CHAPTER 260: Adding Fuel To The Flames

"This mithril mine is within the influence of the Rainbow Sickle mercenaries. It now belongs to our Church of Light. Please leave!" The Grand Magus of Light, Ferguson, hovered in the air. He wore a pure white magical robe that shone with splendour. In his left hand he held a staff that emitted a blinding light. He radiated an inviolable, holy aura.

All the light magical elements in the valley converged on his staff from all directions. Ferguson's presence grew stronger and stronger. A brilliant curtain of light erupted from the staff in his hand, illuminating the moonless valley.

In the centre of the valley, a small river, a few meters wide, flowed quietly. Large rocks of strange shapes surrounded the river. The mountain wall was covered with a thick green carpet of ivy-like vines.

The four great powers of the Valley of Sunshine the Cairo Mercenaries, the Rainbow Sickle Mercenaries, the House of Menlo and the Katar Orc Tribe, had gathered here. They had divided the valley into four sections in order to occupy it. In addition, a dozen smaller forces were scattered in groups here and there. They had all come here out of greed.

Han Shuo had originally wanted to cover his tracks. As soon as he heard the loud rumbling, he released the three Yin Demons to circle and scout the valley. After getting a clear understanding of the situation from the Yin Demons, he knew that this was a key moment in the valley, as all the powers were no longer hiding.

"Let's go. No one will notice us as long as we're a little careful." Han Shuo said lightly, leading Gilbert and Trunks. The three cautiously slipped through several troops to a remote corner of the valley before hiding behind a large boulder.

"Mr. Ferguson, the person who discovered the silver mine was a merchant from our House of Menlo. Therefore, the mine naturally belongs to us." Adam Menlo, head of the House of Menlo, said blandly, his face heavy as he glared at Ferguson.

Adam Menlo was a thin old man, rumoured to be a sky rider. He rode the super-rank magical creature Golden-Winged Roc and held a golden spear in his hand. He looked very heroic.

Behind him were dozens of experts from the House of Menlo. The whole group was riding on exotic, strange magical creatures, their hands clutching superior weapons or staffs. They all stared at Ferguson unfriendly.

"Ferguson, it's not your Church of Light's turn to be arrogant in this Valley of Sunshine. Our mercenary band from Cairo is the true master of this place, everything here belongs to us." The bald, burly Laureton shouted in a bell-like voice. His right hand wielded a huge battle-axe in demonstration.

This battle axe showed no reflection under the light magic, as if it contained a mysterious power within. At first glance, the handle seemed to be rusted all over, as if it had lived for many years.

Similarly, the elite mercenaries of the Cairo Mercenary Band stood behind Laureton. He too seemed determined to take control of this mithril mine. On the other side stood the chief of the Katar Orc tribe. He stood about two and a half metres tall and carried a huge totem pole on his shoulder. The warriors of the tribe behind him were similar in build to their weapons.

"Looks like this battle is inevitable!" Han Shuo's lips curled into a sly smile as he said to Trunks, looking at the four great powers who were having their tit for tat in the central part of the valley.

"Mm, but why aren't Janet and the Butcher's bandit gangs here?" Trunk nodded, then asked suspiciously, "Logically, they should have got the message. I didn't expect that they wouldn't even come for a piece of the cake."

"Actually, they have already come. They are just hiding like us. Hehehe, those bandits didn't dare to expose themselves, so they just hid." Han Shuo pointed in the direction of the Katar Orc Tribe Chief and said, "There is a huge rock in the mountain valley behind them, the Butcher's Bandits are over there.

"Over there, in the ivy bush about a meter behind Menlo's house, is Janet's gang. But let's not go hunting for them right now. Let's take a look at the situation before we decide."

"Understood." Trunks replied.

Since the valley was limited in size, the factions had only brought part of their elite forces here. The number of people from each faction wasn't too large. All the powers of Light and Dark had gathered here with the intention of taking the mine. The situation was an imminent stalemate in every corner and direction of the valley. At this moment, no one dared make a move. Even Laureton didn't dare strike first, avoiding the inevitability of becoming a target for the other forces.

After bickering for a while, the four great powers were still stuck in a battle of glares and curses. Even the minions waved their weapons around like props. They hadn't officially started the fight. Obviously, they still had some fear of each other.

"These people are so annoying. Why can't they just make a move? I'm so tired just looking at them." Gilbert watched for a while, but the group was still arguing incessantly. He couldn't help but complain.

"Where is the mine? I'll give them a boost." Han Shuo thought for a while, then looked at Trunks and asked.

"There's a hidden underground cave over there by the overgrowth. Rumour has it that there is silver in there and even a very small amount of mithril." Trunks replied as he pointed to where the four major factions were standing.

His heart leapt as Han Shuo suddenly had an idea. He laughed devilishly, "I have a way. This time, I must make Florida suffer continuously!"

Han Shuo's party saw Florida as they moved forward. His injuries had completely healed after half a year of recuperation. He was in high spirits at the moment as he stood behind his grandfather Ferguson and whispered something to Asa.

Asa and Maxine had tried to assassinate Han Shuo during his last trip to the Valley of Sunshine. Asa right arm had been cut off in the end, and he had barely escaped with great embarrassment. He seemed not to have recovered yet, for his face was pale, without the colour of blood. Even though the severed arm had been reattached, the spasming of his fingers indicated that there were some lingering effects. His arm might never regain its original flexibility.

The little skeleton and Earth Elite zombie appeared after a necromancy chant. After being refined by demonic magic, the earth elite zombie no longer had the original appearance of a zombie warrior. It didn't look much different from a human.

