Chapter 69: Each Has Their Own Plans

It was a very strange feeling; Laura had never thought that a mere scent could evoke so many thoughts. In Laura's impression, scents were simple sensations like pleasant or foul, but the scent she smelled on Zhao Hai made her feel invigorated and full of vitality.

Laura was taken aback for a moment, but Zhao Hai took the opportunity to stop. He turned his head to look at Laura's beautiful face and said calmly, "Miss Laura, is there anything else?"

Laura snapped back to reality. Her face turned red, and she quickly let go of Zhao Hai's clothes, bowing and saying, "I'm sorry, esteemed Mage Sir. May I ask for your name?"

Zhao Hai chuckled and said, "Of course, my name is Zhao Hai." Zhao Hai gave his name from Earth. If he had said he was Adam Buda, he would likely have been hunted down immediately. He wasn't that foolish.

Laura took out a gold medal from her chest, held it in her hand, and said to Zhao Hai, "Mr. Zhao Hai, this is the VIP gold medal of the Makider Commercial Guild. With this gold medal, you can enjoy a 20% discount at any Makider store on the continent, and a 50% discount at the Makider stores in the Vansel Principality. If you sell items to the store, they will buy them at a price 10% higher than the acquisition price. Although I know this cannot compare to the favor you did me, it represents my gratitude. Please accept it."

After saying this, Laura bowed and held the gold medal high above her head, not straightening up.

Zhao Hai, who was only about 170 cm tall, felt a bit pressured by Laura's height of over 180 cm. However, when Laura bowed, she became shorter than Zhao Hai, which made him feel a bit uncomfortable.

Zhao Hai also wanted the gold medal. With it, his future actions would be more convenient. Zhao Hai could see that Laura and her group had something very important to do; otherwise, they wouldn't be in such a hurry to reach Black Mountain Pass. Despite their heavy losses, they didn't turn back but decided to camp and continue their journey the next day, which showed how urgent their mission was. Therefore, Zhao Hai didn't hesitate, smiled, and took the gold medal, saying, "Thank you, Miss Laura." He then carefully examined the gold medal, which was about the size of a palm, made of pure gold, and shaped like a blooming red spider lily, exquisitely crafted. In the center of the gold medal, the words "Makider" were inscribed.

Seeing Zhao Hai take the gold medal, Laura straightened up and sighed in relief. She had been genuinely afraid that Zhao Hai would refuse it.

Laura didn't give Zhao Hai the gold medal solely out of gratitude; more importantly, she wanted to establish a relationship with him. In her view, Zhao Hai was a high-level black mage, and he was so young. Moreover, he had a high-level warrior like Green by his side. Establishing a relationship with Zhao Hai would be beneficial for her.

In the Ark Continent, strength was paramount. If Laura could become friends with a high-level black mage like Zhao Hai, it would significantly impact her position in the family. Therefore, when Zhao Hai accepted the gold medal, she felt a sense of relief. As long as Zhao Hai used the gold medal, she could find him and gradually build a closer relationship.

Zhao Hai looked at the gold medal and put it in his sleeve, but in reality, he stored it in his spatial ring, using the sleeve as a cover.

After putting away the gold medal, Zhao Hai said to Laura, "Miss Laura, you have many things to do. I won't keep you any longer. We'll meet again if we have the chance." He then turned and left. This time, Laura didn't stop him but called out to his back, "Please visit the Makider Commercial Guild when you have time, Mr. Zhao Hai. You can find me at any Makider family store."

Zhao Hai didn't turn around but waved his hand and climbed into the alien's mouth. Meg and Green followed Zhao Hai into the alien's body, and then the alien quickly left the battlefield.

Laura watched the direction in which the alien flew and sighed in relief. At this moment, a girl of about fifteen or sixteen years old approached Laura. She was holding a box containing the necromancer's orb, dressed in a maid's uniform, and was about 160 cm tall, making her look small and cute next to Laura.

The girl walked up to Laura and asked, "Miss, are we really going to camp here?"

