Chapter 8

The early morning sun dispelled the darkness in the forest and took away the worries that lingered in everyone’s hearts.

After the battle last night, everyone was busy cleaning up the battlefield. At the same time, they had to look out for the enemy’s return, so most of them did not sleep.

After the sun came out, everyone finally heaved a sigh of relief. Some who were really tired and sleepy began to catch up on their sleep.

A portion of the mercenaries began to prepare breakfast, while the leader, Saru, was still arguing with the merchant, Oliver, about the compensation.

In fact, both parties had already agreed on the compensation standards before they set off. They were arguing now because of an unlucky guy who was accidentally killed by one of their own people.

Oliver insisted that this guy was the responsibility of the Firefox mercenary group and that he should not be the one to pay the compensation, so he started arguing with Saru.

At this moment, Colin was sitting beside a bonfire, leisurely drinking the “water” in the kettle.

The rising sun was a little dazzling. Colin lowered the brim of his hat, almost completely covering the top half of his face.

Then, he took out a sheepskin scroll and crossed out the sentence he wrote yesterday:

[ Human blood can help advance ]

Due to the revelation that the fresh blood he had secretly taken from a thief’s corpse last night did not affect his strength growth. Just like deer blood, other than satisfying his appetite and replenishing his energy, it did not have the same effect as knight Carter’s blood.

Perhaps the fresh blood of ordinary people did not have any effect. Only the fresh blood of professionals could help advance.

Moreover, it would probably require the blood of professionals of a higher tier than him to be effective.

Thinking of this, Colin unconsciously turned his gaze to the only tier 2 warrior here, Commander Saru.

Then, he shook his head.

Let’s not talk about whether he could defeat Saru.

Even if he could, he did not want to kill an innocent person in order to advance quickly.

Colin felt that he still had a bottom line.

As his thoughts ran wild, Colin found that the dispute between Oliver and Saru had finally ended.

The chubby merchant was walking toward Colin with an unhappy expression as if he didn’t have the upper hand in the dispute just now.

“That guy is unbelievably troublesome!” After walking closer, Oliver glanced at Saru’s figure and complained to Colin.

Colin looked at this businessman who had boldly said yesterday that he would sponsor his army, but now he was being petty because of a mercenary’s pension. He suddenly burst into laughter.

“Forget it, just take it as comforting people. After all, there is still a long way to go before falling Eagle City. It is not a wise choice to quarrel with the Firefox mercenary group at this time.”

“I know. If I hadn’t considered this, I wouldn’t have given in to that old fellow, Saru!” Oliver clearly understood this, but he was still unwilling and complained in a low voice.

“Do you want to try the jerky I brought? It’s much better than bread.” Then, the fat merchant became generous again.

Colin smiled and accepted Oliver’s good intentions, and casually chatted with him again.

After everyone finished their breakfast and rested for another two hours, the caravan put away their tents and prepared to set off again.

At this moment, Saru suddenly stopped everyone. Then, he lay down on the ground and pressed his right ear against the ground.

Seeing this, Colin frowned slightly.

His hearing during the day was far inferior to at night. At that moment, he did not hear any abnormal movements.

On the other side, Saru suddenly jumped up from the ground and roared, “Horse! The sound of horse hooves! Quick! Everyone, be on alert immediately!”

Following Saru’s roar, the entire camp was instantly thrown into chaos.

Oliver’s face instantly turned pale.

He knew the seriousness of the matter.

This was different from the attack last night. The bandit gang could not afford to raise horses. If the people who came now were enemies, it would be spell trouble.

“Thump, thump, thump…”

As time passed, Colin finally heard the rapid sound of horse hooves.

The Earth began to tremble slightly, which made the mercenaries in formation even more panicked. Even the growl of big bearded Saru could not calm them down.

Colin narrowed his eyes and saw a thin gray line suddenly appear in the forest not far away. It rushed toward the camp like a sharp arrow.

It was a cavalry unit!

There were not many cavalry units, only about twenty people.

However, judging by their overwhelming momentum, Colin had no doubt that the Firefox mercenary group would immediately collapse should they choose to charge.

Rumble!

The earth rumbled.

The cavalry was approaching.

The mercenaries were trembling.

Oliver closed his eyes in pain.

Saru was holding a huge half-body shield, planted at the front of the defensive line like a rock.

Colin paid no attention to the glaring sunlight. He sighed helplessly, lifted his triangular hat, and drew the one-handed sword on his waist.

Just as everyone was prepared to fight to the death, the surging cavalry suddenly came to a sudden stop about 30 meters away from the camp.

“Squeak…”

A series of horse neighs sounded, and 20 warhorses reared up on their hind legs.

Incredible horsemanship!

Colin couldn’t help but exclaim in his heart.

At the same time, his tense mood relaxed slightly.

The other party did not appear to be a threat.

However, seeing how they didn’t slow down and rushed over, as well as the sudden stop at the end, it was clear that they wanted to display their might to the Firefox mercenary group.

Therefore, the other party might not have much goodwill.

This point, Oliver, this shrewd merchant, obviously also saw it. Thus, he didn’t take the initiative to go forward but instead motioned for Saru to go and negotiate.

Saru was helpless. After all, he had received a commission and had the obligation to help Oliver solve any problems he encountered along the way.

Thus, he could only put down his half-body shield and greatsword and go forward empty-handed. At the same time, he shouted loudly,

“Friend on the other side! I am the leader of the Firefox mercenary group, Saru. I am currently escorting some goods from the Tulip Chamber of Commerce to Fallen Eagle City. I wonder if there is anything I can help you with?”

The cavalry team on the other side did not react at all. It was as if they had suddenly become statues.

The forest was silent. The wind seemed to have suddenly stopped. The air was so heavy that it was suffocating.

Saru suppressed the fear and unease in his heart. He braced himself and continued to move forward.

After a few more steps, he finally saw the badge on the armor on the chest of the leader of the cavalry. He was so shocked that he sucked in a breath of cold air. “Sir, are you a knight of the Saint Hilde family?”

Saru’s loud voice was also heard from behind. As a result, a small commotion broke out among the mercenaries.

However, at the same time, everyone could not help but lower the weapons in their hands to the ground. It was as if the name “Saint Hilde” possessed a terrifying magical power that made people not dare to be enemies with it.

Yes.

In the northern region of the empire, the name “Saint Hilde” was a symbol of absolute authority.

Even the imperial family did not have such terrifying appeal and influence here.

“Crack.”

The leading knight finally made a move. He lifted his helmet and mask, revealing a pair of cold eyes. He nodded at Saru, tacitly acknowledging his identity.

Then, he took out a roll of parchment from the cloth bag in front of the saddle and threw it at Saru’s feet. At the same time, he announced in an unquestionable tone,

“By order of Marquis Charles, son of the Duke of St. Hilde, you have been urgently recruited.”