Translator: AnubisTL
Night once again oppressively blanketed the wilderness.
After days of grueling travel, Jieming's group had ventured hundreds of miles deep into the wilderness, far from Golden Harbor, and established a temporary camp.
The air hung heavy with the earthy stench of mud, the acrid tang of burning firewood, and a faint, lingering metallic scent of blood.
Jieming showed no signs of fatigue. Before sunset, he and General Brandon had meticulously surveyed every possible campsite, ultimately selecting an open area backed by a small hill, slightly elevated and easily defensible.
The carriages were ordered to form a circle, creating a makeshift defensive perimeter that sheltered the nobles at the camp's center.
Campfires crackled throughout the camp, their flickering flames casting shifting shadows across the nobles' weary and anxious faces.
They huddled within their carriages or clustered around the fires, their fine robes unable to conceal the disheveled and dejected air that clung to them.
Earl Reinhardt, the once-revered elder nobleman, sat beside a crude campfire, struggling to cut a piece of roasted meat with his silver cutlery.
His face was pale, his eyes filled with anxiety about the future.
Beside him, Baron Fabio's corpulent frame nearly sank into the makeshift animal hide cushion. His thick, fleshy fingers nervously rubbed the worn token hanging from his waist.
General Brandon sat alone nearby, clutching a short sword polished to a blinding sheen. His eyes burned with intensity, yet he frequently glanced toward the royal capital, his brow furrowed in concern.
"Earl Reinhardt," Baron Fabio whispered, leaning close to the earl's ear, his fleshy face creased with worry. "Though Lord Jack is unmatched in valor, and the orcs and magical beasts of this wilderness are mere fodder before him..."
"Once we reach the royal capital... my distant cousin from the collateral branch has long coveted my title and the Golden Harbor estates. Now that we've lost our territory and have only these meager possessions left, I fear those relatives in the capital won't let us off easily..."
Earl Reinhardt paused his movements and sighed softly.
He understood the dark and cruel underbelly of the royal capital's noble circles far better than Baron Fabio.
A bitter smile flickered across his weathered face. "It's not just titles and estates, Fabio. My own grandsons have been openly vying for the family inheritance for years. Now that our family has suffered such heavy losses, if we elders were to meet with 'accidental' deaths on the road, those collateral branches and younger generations could legitimately divide our entire legacy."
General Brandon, who had been listening to their conversation, couldn't help but interject. "Earl Reinhardt speaks the truth. My good-for-nothing nephew has been eyeing my military command for ages. Given his character, he might even collude with outsiders or orchestrate 'accidents' to inherit my assets legitimately. The noble circles of the royal capital are far more treacherous than the wolves and tigers of this wilderness."
A barely perceptible chill flashed in his eyes.
Baron Fabio shuddered in fear, his corpulent frame instinctively edging closer to the campfire. "Heavens, General! Are you saying... they might send assassins to ambush us on the road?"
General Brandon didn't answer directly, instead casting a cold glance at the nobles scattered around the camp.
As members of the nobility themselves, they knew better than anyone the depths of depravity a noble's schemes could reach.
In this perilous wilderness, their fear was amplified to an unbearable degree.
Once high and mighty rulers, they now resembled a flock of helpless lambs.
They lowered their voices, their whispers filled with a desperate hunger for power and wealth.
Meanwhile, in an inconspicuous tent tucked away in a corner of the camp, Jieming remained awake.
Sitting cross-legged, his scouting eye surveyed the entire camp, capturing every detail.
The nobles' hushed conversations, their fear, anxiety, and veiled suspicions, all transformed into streams of Red Dust Qi, silently absorbed by the talisman seal within his dantian.
"Not a bad sample," Jieming chuckled softly.
He knew these nobles both feared and relied on his immense power.
This contradictory mindset was precisely the "sample" he needed.
He ignored the nobles' whispers and turned his attention to another matter.
Earlier, he had summoned several mercenaries who had shown relative intelligence during the day and already held him in awe.
These men, unlike the regular soldiers, recognized the power of strength. At least until a greater reward presented itself, they would obey his orders without question.
Having traveled for several days, they had moved beyond the range of the main orc army's sweeps, and small towns and villages began to appear in the surrounding landscape.
However, these settlements were too conspicuous as targets, so the nobles preferred to endure harsher conditions and camp in the open rather than risk exposure.
Jieming's instructions were simple: gather intelligence and information from the nearby villages.
Despite possessing a scouting eye, Jieming lacked detailed knowledge of the frontline situation or the surrounding towns. He needed to collect relevant information to avoid blundering into orc-controlled settlements.
