Category: The Azure Longsword

Chapter 83: Blatant Slacking

Mount Taygetus, southwest of Sparta, was famous for its five interconnected peaks, forming a natural barrier to the south of the city.

However, it was now covered in heavy snow.

Snow was a rare sight on the warm and humid Siris Peninsula, especially since the highest peak of Mount Taygetus was only a little over 2,000 meters. Such heavy snow covering the mountains was even stranger.

Any discerning person could tell that this was the result of a supernatural anomaly.

Before entering the mountains, everyone donned thick fur clothing provided by the Spartans and carefully proceeded forward, led by several young guides.

“Ah, this feels like home,” Sidlipha said with a sigh.

“How much of your potion have you digested?” Asker asked.

“About a quarter left, I think.” Sidlipha’s face darkened at the reminder of her recent brutal training.

A quarter left… Asker was also a bit speechless.

After finalizing their cooperation with Andrea, he had used the excuse of “unclear situation in the mountains, need to scout first” to delay for two days, putting Sidlipha through rigorous training.

It wasn’t until the Iron Cross mercenary group became truly impatient that Asker agreed to let everyone enter the mountains.

Next, naturally, was to have Sidlipha quickly digest “Frost I” in actual combat and then quickly take “Giant I.”

Of course, the two days of preparation weren’t completely wasted, at least they had gathered all the necessary supplies for entering the mountains.

Such as warm fur clothing, high-calorie chocolate bars, and non-slip snow boots.

Even the sword hilts and gun grips were wrapped in thick cloth strips to prevent the metal from becoming too cold and injuring their skin in the low temperatures.

Walking along the snow-covered mountain path, they soon spotted a Snow Monster.

The Snow Monster, resembling a mutated giant ape, was actually a type of troll from the snow lineage, characterized by extremely developed upper arm muscles, using brute force smashing and tearing to kill its prey.

Direct contact with them would also cause frost damage.

Before the Snow Monster could even turn around, it was met with a volley of fire from the Iron Cross gunmen, its chest instantly riddled with bullets.

As a supernatural creature that focused on physical strength, ordinary firearms had limited damage against the Snow Monster. In most cases, they were only used to inflict rigidity. The real damage output still depended on the Transcendental mercenaries.

One of the Transcendental mercenaries rushed out, drawing a greatsword from behind his back with both hands. Flames immediately erupted from the hilt, engulfing the entire blade in fire.

Clearly, this was a physically-oriented Transcendental, using the “Fire I” ability as a weapon enchantment, distinctly different from Medea’s projectile spellcasting.

Under the swing of the flaming greatsword, the Snow Monster fearfully dodged backward, then let out a low growl.

It was a deep growl, so powerful that everyone could feel the ground beneath their feet tremble.

“Quick, finish it!” Hermann said urgently. “It’s calling its companions!”

Everyone hurriedly increased their attack speed, swinging their swords and firing their guns. The Snow Monster, worthy of its troll bloodline, was still alive after being slashed a dozen times and hit by hundreds of bullets, struggling futilely against them.

And at the end of the mountain path in the distance, snow dust billowed as if an army was rushing towards them.

“Hurry up!” Andrea even joined the fight himself, roaring as he charged into the fray. “Tranlo, to the left, block its escape route! Hans, charge forward, Lucas, flank and backstab!”

After all, there was only one enemy. The Iron Cross mercenaries’ siege was also very skillful, and they finally managed to drain the Snow Monster’s blood, killing it on the spot.

Looking again, they saw seven or eight Snow Monsters, alerted by the commotion, charging towards them furiously from the mountain path in the distance.

“Gunmen, prepare, fire!” Andrea raised his hand and then swung it down forcefully, signaling the gunmen to open fire.

The purpose of the shooting wasn’t to kill, but to use the powerful force and rigidity effect of the bullets to stop the Snow Monster’s high-speed charge and prevent them from rushing into the mercenary group and causing damage.

Suddenly, Andrea seemed to hear something and looked back.

Behind the constantly firing gunmen, he saw the girls of Azure Longsword gathered around Sidlipha, who was doing push-ups on the ground with great effort.

Asker squatted beside her, holding Nuo’s mechanical watch, and counting loudly:

“Three hundred and ninety-nine… four hundred!”

Sidlipha collapsed on the ground, so tired that she almost stuck out her tongue. The girls cheered and went to massage her shoulders and aching muscles.

What the fuck?! Andrea was instantly furious.

I’m fighting for my life here, and you’re having a party over there?!

Although according to the rules they had established at the beginning, the two sides couldn’t steal monsters from each other. In all fairness, if Azure Longsword had fired the first shot, Andrea wouldn’t have let his men assist and help them kill monsters and obtain materials for no reason.

But Andrea was still furious! Just looking at Asker’s face made him angry. Distracted by his anger, he was hit in the chest by a Snow Monster and sent flying backwards.

Thanks to several Transcendental mercenaries desperately holding it back, Andrea wasn’t pursued and killed by the Snow Monster.

Hermann helped him up from the side, casually slapping a frost spell on his chest, the cold slightly lessening his pain.

Looking closely, the commander’s chest armor was completely shattered.

Thanks to the broken chest armor, most of the force from the Snow Monster’s blow had been dissipated. As for the fragments piercing his skin, those were minor injuries, they would heal on their own with his physical strength’s self-healing ability.

“Why were you distracted?” Hermann asked.

“Look behind you.” Andrea gritted his teeth.

“That’s normal.” Hermann looked at Azure Longsword and commented, “We can’t expect them to work for us for free.”

Thinking that these transcendental materials would eventually belong to his group, Andrea’s pain subsided a bit.

Sidlipha’s screams came from behind again. Asker was holding down her legs, making her do sit-ups.

The girls were cheering her on, their encouragement incessant.

What the hell are they doing? After his anger subsided, Andrea felt confused.

Mocking? Unlikely. Their people were all engaged in battle, they didn’t have time to watch what they were doing.

Exercising? Even stranger, who would exercise on the battlefield? What if they pulled a muscle and couldn’t fight later?

Slacking off? Had they completely given up on competing for the loot? That didn’t seem right. If they really wanted to give up, why not just retreat and leave the mountains now? Why stay here?

Seeing Asker’s calm face again, he suddenly felt a strong sense of unease.

“Be careful of Azure Longsword,” Andrea said quietly.

“You’re worried they’ll turn on us and attack in the end?” Hermann paused. “That’s unlikely.”

“After all, they are not as strong as us overall. Besides, the honor-bound Spartans are also here.”

“I’m sure that guy has some kind of scheme.” Andrea said firmly. “Even if it’s not a sneak attack, it’s some other ulterior motive.”

Chapter 82: Distribution Rules

The Iron Cross’s Eastern division’s collection of “Frost” Sequence materials wasn’t a standard team requirement.

It was an urgent directive from headquarters.

On the northernmost Scandinavian Peninsula, several countries had recently united to form the “Kalmar Union.”

Kalmar, though called a union, was in essence an empire, with power concentrated in the hands of Queen Margaret.

The Hanseatic League in northern Holy Roman Empire expressed strong concerns about this.

The Hanseatic League was a merchant guild composed of large merchants from the northern cities of the Holy Roman Empire, originally a purely commercial organization. Later, to defend against increasingly rampant pirate attacks, the Hanseatic League began to build its own navy.

At the end of the Fifth Age, in order to monopolize the Baltic Sea trade route, the Hanseatic League decisively defeated the northern countries in a naval battle and successfully signed the Treaty of Stralsund, restricting the northern countries from interfering in Baltic Sea trade, ensuring the freedom of the port town of Visby, and even vetoing the succession rights of the northern royal families.

(Simply put, the Hanseatic League monopolized the trade routes in the North Sea, possessed colonial port towns, and could even decide the kings of the northern countries.)

Now, with the northern countries united by Queen Margaret, the Hanseatic League immediately felt a strong military threat.

Whether the other party came openly (direct attack) or covertly (increased pirate activity), it would seriously affect the Hanseatic League’s trade security and economic interests in this region.

Therefore, the Hanseatic League urgently needed to prepare for this. As a mercenary group solely funded by the Hanseatic League, the Iron Cross was thus issued the mandatory task of “collecting Frost Sequence materials.”

All branches had to collect a certain amount of Frost materials within a time limit and hand them over. This was a death order.

These materials would be sent to Lübeck and urgently made into supernatural items that could resist frost through special channels, used to defend against the attacks of the Norman pirates under the Northern Queen.

(The Transcendents among the Norman pirates mostly leaned towards the Frost Sequence, which could help them resist the cold, freeze the enemy’s arms in battle, or prevent them from freezing to death if they fell into the sea.)

