Red Hat's Mage

Pero felt quite displeased when Bagana left with his retinue. If Red Hat were to attack again now, the losses would be more than just a small amount. Pero had held back this time, not even deploying his elite troops. Bagana had done the same, bringing only a few hundred men, whose actual effect was not significant. Pero laughed, "This wasn't a fruitless endeavor. I don't believe you can stay awake all day and night!"

Pero made up his mind to carry out an assassination that night. Red Hat was not only skilled at intelligence gathering but would also arrange for assassins to deliver a fatal blow to the enemy when necessary!

Although Bagana hadn't played a major role, Pero's subordinates learned about Dark Sea Throne's territorial arrangements and activity levels.

Jiang Chuan watched Red Hat's people retreat and said to Kendi with a smile, "Red Hat's people definitely won't give up. Tell everyone in the First Army to implement a shift system when sleeping at night, ensuring someone is on watch every minute. The same goes for those in the bunkers. Also, when you go back this time, borrow some people from Sarah to transport supplies. Her people have experience in that area."

Kendi said, "Yes, President. What about the slums? Those damn bastards come begging for food every day, as if we're obligated to feed them!"

Jiang Chuan smiled, "This is all part of the plan. Once these people get used to free food, their demands **will only grow. Tell them this food was bought with money from attacking Iron Anchor Gang. If they want to continue eating for free, they should help Dark Sea Throne attack Red Hat. Otherwise, they'll be pathetic worms in the slums forever."

Kendi nodded, "Yes, President!"

After Kendi left, Jiang Chuan went to Novia's tavern alone and ordered a drink, saying, "Any new news lately?"

Novia shook her head, "The latest news is what you did at Red Hat's headquarters. Dozens of heads thrown on Red Hat's streets. Now everyone in the tavern calls Dark Sea Throne the Undead Army of the Deep Sea. You have no idea how eerie it is."

Jiang Chuan laughed, "That's for the best. Help me build momentum in the tavern. Spread rumors about the terror of Dark Sea Throne, like monsters from the deep sea, man-eating devils, anything. The more bizarre, the better. Red Hat's affairs are almost beyond my control. Dark Sea Throne doesn't have the capability for large-scale warfare with other gangs yet. We can only rely on fear to deter others from opposing Dark Sea Throne."

Novia asked doubtfully, "Can't your weapons be mass-produced?"

Jiang Chuan replied, "It's not that they can't be mass-produced, but I need too many things. I need a lot of time to develop Dark Sea Throne right now. But the storm is already brewing, and Gangplank won't give me that much time. While Bloodfang Island hasn't been discovered yet, Dark Sea Throne can still hold on for a while. There's still a lot of construction work left on the island, and the manufacturing of new weapons has hit a bottleneck. We can only rely on rumors to halt the enemy's advance."

Novia frowned, "Many of the Bilgewater gangs have stopped their activities recently, holed up in their residences, as if waiting for an opportunity."

Jiang Chuan nodded, "I know that. The conflict between Dark Sea Throne and Red Hat has already started to spread. Gangplank might even come to help Red Hat. Those people are just waiting for that opportunity to take down Gangplank and seize the position of Bilgewater overlord!"

Novia said uneasily, "At that time, Black Rose will definitely support a faction to compete for this position with other gangs. I'll definitely be activated then."

Jiang Chuan laughed, "You don't need to worry about that. I'm afraid Black Rose won't come!"

Most members of Black Rose are Mages. Through Jiang Chuan's experiments, Kayn can only accumulate energy to transform through Mages. Mages are rarely seen in Bilgewater unless they choose to expose themselves. However, Jiang Chuan heard that Red Hat has a Mage, Red Demon, who is deeply hidden. No one has ever seen this Mage. This Mage only appears to save Red Hat when Red Hat encounters extreme difficulties. Jiang Chuan decided to use this Mage to increase Kayn's energy, hoping the Mage would provide a lot of energy.

Jiang Chuan said, "When the riots break out in Bilgewater, you can come to my island to live. You'll be safe there. I have to go now; Red Hat is still eyeing me."

Novia smiled, "I'll await your good news."

Jiang Chuan waved and walked out of the tavern. He went into an alley and said, "Now, one of my enemies has a Mage. Killing that Mage will allow you to master this scythe more proficiently. But he is deeply hidden. Can you find him?"

Kayn emerged from Jiang Chuan's shadow and said, "Can you determine the approximate location? One of the training subjects in the Shadow Order is sensing magical energy. I can sense any Mage within my vicinity."

Jiang Chuan laughed, "That's good. I'll take you to Red Hat's headquarters shortly. Infiltrate and find that Mage. You can use Shadow Magic. Infiltrating a gang's headquarters shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Kayn chuckled, "You underestimate Shadow Magic too much."

Jiang Chuan laughed, "Then I'm relieved. Let's go."

Kayn returned to Jiang Chuan's shadow. Jiang Chuan arrived at Red Hat's headquarters. It hadn't recovered from the previous rampage by the First Army. Workers were everywhere, repairing walls and streets. Jiang Chuan chuckled, "It seems the previous effect was quite good."

Jiang Chuan walked to the entrance of Red Hat's building. No one noticed a shadow slip from beneath Jiang Chuan's feet and enter Red Hat's headquarters.

Seeing Kayn had entered the building, Jiang Chuan smiled. "Pero, let's see how you handle this. You'll like this surprise, won't you?"

Pero sat in his office and suddenly shivered. Pero looked at Tao Yang outside and frowned. "Why did I shiver? Has there been some new development with the Dark Sea Throne?"

Pero went to the basement. A white-bearded old man sat in the main hall. Pero bowed and said, "Teacher, are you comfortable here?"

The Old Mage smiled. "Pero, you jest. It's all the same to me wherever I stay. Have you encountered some difficulty this time?"

Pero chuckled. "You truly can't hide anything from me, Teacher. Recently, there's been a very powerful adversary. I have no other recourse but to seek your help."

The Old Mage stood up and said, "Child, I divined yesterday. Bilgewater will descend into great chaos. In this chaos, no one can remain untouched. A storm of blood and disorder will rage through Bilgewater, countless bodies sinking to the seabed. I saw you sink into the deep sea as well, Pero. Perhaps you should stop."

Pero said powerlessly, "Teacher, you know how great the power of the World Rune is. I can't even cast a simple fireball anymore. I need the power of the World Rune."

The Old Mage stroked Pero's head. "Child, no matter what you become, you are still my best student. I will help you this once. But remember, you must stop when the storm arrives."

Pero bowed. "I will heed your teachings, Teacher."