248-258

Chapter 248: Ambush

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Awesome!

This was Rhode's first reaction when he read the introduction of the Zero Refining Equipment.

As a support artifact, the normal Composition Adornment had two attributes. One for fusion rates while the other for set equipment attributes. Both would affect each other. A set equipment with high fusion rates would have stronger attribute effects, whereas the set equipment attributes' numerical value would be decided by the grade of the Composition Adornment. The majority of the Composition Adornments only had one set equipment attribute, which meant that after equipping the Composition Adornment, they would only receive the highest effect of the set equipment attribute. The highest of all the attribute values would be totaled up.

But now, it seemed that this Zero Refining Equipment had three instead. In other words, after equipping the Composition Adornment, unlike other normal players, who would change only the highest valued attribute, it would increase the top three highest ranked numerical values. This way, not only could the speed be increased, but even the strength and defense. Of course, the final result would still depend on Rhode's current equipment.

But the three set equipment effects were obviously better than one.

Moreover, this Composition Adornment came with an Aura attribute, which meant that not only could Rhode benefit from it, but others would too as long as they were within close proximity to Rhode. This was particularly important for Rhode, who led his mercenaries. In order to prevent his mercenaries from suffering unnecessary harm, he often chose to lead them. And now, with this aura attribute, if Rhode could activate it to increase defenses, then even he would be more confident in leading the mercenaries through more adventures.

After all, although Rhode was always leading newbies into dungeons for them to level up quickly and receive armors and weapons, he had no choice but to choose easier dungeons. But if he continued this way, it would restrict themselves from leveling up quickly. Wasn't the ultimate goal to have everyone battling together? No matter how good Rhode was, he definitely couldn't face the five Creator Dragon Souls alone.

Furthermore, with the 100% fusion rate and increase in magical equipment by 15%, this effect was already considered the most godlike of the godlike and best of the best...

Rhode lifted the bracer and equipped it on his right arm.

In an instant, the heavens fell and the earth was rent asunder, and huge hurricane suddenly arose. The splendid skies instantly filled with dark clouds as thunder roared. Strong storms blew and the ground cracked, announcing the start of a new legend. But that was impossible.

Nothing happened.

After equipping the bracer... Everything was normal. No matter how godlike the attributes were, the Composition Adornment was still a support equipment. As the name implied, it was for support only.

This was considered normal since Rhode didn't have much equipment to begin with. The equipment that Starlight had gotten were all given to the mercenaries. In terms of the game, Rhode was actually only equipped with nothing but a Crimson Blade on his hand after level 20. Why he could fight all the way here was due to his techniques and knowledge.

And because of that, although Rhode had equipped this godlike equipment on himself, there wasn't much difference. The only difference was that after the bracer came into contact with his arm, it quickly transformed into a silverish, non-striking tattoo-like rune. And as long as Rhode commanded with his thoughts, the bracer would immediately return to its original state and fall off from his arm.

It seemed to be nothing special at all.

After confirming the specialty of the Zero Refining Equipment again, Rhode lifted his head and turned to Gillian and Lapis. Both of them were looking at himself from the side. The voice had also gone into silence after handing over the Zero Refining Equipment. What replaced the voice was an oval shaped door before them. If Rhode wasn't mistaken, this door would be the exit to leave this place.

He only hoped that he wouldn't fall into that goddamn endless hole again after entering the door.

"Let's go."

It was only a matter of time that they passed through the door.

However, after Rhode took a step through, what greeted him wasn't a warm, crowded welcome, but an ice cold arrow.

Shing!

Rhode instantly tilted his body as soon as he saw the arrow shooting for him. At the same time, he unsheathed his Crimson Blade and deflected the arrow.

Unlike what Rhode had expected, they didn't return to the central control room. Instead, they returned to the tall platform where the Ophenian Researchers had opened the hidden huge door from. Well, at least Rhode didn't have to worry about falling downward.

But, there were still troubles ahead as Rhode discovered the battle happening right now...

"Sir, you are finally back!"

Just as Rhode finally figured out the situation, Kavos and Shauna ran over to his side with sweat pouring from their foreheads. Both of them were petrified when this odd, oval shaped door suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Now that Rhode, Lapis, and Gillian had come out of it, both of them let out sighs of relief and explained the whole situation.

Luckily, although both of them were panicky, they were once mercenary group leaders and had no problems relating and expressing the issue. It only took a while for Rhode to get a grasp of the situation.

These mercenaries were quietly following instructions to wait for the return of Rhode and the others on the tall platform. However, as they didn't know what happened to Rhode, they were devastated. The Ophenians seemed to have realised the tragedy that the mercenaries were facing. Hence, they didn't speak much and continued with their individual tasks.

Previously, everything was engaging smoothly, but things changed when it turned past midnight. A bunch of vines and mischievous rats appeared out of nowhere and attacked the mercenaries. From the start, the mercenaries were unprepared against the ambush and were overwhelmed. However, with Celia's alertness, she immediately led the team to destroy the pests.

"Afterwards, we discovered many naked men, which was unusual, because they were unarmed and yet so powerful. Their movements were incredibly quick too, which injured many of our men. Luckily Miss Celia was around to suppress the unknown forces. Now they have returned to the entrance, and it seems like they won't be coming back for a while."

Rhode went silent after listening to Kavos's description. He frowned and asked, "How's the situation with the Ophenians?"

"The ambush killed three to four of them. The remaining were injured but are still in a generally good condition."

"I understand."

Rhode nodded in agreement. He turned around and saw the Ophenians on the other side. From their expressions, it seemed like this ambush terrified them. The male researchers held weapons in their hand, guarding their female counterparts, who were behind. The Ophenians were glad to see Rhode return. They knew that the ambushers were the group of Druids that had attacked them in the forest. However, at that point in time, Rhode and Gillian weren't around to defeat the Druids, which worried the Ophenians. Now that both of them were back, they were glad.

But Rhode had other ideas.

Previously, Rhode had intended to wait for the Ophenians to dig up the Composition Adornments before finding an opportunity to kill them off, at the same time retrieving all the information on the Composition Adornment. However, it seemed like there was no need for that anymore. Rhode had specially consulted Lapis and the latter had confirmed with him that he had received the Composition Adornment's production process for the most perfect crafting. Of course, it would require some time in order for Lapis to be totally familiarized with the process and formulas.

So then, should I spare the lives of the Ophenians?

Although sparing their lives was fine based on the current situation, Rhode wasn't willing to let them leave with the intention of preventing any future enemy attacks or to deliver a setback to his enemies. Although he was unsure of how the Ophenians had initially retrieved the production process of the Composition Adornment, they were more or less related to the slabs that were dug up previously. If Rhode let them off, who knew what would happen in the future?

However, Rhode quickly thought of an idea to get the best of both worlds.

Chapter 249: The Counterattack Commences

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Based on the current conditions, it was impossible for the whole mercenary group to get destroyed. After listening to Shauna and Kavos' report, Rhode took his time to scan the area. The Druids were now in the tunnel, avoiding attacks from the mercenaries. This scene was similar to when they were attacked by the Lizardmen previously on the tall platform. Whatever the outcome, the mercenaries were still more intelligent than the Lizardmen. Besides, although the Druids didn't have any extremely powerful men of their own like Rhode, they still had a few strong units. However, before they were able to fight back, Celia had forced them away.

Although the battle angel seemed honorable on the surface, Rhode immediately realised Celia's selfish calculations. She was a summoned spirit, so she wasn't afraid of death; at most, she would force it into a situation where neither sides won. Whereas, although the Druids were the rogue mobsters of the forest, they were still wary of the angelic race. Even though Celia was willing to throw away her life, they didn't want to kill an angel. No matter what, the angelic race was respectable and was the emissary of the five Creator Dragon Souls in the legends. A group like the Druids, who respected traditions, wouldn't be that foolish to lay their hands on them. Although the Druids wanted to limit Celia's movements and trap her before taking care of the rest...

There was a saying that went: We know that we want to capture the target alive, but the target doesn't know it...

It was due to this that their fear of Celia that left them helpless and unable to display any threats. It was especially so now that they were trapped within the small and narrow tunnel, without any space for them to show off their proud prowesses. They had initially decided to start capturing the mercenaries, but the mercenaries weren't idiots either. How could they be captured so easily after being mercenaries for so many years?

Under such circumstances, if they wished to destroy the whole mercenary group, that would be too difficult. Rhode had initially decided to find an excuse to kill the BOSS. As the mercenaries who weren't too familiar with it, they naturally wouldn't raise any doubts. But now, with Lapis around, Rhode had already killed it before he could use the BOSS as an excuse. If he killed all the Ophenians, it would be too obvious.

There was a certain way to destroy groups. In the game, sending spies to another guild and making them fail their missions was a commonly used tactic. However, it needed to be done in ways that nobody would be suspicious of and they had to even feel that they did wrong or maybe had bad luck. If they realised that this random man in the guild had suddenly gone crazy and committed suicide... this spy would be too inferior...

Rhode had his own ideas. He didn't want to involve his men in this. According to Shauna and Kavos' report, the damned Druids had taken three lives from their ambush, which pained Rhode's heart. In this world, the dead couldn't be revived. They were the guild's resources, and he definitely didn't want to have such things happen...

However, soon enough, Rhode found another solution.

"I will go for those guys; all of you get prepared to charge!"