Of course, this was just a potential conflict that was expected to happen within a few years, but hadn’t happened yet. The current confrontation between Emperor Otto and the Church was the main theme of the world. Unless you paid special attention to the political situation in the remote areas north of the Holy Roman Empire, ordinary people shouldn’t know about this.

So, how did this Asker know about this?

Guessing that they were here for Frost Sequence materials and being certain that they desperately needed these materials and wouldn’t give up until they achieved their goal were two completely different things.

The former was negotiable, the latter was the bottom line of the transaction. Once the bottom line was seen through, there was no room for bargaining – just press the price down to the bottom line.

Hermann stared at Asker, his eyes complex and gloomy.

After Andrea yielded, the three parties quickly reached an agreement.

Sparta would provide 20 reserve boy soldiers, mainly acting as guides.

The two mercenary groups, Azure Longsword and the Iron Cross, would be responsible for entering the mountains and eliminating the rampaging Snow Monsters.

However, disagreements and arguments arose again regarding the distribution of spoils.

“It’s impossible to divide the harvest based on the number of people.” Asker shook his head repeatedly. “That’s not fair.”

“What’s unfair about it?” Andrea said. “We contribute more people, so of course we should get more, it’s very fair.”

“Then I’ll hire 100 Spartans right now to temporarily join my team as guides, then we can calculate based on the number of people.” Asker said.

“That won’t do!” Andrea hurriedly said. “Only warriors who can effectively damage the Snow Monster count!”

“Oh, then I’ll equip these 100 Spartans with stones, and they can throw stones at the Snow Monster. As long as they hit, it counts as damage, how about that?” Asker said.

“Of course not!” Andrea said.

“Then tell me, what is the definition of damage.” Asker countered.

Andrea was speechless.

What was considered damage? If throwing stones counted as damage, then Andrea also wanted to hire a group of people on the spot to forcibly increase his share of the loot.

But damage couldn’t be quantified after all… After pondering for a moment, Andrea could only compromise:

“How about this, we calculate based on the actual kills. Whoever kills the Snow Monster, the loot on it belongs to them.”

“Okay.” Asker said, “If two people hit the Snow Monster at the same time, and the Snow Monster dies, who gets the kill? I suggest cutting off its ear after killing it. Whoever has the ear gets the loot.”

“That won’t do!” Andrea immediately became agitated. “I brought a lot of gunmen this time, how can you make gunmen go to the front line to cut off ears?”

“What’s the problem? My team also has gunmen and mages,” Asker said.

“How many people are in your team! Half of the non-Transcendents in my team are gunmen!” Andrea said, exasperated.

“Then how do you suggest we calculate it?” Asker asked.

“Gunmen are counted as one person. The spoils are divided in half after the battle, one half is evenly distributed based on the number of people, and the other half is based on kills.” Andrea said casually.

“Okay, our share will be based on kills, and your share will be based on the number of people.”

“Are you here to pick a fight?” Andrea was going crazy.

“I’m just reminding you that this distribution method is unreasonable.” Asker said calmly. “After all, having more people doesn’t necessarily mean you can kill faster. What’s the point of being so insistent on dividing based on the number of people?”

“Then what do you suggest?” Andrea said impatiently, throwing the question back.

“Calculate based on kills.” Asker said.

“If multiple people hit the same Snow Monster, how do we count the kills?” Andrea asked.

“Simple.” Asker said, “After encountering a Snow Monster, whoever attacks the target first, that Snow Monster belongs to them. Whether the other side attacks or not doesn’t affect the ownership of the materials on the Snow Monster. Assuming both sides cooperate to kill the Snow Monster, the ownership belongs to the one who attacked first.”

“This way, only one side will be attacking a Snow Monster at the same time, and the ownership is clear.”

Andrea pondered for a moment and felt that this rule was advantageous for him.

The reason was simple: to prevent being frostbitten by the Snow Monster at close range, he had brought a large number of gunmen this time. Gunmen had a longer attack range, so they could hit the Snow Monster before the members of Azure Longsword.

As long as they got the first shot, they could enjoy the protection of the rule and claim the materials after killing the Snow Monster.

But was this guy really so kind? Andrea became suspicious again.

The rule seemed fine, but he had been tricked by Asker too many times, so he couldn’t be sure if there was a trap.

So he turned to Hermann and asked, “What do you think?”

“The rule is advantageous for us.” Hermann’s judgment was the same as his.

“But I don’t trust this guy.” Andrea muttered. “After all, this rule was proposed by him.”

“He’s guarding against us.” Hermann said, “This rule, on the surface, restricts everyone from snatching targets from each other, but in reality, it divides the battlefield. Since the enemies belong to each side, then in battle, we will naturally be separated, and we can’t use ‘accidental injury’ as an excuse to attack them.”

“I see.” Andrea quickly understood. “So he still doesn’t trust us? Haha, it’s understandable for a small mercenary group to be cautious.”

The two whispered for a while and then agreed to Asker’s rule.

Whoever killed it, got it; whoever attacked it first could kill it. If a dead Snow Monster fell from the sky, whoever grabbed it first got it.

In short, it was a race.

Chapter 81: Negotiations

What the hell?! Andrea wanted to argue, “First, we only got 250 pounds; second, we need the 250 pounds to support our team.”

However, he couldn’t say these words, because, predictably, the other party would only need one sentence to shut him down:

None of my business.

I was only responsible for helping you find Von Kesim, so honor your promise. How much bounty you received, your costs, your profits, none of my business.

To make matters worse, the surrounding Spartans also began to murmur.

As one of the few large mercenary groups, the Iron Cross had to consider its reputation. If this were some remote wilderness, Andrea wouldn’t waste his breath with him, it would be considered merciful if he didn’t just kill Asker.

However, this was the Laconian plain, the Spartan city-state, one of the largest cities on the Siris Peninsula. If the rumor of the “Iron Cross mercenary group cheating on their payment” spread, and it was spread by the Spartans, who were known for their honesty and disdain for lying…

Andrea could almost imagine how the reputation of the Eastern division in the Siris region would plummet.

“Ahem, in that case, we, the Iron Cross mercenary group, will not renege on our payment.” As he said these words, Andrea’s heart was bleeding. It wasn’t that he was reluctant to part with these 5 pounds, but this feeling of frustration was something he hadn’t experienced in a long time.

Except for that time in Stanimaka, when someone stole his kill, took the loot, and then left a message to provoke conflict between him and Matthews, making them wary and scheming against each other, exhausting themselves before finally completing the mission.

He counted out coins worth 5 pounds, tossed the pouch to Asker, and looked up at the sky indifferently, determined not to say another word to the leader of Azure Longsword.

The next second, the Spartan king on the throne spoke.

“For this anomaly, we intend to cooperate with Azure Longsword. We will not trouble your Iron Cross mercenary group any further.”

Andrea: !!!

He had just decided not to have anything more to do with Asker, and now this happened!

As the leader of the Iron Cross Eastern division, facing this situation of having his business snatched away, he couldn’t pretend to be deaf and dumb, he could only force a smile and say:

“I have no intention of interfering in your affairs, but shouldn’t you reconsider this matter? The Snow Monster on Mount Taygetus requires experienced Transcendents to deal with…”

“I believe we can cooperate,” Asker added.

Andrea looked at him in surprise.

“As Commander Andrea said, the Iron Cross mercenary group is powerful and an indispensable force for the Spartan city-state in dealing with this anomaly,” Asker said tactfully.

The surrounding Spartans murmured amongst themselves. Because Agesilaus had been easily defeated by the mercenary earlier, no Spartan warrior voiced any further objections, but judging from their expressions, most of them were still unhappy.

The two Spartan kings on the throne, however, understood Asker’s implication: The Iron Cross mercenary group had brought so many people here. Even if you plan to deal with the anomaly yourselves behind closed doors, if they cause trouble from the outside, it will be enough to make your lives difficult.

“Of course,” Asker changed his tone, “It’s unreasonable for Sparta to pay. Isn’t the Iron Cross mercenary group here for transcendental materials? If you want transcendental materials, you can’t also ask for money.”

“That won’t do.” Andrea also knew that his asking price was too high, but he still had to argue his case. “According to the rules of the mercenary business, mission rewards are one thing, and additional loot belongs to those who obtain it, these are two different matters.”

“If that’s the case, the Spartans have no need to hire the Iron Cross at all.” Asker countered. “Not long ago, Sparta sent people to Olympia to help them fend off the Crusader attack.”

“As a reward, Sparta can simply request Arcane Mage assistance from Olympia.”

“Heh,” Andrea sneered. “It takes at least four days to travel back and forth between Sparta and Olympia. How many casualties will you suffer during this time?”

