Chapter: Chapter 461
It would be better to go and fight the demons on the battlefield; at least their families might receive some compensation after death.
“That mountain range is extremely strange. Later, we encountered various terrifying monsters, much stronger than the wild beasts outside!” The old orc recounted his past experiences like pouring beans.
The strong orc sitting opposite him listened attentively, asking questions when anything was unclear. They talked until sunset, when the strong orc finally got up to leave.
A money bag appeared before the old orc. Upon opening it, he found it filled with brass-colored coins. The old orc took a satisfied sip of wine. With this money, he wouldn’t have to worry about his drinks for the next few days.
As for what the strong orc wanted to ask and why?
What did it have to do with him? Perhaps the man just wanted to seek death. There were quite a few ignorant young orcs like that over the years. Every time they came, they would ask the old orc about the situation in the Sleeping Dragon Mountain Range. Relying solely on this side income, the old orc was living quite well.
The strong orc, who was being maligned, had already walked out of the cramped little tavern. Two orc warriors waiting at the entrance of the tavern immediately came to his side, lowering their heads, ready to receive orders.
“Inquire further about any news related to the Sleeping Dragon Mountain Range within this small town. Our operation this time can only succeed, not fail. Do you understand?”
“Understood!”
The two subordinates immediately separated to leave. The strong orc stood in place for a while before heading towards a previously vacant manor in the town.
It had already been temporarily occupied by their mercenary group as a base. He was now going to report the situation to his boss.
About ten minutes later, he arrived outside a heavily guarded base. After verifying his identity, the black-armored guards on duty at the entrance moved aside, clearing the way.
Entering the manor, which had been a ruin just over ten days ago, the strong orc found his direction and walked towards the only wooden building in the manor.
As he approached the two-story wooden building, he heard terrified screams. A hint of helplessness appeared on the strong orc’s face. Had the leader lost his patience again?
Entering the small building, the strong smell of blood stimulated the strong orc’s senses, making him involuntarily fan the air near his nose. “Charlotte, put aside what you’re doing. I have something to say!”
The deep voice carried upstairs. The sound of the whip hitting flesh paused, and then a voice, louder and deeper than the strong orc’s, came from above. “Oh, my dear White, please wait outside the house for a moment. I’ll finish what I’m doing very soon!”
After saying this, the sound of the whip rang out again, and the sounds of wailing echoed once more.
White shook his head and turned to walk outside. He didn’t like torturing these slaves, but he wasn’t exactly disgusted by such behavior either. Almost all powerful orcs had this sadistic hobby; it was the general trend of the orc race.
A few minutes later, the wailing grew weaker and finally disappeared completely. White knew that another slave had died at Charlotte’s hands. This was already the nth slave, he had lost count.
“Knock, knock, knock…” Heavy footsteps approached. With a joyous “Hey,” a lion-like orc, even stronger than White, appeared by the main door.
The lion’s mane was still stained with specks of crimson, and he carried an unpleasant smell of blood. He moved like the wind to White’s side, spreading his arms as if wanting to hug his friend and right-hand man.
But White recoiled a few steps with a look of disgust. “You’d better clean yourself up before you hug me. I have urgent business with you.”
“Oh, our Eagle is as clean as ever. Go ahead, have you figured out the situation in the Sleeping Dragon Mountain Range?” Charlotte led White to some stones nearby, sitting down without caring about how much dust was on them.
“The situation in the Sleeping Dragon Mountain Range is not a secret here. However, according to the information I obtained, there are a large number of ferocious beasts in this mountain range, and their combat power and danger level are significantly higher than in other places.” White, with grey feathers on his head, looked unwell. “If we enter rashly, we might suffer heavy losses.”
“…Furthermore, is the information from those merchants really reliable? Will those guys really be in such a place?”
“White, that’s where you’re wrong. Doubting your employer is taboo in our line of work. Since we’ve taken on this mission, we must complete it seriously. I’m only regretting now that I didn’t charge more.” Charlotte laughed heartily a couple of times and patted his black armor forcefully. His face was full of confidence. “Don’t forget, we are not just any mercenary group. With these magical equipments, do we still need to fear those beasts?”
