Chapter 422

Chapter 338 – Meeting

On the northwest outskirts of Tivyán, there is a hilly area with undulating terrain. This area is covered in dense forests, which can be considered vast for being near a large city. It’s quite rare to have such an extensive forest that is seldom open to the public so close to a major metropolis.

In the winter forest, the ground is covered with decaying leaves and damp soil. Most of the trees in the forest have shed their leaves, leaving only thick trunks extending gnarled branches that sway slightly in the cold wind.

During the day, the sky over Tivyán is thick and white. On a small hill within the forest on the northwest outskirts, several figures stand here. At the forefront is a woman in her forties, with a thin face, wearing a black cotton cloak. She wears a fur cap and stands in the cold wind, accompanied by several attendants dressed differently. They all stand in the cold wind as if waiting for something.

This woman is Larina from the Underworld Coffin Cult, and those standing around her are her subordinates. These subordinates are watching their surroundings with wary expressions. Though they are not many in number, many ghosts are lurking in the unseen areas nearby, causing the temperature around them to drop several degrees.

At the center of the open space on top of the hill, there is a small wooden table. On the table sits a lantern. Two of Larina’s subordinates are guarding the table.

On the hill, the ghosts and her subordinates are on high alert, while Larina herself holds a monocular telescope, peering into the distance. In the direction she is looking, a massive stone structure stands in the distant forest.

The not-so-high walls twist sharply at sharp angles, eventually forming a complete giant star shape. This star-shaped wall overlaps in layers, spreading outward like a sharp flower blooming on the earth. Outside the outer wall, there are gentle slopes and deep trenches, while inside the wall, various buildings stand tall. Flags flutter above the walls, and through the telescope, Larina can clearly see the flags bearing the insignia of the Prit Army and the Prit Kingdom. Red and white soldiers patrol the walls.

It is evident that this is a fortress, a military stronghold standing outside Tivyán, not too small in scale. After staring at the distant building through the telescope for some time, Larina lowers it, her brows slightly furrowed.

At this moment, a man wearing a simple coat and a thick hat runs from afar to Larina’s side. That man is Kale, who respectfully stands before Larina and reports:

“Lady, we have thoroughly investigated the area within a few hundred meters. There are no abnormal situations; no ambushes. We have also dug through the soil under the trading location and found no traces of traps. The trading location can be considered safe.”

Kale reports to Larina, saying that they had arrived in Tivyán days ago to prepare for this transaction. Their main efforts since then have been gathering intelligence and exploring the trading location.

Tivyán is not a place where the Underworld Coffin Cult has significant influence, so they must be more cautious. This trading location was chosen by the thief. There could be traps or ambushes set up, so they must position themselves early and conduct a thorough investigation.

“There are no abnormalities… did those thieves not tamper with anything in this area?”

Listening to Kale’s words, Larina paused slightly, then continued asking. Kale responded affirmatively:

“No, Lady! Our people and ghosts have been monitoring this area since the day before yesterday. No suspicious individuals have approached. As far as this place is concerned, it can be considered absolutely safe!”

“Just this place…” Listening to Kale’s statement, Larina raised her eyebrows and continued:

“From your tone, it seems… there are problems elsewhere?”

Larina slowly said, and Kale nodded, pointing to the fortress at the end of his line of sight:

“Yes, the biggest problem is that Prit Fortress over there. Although it is far away, its surveillance range is very wide. Many patrols and sentries can be encountered within about five hundred meters of it. The defenses of this fortress are strong, and the soldiers’ equipment is excellent.”

Looking at the towering fortress in the distance, Kale paused for a moment, then continued:

“More importantly, our ghost reconnaissance discovered that when approaching the fortress by about a kilometer, there is a powerful anti-spirit effect in operation. The sentries near the fortress seem to be equipped with Radiance Lamps for inspection. One of our ghosts was discovered because it got too close, and immediately, patrol personnel skillfully used sealing sigils to seal our ghost. If we hadn’t reacted quickly and hidden in time, we might have been discovered…

“Lady… that fortress seems to have very complete extraordinary defenses, not just any ordinary military stronghold. Although the distance from there can be considered safe, given the strong defense both in conventional military terms and in the hidden extraordinary realm, we still need to handle this cautiously…”

Kale said to Larina, listening to which, Larina did not respond immediately but turned her head again to look at the distant fortress. After scrutinizing it for a few moments, she murmured:

“The heavily guarded military fortress next to the Prit capital, with complete extraordinary defenses… interesting…”

At this moment, Larina is contemplating the role of that military fortress in the distance and already has some suspicions. Just then, another subordinate approaches Larina and Kale, pointing to one side and hurriedly reporting:

“Madam Larina, someone is coming. Three carriages are climbing the slope. They should be the targets!”

Hearing the subordinate’s words, Larina and Kale were startled and walked towards the direction he pointed. After a short while, they saw three carriages lined up on the gentle slope of the small hill, climbing up the path. Two were large freight wagons, and one was a smaller passenger carriage.

Each of the two freight wagons is pulled by two horses, driven by two ordinary-looking coachmen. The cargo on the wagons is covered with canvas, making it impossible to tell what it is, but the strong spiritual aura is easily sensed by Larina and the other “Silence” extraordinary beings present.

This is a feeling unique to the “Silence” spirit! The Underworld Coffin Cult extraordinary beings present judge in their hearts. As a White Chalk Tier extraordinary being, Larina further senses a familiar spiritual body aura from the cargo, one she once hunted.

“They’re here…”

Watching the carriages slowly ascending the hill, Larina clenched her teeth, a hint of anger appearing in her expression, but she quickly suppressed it. She turned her head and asked the subordinate who had reported earlier:

“Only these few people?”

“Yes, only these few. According to the ghost report, there are three carriages and three coachmen. There is also a passenger on the last carriage. Besides these, there are none others.”

The subordinate reported to Larina. Then, Larina used her White Chalk Tier soul sense to perceive the three carriages in front of her. Through her perception, she discovered that the three coachmen do not have souls, while the passenger carriage does. Based on this sign, she made her judgment in her heart.