Assassination (11K)
When morning came again, a large number of ships had gathered on the sea outside Sapphire Port. The sails were so dense that they almost blocked the entrance to the harbor.
Su Ming placed the order more than half a month, or even more than a month ago, to purchase materials including but not limited to steel bars, otherworldly cement, and various ores. Among them, with the advancement of the dwarven zinc smelting process, the first batch of gallium-containing "slag" that shimmered with a strange luster was also produced and transported to the port.
But as Su Ming counted the number of cargo ships, he felt it exceeded his expectations. He called over Beianqi, pointed out into the harbor, and asked, "Do I need so many ships to transport the goods I ordered from the Dwarf Merchant Guild?"
"Only five of them are the transport ships I'm responsible for connecting with," Beianqi asked, puzzled. "The rest—weren't they arranged by you separately?"
"Three of them are coal transport ships from Brown Gold Island," Su Ming replied. "So what about the remaining seven?"
Contact personnel were quickly dispatched, and the matter was soon confirmed. It turned out that these ships had spotted the unusually bright beam of light from the Sapphire Port Lighthouse while en route to Dragon Gorge Port, and thus changed course and headed there instead.
"It's a full 200 kilometers from here to Dragon Gorge Port!" Su Ming tapped his fingertips lightly on the table. "Why would a ship so far away be attracted to our Lighthouse?"
The problem was quickly identified. Jisu's initial design of a 100-kilometer visibility range was based on standard human visual abilities. However, this was another world, where lookouts were typically Feather Race or orcs with exceptional eyesight, or at the very least, halflings with naturally keen vision. Their eye structure was vastly different from humans, giving them a much stronger ability to detect faint light sources at a distance.
Even in the rarest cases where such lookouts are unavailable, the backup is a human spellcaster capable of using Eagle Eye.
In short, the zero added to the Lighthouse's light source power by Jisu, the high-standard Fresnel lens group, and the otherworldly lookout's visual abilities far exceeding those of humans on Earth, significantly extended the effective navigation distance of the Sapphire Lighthouse.
As a result, its coverage distance completely suppressed the navigation range of the Dragon Gorge Port Lighthouse.
Su Ming felt a headache coming on. However, the captains who had mistakenly entered the port all said that encountering such a bright and highly penetrating navigation beacon on the vast ocean was an incredibly reassuring thing.
The beam characteristics of the Sapphire Port Lighthouse are also different from those of Dragon Gorge Port. After a moment of thought, Su Ming asked Beianqi to further adjust the flashing period and rhythm sequence of the light source to significantly increase the difference in recognizability from the Dragon Gorge Port Lighthouse.
Subsequently, with the updates to the data in the shipboard lighthouse, such confusion incidents can be completely eliminated.
After the problem was clarified, the six cargo ships that had gone to the wrong location did not leave immediately. A violent sea storm was approaching, and Sapphire Port's unique bay provided an excellent sheltered anchorage.
This is why, even after they realized the direction was off in the later stages of their voyage, they still followed the guidance of the Sapphire Lighthouse at full speed and headed for the shore without hesitation.
Storms may not sink ships, but they can cause damage to the hull or loss of cargo and personnel, which can be quite costly.
Su Ming did not refuse their request to dock, though this naturally required payment. Moreover, not all the goods loaded on these ships were orders from the Chamber of Commerce; some were intended for free trade upon arrival at the port.
Su Ming is currently accepting all kinds of supplies without hesitation, as long as the price is right.
As for the last remaining ship, after realizing it had gone to the wrong port, it immediately weighed anchor and set sail. By the time Su Ming finished dealing with the matters concerning the sheltered vessels, that ship had already sailed several kilometers out of the port.
Just then, three Silver Dragon belonging to the guard arrived at Sapphire Port. Their enormous figures swept past and settled into the newly renovated cave, becoming the "security guards" of this emerging port.
Seeing this, Su Ming signaled to Ruixiuli to board one of the Silver Dragon and go check on the ship that was hurriedly leaving the port.
****
Also traveling with them were Jielusi and a student Magelaili Margaret, who knew about navigation and port affairs.
Magelaili glanced at the horizon, where clouds churned and the sky was clearly changing rapidly. "At their current speed, they simply won't make it to Dragon Gorge Port before the storm hits. This kind of sailing into danger is incredibly foolish and illogical."
