Chapter 2048 - 2041: Or You Can Redeem It
"Tell me, if I were to kill you, what would I gain?" After pondering for a moment, Zhang Menglong placed all his hopes for riches on the Ice Wing Dragon Bat. "I invested so much in this task, isn’t your life a reasonable return?"
"No way!" The entire Ice Demon Race suddenly began wailing, knowing that their ability to survive here depended solely on the presence of a Guardian Beast. Without it, they would have no protection or support.
Even the weakest races could bully them freely, which was practically no different from extinction.
The war was nearing its end, with the Ice Demon Race facing utter defeat. Zhang Menglong’s army of Insect Clan warcraft and Black Warriors had nearly destroyed Ice King City, and almost half of Ice Demon warriors had perished, most of them being the race’s peak combatants.
It could be said that the Ice Demon Race now only retained one or two tenths of its strength!
The situation was even worse because the Guardian Beast’s power is tied to the race’s prosperity, meaning that even if Zhang Menglong spared the Ice Wing Dragon Bat today, its power would be greatly diminished, possibly even declining below the Azure Dragon!
Zhang Menglong noticeably felt that the aura of the Ice Wing Dragon Bat was increasingly lethargic, not due to injury, but as if something were quickly draining from its body.
"Human, although I’m seriously injured now, killing me won’t be easy!" With difficulty, the Ice Wing Dragon Bat raised its head, as if submitting a request to some existence. "I want to sever my bond with the Ice Demon Race!"
A moment later, a black light emerged from the Ice Wing Dragon Bat, like a mini black hole, sucking him in.
"Human, I’ll remember you. If I get the chance, I’ll ensure you pay for today’s debt!" The Ice Wing Dragon Bat left a harsh remark as it vanished.
"What’s happening?" Zhang Menglong asked in confusion, turning to the Azure Dragon.
"We Guardian Beasts are very free," the Azure Dragon said. "We can sever ties with any race at any time and establish connections with another. If a race without a Guardian Beast wants us, we can go to their Main City immediately. That’s why I said Guardian Beasts are hard to kill, because we have many means, and the rules of this world protect us to some extent."
"Good lad, wonder where it’s gone," Zhang Menglong mused to himself. But truth be told, he held no grudge against the Ice Demon Race or the Ice Wing Dragon Bat—they were just competitors in survival, and Zhang Menglong had no desire to exhaust his effort chasing it.
By this point, Ice Demon Race members were on the verge of tears, pleading to the human to spare the Ice Wing Dragon Bat. Yet the Guardian Beast they once revered chose to abandon them at this moment, leaving them in endless disappointment and despair.
If no Guardian Beast is willing to protect the Ice Demon Race again, given their number of enemies, they might soon disappear from this world.
"Ah! What a pity," Zhang Menglong sighed. Initially, he hoped to gain some benefits from the Ice Wing Dragon Bat, but now...
Wait!
Zhang Menglong suddenly remembered there was something on him!
He took out the main Ice Demon Flower, which was already wilting as it had been away from the soil for too long. At most, within a few minutes, it would completely wither.
Ice Demon Race members looked at Zhang Menglong, uncertain of his intentions. Was he having a change of heart, preparing to return it to them?
If they could recover the main Ice Demon Flower, the entire Ice Demon Race might hold hope again. Guardian Beasts without a Main City might notice the race’s potential and be willing to become their new protector.
"My task is completed," Zhang Menglong said. "This main Ice Demon Flower is useless to me now. If you want it, you can take it back!"
"Really?" The severely injured City Lord of Ice King City and leaders of the Royal Tribe all looked at Zhang Menglong.
"Of course, but not for free!" Zhang Menglong smiled. "You must pay for its ransom! I only accept Supreme Crystals!"
"Let me break down the costs for you," Zhang Menglong said. "I bought a plot of land here, built a house, costing tens of millions of Supreme Crystals. I just used scroll items, like the Ultimate Bomb, Super Divine Cannon, and others, including summoning the Black Warrior army. All totaled, it exceeds eighty million Supreme Crystals. Repay this amount, and I’ll return it to you!"
"This..." The City Lord’s face turned blue. Zhang Menglong was clearly exploiting the situation!
Not long ago, Ice King City had just profited from Zhang Menglong, and those Supreme Crystals were still on the city accounts. But now, given the severe damage, repairing it requires significant funds.
The tribe leaders were almost broke, barely affording the pants, let alone compensating Zhang Menglong with Supreme Crystals. A tribe totaling several tens of thousands of Supreme Crystals would be quite fortunate!
At most, Ice King City could gather enough Supreme Crystals used to buy the land from Zhang Menglong. But using them delays the city’s reconstruction, which is not a safe state...
"Do you want it? If not, that’s fine!" Zhang Menglong said, starting the Strange Fire.
"Want it! Want it!" The main Ice Demon Flower was their last lifeline; how could they refuse?
"Menglong brothers, here is your payment for the land transaction," the City Lord handed a storage device to Zhang Menglong. "The rest is our Ice Demon Race’s gesture of goodwill!"
"Ah, such little goodwill!" Zhang Menglong scoffed. The Ice Demon Race couldn’t even gather half a million Supreme Crystals, indicating its extreme poverty.
"Not enough!" Zhang Menglong took out a contract. "You owe me thirty million Supreme Crystals. Sign it; whenever I come, I’ll collect the debt, however much I can get!"
The contract, bought by Zhang Menglong, holds extremely strong binding powers in this world, with severe consequences for breaking it.
The Ice Demon Race had no choice but to sign this unequal agreement; it was their only hope!
"Thank you all for the help!" Zhang Menglong expressed gratitude to the Guardian Beasts.
The Guardian Beasts reciprocated courteously, as their own races gained substantial benefits and eliminated a serious threat, creating a win-win situation. They realized a truth: if they can be friends with the human race, they should never become enemies.