Chapter 37

Another nearly 6,000 words! Everyone, please collect! Collect!

"But why didn't I know that Little Lili had a servant?" Cassi asked with some suspicion and wariness, his gaze flickering as he looked at Cook.

"Sir, let's go quickly, or it will be too late. I'll tell you the details as we walk," Cook said, hoisting Conknie on his shoulder. Conknie was a bit taller than Cook, making it very strenuous to carry her, so he decided to carry her on his back instead. He then urged Cassi to hurry.

"You're already like this, what are you afraid of?" Cassi asked again, puzzled, but he had already searched the soldiers in the room, finding some powder that seemed to be for treating wounds. As for the money bags, Cassi wasn't interested. Cook felt the heavy loot on his back and reluctantly gave up. However, Little Bad didn't give up; he hopped down, dragged a money bag back, and then jumped onto Cook's shoulder.

"That, fool, that money bag is a bit more valuable," Cook couldn't help but remind Little Bad. Hearing this, Little Bad quickly ran down again and dragged back a more exquisite money bag.

"Is this little thing your pet?" Cassi, who had bandaged himself up skillfully, looked at the money bag in Little Bad's hand and asked with a strange expression.

"No, he's my friend," Cook shook his head and said.

"A friend, huh?" Cassi thought of his mount that had accompanied him for years and felt a wave of sadness.

"Sir, let's go quickly, or it will really be too late." Cook threw away the exquisite money bag but kept the contents. For this, Little Bad had a long discussion with Cook, but Cook knew that the more they took, the more trouble they would have later. Now, their lives were the most important. After returning, they could wait to become nobles. Thinking of Conknie's identity, Cook felt a surge of excitement. What kind of title would this earn him!

"Alright, let's go, but these people are from the Royal Guard Corps, why are they here?" Cassi looked at the clothes and emblems of the three people in the room and muttered curiously.

"Sir, let's go, I'll explain as we walk. These are the Royal Guards from the Royal Guard Corps, protecting the Third Prince's visit here." Cook and Cassi came out the front door, turned left, and their figures were hidden by the tall wooden wall. Since it was a ranch, a tall wooden wall was needed to enclose it. Cook, while carrying the heavy Conknie, explained to Cassi. Following this wall, they would reach a drainage ditch. The ditch was made of stone, and following it, they would reach a small river. The water in the river wasn't deep, only reaching the knees. Walking along the riverbank not only concealed their figures but also their movements, a security tip Cook had learned from a trainer, a minor trick.

"Third Prince?" Cassi, looking at the route Cook chose, nodded involuntarily, but only nodded. Cassi kept a wary eye on the surroundings, noticing that the ditch was low and the grass on the sides was very lush, so they could only see part of the sky.

"Yes, Sir. I've been here for a whole day. According to my understanding, this woman commanded the battle, apparently achieving a great victory. Due to the arrival of the Empire's Griffin Knights, she moved the command post here, and her guard force is still in Muni City." Cook tried to explain as completely as possible.

"Ha ha, this woman, ha ha!" Cassi shook his head with a bitter smile, but he understood. Conknie was hiding because of the Griffin Knights.

"And the Third Prince seems to be here to claim credit, but his subordinates are very loyal, so he left most of his guards in Muni City and brought a small elite squad here, apparently to hand over power to this woman. I just happened to run into their grand banquet tonight." Cook tried not to appear too mature.

"Then did the Third Prince leave?" Cassi's heart pounded, feeling an indescribable tension, but he still asked.

"No, they're all at the banquet, along with some counts and dukes, dozens of people!" Cook answered without turning his head.

"Then what about them now?" Cassi's heart became even more tense.

"Don't know. If they discovered it early or didn't eat much, they might still be saved." Cook stroked his chin and then answered.

"Thump!" Cassi fell into the river, his face pale with horror.

"You, you, you mean you poisoned the banquet?" Cassi couldn't believe this news.

"Yes, I didn't plan to take this woman, she's so heavy. I was originally after the magic item, but this woman broke my loot, so I had to take her as a substitute." Cook answered helplessly, then showed Cassi the cleaver, but Cassi, seeing it, shook his head disdainfully. It was just a low-level magic item, and Cassi wasn't interested.

"Impossible, impossible. The silverware used at the banquet, not to mention the strict inspection process, no one could possibly poison it." Cassi, shocked by the cold water on his wound, immediately woke up, stood up, and shook his head.

"Exactly, my loot was a large silver platter. But this woman discovered me taking the magic item, so I knocked her out, but the platter deformed." Cook nodded and gestured.

"Impossible, you're lying. Even if you're a servant, there's a strict procedure for entering such a banquet. And even if you did poison the food, what about the guards?" Cassi's eyes flashed as he stared at Cook, clearly very wary.

"Sir, I learned this poisoning method from my companions. Lady Loli and the others know it. It's a poison made from four wild fruits. Individually, they're not poisonous, but if two or more are mixed, the body becomes numb. If all four are eaten, there's no saving them. I put different wild fruits in different vegetable salads, different juices, desserts, and fruit wines, and even in the fruit platter." Cook, feeling Cassi's gaze, explained almost tearfully.

