I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Excluding the far-fetched option of "Mael doing charity," the only possibility is that Mael has ulterior motives!

He Poyi pursed her lips and replied in a deep voice:

“Of course we know Mael is strange.”

"There is no such thing as prey that falls into your pot for no reason."

"We had an extremely heated internal argument about whether or not to cooperate with Mael."

"Our argument only stopped when Mael brought out crates of brand-new guns and cannons in front of us."

"If we refuse Mael's invitation to cooperate, I'm afraid I'll never see these advanced equipment again for the rest of my life."

"He was an arms dealer that Cialis had finally managed to find who was willing to fund us."

"Therefore... even knowing it's a fire, we can only grit our teeth and swallow it down."

“We have always been very careful, always remembering that Mael is an outsider of unknown origin, both relying on him and wary of him.”

"did not expect……"

Hepo stopped speaking and did not continue.

Although he abruptly stopped speaking, Qingdeng had already guessed the rest of his words: Unexpectedly, we still miscalculated.

They had planned everything meticulously, but they never expected that Mael would betray his teammates and run away so quickly just as the big battle was about to begin.

The Ainu Alliance was badly harmed by unscrupulous merchants... Qing Deng was not surprised by their plight.

Ultimately, it was because Xilika and the others were too naive and lacked experience in dealing with people.

To put it bluntly, they are ultimately just a group of natives who have spent their entire lives wandering in the mountains and forests and have not yet learned how to deal with the "civilized world".

On the other hand, Mael must be an extremely shrewd person to have managed to build such a large arms business!

He must have an abundance of experience in how to make empty promises and how to use eloquent words to deceive others.

Therefore, it was only natural that Sylvia and the others were completely fooled by Mael.

Qing Deng saw through it but didn't say anything, remaining silent and not explicitly stating, "You guys are too stupid, that's why you fell for Mael's trick."

This time, it took He Poyi nearly five minutes to calm herself down.

He then went on to recount their past with Mael.

As the cooperation progressed, about three months ago, Rhino began to provide an even more terrifying "weapon"—the "Berserker's Water".

Both Aoto and Ogata were very interested in the mysterious "Berserker's Water".

The two of them focused their gazes, their expressions turning solemn.

Qingdeng asked:

"Hepoi, how much do you know about 'Berserker's Water'?"

He Poyi answered slowly:

"Anyone who drinks the 'Berserker's Water' will possess an extraordinary physique that makes them 'hard to die,' with effects lasting up to one month. It is also effective on animals. The only side effect is that after the effects wear off, the body will become extremely weak and it will take at least seven days to recover."

"To prove the effectiveness of the 'Berserker's Water,' Mael publicly cut open the belly of a wild dog that had drunk the potion."

"I still remember the scene from that time."

He Poyi's face darkened as she spoke, as if recalling a very unpleasant memory.

“Even though all the blood in its body had drained away, the dog didn’t die and still had the strength to bark at us… We were all terrified and thought it was some kind of witchcraft.”

"Mael laughed and explained that it was not witchcraft, but Western 'alchemy'."

"I really have no idea how this potion was made, or what this 'alchemy' is all about. Mael has never mentioned it."

"However, Mael once said that the 'Berserker's Water' was a failed attempt made unintentionally in the process of refining a more powerful potion."

Upon hearing this, Aoto subconsciously turned his head to look at Ogata—coincidentally, Ogata also turned his head to look at Aoto at the same time.

The two looked at each other, their eyes meeting... They both saw surprise and wariness in each other's eyes.

The potion that could grant ordinary people extraordinary vitality turned out to be a failure... What kind of magical potion was Mael trying to concoct?

After asking all the necessary questions, Qingdeng took out the map he had prepared earlier and spread it out in front of him and Hepoyi:

“Hepoi, this is a map of your Ainu territory. Can you point out the location of the ‘Moonstone’?”

To appease Hopoi's feelings, Qingdeng did not use the derogatory term "Ezo lands," but instead used the euphemistic term "the territory of the Ainu people."

He Poyi bent down to look at the map, and after glancing at it twice, her face showed embarrassment:

"This is... a map?"

