Chapter 74: Departure

To my surprise, when I turned around, I saw a tall, sturdy woman standing behind me, not anyone I knew. She was wearing the tight leather armor favored by mercenaries, and her facial features were as sharp and rugged as a man's, exuding a sense of valor and determination. It was hard to guess her age, but she looked to be around 30, though she gave off a more weathered impression. The most striking thing about her was the strong smell of alcohol and her fiery red, shoulder-length hair. She held a large bottle, which was likely the source of the alcohol smell. Despite the strong odor, she didn't come across as unpleasant, with a friendly and relaxed demeanor, as if she was naturally familiar with everyone, regardless of whether they were strangers. Such a person reminded me of the carefree wanderers from ancient times in the original world, or a female hero who was already drunk early in the morning...

From her appearance, if I'm not mistaken, she should be Kasha, one of the elders of the Rogue Encampment, who holds the military power of the entire camp.

"Kid, you look tall and strong, with a commanding presence. How about helping me out?" she asked.

If I hadn't seen Stephen Chow's *Kung Fu*, I might have been fooled by her words, but unfortunately, I had, and more than once. Her words only made me more cautious—any random barbarian on the street is taller and stronger than me, and in terms of presence, yours is much stronger than mine.

"Lord Kasha, what do you need me to do?" I said with a smile. She gave off a very approachable vibe, making it hard to be overly formal with her, which might be exactly what she wanted.

"Oh, you know me, that makes things easier. Come, come, come."

She patted my shoulder and led me to a rotten log by the roadside. She kicked off the snow with her foot, sat down without minding the cold and dampness, and took a swig from the bottle, exhaling a cloud of alcohol-laden mist.

"You must be Wu Fan, right? I've heard a lot about you from Akara. You seem to have good skills, so I'm asking for your help!"

"Kill Blood Raven?" I replied without hesitation.

"Exactly. Let me tell you, this is a glorious mission. I wouldn't ask just anyone to do it." She took another drink, looking as if I should feel honored.

This time, it was my turn to be puzzled: "Lord Kasha, aren't you surprised that I know what you're going to say?"

"Are you an idiot? Which Level 10 mercenary in the Rogue Encampment haven't I asked to do this? What's so strange about it?" She looked at me as if I were the idiot, then realized her words contradicted her earlier statement and laughed it off.

"However, I usually approach high-level small teams. You're the first solo mercenary I've asked, well... except for that hot-tempered little girl, Sharla."

Isn't that the second time? I rolled my eyes.

"It's not that I won't help, but what do I get in return?" Since Kasha's personality is like this, there's no need to beat around the bush.

"Kid, are you so mercenary? Don't you think this is a glorious mission?" Kasha glared at me, but her eyes still held a smile, indicating that she appreciated my straightforwardness.

"Glory can't be eaten. I'm a Druid. Why should I provoke Blood Raven, who is a nightmare for melee fighters?" Seriously, do you think I'm a hot-blooded youth?

"Well..."

Kasha thought for a moment and then said with a pained expression, "How about the Medal of the Best Warrior of the Year? With this medal, you get a 10% discount on purchases in the Rogue Encampment. That's a tangible reward, right?"

She pulled out a dirty, round iron medallion and waved it in front of me proudly.

"..." Kasha, are you really the leader of the warriors? Are you sure you're not one of those unscrupulous merchants from the Trade Federation?

Seeing that I wasn't moved, Kasha thought again. Suddenly, she leaned in mysteriously, "I heard you don't have a mercenary yet, right? If you help me, I'll pick the prettiest and most capable mercenary for you. How about that? I'm the head of the mercenaries in the Rogue Encampment, so I know them all."

"..." Are you turning into a madam now?

Seeing that I still wasn't moved, Kasha scratched her fiery red hair in frustration.

"Ah, young people these days are so picky. I don't have anything good on me; all my silver coins are spent on alcohol." She bent down and drew something in the snow with her finger, then brushed the snow off her fingers.

"The Cold Plains and the Burial Grounds are separated by a foggy forest. It's easy to get lost if you don't know the way. This is the map of the foggy forest. Remember it, or don't blame me if you get lost. Also, Blood Raven has a medallion like this." She showed me the medallion she had just given me.

"Take it off her after you kill her. It won't disappear, so don't worry." Kasha rambled and then left with her bottle, not giving me a chance to react.

I looked at the map in the snow. It was rough, but I could understand it. But why was she so sure I would go after Blood Raven? Was it another of Akara's prophecies? And that medallion, it's clearly from Blood Raven, yet she tried to pass it off as the Medal of the Best Warrior of the Year. You need to have a script to lie, right?

After a while, I memorized the route and turned to leave. I went to the training ground, where Sharla was already practicing.

"I heard Kasha talked to you just now?" As I approached, Sharla suddenly asked me.

I was taken aback; I didn't expect the news to spread so quickly.

"Yes."