"Then what about the guards? How do you explain that?" Cassi's heart trembled. If what Cook said was true, at such a banquet, unless you only ate one type of food and didn't drink juice or only one type of juice, you would definitely be poisoned. But Cassi thought it was impossible. First, a banquet is a platform for socializing, so everyone would taste a bit of everything and comment, creating common topics. The situation Cassi imagined wouldn't happen, no matter who it was.

"Those guards have nothing to do with me. The Third Prince ordered the kitchen to serve all the guards a cup of juice to thank them for their hard work. Of course, the juice was prepared by us servants and then sent down. The containers were crude wooden ones." Cook looked genuinely uninvolved.

"Ah! Your luck, boy!" Cassi was speechless. He could imagine why the Third Prince did this, but it was precisely because of this that they could walk out boldly. Cassi couldn't help but praise.

"Even funnier, those servants actually snuck some food. I didn't dare eat, not knowing what I had put in. The roasted whole lamb wasn't poisoned, but it was a whole one, so I couldn't taste it. I even put juice in the baked bread. I brought a huge amount." Seeing Cassi smile, Cook explained voluntarily.

Actually, Cook didn't finish. He had the servants bring the juice to the gentlemen after they finished drinking, and these gentlemen would take the juice without hesitation and continue chatting. The reason Cook gave them was strong: "If you do this, the good wine won't be wasted, right? The juice is useless. This wine is very valuable. Later, we can..."

Of course, Cook wouldn't show his shrewdness in front of Cassi. Cassi didn't ask, and Cook didn't say. But Cook was already very tired from talking so much, especially with the loot on his back. Cook didn't dare let Cassi carry the loot, but if Cassi wanted to, Cook would be happy to.

"Ha ha, worth it, worth it. Mammoth Warriors, worth it. I never thought a Mammoth Knight Corps would exchange for a prince, a five-star general, and a bunch of nobles. Worth it, warriors, you can rest in peace." Cassi laughed heartily after a while, then said with tears streaming down his face.

"Sir, what happened to the Mammoth Knight Corps?" They had already entered the forest, and Cook got out at a place. This was a mountainous area, so there was little mud on the riverbank. They had just walked through, leaving only a series of shallow footprints.

"Ha ha, let's go!" Cassi didn't explain but gave a light order. However, his gaze turned to the sky.

"That's Big Mouth, it told me about the wild fruits. Lady Loli must be close by." Cook saw it and knew it was Big Mouth.

"Big Mouth?" Cassi was stunned at first, then heard the sound of flapping wings. Indeed, it was Big Mouth.

"Sir, let's go quickly, it seems someone from the ranch is coming. Lady Loli and the others are ahead." Cook said in a panic.

"Ha ha, don't worry. For such a big event, even if they discover it, they won't dare to act rashly. They'll just guard. Let's go!" Cassi looked at Big Mouth and Cook with a strange expression and explained calmly, finally showing the demeanor of a general.

"Cook, it's very unwise to make contracts with these animals." Cassi looked at Big Mouth and Little Bad on Cook's shoulders and said.

"Contracts, what contracts?" Cook asked, puzzled, as Little Bad and Big Mouth were dividing the loot with Cook. They decided to give the woman on Cook's back to Cook, and then Cook lost the right to divide the gold coins. The two then argued over the amount of gold, and Cook was mediating.

"How do you communicate with them without a contract?" Cassi asked irritably.

"Oh! Sir, it's my natural ability. I have rabbit blood, so I awakened the ability to speak with birds and beasts and also awakened wood-elemental martial qi." Cook explained immediately when Cassi asked.

"Speaking with birds and beasts, this rare trash..." Cassi, being from a noble family, knew about this, but he held back the word "trash" when he saw that such a trash ability could achieve such things, which was unbelievable.

"Cook, you're back, you worried us for a while." At that moment, Mike jumped out of the forest and gave Cook a hug.

"Ha ha!" Cook laughed and hugged back.

"Did you steal any good food? My stomach is growling, and I don't dare eat wild fruits." Mike's next words made Cook's face turn black.

"No food!" Cook answered irritably.

"Ha ha, that's bad, Lady Loli is also hungry." Mike was stunned and then laughed.

"Aren't there rations?" Cook asked, puzzled.

"Don't mention it, they were all stolen by Big Gray." Mike said irritably.

"Big Gray, the giant wolf?" Cook's body trembled when he heard the name.

"Yes, named by Lady Loli. But you, you didn't bring any food, and you brought two refugees, one of them a woman. This uniform is nice, very seductive. Brother, let's make a deal. You let me spend a night with this woman, and then we can sell her, okay?" Mike, seeing Conknie, asked in a tone that all men understood.

"Choke!" Cassi, shocked by Mike's bold words, choked on his own saliva. Five-star general, seductive uniform, spend a night, sell, these words echoed in Cassi's ears, making him feel like he was dreaming.

"Get lost!" Cook, with a black line on his face, kicked Mike hard.

"Look, a guy who forgets his friends for a woman. Wait and see how Lady Loli deals with you." Mike dodged nimbly, after all, Cook still had someone on his back. He then said with a gloating tone.

