Chapter 56.2
But Looking into It, I'm the Best at Fire-wielding (2)
Most of the influential and high-ranking officials in the Aiwen District were involved in the division of the dragon treasures.
They held all the power of speech and it couldn't be easier to blame for an incident down to a mishap.
Gazing at the enormous blood-colored spell formation in front of him, Chen Yanming breathed deeply and consoled himself in his heart.
It wasn't his fault.
If anything, it was Mu Heng's fault too.
If he hadn't refused to hand over the dragon's ownership, he and the other influential people in the Aiwen District wouldn't have had to take such a dangerous step.
By working with the mercenaries, they could keep all their original treasures and divide up every part of the dragon's precious raw materials.
A dragon that had disappeared from the continent for 10,000 years! The legendary fantasy species, the mythical creature of creation.
Whether it was the legendary indestructible dragon scales, the claws, horns, bones, liver, and gallbladder innards...
Every single part could fetch an unimaginably high price.
However, Chen Yanming personally would prefer to capture the dragon alive.
Coming from an experimental aristocratic family, he knew well how much value a living fantasy species could bring.
Unfortunately, they were fully aware of the difference in power between dragons and humans. It was difficult enough to kill a dragon, but even more so to capture it alive.
So, for the time being, their goal was to kill the dragon as intact as possible.
If the plan succeeded, they would reap immeasurably huge profits.
Chen Yanming's eyes glowed with enthusiasm. His fear of dragons had disappeared, leaving only boundless greed and fervor.
Moreover, the forces involved in this secret plan were all high-ranking officials and influential people in the Aiwen District, who held the resources and voice of the entire district. As long as they wanted it-
The snow of the Aiwen Snowfield could cover up all sins.
***
In the auction house.
Mu Heng lowered his head and opened his phone.
The message from Shi An appeared first on the screen.
He paused and tapped on the message.
... Exchange conference? Held earlier?
Mu Heng furrowed his brows.
The intuition cultivated from years of killing and fighting immediately began to alert.
He immediately thought of the proposal rejected earlier by the Aiwen District Governor Chen Yanming-about where to hold the academy exchange meeting. Where will it be? In what way? Everything was still unclear.
Mu Heng's fingertips tightened abruptly as a foreboding rose in his heart.
He dialed Wen Yao's number and ordered briefly and concisely, "Check out the matter with the academic exchange conference."
Wen Yao was very efficient in her work.
Soon, the relevant information was sent to Mu Heng's phone.
He lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the location of the canyon in the southern part of the Aiwen Snowfield on the map, and was slightly stunned.
He knew this place.
Although that Abyssal Rift was already a ruin, it was still under the Bureau's surveillance for a long time. Since those people in the Aiwen District could transport so many unclaimed treasures from it, they must have had a way to bypass the Bureau's surveillance.
Based on all the information and intelligence, Mu Heng concluded that they should have entered through this canyon, broken through the stone wall of the central mountain range, and transported the treasures out.
To deliberately hide the exchange from him, hold it temporarily in advance, and set the location at this place...
The intentions of these people in the Aiwen District were clear to see.
Mu Heng's eyes turned cold.
He turned and walked outside, his pitch-black cloak raised behind him in a fierce, distinct arc.
However, before he could walk out the door, he was stopped by someone from the auction house.
The auction house was run by Chen Yanming's younger brother, Chen Yankang.
He did not look very much like his brother, but the same kind of greed was under his eyes.
Chen Yankang smiled and said, "Chief, where are you going?"
Mu Heng's voice was cold. "Get out of the way."
Seeing this look on the other man's face, Chen Yankang immediately knew that things might have fallen through, and his smile faded. "My lord, I'm very sorry. I received an order not to let you leave..."
The silver-haired, blue-eyed man narrowed his eyes slightly, his aura remaining undiminished even in the face of an enemy several times his own.
"Don't make me repeat myself."
Looking at Mu Heng, Chen Yankang couldn't help but feel scared.
Remembering what he had heard of his opponent's fierce reputation, he subconsciously took a step backward as he tried to persuade and soften his icy attitude.
"My lord, why are you unwilling to work with us?"
"With your help, we could perhaps capture the dragon alive. At that time, we can carry out many magical experiments on the dragon's body and get an endless supply of dragon scales and blood-"
A look of excitement appeared on Chen Yankang's face and the look of endless greed seemed to be a fixture in his eyes.
"As long as you bypass the Bureau, you can obtain more."
***
The mercenary leader watched as the blood-drawn formation before him was completed and tilted his lips into a smile of satisfaction.
At that moment, he suddenly remembered something, turned his head to the person beside him, and asked, "By the way, why haven't the people who went to catch those students who disrupted our operation earlier returned?"
That mercenary froze. "My lord, they have already returned."
The mercenary leader was stunned. "What?"
The mercenary beside him gestured toward a corner of the cave not far away and said, "It seems that they've captured them but let them escape because they didn't watch closely enough. So, they sent several people back to report first and the rest went outside to chase after these students."
The mercenary leader frowned. "Nothing more than a few students, but they could let them escape? This is too humiliating-"
But before he could finish his words, his eyes fell on the few people in that corner.
Looking at those unfamiliar faces, the mercenary leader was stunned.
"Hold on. Something is amiss..."
Before he could finish his sentence, several miserable-looking men rushed in from the tunnel, all stripped naked, covered in green and black frostbite and dirt, shivering from the cold, their faces purple.
"... M-M-My lord, it's bad!"
The mercenary leader jolted with surprise and jerked his head toward the young faces.
One of the young men scratched his head.
"Wow, I didn't expect they could wear so little without freezing to death. That's impressive."
He blinked and gave a shy, light smile. His face was childish and cute, his tone innocent, but he said something genuinely chilling, "... It seems that it's better also to peel their skin next time."