Chapter 886

Chapter 886: The Retreat of the Fire-Eyed Wren

“Fire-Eyed Wren? I thought you wouldn’t come,” the executioner said without surprise, as this was exactly what they had hoped for.

“Men!”

He shouted loudly, and soldiers wielding crossbows appeared on the rooftops around the square, their bowstrings taut with enchanted arrows shimmering with magical light. Despite the Moroz family not being immensely wealthy, they could still afford such enchanted arrows.

“Prepare, fire!” Following Baron Moroz’s earlier instructions, the commander didn’t wait for any excuses and gave the order to shoot.

The rapid sound of arrows cutting through the air echoed, black arrows leaving faint traces in the sky before striking the people on the platform.

Seeing this scene, the onlookers who had been watching the commotion fled in panic, fearing they would be caught in the crossfire. Fortunately, neither side cared much about these civilians and allowed them to leave.

In a rush, crimson sword light slashed across the platform, cutting down several arrows, but some still pierced through, drawing blood.

Watching her subordinates injured, the woman holding the crimson sword frowned. Her eyes narrowed sharply, and the longsword in her hand emitted a sharp tremor as it tore through the air at lightning speed, sending several sword beams towards distant soldiers.

She likely possessed Sequence 5 strength, which allowed her to engage in long-range attacks.

Several sword beams tore through the roof tiles, causing soldiers and debris to fall with cries of pain.

Seeing this, ordinary people nearby fled even faster, leaving the square increasingly empty.

“Do you dare resist? Are you trying to rebel?” the executioner questioned and roared.

“No, no, no. You can’t just accuse us ‘Fire-Eyed Wrens’ so easily. In fact, we only came because we received news that our comrades were in danger and needed rescue,” the mature woman replied, dressed in white pants and jacket. She effortlessly swept away the sparse crossbow bolts and answered the executioner’s question with composure.

Then, she sent more sword beams, forcing the remaining archers to fall before she retracted and led her followers to jump down from the high platform.

“Now let’s talk about the real issues.” She twirled her sword, creating an orange-red flower of light, illuminating the quiet town as she approached the executioner.

Protected by guards, the executioner silently watched the woman until she was within ten meters before halting her.

“Stop. Speak your mind here.”

“Alright.” The woman with the crimson sword smiled and truly stopped, standing in place.

“I believe I have shown my sincerity. Can Baron Moroz demonstrate his honor and trust?”

With that, she glanced around, seemingly searching for Baron Moroz to emerge from one of the buildings.

“He’s not here. Tell me what you need,” the executioner waved his hand, temporarily stopping his soldiers.

“Really? If I tell the truth, will it expose Baron Moroz’s secrets?” She pressed her red lips with her free hand, leaning forward with a cunning smile.

“How could you know Moroz’s secrets?” The executioner remained unmoved, shaking his head.

“However, if your organization returns the stolen treasure, we can spare you and not pursue further.”

“Treasure? Sorry, I don’t know anything about any treasure. Perhaps you could tell me what Baron Moroz’s treasure looks like,” she replied.

“You…” The executioner was momentarily speechless. This was information he hadn’t known before, and Moroz hadn’t instructed him on how to handle it.

The scene fell silent for a moment.

Far from the square, in a restaurant on the second floor, Lolan Hill and Lotte sat by the window, watching the distant events through the gaps in the curtains. Though separated by hundreds of meters, as both were Extraordinary Beings, they could clearly see what was happening.

“What’s going on?”

Lotte was curious. Today she wore a black coat with an added layer of sweater due to the cold weather. This sweater was knitted by Lolan Hill.

“It must be some secret treasure,” Lolan recalled the few pieces of information she had heard in the forest. It seemed the ‘Fire-Eyed Wren’ organization had been paying close attention to Baron Moroz for a long time.

“There are also local legends that the Moroz family hides past treasures in the forest.”

“That’s interesting,” Lotte listened, as if remembering something, her gaze drifting as she sank into memories.

Soon, the sound of intense fighting broke out in the square, as the black-clothed soldiers clashed with the ‘Fire-Eyed Wren’.

Not only were there sparks and sounds of swords clashing, but there were also occasional gunshots. Since the end of the great war, some technologies had begun to spread from Rourna to the world.

To be honest, Lolan Hill didn’t want to get involved in the conflict between the two sides. If it weren’t for the previous lockdown, she might have left and moved on to the next destination. But now that they were fighting, it was a good opportunity to observe their capabilities.

Through her conversations with mercenaries and inquiries from Miss Sharin, she gradually understood the origins of the ‘Fire-Eyed Wren’ organization.

After the empire conquered this land centuries ago, some officers and soldiers who earned merit were granted fiefs and established castles across various regions, ruling over their lands.

But because many came from the central empire or other provinces, arriving in this remote area, they feared being forgotten or losing touch with the central government. Thus, an organization quietly emerged.

This was the ‘Fire-Eyed Wren’. Like nightingales, they passed through forests and mountains, discreetly conveying information from the capital and other provinces to soothe the anxiety or unrest of newly emerging nobles.

In the early days, the nobles valued the ‘Fire-Eyed Wren’, investing heavily in it, making it almost a semi-official organization in the south, acting as the eyes and ears of the local nobility.

They used it to understand the situation in the capital and the affairs in the south, solidifying their rule.

However, over time, this close relationship began to weaken. The nobles settled in for the long term, becoming familiar with the land, establishing private armies, and forming robust governance systems. They found other channels to obtain information, no longer relying entirely on this organization.

Additionally, the powerful Basca family, which integrated the southern region, could not tolerate such a large intelligence organization operating within its fief. The Red Dragon Dukes began to manipulate the organization, trying to bring it under their complete control.