Wooden hulls are designed with a strong emphasis on durability. If a ship is rocked back and forth in a storm, many of the fasteners at the structural joints will come loose. And repairing a seagoing vessel is not as simple as just nailing a plank on.
Therefore, the ship's actions amounted to nothing more than a loss of money. Not to mention the other losses and risks that the storm might bring.
Upon hearing this Ruixiuli and Jielusi exchanged a glance, their expressions turning serious.
Soon, the dragon swiftly approached the target ship. Ruixiuli's gaze swept across the ship's hull, and he recognized the name: "Gold Coin Coachman".
Among the busy sailors on deck, green-skinned goblins made up the vast majority. This composition meant only one thing—the ship's owner must also be a goblin.
Only a fellow goblin shipowner could so "efficiently" drive his goblin sailors to work.
Without the slightest hesitation, Ruixiuli, Jielusi, and Magelaili leaped lightly and nimbly from the dragon's back, landing steadily on the somewhat worn deck of the "Gold Coin Coachman".
The shipowner immediately jogged over to greet him, and sure enough, it was a goblin dressed in an elegant captain's uniform.
"Greetings, esteemed lords. What brings you to our humble abode?" His voice carried the distinctive high-pitched quality of a goblin.
Magelaili stepped forward, her tone businesslike, "According to regulations, we need to conduct a routine inspection of your ship's personnel and cargo."
The goblin captain immediately jumped up as if his tail had been stepped on, "Inspection? We haven't even entered your port! You have no right to inspect my ship!"
"We have this authority," Magelaili stated calmly, her voice clear and firm. "This is territorial waters under the jurisdiction of the Dragon Race. According to Article 7 of the 'Dragon Kingdom Maritime Trade Management Agreement,' the Dragon Race Guard and its administrative members have the right to inspect any suspicious or unregistered vessels within the territorial waters." She pointed to the enormous silver shadow hovering overhead. "We are directly entrusted by that Silver Dragon Lord to carry out this official duty."
The goblin captain tried to argue further, but Jielusi's bone blade flashed out like a cold light. With a few sharp cracks, several thick ropes on the mast snapped!
The sails, now unsupported, plummeted like giant birds with broken wings, folding and crashing onto the deck, covering the heads of several sailors who couldn't get out of the way, eliciting gasps of alarm.
"When did you get the idea that we're consulting with you?" Jielusi's voice was icy cold.
The goblin captain's face turned ashen. Forced by circumstances, he had no choice but to obey orders. He shrieked, commanding his men to bring everyone from the cabin to the deck. Soon, the deck was packed with over 150 people.
Magelaili quickly sensed something amiss. For a medium-sized cargo ship like the "Gold Coin Coachman," weighing approximately a thousand tons, a normal crew should number less than a hundred. Why would a goblin captain, so obsessed with money, willingly spend money to hire far more crew than actually needed?
This was worse than killing him!
Even more noticeably, once everyone had exited the ship's cabins, the number of humans actually exceeded that of the goblins.
"Explain yourself!" Jielusi was too lazy to check each item one by one. She approached the captain directly, and the bone blade in her hand was instantly covered with a layer of dark Magic Power. A cold light flowed on the blade, exuding an invisible sense of oppression.
In contrast, Ruixiuli, who was standing at the back holding the healer's scepter, seemed overly relaxed, looking with great interest at the various odds and ends and furnishings piled up on the old-fashioned sailboat, as if he were an outsider.
"There are dozens of humans among them," the goblin captain said knowingly. "They're on their way to Dragon Valley for work!"
"Yes, yes, yes!" A robust human man, clearly not dressed like a sailor, quickly chimed in. "Your Excellency is wise! We are just ordinary workers who have hitched a ride to the dragon's territory to find some work and earn a meager living."
A slightly mocking smile played on Jielusi's lips, her tone brimming with confidence. "Oh? I had no idea that even Mid-Rank Warrior had to resort to manual labor to make a living!"
Although these people were somewhat stronger than ordinary civilians, it was reasonable for migrant workers to have some muscle, and Jielusi did not sense any obvious energy fluctuations from them.
But it doesn't matter, testing the waters and trying to trick someone won't take much effort.
Unexpectedly, Jielusi's words were like a boulder thrown into calm water, causing the expressions of those dozens of people to change drastically!
