Game of the World Tree

After bidding farewell to the old steward, the leaders of both mercenary groups made their way back to their camp, accompanied by a contingent of mages that was provided by the Borderlord.

However along the way, the once bright smiles on their faces dimmed considerably, replaced by a subtle tension that lingered within the air, evident in the cautious glances the two mercenary leaders exchanged.

The Breta and Owl Mercenary Groups are both veteran mercenary groups that operate along the empire’s Borderlands.

As such, like the half-orcs nearby, they initially gained their reputation by hunting elves, leading to occasional friction between them.

“Cynthia, despite our past differences, we are now confronting a black dragon. It may not be fully grown yet, but considering our combined strength, we must approach this operation with utmost seriousness. Let’s set aside our previous squabbles for the time being. I assume you wouldn’t want Crocodile to surpassed you, right?”

Kaynes glanced at Cynthia, speaking with a solemn tone.

Crocodile…

Upon hearing this name, Cynthia’s smile diminished even further, a shadow of gloom settling between her brows.

Crocodile’s Group is a mercenary group that has developed rapidly in recent years.

Although they lack high-end combat experts, the number of mercenaries under Crocodile is close to that of the veteran Owl Mercenary Group’s.

As for the Breta Group which was positioned as the top mercenary corp within the Borderlands, Crocodile treaded carefully to avoid offending them.

However, Cynthia’s Group didn’t share the same privilege.

This was evident in the Crocodile group’s acquisition of numerous lucrative commissions that once belonged to the declining Owl Mercenary Group, which left Cynthia seething with resentment.

“He’s just a bastard who somehow got lucky. Once we succeed in hunting the Black Dragon, the entire Maple Leaf Territory will know the might of my Owl Mercenary Group!”

Cynthia sneered.

“I heard… that Crocodile recently went to the Kingdom of Aries and supposedly landed a big contract. I reckon they’ll further bolster their strength upon returning this time,”

Kaynes remained noncommittal, merely displaying a facade of a smile before adding,

“You… better brace yourselves.”

Upon hearing this, Cynthia’s expression grew even more sullen.

But in the end, she forced out two cold laughs.

“That bastard Crocodile, it’s already been three months, yet they’re still no news about them. Who knows, maybe they’ve been wiped out in the Kingdom and we just haven’t heard about it.”

Kaynes just shrugged.

While he also found it strange that the Crocodile Mercenary Group still hadn’t returned after so long, without any news, he couldn’t believe that a mercenary group numbering in the thousands could be completely wiped out that easily.

I mean, come on… if a mercenary group of that scale were annihilated, the information brokers in the black market would’ve already been buzzing with rumors of their demise.

Yet, those intel brokers is still so quiet…

Perhaps… they’ve been held up by some other task?

Or maybe Crocodile encountered the half-orcs?

After all, he heard some rumors that said a few months ago, the half-orc tribes in the Desert of Death had raised another invading force, a whopping thirty thousand strong army.

It wasn’t clear whether the orcs were still targeting the Kingdom of Aries this time, but given their long-standing enmity with the Kingdom, it was a highly probable scenario.

If that were the case, then it wouldn’t be unusual for the Crocodile Mercenary Group to be dragged into such a conflict…

Nonetheless, so much time had passed. They should have already finished whatever they needed to by now, right?

It’s just strange that there’s still no news about them…

Kaynes shook his head and shrugged.

Forget it, what does it matter to me anyway?

“Let’s pack up and depart as soon as possible. We’re not too far from the Dark Mountains here. The longer we delay, the more likely it is for unforeseen circumstances to arise. If the black dragon senses anything, our task of hunting it will become significantly more challenging. In such operations… timing is crucial!”

Kaynes declared.

This time, they were thoroughly prepared and received substantial aid from the Borderlord as well. With just a juvenile black dragon to contend with, their prospects looked really promising.

However, Kaynes also didn’t forget that the black dragon, despite its relatively young age and inclination to be obstinate due to its malevolent nature, wasn’t foolish.

If it somehow got wind of their operation, then there’s a chance it might decide to flee in advance.

“I don’t need your lectures.” Cynthia, whose mood had soured due to thoughts of the Crocodile Mercenary Group, coldly retorted before heading towards her own camp with half of the mages.

Kaynes wryly shook his head, then began commanding his own forces to dismantle their makeshift camp and prepare for departure.

With a resounding whistle, the mercenary camp outside Maple Leaf City began to stir.