Rhode gave his orders and shot Gillian a look. The fire elemental lord nodded and quickly left. As for Lapis, she had been treating the wounded mercenaries since she returned. Although she didn't have the healing technique of a cleric, she brought along many healing potions with her. It seemed that this maiden knew it would be adventurous for her to challenge the central control room. Her tiny bag was filled with over a hundred healing potions, which caught Rhode between laughter and tears... The extent of Lapis' fear of death had reached another level.

"Notify your men to get ready. Wait for my signal and immediately rush through the tunnel. No hesitations, get it?"

"Yes, Sir."

Everyone quickly worked as they were ordered. Shauna approached the Ophenians and told them to follow closely with them. As for Kavos, he waved his weapon and yelled for his men to buck up and get ready to attack. Rhode carefully observed for movements of the Druids, waiting to strike at the best opportunity.

Rhode had decided to not face these Druids with full force because he wouldn't be able to have a reason to kill the Ophenians by then. However, there had to be quality and talent in order to put up a good show and not everyone had it in them to tell great lies. This was why after Rhode had decided, he didn't command Celia to back down because he was clear that Celia's righteous character wouldn't allow her to do that. Instead, he chose to assign that task to Gillian. Anyway, it was nothing for this sly fox-eared young lady to frame others.

The enemies' weakness would be their advantage.

It also worked the other way around.

Soon enough, Rhode realised that there was someone who required attention.

That was a Druid.

On the surface, this Druid appeared the same as the rest. But, shortly after, Rhode realised that the battle style of this Druid was a little strange. The battle styles of the other Druids were pretty decent, however, this particular Druid was much more aggressive. Almost like as Celia, this Druid rushed straight to the frontlines. If not for Celia's powerful abilities, with this Druid's odd movements, the mercenaries might not be able to handle him.

What was with this Druid? It seemed like he had a deep vengeance against Starlight.

In the end, Rhode made up his mind.

He found the final point of penetration.

After making this decision, Rhode hesitate no more. He immediately leaped down from the tall platform and into the crowd after transforming into a shadow.

"Celia, lead everyone and get ready to break out of this place. Leave this to me!"

Rhode commanded. He drew his sword and ran forward. Along with the blade rays, multiple glaring meteors appeared in midair, slicing off the menacing vines extending from the tunnel walls.

Celia reacted swiftly. From the previous battle, although she was still alive, she was already wounded by her self-destructive battle style. Her armor was filled with cracks, the white cloth was torn apart, spots of blood were visible on her shoulders and thighs, and even her wings had balded with almost half of her feathers were ripped away.

Celia wasn't a member of Starlight as she was just a spirit under Rhode. So, strictly speaking, when Rhode wasn't around, Celia didn't need to be responsible for the mercenaries at all. However, when the mercenaries faced the ambush, she immediately negated the Druids' attacks without caring about her injuries. In a few hours, Celia's standing within the Starlight mercenaries' hearts had blown off the charts. This beautiful angel maiden was actually willing to fight for ordinary mercenaries like themselves and even sacrifice her precious wings?

This moved the mercenaries and at the same time motivated them. This was the reason why the mercenaries could stay determined when facing Druids who were obviously stronger than them. If they didn't have the faith in the battle, then no matter how brave Celia was, she herself wouldn't be able to defeat all the Druids.

However, no matter how much Celia had moved the mercenaries, she couldn't be compared to the support that Rhode had given them. After seeing their leader finally returning and getting into action, some of the mercenaries, who had lost all confidence, stood back up again. They yelled out battle cries and got into position hurriedly.

On the other hand, the Druids were at a loss. Rhode wasn't aware that these Druids actually only devised this attacking plan at the very last minute. He made a heartwarming and decisive choice for them.

After his blade rays sliced through the vines, he scuttled into the tunnel with the Crimson Blade in his hand. As he dashed forward, three of the vines lying the ground rose abruptly and attempted to bind down the intruder.

They struck through Rhode's body—they hit an afterimage.

At the same time, a mournful scream filled the tunnel and a figure flew out from behind a boulder by the wall and landed on the ground heavily. His round eyes and mouth were wide open with fresh blood gushing out of the slashes on his chest. It was a ghastly sight.

What's going on?! Who's attacking?!

The Druids who were hidden in the dark were stunned to see their companion's death. However, before they could come up with any ideas, another painful scream rang in their ears. Along with the splash of blood, another corpse flew from out the shadows and collapsed lifelessly on the ground.

The remaining Druids had decided. Now that the enemies had another attacker among them, it wouldn't be any good if they continued to stay in this place. Although leaving this place now would mean facing the Elder's furious reprimands, it was still better than dying here, wasn't it?

"Retreat now!"

Chapter 250: Concealment

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

The Druids didn't have any intentions to fight in the first place. With someone finally giving a command to retreat, everyone of them immediately turned around and ran off. They didn't even bother caring if the one giving the command was a Druid of higher rankings or just a commoner—it wasn't even important to them now.

It wasn't wrong to think of the Druids as bandits, because other than their usual activities which resembled the bandits, their behaviours were also lawless. The difference in levels between the Druids themselves weren't huge. Their hierarchy was maintained based on levels of prestige; however, such terms were unclear, unlike soldiers in the military.

Previously, they were able to put Starlight in a difficult position due to their individual capabilities. The Druids were strong and each one had no problem taking on ten mercenaries at a time. However, even so, everyone in Starlight managed to hang on with their teamwork, and even force the Druids away. From this point, they could see that the Druids weren't efficient in team battles. No matter how strong they were individually, they would still be weak facing a group of united mercenaries.

Not to mention, Rhode's sudden appearance had immediately forced them off balance. The Druids fought to a draw with the mercenaries because their powerful individual skills counteracted the mercenaries' team advantage. Now that they lost their individual advantages, what could they do?

It seemed like nothing was left for them...

"This bunch of idiots!"

Only one Druid had chosen to not retreat.

He stuck close to the wall, camouflaging into the dust and ash color. Glancing over at his fleeing companions, he gritted his teeth as rage burned in his heart.How despicable! The enemy merely brought someone slightly stronger and they ran off just like that? Don't they want to seek revenge? Forget it! I should've known that these people were unreliable!

The man held his breath. He closed his eyes and subconsciously re-adjusted his heartbeat. At this moment, it seemed that he had completely blended in with the rocks, where even his smooth human skin had turned into a rocky, solid surface. This was one of the Druids' natural ability. They could totally camouflage into something within a limited time such as animals, plants, or even rocks.

This Druid was clear of how powerful this black-haired young man was, to be able to kill three Druids in an instant. But, even so, he didn't intend to escape because in this group of mercenaries, he wasn't able to spot the one who had killed his loved ones yet. Just based on the weak and slow-moving mercenaries, it was impossible for them to kill Brown Bear and the other two. And now, this powerful young man suddenly emerged out of nowhere!

Could it be that this young man was the evil murderer!?

Thinking of his dead lover, the man gritted his teeth. If he wasn't in his camouflage state and forcing his heartbeat to the lowest, he would have burst out in anger. However, he had to tolerate this as he knew that he had no chances of winning if he fought the man head on. However, he had not given up just yet. He lurked and waited for the right opportunity to complete his revenge.

Currently, the chilly tunnel was in total silence. Without the support of the Druids, those vines had collapsed and turned into ashes. The strong gales blew into the tunnel and shook the flames on the torches, which flickered in the shadows as though a group of Devils were dancing in celebration.

"It seems like those guys finally left?"

Suddenly, a man's voice sounded beside the Druid and it almost forced a shriek of surprise out of him. However, he was fortunate that his years of battle experiences had stifled his fears. He just realised that the black-haired murderer had emerged beside him.

What a scary man!

In an instant, the Druid's heart was unsettled. It wasn't that he didn't know how oddly fast this black-haired young man could be, but only when he saw him face-to-face did he realise that this young man had exceeded his expectations. After completing his camouflage, this Druid had been fully observing the surroundings, but even so, he wasn't able to spot Rhode's presence at all. Yet, Rhode seemed to just appear in his face from the ground. How was that not surprisingly scary for this Druid? The Druid was somehow glad that he had made a right choice to avoid Rhode. If not, he would perhaps be instantly killed without spotting him.

But what about now?

The Druid sized up Rhode secretly because Rhode had his back exposed, which was a great opportunity. If the Druid could grab this chance, he should have a high chance in assassinating Rhode. However, even so, the Druid didn't act upon it. Rhode's odd movements had frightened him and he wasn't sure if striking at this distance would be lethal.

Just as he was contemplating to strike, another voice completely demolished this thoughts.

"Nice one, Master. Those useless trash who are only great fertilisers for nature after they die have indeed escaped far, far away as you expected."

Gillian shook her tail playfully as she walked over. Looking at the appearance of this maiden, the Druid had to cancel his thoughts of striking and quietly observed further. At this moment, there were two enemies present and he had lost the opportunity to attack. If he chose to risk it, then it would mean death for him. Other than being patient, he had no other choices.

"Alright, cut the crap."

Rhode gestured with his hand and whistled. Kavos led his men and arrived at the scene hurriedly with weapons clutched in their hands. Not far from them were the well-prepared Ophenian researchers. Although they weren't able to investigate the central control room, they still received many great loots in this historical remains. The researchers treasured these loots a lot and when some mercenaries tried to carry them on their behalf, the researchers rejected. After all, these were the most precious records in this historical remains and if these clumsy mercenaries were to break them, not even crying would help. Therefore, they would rather be tired and carry them and not pass them to the mercenaries.

"Move fast; I think those Druids have possibly gone to search for backup. We have to get out of here before they're back!"