"How will I deal with...?" When Loli and Mitchi appeared on Big Gray, they heard Mike's words. Loli was about to ask but stopped when she saw Cassi.

"Little Lili, don't you recognize your uncle?" Cassi opened his arms and teased.

"Uncle, you're really my uncle? Is this a masquerade party?" Loli pounced like a little girl, hugging Cassi tightly, then asked excitedly.

"Let's go, it's not safe here. The Mammoth Knight Corps is finished." Cassi's eyes were full of tears as he walked and spoke.

"What does 'finished' mean? Could it be? This can't be!" Loli was puzzled at first, then tightly covered her mouth, looking incredulous.

"Three hundred Mammoth Knights, only I am still alive." Tears streamed down Cassi's eyes uncontrollably.

"Ugh! Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!" At that moment, a series of urgent horn sounds echoed from far to near.

"But it was worth it. Three hundred Mammoth Knights exchanged for a million Ceylon Empire soldiers, the Third Prince, and several nobles. Worth it. I almost forgot, there's also a five-star general. Worth it! Worth it!" Cassi almost roared in a low voice.

"Uncle, don't get too excited. The Mammoth Knight Corps achieving such results is very comforting." Loli then said happily.

"Ha ha, let's go! We haven't seen each other for a long time." Cassi and Loli walked in front, and Cassi glanced at Mike and Mitchi, clearly wanting them to keep their distance.

The two wisely followed Cook. Cook, seeing Mitchi's gaze, quickly said, "Don't misunderstand, this is loot, just loot."

"Loot, yes, you actually brought a woman as loot. Hmph!" Mitchi smiled but then coldly turned away.

"Don't, don't...!" Cook was about to chase after, but Mike held him back.

Then he said to Cook, "You must be tired. Let me take care of the loot."

"Get lost!" Cook shouted irritably. If not for Mike's previous words, Cook might have let him help, but now it was out of the question.

" Mitchi, ...!" Cook quickly explained the woman's background and how she ended up in his hands.

"Really, don't let her die. Dead, she's not worth much." Mitchi carefully examined the golden emblem on Conknie's uniform, which was real gold, and immediately exclaimed.

"Ah! Lady Loli, do you have any antidotes? It's too late otherwise." Cook was also alarmed and quickly followed Loli, asking urgently.

"Are you really Cook?" Loli asked with a strange expression.

"Ouch! Lady, it hurts!" Cook was stunned, then was hit hard by Loli.

"I have healing potions, but are you sure this woman can be saved?" Loli pointed at Conknie.

"Impossible, Lady, wait, I have milk, milk." Cook quickly put Conknie down. Seeing Conknie's blue-white face and white foam in her mouth, he knew she was uncomfortable. She had only drunk one cup of juice and just a sip of the second. Cook quickly removed the cloth blocking her mouth and forcefully inserted his fingers into her throat.

"Ugh!" In the surprised gaze of Loli and Cassi, Conknie vomited a pile of unknown liquid.

Then Cook poured milk into her and again forcefully inserted his fingers. Loli thought Cook's actions were too rough, but after Conknie vomited several times, she gradually regained consciousness. Cook then happily said to Loli, "Lady, a bit more antidote will do."

"Detect poison, it's useless. Look at the black light on her body. The poison has already entered her blood." Loli cast a spell and then helplessly shrugged.

"Cough, I didn't expect your Roland Empire to have such skilled people. Miss Mage, you're right. I was poisoned by a magic scorpion." Conknie said in an extremely weak voice.

"Magic scorpion poison, why didn't you seek help from a high priest?" Cassi was stunned and then asked curiously.

"Ha ha, it's useless. The high priest said it was too late, the poison has already attached to the bones." Conknie laughed bitterly and explained.

"Unless...!" Conknie then looked at Cook.

"Unless a master alchemist, right?" Cassi was stunned and then sighed.

"Yes! I wonder who this gentleman's teacher is. Your skill with poison is very high." Conknie looked at Cook expectantly.

"Uh, I am...," Cook was about to explain.

"Ha ha, it's not convenient for a lady to know, right?" But Cassi interrupted Cook and laughed.

"Ah! I won't betray my country, where my family and friends are." Conknie struggled internally and then sighed.

"Let's go, it's still dangerous here." Cassi smiled and ordered. Now, Cassi was the backbone of this small team. He looked and walked in a certain direction.

"Sir, Sir, you're going the wrong way. This isn't the way back." Mike quickly said.

"Ha ha, you go back. If I'm right, the million Ceylon Empire soldiers will definitely disperse and retreat. If the Third Prince were here, they might still have a chance, but with your high-ranking officials dead or missing, what will the million soldiers choose?" Cassi asked Conknie with a smile.

"Our contingency plan is to disperse and retreat." Conknie didn't hide it.

"Not good, if we run into a million soldiers." Mike swallowed hard.

"It's even worse. The Third Prince brought nearly 200,000 elite troops, and the Empire has already dispatched 600,000 more, along with the Griffin Knights." Conknie added.

"Trouble!" Cook, though not knowing the Griffin Knights, could imagine they were a trump card and sighed inwardly.

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