“Three days at most,” Asker said calmly. “And Sparta can also hire the Iron Cross to defend the city.”

Hire us to defend the city? Andrea was stunned.

The two Spartan kings on the throne laughed.

Hiring them to defend the city and hiring them to go into the mountains to eliminate the threat, both seemed to involve fighting the Snow Monster, but in reality, they were completely different.

Assuming there were 100 Snow Monsters in the mountains, during the city defense, they could only kill 2 or 3 at most. What the Iron Cross mercenary group could get was only monetary compensation.

This was far from their original plan of getting both money and transcendental materials.

When the mages from Olympia arrived, the Spartans would go into the mountains with the Arcane Mages to eliminate the threat, and the Iron Cross mercenary group would get nothing in the end.

Then what if they didn’t accept the employment? That would be equivalent to a falling out. After all, the Iron Cross mercenary group had brought a large number of people here, saying they wanted to discuss business with Sparta, but after discussing, they didn’t accept the job?

If you don’t accept it, then leave. What, you’re not leaving? Then what are you doing here? Do you have ulterior motives? This is Spartan territory!

To put it bluntly, the Iron Cross mercenary group was clearly here for the Snow Monster’s transcendental materials, but Andrea tried to package it as “helping the Spartans” to extort more money from Sparta.

Asker took advantage of this and went with the flow. Since you offered to help Sparta, then let Sparta hire you to defend the city. We’ll give you the money, but don’t even think about the transcendental materials in the mountains.

This logic was a bit convoluted for the ordinary Spartan warriors, but the two kings on the throne were shrewd and naturally understood the implications. They immediately echoed:

“Indeed, although the Spartans can handle the anomaly ourselves, we also welcome the Iron Cross mercenary group coming from afar to assist us.”

With this simple sentence, the Iron Cross mercenary group’s actions were defined as “assistance.” Since it was assistance, then they couldn’t talk about business, talking about business would hurt their feelings.

The expressions of the surrounding Spartans also softened. “Assistance,” this term sounded much better and wouldn’t damage the Spartans’ dignity.

Seeing this, Andrea’s eyelids twitched. He felt that the originally advantageous situation was slipping away from him, and he couldn’t even refute it.

If he said “I’m not here to assist,” “I’m here to discuss business with you,” then the Spartans could immediately say “Okay, we’ll ask the Olympia mages to go into the mountains to eliminate the threat, and we’ll hire you to defend the city during this time,” then they wouldn’t be able to enter the mountains.

Insisting on entering the mountains would mean they had ulterior motives and intended to backstab them. The Spartans would definitely turn against them, and the Iron Cross mercenary group couldn’t do that.

Their original negotiation strategy was to insist that “It will take time to request aid from Olympia, how will you prevent the Snow Monster’s attacks during this time,” thus forcing Sparta to pay them to resolve the anomaly.

But Asker’s sentence “We’ll hire you to defend the city” solved the problem.

Andrea looked almost frantic, clenching and unclenching his fists.

Reason told him that the extortion plan was no longer feasible. What he should do now was to cut his losses and accept the “assistance” role to avoid further unnecessary complications.

But he was truly frustrated! He had only met with the Azure Longsword mercenary group twice, and nothing good had come out of either encounter! They had completely outmaneuvered him!

Being forced to yield again, Andrea was truly unwilling!

“Forget it.” Hermann placed his hand on his shoulder and said calmly, “When your trump card is seen through, negotiations are bound to fail.”

The trump card, of course, referred to the true purpose of the Iron Cross mercenary group, which was the transcendental materials from the Snow Monster in the mountains.

“This is the only way.” Andrea sighed.

“What I’m more interested in is,” Hermann stared at Asker, his eyes gradually sharpening,

“How did he see through our true purpose?”

Chapter 80: Payment Due

When Rudashius arrived, he saw Eleanor and Asker, one holding Sidlipha’s head and the other lifting her feet, trying to pull her off the ground.

Sidlipha struggled, a look of despair on her face.

The Spartan boys nearby cheered her on, as lively as if they were watching a tug-of-war.

Is this… some new training method? Rudashius wondered.

He quickly remembered his task and hurried over to Asker, briefly explaining the situation.

“The Iron Cross mercenary group? Andrea?” Asker said with a smile. “Of course I remember him. We’re old friends.”

Judging by the look on Andrea’s face, I doubt he’d agree with that statement… Rudashius thought to himself.

Asker turned to go back to the dormitory and gather the rest of the girls. Seeing this, Hood rushed out, shouting.

“You don’t want to train?” Asker asked, surprised after hearing Hood’s complaints. “The quality of Spartan military training is very high. It’s a rare opportunity to train in their territory, it will be very helpful for your strength development!”

“Dude, I give up, stop messing with me, okay?” Hood was almost in tears. “I’m a mechanic! A support profession! Improving my combat strength is useless for me!”

“You can’t say that. When real danger strikes, no one cares whether you’re a combat profession or not,” Asker said.

“I don’t care! If you make me run with them again, I’ll quit the group right here and now! I quit!” Hood declared resolutely.

Seeing his unwavering stance, Asker relented and let him stay in the dormitory. He then left with the girls of Azure Longsword.

Following Rudashius to the Spartan Royal Court, they saw the place surrounded by layers of Spartan warriors who had come upon hearing the news.

Pushing through the crowd, they saw the two Spartan kings sitting on stone chairs, and two high-ranking members of the Iron Cross mercenary group in the center of the plaza.

One of them was Andrea, the guy who had distributed the silver coins in Stanimaka.

“Captain Asker, long time no see,” Andrea greeted him with a smile, showing no sign of their previous unpleasant encounter.

This was the mark of a large mercenary group.

In the mercenary business, competition was unavoidable. Making enemies today and making enemies tomorrow, if they held onto every grudge, they wouldn’t have time for any business, they’d be spending all their time seeking revenge!

Smaller mercenary groups, when they had a feud, would at most ignore each other when they met. Larger mercenary groups, even with a feud, could still smile and greet each other, continuing to trade and cooperate as needed.

Of course, if you showed any weakness, the knife from a large mercenary group would be more ruthless than anyone else’s – after all, they were professionals.

“Commander Andrea, I didn’t expect to see you here,” Asker replied politely. “I apologize for leaving so abruptly last time, without a proper goodbye.”

“No worries, no worries.” Andrea maintained his smile, sneering inwardly.

“In that case, let’s settle the accounts, shall we?” Asker said.

Andrea: ???

“Settle the accounts?” Andrea’s smile faltered. “What accounts?”

“The commission for finding Von Kesim.” Asker looked at him strangely, his expression as if saying, “Don’t tell me you’re trying to renege on your payment.” “Five denarii per day, plus 5 pounds for finding Von Kesim, have you forgotten?”

I!@#￥%&… A string of curses ran through Andrea’s mind, but he maintained his composure and feigned confusion:

“Captain Asker, your claim is unreasonable. Von Kesim appeared on his own accord, attempting to snipe everyone in the fortress. How does that count as you finding him?”

“Who defeated Von Kesim in the sniper duel?” Asker asked.

“I admit it was you, and I am very grateful for your assistance.” Andrea said slyly. “However, it was Captain Matthews of the Free Wind mercenary group who promised to share the bounty for participating in the siege. You should ask him for payment. We, the Iron Cross, only promised a bounty for finding Von Kesim.”

“Did you eventually find him?”

“We did.”

“And how did you find him?”

“By following you, of course…” Andrea suddenly clapped his hand over his mouth, as if realizing he had misspoken.

Hermann beside him sighed. The surrounding Spartans watched them in silence.

“Indeed.” Asker nodded. “After the sniper duel, our people led the way and brought you to Von Kesim, didn’t we? And in the end, you took his head and exchanged it for the bounty from the Church.”

Led the way, my ass! Andrea roared inwardly. You ran so fast, if it weren’t for our experienced scouts, we would have lost you long ago!

“Captain Asker, that’s not quite fair, is it?” Andrea forced a smile, regaining his composure.

“It is true that you ‘led’ us to Von Kesim.” He emphasized the word “led” with subtle sarcasm. “However, you also took his sniper rifle, didn’t you? That rifle is worth 500 pounds.”

“You said yourself that the sniper rifle belonged to Von Kesim.” Asker looked at him, puzzled. “How can you use someone else’s belongings to offset the debt?”

“How can it be someone else’s belongings?!” Andrea couldn’t help but retort angrily. “You led us to Von Kesim, so of course we could kill him, and then the sniper rifle naturally became our spoils of war, didn’t it?”

“Then who ultimately killed Von Kesim?” Asker asked.

