NOVPUB
Chapter 1144: Chapter 1144: Counterfeit
Swimming City.
Surrounded by sea on three sides, and mountains on the other!
Its unique geographical location made Swimming City a haven since ancient times.
In early years, it used to be a gathering place for pirates.
Various naval forces took turns trying to subdue it, but none could shake Swimming City.
Eventually, this tough nut was completely abandoned.
Behind Swimming City lay a large mountain.
Within a three-hundred-mile radius, Swimming City was the only city.
Over time, it became the favorite gathering place for powerful martial artists.
Swimming City had the largest intelligence network, the most Shadow Warriors, and the most distinctive Ghost Market.
The so-called Ghost Market was just a small alley on the west side of Swimming City.
It was empty and quiet during the day.
But at night, it buzzed with activity.
People from the martial world were often involved in murky dealings and needed a secure place to handle their loot.
The Ghost Market was the platform for disposing of such goods.
It was filled with countless rare and exotic treasures; many treasures, even those listed as lost on television, had appeared here.
Once, a certain boss personally visited the Ghost Market, spent a fortune, and brought back a national treasure.
Even though he was powerful and influential, he still had to follow the rules here.
In the Ghost Market, customers don’t ask about the seller, and sellers don’t ask about the customers.
Cash in hand, goods in return.
Once the items were taken, no returns or exchanges were accepted.
Those who didn’t follow the rules ended up with their bodies floating near the port outside Swimming City.
Julius Reed had also visited Swimming City during his years at the Seven Clouds Academy.
He remembered this special city.
But the Divine Dragon Tripod, was it something that a person from the martial world obtained from Swimming City?
At the bottom, the date read February 27, 2008. 𝚗ovp𝚞b.𝚌om
Twelve years ago!
The timing was just after Isabella Warm had lost the Divine Dragon Tripod.
Shortly after that, Julius Reed, under the alias of Mad Dragon, founded the Seven Clouds Academy and nominally began searching for the lost Divine Dragon Tripod.
"Swimming City, I’ve been there," Rogan Harsh said helplessly. "After getting the diary, I went to try to find the seller."
"Did you find him?"
Julius Reed also wanted to find this seller and uncover the truth.
When Isabella Warm lost the Divine Dragon Tripod, it was completely accidental.
At that time, Julius Reed wasn’t on Demarco Mount, and when he returned, Isabella Warm only mentioned going out to play with her three maids and wanting to use the Divine Dragon Tripod to carry some ice spring.
Unfortunately, they carelessly dropped the tripod into a deep river at the base of Demarco Mount.
The river was chillingly cold, and ordinary people simply couldn’t enter it.
When Julius Reed returned, he immediately organized a team to dredge the river and even followed it along the bank.
Finally, they discovered footprints in the shallow water.
The Divine Dragon Tripod had been picked up by someone.
If the tripod appeared in Swimming City, following the trail would certainly lead to the truth.
Once the truth was unveiled, his memory should be able to recover.
Then, the truth of the Snow Mountain Battle would definitely come to light.
"By the time I got there, the person was already dead," Rogan Harsh said with a bitter smile, leaning against the wall. "The body was hanging from a high platform in the center of Swimming City. You know, in Swimming City, those executed in such a manner only mean one possibility!"
"Theft," Julius Reed said flatly.
"Right! The Divine Dragon Tripod was stolen by that seller from someone else. And the person who can exercise such power in Swimming City must have a noble status!" Rogan Harsh fell into reminiscence. "But Swimming City has its own rules, and the principles of the Ghost Market are even more inviolable! Once an item is sold, the original owner can’t hold anyone accountable. In other words, they can only accept the loss."
"So, what exactly did you find out?"
Julius Reed asked softly, looking at the notebook in his hand.
"Anyone related to the Divine Dragon Tripod is dead. I have been tracking down all this while with no survivors. Even including me, supposedly dead," Rogan Harsh sighed. "Back then, I was forced by the Seven Clouds Academy to jump off the mountain and fake my death."
