Shadow Lurking in Gorge

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〖Prison Star Calendar〗

〖Year 187, May 24〗

〖7:06 AM〗

〖Countdown to Confession Death: 27 days〗

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At dawn on the following day, the cavalry unit conducted their customary headcount, only to unexpectedly discover the absence of a soldier.

Captain Laidell, unwilling to believe in coincidences, counted and recounted three times, but the outcome remained unchanged.

Losing a member in the middle of nowhere was not a situation one could simply dismiss, especially considering...

"What? Tazmi, Skylar, repeat that once more?!"

Laidell could scarcely fathom the testimony he heard from his soldiers.

"Captain, we truly heard no sound or commotion..."

"Yes, we only realized he was gone after waking up..."

There were no signs of battle or suspicious footprints around the camp, and even the two soldiers who rested in the tent next to the missing individual had noticed nothing unusual. Could it be that the missing soldier had deserted as a fugitive?

(Impossible... such a thing could never happen...!)

Laidell had every reason to be resolute.

Firstly, serving in the cavalry unit was a highly coveted position in Gudetown.

Secondly, even if there were reasons for leaving the cavalry, it wouldn't require fleeing into the wilderness in the dead of night.

Excluding the possibility of desertion, the truth could only involve some "person" or perhaps "something" that seized the opportunity during the night to abduct the soldier.

(Even the tent disappeared... Could it be the work of demons...?)

Laidell paced back and forth, furrowing his brow in deep contemplation.

Meanwhile, Avril quietly observed him from a short distance away.

(What's wrong, Avril? Do you suspect Laidell of foul play?)

"No, Elle... I simply think that Laidell may have other issues at hand."

·

This morning, Elle informed Avril about the "strange sound" from last night.

Initially, Avril thought that Elle had misheard and didn't pay much attention. But upon learning that a member of the cavalry unit had mysteriously disappeared, Avril realized that she had wrongly accused her sister.

(Elle was right. Something strange did happen last night in this camp.)

Perhaps due to her courage being bolstered by Elle's hand-made human-face balls, Avril not only wasn't afraid but could also think calmly.

"Elle, I can't imagine any reason why someone would secretly take away a soldier along with their tent... The possibility of it being a monster seems more likely."

-(Yes, I think so too. If the culprit was human, they wouldn't have made that strange sound.)

Avril and Elle's opinions were essentially aligned. The Gudetown Cavalry had already faced a setback from the monsters before entering Sandrift Gorge.

This made Avril feel uneasy, and it seemed that their journey through the gorge wouldn't be optimistic.

·

During breakfast, Avril approached two soldiers who seemed familiar and asked them some questions.

From their accounts, Avril learned that among the soldiers heading to Sandrift Gorge, only Captain Laidell had experience. The other 14 soldiers (now reduced to 13) were all on their first mission outside Gudetown.

Due to limited staffing, the soldiers of the town's garrison and the cavalry unit took turns on duty. Most of the soldiers led by Captain Laidell this time were new recruits from the garrison.

As a result, they had no knowledge of the specifics of previous missions in Sandrift Gorge.

"But I've heard that the previous team returned intact without any injuries."

"I see. Thank you for sharing this information."

The soldiers' information proved helpful to Avril. If Captain Laidell was suspicious, these soldiers would probably still be counting the money for him even if they were sold.

However, Avril couldn't think of any reason why Laidell would want to kill his own soldiers.

If they failed to defeat the demons and returned with fewer people, wouldn't it be difficult for him to explain to the town's mayor?

Looking at Rhode, who was still naively discussing with the soldiers, Avril felt that she couldn't leave him behind.

If things went wrong, Rhode might end up dead in the gorge.

·

Perspective switches to the side of the Traveling Merchant Caravan, and Tyler and his group have been journeying through the gorge for two days.

Initially, Tyler was somewhat concerned about encountering demons, but after two consecutive safe days, his tense mood relaxed somewhat.

"The cliffs on both sides are truly steep, aren't they?"

"Indeed, ordinary people wouldn't have the ability to climb up; they would fall and die halfway."

Mr. Lawrence, who was driving the carriage, and Tyler gazed at the scenery of the gorge while chatting.

Sandrift Gorge was extremely desolate, devoid of any vegetation, but life was remarkably resilient. Even in such harsh surroundings, occasionally, one could catch a glimpse of small creatures like lizards swiftly scurrying past.

Tyler estimated the cliffs on both sides of the valley; they were at least forty to fifty meters high, equivalent to a fifteen or sixteen-story building. Moreover, the cliffs had almost no footholds, so if one wanted to climb up, only someone like Granny Kasi, a level 67 Mercenary Sage, would have a chance.

(There are only two exits in this gorge... It's not a good place with such a narrow and elongated terrain.)

After making a calculation based on his death date of May 27th, 187 years, Tyler had already encountered Avril and the Gudetown Cavalry in this future corresponding to his death date.

If calculated according to this date, the Gudetown Cavalry and Avril would enter Sandrift Gorge today.

(We entered from the north side, while they can only enter from the south side. That means the only opportunity to meet is in the middle of the gorge... This is the worst possible meeting point.)

When Tyler referred to the middle as the "worst possible meeting point," it was because once they encountered danger, it would be the most difficult to escape from the middle of the gorge.

However, there was no choice now.

·

During lunchtime, the person next to Tyler asked about the formation of the Traveling Merchant Caravan.

It wasn't surprising to have Mr. Marik and Mr. Lawrence in the caravan, but it was less common to have children like Tocchini and elderly people like Granny Kasi.

"Hahaha, it's all a matter of fate."

As the leader of the caravan, Marik explained the story of the Traveling Merchant Caravan to Tyler.

Marik, the founder of the Traveling Merchant Caravan, was initially responsible for delivering goods between Gudetown and Sunnytown.

As the demand for deliveries grew, he sought the help of his good friend Lawrence.

One day, while passing through Luca Forest, they encountered the lost Tocchini.

Tocchini was a victim of the "Great Migration" and was being mistreated everywhere, with no place to call home.

Knowing that Tocchini belonged to the Rabbitkin race, Marik and Lawrence took her in and taught her the skills to protect herself and survive.

Later on, Marik decided to expand the business beyond just transportation and ventured into trade as well. However, both he and Lawrence lacked refinement, so with the introduction from Granny Kana in Ira Village, they enlisted the help of cultured Granny Kasi.

(That's how it is. No wonder no one knows that Granny Kasi is a level 67 Mercenary Sage.)

After learning about the caravan's history, Marik, Lawrence, and Tocchini were no longer under suspicion for Tyler. However, Granny Kasi became his primary suspect.

·

After finishing the meal, everyone strolled and rested in the canyon.

While Tyler was searching for clues about the sandrift flowers, he unintentionally noticed a moving "stone" in the distance. Intrigued, he discreetly approached the area to investigate.

However, at that moment, a sudden red light appeared in Tyler's field of vision. The light enveloped his entire body and the ground beneath his feet, accompanied by a countdown displayed on top!