Tempest of the Battlefield

Michaux Odin had finished his cultivation for the day. Searching for the Divine Path remained his only hobby when he was not tied up by the worldly turmoils. He wished to devote 100 percent of his time to his pursuit, but the world needed him badly.

“Master, I have a piece of news for you…It’s from Xiao Yuyu.” A girl spoke quietly to Michaux. She wore an overall white jacket; soft and elegant features decorated her oval face. Her dark eyes gleamed under the light, making her look docile and mysterious at the same time. Luster ran down her dark, silken hair that was thin, straight, and exquisitely beautiful. Every move and every breath she took made her resemble a goddess in the paintings.

“Susu, what is it? I had never thought that you would be so interested in anything.” Michaux asked. His stately voice was powerful but calm, and was placating in nature, like the way a father spoke to his child. It was a residual effect of his cultivation.

“Haha…Don’t pretend you don’t know what I am talking about. Once I say the name, you won’t be so calm any longer. ” Susu announced.

Michaux’s body quivered slightly, and then he asked, “Wang… Tong?”

“Bingo!”

“Haha! Wang Tong! It is him. Finally!”

Susu watched Michaux’s eyes as they lit up with glee. She had always admired her elder brother for his talent, and never had she thought that anyone in the world would be his equal. Even though she had witnessed his defeat at the tournament, she was convinced that Michaux had lost the fight not because he was weak, but because he simply didn’t care much about the game. What Michaux was after was the ultimate state of mind, but not power or might.

However, ever since Michaux returned from the tournament, he kept on bringing up Wang Tong’s name with apparent admiration. She had been convinced that Michaux had reached the peak of all aspects relating to cultivation, which was especially the case in his understanding of the Divine Way. She doubted that even Patroclus hadn’t peered deeper into the mysterious source of power than her brother had.

Michaux’s obsession with Wang Tong didn’t reduce at all in the five years. It made Susu wonder exactly how powerful Wang Tong was.

When the initial excitement faded, Michaux finally found peace in himself because he knew that he was no longer alone in his search for the Divine Path.

“Master, haven’t you heard what your old acquaintance has done? He stole our most precious talent, our chief medic Xiao Yuyu.”

Michaux Odin was not surprised by the news. He paused for a second and then said, “Susu, from now on, we will not interfere with Wang Tong’s business. This is an order. ”

“Are you serious? What if the situation gets out of our control? We don’t even know what his motives are. Plus, what about House Lie?”

“I have made my decision. Remember, if House Lie and Wang Tong start to butt heads, we will stay out of it.” Michaux spoke in a firm voice.

Seeing that she couldn’t change Michaux’s mind, Susu let the matter slide. She studied him and noticed that a mixture of joy and worry hung on his face. However, Michaux, who had already grasped the fundamental essence that made the world—the so-called “Dao”—knew that both his joy and concern were two sides of the same coin.

Patroclus had also grasped the meaning of Dao, but he interpreted it in his wicked ways. On the other hand, Michaux’s understanding was pure and untainted.

Susu had expected that the news would arouse Michaux’s interest, but he had chosen to treat it as if it was nothing.

If she didn’t know better about his personality, she might have doubted his decision like many other sect members. Despite the doubts, no one dared to disobey the master. Their faith alone would drive them to carry out the Sect Master’s order to the letter.

However, what was Michaux really planning? This was a question that even Susu had no answer to.

…

To the soldiers inside the Maersa City, their miraculous victory still felt like a dream. Despite being able to hold the city, this battle had taken a toll on the strength of the human resistance within the district. Battle Wolf had lost thirty of their best soldiers. However, the victory of the battle was still a miracle.

The Flame Squad had arrived just in time to save Battle Wolf from their doom. However, both Guan Dongyang and Bu Zhihuo knew that their real task had just begun. The first hurdle they needed to face was not the threat from the Zergs, but the matter of how to distribute the city to all contributing members. Although Battle Wolf was responsible for defeating the Zerg’s army, it alone would not be able to guard such a large city. He needed the other factions’ help, at a price.

Bu Zhihuo was an honest and decent man, so he had spent most of his time on rebuilding the crumbled city without much interest in claiming territories. However, the same could not be said about the other factions.

Knowing that the city was acquired and the Zergs wouldn’t return for a while, many factions moved toward Maersa to claim their piece of the pie. Three days later, just like Wang Tong had expected, leaders of all factions had arrived there one after another. Although Battle Wolf was the one that eliminated the Zergs, they would not be able to achieve the impossible without the other factions tying down the Zerg’s reinforcements. Therefore, their claimant to the spoil was not unfounded.

To maximize Battle Wolf’s claimant, Wang Tong only needed to form an alliance with a few powerful groups and deny the claims of all the other smaller factions. However, he did no such thing, and allowed all factions, big or small, to enter the city and stake their claims. Everyone knew the importance of the City, since it would allow humans to establish a strong foothold within the district finally. Cities were also centers for exchange of goods, which would mean an abundant supply of goods and equipment.

As of now, the Battle Wolf and the Flame Squad formed the bulk of the human forces that stationed inside the city. This was because the other factions had only sent in their representatives, since the mass mobilization of troops required preparation and time.

Meanwhile, Guan Dongyang called for a summit meeting of all the factions leaders in order to plot the future course of the Maersa District.

“He is a smart lad. He knew that Battle Wolf alone would not be able to manage such a large city, and is willing to share the benefits with everyone.”

“Haha, excellent! I wager that we should be able to get an entire block in the city.”

“Haha, that would be awesome! Battle Wolf has worked for us for free.”

Many representatives felt really good about their situation; it was almost too good to be true. It had been a while since the last time they had slept in a soft bed and had warm breakfast, so they quickly turned their attention to the comfort and entertainment the city could offer.

Aamir and Hans from the Blizzard also arrived at the city, bringing only a dozen people with them instead of three hundred like the other leaders would. Aamir was convinced that the smaller his entourage was, the smoother the negotiation would go.

“Tomorrow is the day…Are you sure you are ready? This city is a mess!” Hans complained. He and Aamir had arrived at the city a few days ago, and they had been observing the other factions since then.

“We need to observe more. I am still not sure what Wang Tong is after. He is a smart guy, but it’s a foolish move to pull all banners together while completely disregarding their intention.”

“I hope he didn’t confuse our situation with that during the confederation. We can no longer afford to hear the voice of every single one of us. It will only bring chaos!” Hans looked concerned. However, by then, it was already too late to drive those settlers out of the city.

If history had taught the rulers a lesson, it would be that it was easier to conquer the world than maintain the rule. Wang Tong needed to think things through before he made any decisions.

“The Battle Wolf had banned the act of illegal settlement, but other than us and the Flame Squad, no one else followed the order. ”

“Boss, don’t you think we should move more of our boys into the city and compete with the other factions? If we don’t do it now, we might miss our opportunity. We are the strongest band in the city, so we should be able to claim the best area of the city if we act now.” One soldier remarked.

Aamir gave the soldier a faint smile, “You seemed to have missed the actions of another old friend of ours.”

Aamir’s remark had puzzled everyone except for Han. “Marcos! The Thunder Fire is here as well, and they have been awfully quiet too.”

“I bet he is afraid of Wang Tong. Plus, ever since his defeat, the Thunder Fire has been going downhill. ”

“There is no point in shooting in the dark. We will know the answer tomorrow. ” Aamir announced calmly. He had been through a lot of turmoil, and life had taught him a valuable lesson: the ones that stuck their heads above others, thinking life was a game of ‘first come first serve’, always ended up having their heads chopped off.