"Luo Mian, stop groaning and get up; we need to settle all the remaining post-battle issues." Sighing tiredly, I used the last charge of my artifact on him to ease his pain. Ironically, I spent half of them on the very one who brewed this whole mess. Oh well, he'll pay me back for them. Not with his life, but with something much more valuable to me.
"...Hah, my arm's torn off; I sacrificed so much for this city and your cover. Can't you do the paperwork for me?" With a healthier face from my healing spell, Luo Mian grumbled as he stood up, still clutching the spot where his arm should have been, now just a shoulder overgrown with skin.
"Don't play poor. Go to the Parthenon, regrow the arm, rest with the pretty nuns. They need to replenish their knight ranks with talented kids somehow, right? As for your sacrifice for the city, you contributed no more and no less than everyone else. You lost the arm due to your own carelessness. Don't slack off; go work." I shot him an irritated glare. And that's without mentioning that he brewed the whole mess! Luckily, Zhu Men clearly hadn't forgotten. I don't think the senator from Hangzhou will hold his post much longer, though that's a small price for the consequences of his actions.
"Tch." Looking around and realizing no one sympathized with him, Luo Mian clicked his tongue, gave the Totem Serpent a complex look, and headed to Zhu Men to discuss the division of duties. What irony: Luo Mian wanted to kill the serpent, and in the end, its arrival factually saved his life. Wonder if he feels anything about that?
"Mu Bai, how did I do?" Tang Yue approached me and, hesitating, asked shyly. Apparently, she was still burdened by being partially at fault for the situation.
"You did great. The Totem Serpent came exactly when needed. Good job." I didn't skimp on praise and patted her head, making her blush first, then puff her cheeks angrily and stamp her foot.
"Don't treat me like a kid! But... I'm glad you survived." Switching from anger to mercy, Tang Yue stood on tiptoes and quickly kissed my cheek before running off to her uncle, who, noticing our exchange, gave me a thumbs up.
Man, now no one will convince that guy I'm not in a relationship with his niece. Though, am I really against it? She's a wonderful woman who endured a lot for me. Thinking of her with another man makes my blood boil instantly, wanting to smash someone's head. Isn't that infatuation at least? Or just possessiveness? Doesn't matter; the main thing is this wonderful girl has taken a place in my heart. But I'm in no rush. Time will tell where this leads.
Shaking my head to dispel the intrusive thoughts creeping in, I headed to the circle of big shots that I'd recently joined myself. Namely, when I fought them on equal footing against the Silver Firmament Sovereign. After all, in this world, strength matters more than position. With strength comes power, but without a strong fist, holding it is tough.
After discussions among all of us, it was decided that Luo Mian would urgently search for the poison-element mage who poisoned the city's residents, still roaming free after causing such chaos. That's no good. He had to bring either the live person or the poisoner's corpse. Exactly one hour for everything.
Since everyone present already knew who was to blame, no one but Luo Mian objected to such tight deadlines. Finding an unknown slippery poisoner is one thing; killing and dragging your own mercenary is another. Before he left, I subtly hinted that it wouldn't hurt to donate a large sum to the city for restoration and benefits for the families of the dead, plus leave protection for citizens to the senator constantly traveling the country.
The old man grimaced like he'd eaten a lemon but didn't argue, nodded, and scurried off. I doubt I'm the only one who'll milk this cow for goodies; I just jumped on the train of opportunities first. I don't think these old political sharks around me will miss a chance to profit. Glancing at them and seeing knowing smiles from my actions, I confirmed my thoughts.
The rest of us big shots talked a bit more. I also gave Tang Zhong a pouch with three Galactic Veins as my donation for restoring the city's main defense point—the strength of its mages. The others nodded respectfully; it was equivalent to three hundred million yuan, a significant sum even for a High-level mage.
After that, we all headed into the city to tally losses, leaving the wounded Silver Firmament Sovereign under the Totem Serpent's watch. Its flock had retreated nearby, and several scouts were watching their lord from the sky, awaiting further orders. Overall, the situation stabilized.
On the city walls and inside, we were met by tired but glad-to-be-alive mages. With Zhu Men's High-level mage squad and support from Pikachu and Bul, losses were greatly reduced compared to canon or what I expected from the attack.
Zhu Men essentially killed three Commanders: one at the battle's start with Melting Impulse, and two others with the Ban of the Twelve Divine Pillars. Bul held two, and one impaled itself on Li Tian while trying to help its sovereign. So the city mages only had to deal with four Commanders against thirty High-level mages—enough for solid defense or even a shaky victory.
The servants and weak Flock Leaders were mostly culled by Pikachu, supported by the bulk of the city's Initial-level mages and Zhu Men's lightning-element squad. Thus, the only threats to city mages—senior and peak Flock Leaders—were few and contained, albeit with strain and losses, by Mid-level mages.
White Eagles losses: four Commanders out of ten, about one and a half thousand Flock Leaders out of eight thousand, and around twenty thousand Servants out of fifty thousand in this battle plus five thousand earlier as a scout squad.
City defenders' losses: zero High-level mages out of thirty-five, eight hundred Mid-level out of two and a half thousand, and about two thousand Initial-level out of twenty-five thousand. Human losses were far fewer than monsters'—nonsense for a defensive war!
Noticeably, where my summons didn't help much—against senior and peak Flock Leaders—human losses were even higher percentage-wise than monsters', and where they lent a hand, much lower. City mages noticed that. They also saw I fought as a full team member against the Warlord. Don't forget who cured the looming terrible disease... I think my rep in China rises nicely after this battle.
"Bul-bul-bul!" The levitating Bul floated to me, opened its belly, and released my White Tiger pendant, which I'd given it before the fight. I quickly took it, hung it around my neck, and glanced at it. The tiger's green eyes on the pendant glimmered, evidence it held a huge number of souls. How many exactly, I'd find out...