1525

"Dragon Cannon…" Li Chengfeng’s mouth couldn’t stop twitching. "This is bad. No wonder Swallow Ear Canton’s players were so quiet as of late. They were secretly building the Dragon Cannon!"

I checked the database and flipped to the page where the Dragon Cannon was mentioned under siege weapons—

Dragon Cannon: A type of cannon that is forged from Frozen Iron and uses a dragon’s flame to create its payload, it can withstand incredibly high temperatures. Legend says that only the strongest empires can forge the Dragon Cannon. Its forging technique was lost after Dragon Domain fell, and there were no more wild dragons to provide the dragon flames necessary to power it.

……

At first glance, I counted 7 Dragon Cannons that were being forged inside the canyon. It was impossible to tell if there were more in the area.

"I thought we planted spies in the Japan server? Why haven’t we heard about this at all?" I questioned.

Li Chengfeng shrugged helplessly. "Don’t ask me, I’m not the spies who are supposed to find this out. I can make an educated guess though. Most of the builders of the cannon are Swallow Ear Canton NPCs, and the players helping them all belong to God's Domain. Clearly, this secret is known to a selected few only. Also, I spot a lot of archers and warriors grinding around the area. Not even an assassin will be able to make it in without being discovered."

"They really are going all out!"

I sucked in a deep breath before continuing, "The Northern Alliance, the Indian server and the Japanese server had formed a military alliance with each other, and it is now clear that the Japanese’s role is to supply their forces with these godlike siege weapons. If we don’t destroy them as soon as possible, they may very well lead to the downfall of Sky City!"

Chiang!

Lin Yixin unsheathed the Wind Severing Sword and asked, "Should we attack them now?"

"Not yet…"

I scanned the cannons with Dark Pupils before adding, "The Dragon Cannons is an Ancient Immortal Rank siege weapon with 100 million HP and 140k Defense. There is no way the three of us can destroy them in a short time. Moreover, the NPCs applying magic to the cannons are all Level Ancient Immortal Rank bosses over Level 320. It is far likelier for them to destroy us than it is the other way around."

"What should we do then?" Li Chengfeng asked.

I thought for a moment before answering, "The convoy will reach Purple Grape City in another ten minutes or so. We’ll turn in our quest first and tell Eve, Gui Guzi and the others to come here later. In short, we’re going to push through Swallow Ear Canton’s borders and destroy those cannons. Yiyi, please inform Purple Marquis to lead a group of Dragon Punisher Archers up the mountains and provide us with cover fire from the flank later."

Lin Yixin nodded. "Mn. I’ll accompany you as say, your bodyguard then~"

"Let’s go!"

……

Pa pa pa!

The three of us vanished to the horizon just like that. The people hard at work on the ground still had no idea that their well-guarded secret was a secret no more.

A few minutes later, the convoy finally reached the gate of Purple Grape City. Since Xu Yang and a party of Dragonlight Cavalrymen were guarding it, we, the original escorts of the convoy, had chosen to relax on the sidelines.

Rumble rumble rumble…

A pitch black drawbridge was lowered, and a group of high-level undead cavalrymen galloped out into the open. Among them was a woman riding an undead warhorse that was covered in flames. She was none other than Sophie herself.

"Long time no see, Sophie," I greeted her.

Sophie burst into a giggle. "When Xinran was imprisoned in the Banished Lands, I thought I would never see her again in my life. And yet, you have defied my expectations and rescued her from the Purgatory. Xinran’s eye for talent truly is one of a kind. So, how was your journey? You weren’t harassed too much on the way here, were you?"

I smiled. "Nah, we were only attacked by a bunch of goblins, beastmen, and a couple million natives after we entered your domain. It’s no biggie…"

Sophie remained silent for a couple of seconds before she dismounted from her horse and touched one of the supply carts. She said with a smile, "Mn! These supplies will allow me to train up a group of superior cavalrymen and equip the dark dragons. Your timing could not have been better."

She then looked at all of us and smiled widely. "As thanks, I will grant you all the best reward I have right now. Come! This is the glory you deserve!"

Ding~!