The goblin captain was shocked and tried to stop them, but it was too late. The group of people suddenly unleashed a fierce aura, pulling out various weapons hidden under their clothes or in the debris on the deck, and surrounded Jielusi and her two companions like hungry wolves!
The goblin captain's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, his mouth agape, the curse that almost escaped his lips stuck in his throat. He groaned inwardly: their Goblin Clan's unique concealment techniques, capable of temporarily masking fluctuations of Dou Qi or Magic Power, were not so easily seen through!
They're all a bunch of idiots!
The Silver Dragon, which had been circling overhead on alert, keenly sensed the sudden change on the deck and unhesitatingly unleashed a rapid breath. However, this dragon breath did not strike the ship directly, but rather violently slammed into the sea surface close to the ship's side!
"Boom--!"
A huge column of water shot into the sky, carrying salty seawater, and poured down on the ship's sides and parts of the deck like a torrential rain.
This was what Ruixiuli instructed. In his words, if the ship was damaged, the loss would be their spoils of war!
Of course, the real reason is that such area-of-effect attacks can indeed kill or severely injure ordinary grunts. But against powerful figures like Ruixiuli and Jielusi, clearing out grunts is not a problem. As long as corpses are created, the rest of the battle is irrelevant to the minions.
However, against truly skilled enemies, this kind of area-of-effect attack is ineffective. Instead, it severely disrupts Ruixiuli and Jielusi's perception of the battlefield, blurring their vision and judgment, and causing trouble.
****
The attackers on the ship had no idea what their opponent was really thinking. Seeing that the Silver Dragon was only launching a deterrent attack, they mistakenly thought that the dragon was worried about hurting their own people on the deck, and their arrogance only grew stronger.
"Take them hostage!" the lead soldier roared. "These men are definitely not simple!"
Several warriors immediately pounced on Jielusi, trying to entangle her. Jielusi, like a true warrior, calmly swung her bone blade to parry and retreated steadily.
While defending against the enemy's attacks, she quickly assessed the overall strength of her opponents, her sharp eyes scanning the crowd to determine if any experts were lurking among them.
A ghostly black shadow suddenly appeared behind Ruixiuli! His movements were silent yet swift as lightning, and the dagger in his hand was precisely aimed at Ruixiuli's throat—intending to take the weakest healer hostage.
In an instant, Ruixiuli felt a chill run down his spine! The attacker was actually a Master Rank assassin!
He had no idea that such a high-level expert would be hidden on this seemingly ordinary merchant ship.
He had only exchanged weapons with Jielusi out of caution. Little did he know that this act would shield Jielusi from a fatal sneak attack!
In a flash, Ruixiuli made a decision: he had to capture this dangerous assassin! His upper body stiffened as if he were paralyzed with fear, seemingly unable to react, but his right hand, hanging at his side, drew the short sword from his waist with lightning speed.
Immediately afterwards, his wrist twisted at an extremely strange and skillful angle, and the short sword, from bottom to top, along his ribs, swiftly stabbed upwards and backwards like a venomous snake emerging from its hole!
The assassin who intended to take the hostage also immediately sensed something amiss—his target was also a wolf in sheep's clothing!
No, it should be a lion! The opponent's aura erupted instantly, far exceeding his expectations!
Alarm bells rang in the assassin's mind, and without hesitation, he changed tactics! The originally gentle hostage-taking action instantly transformed into a fierce killing blow, the dagger changing from a defensive stance to a slash, viciously cutting towards Ruixiuli's neck.
Regardless of success or failure, this experienced Master Rank assassin had already made up his mind to strike and then immediately flee!
But Ruixiuli was faster! His left hand seemed to have anticipated the trajectory of the dagger, and instead of dodging, it met the blade head-on!
Pfft!
The dagger pierced his palm instantly, and a sharp pain shot through him, but Ruixiuli's expression remained unchanged. His left hand gripped the assassin's wrist, which was holding the dagger, like an iron clamp, and then he pulled it forward sharply!
Caught off guard, the assassin staggered from the force, his retreat interrupted. In that instant of loss of balance, the short sword in Ruixiuli's right hand, with a piercing whistling sound, stabbed precisely into his chest!
The assassin's fingers simultaneously flicked the dagger's hilt, and green venom immediately gushed out from a small hole inside the blade, covering the blade and Ruixiuli's wound.