Rhode commanded the mercenaries as he accelerated forward. From his actions, it seemed that he had totally missed the man hidden by the wall. The Druid, who had heard Rhode's words, was stunned. Why must I do it myself? I can just seal up the entrance of this historical remains and leave them to kill themselves. Isn't this way safer? Why didn't I think of this?

The Druid had already observed that the researchers were as weak as the mercenaries and their movements were even slower with poor alertness. From the behavior of the mercenaries, these Ophenians seemed to be of utmost importance to them...

The Druid worked out a scheme in his mind.

Although it seemed to take a long time, the mercenaries were actually moving really quickly. If it weren't for the injured Ophenian researchers, they would have already left this tunnel. And even now, most of the mercenaries had already repositioned to the front to prevent a possible attack. Rhode, on the other hand, was guarding the rear, and at the same time gazing at the entrance. The battle angel maiden who had given the Druids a major headache from before had already left the tunnel.

Hmph, these damn barbarians.

The Druid slowly inched his way along the walls toward the entrance.

At this moment, the Ophenians had also finally reached the end of the tunnel.

Now's my chance!

Chapter 251: Made-up Accident

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

"Master, something's not right." Celia came to Rhode's side and softly said. "I feel like someone is observing us. I think that we shouldn't focus just on the front; we also need to watch our backs."

"I understand."

Rhode answered while putting on an act. Actually, he had already discovered the Druid that was hiding by the wall. The Druid's techniques were able to trick the mercenaries, but they wouldn't work with Rhode at all. Rhode pretended to be unaware and purposely wandered near the Druid while exposing his back. Even though the Druid was able to camouflage perfectly, but he was still a human with a soul, after all. Although it was only for a short instant, Rhode was able to sense the malicious intents from the Druid. In fact, this Druid's 'brave battles' had attracted Rhode's attention previously. Even though Rhode easily killed a few of them, his end goal was to snatch this Druid's life. Rhode knew what the Druid was plotting since he didn't escape or attack foolishly.

It was due to this reason that Rhode had a clear understanding of the Druid's mentality and actions. Obviously, this Druid held a huge resentment toward Rhode and his men. To stay around after witnessing the deaths of his own kind showed his determination. Previously, the purpose of Rhode and Gillian giving a two-man comical show before this camouflaged Druid was to anger him. However, even though Rhode thought what they said was enough to trigger some actions from the Druid, there were still no movement. This proved that the Druid not only had a determined mentality, but that he was also calm. If not, the Druid would have already seized the opportunity to strike after Rhode when his back was turned.

Gillian and Rhode's thoughts were interlinked, so they knew what this Druid was plotting. On the other hand, Celia was a little more dim-witted. Although she felt that someone was indeed hiding by the sides, she didn't understand the situation as much.

—!

Suddenly, a crisp sound was heard. Everyone lifted their heads toward the source of the sound anxiously. A piece of gravel had fallen off the wall and smashed into several pieces upon landing.

Not bad. He knows how to attract attention. There's a bright future ahead of him.

Although Rhode thought this in his mind, his expression didn't change at all. Instead, he drew his sword.

"Everyone be careful!"

Rhode came to an abrupt halt as though he had discovered something.

"Beware of your left!! Take note in your defense!!"

Suddenly, a figure from the left wall darted out. It dashed toward the mercenaries along the wind.

The mercenaries quickly reacted, but the attacker was too quick for them. They subconsciously dodged and baited the attacker into their group in order to surround it.

The Druid missed.

The Druid had no choices left. After the mercenaries dodged his attack, he remained calm as his target wasn't the mercenaries.

"Heyah!"

The Druid let out a bellow and supported himself with his left hand on the ground while half kneeling. Suddenly, dozens of thorns shot out from the ground in all directions.

Fortunately, the mercenaries dodged in time and no one was injured. However, it was almost a tragedy for the Ophenians. It was nothing for the mercenaries who were experienced in facing such ambushes, but it would mean their lives for the researchers. Although the researchers had experience living in the wild, it was totally different when it came to battling.

In an instant, the Ophenians fell to the ground and three to five of them were struck by the stone thorns. Coincidentally, two of them were carrying heavy bags and their contents scattered all around. The already fragile slab carved with essential details were smashed into pieces as they crashed into the ground.

"Go, protect the rest."

Rhode commanded. The mercenaries quickly gathered the remaining researchers behind them. Then, they didn't dare move an inch as the Druid stood before them with an Ophenian's neck in each hand.

This was the Druid's plan. Since the sneaky attack didn't work, he could only take advantage of the situation.

However, the Druid didn't expect that Rhode had been observing his movements and was also waiting for him to reveal himself. In the end, he had no choice but to grab two of them as hostages.

Time seemed to have frozen at this instant.

"Release them!"

Rhode said with a gloomy face and a deep, angry tone. Although he was actually thrilled, he had to continue with his act. Of course, Rhode didn't want the Ophenian researchers to find out his plans.

"Release them?"

The Druid let out a grim laughter.

"Why must I let them off? How would people like you who only know how to destroy out forest even understand our feelings?! This is revenge! An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. You people killed my companions and now I will let you understand the pain!

"If you have maybe a little intelligence, you should know that they're the ones who attacked us first."

Normally, Rhode would have attacked by now. However, he chose to calmly negotiate with the other party.

"If they didn't attack us, why would we need to kill them?"

"It's only right that you people receive your punishment!"

The Druid snarled. Along with his movements, the researchers that were choked by the neck let out a horrified shriek.

"Anyone who protects the Yellow Warbler is the biggest blasphemy to nature's god!"

Protects the Yellow Warbler?

Rhode was taken aback.

So... That's why.

"It's possible if you want me to release them. Give me the Yellow Warbler in exchange!"

"I don't think that's necessary."

Before the Druid could finish his sentence, Rhode's voice sounded so close to him. The Druid frightenedly widened his eyes as he didn't know when Rhode had arrived before him. What came after was pain in both of his arms; his wrists trembled in intense pain. The palms on his wrists were gone.

"Thanks for the help, but your work ends here."

A scarlet red radiance flashed.

The Druid felt his entire world flip and he flew off to the attack. As he heard Rhode's words, the last thing that he saw was his own headless body collapsing.

What did he mean?

The Druid had no more chances to understand the real meaning behind Rhode's words, because, at this moment, the endless darkness had consumed him.

Chapter 252: Put on the Agenda

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Everything was good.

Thanks to the self-sacrificing Druid, Rhode settled everything in satisfaction. Almost half of the precious slabs that the Ophenians took great pains to collect had become meaningless trash. As for those remaining slabs, Rhode no longer took it to heart as he knew from Lapis that the production of a Composition Adornment consisted of a complex process. Not only on the production skills, but even the materials were also rare and hard to obtain. This way, Rhode felt more relaxed as he didn't need to think of a way to kill all the Ophenians anymore.

Since Rhode decided to let this group of people live to see another day, naturally he hoped to gain other benefits. He wanted both the production techniques for the Composition Adornment and the mission remuneration for accompanying the Ophenian researchers.

Of course, that was what he thought in his head. On the surface, Rhode apologized sincerely to the Elder on his mistakes in commanding that costs their losses. As a mercenary group leader, such words of taking full responsibility meant nothing and were not pressurizing at all. Rhode was already an expert in this and everything came out from his mouth smoother than ever.

On the other hand, the Elder felt awkward with Rhode's words. If it wasn't from Rhode but from the others, maybe it would just be it. However, the Ophenians was ultimately a group of researchers, and although, on the outside, these people were not much different from those who dug graves, their prides wouldn't allow themselves to take advantage of it. Not to mention, Rhode's commanding methods weren't wrong apart from being too slow. Originally, if Rhode pushed the blame to the Ophenians due to his own incapability, the Ophenians would definitely not accept it. However, this young man was so sincere and decisive in taking all the responsibilities for their losses, and this left the Ophenians speechless. Since the other party had given such apologetic attitude, if they pursued the matter relentlessly, it would be an embarrassment to their pride. Therefore, the Elder also took up the responsibility and consoled Rhode that it was the other researchers who were too slow to react and unable to dodge in time. And since the mercenaries were able to protect himself and the rest, then the mission wasn't considered failed... Anyway, these researchers' activities were funded by the country and weren't supplied from their own pockets, so they definitely didn't mind protecting their own pride.

Of course. On the surface, the Elder seemed generous. However, deep in his heart he was crying badly. Initially, based on their research discoveries, this historical remains hid an ancient race's secret message and even records of powerful weapons and artifacts. In fact, it was as they had imagined because according to the past translated ancient records, this place indeed hid some production methods of ancient artifacts. Initially, the Elder had decided to bring all these treasures back to sort them out, but the previous battle had destroyed almost half of them. What remained was still useful, but based his experiences, the remaining slabs would end up in the Ophenians' Kingdom Museum on display...

After this event, everyone's plans went on smoothly. The Druids didn't return to mess things up, probably thanks to Rhode, who had frightened them off. This bunch of naked people who roamed the forest finally stopped finding trouble for them, which allowed them to return safely to Deep Stone City.

However, as for the identity of this bunch of Druids, Rhode understood from the previous conversation he had with the idiot from before. In the secret signs of the Druids, the Yellow Warbler referred to an important yet special prey. And thinking back of the Druids' history, only the Behermes acknowledged their presences.