Andrea: …

Damn, this logic is twisted!

He held his forehead, calmed down for a few seconds, and sorted out the relationship:

The Iron Cross mercenary group hired independent mercenaries to find the mission target, promising a reward of 5 pounds.

After finding the mission target, the Iron Cross mercenary group would kill Von Kesim and take his head and weapon, earning 1000 pounds, of which 5 pounds would be given to the independent mercenaries.

However, the real problem was that finding Von Kesim didn’t mean his head and weapon belonged to you – you still had to kill him first.

In other words, the initial statement of the Iron Cross mercenary group had a loophole: they only promised 5 pounds for finding the target; they didn’t specify who owned the loot on the target.

Of course, ordinary mercenary groups couldn’t kill Von Kesim independently, so Andrea hadn’t considered this at first.

But then something unexpected happened: Azure Longsword led them to Von Kesim, theoretically completing the Iron Cross’s commission.

Then they killed Von Kesim and took his weapon, which was no longer related to the commission.

Theoretically, even if they had taken Von Kesim’s head at that time, as long as they could escape, there wouldn’t be any legal problems.

Seeing the changing expressions on Andrea’s face, Asker said slowly:

“Look, I led you to Von Kesim, and I also killed him by the way. You didn’t have to do anything and got Von Kesim’s head, which you exchanged for a 500-pound bounty from the Church. Now you’re reluctant to give us the agreed-upon 5 pounds? That doesn’t seem right, Commander Andrea.”

Chapter 79: Taking Sides

“Azure Longsword?”

Andrea hadn’t yet processed this when Hermann beside him recalled something, frowning.

“Isn’t that the mercenary group that was hunting the Templar Knight in Stanimaka, but had Von Kesim killed out from under them, and then took his rifle?”

“Oh!” Andrea’s eyes widened in sudden understanding, his expression turning complex.

Having a kill stolen was commonplace among larger mercenary groups. After all, strength dictated everything in this business. If your fist wasn’t big enough, there was nothing you could do.

And the size of one’s fist in any given mission depended on the number of people deployed, which directly related to manpower costs. Therefore, “how to deploy fewer people” to “outmaneuver the competition and complete the mission” was a constant concern for mercenary group headquarters.

The Iron Cross mercenary group headquarters had even hired professional accountants and actuaries from Venice specifically to assess the difficulty of various missions and the corresponding number of personnel needed.

Of course, they could only estimate, not predict.

For example, if a mission was estimated to require around 200 people, but upon arriving at the scene, they found that the “Free Wind” mercenary group had deployed 300 people, then they naturally couldn’t compete for the mission.

Unable to compete, the various expenses incurred by their 200 people during the mission became a complete loss since they didn’t receive the reward.

The major mercenary groups had also considered cooperation. For example, if today I deployed 300 people, and you deployed 300 people, neither of us could decisively overpower the other, and we didn’t want to fight each other and suffer mutual losses, so we might as well cooperate to complete the mission and split the reward equally. This occasionally happened.

Of course, the premise was that neither side revealed any weaknesses.

If one side suffered heavy casualties during the mission, then sorry, the previous agreement had to be changed. Why? Because your fist wasn’t big enough now! Why should I talk about integrity with you if your fist isn’t big enough?

The hunt for the Templar Knight Von Kesim could have been a model of friendly cooperation between the two sides.

At that time, Matthews of Free Wind had brought slightly more mercenaries, but in terms of individual strength, Andrea’s side was superior.

Neither side was confident in defeating the other, so they could have cooperated to kill the target and then split the reward equally.

Unexpectedly, a small mercenary group called Azure Longsword intervened, first defeating Von Kesim in a sniper duel, then shamelessly snatching the kill before anyone could react.

By the time the Iron Cross and Free Wind arrived at the scene, Von Kesim was already dead, and his weapon had been taken by them.

Half of the 1000-pound bounty for the Templar Knight was taken, leaving only the 500-pound head. If there was only one mercenary group, it would be fine, but for two mercenary groups to split this 500 pounds, the cost-effectiveness of this mission was a bit ugly.

Therefore, Andrea and Matthews schemed against each other along the way, setting traps and trying to frame each other, even almost erupting into a full-blown conflict several times, before finally delivering Von Kesim’s head to the nearest Catholic diocese.

Then they each received 250 pounds…

Andrea still felt a pang of pain thinking about it. After all that trouble, he only earned a measly 250 pounds, and he was also reprimanded by headquarters for the death of his sniper, which even affected his year-end performance review.

It was all Azure Longsword’s fault!

Seeing the complex expressions of these two mercenaries, the two Spartan kings were a little surprised. They had only intended to mention this name and then say “The Spartans are already cooperating with Azure Longsword, you Iron Cross mercenary group need not bother.”

Unexpectedly, judging from Andrea’s expression and reaction, it seemed that he had known Azure Longsword for a long time, and their interactions hadn’t been friendly.

So Cleomenes quickly gave a look, and Rudashius immediately understood, hurrying out to find Asker.

…

On the open space near the dormitory, Eleanor, Peggy, and Sidlipha were sparring, while Asker watched from the side.

Around the open space, a crowd of Spartan boy soldiers had gathered. Hood, squeezed among the Spartan boys, stared at Asker through gritted teeth.

He had been inexplicably taken to the boy soldiers’ barracks and then inexplicably trained for a whole day, doing weight-bearing cross-country runs, standing at attention, 100-meter hurdle races, javelin throwing, and other physical training.

Although there were adult Spartan warriors supervising and preventing him from getting hurt, sweating and sore muscles were inevitable.

That bastard Asker, I thought that if I didn’t join the mercenary group officially, he wouldn’t have any reason to train me, but he actually used such an underhanded trick!

This revenge shall not go unavenged!

“Hey, is that the Azure Longsword you’re from?” Several Spartan boys asked Hood.

“They’re so strong! That golden-haired warrior!” Someone said enviously. “Look at her shield technique, she can even block such powerful attacks, her experience is definitely no less than our instructor’s!”

“And that black-haired one, she’s so fast! Faster than the fastest 100-meter runner in Athens! I can barely see her movements!”

Everyone expressed their envy. Children always admired the strong, and even Hood felt a sense of pride, feeling a little smug for a moment.

“Sigh, what’s so great about this, you guys are just making a fuss.” Hood put on a disdainful expression. “See that man standing by the training ground? That’s the leader of our Azure Longsword mercenary group, he’s the real powerhouse. These three on the field together are no match for him.”

“Really?” The Spartan boys’ eyes immediately lit up.

“Hey, Hood, what’s your ranking in terms of combat power in the Azure Longsword mercenary group?” A boy asked curiously.

“Ahem. I’m not an adult yet, it’s different.” Hood said, a little embarrassed.

“That black-haired girl isn’t an adult either, is she?” Another boy said.

“Uh…” Hood hesitated for a moment, then patted his chest and said, “Not to brag, but our captain and I have a good relationship, and he often teaches me some combat techniques. Although I’m not an adult yet, and my physical qualities can’t compare to adults, my combat power can still rank in the top ten in the group.”

“Oh, oh, oh, oh.” The Spartan boys nodded repeatedly, their faces full of admiration.

Just as Hood continued to brag among the boys, the fight on the field had already been decided.

Although the “Golden Finger” used to enhance the Steal ability had been returned to Quintus after the Olympia defense battle, Peggy, with the extensive combat experience gained during that time, could now stably split off one additional phantom.

She swung her short sword horizontally and split off a phantom, attacking Sidlipha from both sides.

Sidlipha naturally knew the power of the Undead Phantom Sword and immediately unleashed a Whirlwind Slash to force the two back.

As she turned her back, Eleanor suddenly charged with her shield, knocking Sidlipha to the ground from behind.

“A wonderful fight!” The Spartan boys clapped and cheered.

However, the next scene left them dumbfounded.

Sidlipha groaned and lay on the ground, refusing to get up.

Chapter 78: Have You Heard of Azure Longsword?

In the center of the Spartan Royal Court, which also served as the Elder Council Hall, was a large, circular, sunken plaza. It was used for speeches by the kings and elders, and, on occasion, for duels. Such as when the two kings had a serious disagreement.

The blond mercenary Hermann drew his sword with his left hand and took the axe from his back with his right, holding his weapons pointed towards the ground, his gaze fixed indifferently on the Spartan warrior opposite him.

Left sword, right axe, a two-handed fighting style popular in northern Holstein. The stronger right hand wielded the axe for chopping, while the more dexterous left hand wielded the sword for thrusting.

Agesilaus was equipped as a Spartan heavy infantryman: sword in his right hand, shield in his left.

