NOVGO.NET Chapter 670: Baiting the Big Catch
Chapter 670: Chapter 670: Baiting the Big Catch
Charles thought for a moment, then slowly nodded.
Right after, Harbor sent that golden contract in front of Charles.
Charles looked at the shining contract. He didn’t sign it right away. Instead, he glanced at Harbor from the corner of his eye and said,
“I can sign this deal to freeze the fight between us for now. But do we really need to freeze it for so long? Do you honestly think we won’t settle this in the Atacama Desert?”
Harbor kept the same cold look on his face.
He asked flatly, “Then what do you want?”
Charles smiled.
“Simple. I think a 14-day truce is enough. In those two weeks, we can get ourselves ready. Honestly, when this fight broke out, neither of us was prepared.
So, we can wait until after those 14 days for the real showdown. By then, both of us will be at our best. That will be the true moment to decide victory, and even life or death.”
Harbor, expressionless, changed the terms on the contract.
Charles looked it over carefully from top to bottom, made sure there was nothing wrong, and signed his name.
Then the contract floated back to Harbor. He signed his name too.
Once the deal was done, neither of them could attack the other for 14 days.
So Harbor left right away, taking his mystical beast with him.
Charles didn’t bother trying to follow. Chasing Harbor now meant nothing.
In fact, going after him right away would only alert him.
The 14-day truce wasn’t just because fighting to the end now would be risky for Charles. The bigger reason was that he wanted to lay the bait and catch the big fish.
If he fought Harbor to the death right now, yes, he had a high chance of winning. But he’d also be badly hurt.
That would mean no chance to take out the other Ancient Academy members.
But if he used these 14 days to plan everything perfectly, then in the final battle, he could wipe out Harbor and all of the Ancient Academy members in one go.
That was the smartest strategy.
After thinking for a while, Charles decided to deal with what he believed was the most important matter.
He directly ordered the Twin-Winged Savage Gold-Eater Beast to move deeper into the ruins.
He had to check the state of the Gem of Light hidden in the deepest part of the Withered Tree Fortress ruins.
Even though Harbor’s mystical beast, the Angel of Light, had already absorbed a huge amount of light power from the Gem, Charles believed the Gem of Light still held some leftover energy.
If used well, that remaining light power could play a massive role in the battle that would come after the 14-day truce.
Since the Withered Tree Fortress had been completely destroyed by the overwhelming strength of the Dark Demigod, the ruins left behind were extremely complicated.
Reaching the very depths of the ruins would take a long time.
While Charles made his way toward the heart of the ruins, Harbor returned at top speed to the designated safe zone.
Most of the Ancient Academy members were staying there.
The moment they saw Harbor, everyone quickly gathered around in curiosity.
When they noticed how battered he looked, they all began asking questions in worry and panic.
“I didn’t settle things with Charles. We agreed to finish it in 14 days. Prepare yourselves for the battle to come.”
After coldly saying that, he vanished without delay.
Harbor’s words left the Ancient Academy members completely stunned.
They had thought today would be the final battle.
No one had expected the fight to suddenly end like this.
The Ancient Academy members started talking over each other in confusion, and before long, Maxwell walked back in with a grim face.
“Everyone, we must go into battle at once. The crown prince is already furious. Since senior hasn’t returned, we must obey the crown prince’s orders.”
As he spoke, Maxwell’s anger was written all over his face.
It was clear to everyone that he didn’t truly want to fight.
So, the nearest Ancient Academy members quickly explained what had just happened.
“Senior really came back? And he really said that?” Maxwell asked, looking a bit shocked.
Even though he had already prepared himself for the possibility that Harbor might not be able to defeat Charles, he had never thought the fight would end in a truce.
Yes, the battle between Harbor and Charles had been incredibly intense, and the Stellar Empire had also thrown in a massive army.
Withered Tree Fortress had been completely reduced to ruins in this battle.