This is the most accurate and detailed map of Ezo that Qingdeng could find, with important mountains and rivers marked.

After glancing at him again, He Poyi's blush deepened.

"I can't read a map... I need to know the location of my tribe (Hilippo Xili) first. Where is Goryokaku?"

Qing Deng pointed to the southernmost tip of the Oshima Peninsula:

"here."

He Poyi asked again:

Where is Mount Meakamatsu?

At that moment, Ogata's finger reached out from the side:

“This black line is Mount Meakakan.”

"What about Mount Oakan and Mount Rishiri?"

Ogata carefully examined the map, then extended his finger again:

“Mount Oakan and Mount Rishiri are here.”

Although Hepoi couldn't read a map, he was fortunate to be a smart man.

Based on the locations of important places such as Goryokaku, Fukuyama Castle (the domain headquarters of the Matsumae Domain), and various sacred mountains, he gradually deduced the approximate location of Shiriboma Yuudachi.

The mountains he asked about were sacred mountains for the Ainu people.

Mount Rishiri is revered as a "sacred mountain" by the Ainu people and is said to be the place where the creator god descended; Mount Oakakan is considered the domain of the mountain god or guardian god; and Mount Meakakan is the abode of the fire god.

No Ainu person is unaware of these sacred mountains.

Fortunately, Ogata was there, knowledgeable about the Ainu people's customs and traditions, knowing the location of the sacred mountain and the activity range of the various tribes.

With Ogata's assistance, Kaho gradually narrowed down the search area.

After a short while, He Poyi let out a long breath:

“Since Horishiri Gaku is in this location, then… Shiribomo Yuudachi is here!”

[Note: Mount Horojiri: meaning "great mountain" in Ainu, is the main peak of the Hidaka Mountains. Legend has it that it was the battlefield where a giant god (sea god) fought against a mountain god.]

As he spoke, he extended his right index finger and pointed to a point on the map with an unquestionable air.

Qingdeng peeked out and asked in a deep voice:

Is this really the place?

Hepo nodded:

“If your map is accurate enough, and the locations of the various tribes and sacred mountains that this guy (Ogata) points out are correct, then our tribe is roughly located around here.”

"Since the tribe is here..."

As he spoke, he gently slid his fingertip to a spot near the Pacific Ocean.

"The 'moonstone' is right here!"

Qingdeng kept his eyes glued to the map while raising a new question:

"What exactly is this 'moonstone' you're talking about?"

He Poyi answered slowly:

“The ‘Moonstone’ is a unique rock located east of our tribe. Because it is shaped like a crescent moon, our ancestors have called it the ‘Moonstone’ for generations.”

Qing Deng followed up with:

Are there suitable places to dock warships near "Moonstone"?

After a moment's thought, Hepo Yi showed an expression of "Ah, that's true."

“There really is one… The ‘Moonstone’ sits atop a towering rock face, below which lies a wide bay.”

The intelligence was increasingly converging... Qing Deng's expression grew increasingly serious:

"To your knowledge, has Mael established a base near 'Moonstone'?"

He Po Yi shook his head:

“I don’t know about that. I only know that Mael does have a ‘secret base,’ but the only person who has ever been to Mael’s base is Cyril.”

Only Cyril had been to Mael's "secret stronghold"... so the information he desperately revealed before his death is highly credible.

Unless Cyril is deliberately trying to make things difficult for Qingdeng, even if he hates Mael, he is unwilling to cooperate with Qingdeng.

Qingdeng stopped asking questions, lowered his gaze, and looked back at the map in front of his knees, secretly estimating the distance.

"Moonstone" is not far from Hakodate Bay.

If all goes well, it should take about two or three days to reach the nearby waters by boat.

About 10 seconds later, Qingdeng had made up his mind.

As he put away the map, he thanked Hepoyi:

"Thank you for your cooperation, Hepoyi."

He Poyi snorted coldly, and that disdainful expression returned to his cheeks:

"I don't want your thanks! I'm not helping you!"

"I just want that beast Mael to pay the price!"

"If it makes him unlucky, I'd rather eat dog poop!"

……