The two faced each other on the field. With the signal to begin, their weapons clashed.

Parrying the attack, Agesilaus exerted force with his right arm, but felt the opponent’s strength also increasing rapidly. For a moment, the two were evenly matched.

Agesilaus roared, pressed his weapon down, disengaged, and retreated, feeling a slight numbness in his tiger’s mouth and a chill where his hand gripped the sword hilt.

He lunged forward again, swinging his shield. Hermann hopped back, dodging the shield bash, and swung his axe down.

Agesilaus raised his shield with his left hand, blocking several chops, then thrust his sword swiftly with his right. Hermann parried the thrust with his sword.

The two exchanged dozens of blows, neither gaining a clear advantage.

“That’s…” A sharp-eyed Spartan warrior suddenly noticed Agesilaus’s right arm trembling.

His fingers were slightly curled, as if he was trying to tighten his grip on the hilt.

Hermann opposite him still had a gloomy expression, his face as if covered in frost.

No, wait! It was frost!

The observing Spartans suddenly realized that Hermann’s hands were soaked, not with sweat from exertion, but with water dripping from his weapons.

A faint white mist emanated from around his sword and axe—water vapor in the air rapidly condensing upon contact with the cold steel.

Their weapons clashed again. Agesilaus’s shield trembled noticeably, his hand numb and turning purple from the frigid metal grip.

Hermann swung his axe with his right hand, chopping down several times with force. Agesilaus held up his shield, enduring the blows, but the shield was finally knocked from his grasp.

He hurriedly knelt on one knee, raising his sword to block, but the next blow never came.

Hermann simply stared at him grimly, then sheathed his weapons.

The victor was clear.

The surrounding Spartans erupted in commotion as they saw Agesilaus’s hands completely purple, covered in water droplets and tiny ice particles.

“That’s witchcraft!” Someone shouted.

“It’s not witchcraft,” Andrea said calmly. “It’s a Transcendental ability, a Frost ability of the same Sequence as the Snow Monster on Mount Taygetus.”

The Spartans fell silent. Even if they could accuse their opponent of using a supernatural ability in a duel, could they force the Snow Monster on the mountain not to use its abilities?

They were simply outmatched, there was no arguing with that.

“Doesn’t the Iron Cross mercenary group follow the Western Catholic faith?” Lysander, the other Spartan king, asked. “Are you now allowed to be Transcendents?”

“His Majesty Emperor Otto has issued the Walpurgis Decree, declaring that as long as they are formally registered with the local lord, the existence of Transcendents is reasonable and legal,” Andrea replied cleverly.

According to the Walpurgis Decree, Transcendents were legal as long as they were registered. But what about before the decree was issued?

Did the 20 Transcendents in your group only start collecting potion formulas and materials and drinking potions after the decree? Were you all ordinary people before the decree was issued?

The two Spartan kings weren’t fools. They naturally understood that the Iron Cross mercenary group had been hiding Transcendental members, and now, because of the Walpurgis Decree, they were allowed to come out into the open.

Following this line of reasoning, their offer to “help” clear the Snow Monsters on Mount Taygetus might also have the purpose of collecting “Frost” Sequence materials. As for negotiating terms and signing a contract with the Spartans, that was just to extort more money.

The Spartans, of course, wouldn’t accept such terms.

Even if they asked the mages of Olympia for help, they could use transcendental materials instead of mercenary fees, and incidentally deepen the diplomatic relationship between the two sides! This group of mercenaries came to Spartan territory, wanting to kill Spartan monsters, and also wanted the Spartans to pay?

What a joke!

The two Spartan kings’ faces were dark as water, and they were about to refuse more forcefully when they saw Rudashius push through the crowd and enter.

Rudashius, this mercenary was originally from Cyprus, but later joined the Spartan city-state.

Because he wasn’t a local and didn’t have much of a relationship with the elder nobles in the Elder Council, and his strength and character were both decent, he naturally became a confidant of Cleomenes, one of the two kings.

So Cleomenes gestured for him to come over.

Rudashius whispered a few words in the king’s ear, and Cleomenes’ expression changed subtly.

King Lysander, standing a little further away, couldn’t hear clearly, only vaguely catching three words.

Dragon Kingdom.

Achilles.

Weapon Master.

Achilles, as the hero who bathed in the River Styx in legends, wasn’t an uncommon surname in Siris.

In the Second Age Spartan city-state, there was a royal clan also surnamed Achilles.

But when it came to “Achilles of the Dragon Kingdom,” of course, it could only refer to that Eastern bloodline Weapon Master family.

“Andrea of the Iron Cross mercenary group.” Cleomenes said in a deep voice. “The Spartans can solve their own problems, we don’t need your mercenary group to bother.”

“Hehe.” Andrea chuckled.

Before coming here, the Iron Cross mercenary group had already investigated the Transcendents in Sparta and knew that they didn’t have any Sequences to deal with the Snow Monster.

Therefore, Andrea regarded Cleomenes’ statement as a polite refusal, a counter-offer to his “sky-high price.”

“Your Majesty, you don’t have to refuse so quickly.” Andrea continued to offer his next bargaining chip. “As the most prestigious mercenary group on the continent, our Iron Cross’s experience in dealing with anomalies is incomparable to those Olympia mages.”

“The terms of the contract can be further negotiated. Of course, the most important thing now is to contain the Snow Monster within Mount Taygetus. Otherwise, even if you go to Olympia for help, it will take four days to go back and forth. During this time, the Snow Monster will continue to wreak havoc on the Laconian plain, causing countless casualties among the Spartans.”

“Commander Andrea.” Cleomenes interrupted his eloquent speech. “Have you heard of the name ‘Azure Longsword’?”

Azure Longsword? Andrea was taken aback.

The name sounded familiar. Was it the name of some legendary weapon?

Chapter 77: Royal Court Dispute

“Come, Sidlipha, drink up!” Nuo said with a beaming smile, holding the Frost I potion.

“Uh, about that…” Sidlipha hesitated. “Didn’t I just take the Ancient X potion not long ago?”

“Digested it yet?” Medea asked.

“Hmm…” Sidlipha tilted her head. “I think there’s still a little bit left?”

“Is that so?” Nuo said with a playful smile. “Ellie, Sidlipha says she still has some potion left to digest, come help her out!”

“Wait, wait!” Sidlipha hurriedly exclaimed. “It’s an illusion! Just an illusion! After those battles with the Crusaders, I’ve completely digested it!”

Even if she was naturally a bit slow, after being beaten up by everyone all afternoon, she realized something was off.

It was as if Asker had specifically chosen her for intensive training, forcing her to take the next potion as soon as possible.

“Really?” Nuo said skeptically, turning to look at Medea.

“Well, it’s not exactly a lie.” Medea read her superficial thoughts. “There might be a little bit left, but it’s negligible.”

“Then drink up.” Nuo handed her the Frost I potion and gave Medea a look. The latter understood immediately and left Furnace Island.

Sidlipha looked at the potion with a mournful face and downed it as if accepting her fate.

Seeing her cooperate so readily, Nuo hummed a cheerful tune.

In her spirit vision, she saw countless angel spirits floating down, humming a melodious tune along with her.

Angel’s Song, activate.

As the Frost I potion went down, Sidlipha immediately felt her body temperature dropping rapidly, as if she was immersed in icy seawater, constantly losing heat.

First, her lower abdomen went numb, then her legs and chest, then her arms and neck. A deep purple began to spread upwards, clashing with her consciousness at her neck.

Nuo placed her hand on Sidlipha’s forehead, using her “Spirit I” ability to soothe the fluctuations of her spirituality.

Sidlipha remained strangely conscious, uneasily feeling the cold surging from deep within her abdomen, and then… gradually receding.

“Ah~” she moaned comfortably. “It’s like taking a cold shower after a good workout.”

Sidlipha officially reached level 3.

Nuo suddenly felt a pang of jealousy, as she was still lingering at level 2, even though she already had the “Mind I” potion in hand…

“Now that you’re stable, you have to work hard to digest this potion.” Nuo said with a smile, waving over Eleanor and Peggy. “Ellie, come and spar~”

“Eh! Why do I have to fight you after taking the potion…” Sidlipha wailed.

…

The Spartan Royal Court.

Once the council of elders, the Spartan Royal Court was now surrounded by agitated Spartan warriors.

Their fury was directed at the mercenary leader inside.

When did the martial Spartans need outside mercenaries to protect them?

“I am Andrea, leader of the Iron Cross mercenary group’s Eastern division. I am here because of the anomaly on Mount Taygetus.” Andrea spoke eloquently. “Our mercenary group has brought 100 men this time, including more than 20 Transcendents, all experienced in dealing with anomalies.”