"Was the Divine Dragon Tripod still on you at that time?"
Julius Reed was flipping through his notes, asking in a casual manner.
"It wasn’t. Before Seven Clouds Academy arrived, the Divine Dragon Tripod had already been stolen."
Rogan Harsh finished speaking, Julius Reed was startled, "Who stole it?"
This memory had always been fragmented for him.
However, seeing the operation objective coded ’X’ written in the ancient book, which was to bring the Divine Dragon Tripod to Gonzalez City,
he thought that the Divine Dragon Tripod was snatched from Rogan Harsh.
Yet now, Rogan Harsh’s answer took Julius Reed by surprise.
"I asked around later," Rogan Harsh said meaningfully, "That woman, named Grace River, is the master of the Ten Thousand Mountain Alliance, also your personal maid. That day, I happened to be away. When I returned, everyone was murdered. If I hadn’t left a secret passage, I would likely have been killed too."
"Are you sure?"
Julius Reed narrowed his eyes, seemingly pondering whether Rogan Harsh was lying.
"I have no need to lie. If it weren’t for the downfall of the Seven Clouds Academy and the chaos within the Ten Thousand Mountain Alliance, how could I dare to come out? As a result... alas. Your maid took the Divine Dragon Tripod, didn’t she return it to you?"
Rogan Harsh as a clan member, naturally knew that this item was the treasure of the master of the Ten Thousand Mountain Alliance.
But strictly speaking, the master had disappeared for many years.
And the Mad Dragon in the martial world seemed to have become the true owner of the Divine Dragon Tripod.
"No," Julius Reed answered truthfully, "I am Mad Dragon, and also the master of the Ten Thousand Mountain Alliance. Initially establishing Seven Clouds Academy was precisely to search for the lost Divine Dragon Tripod."
"What!"
Rogan Harsh was shocked.
"That morning when you and Brysen Beaumont took action, I knew about it." Julius Reed looked at the notes on the Divine Dragon Tripod, his brow slightly furrowed.
"Unexpectedly, someone was able to decode some of the text on the Divine Dragon Tripod."
He closed his notebook and stood by the window.
"Am I about to die?"
Rogan Harsh asked aloud.
"Yes."
Julius Reed nodded.
"Please make it quick."
Rogan Harsh requested, his tone carrying a hint of humility.
"Anything else you haven’t said?"
Julius Reed turned around, looking at him.
"No."
Rogan Harsh shook his head.
"Before you die, let me tell you one last secret."
Julius Reed walked over and whispered in Rogan Harsh’s ear, "The Divine Dragon Tripod was intentionally lost by Isabella Warm. Unfortunately, the person tasked with the job was treacherous, wanting to claim the Divine Dragon Tripod for themselves. Perhaps by fate, that person in Swimming City had the Divine Dragon Tripod stolen by thieves, and by chance, sold it to a strong martial artist who studies ancient texts. Later, you killed him and took these notes."
"What? Why would you do that!" Rogan Harsh was very surprised.
He had guessed many scenarios but never expected it to be like this.
"The one who did the job for me is still in Swimming City! The person who died was a scapegoat."
Julius Reed tore the notebook into pieces, pulled out a lighter, and slowly lit it on fire.
"As for why I did this, you no longer need to know."
After the scraps of paper had burned out, Julius Reed approached and twisted Rogan Harsh’s neck.
He wasn’t a cruel man, but neither was he soft-hearted.
"As for how I remembered all this, I really should thank you."
Julius Reed said, then turned and left.
The last line in the notebook—
"This tripod, created during the final years of the Eastern Daxton Dynasty."
Julius Reed clearly remembered, the Divine Dragon Tripod had been forged thousands of years ago.
So,
this tripod was a fake.
And in the world,
the only person capable of forging the Divine Dragon Tripod
was himself.
