.
So Wei Yenwu could only grit his teeth and approve the application.
These are troubled times; Grandmaster, when are you coming!
On the other side of the square, today's treatment was very rapid.
Mainly because there were only about a thousand people in total, which couldn't compare to the tens of thousands from the previous few days.
"Doctor..." Mudrock watched the crowd disperse and slowly walked up to Xia Yu. "My apologies. We were wrong."
"That's why I'm really puzzled," Xia Yu slammed the table upon hearing this. "Why were you so... uh, resistant to being cured?"
"Apologies, Doctor," Mudrock lowered her head and answered nervously. "Our last mission, in Ursus, was a task issued by a pharmaceutical group."
"They said it was to escort goods, but in reality, we were the goods. They've killed countless people for so-called Oripathy research, but it seems the constitutions of ordinary people couldn't keep up with their research."
"So they sought you out, a group of Sarkaz Mercenaries?" Xia Yu was somewhat surprised to hear this.
"Yes," Mudrock nodded. her voice was still muffled, but a hint of embarrassment could still be heard. "After realizing something was wrong, we immediately began to break out. Several brothers died in that battle."
"We barely managed to escape to Lungmen and then heard that someone could cure Oripathy—and for free—so..."
"So you were triggered, right?" Xia Yu nodded. That wasn't strange then. "By the way, what was the name of that pharmaceutical group?"
"The Yelany Group," Mudrock answered without hesitation.
"Fine, I'll remember them," Xia Yu looked at her. "You are Sarkaz Mercenaries, so are you interested in taking a mission?"
"A mission? What mission?" Mudrock snapped her head up.
Having seen countless tragedies caused by Oripathy, she knew how important the other party's ability was for the Infected.
Although it was only for a short ten seconds or so just now, the Oripathy in the mercenaries had genuinely improved, as if they had just been infected!
Just this point alone was enough to make all Infected afraid to offend her.
Then she definitely had to pull herself closer to such a figure. Oripathy had only been reversed for the moment; it wasn't as if it couldn't find its way back.
Next time, if a teammate had a relapse, wouldn't they be able to ask her to save a teammate's life?
Therefore, as long as it wasn't a certain-death situation this time, she was willing to give it a shot.
Seeing her repeatedly nodding, Xia Yu continued: "In a few days, I will make a trip to Kazdel."
"At that time, you will be the bodyguards I've hired. Remember to deliver me to Kazdel in one piece."
"Kazdel?!" Mudrock's voice changed. "Why would you go there?"
"What, am I not allowed to go?" Xia Yu raised an eyebrow at her.
"No, of course not," Mudrock shook her head repeatedly. If a doctor with such exquisite 'medical skills' went to Kazdel, she could surely save even more compatriots.
But... even so, she had to point out that Kazdel really wasn't a good place.
Especially now...
"It's just, perhaps you should reconsider," Mudrock organized her words. She certainly couldn't directly say that Kazdel was bad, so she could only give a tactful warning.
"After all, the journey is long. If you need some items or specific medicine, we can go and fetch them for you ourselves."
These words had Chen Huijie nodding along on the side. in her view, Kazdel was a den of tigers and dragons.
"I'm going to see Theresa," Xia Yu rolled her eyes at Mudrock. "What, can you bring Theresa from Kazdel to Lungmen to meet me?"
"To see Her Highness? Why?" Mudrock asked subconsciously.
"Didn't she build an organization called Babel?" Xia Yu replied. "I'm very interested in Babel."
"Babel... we've also received medical aid from them," Mudrock sighed. "It's just... sigh, although it's not good to speak ill of one's home, I still advise you not to go to Kazdel."
"I don't know when it started, but the atmosphere in Kazdel has become increasingly chaotic. Many people feel that Her Highness Theresa is a merciful King, but not a King who can lead the Sarkaz to rise..."
"More and more people are gathering around the other Highness, and the tension between the two sides is growing heavier..."
"If you go to Kazdel at a time like this," Mudrock's words were very sincere, "with your abilities, you will absolutely become the center of a storm. That Giant Dragon is indeed powerful, but it might not be able to ensure your safety."
"The ancient Witchcraft of the Sarkaz is simply too numerous; it's impossible to guard against. Plus, there are the lords of the Royal Court... To tell the truth, our squad only chose to leave that city and come out to find a living because we saw the atmosphere in Kazdel becoming increasingly wrong."
"But I didn't expect our first mission to end in failure in Ursus."
"Theresa and Theresis, huh," Xia Yu shook her head. "Sigh, these two siblings..."
One has great love but isn't supported by the majority of Sarkaz; the other clearly doesn't want to part ways with his sister but can only be pushed further away by the will of the Sarkaz.
"Doctor Bailu, perhaps we should plan this more carefully," Chen Huijie also spoke up to advise her. "You've heard it too; the situation in Kazdel is far too complicated."
"Xiao Chen, you're an honest person," Xia Yu patted her hand with satisfaction. "If it were Wei Yenwu, he'd be dying for me to leave right now. Only you would choose to advise me not to go."
"Uncle..." Chen Huijie didn't know what to say.
"But my mind is made up," Xia Yu waved her hand. "No need for further advice. It's just Kazdel; what can it do to me?"
"What do you say? Are you willing to take my contract?" She looked at Mudrock.
"Have you really decided?" Mudrock asked.
"No need for more questions; I'm definitely going," Xia Yu nodded.
"...In that case, the Mudrock Squad is at your service, Doctor," Mudrock nodded toward Xia Yu.
Even though she had been advising the doctor not to go, if it could bring hope to her compatriots in Kazdel...