“Sparta needs no outside help,” King Cleomenes, the current king of the Spartan city-state, said coldly.

“This is not help.” Andrea smiled faintly. “This is merely an employment offer from the Iron Cross mercenary group. You provide the funds, we provide the manpower, each gets what they need.”

Cleomenes fell silent, exchanging glances with Lysander, the other Spartan co-ruling king.

The supernatural creature that came down from Mount Taygetus was a monster called a “Snow Monster,” possessing abilities of the “Frost” Sequence.

It wasn’t that the Spartan city-state didn’t have Transcendents, but as a democratic city-state with a strong martial culture, their Transcendental paths were mostly physically oriented, which was precisely countered by the “Frost” Sequence.

When Transcendents fought Snow Monsters, the low temperature of the frost would be transmitted to their bodies through metal swords, shields, and armor. In less than ten seconds, the hands holding the swords or shields would become stiff and numb, then lose consciousness. Spartan warriors tried wrapping their arms in cloth or cotton, but the effect was minimal.

The most effective method, of course, was to switch to ranged attacks, such as gunmen or Transcendents of the Arcane Sequence.

However, this went against the Spartans’ cultural customs. The Spartan culture was a culture of warriors, of direct confrontation. Asking them to seek help from the Siris mages they used to look down on? Impossible!

At least for now, most traditional Spartan warriors still strongly resisted the involvement of outside forces.

Of course, the Spartans were reckless, not stupid. Once most people realized that the Snow Monster couldn’t be defeated through close combat, and the mainstream opinion in the city shifted, then the two kings could request aid from Olympia without too much opposition.

However, the arrival of the Iron Cross mercenary group’s Eastern division had prematurely intensified the conflict in the city regarding whether to request aid.

“Get these northerners out of here!” A shout came from the crowd outside.

“Who just objected?” Andrea turned around and asked with a smile, spreading his hands gracefully.

“Me! Agesilaus!” A young Spartan warrior pushed through the crowd and pointed at the Frankish noble. “Sparta can handle its own affairs, we don’t need your interference!”

“This young man seems very confident, very good.” Andrea nodded. “However, judging by your unscathed appearance, you haven’t fought the Snow Monster from Mount Taygetus yet, have you?”

The young warrior, Agesilaus, immediately blushed upon hearing this.

The answer was obvious. If he had fought the Snow Monster, he wouldn’t have said that “Sparta doesn’t need help.”

“Your Majesties,” Andrea said with a smile, “perhaps we can conduct a simple experiment to assess whether Sparta needs our help.”

The two kings looked at him silently without speaking.

However, in this situation, silence meant consent. Andrea keenly sensed this and clapped his hands, calling in another mercenary from outside the crowd:

“Hermann!”

A gloomy-looking blond young man with a sword at his waist and a short axe on his back walked in from the crowd. He wore a cloth robe with the Iron Cross emblem.

“Hermann is a high-ranking Transcendental in our group, currently mastering the Frost Sequence.” Andrea said with a smile. “Although his physique is not as strong as the Snow Monster’s, if this Spartan warrior can defeat him while enduring the effects of frost, then we will consider that you have the ability to fight the Snow Monster alone.”

The two kings remained silent, just shifting their gazes towards Agesilaus.

Agesilaus immediately took the bait, drawing his sword from his waist and saying:

“Alright!”

Chapter 76: The Axe of the North Wind

After the Spartan warrior left, the girls couldn’t contain themselves any longer and burst into laughter.

“The Captain becomes a daddy!” Mia shouted first.

“Hey! Which one of us do you think the Spartans consider Hood’s mother?” Medea, ever the mischief-maker, asked with a giggle.

“It must be Nuo or Peggy, they both have black hair.” Eleanor analyzed seriously. “Considering that Peggy looks younger, it’s probably Nuo.”

“Stop it!” Nuo’s face turned as red as an apple, and she shouted in embarrassment.

“Is everyone too idle after the war?” Asker sighed. “Just in time, I’ve collected a batch of Dark Elf Transcendental characteristics, they can supplement your nutrition.”

“Let’s combine it with special training,” he said with a smile.

“No!” The girls immediately wailed.

…

On Furnace Island, the girls stood listlessly in a line, like lambs caught by a wolf, their faces full of resignation.

“Today’s special training is one-on-one sparring with me.” Asker held a wooden sword and said with a smile, “Of course, I’m not a demon. Anyone who can defeat me can skip today’s training.”

The girls exchanged glances, thinking that this promise was too good to be true. Who could actually achieve it? If they could really defeat him, why would they be afraid of special training?

“What, do you think the difficulty is too high?” Asker asked with a smile. “Then let’s change the criteria: whoever can defeat Sidlipha in the morning can skip half a day of training; same for the afternoon.”

“Wait! Why me all of a sudden…” Sidlipha exclaimed in panic, only to see the other girls turn to her with hungry looks in their eyes.

“Sidlipha,” Eleanor said lightly, “we’re old sparring partners, let’s practice together today, shall we?”

“I promise not to use Undead Phantom Sword,” Peggy said.

“Big Sister Sidlipha, I’ve also wanted to train with you for a long time!” Mia hugged her leg.

So Sidlipha cried out as she was half-dragged, half-carried away by the girls.

Asker smiled as he watched them.

“Why did you suddenly choose Sidlipha to be ganged up on?” Medea asked from the side. “Well, I don’t think your choice was without reason, is there some deeper meaning here?”

“Have you heard of Spartacus’ axe?” Asker asked instead of answering directly.

“What?” Medea asked, confused.

“Spartacus, the Thracian slave gladiator of ancient Solomon in the Third Age.” Thira explained. “He revolted because he was dissatisfied with the treatment of slaves, and his army once reached 100,000 men. Later, he was captured and killed in the Battle of Apria.”

“It is said that he once obtained a divinely bestowed one-handed battle axe called ‘Boreas.’”

“Boreas, this word in Siris refers to both the ‘north wind’ and the ‘god of the north wind.’ This god came from the distant Hyperborea in the north, where the sun never sets, the ice and snow never melt, and the ancient Hyperboreans with the bloodline of frost giants live. They have long lifespans and possess countless gold.”

“To please the god of the north wind, they found polar ice in the far north, a transcendental material countless times harder than steel, almost impossible to collect with any tools. The Hyperboreans slaughtered dozens of frost giant tribes, softened the polar ice with boiling giant blood, and finally forged it into the shape of a battle axe, the ‘Axe of the North Wind,’ Boreas.”

“The Hyperboreans presented the Axe of the North Wind to the god of the north wind. The god of the north wind later came to live in Thrace, and this battle axe was lost in Thrace. As for how Spartacus obtained it, no one knows.”

“Is this Axe of the North Wind powerful?” Medea asked thoughtfully.

“It’s not a matter of whether it’s powerful or not.” Thira didn’t know how to explain. “It’s truly an artifact, beyond the scope of ordinary weapons.”

“It is said that the Axe of the North Wind has two characteristics: one is ‘The north wind freezes all things,’ it can freeze the enemy instantly upon hitting them, immobilizing them.”

“The second is ‘The north wind will always return.’ After being thrown out and hitting the enemy, the Axe of the North Wind will automatically fly back to its owner’s hand. No one understands the principle behind this.”

“Hmm.” Medea pondered. Just these two characteristics described by Thira sounded like the abilities of an artifact.

“Speaking of artifacts,” Asker said, “the artifacts in this world can be divided into three categories.”

“The first category, Epic Artifacts. These artifacts are usually very powerful, but they also have high restrictions on their users. For example, in the Sacred Heart Cathedral in West Francia, there is a spear called ‘Sacred Heart.’ It is said that only those who are absolutely righteous can hold it. Once the user has any evil thoughts, the spear will become too hot to hold.”

“The second category, Cursed Artifacts. These artifacts have powerful abilities, but also terrible negative effects. For example, the Shadow Blade used by Brutus to assassinate Caesar, its characteristic is being able to attack from the Shadow Realm, thus ignoring all defenses and supernatural abilities of the target.”

“The price is that once possessed, it will tempt the user to kill their loved ones, causing the user to live in regret and despair.”

“The third category, Growth Artifacts. The power of these artifacts is positively correlated with the Transcendental’s level and spiritual strength. If held in the hands of an ordinary person, it’s just an ordinary weapon.”

“The Axe of the North Wind that Thira mentioned is such a Growth Artifact. Currently, most of the artifacts in the world have been collected and studied by the Solomon Church, and a few are kept by the Orthodox Church as sealed items.”