Although it sounded weird in this way, the Behermes Family as alchemy spirits weren't as hated as the Dark Elves in the continent. Even the initial spirit families—they were at most less spoken off and not hated like the Dark Elves. This was because the Behermes were considered harmless. Even during their darkest periods, their research on humans abided by the 'rule of volunteer', and they did not forcefully grab anyone to be their guinea pigs. Furthermore, the Behermes generally preferred to stay home, which made it difficult to even have any conflicts with the other races. That was why in the continent, the Behermes Family's popularity wasn't considered too bad.

On the other hand, a radical group within the Druids had always been unsatisfied with the Behermes Family. They felt that the alchemy elves were lifeforms that polluted and distorted nature, so they must be banished from the face of the earth. Even though this radical group wasn't too huge, they definitely weren't too small too. But it seemed that this whole matter was considered to be too ridiculous.

The alchemic elves had nothing to speak to the Druids about. Although both parties were races that lived in the forest, both sides had extreme philosophies. The elves naturally loved the nature, but there would be a certain degree of exploitation too. For example, they would still bring along their hunting dogs to hunt. For the elves, as long as both had harmonious relationships, there wouldn't be any problems. However, on the other hand, the Druids weren't able to accept such relationships between the hunter and hunter dogs regardless of their harmonious relationships. To the Druids, dogs were man's best friend and yet they treated them as companions and even forced them to risk their lives just for the hunter's own survival! They should have lived harmoniously together! Yet, what did it mean to live harmoniously together? From the Druids' perspective, the hunter had to work alongside the hunter dogs in everything. To sleep with it at night, and even when your own family member died of hunger, your hunter dog still needed to be fed well. This was the real meaning of 'harmony'. Yes, this was what they wished to see.

As the saying went 'people who walked different paths cannot make plans together'. The elves' philosophy was to stick to themselves and not to force others. However, the Druids wished for all humans to live together with animals and return to nature. And what if they didn't do it? Then they would be nature's crime and deserved death. Therefore, this bunch of Druids didn't have any sense of burden when they attack others because, to them, this was an act of punishment and spreading of kindness.

And because of the tangled and complicated relationship of both races, this problem had become very thorny. The elves, with an introverted culture, preferred not to have conflicts, yet the Druids felt these 'children of the forest' betrayed the nature's path. Therefore, they wanted to get rid of all of them and bring these spirits to the 'right' path through the teachings of blood.

As for the Behermes Family, it was that 'chicken'.

Originally, Rhode had decided to get rid of this group of Druids. However, on their way back to Deep Stone City, there were no Druids in sight which made Rhode give up on this idea. He wasn't too worried about Lapis' safety because the Druids hated the city—they wouldn't even step into it while on their deathbeds. So as long as Lapis stayed near home, those Druids wouldn't be able harm her.

And as for Rhode, since these Druids weren't dumb enough to bring themselves to their own doom, he could start focusing on another matter: upgrading his own equipment.

As known previously, the equipment that Rhode had collected through previous dungeon battles was passed on to his mercenaries and nothing was left for himself. There was indeed some support equipment available, but he had thrown them aside as their attributes were unsuitable. Rhode, with his double talent trees, would be able to summon spirits and his attributes would be stronger than that of any magical equipment. This was why he only carried the Crimson Blade along with him and nothing else.

If possible, Rhode could even throw his Crimson Blade aside since he had a holy sword card.

But the Zero Refining Equipment would be a problem for him.

The Zero Refining Equipment was able to activate three types of attributes and aura attributes which were important to him. Moreover, the Midsummer Festival was about to start and if he could make good use of the Zero Refining Equipment, his abilities would rise greatly. Not only that, but it would also require half the effort when he led his men for future missions.

But the problem now was that it wasn't easy finding equipment...

Lower grade equipment was useless, but with Rhode's current level, suitable equipment wasn't not easy to obtain. The area located in the the middle of Deep Stone City mostly had dungeon equipment ranging between level 10 to level 20. To Rhode, who was currently level 23, that was completely useless. However, it would be impossible to make it to the higher-level dungeons in the deep mountains or forests and back within a month. Now that the Midsummer Festival was approaching, how would he find the time to go on an adventure?

Of course, he knew of a few hidden, higher-level dungeons within Deep Stone City, but those were for level 40 and above. If he wasn't careful, he would be invited to have a drink and chat with the lord in hell. Based on Rhode's current abilities.... He would only be seeking death.

However, he wasn't too worried about this problem. He led his men to the Mercenary Association, reported his mission completion, and returned to the stronghold after receiving the remunerations. He had spent 10 days on this trip to the Unicorn Peak and he was curious about his team's training progress.

Upon entering the stronghold, Rhode spotted some unusual items.

Chapter 253: A Surprise?

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

"What's this?"

Walking into the hall, Rhode astonishingly gazed at the decorations that hung on the wall. They were oil paintings of familiar sceneries within Deep Stone City. With mountains reaching through the clouds, endless deep mine shafts, central parks under the clear blue skies, and even picturesque sceneries near the stronghold. He had to say that hanging such mesmerizing paintings in the middle of the empty big hall did bring along a heartwarming feeling.

But where did these paintings come from?

Rhode frowned as he thought of this question because he clearly recalled that he didn't purchase any of them. Could they be bought by Marlene and the rest? This wasn't likely too because, as a vice-leader, Marlene was serious in her work and wouldn't possibly do that.

"Do you know what happened?"

Rhode turned around and asked. Shauna and Kavos looked at each other and shook their heads. Both of them were mercenaries and had zero interests in admiring such things, not to mention even caring about them. As for Lapis, she holed herself up in the room all day and wouldn't possibly know much about the changes.

That's odd. Where did they come from?

However, Rhode's questions didn't last for long as a figure emerged before everyone.

"Mr. Rhode, have all of you returned?"

Marlene hugged a pile of scrolls into the hall. Surprised with the return of Rhode and the gang, she immediately walked up to Rhode and greeted.

"Did the mission go well?"

"Yes, everything's good. How's your condition? How was the training?"

"Very well, Mr. Rhode. Everyone has almost grabbed the knack of things. I think we can soon show you the fruits of our labour."

Marlene revealed a confident smile because they had achieved visible results after putting in a lot of hard work. Especially to Marlene—she used to only lack battle experience, but now that so many days of training had passed, her battle experience had increased tremendously.

"Good, I'm looking forward to the results... But..."

Rhode nodded in satisfaction but quickly changed his tone as he pointed at the paintings on the wall.

"What's with those? I don't remember buying those paintings."

"Huhuhu..."

Marlene's chuckles surprised him. Then, she answered with a sense of pride and some arrogance.

"Christie painted them."

"Huh?"

Rhode was amazed and even Gillian hurriedly scanned the paintings.

"All of them were painted by little Christie? Wow... so beautiful... ah, I didn't know that little cutie had such talents."

Obviously, not only was Gillian shocked, but even Rhode was flabbergasted. He didn't know what talents Christie had, but he wasn't too mindful because she was too weak. At this stage, the only thing she needed to do was recuperate, so Rhode didn't expect her to do anything else. Rhode couldn't help but twitch his eyebrows because, even though these paintings were indeed beautiful, painting them was a waste of time. Could it be that Christie...

Marlene understood what Rhode was thinking due to his expression and quickly explained.

The truth was, after Rhode left, Marlene and the rest continued with their training. Whereas Christie could only recover and do nothing else. Although Christie was an obedient girl, coping up in the room all day would bring problems too. Furthermore, Rhode wasn't by her side, which made Christie feel ill at ease. Although Lize, Anne, and Marlene took time to accompany her, the only one who could make her feel at ease was Rhode.

And, under such circumstances, Christie had suddenly decided to paint. This request surprised Marlene and the others, but they didn't stop her. After all, it wasn't great to keep her coped up all day in her room. Now that she had finally found something of her interest, it made no sense for them to stop her. Therefore, Marlene and the others helped Christie purchase sketch pads, paint brushes, and paints which allowed her to paint to her heart's content.

Surprisingly, Christie showed her talented side.

This little girl, who had never painted, actually did so well. When she was painting, she didn't seem to be inexperienced at all and she didn't seem to be aware of it either. Facing Marlene's questions, the little girl was at a loss as though this wasn't anything strange to her.

"Honestly speaking, we were all surprised from the start. However... there's no problem now. Not only was Christie's painting technique superb, but she also painted quickly too.. She only needed two to three hours to complete each painting. And during these days, our relationships with Christie became much closer... Of course, don't worry, Mr. Rhode, because Lize has been looking after her to make sure that she doesn't tire herself."

"That's good to know."

Rhode heaved a sigh of relief. Sensing the change in Rhode's expression, Marlene let out an inward sigh.

He really cares for Christie a lot...

A strange emotion tugged at Marlene's heartstrings, but she quickly kept it down.

"Other than this, is there anything else?" said Rhode.

"Huh?" Marlene's expression changed slightly and she frowned as she recalled.

"... To be honest, there indeed was something, but..."

The maiden hesitated before letting out a long sigh.

"I think Mr. Rhode should see it for himself."

Compared to the past, Christie's room was filled with much more cheeriness. A huge wooden paint rack had been placed before the bed with a wide variety of colours placed in it. White canvas filled the room. Some were sketches while others were completed.

But the purpose of Marlene bringing Rhode to Christie's room wasn't to introduce him to the little girl's current living conditions.

"I guess you have already seen the paintings by Christie, Mr. Rhode."

"That's right."

Rhode nodded to Marlene and asked strangely.

"Are there any issues?"

"There is... and there isn't too..."

Marlene seemed to find it hard to speak about this, which confused Rhode even more. In the end, she approached the canvas and passed one of them to Rhode.