Even the lowest-ranking members of this mercenary group had a set of equipment with magical abilities. Coupled with their extremely high average strength, even if they fought against the battle formations of the Orc Royal Court, they might not be at a disadvantage.
Mere wild beasts were not a threat at all, at least that’s what Charlotte thought.
“But there’s also miasma in the mountains…”
“Are our strong orc warriors afraid of these? We just need to prepare antidotes!” Charlotte was a very traditional orc, meaning his mind was a one-track one.
With such a person as a leader, it was easy to lead the team into a pit. However, the customs of the orc race dictated that the strongest person must be the leader.
Unfortunately, among the orcs, the more stubborn they were, the easier it was for them to gain immense strength. Leaders who were both intelligent and powerful were almost non-existent.
Meeting such a boss would be like divine favor!
“Since you’ve made up your mind, I won’t try to persuade you any further. When do you plan to set off?”
“Tomorrow. Everything that needs to be prepared is ready, and the weapons have been sharpened. It’s time to let this mountain range know the strength of our mercenary group.” Charlotte laughed heartily a couple of times. “However, I still don’t understand why those merchants would pay us to hunt down those strange orcs. One head is worth more than ten gold coins. Do they have too much money to spend?”
“Didn’t you just warn me not to doubt employers? Why are you doubting them now?”
“Hey, rules are rules, but when have I ever followed them? Who cares if we mercenaries curse our employers behind their backs? Even the Great Chieftain can’t control us!”
The wild laughter echoed to the sky, causing White to involuntarily cover his forehead. This reckless fellow truly knew no restraint.
…
“One piece of good news and one piece of bad news. Which do you want to hear?”
In a small hotel room, three girls sat around in a triangle, facing each other.
The black-haired girl held up two fingers, showing a playful expression. “Xiao Baibai, you choose first.”
“Isn’t it all the same?” Bai Ling looked at Leticia helplessly and said, “The bad news, please.”
“Okay, then the good news is that I have successfully gathered information about the Sleeping Dragon Mountain Range.”
Bai Ling’s expression flickered with a momentary surprise, but considering Leticia’s personality, this result was quite normal.
This girl just liked to do the opposite of her. She was used to it.
“Aren’t you afraid of being deceived?” Linglong raised an eyebrow.
“I directly used hypnosis to search memories, so I’m not afraid of being deceived.” Leticia revealed an expression that said, “You’re still too young.” She was a dignified Demon King; was it wrong to get some information for free?
Not at all!
“The environment within the Sleeping Dragon Mountain Range is quite harsh, even described as hell on earth. All sorts of poisonous gases and ferocious beasts are rampant. If one enters rashly without sufficient strength, it’s tantamount to seeking death.”
“However, it’s not a big problem for us. Ordinary wild beasts cannot stop us, but I found something interesting in some people’s memories…” Leticia paused before continuing, “A few days before we arrived here, a group of mercenaries came to this town, also inquiring about matters within the Sleeping Dragon Mountain Range. And yesterday, those mercenaries have already departed for the interior of the mountain range.”
“They appeared here at such a coincidental time. Do you think it’s a coincidence?”
Faced with Leticia’s question, even Bai Ling, who disliked thinking the most, sensed something abnormal.
These guys appeared here at this time, with clear objectives heading towards the Sleeping Dragon Mountain Range. Any fool could see the problem.
“Moreover, people who have seen those mercenaries told me that they were all clad in black armor, and their weapons were also black. The specific style, by the way, is similar to the spear of that lion clan leader.” Leticia dangled her finger gently in front of her.
This information was dug out directly from the memories of eyewitnesses, so its reliability was extremely high.
“Is it those merchants?!” Linglong’s eyes widened in surprise.
