My Players Are So Fierce - Chapter 352

Chapter 352: Shadow Intelligence Bureau’s Report on “Iron Fist” Turner

 

Today’s King of Fighters championship had a huge uproar, where the previously unstoppable warrior Niuniu, who had won 11 consecutive matches, was defeated by a mysterious monk from nowhere.

 

Given Niuniu’s high reputation among both players and NPCs, this news spread like wildfire throughout the Crimson Citadel.

 

When Little Ashina, the “seeded player” from the shooting division who had just easily achieved her 12th consecutive victory and collected three construction points in another area of the sewers, came to watch the fighting matches, that Winter Wolf monk had already defeated the People’s Army veteran boxer, the mountain folk boxer, and the Blood Pact Knights boxer, becoming tonight’s biggest “dark horse.”

 

By now it was 1 AM, and while the vampires were full of energy, the citizens still had to work tomorrow.

 

The King of Fighters championship was just a recreational activity and couldn’t affect the normal operations of the entire Crimson Citadel territory, so today’s matches concluded at this time, waiting to continue tomorrow.

 

However, today’s betting odds offered by the Blood Rat Gang had already undergone major changes due to this dark horse’s explosive emergence. The odds for several previously favored contestants were all modified. Obviously, in the shrewd Dorothy’s view, this strange Winter Wolf monk had already become a hot favorite to win the championship.

 

For other spectators though, such a twist made things more interesting, and the Winter Wolf monk indeed showed great strength and “martial virtue”, none of his defeated opponents suffered serious injuries, merely being knocked unconscious.

 

It was clear that while this contestant acted quite conspicuously, he showed great restraint in his attacks, which won him another wave of “fan” support.

 

However, such small tricks couldn’t fool his “peers.”

 

After today’s matches ended, Old Eugene, with a gloomy expression, went to find Guildmaster Natalie. He got straight to the point with Natalie:

 

“Damn Winter Wolf Church is using this method to spread their faith. Those followers of the North Wind God have clearly figured out the character traits of Transians. Their show of force is creating momentum for themselves!

 

This can’t continue!

 

If that mysterious monk actually wins the King of Fighters championship, our god will lose many potential believers, while the northerners will be able to extend their reach into Transia.

 

But this is sacred ground belonging only to Avalon, not to be tainted by others!

 

Natalie!

 

You know very well that the spiritual world of the people in this land urgently needs comfort, and the Winter Wolf Church has already issued us a challenge.”

 

“Eugene! Don’t be so obsessed.”

 

Natalie tried to appease her most fanatical preaching leader with a very troubled expression:

 

“This is just the first day of the fights. We don’t even know the background of that Winter Wolf monk. It’s really hard to say if he came here carrying the Winter Wolf Church’s evangelical mission.

 

He arrived at Crimson Citadel mixed in with the northern prisoners. I need to go ask Lord Maxim about the situation first. Perhaps he can give us more information. But even so, I guess neither our god’s will nor the governor’s orders would allow us to wage a ‘religious war’ in Transia.

 

Eugene, I know you view the church’s reconstruction as your life’s mission for your remaining years, but please understand that our church is currently only in a recovery phase.

 

I’m begging you!

 

Don’t be so radical, and especially don’t actively provoke conflicts.”

 

“I’m not that stupid! The collapse of the old church was enough to teach me rationality.”

 

Old Eugene explained:

 

“But Natalie, you’re very young, you haven’t experienced the great conflict between the Avalon Church and Winter Wolf Church that once occurred in the Ice Bay region, which is what ended the Second Night War. I was just an orphaned islander newly taken in by the church then, but I’ve heard about how brutal that war was.

 

Originally the old church had great hope of spreading the fire of faith throughout the barbarian tribes of Ice Bay, but it was the Winter Wolf Church’s interference that prevented its completion. What’s worse is that during the confrontation between the old church and Winter Wolf Church, the faith of the Berserker Vam actually rose among the Caesar barbarian tribes.