System Notice: Congratulations, your party has completed the SSS+ Rank quest [Violet Empire Supply Escort]. You have gained the following rewards: 17% experience of your current level, Luck +3, Reputation +400,000, 50,000 gold, and an item reward: “Crimson Dragon Blade (Lower Divine Armament, Outstanding★★★★★★★)”!

……

My heart skipped a beat. A Lower Divine Armament couldn’t be bad, right?

I hurriedly opened my bag and saw a brand new crimson dagger lying inside it. I took it out and brought up its stat screen so that everyone could see it—

Crimson Dragon Blade (Lower Divine Armament, Outstanding★★★★★★★)

Attack: 17,000~19,500

Strength: +3,050

Stamina: +3,000

Agility: +2,950

Intelligence: +2,900

Tactics: +255

Passive: Increases user’s Attack by 220%

Passive: Ignores 50,000 of the target’s effective Defense

Passive: When swinging the Crimson Dragon Blade, 30% chance to trigger a critical hit. Moreover, critical hits now deal 285% damage.

Slots: 18

Outstanding Property: Crimson Dragon Attachment. 75% chance to bind a target and prevent them from moving or attacking for 7 seconds.

Level Requirement: 250

Reputation Requirement: 1,900,000

……

It was an excellent dagger that could probably enter the Top 10 dagger ranking of the China server. I was right. I checked the ranking and saw that it was ranked ninth without an owner yet. I threw it back into my bag and reminded myself to give it to Cute Little Naughty later. Our assassin party could definitely use some more improvement.

With that done, I looked at everyone else and asked, "How about you guys? What are your reward?"

He Yi answered, "I got nine Perfect Divine Crystals…"

Murong Mingyue said, "I got eleven. But why? Why do you get a weapon, and we only get Divine Crystals?"

"You act like your reward isn’t as valuable as mine. These days, one 100-Quality Divine Crystal is worth at least 200k, and this dagger is worth at most 2 million RMB. It’s really not that much better than your reward…"

In fact, considering that Divine Crystals was an essential ingredient in achieving an ascension, I would say that it was even more valuable than the dagger. That the quest gave us so many Divine Crystals was definitely a good thing.

Beside me, Beiming Xue said, "I got an Ancient Immortal-grade bow instead of a Divine Crystal. I’m going to sell it at the auction house…"

Li Chengfeng and Gui Guzi said in unison, "Our reward was Divine Crystals…"

Pure Love, Moon Dew and Murong Mingyue all got items besides the Divine Crystals. Lu Buyi didn’t get any equipment, but he did get the highest number of Divine Crystals of us all, 16. He Yi began purchasing the Divine Crystals off their hands, and since everyone here was a friend they only charged her 80k a piece. If we gather all of the Divine Crystals together, one of us could make an attempt to ascend. Otherwise, no one could ascend at all. It was clear which one was the superior choice.

It wasn’t long before He Yi had 60 Divine Crystals in her hands. She immediately gave them all to Murong Mingyue.

I was surprised. "Don’t you want to ascend, Eve?"

He Yi shook her head before explaining, "I’ve already failed once. I may as well give this chance to someone else."

"She’s just a priest though…" I said.

He Yi giggled. "I checked the database, and it is said that a priest who became a god will gain a skill that instantly heals any target to full health at the cost of a large amount of MP!"

"Oh, that’s good…" I shivered. If there really was a skill that could heal my 20 million HP to full in an instant, then I could probably fight even a Divine Rank boss!

Gui Guzi asked, "So, what are we doing next? Should we return to whatever it is we were doing?"

Stranger of Three Lifetimes walked over and chimed in, "Yeah, it’s time to return."

I hurriedly shook my head. "No, not yet. There is an incredibly important mission that I need all of your strength to complete!"

"What is this important mission?"

A feminine voice said from the sky, and we looked up. It was Luo River God of the Capital walking toward us from the sky. She looked like a goddess in her dark green robes, and in fact she was our server’s one and only divine mage and Lian Xin’s greatest rival. She shot us a smile and repeated, "Well? What is this important mission?"

I broke out of my reverie and pointed in Swallow Ear Canton’s direction. "Chengfeng, Yiyi and I discovered a great secret just a while ago! I don’t know how it came to be, but I do know that a bunch of NPCs are secretly building Dragon Cannons in the northeast side of Swallow Ear Canton’s canyon. They already have 7 in total, and more may be under construction as we speak. That is why we need to punch through this canyon entrance and destroy them. Otherwise, I guarantee that they will become a massive thorn in our side during the Nation War!"