"Actually, other than these paintings, Christie has painted something else..."

Rhode took over the scroll and unrolled it. He knitted his brows.

Much different from the enchanting scenery, the scroll in Rhode's hand was totally different. Withered, pitch-black creviced land spread under the bloody red skies, and the surrounding mountain range was scattered with dead trees and ghastly white bones. Red streams flowed down like blood or lava. In the distance, an indistinct, tall building appeared behind the misty sand. At first glance, this painting gave off a strong sense of loneliness and darkness.

"Not only that, but these also..."

Rhode took over the other scrolls one by one. The paintings were virtually the same except for some minor details: a broken palace built on a pile of countless white bones, an unidentified being hanging on the branch of a dead withered tree, a pitch-black deep river converging into a lake. Everywhere was filled with struggling, hopeless arms.

"These were also painted by her?"

Rhode finally understood why Marlene was uneasy. If these paintings belonged to the imagination of a child, it would be too horrifying. To be honest, Christie's painting technique was excellent that at the first glance, one would even think they were looking at a scenic photograph. And because of that, no matter how one saw these paintings, they weren't similar to pure art, but were more like a projection of some other world.

"Yes, but Christie didn't seem to know about them either. I got Lize to ask her, but Christie was confused too. From her explanations, these sceneries seemed to just appear in her mind. Mr. Rhode, I'm worried... Besides, Christie seems to be afraid after finishing the paintings. There were a few times when she couldn't sleep because she was scared by her own paintings. This..."

Rhode focused his attention on the painting before him. Not only did these paintings looked realistic, but he also felt that he had been to these places before.

Where exactly were these places?

Rhode rotated the scrolls in his hands, trying to figure out the locations.

But before Rhode was able to figure out anything, Gillian jumped to his side. She scanned the scroll on his hand and her ears twitched slightly.

"Gosh. Isn't this the Infernal Abyss?"

Chapter 254: Troubles Keep Coming

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Now that Gillian had mentioned it... This scenery was on the 8th floor of the Infernal Abyss: a landscape of burning purgatory. The indistinct, visible tall building was the symbolic Atonement Tower. Actually, Rhode wasn't any stranger to that place as he had led his men and ransacked the region before killing the Void Dragon. However, he subconsciously believed that this scenery should have been in the Dragon Soul Continent and didn't think of that place as hell. Now, it seemed like this was exactly the same as what he remembered.

"Huhuhu, this is getting interesting, Master."

Gillian let out a chuckle and lifted her head. She winked at Rhode playfully. He knew what Gillian meant because no matter what, Christie had never been to hell and even if it was based on the little girl's imagination, the depiction was too similar. If he didn't learn about Christie's past, he would have thought that she had been there before. However, that was totally impossible, as the burning purgatory belonged to the deeper levels of hell. Volcanoes erupted and flowed with magma while the air was filled with pitch-black billows of smokes and ash that danced like snow— Beautiful, yet deadly. No humans could survive there; not even players like Rhode. He was only able to survive due to him securing equipment that was immune to fire elements. If it was Christie, she would have turned into ashes immediately the moment she entered.

That was why Gillian thought this was getting interesting.

Accordingly to Marlene, Christie didn't seem to be aware when she painted these sceneries and only when she finished them would she get a huge shock. So what did all this mean?

Rhode rubbed his forehead, feeling a little fatigued as another difficult problem rose before his eyes before he could even get a good night's rest.

"What did the others think about this?"

"Miss Anne wasn't interested and Lize was worried. As for the rest... they aren't aware of this yet. I don't think Christie would go around talking about it either."

Christie was popular among the mercenaries, mainly due to her appropriate behavior. Maybe it was due to her harsh childhood that she didn't have the willfulness of girls of her age. She was obedient, clever, and everyone adored her cute appearance.

"Okay, we will leave it as it is for now."

Rhode shook his head hopelessly.

"How much money do we have on our hands?"

"Now?"

Marlene wasn't sure. She tilted her head, closed her eyes, and pondered for a moment. Then, she unrolled a scroll in her hands.

"Currently, we have 53,600 gold coins, Mr. Rhode. Our main income comes from adventures and missions. And because you don't sell our spoils of war, our income from this aspect is quite low. As for the blacksmith shop that you received from the Keller Family, after subtracting the basic fees, it brings us about 200 to 300 gold coins. That's all."

"So little?"

Rhode was surprised. Marlene shrugged her shoulders helplessly while showing a bittersweet smile.

Perhaps Shauna and Kavos would have dropped their eyeballs after hearing Marlene's report, as 50,000 gold coins was an unimaginable amount of money to a mercenary group. It wasn't because they weren't able to earn that much as a normal person could earn tens of thousands every year in modern society too. But, on average throughout the months, that amount would be pathetic. Not to mention the lodging and expenses on food — No one would feel that they earned a lot.

It was the same logic for mercenary groups. As long as the missions weren't too low in grade, getting thousands of gold coins as remuneration was always possible. However, mercenaries needed to repair their equipments and also pay for lodging and food expenses. After all these deductions, every mercenary group could only save up a few pennies.

As for why Rhode's Starlight was able to earn that much, it was partly because he didn't have many members in the initial stages and there wasn't much profit sharing. Moreover, the missions that they had completed were of high grades and risks. A series of missions from the association and his opportunistic approaches toward the president of the Mercenary Association gained him the financial results he saw today.

However, it was a pity that although this sum of money was considered a huge amount for normal mercenary groups, in Rhode and Marlene's eyes, it was nothing. As a leading guild in the game, the cash flow into Rhode's hands were in the millions. Not to mention that a mere 50k gold coins wouldn't even be enough to capture his attention. Marlene, as the heir of the largest noble family in Munn Kingdom, only thought of money as mere worldly possession. In fact, ever since Marlene had joined Starlight, she never asked for a single penny as remuneration. According to her, since she was the one who wanted to join a mercenary group to sharpen her skills, then she should be responsible for herself. The mercenary group shouldn't spend anything on her. All in all, money was never a problem to Marlene...

And because of that, both of them were dissatisfied with the current financial status of the mercenary group. It was just that both of them had different standards of reference for comparison.

After listening to Marlene's report, Rhode let out a helpless sigh. He had initially planned to buy up some equipment from the auction market in Deep Stone City, but it seemed like he couldn't even afford a single piece with that much money.

Don't tell me I have to wear plain equipment for the Midsummer Festival?

Rhode wasn't resigned to it yet and that was being human for you. If he didn't obtain the Zero Refining Equipment, he would be fine going to the Midsummer Festival in this state. But now that he had received such godly equipment, it would be a huge waste if he wore it as an accessory with no other purpose. Since he didn't have enough money for equipment...

I'll need to play by ear then.

Rhode came up with a plan and decided not to ponder this problem anymore. He turned around and left Lapis' room to catch a break. He was exhausted after being outdoors for so many days. Now that he finally had the chance for a break, of course he wouldn't let it slip by. He temporarily threw all these headaches to the back of his head and plopped into bed. After leaving the historical remains, Rhode had to be on guard against those Druids who were enough to keep him restless. Now that he had finally returned to his comfortable bed, he fell into deep sleep immediately...

As for Marlene, she left Rhode's room with a gloomy expression. Although Rhode was expressionless most of the time, he was energetic and seldom rested during the daytime. Marlene noticed the fatigue on his face, which piqued her curiosity. Could it be that something happened during the mission? Or, is he troubled over something? But...

Marlene left with this thought.

Even if it was Rhode, he was bound to be fatigued after going on an adventure for several days. It was almost evening when he woke up. The sun had almost called it a day as it lit up the horizon and white clouds were painted in a warm redness. Rhode stood and while he tidied his clothes, someone knocked on the door. Marlene's voice sounded.

"Mr. Rhode, are you awake?"

"Marlene? Yes, come in," Rhode said. The maiden pushed the door open and made her way in. Rhode quickly noticed her unusually gloomy expression. "Did anything happen?"

"Yes..."

Marlene thought for a moment.

"Lize, Anne, and Christie haven't return since they went out this morning to buy some painting materials. They should be back by noon, but..."

"You're saying that they are nowhere in sight?"

Rhode glanced out of the window subconsciously. The sun had fallen below the horizon. This should be the time mercenaries returned, unless they went out to have a drink or two. However, Lize, Anne, and Christie clearly didn't have such a habit.

"Yes. I dispatched someone to search for them, but..."

Before Marlene could finish her sentence, rapid footsteps could be heard from the hallway. In an instant, Joey barged into the room with a head full of sweat. He panted and pointed his shaky finger out the window in a pale expression.

"Miss Marlene, Leader, n-n-no

Chapter 255: An Invisible Hand

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

"Woah… I'm so full."

Anne stretched her arms and said with a satisfied grin.

"You ate too much, Anne."

Lize shook her head beside her.

"I don't know how you managed to eat a portion for three. If it's me, I would never be able to eat that much… and you spent so much unnecessary money too. Have you thought of an explanation to Marlene yet?"

"Huh?"

Anne's expression changed slightly. She held her palms together and leaned toward Lize.

"Sister Lize, we don't have to report such small matters to Sister Marlene, right? It's only a small meal and Anne used all her heart to finish it~ I didn't waste a single bit at all!"

"You are really…"

Lize let out a sigh. Then, she shifted her gaze to the quiet little girl beside them.

"Christie, what's wrong? Are you in a bad mood? Or do you have something you want to buy?"

"Hmm?"