****
Jielusi sensed something amiss the moment Ruixiuli was attacked. She no longer concealed her strength; her inner Magic Power erupted, unleashing an invisible storm that fiercely shook off the enemies entangled around her. Her eyes, which had already begun to change color, brightened when she glimpsed Ruixiuli's injury and the ominous, eerie green hue stained the tip of the blade piercing his hand—
Jielusi's eyes instantly regained their calm, stillness, replaced by a chilling killing intent.
"Holy Restraint!"
She raised her hand, and a chain made entirely of holy light appeared out of thin air, instantly wrapping around the assassin and binding him tightly! Taking advantage of this opportunity, Ruixiuli exerted his strength to break free from the assassin's grip. The two worked in perfect unison, simultaneously throwing their respective main weapons at each other!
Magelaili, who had been clutching her heart with her hands, looking utterly terrified and pitiful, was suddenly enveloped in intense shadow energy the instant an enemy lunged at her with a sinister grin!
The next moment, a lithe cheetah, its body as black as ink and its eyes gleaming with an eerie green light, took her place!
Shadow Druid!
Magelaili, in her cheetah form, let out a low growl, neither dodging nor avoiding, bracing herself for the sword to pierce her side, while simultaneously lunging forward, her gaping maw, filled with sharp teeth, precisely biting the unsuspecting neck of her opponent!
Black, corrosive energy surged wildly from the cheetah's sharp teeth, like tangible shadow thorns, instantly piercing through the opponent's hastily formed Battle Qi Shield!
Click!
With a sickeningly sharp crack, the soldier's neck bone was snapped in two by a single bite!
The unidentified soldier's fierce glint vanished instantly, his body went limp, and he died in a flash.
Then, Magelaili jerked her head back and threw the body out like a rag doll. The body slid down the slippery deck, through the bubbling, crimson blood, all the way to Ruixiuli.
Just as Ruixiuli caught the bone blade thrown back by Jielusi, dark Magic Power immediately coiled around it as if it were alive, emitting a chilling, eerie light. Without the slightest hesitation, he swung the bone blade with all his might at the assassin!
"Mad Bones - Shattering Strike!"
The assassin, still reeling from the shock of breaking free of the holy light chains, barely managed to parry the bone blade that Ruixiuli was slashing at him with his dagger. He pushed off with his feet, his body as light as smoke, intending to use the momentum to retreat quickly. The enemy was powerful; if he didn't escape now, he would truly be finished!
However, just as he was about to retreat, a sudden change occurred!
Suddenly, numerous tiny wounds appeared on the corpse of their companion that had slid nearby! Countless sharp White Bone fragments flew out from them, dancing with Ruixiuli's bone blade, as if drawn by an invisible force, whistling mournfully as they struck the assassin's body with a series of thuds!
The assassin successfully retreated, but his body went out of control like a kite with a broken string. He crashed heavily backward against the sturdy railing of the bow, then slipped and fell to the ground, covered in blood, already severely injured and unable to get up.
****
"Boom!"
An even more ferocious and terrifying beam of white dragon breath slammed into the outer side of the other side of the "Gold Coin Coachman"! This dragon breath swept horizontally, and even after violently impacting the sea surface, the terrifying energy it contained still carried the seawater forward at high speed like a torrent of lava, creating a long curtain of water!
It was Elder Yin'er's dragon breath! This majestic dragon, significantly larger than an ordinary Silver Dragon, was hurtling through the air at an astonishing speed. On its broad and sturdy back, Su Ming lay prone, gripping a sleek CS/LR24 sniper rifle tightly in his hand. Holding his breath, he decisively pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The specially designed 8.6mm caliber bullet leaves the barrel at a terrifying initial velocity of more than three times the speed of sound!
Snipe from the dragon's stable back; it felt so much safer than when he used his Flight Spell! Su Ming secretly praised himself.
The bullet tore through the air, covering nearly two kilometers in just a moment. It accurately struck an enemy soldier between the eyebrows, leaving a gruesome bloody hole from which red and white matter spurted out instantly.
Instantly, the remaining enemies on the deck fell silent, as if their throats had been choked. With both the terrifying power of the dragon's breath creating a wide-area intimidation and such precise long-range targeting capabilities, this battle had completely lost any meaning in continuing.
Su Ming put down his sniper rifle, but sighed helplessly – he had clearly aimed at someone else, but the bullet missed the target by a full two meters!
