6kv Chapter 128 Everything is Melting
Chapter 128 Everything is Melting
Chapter 128 Everything is Melting
Heading from the savanna towards Twin Harbor, you are greeted by an endless wilderness.
A mercenary group was walking slowly, a dozen or so people in total, most of whom had their hands tied behind their backs, clearly prisoners.
A wooden cart followed behind the procession, piled high with disassembled crossbow parts, standing out conspicuously in the wasteland.
As darkness fell, the fat mercenary looked up at the quiet wilderness around him, and could still faintly hear the howls of wolves. He frowned and said, "Let's find a place to camp. It will take at least five more days to get to Twin Port."
He glanced at the wooden cart at the end of the line, a fleeting glint of greed in his eyes.
"If we bring this back, we'll definitely get a good reward."
Standing beside him was a thin, half-elf in a long robe, the same academic spellcaster who had been captured and brought back to the tavern with him earlier.
The man was filled with unease and said, "But the boss just left like that, what if something happened to him—"
The fat mercenary scoffed, "The Bloodline Purification Society has already wiped us out, so what danger could there be? Are we afraid of a few wild wolves?"
The boss himself said he had an urgent matter to attend to and needed to rush back, so don't overthink it. Besides, he's fully equipped with enchanted gear, so he won't be short of money.
.
"Stop dawdling, hurry up and see if there's a place to camp ahead."
The skinny half-elf nodded, but his unease remained undiminished.
He glanced at the other mercenaries, most of whom continued on their way, cursing and swearing, while others kept pushing prisoners, urging them to hurry up.
Just then, a mercenary suddenly shouted, "There's a village ahead!"
Everyone stopped and looked over, and there stood a Sussas-style village at the end of the wilderness and at the beginning of the road.
The skinny half-elf suppressed his unease and stopped with the fat mercenary. The other mercenaries also looked around warily.
Two mercenaries, both warriors, stepped into the village first, their hands resting on the hilts of their longswords.
The others followed behind, their hands resting on crossbows, staffs, and other weapons, ready to deal with any unexpected situations.
The village was eerily quiet. A dozen or so houses with red roofs and white walls were scattered around. The village should have looked warm and cozy, but now it was just a deathly stillness.
"Is anyone there?" a mercenary shouted at the top of his lungs, but only the sound of the wind answered him.
Everyone frowned. These people were all veterans who lived on the edge, but they had heard a lot of stories.
For example, cult sacrifices, abyssal monsters, and terrifying legends of Susas that could frighten children.
The eerie silence made them uneasy.
"Let's go, don't stay here any longer, it's safer to set up camp outside."
The fat mercenary made a decision immediately.
But his words were met with opposition. An old mercenary stepped forward and said, "No, we'll stay. I think the people in this village have probably fled."
"Escape?" The fat mercenary frowned.
The old mercenary continued, "Have you forgotten those bandits who were captured and killed by the Bloodline Purification Society? These people ravaged several villages in the surrounding area, as well as caravans traveling to and from the grasslands."
As he spoke, he roughly pulled over a prisoner next to him and ripped the rag out of the man's mouth.
"Tell me, what happened?"
The prisoner paused, looked around at the desolate surroundings, and stammered, "I don't know."
The old mercenary frowned and stuffed the rag back into his mouth.
The mercenaries immediately started discussing among themselves, each with their own thoughts.
Suddenly, a mercenary shouted, "I found a notice! It says that to prevent bandit attacks, the nearby villages and towns have relocated their residents to other places."
The old mercenary chuckled, kicked open the door of a room, and went inside. After a while, he said, "All the valuables inside have been taken away. They left normally."
The mercenaries exchanged glances, their hearts finally at ease, and even the fat mercenary who had initially objected relaxed his guard.
Only the thin, half-elf spellcaster remained standing there, frowning, sensing that something was amiss, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
The group decided to set up camp in the village and immediately divided the work. They paired up to choose their lodgings, lit fireplaces for warmth, and kept a close watch on the prisoners.
"I hope nothing bad happens."
The skinny half-elf gazed at the pitch-black night and muttered to himself.
In the middle of the night, the old mercenary was awakened by the urge to urinate. He could hear the even breathing of the others in the room, who were clearly fast asleep.
He opened his eyes and glanced outside. It was pitch black outside, and he couldn't see anything, but he felt relieved.
The team had already set up many alarm traps around the village, and if nothing happened, it meant everything was fine.
The old mercenary stood up, his gaze sweeping over the wooden cart loaded with ballistae outside the courtyard, a smile playing on his lips.
-
Once he receives the reward money, he can go back to his hometown and never have to do this dangerous job again.
He glanced at the sleeping crowd, tiptoed out of the house, and stopped just as he stepped across the threshold.
He turned around, grabbed a dagger, and gripped it tightly in his hand; it's always better to be careful.
In this Susas village, there are special outdoor latrines. The latrines are dug into the ground, and sand, lime, and shovels are placed next to them for cleaning and deodorizing—the people here have always collected their excrement to use as fertilizer.
The old mercenary put aside his random thoughts, gripped his dagger, and headed toward the outhouse.
He squatted down, unbuckled his belt, and after relieving himself, he pulled up his pants once the water stopped flowing.
"Hurry back, it's terribly cold at night."
The old mercenary gripped the dagger in his hand, and just as he was about to turn around, a soft click suddenly came from the side.
He followed the sound in the dim moonlight and saw that it was the fat mercenary in the group.
The old mercenary couldn't help but shout, "Hey, what are you doing?"
But the other party acted as if they hadn't heard, remaining mechanical.
The old mercenary's heart skipped a beat. Although his relationship with the fat mercenary wasn't exactly good...
But since they're all mercenaries, they never intentionally cause trouble for each other when doing missions together; it's a basic rule in their line of work.
He had a vague feeling that something was wrong, so he quickly walked forward and saw it clearly when he got closer.
The "fat mercenary" in front of me was expressionless, with a blank stare, and looked frighteningly unfamiliar.
The old mercenary froze on the spot, as if the blood in his veins had frozen the face of the corpse, which was none other than himself!
His face still bore the狰狞扭扭 (zhengning niu, meaning ferocious or twisted) expression of his dying moments.
"Who exactly are you?!" The old mercenary trembled with fear, backing away repeatedly, his voice cracking.
But at that moment, everything he saw underwent a strange change.
Whether it was the dazed, fat mercenary, his own corpse on the ground, the surrounding houses, or the distant wilderness, everything began to slowly melt away.
Like a wax figure, it gradually becomes blurry and dissipates.