"Did we offend Happy again?"
She had received Samsung Group's request for some time, but she had yet to think about how she wanted to form her answer. After all, Happy had already come over to Towering Palace once and dealt them a nearly fatal blow that led to a reformation because of a foreign force of power.
Their relationship had become slightly more cordial because of the advertis.e.m.e.nt, but she was not certain whether the deal would anger Happy again.
"Big sister, do you think we should agree to this deal?"
It was a number only those in World of Martial Arts knew. Could it be that something happened in the game?
"What is it—"
"Log in quickly! There's news about Eunuch Yang's Warehouse!"
Chapter 703 - Cavaliers, Kill!
"Ah!"
Thud! Thud!
Rumble…
The thrumming of bowstrings, the sounds of flesh being pierced, pained screams, the thundering of horse hooves, along with the thuds of the wheels rolling intersected above the government-made road and gathered together to form the scene of war in which armored horses rode about while their riders fought with spears.
The only thing different about this compared to war was that everything happened quickly and ended in a heartbeat.
When the first batch of martial artists attacked the marshall's army from behind and the flanks, the heavy-armored cavaliers raised two crossbows horizontally from their bodies at the same time and pulled the triggers without hesitation.
More than one thousand crossbow bolts were fired one after another, and this scene was not something that could be compared to using bows and arrows.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
A dense shower of crossbow bolts instantly reached the players.
The army's crossbows could fire five shots in one go. Thousands of crossbow bolts shot in succession, and he players were instantly dumbfounded. They did not have the time to react and could only watch themselves being pierced by the crossbow bolts.
The people in the back fared the worst.
Some of them tried to use their steeds to get through the attacks, but in the end, they were killed on the spot along with their steeds. Others, who attempted to ride through, were violently shaken off. The horses neighed shrilly before they heavily fell on the ground. They were shot full of bolts, just like their riders.
The people on the flanks were in slightly better condition.
After all, they were wary in their advance, and they were faster than the group at the back. When they executed their lightness skills, quite a number of people managed to avoid the first wave of crossbow bolts. They raised their hands and threw hidden weapons.
Ting! Ting! Ting! Ting!
"This is bad!"
When the players saw the armored cavaliers calmly replace their crossbow bolts instead of changing their course because of the attacks or preparing to leave their position to defend the carts, their faces instantly turned incredibly pale.
Hidden weapons and arrows could not damage the armored cavaliers, which showed just how strong those men were.
Besides, all of them had two crossbows that could fire five crossbow bolts in one go. Their damage was terrifying to behold, and multiple people died every time they were fired.
The attackers were intercepted, and a number of players already thought about retreating.
However, there were still some people whose blood was racing because of the quest given to them by the system. After all, one c.h.e.s.t meant one million taels of silver and a low-grade demon vessel. The numerous carts were basically a large, mobile treasure trove.
There was no one who would give this up willingly.
As shouts rang in the air, more than one hundred martial artists already at the place and many others who rushed over to join were continuously being shot.
Finally, someone managed to reach one of the armored cavaliers. That person seemed to be pretty good, and his equipment was rather decent. He successfully dodged two waves of crossbow bolts, and with a long string of laughter, he jumped over the heads of the armored cavaliers by the carts to land in front of one cart which had only two wheels. Under his feet was a heavy c.h.e.s.t nailed shut with bronze nails.
"Haha!"
But his good luck did not last. Multiple armored cavaliers on the flanks gave up on their crossbows at the same time and drew their weapons to cut him down. It happened all in one breath.
'How can I take away such a large c.h.e.s.t?'
More people imitated that person and jumped on the carts in a continuous stream, but they inevitably panicked a little when they found that the c.h.e.s.ts were nailed shut by bronze nails and bound firmly by chains.
Dozens of broadswords violently cut toward the weapons some of those people brought up to parry the attacks.
Bang!
A great force crashed into them, and the players felt as if they had been struck by lightning. They fell on one knee and coughed up a mouthful of blood. Great disbelief was on their faces.
"Elite heavy-armored cavaliers!"
"This is bad!"
"Run!"
It was only then that they noticed that the heavy-armored cavaliers not only had astonishing defense, but their accuracy was also great. Their military discipline and teamwork were impeccable, and everyone seemed to have astonishing Affinity and Arm Strength. On top of that, they were wearing heavy armor that was more than two hundred and twenty pounds and were still able to swing terrifyingly heavy swords.
Cries of surprise rose one after another, and the heavy-armored cavaliers in the outer-ring changed their weapons.
Bronze-colored long spears released an intimidating metallic glare. The cavaliers attacked at the same time, and a forest of spears suddenly shot out from the flanks. The twenty or so people who tried to jump over them were all pierced on the spot, and blood poured down their bodies.
When faced with the forest of spears and a rain of swords, the remaining players realized that regular attacks were completely useless against the elite heavy-armored cavaliers. Sword glares and saber lights had barely any effect on steel. The only thing that could shake the heavy-armored cavaliers was a major move that used quite a lot of qi, but who could repeatedly use such attacks?