Back in the day, he was considered a skilled marksman in the game, often fantasizing about being invincible with a real gun. But reality... sigh.
No wonder Fengshou advised him against taking this weapon, saying that without tens of thousands of bullets, it wouldn't be able to generate enough combat power.
"Believe me, the LR24 is a niche weapon; my CS/LM12 is the real deal!" he patiently persuaded.
****
As the enemy completely lost their will to fight and surrendered, more reinforcements quickly arrived and brought the chaotic situation under control.
The poison on the assassin's poisoned dagger was extremely potent and acted rapidly. Fortunately, Jielusi was a professional healer and immediately began emergency treatment. Even so, it took her nearly fifteen minutes to barely stabilize the situation. When she wearily straightened up, her forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat.
Su Ming went forward to check on him and found that Ruixiuli had fallen into a deep coma shortly after being injured, his face was pale and he showed no signs of waking up.
But her breathing was still quite good.
Jielusi reported to Su Ming, "The major danger has temporarily subsided, but purification treatment is still needed."
Su Ming immediately nodded in acknowledgment, "I have already recalled Stacy."
Several guild members who rushed over carefully lifted the unconscious Ruixiuli and, together with Jielusi, returned to the "Pansy" ship anchored in the harbor.
On the Gold Coin Coachman, all the unidentified personnel were captured. Bowers arrived and began interrogating them on the spot.
Su Ming walked to the ship, to the assassin. Having despairingly discovered his severe injuries and hopelessness, the assassin licked the blade of his dagger, already dead from the poison.
Beianqi put on special protective gloves, carefully pried open the assassin's already stiff fingers, and removed the strangely shaped dagger.
Upon closer inspection, it was discovered to be an extremely sophisticated murder weapon. Not only was the blade as thin as a cicada's wing and incredibly sharp, but more importantly, it contained a delicate hollow venom reservoir hidden inside. Simply by flipping a switch on the guard, a deadly poison could be released, covering the entire blade.
"The initial assessment of the toxin indicates it's a high-purity extract of the Heart-Eating Vine, a deadly poison that kills instantly upon contact with blood," Beianqi analyzed. "But this dagger itself is ridiculously expensive. Moreover, due to its pursuit of extreme thinness and sharpness, its structure is exceptionally fragile, essentially a disposable combat item—destroyed after use."
"Therefore," Su Ming frowned, "This Master Rank assassin must have come with a specific mission, specifically to assassinate a high-value target."
This dagger, so fragile it's like glass and so stingy with its poison capacity, couldn't possibly have been used to deal with a thick-skinned dragon.
So who is their real target?
Bowers quickly finished his initial interrogation and strode over to report to Su Ming, "Guild Master, this group paid a hefty fee to the goblin captain to smuggle themselves into the dragon territory."
Smuggling is not uncommon, so the goblin captain accepted the job without hesitation, since it wouldn't affect his cargo transport. However, due to the unusually strong light of the Sapphire Port Lighthouse, the "Gold Coin Coachman," which was supposed to be heading to Dragon Gorge Port, was mistakenly led to Sapphire Port.
Initially, the goblin captain didn't mind making a short stop here to avoid the impending bad weather. But when the group of stowaways learned about the situation, especially when they saw the large number of necromancers in the bay, their expressions changed drastically. They immediately threatened the goblin captain to leave as soon as possible, which led to the scene of them hastily weighing anchor and setting sail to face the approaching storm.
"What was the specific purpose of this group infiltrating Dragon Valley?" Su Ming pressed.
"We haven't gotten them to talk yet. We don't know the specifics about the lower-ups, but the leaders are incredibly stubborn." A cold glint flashed in Bowers' eyes. "Once I take them back, I'll give them a good 'welcome,' and I guarantee they'll tell you everything."
"Okay!" Su Ming nodded in agreement.
****
After this little incident, Su Ming threw himself back into his busy work.
With the arrival of a large quantity of ordered raw materials on cargo ships, Sapphire Port has entered a high-speed unloading phase. Large numbers of undead creatures are moving back and forth in the dock area, cranes are rising and falling, and cargo containers are piled up like mountains.
The resource warehouse, which had been almost depleted, has finally become abundant again.
The goods were unloaded and sorted as they went. Soon, Yumier came to report: the materials needed for one hundred sets of "audio-visual leisure equipment" had been prepared according to Su Ming's requirements.
