Chapter 381: Magic Tower

The dazzling blade light, together with Yi Yan, flanked the Dark Mammoth from left and right, trapping it so it could no longer move, no matter how fiercely it roared and struggled.

The shield warriors in front cooperated perfectly, and the priests’ healing was powerful, so the mages felt secure enough to unleash their full offensive capabilities. Tang Yao, in particular, launched fireballs one after another, each dealing massive damage.

Even Nie Yan couldn’t help but admire the team, recalling how his previous group had struggled against a lord. In those days, the shield warriors often neglected their duties, failing to block the boss and maintain aggro, inevitably leading to wipeouts. The mages behind frequently pulled aggro, causing more wipes. When the boss went berserk and the priests couldn’t keep up healing, another wipe followed. It was common to die five or six times before defeating a boss.

A team like this, however, could easily take down a level 50 lord!

After another few dozen seconds, the Dark Mammoth finally struggled once more, then staggered and collapsed with a loud boom, shaking the ground.

Perfect!

Nie Yan glanced around and saw eleven players lying dead—thieves and warriors alike—all instantly killed by the Dark Mammoth.

“Priests, resurrect the fallen teammates. Everyone else, rest in place!” Nie Yan ordered, walking toward the front of the battlefield, wondering what the Dark Mammoth had dropped.

Cui Can Dao Guang picked up the loot, a total of five items, which was a substantial drop.

“Did we get anything good?” Nie Yan asked, feeling hopeful about the loot from this level 50 Dark Mammoth, as gear from fortress bosses was usually excellent.

“Got lucky,” Cui Can Dao Guang replied with some excitement, sending the identified gear’s stats into the party chat.

Nie Yan looked through the items and noticed a heavy shield, a great find for a shield warrior.

Mammoth Heavy Shield (Sub-Legendary): Requires Strength 520.

Stats: Defense 1293-1392, Defense Rate 57%, Shield Bash Level +2, Demoralizing Roar Level +1, Player Damage Taken -10%, Magic Resistance +50. Bonus Skill: Heavy Shield Strike, a powerful shield strike dealing 120% attack damage and generating extra threat. Skill Cooldown: 60 seconds.

Class Restriction: Shield Warrior.

This Mammoth Heavy Shield was worth at least tens of thousands of gold coins. No one had expected such a high-quality drop from a level 50 boss. Especially the bonus skill, Heavy Shield Strike, which generated additional threat, was extremely valuable for a tank, helping them maintain aggro and avoid wipes caused by the boss losing interest. For a tank in a team, this was an invaluable skill.

This was definitely a top-tier item for a shield warrior!

Of course, this shield would go to the best shield warrior in the guild.

“How is your current shield?” Nie Yan asked Cui Can Dao Guang, recalling that his shield was already an epic-level item.

“My current shield is slightly inferior to this Mammoth Heavy Shield, but it’s part of an epic set, giving me set bonuses. Considering that, equipping this Mammoth Heavy Shield wouldn’t be as beneficial,” Cui Can Dao Guang replied. “Give it to Leng Aoying. He’s been needing a good shield, and with this Mammoth Heavy Shield, his defense should be nearly on par with mine.”

Normally, competition among shield warriors in a guild was fierce, as everyone wanted to be the main tank (MT). MTs had many advantages, as all shield warrior gear was prioritized for them. Other shield warriors only got gear after the MT had chosen. In other guilds, it was common for MTs to hoard all the good gear to prevent other shield warriors from catching up, even if they already had better gear themselves. But Cui Can Dao Guang was generous, not coveting the Mammoth Heavy Shield and willingly giving it to Leng Aoying.

“This Mammoth Heavy Shield is too valuable—I can’t accept it,” Leng Aoying quickly said, feeling honored to receive such a sub-legendary shield, the only one of its kind in the entire Bull Tribe.

Leng Aoying was already an outstanding shield warrior in the Bull Tribe, his importance nearly matching that of Cui Can Dao Guang, the MT. Just moments ago, he had saved the team from a crisis.

“Don’t be modest, Aoying. This shield belongs to you,” Nie Yan said, considering the matter carefully. Leng Aoying was indeed the most suitable candidate.

Nie Yan assigned the Mammoth Heavy Shield to Leng Aoying. The choice of gear for a shield warrior wasn’t solely up to the individual; it had to be made with the guild’s overall interests in mind.

