Work Prophet
Chapter 596 - 28: The Meeting Gift

Chapter 596: Chapter 28: The Meeting Gift

Events unfolded just as Iron Spear had said, the sizable army of over five thousand was indeed moving towards the Dragon Ridge Mountain Range.

Upon seeing the distant expanse of continuous mountains, the faces of the ten native captives in the troop also revealed expressions of surprise.

After being captured, they had all thought they would never return to these familiar mountains again.

At this time, Miss Rabbit at the very front of the troop was also looking up, assessing the towering mountain before her.

Then, she suddenly ordered the ar to halt. The nobles following her exchanged glances, and one of them spurred his horse forward, respectfully addressing the Lady.

"Lord Commander, why stop now, when the troop’s morale is high? Everyone is eager to move into the mountains and attack the natives."

"Don’t rush," the young woman said, "Let’s first greet the native inhabitants."

"Native inhabitants, are you referring to those tribes in the mountains? I think it’s best if they do not know of our arrival."

"We cannot hide our arrival from them," the Lady shook her head, "And the native inhabitants I’m talking about are not them."

"Those natives were forced into the mountains by the Dwarves across from them, strictly speaking, they are guests in this mountain range just like us, only they arrived slightly earlier. The natives I speak of have lived here much longer than they have."

"There are others in the mountains aside from those natives?" the Noble asked, surprised, "Why have I never heard of that?"

Miss Rabbit did not answer his question, but merely said, "Just wait a little longer."

After Ireya finished speaking, three monks clad in green cloaks from the Double Rest Sect emerged from the crowd.

They walked all the way to the foot of the mountain before stopping.

Afterward, they positioned themselves in the classic Double Rest Sect prayer stance and began to pray.

The gathering nobles, though somewhat anxious, had just witnessed Saturday’s miracle before departing and did not urge the Lady onward.

However, the Noble who had previously approached Miss Rabbit came forward again after a while.

"Lady Ireya, while we are waiting, why don’t we send someone to scout ahead?"

"Scout?"

"Yes. There’s something peculiar about this mountain. Marquis Kuren and his ten thousand elite troops got trapped inside, we should also be cautious."

"I am Custer, the ’Shooter’ from the Frederiksen Family, and I am willing to lead the way for the army," Custer voluntarily offered.

Miss Rabbit initially wanted to decline, as the reconnaissance methods of the Double Rest Sect were far superior to ordinary scouts.

But, on second thought, she swallowed her words and nodded, "Alright, then you go."

The Shooter took command, selected twelve light cavalrymen from his own men, and immediately departed.

Meanwhile, the rest remained outside the valley, becoming increasingly impatient, until three monks eventually returned.

The shortest among them approached the Lady, bowed slightly, and said, "Greetings have been sent, the gifts are ten carts of carrots and ten carts of wheat."

"No problem."

Miss Rabbit, who had already offered a hefty reward of ten thousand gold lions, was not concerned about this small expense. After leaving the requisite amount of wheat and carrots, she gestured grandly, signaling everyone to continue moving forward.

The other nobles did not know what kind of scheme the Lady had up her sleeve.

But seeing that they could set off again, everyone was glad, and at this time, Custer also sent people back to report, saying that there was no danger ahead and they had not seen the savages for the time being.

Thus, the Lady led the army officially into the Dragon Ridge Mountain Range.

And not long after they departed, the previously quiet valley suddenly became bustling.

This bustle lasted for about two hours, after which it returned to calm, as if no one had ever been there.

Only the radishes and wheat on the cart had disappeared.

Before departing, the Lady had asked Morse for a horse, specifically for Big Hand to ride, but he had refused.

Although he was a coachman, he actually did not know how to ride horses and had no opportunity to do so.

Big Hand did not really understand why Ireya still wanted to bring him along since he had proven that he did not understand what those savages were saying, and by reason, he was not of much use anymore.

But the new Lady told him that there might still be a chance to encounter people from his mother’s tribe later on, and then Big Hand could prove useful.

Additionally, he knew the mountain better than the others, and she had also arranged for him to guard the savage captives.

Thinking of this, Big Hand looked back at the ten savages behind him. Since entering the mountain, the faces of those fellows had been filled with excitement. Even without talking, Big Hand knew what they were thinking right now.

This was another thing he could not understand—in Big Hand’s view, these guys were utterly useless, only adding trouble within the army.

But he did not say this to Ireya—after all, he was just a coachman, completely unqualified to advise a noble.

Big Hand simply hoped that this trip would allow him to return to Rock Snow City safely, back to his wife and children.

The group walked in the mountain for half a day and gradually discovered some traces left by the troops ahead.

This greatly encouraged the nobles who had come to rescue Marquis Kuren and their elite. But at the same time, as they pushed deeper, their nerves tightened once again.

They continually watched and observed the surrounding woods and shrubs, fearing enemies might suddenly emerge from there.

On the contrary, Ireya, the Commander, looked still calm and even took off part of her armor because it was too heavy.

At dinner time, Miss Rabbit approached the person tasked with covertly monitoring Big Hand and asked if Big Hand and those savages had any private dealings.

The answer she received left the Lady somewhat disappointed. According to the surveillance, Big Hand had had no interaction with those savages along the way.

It seemed he was intentionally keeping his distance from those fellows.

"So cautious—there must be a problem," Miss Rabbit said, touching her chin, "Are there perhaps still too many people around? Should we create some better conditions for him?

"Moreover, that guy from the Frederiksen Family, nicknamed ’Shooter,’ looks a bit suspicious too. He even volunteered to lead the vanguard, which could facilitate him in signaling to those dwarves hiding in the shadows."

"Those dwarves aren’t here," Greta said. "I’ve asked my mouse friends nearby."

"Can your mouse friends help us find Marquis Kuren?" Miss Rabbit asked. "Ten thousand people are quite conspicuous, right?"

"They can, but it will take some time," Greta said. "Besides, they are different from humans—once the number exceeds a certain limit, they don’t really grasp it.

"To them, a hundred people and ten thousand people are both just very, very many, and they can’t tell the difference between dwarves, savages, and Half-Beasts."