Chapter 37

Chapter 37: Scene of Ambush

The carriage carrying passengers moved along the bumpy gravel road. This main route connecting the West Wind Kingdom and Vergha was relatively smooth, with deep ruts carved by the wheels of many caravans over the years.

Carriages of this era had poor shock absorption, and the uneven road made the journey quite bumpy for the passengers inside.

After the initial excitement wore off, the travelers began to feel drowsy, some closing their eyes to rest while others simply fell asleep on their seats.

Lolan Hill lowered her head and read a long letter she held in her hand. It was delivered by a silver-winged bird from the Tixilai Mountains, reporting on recent daily events in the mountain range.

The silver-winged bird was a Demonic Beast of the Original Sequence 2. Though small, it had gray feathers that gradually turned metallic silver at the edges. This bird could fly extremely fast and was hard to spot due to its size, making it an excellent messenger.

Before leaving, she imparted some military tactics and strategic knowledge to Canda, hoping to cultivate a group of officers. If it wasn’t during the busy farming season, she planned to have the rabbits organize training sessions, with all adult rabbit-eared people participating in turns.

She put considerable effort into ensuring every rabbit gained basic military skills, no longer panicking and fleeing when faced with danger.

Sometimes she would find Sequence 3 Gray Bone Gorillas to serve as sparring partners. These Demonic Beasts had tough skin and thick muscles, making them difficult targets for blades and swords, and they were incredibly strong, perfect for practical combat training.

After reviewing the progress of various plans, Lolan Hill folded the letter and placed it in the inner pocket of her cloak.

Currently, the training atmosphere was high. Perhaps due to sufficient food and improved living conditions, the courage of the rabbit-eared people had grown significantly. Some even took the initiative to join the training, expressing a desire to join the army. The current military strength in the Tixilai Mountains consisted mainly of city guards and a few Demonic Beasts. Large-scale armies were still being considered.

Just as Lolan Hill was pondering what kind of army to form, the carriage suddenly stopped, and shouts and commotion came from ahead.

“Something bad happened up front; many people died,” a large man ran over from the front carriage, opened the door, and shouted loudly.

The passengers inside grew anxious and began to disembark.

Five carriages carrying passengers were parked by the roadside, with many passengers already getting out and gathering ahead.

Lolan Hill also walked over curiously, hearing the commotion.

“Everyone, listen up. We should turn back immediately and return in a few days with a larger caravan. Continuing forward is too dangerous.”

“It can’t be that serious, right? Those who died were probably involved in a feud, not bandits. Look at those guards—they’re wearing iron armor; ordinary bandits couldn’t defeat them.”

Ahead on the road, seven carriages lay overturned and burning, covered in arrows like hedgehogs. Alongside the road, more than twenty dead guards lay, most killed by arrows, with a few resisting before being cut down with swords and knives, leaving no survivors.

The flames on several carriages hadn’t completely extinguished, emitting green smoke. Burnt structures carbonized and occasionally collapsed with a crackling sound, and the air carried the smell of burnt flesh.

“It doesn’t look like bandits did this. They didn’t leave any survivors and burned the carriages to destroy evidence. Bandits wouldn’t be so wasteful. Also, burning carriages draws too much attention. This road is a trade route between two countries, and troops frequently patrol to clear out bandits.”

The black-haired young man she had previously encountered calmly analyzed the situation. Although he spoke softly, the sharp-eared young lady heard him clearly.

Indeed, it wasn’t bandits. The young lady looked at the dead guards ahead, some of whom were Sequence 2 experts, far beyond the capabilities of ordinary bandits.

“Look, there’s the symbol of the Callithes Chamber of Commerce!”

A middle-aged man shouted, and everyone gathered around to discover that one of the overturned carriages had an unpainted Nightflower pattern on its other side.

The Callithes Chamber of Commerce was a well-known major trading house in Vergha. Though only established for a decade, it had rapidly expanded, primarily dealing in cotton textiles, oranges, furs, timber, and shipbuilding. The Nightflower was the exclusive emblem of the Callithes Chamber of Commerce.

“Tsk tsk, who dared attack members of the Callithes Chamber of Commerce? Don’t they fear retaliation? I heard they have several fleets equipped with cannons.”

“Who knows? Maybe the leader of Callithes is among the dead. Whether the Chamber will continue to exist is uncertain.”

“No way, isn’t the head of Callithes Angus? How could he die here?”

“A possibility exists. I saw him in Sajicheng a few days ago.”

“Really or not? If he really died here, this matter would be huge.”

Upon hearing this, the crowd grew fearful and began flipping through the bodies to confirm.

After a while, they confirmed that Angus’s body was indeed not among the dead.

“That’s good. What bad luck. If Angus truly died here, it could cause conflicts between the two countries, and we’d become scapegoats.”

The group felt a chill and ultimately decided to return the same way and report the situation to the West Wind Kingdom. Since the Callithes Chamber of Commerce had extensive connections, reporting this incident would draw attention from important figures.

Lolan Hill observed the chaotic scene before her, noticing bloodstains on the grass at the edge of the road, which stretched far away. However, these bloodstains were very faint and spaced apart, so others didn’t notice.

Taking advantage of the distraction, she quietly left the group. Soon after, the passengers boarded the carriages and returned the same way.

Following the bloodstains, Lolan Hill walked for a while until the trail ended.

She looked at the grass clearly trampled, guessing that the injured person must have bandaged their wound and flown away.

Few people possessed the ability to fly supernaturally, mostly relying on tools to achieve it.

But even if bandaged, it couldn’t escape Lolan Hill’s notice.

In front of a Sequence Demon, the faint scent of blood in the air was unmistakable.

At this moment, Lolan Hill no longer hid, swiftly moving through the forest. Her black cloak fluttered in the wind, silent as a ghost.

After traveling three to four kilometers, she slowed down. Subtle conversation came from behind a rock ahead.

“Master, are you feeling better?”

“I doubt it, Sares, let me down.”

Then came coughing and spitting blood, even though the voice was hoarse, Lolan Hill wouldn’t forget—it was Angus, whom she had spoken to just a few days ago.

(End of Chapter 37)