Translator: Wuxia Dog Editor: Wuxia Dog
Ronning was busy with strengthening the troops and preparing for the war, and had no time to see them off personally. He delegated some generals as representatives. Troops left by Zaganide in Rhine City also fell into chaos after the occupation of Black Raven City. Almost half of the army hastily fled and intended to converge with Zaganide by fleeing to the underground city. Unfortunately, Ronning had sent two cavalry and four infantry brigades to block off the way. The only fate waiting for the deserters was a swift defeat.
However chaotic the situation in Rhine City seemed to be, Ronning still acted very cautiously. He always paid full attention to every battle and would never show carelessness. In his opinion, once he had decided to fight a battle, he should fight with all his strength, no matter how weak his opponents were. Thus, there were still many things he had to take care of.
But those who were smart knew that there was no way Ronning would send Reg off personally. Everyone already had the impression that Ronning planned to push Reg away. If Ronning went to see Reg off personally, who knew what kind of rumors that would start.
In order to avoid the turbulent zones, they traveled along the planned course and passed the canyon. After a few days, they arrived at Nuremberg again, which had become a place of ruins with water running everywhere. Even the wheat fields around the city were turned into endless swamps. Unlike water created by a magician’s spell, which could only exist temporarily, the water Ronning had diverted from a natural river would never disappear. Beside, Ronning never fixed the natural flow of the river afterward, thus the whole city was like an isolated island amid an ocean right now – desolate and bleak.
No one knew, nor were interested in, how many of the Cavemen in the city had survived. Regardless, it would be difficult for them to find food in a swamp, and most races of the abyss couldn’t swim; starvation was their only fate.
Reg’s mood had turned better during his days on the road. He might have been affected by the harmonious atmosphere of the team, or it might have been that he felt safe staying with Han Jin, the one who had saved his life. But when he saw the scene with his own eyes, his face soon turned dark. It was one thing to hear about what Ronning had done, but it was another to personally witness the aftermath. The dreariness of the city was like a needle pricking both his eyes and his heart.
The team took a detour and finally entered Beitman, which had undergone enormous changes during the past month. Woodrow, the Chief Sheriff of Beit City, had forestalled the civil war, though the situation was definitely not in his favor!
Han Jin’s appearance dirupted many people’s plans, Woodrow’s included. In fact, he was one who was affected the most. Strictly speaking, Dismark and Zaganide, the two territory owners, were both victims of Han Jin. Without Han Jin, the secret of the underground city would not have been leaked out, Dismark would not be in such a disadvantageous position, and Zaganide would not have lost his base in exchange for the underground city. But despite all that, only a few had noticed the existence of Han Jin, and none of them had paid attention to this nobody.
Woodrow had planned to launch the civil war when both the four castellans of Beitman and Zaganide had suffered great losses after fierce wars, so that he could seize control of the entirety of Beitman, while Zaganide could only hide in his underground city to lick his wounds. That way, Woodrow would face no immediate threats. He was not a fool. Though he cooperated with Zaganide for now, he knew what kind of person Zaganide was, and had realized that he would have conflict with Zaganide sooner or later. Thus, Woodrow had not only entrapped the four castellans, but also his ally Zaganide.
His plan was perfect. However, a plan may not always be able to keep up with changes. His conspiracy was exposed too early, and the four castellans had perceived his ambition. In such a case, Woodrow had no other option but to start his civil war preemptively, otherwise any of the castellans who took control of Beit City could easily deprive him of all rights and powers!
His plan to gain the support of the troops and the people all went to ruin. The four castellans put up posters all around the city to announce Woodrow’s collusion with Zaganide. Naturally, the posters used exaggerated the tone to arouse fear in the hearts of the people.
A perfect plan was turned to shambles because of some seemingly insignificant meddling. Woodrow was in a very dire position now. His ambition for effortlessly sweeping over the entirety of Beitman seemed extremely silly at this point, as he could only hide in Beit City and try to survive.
However, as the saying went, the commoners suffer regardless of who seizes power! Though Woodrow was in a terribly difficult position, he was still a grand magician who had many high-grade professionals around him. Apart from this, Woodrow had many students in secret. He had arranged for them to launch guerrilla warfare against the four castellans, or to attack the villages and towns. All this resulted in great casualties for the civilians. The damage caused by Woodrow was not less than that by the vampires.
Along the way, Han Jin and the others had met many refugees who were fleeing with their families, from whom they got information about the current situation of Beitman. However, they had no intention to interfere with this. The team kept marching northward along the small towns near the border, and finally left Beitman.