 

You should know that in elven doctrine, the Berserker Vam is viewed as an evil god!

 

The same thing cannot happen again.

 

You need to understand, little Natalie, fanaticism and war were never our god’s choice, but the Winter Wolf Church, which believes in survival of the fittest, won’t give us the option of peaceful coexistence.

 

The followers of the North Wind God have always been known throughout the continent for their wildness and belligerence. It is their centuries of unchanging guidance in the Great Wilderness that has filled the hearts of the Nord people with a desire for expansion and plunder.

 

Those northerners only cause trouble!

 

We absolutely cannot let the Winter Wolf Church spread their teachings on a large scale in Transia!

 

They will drag this land that has already suffered so much back into conflict. You must make this point clear to Governor Murphy, not all gods love peace and tranquility like our god.”

 

“Sigh, for us who personally triggered the Ten-Year War, this argument really has zero persuasive power.”

 

Natalie sighed.

 

She said:

 

“I’ll go understand the situation first. You must not act rashly, Eugene. Our current situation has already entered the right track, with the congregation developing by leaps and bounds. This is our god’s protection, it really hasn’t come easy, don’t destroy it.”

 

After finally persuading the anxious Old Eugene, Natalie, despite her fatigue, went to the Blood Vulture Halls to try to get some information from Maxim, who was in charge of receiving prisoners.

 

But she couldn’t find Maxim.

 

Instead, led by the clan leader’s personal guard “Mad Woman” Bonnie, Natalie came to a rest room in the halls.

 

Murphy and Miriam and others were all here, and when Natalie pushed open the door, she heard Count of White Mountain Andrei, who also came from the Kingdom of Nordtov, explaining the background of the Winter Wolf monk to everyone.

 

Murphy, who was listening very intently as if hearing a story, gestured with his eyes for Natalie to sit down and “listen.” The Guildmaster didn’t refuse, but after she sat down, she inadvertently noticed that Grand Duchess Tris sitting beside Murphy had a somewhat “strange” posture.

 

How come she was using invisible spirit energy to levitate above the chair?

 

Was her bottom injured?

 

Natalie cast an odd look at Tris, whose cheeks were still somewhat flushed, then looked at Murphy with his subtly smiling expression. She quietly complained in her heart, then turned her attention to Count Andrei’s description.

 

“The one who appeared in the ring today is a rosary-bearing monk of the Winter Wolf Church. Although these people also belong to the church’s protectors, their positioning is different from the temple warriors who are widely integrated into the Nordtov military system.

 

More accurately, these rosary-bearing monks are equivalent to ‘advanced clerics.’

 

From what I understand, rosary-bearing monks usually spend their entire lives in monasteries scattered throughout the Great Wilderness studying the North Wind God’s doctrines. It’s said that only when the North Wind God’s domain faces serious threats will these secret tradition monks intervene in situations.”

 

Andrei explained with some confusion:

 

“This is exactly why I was so surprised today. To be honest, rosary-bearing monks are like legendary figures even in Nordtov.

 

Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to see these reclusive, hermit-like figures once in their lifetime, but they appeared in Transia without any warning and even participated in this temporarily organized fighting competition.

 

This matter itself reveals various inconsistencies.

 

The only convincing explanation might be that these people received instructions from the North Wind God? The Great Winter Wolf Su required them to come to this land and actively participate in various affairs in Transia?”

 

“Perhaps it’s because of the Black Plague?”

 

The Crimson Regent was a non-believer, and like Murphy, she treated the matter of the Winter Wolf monk as an interesting anecdote to listen to.

 

After recording the legend of the secret tradition monks in her personal notebook, Miriam offered her perspective from a situational angle.

 

In this rest room where the atmosphere was not tense but more like a tea party, she said to others:

 

“Look, the Avalon God has already ordered the witch hunters to participate in Transia’s defense work against the Black Plague, and Lord Payne has also ordered members of the Blood Pact Clan to participate and even rebuked the Wolfsbane Clan not to disrupt our war preparations.