“It’s highly likely, except that the ones directing this mercenary group should be the superior organization of those merchants. Their purpose for coming to the Sleeping Dragon Mountain Range is, by all accounts, not pure.” Nodding, Leticia continued, “At this time, coming to the Sleeping Dragon Mountain Range, known as hell on earth, and fully armed, what are they trying to do?”
Hunt magical beasts?
Don’t be ridiculous. Where are magical beasts not found? Why must they come to the Sleeping Dragon Mountain Range to increase the difficulty for themselves?
A crack mercenary group coming to the Sleeping Dragon Mountain Range clearly indicates they are here to kill someone!
So, is there anything within the Sleeping Dragon Mountain Range worth being surrounded and killed?
For ordinary people, the answer would be no. In their eyes, there was no way people could be living in the Sleeping Dragon Mountain Range.
But that was not the case. At least this time, Leticia and the others were here to find the Dragon people who lived in seclusion in the Sleeping Dragon Mountain Range.
“Their target is my kin?!” Linglong also immediately understood the connection. Those mercenaries could only be coming for her people.
Besides that, she couldn’t think of anyone else who could provoke such a large mercenary group.
Over a hundred elite warriors clad in armor were a force to be reckoned with even on the great grasslands!
The Steel Spear Clan Leader that Linglong had defeated before was not even comparable to the weakest member of this mercenary group.
“Most likely. It’s not like they’re coming for you and me.” Leticia shrugged. Only a few people knew Linglong’s destination. If those people leaked the information, then Linglong shouldn’t even think about becoming the leader of the orc race; she should just go back to sleep.
“That’s true.”
“Then are we going to eliminate those guys now?” Miss Bai raised an eyebrow. She didn’t understand all the intricacies; she only knew that if the enemy was cut down, it was done.
“Can’t your idea be more peaceful?” Leticia glanced at Bai Ling helplessly. Why was this Sword Saint more bloodthirsty than her, the Demon King?
“Although I’m not very willing to conflict with that force, judging by the situation, we are bound to have friction with them.”
The other side was here to kill Dragon people, while Leticia and the others were here to unearth some secrets of the Dragon people and, at the same time, help Linglong find a way to achieve perfect transformation into a dragon.
One side wanted to kill Dragon people, while the other wanted to have friendly communication with the Dragon people. Linglong was also a pure Dragon person. This was completely irreconcilable!
“So, I’ve decided!” Leticia slammed the table fiercely. “Destroy those guys, and then shift the blame to the Dragon people!”
“So your method is still to kill those guys?” Bai Ling’s eyes widened. She had never met such a shameless person. She had just said her idea should be more peaceful, and in the next breath, she was talking about killing all those mercenaries.
Was she contradicting herself? But judging by Leticia’s imposing manner, she didn’t seem to think so?
“Wrong, completely wrong! My plan is this: first, follow behind these mercenaries…” Leticia eloquently described her evil plan.
≥Q@裙}琉≥硫#$尔?>!~琉)另+)(*^澪+)(*^八?兒、?/>耳If they appeared directly before the Dragon people, they would certainly be suspected. Although they could understand, it would still make them feel uncomfortable.
But if they could suddenly appear when the mercenaries attacked the Dragon people, saving the Dragon people from dire straits like heavenly deities descending, wouldn’t that directly win the trust of the Dragon people?
After hearing Leticia’s simple plan, Linglong disagreed somewhat. “But after the fight, wouldn’t the kin still suffer casualties?”
If they could resolve these mercenaries in advance, why delay?
“This is somewhat my selfishness. This mountain range is a bit unusual. I want to keep them around and let them explore this mountain range. This is a rare piece of free labor.” Leticia said carelessly, spreading her hands. “Besides, these guys might not necessarily be able to find the Dragon people’s location. If they can’t find the Dragon people and get wiped out, then we won’t have to act.”
Doing bad deeds would always leave traces. If the deity on the other side was very protective, then Leticia would have nowhere to cry.
She had already killed a merchant. If that deity had a clear consciousness, they would probably realize Leticia’s existence by now.
Once might be understood as a protest against overstepping boundaries, but a second or third time might be interpreted as a declaration of war.