“And this Axe of the North Wind is one of the few artifacts that have not been discovered by the Church. Back then, Spartacus originally planned to lead the slaves across the Strait of Messina, so he gave this weapon to the pirates as collateral.”

“However, the pirates betrayed him and didn’t provide the ships in order to keep the weapon for themselves, instead crossing the Ionian Sea and escaping.”

“When they landed at the port of Pylos on the Peloponnese Peninsula, it is said that the battle axe couldn’t bear falling into the hands of such despicable people, so it flew into the air with a gust of sea wind and finally landed on Mount Taygetus.”

“So the once scenic Mount Taygetus immediately turned into a snow-capped peak.”

The girls nodded and clicked their tongues, thinking that the reason they came to Sparta was to get this weapon for Sidlipha.

But how did Asker know about this? Never mind, although he was always mysterious, his predictions had never been wrong…

“To pull out this axe, you need at least the ‘Frost’ and ‘Giant’ sequences. Spartacus back then had the bloodline of the Hyperboreans and also possessed the ‘Frost’ sequence.”

“I’m not sure if Sidlipha has the Giant bloodline, but just in case, we must have her take and digest ‘Frost I’ and ‘Giant I’ as soon as possible.” Asker turned to Nuo and Medea and instructed:

“Keep an eye on her during this time and make sure she reaches level 4 for me!”

Nuo and Medea responded, suddenly feeling a strange sympathy for Sidlipha.

Chapter 75: The City of Sparta

The following morning.

The war ended so quickly that most of Olympia’s citizens hadn’t even reacted yet.

It wasn’t until the newspapers began to extensively report on the wreckage of the Crusader camp in the south and the massive corpse of the Leviathan in the north that the citizens seemed to wake up from a dream. A joyous atmosphere filled Olympia, even boosting business in the bars.

Currently, ordinary citizens were still prohibited from leaving Olympia, due to concerns about radiation from the neutron bomb. Therefore, citizens could only gather in entertainment venues, exchanging and boasting about the meager war information they had heard.

Meanwhile, after exchanging their military merits for rewards, the members of Azure Longsword planned to leave with the Spartans as soon as possible.

Since they had achieved their goals, there was no point in staying any longer.

In exchange for their military merits, Olympia provided Azure Longsword with six Sequence II potions:

Fire II, Frost II, Storm II, Meteor II, Thunder II, and Shadow II.

In addition, they were given two Sequence I potions as a bonus: Giant I and Radiance I.

The combined value of these far exceeded the merit redemption limit. It could be said that, thanks to Thira’s efforts, the City Lord had indeed given them an amazing discount.

Fire II was for Medea. Although her other personality possessed the high-sequence ability of Fire V, that was a gift from Purgatory, not a Sequence that Medea herself had mastered, and it wasn’t counted towards her own level.

Besides, they couldn’t let that pervert Medusa out every time, could they?

Frost II and Thunder II were prepared for Sidlipha. The “Titan Giant” path she chose was a rare bloodline path in this world, characterized by both physical and mental bursts, very powerful.

Of course, the corresponding potions were also much more expensive. For example, the “Giant I” potion could grant the user the bloodline of a giant, automatically making them understand the Giant language, while almost doubling their explosive power and endurance.

It was equivalent to a comprehensive improvement in attack, defense, and HP, transforming them into a super-powered heavy DPS. Therefore, its market price could reach around 800 pounds.

Shadow II was Mia’s potion, no need to mention that for now. The remaining Storm II, Meteor II, and Radiance I were obviously gifts from City Lord Appius to his beloved granddaughter.

Storm II and Meteor II were Thira’s two main sequences, which she could take all the way to level IV (level 4) along her bloodline path. Coupled with her existing cornerstone sequence “Wisdom X,” she had a total of 9 potions so far.

For the remaining one, she could choose any potion from the Arcane Sequence.

In Asker’s previous life, if a player’s main sequence wasn’t Thunder, they would usually choose “Thunder I.” The reason was simple: the Thunder ability had a fast activation speed, short aerial projectile time, and also came with a paralysis effect, making it very suitable as an opening spell.

However, Thira chose “Radiance I,” for the same reason as Eleanor before:

Since Sidlipha already had the Thunder Sequence in the team, it would be a waste for her to choose the same sequence again. It was better to choose an ability that the team didn’t have to make up for their overall shortcomings.

This way, they had collected all seven Arcane Sequences: Fire, Frost, Thunder, Storm, Meteor, Radiance, and Shadow.

Asker suddenly felt like he was playing a gacha game and collecting characters, all kinds of beautiful girls, all kinds of professions, all complete.

Fortunately, they were all living people, not just character portraits, so this couldn’t be considered game addiction, right?

However, thinking about the upcoming super war that would almost destroy half the continent, Asker felt a heavy pressure again.

Low-level Transcendents below level 10 were all cannon fodder in that super war. How many of the girls in his team would survive?

Time was running out, he had to quickly raise the team’s level!

Leaving Olympia, their next stop was the Spartan city-state. Azure Longsword chose to travel with Rudashius and the others.

The car parked in the small town of Olympia at the foot of the mountain had long been destroyed in the war.

Even if it hadn’t been destroyed, it would most likely have been rendered useless in the subsequent magic tide, its microcontroller in the electronic control system burned out.

Fortunately, Olympia had kindly sponsored two carriages…

Appius really doted on his granddaughter, even having Quintus send mage guards to escort them.

They were driving cars last month, and this month they could only ride in carriages. It felt like suddenly going back in time from modern times to the Middle Ages. The magic tide was such a pain.

They traveled along the Siris national highway. In the afternoon of the second day, they arrived at the Spartan city-state.

The Spartan city-state was surrounded by mountains on three sides, built on the central Laconian plain. In the Second Age, Sparta was one of the few cities on the Siris Peninsula without city walls, and also one of the few city-states that focused on physical Transcendental sequences.

In the words of the Athenians, there were only two kinds of people in Sparta: tough guys, and “tough guys” with female bodies.

Even the Spartan women were very fierce in battle, so the Spartans often mocked the Athenians with this sentence:

“You can’t even beat my wife.”

After Quintus escorted them to the outskirts of the Spartan city-state, he left with the mage guards. After all, the Spartan city-state’s custom of despising spiritual supernatural powers had a long history, and he didn’t want to be ridiculed by these tough guys after entering the city.

Before leaving, Quintus also gave Thira something.

Mia saw it clearly, it was a thick stack of banknotes…

After Quintus and his group left, Rudashius eagerly pulled Asker into the city, wanting to treat him to the local specialties: roasted lamb and black soup.

Asker declined. Roasted lamb was fine, but Spartan black soup was a no-go.

It was a dark dish made of pig’s blood, salt, and vinegar. The Spartans didn’t know how to add cooking wine, ginger, and Sichuan peppercorns to remove the fishy and gamey smell like the Chinese did. It tasted incredibly disgusting.

Before they even entered the city, Rudashius saw a group of Spartan warriors standing outside the city, holding shields and spears, surrounding a corpse on the ground.

“What happened?” Rudashius pushed through the crowd. Having a Spartan killed outside the city right after returning with his friends made him lose face.

“Rudashius!” Some of the surrounding Spartan warriors recognized him and immediately pointed at the corpse on the ground, saying concisely, “Someone was killed.”

“Explain clearly, damn it! I’m not blind, can’t I see that someone was killed?” Rudashius said, exasperated. Although he had been in the Spartan city-state for nearly ten years, he still couldn’t adapt to the locals’ laconic speech style.

“The killer was a snow monster from Mount Taygetus in the southeast.” Another Spartan warrior said.

“Then go and destroy its lair!” Rudashius said.

“We can’t beat it.” The Spartan warrior shook his head.

Rudashius: …

I just brought my friends back, and you let them see that you were beaten by a snow monster at your doorstep, and you can’t even beat it?

How embarrassing!

“Rudashius, did you win?” A Spartan warrior asked.

Obviously, in the eyes of the Spartans, going out to fight either meant complete annihilation or a triumphant return. Since Rudashius, who went north to aid Olympia, appeared here, he must have won.

“More than 600 people went out, only 21 returned, that’s not considered a victory.” Rudashius sighed.

“Victory is victory, even if it’s built on blood.” This Spartan warrior rarely quoted a proverb.

“No more talk, I have to go see the Spartan King. You take care of these guests behind me, they are my comrades who fought alongside me in the north.” Rudashius pointed behind him and then hurried into the city.

Comrades? The Spartan warriors turned around and were immediately shocked by the disproportionate gender ratio of the Azure Longsword mercenary group.

However, Spartans respected their comrades, so they didn’t say much. One of the warriors stepped forward, gestured to Asker, and said:

“Please.”