This process was nearly successful, as the weakening ‘Fire-Eyed Wren’ needed support.

Unfortunately, the war changed everything. The once prosperous Basca family declined, and the southern region’s dynamics shifted. The royal army took over, changing the landscape.

As Lolan Hill reflected on recent information, a roar echoed from the square.

“Is Baron Moroz really pushing us to the brink?”

Inside the square, the originally agile dozen or so ‘Fire-Eyed Wren’ Extraordinary Beings lay on the ground, only a few standing, all wounded. Around them, besides the original guards and black-clothed soldiers, there were also a dozen soldiers in fresh red uniforms.

Their movements were particularly precise and steady as they drew their guns, suggesting these Sequence 3 soldiers were elite from the empire.

One red-uniformed officer unfolded his saber beside him, looking at the fallen figures, blood dripping from the tip of the blade.

“Not much to it,” he sneered at the ‘Fire-Eyed Wren’ members before sheathing his saber slowly.

“Bind them up and take them away.”

“Yes, sir.” The soldiers behind him followed orders and began to act.

The only one still standing was the mature woman with the crimson sword. However, her condition wasn’t much better, with streaks of blood on her disheveled golden hair, her eyes fixed on the approaching red-uniformed officer.

“You’re not part of Baron Moroz’s men; you’re under the Regent’s command.” Officers above Sequence 6 in the southern region were rare, so how could he be here?

“Correct. Although His Highness isn’t in the south, he remains very interested in organizations like yours. If you’re smart, you’ll surrender your weapons. That’s best for you and your companions,” he held his saber in front of him, looking down at her with confidence.

“Tsk.” Hearing this, the woman spat, though displeased, she couldn’t refute immediately. She needed to consider her companions’ lives and couldn’t act recklessly.

“Thank you for your kindness, Regent, but I can’t just surrender,” she said as a loud eagle cry echoed again.

A swift shadow plunged from the sky, piercing through the wet, cold air of the forest, diving toward the square. This was an Extraordinary Black Eagle renowned for its speed.

Seeing the woman about to escape with the black eagle, the red-uniformed soldiers aimed, their fingers pressing the triggers, while their alchemical crystal guns charged.

“Stop.” The officer drew his saber again, blocking the guns and halting the shooting.

“Let her go.”

“Yes, sir.” The soldiers obeyed, putting away their crystal guns.

Accompanied by the prolonged cry of the eagle, the woman took off again on her mount, though less proudly than when she arrived.

“Let her go. We need a messenger to send back the message to negotiate with this organization,” the officer said casually, turning around to watch the distant shadow.

“Now, let’s enjoy a few days of leisure in this small village,” he ignored Baron Moroz’s men, leading his people away, taking the ‘Fire-Eyed Wren’ members along.

For these elite troops directly under the royal command, Baron Moroz’s wealth and schemes were insignificant.

They had quelled several rebellions by high nobility in the south, seizing countless treasures and artifacts. Honestly, there was nothing particularly impressive.

Perhaps in the past, there were rare Extraordinary weapons and armor, or unique Extraordinary techniques.

But times had changed.

Past Extraordinary techniques were no longer applicable. Everything had to start anew. Rare Extraordinary weapons struggled to perform well under the barrage of crystal guns.

It was just a matter of firing a few more rounds.

This was the current southern army’s confidence, having absorbed advanced tactics and systems from the war, beginning to crush internal old forces.

When the powerful Basca family fell, other southern nobles could no longer counterbalance pressure from the central court. Either they aligned with the court, sacrificing most power and fiefs, or they rebelled, becoming crushed corpses beneath the wheels.

“It’s over.”

Listening to the gradually quieting scene outside, the restaurant’s atmosphere, which had been quiet, became lively again as people discussed the elite soldiers from the provincial capital.

“They must be the royal direct corps. Look at their armor and weapons, they’re simply luxurious,” a few poor adventurers envied.

“Although the Regent isn’t much of a general, he excels at acquiring resources.”

“Pfft, just because he plundered the Basca family and sacrificed the Red Dragon, what’s there to be proud of?” As a local resident, he felt closer to the Bascas.

“Now that the south is in this state, the royal family has no face.”

“If they hadn’t started the war and then surrendered first, none of this would have happened. Now, the empire’s glory is like a rag in the mud, no one cares anymore.”

“If I had Sequence 8 strength, I’d storm the Rose Palace and cut down that false king, just like his brother,” a drunk man said, his face flushed, sharing his thoughts.

“Hush.” His companions were terrified, covering his mouth to stop him from saying more nonsense, then nodding to others and quickly settling the bill to leave.

Listening to the surrounding chatter, Lolan Hill didn’t speak, lowering her head to eat her food again.

Actually, killing Edlen, a familiar classmate, wasn’t difficult for her. But what was more challenging was ending the empire’s chaos and establishing a new order everyone could accept.

She had theories, but theories were just theories. The empire wasn’t Kranxia, and not everything could be copied from past experiences.

That would be no different from repeating historical mistakes.

Perhaps she should ask the farmers and hunters in the mountains what they wanted or needed.

Compared to the few nobles and soldiers, these weary, poorly dressed people were the majority in this land.

Unfortunately, in the past, the majority, like trees on a mountain, were overlooked and unseen. They considered themselves humble, accepting everything without hope or pain.

Life was like a cold, rugged mountain path, hard to walk, but they were accustomed to the stones causing blisters.

Time made them grow, but also taught them silence and submission, for that was how they survived.

Now, how could she ignite the wet, cold firewood again? How could she make them believe that the long, eternal winter could end and that the future would be better and more real?

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(End of Chapter)