In the past few days, Su Ming has been able to remove one of the "Spirit Wall Crystal Barrier" bracelets to carry out his daily activities. As his body gradually adapts to this level of workload, the passive effect of "Whispers of the Stars" has also begun to appear, promoting the growth of his spiritual power.
However, it still caused interference when performing high-intensity spellcasting. Su Ming put the bracelet he had taken off back on and then began the Summoning of All Things.
In Earth's warehouse, the equipment prepared by the Dodder was disassembled, and after consuming the corresponding materials in another world, it was reassembled.
These gaming devices are not particularly large; all the components combined occupy only a few cubic meters of space. However, their internal structure is exceptionally sophisticated, especially as they contain a massive number of chip units.
Su Ming had to perform the summoning in three separate sessions, and with the help of Qiluo's Consecration Aura, he was able to complete this extremely costly task.
"What are these square boxes for?" Qiluo poked one of the devices with her unicorn horn, her eyes full of curiosity.
Su Ming originally planned to let the unicorn experience it, so that she could save the trouble of haggling when she needed her to do work in the future. For example, just now, she asked Su Ming to order a batch of rare fruits unique to the Silver Moon Forest.
But on second thought, Qiluo is generally quite good, she was just a bit greedy, but that's not a serious offense!
****
Su Ming, along with the members of the newly established "Entertainment Division," carrying these devices, headed to an abandoned dragon settlement near the port.
This is a group of continuous earthen slopes formed by wind erosion, with dozens of nests scattered among them, large enough to house an adult dragon.
As early as when the plan was finalized, Su Ming dispatched a construction team to the site to tidy up the nests. Inside each nest, the workers carefully scraped out an extremely smooth rock wall and coated it with a highly reflective white matte paint to serve as a projection screen.
By this time, more than a dozen caves had completed their basic renovations. Su Ming directed the members of the entertainment division to install projectors and sensor capture devices in designated locations within the caves.
The electrician team reported, "Power supply is back on, and voltage is stable."
Su Ming nodded, his gaze sweeping over the group of dragons nearby who were curiously watching the construction noise. He randomly selected a lucky viewer of medium size and invited him into the cave to become an experience participant.
Several staff members stepped forward and strapped the lightweight yet sturdy custom-made motion-sensing equipment to the dragon's head, forepaws, hind legs, and its large wings.
Subsequently, the staff connected the power. Considering the otherworldly beings' level of expertise in operating electronic devices, all the complex settings, such as initialization, device self-test, and signal pairing, were completed automatically by the device.
Soon, with a crisp and pleasant "ding" sound, the indicator light on the device turned a stable blue, indicating that the hardware was ready to start and the motion sensor initialization was complete.
"Ace Dragon," Su Ming issued the voice command.
The giant screen projected onto the pristine white rock wall lit up, the game loading at lightning speed, and automatically skipped all the tedious character selection and appearance settings—the camera hanging on the wall captured the physical features of the dragon spectator in front of him, directly generating a virtual dragon image similar to him in the game.
Upon seeing the lifelike "himself" projected onto the giant rock wall, the dragon spectator's eyes widened in astonishment, and he let out a low growl.
He subconsciously moved his front paws and was surprised to find that the virtual dragon on the screen also made the same movement!
"Just follow the tutorial on the screen!" Su Ming explained to him.
Soon, the giant dragon on screen soared through the magnificent otherworldly sky, beginning to confront enemies surging from all directions. A variety of attack methods were available: breathing various colors of dragon breath, unleashing powerful dragon language magic, and more.
They can even engage in fierce aerial melee combat, while also picking up power-up items scattered throughout the battle, or unlocking and upgrading them as the battle progresses.
Guided by a simple and intuitive tutorial, the dragon quickly mastered the basic controls and soon became immersed in this unprecedented experience, its Dragon Tail slapping the ground happily and emitting excited growls.
Seeing that the results had met expectations, Su Ming turned with satisfaction to the surrounding dragons, who were now craning their necks and their eyes gleaming with curiosity and longing, and announced loudly, "There are still some spots available for the trial. Anyone want to give it a try?"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than two more impatient dragons eagerly stepped forward, their gazes filled with envy and a hint of bewilderment as they excitedly strode towards the novel and alluring "Abyss" before them.
****
Today's main tasks were equipment debugging and initial promotion. Su Ming left two Silver Dragon on site to maintain order and clearly stipulated that each dragon's experience time should not exceed two hours before leaving the "Chicken Dinner Internet Cafe".