With the help of Han Jin’s Daoist Arts, they traveled swiftly and comfortably while sitting on the back of a giant tortoise, enjoying the scenery along the way. It only took them half a month to arrive in Isolated Cliff City.
It had been a long time since they were last here, but the city had gone through little change. No matter how fierce the wars outside were, the people inside the city still lived a peaceful life. The Chamber of Commerce and the Mercenary Association, the two most powerful organizations who held the supreme power of the city, had never been involved in any of the external disputes.
Sylner’s house had been mortgaged. According to Moxinke, the process of getting it back would be complicated and time consuming. Thus, Han Jin and the others had to stay in an inn for now. The next day, they made a visit to the Mercenary Association and accepted some average tasks that only required them to hunt several seven or eighth-grade holy animals. Then, the group found a tavern to fill their stomach and decided to leave for the Tarasha Mountains the next morning through the teleportation matrix.
As an independent city, Isolated Cliff City was no less prosperous than Holy Crown City. In fact, the standard of living here was actually higher.
The city attracted many powerful mercenaries, who earned their money quickly, and spent it even quicker. Mercenaries had to worry about their survival every day, and were thus in a desperate need to release their emotions. Therefore, as long as they found something they like, such as wine or girls, they would not mind spending a fortune.
The tavern Moxinke had found was quiet. It was a proper establishment providing food and drink. Inside the hall were around a dozen tables, all of which were occupied. However, some of the guests sitting by the window attracted their attention. They were all young men and women, around twenty or more of them, and all were all dressed in long magician’s robes. The youngest one was only in his early twenties.
But on the other hand, Han Jin’s and his companions weren’t much older. Sunier was an elf and couldn’t be judged by the criteria of humans in terms of age. However, they had Moxinke with them. Though he was also young, judging from his full beard, it was easy to believe that he was over thirty.
Among the group of young people, the most eye-catching one was a woman sitting with her back to them. She sat by a table alone, and while the young men and women beside her were chatting lively, no one disturbed her.
A cloak and long robe covered her body. Han Jin could not see her face from behind, but each time she raised her cup or put down her tableware, her white and delicate hands could be seen. Her fingers were thin and long, and the backs of her hands were extremely beautiful and glimmering with an enchanting lustre.
Some of the mercenaries next to Han Jin fixed their eyes on the woman. If even her hands were so beautiful, how pretty would her face be?
Just then, a young man in a similar magician’s robe rushed in briskly and gasped, “No one! No one is willing to go!”
“We offered a high price, haven’t we?” A young man who seemed to have a high position among them frowned.
“I heard that there is a mercenary team called the Red Vanguards that is quite powerful. Have you talked to them?” another young man asked.
“I found them, but they refused to sign a contract with me when they found out we are going to the nest of a Hydra. And…” The young man hesitated.
“And what?” asked the young man of high position.
“And that there are easier ways to commit suicide if we are too tired of living.”
“Cowards!” The young man who seemed to be in a position of power sighed. “How can such cowards be mercenaries? They are even worse than us rookie magicians!”
They all burst into laughter. Aside from them, everyone else in the room were mercenaries. However, no one was bored enough to start a fight with a bunch of rookies. The mercenaries simply pretended to be deaf.
“Go to the Mercenary Association again and cancel our original task. Well… we can offer a higher price. Five thousand gold coins to take us to the Hydra’s nest, and whatever we get in there, we can share with them fifty-fifty.”
“If we still can’t find suitable mercenaries, we should go somewhere else,” another young man said.
“I told you not to come here, but you didn’t listen to me! Like I said, this is a waste of time.” A female magician chimed in as well.
“You guys want to earn some coins?” Reg suddenly asked in a low voice.
“Nonsense! They are going to a Hydra’s nest! Even the Red Vanguards didn’t dare take this contract, let alone us,” Sunier replied.
“Do you know how I became a seventh grade professional?” Reg smiled. “Tarasha mountains… Haha, I bet I know that place better than any of you!”
“So? Are you going to kill a hydra with your detailed knowledge of the mountain range?”
“No, but I know of an abandoned Hydra nest. We can just lead them there.”
“But… but aren’t we scamming them then?” Moxinke exclaimed.
“They asked for it.” Reg laughed. “I will follow that idiot out later to have a talk with him. If he only specifies in the contract that the task is to take them to a Hydra’s nest, I will accept the task! What do you think?”
“But they want a mercenary corp; at least, a small team,” Moxinke said.
“Simple. We leave together. I will follow that idiot, and you people will immediately register us as a mercenary team.”
