Chapter 392: Act 148 – Deep into Thorn Ridge (Second Update)
As Diya entered the graveyard, Brendel’s party was making their way into the outskirts of the Loop of Trade Winds. The earlier incident concerning the disappearance of Faina and others was merely a minor episode for him — although Diya was one of the missing, the wild elf girl herself was a card creature, and Brendel could summon her at any time by resetting the Lubis Mercenary card.
Therefore, from the very beginning, Brendel never intended to turn back to search for anyone.
However, his decision to delve deeper into the Loop of Trade Winds was met with fierce opposition from the Erluin envoy. Earl Ouding almost sternly insisted that he turn back to search for the missing.
Indeed, if Brendel were a true Erluin person, he might have considered what the disappearance of a Cruz duke’s daughter would mean. Unfortunately, Brendel’s means of thinking, which resulted from the fusion of two souls, had been heavily influenced by modern people like Sue.
What were the Cruz people to him?
Even Veronika might not be able to protect herself entirely in this wolf disaster, not to mention that it would simply be suicidal to retrace their steps at this moment. If it were for his comrades, Brendel might fight desperately, but doing so for a few strangers simply wasn’t worth it.
Moreover, those Cruz nobles had previously plotted against him. Brendel considered himself no villain, but he was not a noble gentleman who repaid kindness with kindness either.
As for what the Erluin envoy thought, Brendel once again communicated through his actions that he did not care what these royalist characters thought.
Brendel chuckled to himself; these people often invoked the name of the kingdom. When he grows impatient and pulls out the silver badge of the royal knights, it would surely frighten them.
The common insignias of the royal knights were mostly made of brass, with only those of captain rank being able to possess silver pins, and the leader’s was gold-plated. In fact, even a captain would at least be a royal retainer.
Compared to his bond with the royal family, that was far closer than their ambiguous positions among the royalists.
Of course, Brendel knew that this was just wishful thinking. Although Princess Grifian had secretly given him the pin, he knew well that she might not be willing to expose her relationship with him. If he flaunted the pin to intimidate others, it could leave a bad impression on the future regent princess.
With Brendel’s current strength, he could indeed be unconcerned about how he would be viewed by the other party, but as a former aspiration, he still did not wish for it to be so.
Thus, he completely ignored those nobles, knowing full well that they wouldn’t dare to leave his group. The twenty or so of them wandering through this Black Forest was pure foolishness; the monsters within the Black Forest were not limited to just wolves.
Just as he expected.
Although Earl Ouding’s stance was one Brendel could not agree with, he was still clear-headed. Seeing this young man act stubbornly, he did not return the way they came as Lobolen had shouted, but shamefully followed along.
He clearly understood that if he chose to return, it was likely their group would never make it back.
Brendel turned back to glance at the Erluin envoy trailing behind him. The young lord had an inscrutable smile on his face as he lifted his gaze to see the silhouette of mountains rising and falling beneath the thick night veil.
In that direction, Thorn Ridge formed an open hilly area south and east of the Rose Wall, and crossing this hill would mark the true start of their journey into the northern branches of the Karanjar mountain range.
Brendel had forgotten the name of that branch, but even in the Thorn Ridge area, it could still be considered on the outskirts of the Loop of Trade Winds.
In fact, gazing around, he could already see a thin, veil-like mist wafting through the dark, forested mountains. This was only due to a pathway through the clouds being opened in the Loop of Trade Winds; otherwise, this place would typically be engulfed in thick fog.
Whether looking southeast or southwest, one could see the towering cloud wall reaching the skies, the dark clouds obscuring even the faintest stars — the height created an illusion that the clouds on either side bent towards the center, and being in this path made one feel insignificantly enveloped.
Even a casual glance was enough to leave one shaken.
Brendel took a deep breath, noticing the glimmers of blue light flowing atop the treetops of the Black Forest — that was pure magical energy, untainted by any force.
However, this magical energy quickly sank into the wilderness, turning black and forming monsters in the forest. The tide of magic had come, and the air seemed permeated with that flavor.
A silver moon illuminated the mountains and forests.
However, he soon paused, his retina’s green light web shifting, finally forming a line of text projected at an infinite focal point.
“Lubis Mercenary, Diya has entered the graveyard.”
Brendel exclaimed and immediately stopped to connect with the wild elf girl. To be honest, encountering difficulties in the Black Forest was not unexpected for him, but the suddenness still took him by surprise.
After all, Diya was a silver-tier elementalist; even if she encountered a small-scale wolf pack, she should at least have the capability to escape. Unless facing a direwolf.
Could it be that there was a third wolf pack in this area?
This made Brendel somewhat alert.
He consoled the young girl for a bit; amusingly, this was the second time the little girl had ventured alone into the graveyard. He couldn’t figure out why this lovely girl always had such bad luck — could it be because the red-handed soft girl had taken up all the good fortune for herself?
