MTLNOVEL Chapter 12: The Bizarre Task (3)
In the depths of the mountains.
The blue moonlight gently cascaded down.
The snow-covered mountains, the entire world blanketed in white, seemed as if it had fallen asleep, with only the sound of the wind remaining. It was as if it were the breath of the earth.
The trees were buried under the snow, and only occasionally, when a tree shook off the burden of snow, could one see a hint of green.
A wisp of black fog drifted by, and Simon's figure appeared in the silent forest. Clad in the armor of the Silver Moon Knight Order, with a sword at his side, he held a Magic Wand. The silver armor emitted a strange sheen under the blue moonlight.
Following closely behind was Aikleion, the former secretary-general of the Lich Council. He, too, wore the armor of the Silver Moon Knight Order, with a sword and a Magic Wand in hand.
The armor enveloped the two Liches so tightly that without removing their helmets, most people would mistake them for two masked knights.
Bending down, Simon brushed away the snow at his feet and felt the vague indentation on the ground, "It's a track. Someone has passed through here recently. It might be them."
"This is the 300th time you've said 'maybe' in the past half month. You've been wrong 299 times already. We've circled this place many times," Aikleion said, stretching his neck.
"I'm just guessing. They took a lot of gold coins, so their carriage is particularly heavy. The key is, we've searched other directions and found nothing. The carriage went this way," Simon explained, pointing ahead.
"I really don't know why I took on this mission with you. As knights of justice, we should be charging on the battlefield, not wandering aimlessly in the woods like this," Aikleion said helplessly, spreading his hands and flipping through the map he carried, "If we're sure we're searching this direction, we'll enter Lunbak's territory. Lunbak isn't an enemy state."
"Can't we enter Lunbak?"
"I didn't say we couldn't, but they told us to search within the Gustav Empire's borders, not to go into Lunbak."
"But we haven't found them, have we? This is our first task from the Southern Alliance; we have to do it well. We almost captured him earlier but let him escape. If word gets out, it will disgrace our White Bone Holy Light Court."
"Alright, let's continue searching ahead then," Aikleion replied reluctantly.
...
"Mr. Duru, what's wrong with you?"
Christina waved a hand in front of Andrew's eyes, bringing him back to reality.
"No, nothing...nothing." Andrew smiled awkwardly, slightly dazed.
It was now the eve of the Southern Army's northern campaign, and almost all countries were preparing for war, targeting the Gustav Empire and the Dragon Clan behind it. Normally, it should be human armies against human armies, and the White Bone Holy Light Court against the Dragon Clan. But...who knew how they divided the tasks internally?
Lords would never abandon their territories. The Gustav Empire couldn't be involved in a civil war at this time.
The lords of the Gustav Empire were fleeing with their entire families, already having escaped into Lunbak territory, yet still not daring to relax. Could the arms of the Southern human nations be that long?
Either the White Bone Holy Light Court or the Silver Moon Knight Order.
Andrew began to sweat profusely.
Was there a difference between the two? The answer was no.
"Mr. Duru, are you okay?" Christina waved her hand again before Andrew's eyes.
Andrew hurriedly replied, "No, nothing."
"But you look quite pale."
"I just remembered some unpleasant things."
"What did you remember? Can I help?"
"You can't help; it's all in the past." Andrew forced a smile, his heart pounding in his throat.
Christina still looked at him bewilderedly.
If it really were the White Bone Holy Light Court... accepting this mission would be equivalent to Andrew walking into the lion's den. If recognized, there'd be no escape. A horde of Liches bearing down on him, forget a Blood Elf, even a dragon couldn't escape...
"Mr. Duru, are you really okay?" Christina asked again.
"I...I'm fine." Andrew forced a smile.
Christina cautiously said, "I think you look in pretty bad shape. Why don't we...not take this mission?"
"Not take it?" Andrew was stunned.
"Yes, let's back out. Though five thousand gold coins are a lot, if we work hard, we can earn them back quickly."
"Do you really think so?"
"Of course."
Instantly, Andrew breathed a sigh of relief.
Reason told Andrew that this mission should never be accepted. They should even stay far away from it, avoiding any involvement.
"Sorry, I swear we'll earn back the same amount as the deposit very soon. Even more." With Christina, Andrew wanted to turn back.
However, as they turned around, they suddenly saw several figures!
"Who!" Andrew shouted in fright, quickly gripping his Magic Wand and pulling Christina behind a nearby tree.
Christina was stunned.
"Who are you!" a voice from the opposite side screamed, "Come out! Don't hide!"
Andrew was stunned, as he seemed to recognize the voice.
The wind gently blew away the clouds, and the blue moonlight poured down.