Leng Aoying eventually accepted the shield, equipping it. The Mammoth Heavy Shield was a straight shield, its surface covered in runes, giving it a mysterious aura.

The other four items were also impressive, all being epic-level gear at level 50.

The team took a short break, reviving the fallen warriors, while players with low health scattered to recover.

Elsewhere on the streets, chaotic battles still raged as other teams from the Bull Tribe gradually eliminated the Phantom Warriors.

Nie Yan sat aside, waiting for the team to regroup.

At that moment, he received a message from Guo Huai: a few players from Angel Empire had arrived in Carol City, likely on a quest, visiting one NPC after another.

“Keep a close eye on their movements and find out what their quest is about,” Nie Yan replied. Those five players were probably here for an important quest; otherwise, they wouldn’t have come to Carol City. Traveling from Sa’thun Empire to Carol City cost hundreds of gold per person, so five players meant thousands of gold. The quest must be worth at least that much.

“I’ve already assigned people to monitor them. They should know that Carol City is Bull Tribe territory, and it’s impossible to pull anything off under our watch,” Guo Huai replied. Everything was under control.

Only five players had come, at most they could gather some information, but the Bull Tribe had nothing to worry about.

“There’s another matter. Light Holy Flame has agreed to sell shares. Here’s the finalized agreement—check if any changes are needed,” Guo Huai added.

Light Holy Flame agreeing to sell 60% of its shares was great news.

“We don’t have extra funds to invest in Light Holy Flame right now,” Nie Yan replied. He couldn’t afford to spend gold recklessly, or else he might face financial strain.

“Light Holy Flame is okay with delaying the gold investment until after the War Blade Bloodthirsty matter is resolved. They’re willing to accept credit points now, requesting 500 slots, each granting 5000 credit points per month,” Guo Huai said.

“That condition seems reasonable,” Nie Yan replied. After all, Light Holy Flame controlled two beginner strongholds. Nie Yan could sell the commercial district usage rights of the beginner strongholds to Longyue Financial Group or even War God Tribe, letting A Chen’s team develop them, which would earn far more than those credit points.

Nie Yan reviewed the agreement Guo Huai sent over, which was consistent with the agreements with Ji Lan Temple and Holy Roman Empire. Seeing no issues, he signed it.

Soon, under the Mainframe’s supervision, the 60% shares of Light Holy Flame were transferred. Without anyone noticing, Light Holy Flame had changed hands.

The long-standing hostility between Light Holy Flame and Bull Tribe was officially resolved. With mutual interests at play, past grievances naturally faded away.

Nie Yan’s thoughts didn’t stop there. Light Holy Flame and Bull Tribe’s well-known enmity—could that be exploited?

A faint smile appeared on Nie Yan’s face as he messaged Guo Huai: “Don’t announce our acquisition of Light Holy Flame! Keep this information strictly confidential! Let Light Holy Flame remain as it was!”

“Why?” Guo Huai asked, puzzled at first, then suddenly realizing. “I see. Don’t worry, I’ll handle this.”

Light Holy Flame and Bull Tribe had been enemies, and the enemy of an enemy could be a friend. Guilds like Mage Alliance or Sacred Guardians might approach them, giving Light Holy Flame a chance to shine!

Guo Huai wouldn’t have thought of this without Nie Yan’s reminder.

Under Guo Huai’s special attention, Light Holy Flame’s guild leader, Ye Po Shenggun, didn’t reveal any cooperation with Bull Tribe. The guild remained calm, and guild members’ salaries were said to be paid out of Ye Po Shenggun’s own pocket. To the outside world, Light Holy Flame and Bull Tribe were still bitter enemies.

The trap was set, now just waiting for someone foolish enough to fall into it.

For now, all efforts should focus on clearing Krips Fortress.

By then, some team members had stood up, their health fully restored.

“Alright, let’s continue advancing toward the fortress center!” Nie Yan announced in the guild channel.

The team members quickly regrouped, forming squads and advancing down the street.

On both sides of the main road stood many ancient buildings, their purposes unknown. Nie Yan’s gaze settled on a tall spire ahead. Among all the buildings, this spire was relatively well-preserved, six stories high, made of stone, uniquely designed, towering fifty to sixty yards high, seemingly piercing the sky. Streams of colorful magical elements flowed across its surface, adding a touch of brilliance to the tower.

This was a magic tower, typically a place where mages studied. Legends said that each magic tower had a guardian.