"Dragon Cannon?"

Luo River God of the Capital’s eyes widened. "I heard that name before. It is said that one hit from a Dragon Cannon can tear even the greatest fighter to pieces. I wonder if it’s true…"

Stranger of Three Lifetimes said, "Who cares about that? Let’s get there and destroy these cannons already."

I nodded. "Yeah. I will dispatch 50k Dragonlight Cavalrymen to launch a frontal assault against the entrance. The rest of you will pincer the enemy from the sides. Let’s punch through Red Maple’s fortifications as soon as possible and destroy those canyons. Also, Red Maple is the only ascended player in Purple Grape City, so, Sister Wang Luo, stay close to me, will you? If a chance presents itself, we’ll work together and take out Red Maple!"

Luo River God of the Capital nodded affirmatively. "No problem!"

"Alright. Let’s go!"

I shot my players a glance, and they automatically started forming parties without needing me to guide me. The main cavalry would consist of Gui Guzi, Heaven’s Rain and Diamond Dust; the Knight God and Knight Generals. He Yi, Li Chengfeng and I would be leading our own parties to round out our army further.

……

Rustle rustle…

A drizzle started falling as we rode through Red Maple Forest. It looked as if the mounts were stepping on clumps of flames, not maple leaves. Several million Chinese players were currently marching toward Swallow Ear Canton not to topple the city, but just to destroy the seven Dragon Cannons. Otherwise, they were sure to inflict a lot of pain to us during the upcoming Nation War.

"Watch out! There are enemy archers hiding in the forest!" Li Chengfeng cried out a warning from the sky.

Stranger of Three Lifetimes glanced at the direction he was pointing in and ordered, "Eyes, take a group of cavalrymen with you and destroy those archers!"

"Yes, boss!"

Eyes Like Water rode out with several thousand elite cavalrymen and slipped into the forest in just the blink of an eye. Skills started flashing against our eyes. Our forces hadn’t yet properly engaged the enemy, and already the casualties were considerable.

"Dragon Cannon…" Li Chengfeng’s mouth couldn’t stop twitching. "This is bad. No wonder Swallow Ear Canton’s players were so quiet as of late. They were secretly building the Dragon Cannon!"

I checked the database and flipped to the page where the Dragon Cannon was mentioned under siege weapons—

Dragon Cannon: A type of cannon that is forged from Frozen Iron and uses a dragon’s flame to create its payload, it can withstand incredibly high temperatures. Legend says that only the strongest empires can forge the Dragon Cannon. Its forging technique was lost after Dragon Domain fell, and there were no more wild dragons to provide the dragon flames necessary to power it.

……

At first glance, I counted 7 Dragon Cannons that were being forged inside the canyon. It was impossible to tell if there were more in the area.

"I thought we planted spies in the Japan server? Why haven’t we heard about this at all?" I questioned.

Li Chengfeng shrugged helplessly. "Don’t ask me, I’m not the spies who are supposed to find this out. I can make an educated guess though. Most of the builders of the cannon are Swallow Ear Canton NPCs, and the players helping them all belong to God's Domain. Clearly, this secret is known to a selected few only. Also, I spot a lot of archers and warriors grinding around the area. Not even an assassin will be able to make it in without being discovered."

"They really are going all out!"

I sucked in a deep breath before continuing, "The Northern Alliance, the Indian server and the Japanese server had formed a military alliance with each other, and it is now clear that the Japanese’s role is to supply their forces with these godlike siege weapons. If we don’t destroy them as soon as possible, they may very well lead to the downfall of Sky City!"

Chiang!

Lin Yixin unsheathed the Wind Severing Sword and asked, "Should we attack them now?"

"Not yet…"

I scanned the cannons with Dark Pupils before adding, "The Dragon Cannons is an Ancient Immortal Rank siege weapon with 100 million HP and 140k Defense. There is no way the three of us can destroy them in a short time. Moreover, the NPCs applying magic to the cannons are all Level Ancient Immortal Rank bosses over Level 320. It is far likelier for them to destroy us than it is the other way around."

"What should we do then?" Li Chengfeng asked.