 

If Transia cannot stop the Black Plague’s offensive from the gnolls, the entire continent will suffer.

 

In the current situation, it’s quite normal for the Great Winter Wolf to send his secret forces to Transia to join in the cause.”

 

“Makes sense, but not much.”

 

The Count of White Mountain shook his head and refuted:

 

“If it were truly the North Wind God’s will, then it would be temple warriors coming rather than rosary-bearing monks. In terms of both numbers and combat experience, the temple warriors would be a better choice, and they don’t have restrictions against taking life.

 

The temple warrior corps under the Winter Wolf Legion is known as the ‘Wolf God’s Fangs.’ They are empowered by faith, and their ferocious performance on the battlefield is enough to make even the most insane berserkers feel fear.

 

In comparison, the mysterious rosary-bearing monks are actually more similar to scripture researchers.

 

Although they possess secret techniques that make their combat power far exceed ordinary temple warriors, to be honest, these martial arts masters probably won’t actually kill in their entire lifetime.

 

For them, martial arts is just a way of seeking wisdom and health from the North Wind God, and not a necessary condition for becoming a rosary-bearing monk.

 

Therefore I can confirm that the appearance of that rosary-bearing monk in Transia doesn’t have much to do with the Black Plague.

 

At least not as much as you think.

 

They must have come with some special purpose.”

 

“Perhaps the truth isn’t as complicated as you think, perhaps their appearance is just to satisfy the North Wind God’s simple curiosity about a certain weird vampire?”

 

Tris suddenly said.

 

This made others’ gazes turn to Governor Murphy beside her, while the vampire governor who was called “weird” showed no self-awareness as he shrugged.

 

He felt Tris’s explanation hit the truth.

 

Given his unique “god-vampire weirdo” constitution, it wasn’t incomprehensible that the Great Winter Wolf would send his secret tradition monks to come “observe” up close.

 

While everyone was discussing this matter, the absent Maxim pushed open the door with a frosty expression, with Lady Adele following behind him.

 

Maxim said in a low tone:

 

“Sorry, Lord Murphy, this was my oversight. I failed to discover the Winter Wolf monks hiding among the prisoners entering Crimson Citadel beforehand. This was my mistake.”

 

“What does this have to do with you?”

 

Murphy rolled his eyes and said:

 

“High-level clerics with divine protection have plenty of ways to slip through unnoticed. Don’t forcefully take on errors that don’t belong to you. Besides, what’s done is done, what I hope to hear isn’t apologies but truly useful information.”

 

“Then let me introduce to everyone the information about these ‘uninvited guests.'”

 

Lady Adele beside Maxim brushed her hair and stood before everyone holding documents in her hand. She said softly:

 

“I just clarified the background of these people through contact with the Thorn Clan, thanks to the full support of Grand Duchess Shani, which also showed me the Thorn Clan’s terrifying infiltration capabilities that reach every corner of the Kingdom of Nordtov.

 

There are 5 Winter Wolf monks who arrived in Transia this time.

 

They come from the same monastery.

 

According to information provided by the Thorn Clan, that monastery is located in the extreme north of the Great Wilderness, very close to the barbarian lands, and this monastery called ‘Wolf God’s Eye’ is quite a marginal player even within the Winter Wolf Church’s secret tradition system.

 

These 5 people are very likely the last batch of rosary-bearing monks from that small monastery, and their sect’s doctrine claims to be the North Wind God’s eyes in the mortal world.

 

They are not enthusiastic about evangelism, but rather believe that a believer’s life should be spent conveying what they see and hear to the divine through faith.

 

Therefore in the past hundred years, the rosary-bearing monks of Wolf God’s Eye would often choose to travel the continent.

 

But as I just said, this sect has already become very weak, probably because they stubbornly adhere to fulfilling their duty of observation for the god while rarely participating in real action. Within the Winter Wolf Church they are also considered too neutral and ‘weak.'”

