Zhan Long
chapter-709

Thirty seven minutes later, we confirmed our suspicions. The time period between each killer wind was forty seven minutes and twelve seconds. The phenomena wasn’t even a second off. This knowledge made our level grinding much more safe. Preparing ourselves half a minute early was enough time to dodge.

In the blink of an eye, four hours had passed and it was already ten at night. My experience had already risen up to 44%. The Ice Demon Men in this Broken Blade Canyon were much more fruitful than normal. Not only did they give quite a bit of experience, they had dropped two hundred Frost Swords. The Frost Swords were Valkyrie Tier weapons, one tier higher than the Emperor tier and one tier lower than the Saint Tier weapons. At the current stage in the game, it’s no longer a godly weapon, but the stats were pretty good. If we set up a stall in Tian Ling City, each sword would sell at around 1000 RMB or so. Two hundred would obviously generate quite a bit of profit. But, I wasn’t planning on selling these. If I equipped the Steel Blade Riders with these, then the power of their [Charge] and their stamina would be even more terrifying.

　　……

I opened up my friend list and found Li Mu and sent him a message, “What’s the situation like in Sword Saint Forest?”

Li Mu quickly replied, “Not Ordinary and You Yi have probably already logged off. They’ve already given up on reviving. Either way, we’ve killed everyone who tried to revive. Most of the Greedy Wolf Raiders have logged off. They probably won’t revive until tomorrow. If we continue guarding, then it’d be a waste. How about we just finish early. There’s still three hours until we’ve guarded the bodies for ten hours.”

I shook my head, “We’ll continue it until the end. Seeing as we announced that we would guard them for ten hours, then we won’t change it. Leave a group of people behind to guard the bodies while the rest can grind levels. Li Mu, pick twenty people with the highest level of mining skills to come over to the Broken Blade Canyon. There’s large deposits of Level 11 and level 12 iron materials. Its enough for twenty people to completely fill their bags.”

Li Mu was stunned, “Really? There’s even level twelve materials?! D*mn, what kind of place is Broken Blade Canyon?”

I immediately gave him my location and how to get there. On top of that, I stressed, “Periodically, there’s a deadly gale that blows throughout the Broken Blade Canyon. It kills both players and NPCs. When you arrive, confirm with Qing Qian. The gale lasts ten minutes and pases by every fourty seven minutes and twelve seconds. When you bring people, make sure you don’t coincide with it.”

Li Mu was stunned, “Yup, I understand. Don’t worry. This thirty seven minute and twelve second secret, can I reveal it?”

“What do you think?”

“How about we don’t. How about we keep this map secret to ourselves.”

“Ok, you decide.”

“Alright. I’ll bring people over in an hour. This time, the weapons and equipment that [Zhan Long] creates will be a level better than everyone else!”

“Yup, let’s work hard then!”

　　……

Li Mu then went on to pick out miners. The rest of us continued to grind levels in the Broken Blade Canyon. Thankfully, the canyon itself wasn’t very long. Within five hours, we managed to finish it. Li Mu and the rest had also arrived at the Broken Blade Canyon. After personally seeing the gust of wind kill an armored ox, they were all dumbstruck with terror. After Qing Qian had instructed them on the time for the next gale, we immediately left the canyon.

The path out of the Canyon left towards the west. By the time we passed through the map, we found a level road before us. The road was less than a kilometer. Both sides were covered with shrubbery. From the shape of it, it looked like the gale came from the sky. Otherwise, the plants here would not escape such a calamity. In the distance, we could see War God River.

The water babbled as it quickly flowed down the river. It looked like a long blue belt that crossed the map and spread out into the distance. It went around Tian Ling City and continued south towards Ba Huang City and all the way to Heaven’s Question Peak. Heaven’s Question Peak was a snowy mountain. When the snow and ice melted, it rolled down the mountain, and formed the War God River and ran through the Tian Ling City territory and finally flowed into the Sea of No Return. From the details on the map, it appears that countless battles have occurred on this river.

Several hundred years ago, a calamity came from the Sea of No Return. The tribe of Sea Demons had launched an invasion with over 400,000 troops into Tian Ling City. A famous general of Tian Ling City known as Lu Xing lead a hundred thousand in a long war that lasted seven years. Finally, he used oil on a pontoon bridge to annihilate the Sea Demon’s army in a sea of flames. In that one move, he had inflicted serious damages to the Sea Demon Tribe. It is because of this battle that Lu Xing’s name was passed down through Tian Ling City history and was hailed as a War God. This originally was known as Green River and was thus named the War God River.

As I looked at it from a distance, the War God River appeared majestically on the map. It was far wider than the Yangtze River and the the river itself was boundless. The waves surged like a roaring sea, with a volume that was a thousand times greater than the Yangtze River’s. This was a long blue ribbon the stretched over several kilometers. Wan Er pointed, “Is that the legendary Bridge of Fate?”