After receiving an order, the Earth Elite Zombie slowly sank into the ground and disappeared in front of Trunks' disbelieving eyes. There was no change in the land where he had disappeared, as if he had been a drop of water absorbed by the ground.

"That, what is that? He, what thing is he?!" Trunks shouted in disbelief, seemingly unable to accept the scene he had just witnessed.

Pointing to the little skeleton, Han Shuo smiled and explained, "The same as him.

Upon hearing Han Shuo mention him, the little skeleton's purple eye immediately lit up and focused on Trunks. It waved its right hand arrogantly, grasping the bone dagger, seemingly disdainful of Trunks' ignorance.

"I see, Wonderful Bryan! You really know how to shock people!" Trunks exclaimed, then smiled wryly as he said, "No wonder both Ferguson and Edwin are looking for you!"

"This is the territory of the Rainbow Sickle mercenaries. You dared to invade this place and covet the silver mine. You really think too little of us!" Florida shouted with murderous intent from the other side as he glared coldly at Laureton.

Of all the troops invading the valley this time, the Rainbow Sickle mercenaries had brought the most men. Moreover, with his grandfather Ferguson and the Church of Light present, Florida felt that his side was the most powerful. Naturally, his manner became more overbearing.

"Florida, do you think the Valley of Sunshine is your home just because you have your grandfather behind you?" Laureton snorted coldly as he taunted Florida.

Suddenly, the Earth Elite Zombie appeared from beneath the dense bush of ivy vines. Holding a huge silver rock in his hands, he enthusiastically ran towards Florida and handed the large rock to him as the crowd watched.

"Very good, damn you! Florida, your people are blatantly exploiting the mine and simply ignoring our presence!" The head of the Menlo clan, Adam Menlo, saw the situation and immediately cursed loudly. He rode the super-ranked Golden-Winged Roc and charged directly at Florida.

The golden-winged Roc was a dozen metres long. Its pair of golden wings unfurled and covered the moon that had just risen in the night sky. A piercing scream rang out as the giant wings, like sharp blades, flapped rapidly, sending huge gusts of wind through the valley. The fierce winds battered the Rainbow Sickle mercenaries on Florida's side, causing their sleeves to flap wildly. Their bodies swayed as they couldn't stand straight.

As the golden spear was raised, it emitted a thick, murderous intent. Adam Menlo was at the forefront as he charged at the Rainbow Sickle mercenary band. The men of the House of Menlo rode all manner of exotic magical creatures as they followed, shouting from behind.

"Your Church of Light will never have the chance to arrogantly dominate the Valley of Sunshine! Brothers, let him know who's strongest in the Valley of Sunshine!" Laureton suddenly roared into the sky and burst out of his clothes. A terrifying aura exploded from his body, and his bald head glowed brightly.

As his body went into a berserk state, Laureton became extremely violent and impulsive. Carrying the huge battle-axe, he was the first to rush out and lead the charge. The battle-axe swung wildly. The boulders he passed exploded with rumbling sounds as he charged forward with terrifying momentum.

Behind him, a group of Cairo mercenaries also went berserk. They roared and howled loudly as they charged at the Rainbow Sickle mercenaries like a bunch of mad bulls.

At the same time, the chief of the Katar Orc tribe howled a few phrases in the Orc language and slammed his huge totem against the ground. The ground immediately shook violently before the totem made a huge hole.

Several of the orc shamans also began to rave madly. Colourful lights fell on the bodies of dozens of orcs behind Katar. Blessed by the chant, their muscles became as hard as granite. Together they raised their shining totem poles and advanced in a strange rhythm, howling as they charged towards Florida.

"Who are you? Are you going to kill us all?!" Florida roared furiously at the Earth Elite Zombie, his rage reaching its peak. He quickly chanted a spell, wanting to kill the Earth Elite Zombie first.

Unfortunately, the earth elite zombie quickly sank into the ground and disappeared without a trace before he even finished the spell. Florida finally gathered a light sword to deal with Laureton, who was charging at him like a madman.

Once the berserkers and orcs went berserk, Florida knew only too well how difficult it would be to stop them. He understood that this battle was inevitable. On the other hand, he had intended to kill Laureton first. He would be killed heartlessly if he didn't find a way to stop him.

The light sword shot forward as he laughed wildly. The attack had not yet reached Laureton before it shattered into tiny shards of light. The bald berserker sprinted towards Florida with an awe-inspiring momentum. Boulders were sent flying in many pieces wherever he passed. The battleaxe in his hand radiated a presence that could crumble mountains and turn the seas upside down.

"Formidable, they really are experts! This battle is truly interesting!" Han Shuo laughed loudly and said leisurely as he looked at the other three great powers attacking the Rainbow Sickle mercenary band.

"Honoured Master, what should we do now?" Gilbert couldn't help but ask excitedly when he saw the chaotic scenes.

"Trunks, send out the signal and let our brothers come over. These people who want to fight, let them fight. You guys go harvest the mine, I will keep watch out here." Han Shuo hastily told Trunks when he saw the scene of extreme chaos in the valley.

"But the mine entrance is right where they are fighting! Since they've blocked the place, whoever tries to go in will meet a terrible fate. That's not a good idea!" Trunks smiled wryly and didn't release the signal immediately.

"Hehehe, the secret tunnel is prepared! With the Earth Elite Zombie here, we won't have to go that way." Han Shuo laughed softly. As soon as he finished speaking, a tunnel appeared under the rock where they were hiding. The Earth Elite Zombie stood in the middle of the tunnel and waved his hand with a broad smile.