Christie seemed to have been disrupted from her daze. She hugged the package in her arms tightly and revealed a shy, gentle smile to Anne and Lize. Then, she shook her head.

"… I'm not in a bad mood, Lize… I'm only thinking of when will Rhode come back…"

Christie sulked slightly.

"I painted so many beautiful paintings… I hope Rhode can see them…"

"Don't worry, Christie. Leader will definitely be back in no time."

Anne let out a chuckle and gently fondled the little girl's hair, at the same time confidently making a prediction.

"Didn't Sister Marlene say that before? Leader will definitely return soon. This time, they aren't doing any special missions, so you don't have to worry too much…"

"You're right."

Although Lize was also worried about Rhode and the others, she couldn't possibly reveal her true emotions to Christie. Therefore, Lize hurriedly squatted down in front of Christie and held her shoulders. She looked deeply into her eyes.

"There's nothing to worry about, Christie. Mr. Rhode is a smart, brave, and strong person. He will not be in any trouble. Who knows; maybe Mr. Rhode is already waiting for you back home. Cheer up, okay?"

"Okay…"

Christie appeared a little more relieved. She nodded gently and displayed an adorable smile. Lize responded with a smile of her own and stroked the little girl's beautiful, long hair.

"It's already late; we should get…"

At this moment, a clatter of hoofs interrupted her words. She lifted her head and spotted a group of fully-armored knights on their horses. The crowd on the streets avoided them hurriedly. Lize stood up attentively and pulled Christie to her side. As for Anne, she pouted and gave a dismissive look.

However, what the three of them didn't expect was that the group of knights was actually coming for them. They slowed down to a halt as they surrounded the trio.

"Who are you people? What do you want?!"

Anne had the quickest reactions. As the knights surrounded them, she retrieved the heavy shield from her back and used it to protect Lize and Christie.

"Are you members of the Starlight mercenary group?"

The knights didn't answer Anne. Instead, it was their leader who spoke.

Anne and Lize knitted their brows simultaneously. Clearly, both of them realised that things weren't that simple. They didn't answer the person instantly and scanned the surrounding. Lize hugged Christie in her arms while Anne shifted her position carefully toward the left to close off the opening.

"That's right, we are members of the Starlight mercenary group. Who are you people anyway?"

"We are the garrisons of Deep Stone City!"

The leader waved his arm strongly, pulled out his sword, and pointed at the trio.

"Now, under the name of the Garrisons, I demand you to drop your weapon and come with us!"

"Garrisons?"

Anne was dumbfounded. Lize elbowed Anne from the back and hinted at her to catch a glimpse of their saddles. There was an engraving of a complicated, yet gorgeous design which ordinary Garrisons wouldn't have. Moreover, identical saddles would only appear on one kind of people.

And that was the nobles' private soldiers!

"Drop your weapon now!"

The leader ordered upon Anne's noncompliance. At this moment, the crowd had gathered to check on the situation. Anne appeared seemingly like she had the intentions to surrender. She stooped over and placed the heavy shield on the ground, but then, she brandished it abruptly.

Bam!

The immense impact sent one of the knight and his warhorse flying, and they crashed right into their companions, who were caught off guard. In an instant, the whole group of knights crumbled into a complete mess. The knights drew their weapons furiously and charged forward.

"Run!"

Anne raised her shield and struck off another knight's attack. Lize dashed into the crowd while holding hands with Christie. She was determined to get away as far as possible.

"What did you say?!"

Marlene widened her eyes in disbelief while Rhode said with a frown.

"What exactly happened? Explain!"

"It's like this…"

Perhaps due to the influence of Rhode's calm attitude, Joey explained steadily.

"I was at the Mercenary Association on some errands and overheard that our people broke into a fight with the city guards in the marketplace and many of them were injured. I made a trip to the place, but it was completely sealed off. From what I heard, it was actually Miss Lize and Anne who fought with the city guards!"

"… How did this happen?"

Marlene was stunned. It was possible for Anne to act rashly, but Lize too?

"When did all this happen?" Rhode said.

"Around an hour ago. Leader, what should we do? I sent Randolf to gather our men; should we go search for them?"

"That's not necessary."

Rhode gave an unexpected answer.

"Joey, get Old Walker here and check on the situation to gather information immediately. Remember, gather information on the causes, reasons, and results. Then, I need you to inform Shauna and Kavos to get their men ready to move out. Marlene, you will follow Gillian and me. We will go check it out!"

A putrid stench came from within the pitch-black underground tunnel.

"Hu… Hu…"

Anne stooped over and peeked at the situation outside.

"Why aren't they giving up yet? It's so annoying! Who exactly are they?!"

"They shouldn't be the city guards."

Lize said softly as she hid behind Anne and hugged Christie in her arms.

"And I don't think they are ordinary private soldiers. Usually, they wouldn't have such emblems and no matter what, it's all too strange. Besides…" she paused.

"Damn it!"

Anne punched the ground heavily. She gritted her teeth, yet was unable to say anything. Originally, the trio had decided to escape to the stronghold, but they didn't expect that the whole marketplace would be completely sealed off without any way for them to retreat. It was due to this that they had no choice but to hide in an abandoned, empty house.

"If Sister Marlene realises that we're not back yet, she will probably come for us."

"Yes… But…"

Lize shook her head as she felt that things weren't as simple as they seemed. She was sure that those knights were definitely not real garrisons. One reason was because Lize and Anne had lived here for years and were familiar with the garrisons here. It raised Lize's doubts that there were actually people who didn't know who they were and they even dared to pass themselves off as the garrisons and brazenly seal off the entire marketplace. Weren't they afraid of getting in trouble?

Chapter 256: Half-way Out

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

"Reporting, Sir! We have sealed off the entire marketplace!"

A fully-armored soldier reported by the door.

Klautz sulked, placed the teacup on the table, and gazed at the smiling man sitting opposite him. The man with long, brown hair was clad in an eye-grabbing armor, had unswerving determination on his face, and a ghastly, ugly scar that had extended all the way from his forehead to his chin.

"Great, pass this message on. We must capture them, understood?"

"Yes!'

The soldier saluted and ran off. City owner Klautz stared at the man before him. He exercised his fingers and let out a sneer while sitting back on the couch.

"Never did I expect that the Vice Commander of the South Warzone would be so panicky over a few mercenaries... If outsiders knew about this, they would surely laugh their heads off. Wouldn't they, Lord Ron? You come to my turf for whatever reason and demand to capture some people. Do you even put Paphield in your eyes?"

"I'm sorry for the sudden intrusion, Sir Klautz."

The soldier named Ron revealed a pacifying smile and gestured with his hand. Then, he narrowed his eyes and revealed an enigmatic look while Klautz snorted in disapproval. Although Klautz didn't have a good impression of these Southerners who were obviously up to no good, he couldn't do much as his current forces weren't stronger than theirs.

Ron and his men arrived at Deep Stone City during noon the day before. Initially, Klautz was puzzled because as far as he remembered, this place was under the administrative region of the Southern Warzone. Then, he realised that these people had a hidden agenda because, according to Ron, their intelligence reported that a wanted criminal of the Southern Warzone was seen in this area and they were here to capture him. Furthermore, they had even put in a request for Klautz's permission. This was entirely unnecessary because if the military wanted to capture someone, since when did they need to seek permission with the area's administrative officer?

Klautz wasn't that concerned about the people they were looking to capture, especially when the excuses and reasoning of these people were full of loopholes and completely nonsensical. Did they even need the Vice Commander of the Southern Warzone to personally lead a team of elite soldiers to capture wanted criminals? Could it be that the wanted criminals were Necromancers? For the Vice Commander to even notify Klautz about this capture was already honorable enough for someone of his status.

Besides, they had even brazenly ordered him to assist in sealing off the area. Did they really treat him as a nobody? However, as an administrative officer of a territory, Klautz definitely wasn't so foolish as to fall out with these soldiers. Now that the situation in Paphield wasn't stable, he didn't want to cause any more problems. However, this meant that Klautz could only act according to what the soldiers wanted. In fact, before they initiated the capture, Klautz had secretly sent his men to investigate their targets. If they were any normal human beings, then he would act as though he didn't know anything about it. But if they were some troublesome people, then...

At this moment, a bright reflection flashed in the corner of Klautz's eyes. He remained calm and collected. Then, he stood up with a smile and bowed to Ron.

"Sorry for the inconvenience, Lord Ron. I have some official businesses to attend to... Please pardon me."

Klautz stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. He approached the balcony on the other end of the hallway, where an old man dressed as a housekeeper kept the mirror in his hand. The old man turned around and greeted Klautz with a polite bow.

"Sir Klautz."

"Do you know who is their target?" Klautz asked softly while the old man nodded.

"Yes, Sir. Based on what I've gathered from the marketplace, those knights were trying to capture three young ladies."

"Three young ladies?"

Klautz was stunned.

"Do you know who are they?"

"Yes, Sir. They are members of the Starlight mercenary group. Miss Lize Noir, Miss Anne Viroga, and also another young lady, whom I'm not sure of her identity."

"The Starlight mercenary group?"

Klautz sulked instantly.

"Are you sure that those men were going for them?"

"Yes, Sir. I'm sure. Many have also witnessed the struggles between the knights and the three young ladies."

"... Gosh!"

Klautz gritted his teeth and spun around in circles anxiously. Then, he came to a halt and took in a deep breath. He said to the old housekeeper in a firm tone.