I thought for a moment before answering, "The convoy will reach Purple Grape City in another ten minutes or so. We’ll turn in our quest first and tell Eve, Gui Guzi and the others to come here later. In short, we’re going to push through Swallow Ear Canton’s borders and destroy those cannons. Yiyi, please inform Purple Marquis to lead a group of Dragon Punisher Archers up the mountains and provide us with cover fire from the flank later."

Lin Yixin nodded. "Mn. I’ll accompany you as say, your bodyguard then~"

"Let’s go!"

……

Pa pa pa!

The three of us vanished to the horizon just like that. The people hard at work on the ground still had no idea that their well-guarded secret was a secret no more.

A few minutes later, the convoy finally reached the gate of Purple Grape City. Since Xu Yang and a party of Dragonlight Cavalrymen were guarding it, we, the original escorts of the convoy, had chosen to relax on the sidelines.

Rumble rumble rumble…

A pitch black drawbridge was lowered, and a group of high-level undead cavalrymen galloped out into the open. Among them was a woman riding an undead warhorse that was covered in flames. She was none other than Sophie herself.

"Long time no see, Sophie," I greeted her.

Sophie burst into a giggle. "When Xinran was imprisoned in the Banished Lands, I thought I would never see her again in my life. And yet, you have defied my expectations and rescued her from the Purgatory. Xinran’s eye for talent truly is one of a kind. So, how was your journey? You weren’t harassed too much on the way here, were you?"

I smiled. "Nah, we were only attacked by a bunch of goblins, beastmen, and a couple million natives after we entered your domain. It’s no biggie…"

Sophie remained silent for a couple of seconds before she dismounted from her horse and touched one of the supply carts. She said with a smile, "Mn! These supplies will allow me to train up a group of superior cavalrymen and equip the dark dragons. Your timing could not have been better."

She then looked at all of us and smiled widely. "As thanks, I will grant you all the best reward I have right now. Come! This is the glory you deserve!"

Ding~!

System Notice: Congratulations, your party has completed the SSS+ Rank quest [Violet Empire Supply Escort]. You have gained the following rewards: 17% experience of your current level, Luck +3, Reputation +400,000, 50,000 gold, and an item reward: “Crimson Dragon Blade (Lower Divine Armament, Outstanding★★★★★★★)”!

……

My heart skipped a beat. A Lower Divine Armament couldn’t be bad, right?

I hurriedly opened my bag and saw a brand new crimson dagger lying inside it. I took it out and brought up its stat screen so that everyone could see it—

Crimson Dragon Blade (Lower Divine Armament, Outstanding★★★★★★★)

Attack: 17,000~19,500

Strength: +3,050

Stamina: +3,000

Agility: +2,950

Intelligence: +2,900

Tactics: +255

Passive: Increases user’s Attack by 220%

Passive: Ignores 50,000 of the target’s effective Defense

Passive: When swinging the Crimson Dragon Blade, 30% chance to trigger a critical hit. Moreover, critical hits now deal 285% damage.

Slots: 18

Outstanding Property: Crimson Dragon Attachment. 75% chance to bind a target and prevent them from moving or attacking for 7 seconds.

Level Requirement: 250

Reputation Requirement: 1,900,000

……

It was an excellent dagger that could probably enter the Top 10 dagger ranking of the China server. I was right. I checked the ranking and saw that it was ranked ninth without an owner yet. I threw it back into my bag and reminded myself to give it to Cute Little Naughty later. Our assassin party could definitely use some more improvement.

With that done, I looked at everyone else and asked, "How about you guys? What are your reward?"

He Yi answered, "I got nine Perfect Divine Crystals…"

Murong Mingyue said, "I got eleven. But why? Why do you get a weapon, and we only get Divine Crystals?"

"You act like your reward isn’t as valuable as mine. These days, one 100-Quality Divine Crystal is worth at least 200k, and this dagger is worth at most 2 million RMB. It’s really not that much better than your reward…"

In fact, considering that Divine Crystals was an essential ingredient in achieving an ascension, I would say that it was even more valuable than the dagger. That the quest gave us so many Divine Crystals was definitely a good thing.

