Chapter 295: Undercurrents (1/2)
Chapter 295: Undercurrents
The inky veil of night shrouded the entire mountain valley. Spring had arrived and the fragrance of flowers was still intoxicating, even at night.
In the quiet night, the low buzzing sound of insects accompanied the latent danger. Teams of mercenaries were stationed in every corner of the mithril mine in the mountain valley. The seemingly calm space was filled with prudence and alertness.
A group of black-armored people slowly crept through the thick bushes like shadows in the night, bringing with them a creepy, sinister atmosphere. Dark grand magus Edwin drifted above them in the air, guiding the way. Three hundred Death Guards followed closely behind without making a sound, similar to wraiths.
Two thousand mercenaries of the Cairo mercenary band followed behind the three hundred Death Guards under Laureton’s leadership. They slowly approached the mithril mine in the mountain valley. A mix of a dozen or so small forces were behind the Cairo mercenary band. There were probably more than a thousand experts wearing mercenary outfits of various colors.
Even though the three great powers had gathered to guard the the mithril mine, they still needed to leave members behind to guard their base. That was why they had only dispatched roughly a thousand mercenaries total. This number was only a third of Laureton’s two thousand elite mercenaries, the Calamity Church’s three hundred Death Guards, and the thousand plus experts from a dozen small forces.
A black mass of gas slowly suffused through the air as dark grand magus Edwin released a dark spell. A faint layer of mist suddenly shrouded the moonlit area in front of the mountain valley, as if all the moisture in the night had condensed together.
The originally buzzing sounds of the insects gradually died down for an unknown reason. The House of Menlo’s wind archmage Arthur had been resting with his eyes closed and seemed to sense the abnormal movement. Opening his eyes to scan the mountain valley, he muttered to himself, “What’s going on? Why did the sounds of the insects stop?!”
The voice of the orc warrior Caloric echoed from the tent to Arthur’s left, “Hey, Arthur, it’s late already. Hurry up and get some rest.”
“I feel like something’s not right. I’m going out to take a look.” Arthur mumbled before exiting his tent. He slowly floated up using the levitation skill and looked out towards the area beyond the valley. “Hmm! Why is it all fogged up?” Arthur asked himself and drifted out of the mountain valley.
There were all sorts of tents scattered around the mountain valley, and some energetic mercenaries patrolling between them. These people immediately welcomed Arthur when they saw him driftingin the sky. Several mercenaries from the Rainbow Sickle joked in a light tone, “This fellow can’t sleep at night, could it be he’s gone out to find some fun? Heh heh, this makes sense. It sucks being assigned to this kind of place.”
“Leave him be. We only need to worry about our shift.” Another mercenary promptly responded.
“Shush!” Edwin, approaching from this side, suddenly let out a light cry. He made a gesture to the Death Guards behind him. The shadowy advancing Death Guards quickly crouched down, hiding in the bushes without revealing a single sign of life.
Laureton’s eyes were sharp as he caught Edwin’s action. He immediately waved his hand towards the back. A lineup, as long and twisted as a dragon, instantly quieted down to slight breathing. These people were quite far from Arthur, so their slight breathing wasn’t heard.
Arthur flew out of the mountain valley, frowning as he looked out into the distance. However, he couldn’t find anything unusual. He stayed for a while, muttering a few words before returning to the mountain valley.
At this moment, the positions, according to the distance from far to near, relative to Laureton’s group were: the Rainbow Sickle mercenary band, the House of Menlo, and the Katar orc tribe. An orc warrior guarding outside the Katar orc tribe’s area was abruptly jolted by an ear-piercing whistle. After he reacted, he discovered an arrow nailed into the large tree next to him. A letter was tied to the still trembling tail of the arrow.
Adam’s House of Menlo was next. The two guards here were similarly snapped awake by an arrow with a letter tied to it. Lastly, it was the Rainbow Sickles’ turn. They were right in front of the mithril mine and also received a letter tied to a still shaking arrow.