The martial artists who managed to get into the heavy-armored cavaliers attack range were soon killed. Only a few of them managed to escape being killed.
The martial artists' attacks on the heavy-armored cavaliers was like the tickling of children. They could not affect the procession at all. In fact, during the entire process, the carts did not slow down at all. The cavaliers remained on their horses and did not have to dismount even once.
The thud of hooves was still as loud as thunder!
Rumbling sounds rose on the government-made road.
The heavy-armored cavaliers were like giant steel beasts that ran over the government-made road. Hundreds of players' corpses were cast behind them or on the sides of the government-made road.
It was no wonder why Kuo Zhong had the courage to assign only a group of cavaliers to protect the treasure from Eunuch Yang's Warehouse. He had prepared his army before he brought them on the government-made road in a stately manner!
Rumble! RUMBLE!
The sound of horse hooves gradually left into the distance, but it sounded even drearier and fiercer than before. The horses seemed to be stomping on the players' hearts and violently galloping over them.
But the flickering shadows of martial artists appeared in the distance on the government-made road once more.
New martial artists were attracted to the place by the news of Eunuch Yang's Warehouse. They appeared ahead of the marshall's heavy-armored cavalier army.
"Continue the chase!"
"That's right!"
"No matter how great these elite heavy-armored cavaliers are, they cannot handle us if we fight against them with numbers! We'll look for a chance and follow behind them. Once the situation becomes bette
r, we'll attack!"
The people who had retreated discussed their situation and made their decision! Immediately after, they set out after the carts.
The cavaliers ahead of them never showed any disorderliness in their formation. They just continued charging forward like usual.
The hearts of the players following them trembled and tensed. Their faces turned pale.
The port was getting closer, but the carts had not suffered any damage. Instead, the people who attacked on the way were left as corpses. They could feel Eunuch Yang's Warehouse slipping from their grasp.
"Look!"
"There's… so many people at the port!"
Chapter 704 - Elite Heavy-armored Cavaliers
The port at the riverbank was filled with back-robed people. They moved about and filled the whole area!
They were all from different factions of power. There were people from large sects, small sects, and spontaneously formed groups, various elites from different sects and some pretty decent solo players. There were also some noobs who were thinking of taking advantage of the situation to steal from those who died.
In other words, there was a variety of people on the port.
All of them craned their heads to look at the government-made road in the distance.
"They're coming!"
Heavy rumbles came toward them from a distance. The ground trembled slightly, and they could vaguely see dust that flew up the government-made road.
"Make preparations!"
"Be careful! Be on guard! This is not any normal army! They're all elite heavy-armored cavaliers from the marshall's army! They're used to firing repeatedly from their crossbows, and they can perform charges with their sword formations as well as thrusts with their longspears!
"Their defense is incredibly high! We can't break them with regular attacks. It's also very difficult for us to injure their war horses! When they come, buck up and fight with everything you have!"
"Those with shields, go to the front—"
"Archers, move to the back! Don't shoot the wrong people!"
The rumbling sounds grew clearer as they rapidly approached. The noise at the port instantly became mixed up. Quite a number of people called out to their companions and gave all sorts of orders. Shouts rose and fell.
"Look at the river!"
"Boats are coming to receive them…"
Some of those with sharp eyes alerted the others by crying out in surprise.
When they turned their heads around, they saw that fog shrouded the river behind them, but there were vague shadows of boats. They were slowly approaching the port under the gradually brightening river.
"Don't worry, since they came to receive the cavaliers, they won't be able to fit in many people, and we won't be flanked!"
As expected, if they looked carefully, it was not difficult to notice that there were few people on the boats. They did not sink into the water too deeply, so they should be empty. They should only have one person who was steering the boat!
Everyone's attention returned to the heavy-armored cavalier team which was in charge of escorting loot from Eunuch Yang's Warehouse.
The elites who had sturdy war shields and longspears were moved to the very front of the port.
They bent their knees slightly and had the tips of their spears point toward the area outside. They formed a forest of spears.
The multiple rows of elites with shields and spears caused the people behind them to feel at ease. The archers quickly nocked their arrows and looked into the distance to be ready to fire at any moment.
A cold and aggressive atmosphere instantly filled up and enveloped the entire port.
Everyone held their breaths and stared at the cavalier team whose stifling presence grew clearer the closer they drew on the government-made road that led them to the riverbank!
*****
Within the sparse forest across the port were people from Towering Palace. They had been lying in ambush there for a long time.
Nearly one thousand Towering Palace elites were led by Clear Music and carefully hid their tracks 328 feet away from the government-made road. No one made a sound, and no one showed any intention of joining the people at the port to fight against the marshall's army.
"Second palace master, there's a large group of people approaching us from behind."
"Who are they and how many people are with them?"