 

After Adele finished speaking, others in the rest room understood.

 

It seems Grand Duchess Tris’s judgment was still accurate.

 

Being able to mobilize Wolf God’s Eye to come to Transia shows that the North Wind God really was just simply curious, wanting to closely observe everything happening on Transian soil.

 

This also made both Miriam and Natalie breathe sighs of relief, the former because there was no need to worry about these neutrals meddling randomly in Transia’s affairs, while the latter’s relief was because Old Eugene’s concerns could be put to rest.

 

They weren’t evangelists at all.

 

They were just “human cameras” personally chosen by the Great Winter Wolf.

 

“Tell us about the fighter who made such a splash today.”

 

Murphy leaned back in his chair and said with narrowed eyes:

 

“I don’t doubt the neutral doctrine of the Wolf God’s Eye sect, but that monk today didn’t seem like a neutral to me. He had a very contradictory quality about him. So, I guess that fellow also has his own story?”

 

“Indeed.”

 

Adele flipped the document back a page and said:

 

“‘Iron Fist’ Turner!

 

Former Winter Wolf Legion reconnaissance captain, once a very promising young officer but after a brutal battle with Caesar barbarians at the border several years ago that nearly cost him his life, he left the military for unknown reasons and joined the Wolf God’s Eye monastery.

 

The Thorn Clan has also tracked this fellow extensively, because Turner has crossed the barbaric borders into the northern polar regions controlled by Caesar barbarians multiple times alone over the past few years.

 

No one knows what he went there for.

 

But what’s certain is that after each time Turner returned, his strength and skills would improve dramatically.

 

The Thorn Clan’s eyes in the Great Wilderness believe Turner may become the Great Winter Wolf’s first ‘chosen one’ in nearly ten years, but they have no evidence to prove this, and the Winter Wolf Church remains tight-lipped about it.

 

As for that small group composed of rebel soldiers and rowdy troops that Turner is part of, it’s probably a disguise to cover up his identity.

 

But according to our interrogation of other prisoners, probably due to also having a military background, Turner has great prestige in that small group. Those rebel soldiers really see him as their leader and have formed a violent organization centered around Turner.

 

However, Turner has always controlled those people in a very strict manner, not allowing them to act immorally, but also not interfering with the rebel soldiers’ plans for the future.

 

Those folks are already in contact with the Blood Rat Gang. Dorothy is planning to absorb them to supplement her forces.

 

Additionally, according to reliable information, ‘Iron Fist’ Turner’s true strength is as a silver-ranked rosary-bearing monk, proficient in multiple sects’ techniques including sanda, four symbols, and assassination.

 

He is a true genius who was invited by the Winter Wolf Church to serve as a red-robed holy envoy at the North Wind Grand Cathedral but Turner refused multiple times.

 

From his behavior, he appears to have no interest in power and authority.”

 

“Now this is really strange.”

 

Murphy stroked his chin and said:

 

“Why would someone with no interest in power and authority appear before us in such a high-profile way? He seems to want to attract certain people’s attention? It seems that aside from factors related to spreading faith, I guess Mr. Turner entering Transia also has some secret purposes of his own.”

 

“So, do you need me to arrange a meeting with him?”

 

Maxim asked quietly.

 

Murphy shook his head and said:

 

“I am the local lord! If there’s to be a meeting, he should take the initiative to visit me. How could there be any reason for me to personally go to him? Besides, his appearance isn’t a bad thing.

 

An exciting fighting competition should have dark horses like this appear to make the progression of the matches more dramatic and engaging.

 

My warrior Niuniu lost badly.

 

But I know he and his friends won’t take it lying down. This might be a good opportunity.

 

Andrei, I heard you’ve gotten into fishing recently?”

 

The vampire lord looked at his kindred and said:

 

“It seems I should also take this opportunity to cast a few lines. Perhaps I can catch another big fish.”