Amber Sword
Chapter 151: Act 9 Day 1_2

Chapter 151: Act 9 Day 1_2

Reto and Mano positioned the people on the flanks and rear, having them patrol back and forth to maintain order and security among the refugee group. Although it sounded simple, it was a tedious task. They had worked hard for half a morning just for this, and now Reto was here to report the results.

Mano, however, had another purpose. He and Char sorted and handed over the armor fragments collected from the Undead Scout Cavalry last night to Brand for inspection.

Most of the pieces were broken metal rings, with only a few metal fragments. Brand picked each piece up and examined it in the sunlight, then felt the inside of the metal rings with his fingertip. He quickly found that familiar insignia—a single eye.

Brand handed the armor fragments back to Mano and said, "It seems that the troops trailing us belong to Dead Maggot, just as history says—"

He suddenly noticed Mano looking at him suspiciously and quickly coughed. "Dead Maggot Magus, he is a Half Zombie. Among Madara’s military commanders, he is particularly skilled at concentrating numerical advantages. However, he likes to march at night. When the time comes, you will see a vast army of zombies."

Brand’s words made Reto and Mano exchange glances. They did not understand why Brand knew so much about Madara, but he did not seem to be bluffing. Moreover, there was no need for this young man to boast. He had already won their trust since the battle last night.

But Brand stopped, looking at the sky. There were a few black dots far off in the southeastern sky—whether they were eagles or Madara’s skeletal vultures was hard to tell. He quickly dismissed the thought. As standard scouting units of Madara, the skeletal vultures were nearly impossible to guard against. They had keen eyesight, and Undead Wizards could see all the battlefield’s movements through them.

In the final years of the First Epoch, from the Year of Forest Flourishing (421) to the Star Technique Year (426), during several battles, especially the Sloping Forest Battle in Sipah, Madara’s skeletal vultures covered the sky, and even the Flying Dragon Cavalry dispatched by players could not drive them away in time. That was Madara’s peak period, nearly pushing swarm tactics to the limit.

However, years of combat had allowed them to devise some countermeasures. In dense, heavily covered mountainous forests like this, skeletal vultures were significantly weakened. Their monotonous coloration made it difficult for them to distinguish the complex terrain. Not even Brand’s four to five hundred people, or even one to two thousand, could hide in the Deer Hunting Hills like pebbles thrown into the ocean—without a trace.

This was why Brand resolutely chose to enter Silver Sparrow Mountain rather than following the main refugee group into the more accessible Sharp Stone River Valley. He hadn’t disclosed his reasons, fearing the seasoned mercenaries might grow suspicious. While he preferred to believe they still had some fervor left, it was better to be cautious—

Brand thought for a moment and continued, "Magus likes to march at night, but he won’t be idle during the day. He will use elite Ghoul and Corpse Demon platoons to drive the refugees. However, his first priority should be to defeat the White Mane Legion. I just don’t know where Luc Besson is right now."

Actually, Brand’s biggest fear was being discovered by the Bone Dragons. He knew Tagus had three Bone Dragons, so if they were found in the open areas of the valleys, it would be a disaster. But Tagus should be recuperating in Ridenburg. After occupying the cemetery there, he should be hurrying to expand his forces. With the biggest obstacle already removed—from Ridenburg through the Sharp Stone River Valley to Drage’s area, there was no further impediment.

As he spoke, Brand couldn’t help but look toward the valley. At that moment, in the eyes of Reto and Mano, he had already become a rising young commander, or even a new star, and they looked at him differently.

Although they were mercenaries, they did have aspirations to become house servants for nobles. However, only God knew, Brand was nothing more than a pretender—though he had corrected Char’s way of addressing him once, Char’s formal way of calling him "Master" gave Brand the creeps. It was better to just go along with the current address.

After thinking about this for a moment, he could only blame the "default settings" for not being set up right.

Having finished their tasks by the morning, the rest of the morning was uneventful. The refugee group kept growing. Apart from a group catching up from behind, some refugees also joined from the valley direction, bringing news from that direction. Unsurprisingly, Brand was not wrong. Magus’s Ghoul and Demon Ghost platoons, along with three Kabais’s skeletal armies, were engaging in a fierce battle with the White Mane Legion there, with the outcome expected by nightfall.

The refugee group swelled to around a thousand people. Brand had them stop and cook a meal. Fortunately, since Madara had first attacked the northwestern and southwestern districts of the city yesterday, most people fleeing from the north had sufficient time to collect essentials, so Brand did not have to worry about food for the time being.

However, the young man was not unprepared. In his eyes, the Deer Hunting Forest was a natural food storage base. The forest teemed with various animals—besides the aggressive bears and mane wolves, there were wild boars, deer, badgers, and hares. There were plenty of pine nuts to gather, as well as mushrooms and wild vegetables in the forest. If they put their minds to it, feeding one or two thousand people might not result in luxury, but sufficiency would be guaranteed.

Around three in the afternoon, the riders Brand had sent out finally brought back some news. It was not about Madara—

But someone wanted to meet him.

...

(PS. At the last moment, I finally made it. This Chapter should have been written in the afternoon, but I was in a good mood visiting home for New Year’s Day and overate a bit, causing a stomachache until the evening. Don’t overeat =__=!

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