Upon returning to the Pansy, Bowers immediately greeted him and solemnly handed him the interrogation report.
Su Ming only glanced at the key conclusions before feeling a slight dizziness wash over him, causing him to instinctively grab the bulkhead next to him.
"Charging—charging at me?" His voice was filled with disbelief and astonishment.
Bowers nodded heavily, his voice low and menacing. "Yes, Master, assassins sent by the Temple of Light."
According to the detailed confession of the leading officer, four of those captured were elite members of the Temple of Light's "Dark Side" action group. The core objective of this infiltration mission was to thoroughly investigate the latest movements of the "Final Bone Mad Machines" organization in the Dragon Mountains and gather relevant intelligence.
Meanwhile, the operational instructions explicitly included a "wait and see" clause—if the time was right, Su Ming himself could be assassinated.
The assassin who chose to commit suicide after being severely wounded by Ruixiuli came for this very reason. He was one of the top assassins secretly trained by the Divine Covenant Faction at great expense.
No one expected that, due to the Lighthouse's overperformance and the goblin captain's eagerness to find a safe haven, they inadvertently sent this team on a covert mission right to the doorstep of the "Final Bone Mad Machines" headquarters.
Su Ming took a deep breath, forcibly calming his mind and suppressing his surging emotions.
As sworn enemies, the Divine Covenant Faction's dispatch of assassins to kill them is logically sound. However, sometimes reason is one thing, but the feeling of actually feeling that chilling killing intent descends upon you is entirely different.
If it weren't for Ruixiuli's decisive action—this top assassin, whose movements were as swift as a ghost and who was prepared to die—would have caused him immense trouble. Given the assassin's skill level, Su Ming knew perfectly well that if he had inadvertently entered the assassin's hunting range, he wouldn't have been able to withstand it.
Even if they manage to deal with it, if they were to contract the deadly poison that kills on contact with blood, and there was no top-notch healer like Jielusi by their side, the consequences would be unimaginable.
For the first time, Su Ming truly felt the most naked and coldest cruelty of war.
"Understood." Su Ming's voice regained its usual calmness, but a hint of seriousness appeared deep in his eyes. "Continue the interrogation and make sure to find out whether they have established a local intelligence network within Dragon Valley, or whether they have accomplices providing support."
"Yes, Chairman!" Bowers solemnly accepted the order, turned around, and strode away.
Su Ming buried himself in the large chair, his chaotic thoughts surging like the tide for a moment. Then, he picked up his phone and dialed Zijin, who was far away in Dragon Court, and told her about the events that had just occurred.
"You need to be extra careful too," Su Ming cautioned. "Since they're targeting me, they certainly won't let you off the hook."
"Yes, I know." Zijin's voice was calm. "My strength is far superior to yours, and with so many dragon elders guarding the Dragon Court, they have no chance of succeeding."
"But on your side," she changed the subject, "You need to immediately strengthen your personal guard."
"Dragons do have an advantage against powerful enemies," Su Ming frankly stated, "But against top assassins skilled in stealth and assassination, humans still possess more acute senses and reflexes. However, don't worry, Stacy has already arrived at Sapphire Port. She said that with Jielusi's proper handling, Ruixiuli will be able to recover his mobility in a day or two. After that, I will have Ruixiuli accompany me on my missions as my personal bodyguard."
Zijin gave a soft "hmm" on the other end of the phone, indicating her agreement.
"By the way, I heard you're running an internet cafe in ----?" Zijin asked.
Su Ming also took the opportunity to describe his "Dragon Incentive Plan," including the accompanying consumer products and the upcoming membership and points program.
"My core goal is to motivate the dragons to participate in production," Su Ming explained, "To guide them to actively engage with broader affairs and gradually improve their overall cognitive level and competence."
Zijin agreed, "This is indeed a direction for resolving the current predicament of the Dragon Race." She pondered for a moment, "The restructuring of the Dragon Court's upper echelons is nearing completion. I will return in person tomorrow; there are some matters that require our face-to-face discussion."
"Sure, welcome," Su Ming replied, then added in a relaxed tone, "By the way, what do you want to eat when you get back? --Speaking of which, how's the food at your Dragon Court?"
"Uh... it's... not bad, I guess." Zijin's reply was slightly hesitant.