Hours later, at the darkest hour before dawn, the mercenary captain returned to camp, panting heavily.
"My lord! I've gathered the intelligence!" The captain knelt outside Jieming's tent, his voice trembling with barely suppressed urgency. "The orcish army is indeed mobilizing. Supplied through Golden Harbor, their vanguard has already assembled in several towns north of the royal capital and could launch a full-scale assault at any moment!"
Jieming nodded calmly. The orcs' actions weren't entirely unexpected. He gestured for the captain to continue.
"Beyond that, there's no concrete information... except for rumors about those foreign demons," the mercenary captain said, his tone hesitant.
"Oh? What rumors?" Jieming's interest piqued at the mention of wizards.
The captain took a deep breath. "Last month, multiple kingdoms joined forces to eliminate a powerful foreign demon named David! They say this wizard was exceptionally strong. After descending upon this world several months ago, he systematically destroyed numerous orc tribes before invading the elven kingdom, where no one could stand against him! If not for... if not for the divine being's intervention and the combined forces of the kingdoms' warriors fighting without regard for casualties, he would have been impossible to eradicate!"
The private soldier captain's eyes still gleamed with excitement from the gossip. "My lord, you wouldn't believe it! The tavern talk claims that the battle was earth-shattering! They say even space itself was torn apart, mountains crumbled to dust, and rivers changed course! After the wizard David died, his soul transformed into a vengeful spirit, cursing the nobles and priests who had hunted him down. They all contracted strange illnesses and met gruesome ends!"
Jieming outwardly appeared to listen with mild amusement, but his heart jolted violently.
"David?"
Many wizards bore the name David, but among the newly arrived wizards, the most renowned David was undoubtedly the tenth-tier genius from Noren Academy No. 1.
After dismissing the captain, Jieming sank into deep thought.
"A divine being manifesting... Does that mean something like an angel? If a third-tier creature led an assault with a swarm of second-tier beings, they might have been able to take down that genius."
As a tenth-tier genius, David's trump cards couldn't be much weaker than his own.
But just like the problem Jieming had faced before, if a third-tier creature led the attack, they could likely eliminate David before he even had a chance to unleash his full power.
"No, that's not right. According to the rumors, the two sides engaged in a major battle. But..."
Jieming couldn't help but search his memories, pulling up the last Contribution Ranking.
During the two months Jieming had secluded himself in Golden Harbor to conduct research, the Contribution Ranking continued to update regularly.
Having made no contributions during this period, Jieming's ranking had slipped two places, now standing at sixth.
However, the rate at which other wizards were accumulating contribution points had also slowed, suggesting they had all entered a period of dormancy.
"David..."
Jieming quickly scanned the previous Contribution Rankings for changes in David's position.
Initially, David had consistently ranked among the top three.
But by the second month, his ranking had slipped, at one point dropping as low as fifth place, indicating a slowdown in his accumulation of contribution points.
This likely meant he had completely eradicated the orc tribes near his landing site. With no more prey, he must have shifted his focus to the elven kingdom around that time.
After arriving in the elven kingdom, David must have encountered numerous enemies, causing his contribution points to skyrocket into the top three.
"Then last month... David's ranking shot straight to first place. It seems he truly must have been in a major battle."
Jieming's fingers twitched involuntarily. "So David really was killed... No, wait. This only proves he fought a major battle last month. It doesn't necessarily mean he's dead. We'll have to see how the Contribution Ranking changes this month..."
Though he said this, Jieming knew in his heart that if David had truly faced such a siege, his chances of survival would have been slim.
"Could even an incomplete Planar War cause such massive casualties? Could David, a tenth-tier genius, really have died so easily? Wizards are intelligent peopleβthey wouldn't choose such a reckless fool as their heir, would they?"
Jieming appeared to be meditating with his eyes closed, but his mind churned with conflicting thoughts.
Finally, he sighed deeply. "Forget it. There's no point dwelling on this now. I'll gather more specific information when I reach the royal capital."
Pushing these thoughts aside for the moment, Jieming sat cross-legged on the ground and began meditating before dawn.
(End of the Chapter)
---
πRead (πͺππππ₯π) on the Site till Ch223. (95 Chapters Ahead)
π²Read upto Ch158 for ABSOLUTELY ππππ! βπ ππ πππ
β‘15 Novels | 9.2k+ Chapters | 15.3M+ Words [ππ’π§πππ«ππ₯.ππ¨π¦]