Led by the Spartans, Azure Longsword was brought into the city and given a place to stay.

As a militaristic city-state since ancient times, the Spartans implemented military management. Their living quarters were also dormitories. Apart from separate bedrooms and bathrooms, the kitchen, dining hall, balcony, etc., were all shared on each floor of the dormitory, even for guests.

The Azure Longsword group was brought to a large room, and the Spartan warrior leading the way introduced:

“This is the largest room in all our dormitories, with ten beds and three bathrooms, enough for you and your wives.”

The girls were greatly embarrassed. Asker didn’t mind, because explaining to the Spartans was troublesome, and once he explained clearly, they would arrange other rooms for the girls, making them live with the unmarried Spartan girls.

It would be too troublesome to gather again later, and besides, they had Furnace Island.

Speaking of Furnace Island, Asker suddenly noticed that Hood was missing.

“Where is the young man who came with us?” He asked.

“Your son is almost an adult.” The Spartan warrior replied. “We have arranged a separate accommodation for him in the boy soldiers’ barracks.”

(Due to the Spartans’ dormitory system, children, upon reaching the age of 7, would be arranged to live in the boy soldiers’ quarters. Otherwise, it would be inconvenient for parents to do their business in the same room.)

That’s not my son… Asker was completely speechless, then suddenly realized. Boy soldiers?

“Please be sure to arrange for him to receive your boy soldiers’ training.” Asker said seriously.

Be well-trained, you brat! So you won’t slander me for having a harem all day long!

The Spartan warrior was stunned. Although it was Spartan custom for parents and children to live separately, if the guests had requests, the Spartans would usually make other arrangements.

However, guests usually requested to “live with their children” or “let him live in the room next to mine.”

This was the first time he had met a guest like Asker who “respected Spartan customs.”

He is indeed a comrade recognized by Rudashius!

The Spartan warrior immediately put on a serious expression: “Please rest assured, we will definitely train your son into a true warrior!”

Chapter 74: Celestial Strike

But the celebration was short-lived.

To be precise, it didn’t even last half a minute before the Church personnel immersed themselves in the intense work that followed. Some continued data entry, while others quickly coordinated with Raphael, beginning the planned restoration of control over the world.

“Your Holiness, DX73415 signal, Michael has been contacted!”

“Recall it,” Pope Innocent said calmly.

67,000 kilometers away from Helel, at the Earth-Moon Lagrange point, a large space station hung silently in space.

The “Michael” armed experimental space station.

At this distant location, the planet’s surface magnetic field was negligible, so Michael remained unaffected by the rising magic tide. Before the surge, all satellites had been collected and stored by Michael, then moved to the Lagrange point for protection.

As a specific signal from the planet arrived, the dormant Michael activated its engines and began its descent towards Helel.

About two hours later, Michael had reached geosynchronous orbit.

In Innocent’s words, it meant “God’s will has returned to the world.”

Michael began deploying a large number of “All-Seeing Eye” military surveillance satellites and “Malak” communication base station satellites, distributing them around Helel.

“Your Holiness! The surface has been remapped. Currently, there are 174 cities within the Catholic territory of the Western Continent in crisis due to supernatural creature riots. Among them, 36 are Keter-class high-risk. The detailed distribution is as follows.” A bishop hurried over, handing a document to Innocent.

“Fewer than we anticipated.” Innocent stared at the global distribution map and nodded. “The Dragon Kingdom’s efficiency remains remarkably high. They have already resolved all their supernatural creature riots.”

The cardinals murmured in agreement, knowing that the Dragon Kingdom in the Far East was a unified empire, the emperor’s will reaching every corner. Their efficiency was naturally far greater than the Church’s.

“Let us attend to our own affairs,” Innocent sighed. “Next, we will carry out surgical strikes with space-based neutron bombs on the 36 high-risk cities within the Western Continent’s Catholic territory.”

“The City Lord of Olympia has a separate agreement with me. We will also extend our surgical precision to the Leviathan.”

Olympia.

It was almost three in the morning. The Leviathan’s rampage in Thessaloniki was nearing its end.

Or rather, Thessaloniki was in ruins, like a child’s toppled block city, nothing but debris and devastation.

The Leviathan, in the darkness, let out a long, mournful cry that echoed through the night sky.

Seemingly not yet satiated, it cast its gaze towards the distant Olympus Tree.

Human cities were merely appetizers.

The true feast was, of course, the Eden Tree, a fellow supernatural being. Its mother had birthed it here precisely because of the nearby Eden Tree, which could provide it with the transcendental power needed to reach adulthood.

So the Leviathan abandoned the ruins of Thessaloniki and slowly crawled towards Olympia.

Its breath brought with it strong winds and the churning of water vapor. Those on the treetop could feel the intermittent shifts between southern and northern winds, mixed with drizzle and the salty tang of the sea.

It was a sight to fill any human with despair.

The Arcane Mages’ thunder and fire spells were the first to strike. Despite the vast distance and decreased accuracy, the Leviathan was so massive that most attacks landed.

These spells, powerful enough to paralyze and incinerate knights, exploded like fireworks on the Leviathan’s grayish-blue hide.

The Leviathan continued its slow, tortoise-like crawl, seemingly oblivious to the attacks.

Though its movements were slow, its massive size and long strides brought it closer to Olympia at a visible pace.

Asker looked at the City Lord curiously. If he had a trump card, now was the time to play it.

He wouldn’t wait until the creature actually reached the mountain, would he? Wasn’t he afraid his attack would also damage Olympia? Wait… what if…

He suddenly remembered something from his previous life. Around this time, he was grinding dungeons in the Spartan city-state, when he was suddenly disconnected.

Then, he couldn’t log back in no matter what. Checking the forums, he learned that the Church was setting off fireworks everywhere, sending the players into a frenzy. Those offline rushed to log in and witness the spectacle…

The “fireworks” were space-based neutron bombs, a type of nuclear weapon similar to hydrogen bombs, but with a smaller blast radius and reduced radioactivity.

No way? He looked at Appius. Had he already made a deal with the Church to use neutron bombs against the Leviathan?

As if confirming his suspicions, Appius activated “Spirit Voice” and said:

“All ‘Storm’ Sequence mages, assemble at the forward projection area!”

His voice wasn’t loud, but it resonated clearly in everyone’s ears, as if spoken directly to their souls.

Soon, all the Storm Sequence Arcane Mages gathered, awaiting the City Lord’s instructions.

“Listen to my command! When the order is given, everyone close your eyes immediately. Storm Sequence mages, unleash your full power to the north!” Appius’s next command was even more baffling.

However, the Arcane Mages present were almost all public officials, their fate tied to Olympia. They obediently awaited the order, ready to unleash their Storm spells.

Suddenly, a light flashed in the night sky, as if God had drawn down lightning from the heavens. The momentary brilliance illuminated the entire night.

“Close your eyes!” Appius shouted.

Everyone present hurriedly closed their eyes, and the Storm Sequence mages simultaneously unleashed their full power. The storm they conjured collectively masked the Leviathan’s breath.

Asker was probably the last to close his eyes… In that final instant, he saw clearly what the light was.

A massive ballistic missile, trailing engine flames, hurtling down from outer space.

From the vantage point of the All-Seeing Eye surveillance satellites in space, a mushroom cloud could be seen erupting on the northwestern coastline of the Aegean Sea, a fiery cloud billowing upwards, almost reaching the stratosphere.

The shockwave reached Olympia after a while, held back by the storm conjured by the Arcane Mages, preventing the radioactive dust-filled blast from entering the city.

Directly below the nuclear explosion, the intense heat and shockwave tore through the Leviathan’s thick hide. Even more deadly was the high-energy neutron flux, which rapidly penetrated its flesh and blood, causing immediate necrosis due to genetic collapse wherever it passed, whether bone, muscle, or connective tissue.

The critically wounded Leviathan let out a mournful cry. With its underdeveloped larval intelligence, it couldn’t even comprehend where the attack had come from, only staring blankly at the empty sky with its huge, bleeding eyes.

Then it saw the source of the attack—another flash of light in the night sky.

The second neutron bomb whistled down, this one with a smaller yield, detonating directly above its head.

Unbearable heat, the shockwave, and an invisible, deeply unsettling radiation washed over it again, its tough hide beginning to blacken and ulcerate. The Leviathan turned its massive body, attempting to return to the cool, protective waters of the sea to soothe its burning back.

After crawling a few hundred meters, dizziness overwhelmed its consciousness. The damage was too severe, far exceeding its self-healing abilities. Most of its spinal nerves necrotized, and it lost control of its body.

Finally, the Leviathan lowered its head to the damp ground and died.