Diya turned out to be stronger than he imagined; she first complained about how painful it was to be stabbed with a sword, insisting that the lord must avenge her, before briefly describing the situation at the time.
When she mentioned the ability that turned weapons and magic to dust in the wind, Brendel’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. There were many spells capable of causing such an effect, but when combined with that unique effect of crumbling purple roses, there was only one possibility.
In Brendel’s view, the corrosive element wasn’t particularly strong, but the person who mastered it made his heart race. The Withering Lord Andisha — one of the twelve high priests of the Tree Shepherd, alongside Martha, was almost in the tier of top power in contemporary Vaunte.
How could that woman be here? Brendel’s heart raced as he thought about how his actions had already attracted the Cruz people, Bud’s wizard, and the Temple of Fire all at once.
Unexpectedly, now the Tree Shepherd was also inserting herself into the fray. Was the allure of the Lionheart Sword really that massive?
He quickly realized, however, that if the Lionheart Sword was truly part of the Flame Scepter, then the appearance of the Tree Shepherd here also made sense. The four sages were indeed one of their major arch-enemies, attempting to prevent the sage’s weapons from resurfacing.
This explanation seemed acceptable.
And knowing that the enchanting Andisha was here, Brendel was not at all surprised by the deaths of the Viscount Erluin and the young genius alchemist. He thought that not just them, even if he included ten of himself, he wouldn’t be enough to contend with that woman’s finger.
Yet Brendel felt slightly relieved; at least from Andisha’s act of abducting Faina, it seemed her target was indeed the Cruz envoy.
That was good.
Among the Cruz people, the War Goddess Veronika of the Azure Sky Legion was stationed. At this time, Veronika’s strength should be around level 70, at the peak of the Wall of Laws (elemental domain); although she might not be Andisha’s match, the Cruz envoy surely wouldn’t consist solely of Veronika.
Brendel was well aware that the Cruz were divided into several systems, with the knightly forces represented by the legion, as well as astrologers, court magicians, and temple powers.
Now that the Temple of Fire was approaching separately, there ought to be at least one grand magister Madeline or her allies within the Cruz envoy as well.
After hearing Diya’s description, Brendel calmed down and considered the situation. He thought that this Cruz operation was likely led by Veronika, and according to their custom, there should at least be two high-level wizards accompanying her.
With two high-level NPCs and Veronika, it was no wonder Andisha did not dare to act rashly; however, the encounter between the two would inevitably trigger an impulsive response. As Brendel thought about this, he couldn’t help but start to consider his own next moves.
A conflict between two high-level NPCs, with both sides being roughly equal in power, what did that represent in past games?
Brendel’s eyes lit up; this was practically the best opportunity to reap benefits. In the past, if he were in the Amber Sword, he wouldn’t have given it a second thought and would have immediately turned to see if there was something to gain from the ensuing chaos.
Picking up scraps after the geese, after all, was one of the basic traits of players.
But he soon calmed down, suddenly remembering that he was no longer a player. The engagement between NPCs of Veronika and Andisha’s caliber wasn’t something he could participate in; dying a dozen or twenty times would be entirely logical.
In past games, dying that many times could still result in some sort of return, but here it was different — Brendel hurriedly forced himself to cast this terrifying thought from his mind, fearing that a moment of excitement might cost him his life.
He took a deep breath, and suddenly felt a tiny bit relieved — regardless of how strong Andisha was, she probably wouldn’t consider Diya’s identity, and thus the woman likely wouldn’t realize that her movements had already been exposed.
Yet knowing that the old hag was active in this area significantly diminished her threat. Brendel was well aware of the twelve high priests of the Tree Shepherd, having even battled with some personally; he was also very familiar with their habits and styles of action.
“Is it alright?” Diya asked in confusion in his heart. “That woman seems quite powerful.”
“Don’t worry. She might be dangerous in the dark, but thank you, Diya,” Brendel replied.
Diya smiled sweetly.
At this moment, Brendel looked up and immediately heard a familiar voice beside him asking, “What’s wrong?”
Brendel was taken aback, quickly spotting Antinna looking at him with concern. Her bright eyes in the darkness made Brendel feel a bit uncomfortable, thinking — why did this noble girl seem to have her attention on him all the time?
“It’s nothing. What about you?” Brendel asked.
Antinna replied with slight annoyance, “Elder Ward has been looking for you for some time. You were lost in thought. I told him you were contemplating an issue, and he didn’t dare disturb you—”
The noble girl paused for a moment. “It seems like we have discovered other adventurers up ahead. You’d better go take a look.”
“Ah?” Brendel was taken aback.
……
(PS: The update at noon was 4000 words! Students, in light of my efforts, please give some recommendations, monthly tickets, and such~~~~) (To be continued. To know what happens next, please log in for more chapters, support the author, and support legitimate reading!)