"Go! Find a team of elites right now and get them to enter the marketplace to rescue the three young ladies! Also, see if the leader of the Starlight mercenary group is back! Go now!"

"Yes!"

Although the old housekeeper didn't know why Klautz became so tense, he abided by his order and left instantly. Glancing at the old housekeeper's distant silhouette, Klautz felt a numbing sensation on his scalp. He recollected his thoughts for a moment and returned to the room with a stern expression.

"Oh?"

Ron laid down the tea cup on the table and smiled.

"Is anything wrong, Sir Klautz?"

"I'm very sorry, Lord Ron."

Out of line with Ron's expectations, this time, Klautz spoke without any courtesy.

"I recalled something urgent I have to attend to, so I need you to leave. Please forgive me for my lack of manners. Men, please see our visitor out!"

Ron's smile faded. He stared at the city owner and couldn't understand the meaning behind his actions. He stood up with his usual expression and gave Klautz a long, profound stare. Then, he left without saying a word. Judging from Klautz's attitude, Ron sensed that he wouldn't get an answer from Klautz even if he asked. Ron wasn't an idiot either; Klautz must have heard some news for him to have such a dramatic change in attitude. Since that was the case, Ron didn't need to stay any longer. He had to figure out what exactly led to the sudden change in Klautz's attitude. Could it be that there was a slip-up in his plan?

Utter chaos was brewing in the marketplace.

"Those guys are following real close!"

Anne was getting sick of the knights following closely behind. Although the knights couldn't beat Anne in a one-to-one fight, they were more advantageous in numbers. Furthermore, they were well-coordinated in their attacks, which was strenuous to the two maidens. Moreover, there was also Christie, who couldn't keep up with the pace.

"Haa.... Haa..."

Christie's complexion turned pale and even green as she sprinted alongside Lize. Her slim legs shivered continuously and she almost couldn't support herself. Although Lize had been looking after Christie all this while, such a strenuous exercise was indeed too much on the little girl. But, even so, Christie gritted her teeth and had no intentions of giving up.

"Let's go, Lize."

"We can't, Anne."

Lize shook her head resolutely.

"Christie won't be able to take it anymore if this goes on!"

"Then we can only finish them off."

Anne knew that they couldn't run any further. If the little girl pushed herself more, she might collapse at any time. Christie wasn't healthy to start with, and it was a miracle that she had held on for so long.

Anne turned around abruptly. The shield in her hand transformed its shape instantly as it crashed into the ground. At this moment, Lize instantly casted her healing spells to ease Christie's pain.

"These bastards came to find trouble out of nowhere. They are so gonna get it from Leader once he's back!"

At this moment, the knights realised that the maidens couldn't escape anymore. They swiftly surrounded them in all directions.

"Under the name of the garrison, I once again demand you to drop your weapon and surrender!"

"In your dreams!"

Anne's brows twitched. Even a young lady with such a pure, innocent character like Anne was annoyed to have been chased for no apparent reasons. There was never a chance of her surrendering just like that! Besides, the knights repeatedly mentioned that they were from the garrisons, which added to their suspicion. No matter how they observed them, they looked like nobles' private soldiers. So what were they trying to do, posing as the garrison?

Lize watched attentively while tugging on Anne's hand, hinting at her to not act rashly.

"Who exactly are you people? What do you want?"

"..."

The knights shrunk their encirclement. Lize clenched her teeth and was at her wits' end.

Do we really have to give up? But what will happen to Christie?

Lize hugged the little girl in her arms even closer. Anne clasped to her shield and waited for an opportunity to retaliate.

At this moment, both of them didn't realise that Christie, who was observing the surroundings blankly and had her purple pupils covered by her long hair, was beginning to emanate a faint radiance...

"Take them down!"

The leader swung his arm and commanded. The other knights charged forward with their raised weapons!

Lize shut her eyes in fear. A deep sense of helplessness grew in her heart.

Clink!

Suddenly, a sword emerged from the side and deflected their attacks.

Chapter 257: Your Choice

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Dazzling blade rays flashed.

What seemed to be an incredibly normal sword strike forced the knights away, and some of them even took a few steps back from the overwhelming pressure. They were terrified and insecure.

Because they witnessed the long sword that appeared before them.

It was a dazzling sword blade made of crystals that emanated a faint radiance. Cornelians and other precious gems were inlaid on it, along with golden lines and silver threads spread in a spiral. An oddly eye-catching beautiful maiden with her wings wide open was carved on the sword hilt with a holy brilliance. As far as the eye could see, this sword seemed to be a perfect masterpiece made of luxury, grace, beauty, and divinity. Something that shouldn't exist in this world.

However, the sword wasn't the reason why the soldiers were stunned. Instead, it was the owner of the sword.

In the whole continent, only one person could treat such a luxurious item as a weapon.

"Bloomed beautiful flowers should be admired and not trampled. They should be loved and not ravaged. Any act of violence to destroy beauty is the biggest sin in this world."

A breathtaking beauty gradually emerged in midair. Six pairs of wings of light unfolded behind the maiden's back, releasing an incomparable, holy radiance. A white, muslin gown drooped nicely in place with her slender, beautiful stature. An armor made of silver pressed up against her skin, releasing radiance as equally glaring as her dewy skin. Even in the dark, wet, and desolated alley, her existence was as bright as the sun.

At this moment, the knights stood in places with ashen complexions. Their weapons had already dropped to the ground. After all, on this continent, and in this country, everyone but a newborn baby knew who this maiden was.

"Destroying beauty is a sin. To tarnish is even more intolerable..."

Dazzling blade rays flashed once again.

No one saw what happened. Not even Anne, Lize, or the knights that were surrounding them. Everyone closed their eyes after the golden ray of brightness flashed. After Anne and Lize opened their eyes, all the soldiers surrounding them were nowhere in sight to their amazement. All that was left on the ground were combustions of golden flames.

Lydia sheathed her sword as she approached the maidens. At this moment, there were only four of them left. Anne looked at the Archangel who had suddenly emerged before her in bewilderment. However, Lydia wasn't mindful of her rudeness. Instead, she presented a appeasing smile at Anne. She carefully sized her up and shifted her gaze to Christie, who was laying semi-consciously in Lize's arms. Lydia was astonished as soon as she saw Christie's face. Then, she narrowed her eyes pensively and turned to Lize.

Lize couldn't help but shrink her body and lower her head.

"Sis... Ah, no, Your Highness."

"I would prefer you to address me in another way, Lize."

Lydia extended her hand to the maiden who lowered her head and lightly fondled Lize's hair. As she carefully combed the messy hair from the running, Lize remained quiet with her head down. Only until Lydia withdrew her hand did Lize then lift her head.

"Thank you for saving us, Your Highness."

"You're welcome. I was just passing by... and they were my actual targets."

Lydia took a glimpse of the surroundings, but there was no one else in this dark alley.

"I knew those Southern rats were plotting something, but to think that they actually did something like this..."

Lydia paused and turned to Lize.

"Lize, do you not intend to return?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

This time, Lize bravely lifted her head and welcomed her gazes. She gently bit her lips.

"I don't belong to that place. You should be very clear about this, Your Highness."

"I understand your thoughts, Lize. But..." Lydia paused and glanced at Anne, who was looking at them at a loss. "... You have to understand that no matter how you avoid or escape, your identity won't change. And the people around you would be drawn to it as well. Have you prepared yourself for when that happens, Lize?" Lydia let out a sigh. "I can only tell you one thing. These people are from the Bier Family. I think you get what I mean."

"Bier Family?"

Lize had a look of disbelief.

"Why were they trying to capture me?"

"You should know the reason why, right?"

This time, Lydia didn't answer Lize's doubts. She revealed her elegant, gentle smile and caressed Christie's tiny face. In an instant, a surge of holy energy swiftly emanated and got rid of the fatigue in the little girl's body. As soon as Lydia's finger came into contact with Christie, a beam of purple light flashed, forcing Lydia to twitch her brows and she returned to her usual self almost immediately.

"Although it's true that the sun rays are dazzling, betraying it will also lead to your fall... Lize. Don't ever forget that what you bear is not only honor, but also responsibility."

Lydia inclined her head toward the side and after giving her advice. "I've always trusted you, Lize. So then... Goodbye. I will take care of what's to come, but only this time."

The Archangel extended her hand and gestured. Then, she faded away into thin air and disappeared to nowhere. Specks of warm, holy radiance were all that remained in the air that illuminated this dark alley.

Lize hugged Christie closer while staring in the direction Lydia had disappeared to. She extended her hand and grabbed the light dust floating in the air with a complicated expression. The heartwarming light dust fell to her palm, flickered, and gradually disappeared without a trace.

"And also my... responsibility...?"

The maiden said softly as she clenched her fist. She gritted her teeth.

I will not escape from it, Sister Lydia.

One of these days, I will work hard... but now, now, please allow me to continue keeping this secret...

"Sister Lize?"

The voice dragged Lize back into reality. She lifted her head and saw Anne looking at her with a puzzling expression. "You... what were you and Her Highness Lydia talking about just now? How come Anne can't understand a single thing?"

"Anne, this... I need your help."

Anne blinked her eyes curiously.

"What is it about, Sister Lize? If it's something that Anne can do, then Anne will try her best to do it."

"Today... everything that we've gotten into today, I hope you can keep it a secret. Don't reveal it to anyone, not even Mr. Rhode. Okay? I don't want to lie to him, I only hope... When there's an opportune timing, I will tell him myself."

"Not even Leader?"

