Chapter 349: Section 136: Ambush in the Mountain Path
The monthly auction had ended, and the crowd dispersed.
Under the cover of night, there was little noise.
Sea Dog watched Zi Di and her companions board the carriage but did not follow. Instead, he quickly walked in another direction.
Soon after, he turned several street corners and, at a secluded spot, knocked on the door of a house.
The door did not open, and the house remained silent.
Sea Dog smirked, pulling out a token from the pocket of his undershirt. He held the token up to the door, shook it slightly, and quickly put it away.
The next moment, the door quietly opened.
Sea Dog pushed the door open, then immediately closed it behind him.
Behind the door was an elderly man holding an oil lamp.
The house was dark, and the light from the oil lamp was so faint it couldn’t fully illuminate the old man’s form.
“Spy 708, come with me to the room,” the old man, squinting his eyes and scrutinizing Sea Dog for a moment, then slowly turned around.
Sea Dog had two identities.
On one hand, he was a loyal subordinate to Navy Rear Admiral Kan Qiao; on the other hand, he was an empire’s spy, mainly in charge of monitoring the interior of the Imperial Navy.
The token Sea Dog had just taken out was ordinary in appearance, but it actually signified his spy identity. It was only effective when in his personal possession.
However, Sea Dog stayed in place, shaking his head, “I’m short on time and still have a mission. This intelligence is urgent but straightforward. First piece: at the just-concluded Black Market auction, a Ship Spirit Repair Scroll made by Tuck was up for sale. Second piece: a large number of Soul Crystals suddenly appeared during the second half of the Black Market auction.”
The old man paused mid-step, then quickly turned around, “A large number of Soul Crystals?!”
A single Soul Crystal was not unusual.
But the keyword in Sea Dog’s intelligence was “a large number,” meaning that the seller was likely an Undead Mage.
The Undead Mage was not only wanted by the Holy Bright Empire, but all races across every continent were thoroughly in pursuit to capture and kill them.
The old man’s face became quite serious.
Sea Dog stepped out, “I’ve given you the intelligence, I must leave now.”
The old man nodded.
After the door closed, the old man immediately returned to his room and used a Magic Device to send this important intelligence up the chain.
Walking on the streets, Sea Dog’s pace accelerated.
He should have been closely following Zi Di and her group, but he had been delayed by the delivery of the intelligence on the Undead Mage.
“But I must do this!”
“This intelligence is significant. The local empire’s spies must also be aware and will go all out to hunt down the seller. When the time comes, if they find out I was present and did not report, they will surely trouble me for it.”
As a spy, Sea Dog was very clear about the priorities among various pieces of intelligence.
Information regarding Undead Mages had, since regulations were established, always occupied the top ten in the priority order.
“Could it be possible that these Soul Crystals originated from the Justice Pirate Group?” Sea Dog began to run, naturally associating the two.
But he quickly shook his head as there was no evidence to support his hypothesis.
His Navy identity allowed him to move in and out of the city gates during the nighttime, but it didn’t help him to investigate from the Black Market side for the information about the seller of the Soul Crystals.
That’s why he delivered this intelligence to the empire’s spy organization.
Once the spy organization exerted effort, the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce couldn’t resist the pressure either.
“If the Soul Crystals truly come from the Justice Pirate Group, it means they’ve had contact with an Undead Mage, or even established some sort of cooperation with one.”
“If that’s the case, my mission would be easier.”
“If the Undead Mage they’ve approached exceeds the Golden Level, they may even attract the attention of those madmen from the Blood Light Sanction Court!”
Considering this, Sea Dog couldn’t help but shrink his thick, short neck.
Sea Dog increased his speed and passed through the city gate again. Before long, he saw Zi Di’s carriage on the mountain path.
He sighed in relief, “Good, I haven’t lost them.”
He ran along the hillside and leaped among the rocks, using the dense forest to conceal his figure, demonstrating remarkable agility and flexibility.
He did not continue to close the distance but maintained a significant gap. With his keen sense of smell and special Combat Skills, he was an excellent tracker.
He watched the convoy of carriages in the distance, Sea Dog began to summarize in his mind, “The Justice Pirate Group’s financial resources are incredibly surprising! It’s unusual since, according to the reports, the Justice Pirate Group has not been established for long. Do they have a significant power backing them? Is it the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce?”
“Or could it be that they’ve been secretly plundering a large number of merchant ships? However, although there have been frequent major incidents at sea, this area has been relatively calm recently.”
“According to the latest intelligence, the Justice Pirate Group is heading towards the Sky Pillar Sea Eye, could they have had some significant gain there? Did they really find a treasure worth a fortune, which is why they’re so lavish?”
“Although they bid on many items, they are mainly Alchemy Materials. Why do they need so many Alchemy Materials? To upgrade ships? Imperial shipyards should offer a better cost-performance. Could it be that they have recently recruited an Alchemist or an Alchemy Master?”
“Hmm?” Sea Dog suddenly paused.
He noticed many figures appearing on a distant hillside. He was not the only one trailing the Justice Pirate Group.
Sea Dog recognized the two leaders among them, who each belonged to two major families, well-known local Silver Fighters.