Clear Music was focused on the galloping heavy-armored cavaliers and charging carts on the government-made road. When she heard that there was someone coming from behind them, she turned her head around to cast a glance there, but she was not truly bothered by this.
After all, they were in Yangzhou City.
"They seem to be from Class One Hall, and Dream Clouds is personally leading the team."
"It's her?" Clear Music instantly scowled. "Did they also come for Eunuch Yang's Warehouse?"
"There are eighty c.h.e.s.ts in the carts. Eighty million taels of silver isn't much, but there will be eighty low-grade demon vessels. Anyone in Dream Clouds' position would be tempted. If you tell me otherwise, I won't believe you," said Grim Green, who kept quiet by her side.
Shangguan Lian nodded slowly.
"If we could get all eighty demon vessels, it would definitely allow Towering Palace to develop quickly, but now, Class One Hall is also determined to get them. They don't want to lose this chance."
"How many came?" Clear Music's voice was low.
"There's about one thousand of them."
A clear female voice came from a distance at that moment. "I am Dream Clouds! Which of Towering Palace's palace masters is here?!"
"Clear Music!"
At the same time she stated her name, Clear Music walked out from the crowd.
"I see, so it's you personally leading the team, Palace Master Clear Music. I do hope that I have been polite."
Dream Clouds appeared in the forest in a graceful and noble robe that seemed to belong to immortals. She looked incredibly charming and alluring.
But the people from Towering Palace just stared at the group of people behind her with great wariness.
There were quite a number of people from Class One Hall who were on Dragon Rank.
"Hall Master Dream, you're too polite. You must be here for the treasures from Eunuch Yang's Warehouse as well, but you will have to hurry, because the carts are about to enter the port! If you're a bit late, the people at the port will divide all the spoils among themselves."
While Clear Music spoke, she stared at Dream Clouds calmly.
This woman had already occupied the top spot on Phoenix Rank for a long time.
She created Class One Hall with her own hands, and her sect became famous much earlier than Towering Palace. It had also almost become the strongest sect in the Chinese server, not just one of the strongest sects.
Dream Clouds smiled faintly.
"The marshall's army has remained victorious in the area in Jiangnan! His two hundred elite heavy-armored cavaliers have killed no fewer than two thousand players on their way here. It's not a lie to say that they can fight against ten people alone, and it won't be so easy to kill them. Palace Master Music, didn't you see this and decide to stand by and wait instead of attacking?"
Clear Music smiled faintly, but she did not continue with the conversation.
"The people in the game have been making speculations left and right, but they did not expect that Eunuch Yang's Warehouse will not be open to the public, but will appear in this manner. Little Sister Music, I will go straight to the point and say this.
"I came to you this time because I hope that we can work together and steal the c.h.e.s.ts protected by the heavy-armored cavaliers. Then, we can split up the treasures from Eunuch Yang's Warehouse between us evenly."
When Dream Clouds said her last sentence, her tone changed, and she said, "With our strength, it will be easy for us to take all of the items from Eunuch Yang's Warehouse. What do you think?"
"We'll be
splitting it evenly among us?"
Dream Clouds nodded. "Indeed. Everyone will get forty treasure c.h.e.s.ts. We do not need to consider anyone else!"
A cold sneer on Clear Music's lips. "Hall Master Dream, you say this so easily, but you seem to have forgotten that this is Yangzhou, where Towering Palace's headquarters is! You brought your people from the north to Yangzhou, into Towering Palace's territory, and want to work with us to snatch the treasures from Eunuch Yang's Warehouse, but to divide it evenly between us? Don't you think you're treating Towering Palace as nothing?"
If they truly worked together, other sect alliances would definitely pay attention to Towering Palace's reaction. No one would pay attention to Class One Hall, who was a faction of power in the north and traveled many miles to reach the area. It was a little inappropriate for Dream Clouds to think about getting half of the treasure.
"Then we will listen to you. Class One Hall will get thirty c.h.e.s.ts, and the remaining ones will belong to Towering Palace. What do you think?" Dream Clouds did not become angry. She still had a smile on her face. Without another word, she compromised a little.
Clear Music was tempted, but when she was about to agree to it, her little sister, Musical Note, spoke up.
"Hall Master Dream, you sure make yourself sound really pleasant. If both sects get fewer than eighty c.h.e.s.ts or even less than half of them, then what should we do? Wouldn't that mean that Towering Palace will just be working for free for you?"
Chapter 705 - Blood-soaked Port
Musical Note's appearance and her words instantly alerted Clear Music to a problem she had missed. She s.u.c.k.e.d in a sharp breath and understood what sort of trap she had nearly fallen into.
Even if the possibility of Towering Palace and Class One Hall working together being unable to get all the treasure c.h.e.s.ts was very small, what if something unexpected happened? What if there was another part to the quest? What if the process of them getting the treasure c.h.e.s.ts was not smooth?
Sword Among Us c1-1268 Page 349