But the members of the Ancient Academy hadn’t contributed much. Most of them hadn’t even stepped onto the battlefield.
“It’s true! Senior Harbor really said that. We all heard it with our own ears.”
After getting confirmation from the others, the heavy look on Maxwell’s face finally faded.
He nodded lightly and said,
“Then let’s follow Senior’s orders.”
“But didn’t you just say the crown prince of the Stellar Empire ordered us to attack? Don’t we need to consider his command?”
When Maxwell heard that, he gave a cold laugh and replied,
“Forget about him! Even if something goes wrong, Senior will handle it.”
With that, he turned and left.
The other members of the Ancient Academy also left one after another.
They had to hurry back to Gold Fortress to prepare for the real battle fourteen days later.
And so, without telling anyone else, the Ancient Academy members all slipped away.
At the Stellar Empire’s temporary camp, the crown prince was pacing back and forth anxiously.
From time to time, he glanced toward the Ancient Academy’s camp.
“What the hell are those damn Ancient Academy people doing?! Why haven’t they attacked yet?!”
The crown prince’s patience was completely gone. He sent one of his guards to force the Ancient Academy members to attack.
The guard rushed over at full speed to their camp.
But when he arrived, of course, there wasn’t a single person there. Shocked, the guard ran back as fast as he could.
He reported everything he saw to the crown prince.
The crown prince’s face showed pure disbelief.
He stood frozen for half a minute before finally roaring in fury.
“I’ll kill them all! Those worthless bastards dare to desert in the middle of battle?! Send people at once—drag every last one of those Ancient Academy dogs back here!”
His furious roar scared everyone nearby.
They immediately scrambled to carry out his orders.
Just then, a rumbling sound rose from beneath the ground.
While everyone panicked, Harbor appeared before them, bringing his last mystical beast.
The crown prince looked unsettled too, but he quickly hid it.
He glared at Harbor and asked coldly,
“So you didn’t desert after all? Then why did you come back? Or is it that you didn’t desert—you simply surrendered to Charles instead?”
Harbor looked at the crown prince, his face showing no change at all.
He knew the crown prince’s last words were pure mockery.
The crown prince surely understood that Harbor and Charles were mortal enemies.
If Harbor truly surrendered to Charles, it would mean shattering his dignity completely.
But he had no reason to get angry over those words.
Because he could understand the crown prince.
If he were in the crown prince’s place, he would also be furious.
And besides, for the final battle in fourteen days, he still needed the crown prince’s support. So in the end, he chose to explain patiently.
“I didn’t win in my duel with Charles. We both ended in a draw, heavily wounded. So we decided to face each other again in fourteen days for the real fight. We can use that time to prepare for the final battle.”
Harbor’s words left the soldiers of the Stellar Empire deeply shocked.
But soon, most of them understood.
They even felt this decision wasn’t wrong at all.
Only the crown prince refused to let it go.
He sneered first, then asked in a mocking tone,
“You couldn’t win even in a surprise attack. Do you really think you’ll beat Charles in fourteen days? Stop lying to yourself. You chose to run today, and fourteen days later, you won’t dare show up.”
The moment the crown prince finished speaking, he suddenly felt a chill sweep past his ear.
His pupils shrank sharply.
He realized it wasn’t just cold wind that had brushed his ear—it was Harbor’s attack.
If Harbor had aimed for his head, he would already be dead.
“I don’t believe today’s battle was a total failure. At the very least, we destroyed Withered Tree Fortress. And in fourteen days, the final showdown will be held at the Serpent Empire’s capital, Serpent’s Eye Lake Oasis.
As long as we win that fight, the Serpent Empire will be completely destroyed. Then your Stellar Empire won’t need to waste any more time hunting down the remnants.”
After Harbor said these cold words, he vanished from sight.
The crown prince stood there, frozen, not moving for a long time.
When everyone began to fear something was wrong with him, he finally turned around slowly and looked at them.
“That’s all.”