The mercenaries in the vicinity halted their dealing with the surrounding merchants and swiftly began packing their belongings under the watchful guidance of their respective captains, before seamlessly transitioning into a formation.

For a moment, dust clouds arose on the empty ground outside the city, stirred up by the brisk footsteps of the mercenaries as they prepared to embark on their journey.

Meanwhile, the merchants that roamed the camp also began to withdraw and merely stood aside to watch.

Their expressions betrayed a hint of regret, subtly etched upon their faces.

As the mercenaries geared up to leave, it finally hit them that their chances for doing business would take a nosedive…at least until they waited for these guys to come back from their hunting mission.

However, it’s uncertain how many days will that take, and most of them can’t stay in Maple Leaf City indefinitely.

Nevertheless, amidst the crowd of merchants observing the mercenaries, a handful of individuals stand out with pleased expressions, seemingly somewhat out of place among the rest.

These individuals belong to the Amway Trade Company.

They gathered closely together and exchanged whispers filled with excitement:

“Finally, these guys are leaving! It’s been three days! We’ve been waiting impatiently…”

“Their damn operation preparations took too long… I almost thought I’d run out of junk equipment to sell during these three days…”

“Shh…keep your voice down, it’s just junk items and not worth much contribution points. Besides… won’t it return back to us later on anyway? In any case… have you all gathered the intel we needed?”

“Yeah, I’ve got all the information we need on these mercenary groups.”

“Quick, upload it to the forums! Also… inform Boss Cat and the others! Afterwards, we’ll change our outfits and blend in with these mercenaries until we find the right time to sabotage their operation, hehehe!”

“Hehehe… That’s a good idea, I like it!”

“Hehehe!”

“Guys, stop laughing already and inform Boss Cat and the others!”

These individuals slip away sneakily, muttering about something.

Meanwhile, some of them also discreetly put on another outfit, disguising themselves as mercenaries, and stealthily join the rear of various departing mercenary groups…

At the border of the Elven Forest, Black Dragon Castle.

“They’ve set off.”

Little Salty Cat’s eyes widened as she read the message that popped up in her chat, a spark of excitement lighting up her face.

This time around, what the mercenaries didn’t know was that some players situated in Maple Leaf City were actually livestreaming everything, making it entirely visible for the wider playerbase to see and analyze every action of the other party.

Except for the specifics of the opponent’s strength, everything else was quite clear to the players.

Now, almost everyone on the server knew that the Borderlord was sending mercenary groups to hunt down Meryer!

The number of participating mercenaries is at least five thousand!

Essentially, a group of ‘fat lambs’ are unwittingly walking right into their doorsteps!

After hearing this, the players who were mostly active in the Elven Forest Map became excited.

Especially those who hadn’t yet broken through to the Peak of Iron-rank.

During these past few weeks, they’ve been simply grinding their levels by hunting mobs in the vicinity or the underground dungeon while watching enviously as those who were given access to the Map of Humankind enjoyed themselves and had a blast in Maple Leaf City!

But now… they finally had the chance to participate as well!

“How strong are they?”

Next to Little Salty Cat, Ji Gang, the Guildmaster of Autobots, was just as excited.

“Demacia uploaded the details on the forums. There are a total of thirteen people with Silver-ranked strength, including two Peak Silver-rank Experts, four intermediate Silver-rankers, and the rest are low Silver-ranked experts.”

“Also, there are about eight hundred mercenaries who have reached the Peak of Iron rank, and around three thousand with intermediate and lower Iron-rank strength… the rest are all mere apprentices.”

“Among these Silver-ranked bosses, the strongest is the leader of the Breta Mercenary Group, a level 70 shield warrior, skilled in…”

Little Salty Cat scrolled through the information listed on the forum, reading it out one by one.

The information was very detailed, all of which was gathered by players who had infiltrated the mercenaries’ forces.

“Based on their marching speed, they should arrive here in a maximum of four days.”

After stating aloud the information, Little Salty Cat promptly closed the forum post.

“That is to say…it’s equivalent to one day in reality?”

Ji Gang eagerly rubbed his hands together.

Little Salty Cat nodded.

“Yep, inform all the major guilds and tell everyone to prepare to mobilize for war!”

Then she added as an afterthought,

“Oh right! Also tell everyone not to be rash. It could cause more trouble than it’s worth if we attack them too soon. The NPCs in this game are really cunning and their response is too realistic, once they see they can’t win, I bet they’ll run faster than rabbits!”

— 316 —

【 DON’T LET THE ENEMY ESCAPE 】

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