Anne was surprised. She frowned and pondered seriously for a moment. Eventually, she nodded hesitantly. "Alright, Sister Lize. Anyway, Anne doesn't understand what you two were talking about just now... Even if Leader wants Anne to talk about it, it would be hard to... Since you don't wish to talk about it, then Anne won't."

"Thank you, Anne."

Lize let out a sigh of relief. Then, she lowered her head to see Christie in deep sleep. Lydia's divine powers had gotten rid of Christie's pain and fatigue. Her pale and even greenish complexion had turned into a ruddy tone.

"Let's go, Anne."

Lize carried Christie toward the end of the alleyway. At this moment, two figures emerged and approached them. Lize and Anne, who were already feeling relaxed and calmed, tensed up instantly. But, after clearly recognizing their faces, the tension within them immediately turned into astonishment.

"Leader?"

"Mr. Rhode?"

Rhode and Gillian walked into the alley. He approached the three young maidens with a serious expression and frowned as he observed the surroundings as though he had discovered something. Then, he turned to Lize and Anne with a puzzled look.

"What exactly happened?"

Chapter 258: Lize's Heart Knot

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

"Bier Family?"

Marlene sulked instantly.

"Those bastards actually dared to find trouble with you!"

Lize appeared depressed. She held a teacup and stared blankly into the red tea. After the incident, the trio were escorted back to the stronghold by Rhode and Gillian. All the soldiers sealing off the entire marketplace were gone. During their journey back, Rhode asked them about the incident, but he didn't receive a definite answer. He only knew that someone emerged out of nowhere, chased the soldiers away, and rescued them. As for who the savior was, Anne didn't mention and neither did Lize. Christie was in a semi-conscious state, so she wasn't able to provide any valuable insights. However, Rhode wasn't upset with them over it. From Lize's stutters, he had already realised her thoughts so he didn't want to interrogate her by force. He had appointed Marlene to check on this matter because no matter what, both of them were childhood friends, and maybe there were something that not even Rhode could intervene with.

Just as expected, Lize never had such hesitations toward Marlene and immediately came clean with everything.

After listening to Lize's narration, Marlene noticed the importance of this matter. She knew Lize's past more than anybody else and strictly speaking, Lize's past could be considered a stain. Not only a stain of herself, but a stain of the whole Munn Kingdom. Those idiots from the South had planned to make the kingdom collapse and they wanted to capture Lize, which clearly showed their intentions to know more about her past.

"What do you intend to do, Lize?"

Marlene calmed her emotions and asked.

"I don't know..."

Lize blankly shook her head.

"You don't intend to discuss this with Mr. Rhode?"

"... I don't know..."

Lize lowered her head, and her sullen expression returned.

"I only wish to be an ordinary human, ordinary girl, or ordinary adventurer. I only wish for such a life. I don't wish to create trouble, and not to mention, bring trouble for others... Mr. Rhode is already busy, and if I trouble him with this..."

"But the problem is, now your problem isn't merely yours."

Marlene interrupted without the slightest degree of politeness, to which the other maiden quickly lifted her head in shock..

"Lize, you know yourself that your problem already involves the mercenary group. Anne and Christie were dragged into it without any reason too. Don't you think that you owe them an explanation? Not only that, but also the current situation. Since they have laid hands on you, it means that they already know your identity..."

Marlene paused and gazed at the pale maiden.

"... You can't hide from your bloodline, Lize. You can ignore it, but you can't deny its existence. In your body or in my body, they're all the same. It's just like no matter how I deny it, others will still see me as the heir of the Senia Family. In this world, there are many things that we can't change with our will. What we want to be isn't always what is."

Marlene stood up and walked to Lize's side. She extended her arms and embraced her.

"Do you still remember, Lize? Those times when no child in the palace was willing to approach me. Every single one of them except you. I always wanted to play with the, and tried my best to behave like them, but no matter what, I still am the heir of the Senia Family. If they accidentally caused me any injuries, they would be in big trouble. They were afraid of my family, so they kept distance from me. This is the truth in this world, Lize. Back then, you were my only friend; surely you understand my feelings? And now? Not only you are you, Lize Noir. No matter how you try to escape, you wouldn't be able to erase the existence of Lize Calante Belgrade. Or perhaps, Lize Calente J. Frandrica Belgrade."

Lize shuddered upon hearing the names. She returned Marlene's embrace as if she could counteract the hate in that name.

What should I do?

Lize had no idea. Her mind was in a mess. Admit my identity to Mr. Rhode? The maiden felt it was a tad too early. Besides, in Lize's heart, this was her personal matter and shouldn't implicate others.

"If you don't know what to do, I do have a suggestion," Marlene said.

"No matter what, this situation has indeed implicated the mercenary group and if it's really the Bier Family, then those rats won't let this matter off so easily. I think, regarding this, we can assert to Mr. Rhode. Whereas for your identity, we can keep it a secret... until you decide to come clean with it. I think this isn't a difficult problem, since Mr. Rhode is a kind person. If he understands your sorrows, he won't reject you. If you don't have the courage to let him know, I'll do it for you."

"Marlene..."

Lize remained silent for a moment and as if she decided, she shook her head.

"It's alright. Thank you, Marlene. But, this matter started because of me, so I should personally tell Mr. Rhode... No matter what, just like what Her Highness said, this is my responsibility."

At this moment, the bewilderedness in the maiden's eyes vanished and was replaced with an oddly determined belief.

It was late at night.

The beautiful full moon hung in the night sky and was complemented by twinkling stars like diamonds shining brightly on a picturesque painting. Everywhere was silent, but to Rhode, the night was nowhere tranquil.

At this moment, he was sitting behind his desk and looking at the information on his hand. Opposite him was Gillian with both her elbows resting on the desk. She rested her cheeks in her hands and stared at Rhode. Her fluffy tail swung left and right interestingly.

"Bier Family..."

Rhode mumbled under his breath and placed the piece of information on the table. Previously, Lize stood out and explained some parts of the situation to him, which included the reason why the knights arrived and their motive. Of course, Lize didn't mention much about her past, but he knew that for her to take the initiative to explain was good enough. As for her past, since Lize didn't want to talk about it, he wouldn't force her to. However, from the fact that those people wanted to capture her, it showed that her past wasn't simple at all.

As for the Bier Family, Rhode wasn't unfamiliar with them. In Munn Kingdom, those people called themselves the core forces of the 'Reformist Party'. To this group of people, their ultimate goal was to end the royalty's rule of Munn Kingdom and rebuild it with a new and similar ruling class as created by the Country of Light parliament. And since they wanted to capture Lize, it proved that Lize was definitely helpful to their plans. After all, these Southern nobles couldn't be compared to the Northern as most of them were born as merchants. They wouldn't do anything without benefits or advantages.

It seemed like history didn't change.

Rhode tapped his finger on the tabletop. The danger of the Munn Kingdom involved both inner and outer factors. On the surface, this was another conspiracy of the Country of Light's parliament's attempt to borrow the reformist forces to take down the Munn Kingdom. However, from a player's perspective, it was a totally different matter. After Lydia's rise to power, the 'Reformist Party' wasn't as formidable as before. The Archangel had been targeting the traitors who had been trying to overturn the country, and now it could be said that the Reformist Party had reached their most dangerous stage. It was considered the final door to the King's Party and Reformist Party; if the King's Party was victorious, then the Reformist Party would be eliminated. But if the Reformist Party didn't care about the consequences and dragged the King's Party down together with them, then it wouldn't be a good thing for Munn Kingdom too.

Due to such a matter of life and death, the Reformist Party engaged in these series of movements. Along with the Country of Light's parliament, they attempted to disturb order, raise the price of produce, and attack border merchant ships in order to create havoc within the kingdom in an attempt to overthrow the King's Party rule. Of course, they were doing all this under the name of 'resisting the violent dictatorship of the King's rule', but to Rhode, it was no different from maintaining illicit relations with a foreign country.

Due to this, although Lize didn't explain her identity, Rhode wasn't blindsided either. Besides, he already knew the history of the game and in addition to Marlene's hint, he guessed that Lize was an important person within the King's Party. At the very least, he was sure that she was important enough to affect the Reformist Party's 'great cause'. Now that he knew Lize's position, he wouldn't mind her past too much... No matter what, she couldn't be Lydia's illegitimate child...

However, this ambush did remind Rhode that Lize's past might be the reason why she was ambushed in the first place. But the Starlight mercenary group was also the other possible target of this ambush. Previously, Shawn, the leader of the Dark Fang mercenary group, had once reminded Rhode that the Country of Light's parliament would also be sending their men to the Midsummer Festival. Thinking back on how his Starlight mercenary group had trampled the series of plans that the Country of Light's parliament had planned, this inference wasn't any delusion. And the bunch of Reformist Party people, who had always been the lackeys of Country of Light, wouldn't miss this opportunity to impress their owner. Not to mention, although Rhode had messed with the Country of Light and their plans, it also affected the Reformist Party's benefits as well, so they wouldn't sit by idly and not do anything. Luckily, Paphield was situated far from them and it wouldn't be easy for those Southerners to intervene.

"Master, do you have an idea already?"

Gillian asked as Rhode stopped all his movements. He shook his head in denial.

"Currently, we don't have too many leads, but I don't think that we should worry too much. Paphield isn't their territory, so it won't be easy for that bunch of idiots to create trouble. Next, we should focus on our strength. Besides..."

Rhode paused, as though reminded of something. Then, he stood up.

"From tomorrow onward, strengthening our mercenary group will be our main priority."

He made his decision.