Sea Dog immediately realized, “Heh heh heh, a powerful dragon cannot suppress a local tyrant. The Justice Pirate Group was too aggressive at the auction, and now they’re facing backlash.”
In the city, with the City Lord’s Mansion and the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce, these two families had to be cautious and dared not take action.
But outside the city, there was room for free play.
If the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce hadn’t been swallowed by the upper echelons of the Empire, those two major families wouldn’t have made a move. But now, the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce lay in shambles, and guarding such a large batch of goods, the escort of the Justice Pirate Group could be counted on one hand.
No wonder the two major families were tempted to take action.
“Good, let them probe the reality of the situation,” Sea Dog said, no longer advancing, immediately hiding behind a huge rock without being detected.
On the hillside, the ambush team officially began their attack.
Two Silver Fighters tore open magic scrolls at the same time, activating the spells transcribed within.
Suddenly, six massive boulders materialized out of thin air and began rolling down the slope.
The boulders were round and twice the size of a carriage, creating a noise that immediately drew the attention of Zi Di and her group.
“Trouble’s coming!” Zi Di sighed lightly.
Di Lou and Sanda both flipped out the window, standing on the carriage roof, ready for battle.
At this time, the Justice Pirate Group had a total of eight carriages, mainly carrying three tons of Sea Blue Ore. The immensely valuable treasures like Mithril and Refined Gold, although not large in volume.
But because the mountain path was narrow and long, it caused the carriage procession to stretch out, mostly in the path of the rolling boulders.
The threat the Justice Pirate Group faced was not just from the boulders.
After releasing the boulders, the ambush team charged forward. Those two Silver Fighters were the sharpest tip of the spear.
Inside one of the carriages, Zi Di began chanting.
Mana fluctuations immediately emanated.
“There’s a Black Iron-level Mage!”
“Prioritize taking her out!”
In the midst of their dive, the two Silver Fighters exchanged a glance, instantly reaching consensus.
Zi Di’s spell took effect, and the slope of the hillside suddenly bulged upward.
The rolling boulders, upon reaching these mounds, either shifted direction continuously or were launched into mid-air.
The horses pulling the carriages neighed, accompanied by the frantic shouts of the drivers. But the boulders either changed their course or tumbled over their heads, ultimately plunging into the sea.
Sea Dog calmly observed the battle, silently assessing, “The ambushers have no real Mage to control these boulders, otherwise a Black Iron Mage wouldn’t have been able to break it so easily.”
“However, the ambushers have achieved their objective. They used the boulders to draw the Mage’s fire, buying time, and have already charged to the enemy’s front.”
“The Justice Pirate Group is at a disadvantage now.”
The ambush team had two Silvers and several Blacks, a lineup stronger than Zi Di, Di Lou, and Sanda. The rest were carriage drivers, who had already jumped off the drivers’ seats, fleeing in panic.
Di Lou snorted coldly and charged directly out.
Sanda, on the other hand, held a short knife and guarded the side of the carriage, waiting for the enemy.
One Silver Fighter from the ambush team got entangled with Di Lou, while the other led his team in a charge towards Sanda.
But the next moment, the leading Silver Fighter who continued the charge suddenly spurted blood and almost collapsed on the hillside.
“It’s an ambush!” He rolled backward several times, knelt on the ground, and his face was ashen as he held his forearm.
An arrow was embedded in his forearm, bleeding profusely.
Previously, an arrow had been shot at the Silver Fighter’s heart. In a life-and-death moment, the Silver Fighter, with no time for anything else, could only block with his arm.
He released his combat energy with all his might and managed to block the lethal arrow, but at the same time, he temporarily lost the use of his arm.
Combat Skill — Assassination Arrow!
Higher up on the hillside, the One-eyed Elf perched on the branch of a large tree, his bowstring still vibrating slightly.
He was the instigator.
The Silver Fighter who was hit with the arrow tried to stand up, suddenly feeling a strong wave of dizziness.
The Silver Fighter cursed loudly, “Damn it, this arrow is poisoned!”
The signal for retreat, sounded twice in a row, greatly weakened the morale of the ambush team.
Inside the carriage, Zi Di continuously cast several spells.
Small Fireballs, Ice Cones, Wind Blades, and more, one after another, lunged at the Black Iron Fighters rushing toward them.
Boom, boom, boom…
The Black Iron Fighters were pounded so hard they couldn’t raise their heads.
Sanda surged into the crowd, knife light flashing, and the Black Iron Fighters were sliced apart and their charge abruptly halted.
The archer took action again, firing three consecutive arrows.
The Silver Fighter who was hit could only desperately flee, dodging the arrows.
He fled farther and farther, eventually leaving the battlefield entirely.
“Damn it!” The Silver Fighter still entangled with Di Lou noticed this and quickly called for the others to retreat.
“Do not pursue,” came Zi Di’s immediate command.
Di Lou and Sanda stopped.
The archer did not regroup but continued providing support from the hillside.
In the shadows, Sea Dog wiped a bead of cold sweat from his forehead, “What a formidable archer, according to the intelligence, this archer used to be an Elf Noble?”
“And that elder from the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce, that masked Black Iron Mage, what’s the deal with her? She can actually cast spells instantly!”