I nodded, “That’s right, it must be….”

Qing Qian smiled, “Are we going to cross the War God River and check out the other side?”

I sheathed my blades and grabbed the reigns of my battle horse, “I’ve never been on the western side of the War God River. That’s also Tian Ling City’s territory, but it’s a bit far from the center, so not many players have been there. However, once the country wars begin, it’s hard to say. The War God River’s western shore are less than an hour away from Moon City, which is the city for Britain and France’s servers. From the history of the game, these two cities don’t have much conflict with the Chinese Servers. The sooner we check out their maps, the easier it is to plan ahead and prepare for a rainy day.”

Darling Duck picked up her staff and grinned, “Guildmaster, do you think that there may be a war in the future. What kind of role should [Zhan Long] play in the Chinese Server?”

I stiffened and rubbed my nose, “I really haven’t thought about that. But… [Zhan Long] has always aspired to be a true hero, and that isn’t something I’m just saying. Once a true Country War occurs, then we won’t stop fighting until the last soldier has fallen to protect the land of the Chinese Servers.”

Dong Cheng giggled, “Such a spineless kid, all you think about is protecting your nation’s territory. Have you not thought about invading the lands of other countries and becoming a world dominator?”

I took a deep breath and smiled, “Dominate the world? To be honest, that would be too hard… this is such a great map. Tian Ling City is already making my head hurt, much less the six other great cities. If I had to take them over one by one, I think all of the hairs on my head will grow white….”

Wan Er smiled, “Pig, then why are you playing this game?”

I thought about it for a second and smiled, “It’s fun. I have many happy experiences in the game. Plus, I can spend time with you and protect you. That’s all….”

Qing Qian covered her smile, “If it's like that, then Brother Xiao Yao really is spineless…”

I shook my reins and said, “Let’s go already and pass through the War God River. I want to see what the map on the other shore is like. This Broken Blade Canyon is too savage. We actually met Level 3 Hybrid Demons along the way. No player has ever walked across this Bridge of Fate. We’re basically pioneering these maps. Not bad, we’ll be the first people to take a bite out of this crab!”

“Aye aye!”

　　……

The five people walked forward. Not long after, we arrived on the eastern shore of the bridge.

There was actually a camp on the shore. A tattered old Tian Ling City flag softly fluttered in the wind. The drill grounds were in ruins and broken weapons were scattered across the ground. Looks like it hadn’t been used in a long time. A few soldiers were sitting on the fence beside the camp. They were happily tanning in the sun. Some of them were even falling asleep and taking a nap.

Qing Qian bit her lip, “If Moon City really does plan on attacking us, then this defense camp of the Bridge of Fate really won’t be able to stand against it….”

Disappointed, I replied, “That’s right!”

Once we reached the Bridge of Fate, we saw a team of soldiers guarding the entrance. They seemed a bit more spirited. However, their breastplates and leather armor still looked very shabby. One of the soldiers pointed at us and roared, “Who are you?”

I showed my Tian Ling City badge and said, “We are adventurers from Tian Ling City that want to explore the western shore of The Bridge of Fate.”

The team leader narrowed his eyes and said, “The Western Shore? Do you guys know that the Western Shore is a battlefield from a hundred years ago. Only true soldiers can go there. That place is filled with danger. With your team? I’m afraid you’re just sending food to the beasts.”

I smiled, “That’s fine. We understand our limits. However, sir, why is it that while you guys are guarding this bridge, you don’t seem very energetic and your unfocused. If your prince Theodore finds out, who knows what he’ll do.”

Once I said that, the soldier immediately got nervous and adjusted his armor, “We’ve been guarding this Bridge of Fate for the past eleven years and have lived a peaceful life. That’s the only reason we’ve been able to be like this. Besides, the cart that replenishes our resources only comes once a year. The soldiers are practically farmers for half the year and are building families. There’s nothing I can do either. I can’t just watch them die of hunger right? The Bridge of Fate hasn’t been used in over a hundred years. I think…. The empire has probably already forgotten about the Bridge of Fate and us….”

I felt a little sympathetic to them and patted his shoulder, “Not at all. The Tian Ling Empire won’t forget about you….”

“Thank you for your comfort. Either way, you should be more careful on the western shore. That area is filled with danger.”

“Yes, I understand. Thank you!”

“Alright then. You can go through!”

　　……

Once we obtained permission to pass, I lead my horse onto the bridge. This bridge was completely made from wood, but they hadn’t rotted even after being soaked in water for a hundred years. The wood was connected with chains that looked as though they had not been repaired in a long time. Despite that, they hadn’t corroded yet. It’s probably only repaired every ten years. If they leave it alone for too long, then it would fall apart. The nobles of Tian Ling City have already forgotten this secluded piece of land and even forgotten the fierce battles that had once occurred on its waters.