Laura glanced at the corpses and bones on the battlefield, her eyes flashing with a cold light. "Of course. We'll rest here tonight and continue our journey in the morning. We need to reach Black Mountain Pass as soon as possible. Sel, send someone to check behind the hill. This matter is not as simple as it seems."

A warrior responded and ran to the hill. Laura turned to the maid and said, "Nier, were you scared?"

Nier, though pale, shook her head. Laura, seeing Nier's state, gently stroked her head and said, "Don't be afraid, Nier. Don't be afraid. I won't let anything like this happen again."

Although Nier was nominally Laura's maid, they had grown up together and were like sisters. Due to Laura's strong personality, she had always been the older sister. Despite her own distress, Laura comforted Nier.

Laura knew that they had likely been betrayed. This matter was of great importance, and only a few core members of the family knew their route and plan. However, the Undead Mercenary Group had been able to ambush them days in advance, indicating that they had known their plan for a long time.

The Undead Mercenary Group had no seers among the beastmen, so they couldn't have guessed their entire plan. Someone must have told them, and that person was a core member of the Makider family.

Although Laura couldn't yet determine who it was, she had narrowed down the possibilities. She also knew that there were many people in the family who wanted her dead. Her father was the second in line for inheritance, which wasn't a strong position. However, since she took over the family business, her father's position had become more secure, putting pressure on the other heirs.

In a large family, what was the most brutal? Undoubtedly, the struggle for the family's leadership was the most brutal. Although Laura was young, she had gradually understood this since taking over the family business. She hadn't expected that the family would go to such lengths this time.

At this moment, Laura decided that she couldn't rely too much on the family. The family was the least reliable when it mattered.

This was one of the reasons why Laura wanted to establish a relationship with Zhao Hai. If the family ever became unreliable, having a powerful mage like Zhao Hai as support would allow her to start her own business without fear of the family's retaliation.

Zhao Hai didn't know what Laura was thinking because he didn't know what the Undead Mercenary Group was after. However, he would soon find out.

Zhao Hai and his group quickly left the battlefield. Green and the others gathered in the room inside the alien's body. Zhao Hai took out the gold medal and handed it to Green, saying, "Grandpa Green, look at this gold medal. Will it make our plan smoother?"

Green took the gold medal and examined it carefully. "Yes, with this gold medal and the great favor we did Laura, it will be very helpful for our future development. Laura is the daughter of the second heir of the Makider family and has been managing the Makider business in the Vansel Principality. This is very advantageous for us."

Zhao Hai frowned and asked, "Will anyone suspect us?"

Green shook his head. "I don't think so, young master. This time, we captured the members of the Undead Mercenary Group. As long as we sell the radishes, return to the Black Earth Wasteland, and immediately send those guys into the Corpse Swamp to recruit undead creatures, and release the undead creatures we captured, it will create the impression that the undead in the Corpse Swamp are still wandering in the Black Earth Wasteland. This will prevent anyone from easily entering the Black Earth Wasteland, making us safer. The more undead creatures the Undead Mercenary Group recruits, the safer we will be."

Zhao Hai nodded. He thought for a moment, and the eight members of the Undead Mercenary Group appeared before him. Fortunately, the room inside the alien's body was not small, or it wouldn't have been able to accommodate so many people.

All eight were wearing black mage robes similar to Zhao Hai's, but they didn't have magic staves. As soon as they appeared, they immediately bowed to Zhao Hai, and Zhao Hai heard them say in unison, "Master."

Zhao Hai nodded and said, "Take off your hats." The eight complied, and eight skull heads appeared before Zhao Hai. The skull heads, made of dark green crystal, had a crystalline beauty, and the red soul fires in their eyes added a touch of eeriness.

Zhao Hai nodded and said sternly, "Why did you attack Laura?"

The intelligence of these eight was not significantly affected, and one of them immediately said, "Master, we received information from someone in the Makider family that Laura had a necromancer's orb, which could enhance the level of undead creatures. That's why we attacked."

Zhao Hai was taken aback and asked, "You mean you got the information from someone in the Makider family? Who told you?"

At this moment, Green suddenly interjected, "Young master, what are you talking about? They can speak?"