Qianye traversed the wilderness, his destination a human settlement nearly two hundred kilometers away. On standard maps, it was marked merely as a military outpost, usually manned by no more than a platoon for vigilance and initial defense.
However, when truly facing the dark races in battle, what could such a small force achieve? Thus, these outposts on the frontlines were often considered perilous assignments, reserved for those who had committed grave offenses or offended powerful figures.
As a result, most expeditionary force officers tended to overlook these settlements, considering no news as good news.
Indeed, disguising the crucial trading point of the Seventh Division with the dark races as an unappealing outpost was an excellent way to conceal their activities.
Qianye’s current mission was to visit this settlement, where a “caravan” was reportedly staying.
After leaving the city, Qianye moved like a true hunter, suppressing his aura, utilizing the terrain, and minimizing his tracks. Suddenly, a distant rumble echoed from the sky. An airship appeared from the direction of Heilu City, heading towards him.
Qianye glanced at the airship, noting the angle of its auxiliary wings and the speed of its rear thrusters, and murmured, “They really are generous, sending an airship.”
He found a large tree, climbed to its crown, and rested, waiting for the airship to pass. This airship was not large and rather old, outdated by imperial standards. Yet, in the Evernight Continent, it remained a valuable asset. Even as a division commander, Wu Zhengnan could not command many airships.
Due to the high cost of advanced fuel, airship operations were expensive. Generally, airships were only used for urgent situations or significant battles. As for aerial reconnaissance, the former Red Scorpion Legion often used them, but Qianye doubted that a division tasked with a fixed theater would spend so much on such a luxury.
Thus, the airship’s destination became clear.
After resting for about ten minutes, Qianye continued his journey once the airship had passed overhead.
As night fell, the outline of the settlement finally appeared on the horizon. Perched atop a hill, it looked more like a small town, capable of housing around a thousand people, far larger than the usual small outposts.
The presence of such a large settlement in an area prone to dark race incursions was clearly unusual. Qianye frowned, realizing the trade must have been ongoing for a long time, with sizable caravans and substantial goods being exchanged.
Qianye felt a sense of unease; removing such an entrenched operation would not be easy. Wei Po Tian had the support of the Wei family, but dealing with Wu Zhengnan’s backer, the Black Crystal Channel, was perilous.
Qianye quickly composed himself and, using the cover of night and terrain, began to approach the settlement. While he excelled in night combat, the presence of dark races with night vision made this less advantageous.
Upon seeing a large open space outside the town and a tall tower, Qianye became even more cautious. It was a makeshift airship landing base. The airship he had seen earlier was likely a regular facility, underscoring the importance of this location.
The settlement had grown to this size over time, indicating it could not be dismantled quickly. Qianye didn’t need to investigate further; he only needed to bring back this information. An unexpected inspection by the Imperial Military would surely uncover the truth.
Still, he decided to take a closer look, to confirm the details of the trade. If the opportunity arose, he wouldn’t hesitate to strike a decisive blow.
As he drew closer, Qianye detected a unique, pungent odor. It was the scent of wolves, not military dogs. He then saw massive dire wolves patrolling the streets, better guards than any human sentry.
Prepared, Qianye applied a special powder that masked his scent from the dire wolves and continued. The powder subtly repelled the wolves without alarming them.
Reaching the town wall, he found it made of rough-hewn logs, only four meters high. Guard towers were positioned at four corners, spaced far apart, with drowsy guards visible inside.
The lax security was out of place for such an important site. Qianye’s eyes flashed red, revealing a network of gray webs covering the walls and ground, almost invisible to the untrained eye.
These were not ordinary spider webs but a vast interconnected network. Behind the wall, there must be deep pits housing Modo Hunter Spiders. These spiders, bred by the Arachne, were like their extended senses, detecting any anomalies.
Qianye narrowed his eyes. The presence of dire wolves and Modo Hunter Spiders indicated something amiss. Even a dark race military base would not have such defenses.
However, the Modo Hunter Spiders posed little challenge to Qianye. He captured a few insects and tossed them into the web.
The insects, palm-sized and strong, struggled, tearing the web, but the strands were too resilient. They soon became entangled, attracting the attention of smaller hunting spiders. These spiders quickly subdued the prey, repaired the web, and retreated.
This was the weakness of the Modo Hunter Spiders: they responded only to living creatures, ignoring the wooden stakes Qianye had placed.
Using these stakes, Qianye swiftly climbed over the wall, landing silently within the town.
It was not yet midnight, but the town was eerily quiet, with few people in the empty streets and sparse lights in the buildings.
Qianye hid in the shadows, taking a deep breath. His blood energy surged, then settled. Since the Spring Hunt, his golden blood energy had become more independent, resonating with his dawn energy, producing a “Dawn Illumination.” However, in the presence of dark energy, it occasionally lost control, as it did in the tavern.
Shaking off his worries, Qianye sensed the strong presence of werewolves and Arachne, but no vampires. The ages-old enmity between werewolves and vampires made their cooperation unlikely.
Footsteps and muffled voices came from a nearby alley. Qianye quietly retreated into a dead-end, hiding in the shadows, using his stealth abilities to suppress his aura.
Four or five people walked by, their conversation audible.
“Damn, these wolves and spiders everywhere, I hate them!”
“Keep your voice down! Remember how Old Li died? Those beasts won’t care who you are, and they’ll eat us if they find an excuse!”
“Sigh, if something happens, Commander Zhou won’t protect us. He’ll just tell us to bear it.”
An older voice chimed in, “Just one more night. No complaining. We all know the benefits of this deal. So much money, of course, we’re risking our lives.”
“Just get through this deal, and don’t screw up.”
“How many times has something gone wrong?”
“Enough, let’s just get through tonight. Commander Zhou can treat us to drinks after this big deal.”
Their voices faded as they walked away.
It seemed the town was currently hosting a significant number of dark races for the ongoing trade. Qianye estimated there were about a dozen werewolves and four or five Arachne, with numerous giant spiders in the two webbed buildings.
Such a force was sufficient for a dark race patrol, indicating the trade’s value. With so many dark races present, humans stayed indoors at night, aware of the dangers.
The question now was, what were they trading?
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage