Chapter 87

Perhaps it was due to Rod's complaints that after repelling the attack of the undead creatures, Old Walker finally discovered a new clue.

"This is their signal!"

Looking at the strange patterns carved on the branch, both Old Walker and Serak couldn't help but feel excited.

"They are nearby... From this mark, I think they should be over there!"

Following Old Walker's finger, one could vaguely see a pitch-black cave not far away. There was no light or sound from it. However, even without Old Walker's words, everyone could guess the situation. It wasn't because they all understood the meaning of the strange symbols, but the corpses of the undead creatures and the scattered footprints at the cave entrance clearly indicated something was amiss.

"Let's go."

Rod didn't want to stay here any longer. Although everything had gone smoothly so far, they had only just passed two-thirds of the Silent Highlands. Even if they found the others, they would still need to travel another third to be out of danger. But looking at the current state, almost everyone except Serak was exhausted. A brief rest hadn't restored much of their energy. They looked as if they were about to sacrifice themselves to hold back the enemy before the final boss, just to avoid hindering the protagonist.

Rod certainly didn't want to end up like that. Without his companions, even the protagonist would be doomed if he faced the boss alone. So he made a gesture, signaling everyone to follow, and led the way into the dark cave.

"Whoosh!!"

The moment Rod entered the cave, a faint wind rushed at him from the side. The attacker's move was both accurate and ruthless, aiming straight for Rod's neck, clearly intending to kill.

If it were anyone else, they might not have survived such an ambush. But as the top player in the Dragon Soul Continent game, Rod had encountered many who tried to stab him in the back. Because of this, he immediately reacted to the attack.

The crimson blade barely deflected the dagger in the darkness, then pressed it down. The attacker, clearly not expecting the ambush to be detected, was caught off guard and was pushed back. Rod didn't hesitate; he flipped his wrist, and the sword tip quickly followed the direction of the dagger, stopping just in front of the attacker.

"Stop, Rod, it's one of us!"

Seeing the situation, Serak quickly warned, and at that moment, Lige hurried forward, the light of the Holy Radiance immediately illuminating the cave.

Only then did Rod see the attacker clearly.

She was half-covered, wearing tight black leather armor that outlined her slender figure. Her full chest rose and fell rapidly due to her nervousness, her eyes wide with fear and unease, staring at the sword pressed against her chin. Her long, slender ears trembled irregularly, showing her unstable emotions.

She was a half-elf.

"Are you from the 'Victory Wine' mercenary group?"

Rod sheathed his sword and asked coldly, his face expressionless, as if he hadn't just been attacked.

"Yes, I am a member of the mercenary group. Are you from the Mercenary Guild?"

"Correct."

At this moment, Serak stepped forward.

"I am Serak from the Mercenary Guild. We received your distress call and came as quickly as possible... It seems we arrived just in time."

"Sir Serak!"

Seeing Serak, the girl's eyes immediately lit up.

"You've finally come, that's great! Please, come and help my companions...!!"

Saying this, she grabbed Serak's hand and led him deeper into the cave.

"We managed to escape here under the leadership of our captain."

As she led them forward, the girl explained the current situation.

"At first, our captain didn't intend to venture deep into the Silent Highlands. We all knew how dangerous it was. But in the outer area, we were attacked and surrounded by the undead. To avoid them, we had to flee, but when we realized it, we were already trapped in the Silent Highlands. Our captain tried to break through the encirclement several times, but we failed. With no choice, we had to risk advancing inward to find another exit, but we ended up here... Many of us were injured, and our captain knew we couldn't get out, so he requested assistance from the Mercenary Guild. Fortunately, you came, otherwise..."

You really picked a spot.

Hearing the girl's explanation, Rod raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Who is it?"

As they reached a dead end, a heavy voice suddenly sounded.

"It's me, the Mercenary Guild has arrived!"

"What?"

Hearing the girl's response, the voice immediately became agitated.

"They actually came? They finally came! Quick, come in!!"

With this, they soon saw a large boulder at the end of the passage begin to roll away, and the light of a flame seeped through. When the boulder was fully moved, a tall, muscular man stepped out, his face lighting up with surprise upon seeing Serak and Rod.

"Isn't this Sir Serak? I never thought you would come in person, we are truly grateful..."

"There's nothing to it, it's our duty in the Mercenary Guild."

Serak waved his hand and then smiled at Rod.

"If you want to thank someone, thank him. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to come here at all."

"Huh?"

Hearing Serak's words, the man was surprised. He glanced curiously at Rod but didn't say more. At first, he had only considered Rod and the others as Serak's subordinates, but now it seemed that wasn't the case?

But the man didn't think much about it at the moment. He simply gestured for them to enter.

"Everyone, come in quickly. It's dangerous outside. Those undead creatures are quite troublesome, and we don't want any accidents."

The name 'Victory Wine' mercenary group sounded very promising, but unfortunately, it seemed their members hadn't been blessed by it. Upon entering, many people gasped in shock.

Five or six severely injured mercenaries were leaning against the cave wall, groaning in pain. They were covered in blood and wounds, and some had their faces torn and blackened, which was nauseating to look at. Despite this, they still clung to their weapons, and upon seeing Rod and the others, their previously hopeless eyes immediately lit up.

They saw hope for survival.

"Lige."

Rod didn't say much, but Lige and the other spirit masters clearly knew what to do. They quickly approached the injured mercenaries, diagnosing and treating their wounds—after all, that was their job.

"I am Kudra, the captain of the Victory Wine mercenary group."

After once again using his extraordinary strength to move the boulder and block the exit, the man walked over and bowed deeply.

"Here, I represent my mercenary group to thank you all... To be honest, I never thought we could hold out until now... Sir Serak, thank you. And this one..."

Saying this, Kudra looked at Rod with a hint of confusion. From Serak's introduction, he knew this young man wasn't as simple as he initially thought. Who was he?

"He is the captain of the 'Starlight' mercenary group. I believe you might have heard of his name."

Serak smiled as he introduced him, and upon hearing this, Kudra's face showed a flash of surprise.

"He is the one from the rumors... But... Why..."

"The Mercenary Guild is short-handed."

Serak quickly explained, his face darkening.

"I think you might not know, but almost all the mercenary groups in Deepstone City have gone to eliminate the undead for various reasons. So far, none of them have succeeded. The few that returned were severely damaged, and the other mercenary groups outside, except for you, have not returned with any news."

"How can this be!!"

Kudra was truly shocked.

"I thought..."

"The Mercenary Guild is investigating these commissions and the clients. What kind of commission did you receive?"

"We received a commission to find a traveler's token."

At this moment, Kudra also sensed the seriousness of the situation from Serak's words and answered solemnly.

"We heard that the traveler died in the outer area of the Silent Highlands. The client said he was the traveler's brother and that he hadn't returned for a long time, so he must have met with an accident. He asked us to find him. We didn't want to go at first, but he was very sincere and offered a deposit of three hundred gold coins..."

It seems that last part was the key.

"Is he from Deepstone City?"

Serak asked, and Kudra paused for a moment before shaking his head.

"No, his accent sounds like he's from the south... Definitely not from the Pafeld region. He said he often travels and doesn't live here permanently."

Indeed.

Serak and Rod exchanged a glance, both seeing the meaning in each other's eyes.

It seems the 'Victory Wine' mercenary group was also a victim. The traveler's token was likely a fabrication, just like the sword the Red Eagle mercenary group was looking for, a non-existent item. In essence, it was a means to deceive them into a high-risk area. However, considering the hundreds of gold coins spent, it was a significant investment.

So, what do they want to do?

PS: Regarding my updates, I generally don't update during the day, mostly at night, definitely before midnight, so there's no need to refresh too urgently...

Finally, a friendly recommendation for a friend's book

[bookid=2335331, bookname=《惊宋》]

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