"Wait!" Su Ming clearly hadn't overlooked this detail. "You're not... eating raw potatoes again, are you?!"
"No way!" Zijin firmly denied.
"Okay, then tell me, how long do you need to boil potatoes until they're cooked?" Su Ming asked.
****
Reports quickly came back from the "Chicken Dinner Internet Cafe." In just one morning, dozens of dragons had participated in the experience. Afterwards, these dragons excitedly recounted their magical and thrilling experiences to their companions.
Due to translation limitations, the games currently being released are all completely independent of text content. These are merely the tip of the iceberg in a vast world; the truly powerful ones are yet to come.
But that is indeed a problem.
Although Su Ming can cast the "Comprehend Languages" magic, granting otherworldly beings the ability to understand Earth's languages, the standard version of this magic requires pure water element to operate. Su Ming himself only possesses dark element, not to mention Zijin's special constitution.
Among normal living beings, those who can withstand the erosion of the soul with their mental resilience, like Stacy, are extremely rare.
Moreover, even if such a candidate is found, their reliability must be ensured.
After pondering for a moment, Su Ming finally decided to begin deploying a large-scale localized language model to achieve mutual translation between Earth's languages and the universal language of the other world. It wasn't just for the "Chicken Dinner Internet Cafe" game; his "Cultural Mudslide" plan, targeting the Temple of Light and the foundation of the Divine Covenant Faction faith, should also be launched.
The batch of "high-quality" novels he commissioned on Earth needed to be localized and translated.
Currently, the collection of books from other worlds is quite extensive, and the reserves of semiconductor materials have increased significantly. With sufficient hardware computing power, it is feasible to build a large model and achieve a preliminary usable translation function through targeted training.
Su Ming quickly prioritized this task.
Because Su Ming limited the experience time for each dragon, aiming to prevent this scourge from spreading and allowing the blessings to reach more dragons, this practice inevitably caused dissatisfaction among some participants.
Fortunately, the Silver Dragon Guard was present to maintain order, preventing a major riot. However, the internet cafe manager reported to Su Ming with great concern: the number of dragons gathering was increasing rapidly, and what was worse, a rumor was spreading from somewhere—claiming that as long as you completed the game, you could get a whole basket of eggs as a reward!
So even the old dragons whose scales had faded and turned white, as well as many young dragons who were still wobbling as they walked, all rushed over upon hearing the news. The entire area was overflowing with dragons, and the scene was beginning to show signs of getting out of control.
This rumor is completely out of the blue! Su Ming frowned deeply—could someone be sabotaging us in the shadows? Could the spies planted by the Temple of Light be so vicious?
After a moment's thought, he immediately made a decision: send Elder Yin'er to oversee the situation! Furthermore, the best way to dispel a rumor is not to clarify its falsehood, but to directly reveal the "truth."
Soon, Yin'er's massive and imposing figure arrived at the "internet cafe," accompanied by several large truckloads of potatoes and various tuber crops. They erected a prominent sign next to the venue, asking Elder Yin'er to carve eight large characters on it with his powerful claw marks:
Playing chess and games to amuse oneself, and rewarding others with golden sweet potatoes!
The dragons who had originally come for the "eggs" immediately lost interest upon seeing the reward announcement; they were tired of eating these things every day.
This part of the dragon quickly dispersed.
As for protesting against false advertising? Didn't you see that Elder Yin'er wrote the words himself? The Dragon Race only has one way to protest: fight. If they can't win, they just keep quiet.
As a result, order was restored instantly.
****
The last question raised by the person in charge left Su Ming speechless.
He quickly reconnected to the communication on Earth and directly questioned Dodder, "Didn't I explicitly request that the game difficulty be set to the lowest level?!" His tone was filled with dissatisfaction, "The dragons are generally saying it's too difficult!"
Dodder was also taken aback and quickly checked the document. A team member next to him hurriedly explained, "Boss, this is absolutely impossible! We've already lowered the difficulty by more than half from the beginner level, and there's only this one difficulty level available now!"
After listening, Su Ming remained silent for a moment before saying, "Then, continue to lower it."
The team members exchanged incredulous glances. "If we lower the threshold any further—all enemies, including the final boss, will basically die with a single touch."
"It's fine, set it up like this." Su Ming said decisively. After thinking for a moment, he added, "Let's keep the current difficulty level and rename it 'Challenge Difficulty'."