Beside me, Beiming Xue said, "I got an Ancient Immortal-grade bow instead of a Divine Crystal. I’m going to sell it at the auction house…"

Li Chengfeng and Gui Guzi said in unison, "Our reward was Divine Crystals…"

Pure Love, Moon Dew and Murong Mingyue all got items besides the Divine Crystals. Lu Buyi didn’t get any equipment, but he did get the highest number of Divine Crystals of us all, 16. He Yi began purchasing the Divine Crystals off their hands, and since everyone here was a friend they only charged her 80k a piece. If we gather all of the Divine Crystals together, one of us could make an attempt to ascend. Otherwise, no one could ascend at all. It was clear which one was the superior choice.

It wasn’t long before He Yi had 60 Divine Crystals in her hands. She immediately gave them all to Murong Mingyue.

I was surprised. "Don’t you want to ascend, Eve?"

He Yi shook her head before explaining, "I’ve already failed once. I may as well give this chance to someone else."

"She’s just a priest though…" I said.

He Yi giggled. "I checked the database, and it is said that a priest who became a god will gain a skill that instantly heals any target to full health at the cost of a large amount of MP!"

"Oh, that’s good…" I shivered. If there really was a skill that could heal my 20 million HP to full in an instant, then I could probably fight even a Divine Rank boss!

Gui Guzi asked, "So, what are we doing next? Should we return to whatever it is we were doing?"

Stranger of Three Lifetimes walked over and chimed in, "Yeah, it’s time to return."

I hurriedly shook my head. "No, not yet. There is an incredibly important mission that I need all of your strength to complete!"

"What is this important mission?"

A feminine voice said from the sky, and we looked up. It was Luo River God of the Capital walking toward us from the sky. She looked like a goddess in her dark green robes, and in fact she was our server’s one and only divine mage and Lian Xin’s greatest rival. She shot us a smile and repeated, "Well? What is this important mission?"

I broke out of my reverie and pointed in Swallow Ear Canton’s direction. "Chengfeng, Yiyi and I discovered a great secret just a while ago! I don’t know how it came to be, but I do know that a bunch of NPCs are secretly building Dragon Cannons in the northeast side of Swallow Ear Canton’s canyon. They already have 7 in total, and more may be under construction as we speak. That is why we need to punch through this canyon entrance and destroy them. Otherwise, I guarantee that they will become a massive thorn in our side during the Nation War!"

"Dragon Cannon?"

Luo River God of the Capital’s eyes widened. "I heard that name before. It is said that one hit from a Dragon Cannon can tear even the greatest fighter to pieces. I wonder if it’s true…"

Stranger of Three Lifetimes said, "Who cares about that? Let’s get there and destroy these cannons already."

I nodded. "Yeah. I will dispatch 50k Dragonlight Cavalrymen to launch a frontal assault against the entrance. The rest of you will pincer the enemy from the sides. Let’s punch through Red Maple’s fortifications as soon as possible and destroy those canyons. Also, Red Maple is the only ascended player in Purple Grape City, so, Sister Wang Luo, stay close to me, will you? If a chance presents itself, we’ll work together and take out Red Maple!"

Luo River God of the Capital nodded affirmatively. "No problem!"

"Alright. Let’s go!"

I shot my players a glance, and they automatically started forming parties without needing me to guide me. The main cavalry would consist of Gui Guzi, Heaven’s Rain and Diamond Dust; the Knight God and Knight Generals. He Yi, Li Chengfeng and I would be leading our own parties to round out our army further.

……

Rustle rustle…

A drizzle started falling as we rode through Red Maple Forest. It looked as if the mounts were stepping on clumps of flames, not maple leaves. Several million Chinese players were currently marching toward Swallow Ear Canton not to topple the city, but just to destroy the seven Dragon Cannons. Otherwise, they were sure to inflict a lot of pain to us during the upcoming Nation War.

"Watch out! There are enemy archers hiding in the forest!" Li Chengfeng cried out a warning from the sky.

Stranger of Three Lifetimes glanced at the direction he was pointing in and ordered, "Eyes, take a group of cavalrymen with you and destroy those archers!"

"Yes, boss!"

Eyes Like Water rode out with several thousand elite cavalrymen and slipped into the forest in just the blink of an eye. Skills started flashing against our eyes. Our forces hadn’t yet properly engaged the enemy, and already the casualties were considerable.