"Is it the mission to kill Blood Raven?"

"Uh-huh."

She shook her head, "Blood Raven is a nightmare for melee fighters. If you're going, you should find a few Mages or Amazons. Don't be overconfident."

"Have you done this mission before?" I asked curiously.

Sharla was silent for a moment, then pulled out a gray medallion from her bag, the same one Kasha had shown me.

"I was tricked!" Her deep blue eyes burned with unquenchable anger. Seeing her sulking, I couldn't help but chuckle—what a silly sister, so easily tricked. Think about it, Kasha is just the leader of the warriors; how could she make other merchants offer discounts?

Sharla glared at the medallion as if she wanted to crush it, but ultimately decided it was a trophy with some sentimental value and threw it into her inventory.

"Brother, it's not necessary to do this mission, but remember, don't provoke her." After venting for a while, Sharla turned to me seriously.

"Uh... don't worry, she's an elder of the Rogue Encampment, not someone I can provoke."

"That's not what I mean." Sharla shook her head.

"Everyone thinks I'm the strongest in the Rogue Encampment, but she is, and she's much stronger than I am now."

After saying this, Sharla fell silent and focused on her target, as if venting something. I was shocked—only someone as competitive as Sharla would say such a thing. This Kasha must be no simple character. Actually, none of the four elders of the Rogue Encampment are simple, especially the head of the Magic Union, whom I haven't met yet.

However, Kasha's words woke me up. Yes, I've been in the Rogue Encampment for almost two months, and my magic training has hit a bottleneck. The aerial ambush isn't something that can be completed in a day or two, and Lar and the others have returned. I've seen everyone I needed to see. I shouldn't be complacent in this comfortable atmosphere. Relaxing after a kill is important, but forgetting the taste of blood is dangerous. The ancient saying "born in adversity, die in comfort" is especially true in this world.

"Brother, what's wrong?"

Sharla saw me standing there silently and asked curiously.

"I think I should go out and train."

"Really?" Sharla seemed pleased.

"I was just thinking the same thing. It seems we have the same idea."

My heart sank, "When do you plan to challenge Andariel?"

"Soon. When I reach Level 24, I'll set out." Sharla's confident eyes gazed westward, toward the cemetery in the Convent, Andariel's lair.

I was silent for a moment, "When the time comes, please let me know. If I'm not there, wait for me, okay?"

"I can let you know, but you can't come with me." Sharla looked at me with her bright blue eyes, as if she wouldn't tell me if I didn't agree.

"Understood, I promise." I forced a smile and began my bow training for the day.

In the evening, Lar and the others were all there. While Sara was sleeping, I told them about my decision. To my surprise, Lar was the first to object.

"Wu, I know you're strong, but I still don't agree with you going alone. You don't have Sharla's experience, and it's too dangerous."

Only Lar and the others knew that I had reached Level 12 in just half a year, and they were already aware of my relationship with Sharla.

"Right, Wu, why not wait a bit longer and join us? How about joining our team?" Doug said gruffly.

I had considered his suggestion. Joining Lar's team would allow me to use my abilities freely, and it wouldn't matter if they saw. Of course, I wouldn't tell them about the bug amulet, and I could use Akara as a shield if necessary. I believed they wouldn't ask questions that would make me uncomfortable.

However, my teleportation station only opened to the Cold Plains, while they had already reached the Black Marsh. If I joined their team, they would have to travel a long distance. After weighing the options, I decided to go out alone.

Sharla said she didn't like farewells, so she decided to leave a bit earlier. Before she left, I gave her a vitality potion, and she flicked my forehead in return. I had planned to give her the blue longbow, but she winked at me and showed her weapon, a gold-level hunting bow, which left me, a nouveau riche from the countryside, speechless for a while.

We didn't say much in the way of goodbyes. We just looked at each other, reading the message to take care in each other's eyes. She walked to the teleportation array and disappeared in a flash of white light, leaving only her back.

That night, I went to Lar's house to say goodbye and gave the elite blue double-axe to the Barbarian brothers. They initially refused, but I said, "If it's useful, I would keep it. If it's not, it's useless to me." Seeing the 44 strength requirement, they knew I was telling the truth and didn't insist. Doug already had a white double-axe, and Gof was using a blue hand-axe, so Doug gave the double-axe to Gof, thinking that his brother's strength was his own.

We partied until late at night. When everyone was drunk, I secretly left three vitality potions on the table and quietly left Lar's house—better to leave alone, as I had already tasted the bitterness of farewell that morning and didn't want to experience it again.

But as I stepped into the white light of the teleportation array, I turned back and saw Lar, Doug, Gof, and Aunt Sara, holding the tearful little Sara, standing not far away, watching me. They waved when they saw me turn around, and little Sara sobbed as she said goodbye. My clumsy acting couldn't fool them. I felt a warm feeling in my heart, raised my fist in a victory sign, and then they disappeared from my sight in a flash.