“Ah?” The captain, seemingly surprised as well, stepped in from the forecabin. He was a bearded man with sunken eyes, looking like he had never had a good night’s sleep. Yet, his gaze was fiercely intense. He cast a glance at Qian Ye, his eyelids twitching suddenly, and his expression turned much more solemn. “You are a formidable one. Alright, I just didn’t want them to damage my ship; it wasn’t my intention to offend you.”
Although Qian Ye had not activated his bloodline to hide, he had concealed his aura. In the Empire, few would be able to see through his strength. However, in the Neutral Zone, most encountered had extremely sharp instincts. They didn’t need to see clearly to know that Qian Ye was very powerful.
This left Qian Ye rather helpless, but he figured that in this cruel world, those who weren’t sensitive enough to danger must have long perished.
Qian Ye nodded at the captain, without any intent of pressing the matter. He stood up, stepping over the scattered passengers and crew, preparing to disembark.
As he walked, inevitably stepping on someone’s hand or leg, no one complained, their expressions unchanging. The captain’s roar had felled a cabin full of people, yet Qian Ye remained calm. Anyone who wasn’t a fool could tell that Qian Ye was far more formidable than themselves. Whether mercenaries or crew, they were only fierce and stubborn, but they did not have the habit of risking death for no reason.
Arriving at the cabin door, Qian Ye saw two more airships nearby, having just landed, and most of the people coming out were mercenaries.
Qian Ye knew the scale of Nanqing City, and the Port War had just ended. The exploration of the Earth Dragon’s nest was highly confidential and shouldn’t concern the mercenaries. Logically, the mercenaries who hadn’t found work should have gradually left to seek opportunities elsewhere. There was always war and employment in the Neutral Zone. But now, more mercenaries kept arriving, which was somewhat unusual. Could it be related to the Earth Dragon’s nest?
Qian Ye asked the captain, “Is there another battle coming? Why so many mercenaries?”
“Not a battle, but something similar. Indeed, something has happened,” the captain said, and then fell silent.
Qian Ye knew the captain was holding back. He pulled out a few gold coins and handed them over. Only then did the captain continue, “I heard that recently, a little girl has been spotted in the Black Forest. One of Nanqing City Lord’s sons fancies such things. Upon hearing the news, he went to capture her, but for some reason, he never returned. After that, the City Lord flew into a rage, offering a hefty reward to bring that girl back. Many people heard the news and came here to try their luck.”
A little girl in the Black Forest? Isn’t that Zhu Ji? A murderous intent rose in Qian Ye’s heart, though he showed nothing on the surface. He continued, “What can a little girl be worth? Besides, if she is truly a little girl, how could she possibly eliminate an entire squad of guards?”
“There’s nothing impossible about it, because we’re talking about the Black Forest, where countless native ghosts roam. This time, the City Lord is determined to exterminate all the native ghosts in that area, and maybe even the Black Forest itself. Of course, this is information that most people know.”
Qian Ye slipped a few more gold coins over. “And what about the less-known information?”
The captain held out his hand again, saying, “Not enough.”
Qian Ye simply took out a pouch, pouring a large portion of its gold coins into the captain’s palm. “Is this enough now?”
Pleased by Qian Ye’s generosity, the captain stuffed the gold coins into his pocket and said, “I know your money is burning a hole in your pocket. Rest assured, my information is worth the price. There are two pieces of relatively relevant information, and one less certain piece, all included in this price.”
The captain turned and roared, “Close the cabin doors! This is valuable and important information. All you poor wretches, stay put and wait until I’m done before you get off the ship!”
The mercenaries aboard grumbled in frustration, but none dared to actually curse aloud.
Lowering his voice, the captain said, “The first piece of information is that someone recognized the little girl as possibly being a juvenile arachnid demon, mixed in with the native ghosts for some reason. Word apparently reached the Spider Emperor, who seems quite interested. Part of the bounty offered by the City Lord is provided by the Spider Emperor.”
“The news spreads fast,” Qian Ye mused. He hadn’t stayed long in the Earth Dragon’s nest, and including the travel time to and from the Northern Continent, it had only been a few days. Yet, the Spider Emperor had already reacted.
“Most mercenaries make their living from information, and they know which kind of information to sell to whom.” The captain commented, then continued, “The second piece of information involves the Empire. It’s said that some people have come from there, all in secret, and no one knows what they’re here for. However, they saw timber from the Black Forest and showed great interest, willing to buy at a high price. You know the old man can smell gold across half a continent.”
Qian Ye nodded. The true horror of the Black Forest in the Neutral Zone lay in the hidden native races. If these races were eradicated, the Black Forest would just be a strange, thriving forest that could still be harvested. Thus, while the City Lord offered bounties using the Spider Emperor’s money, his real aim was likely the timber from the Black Forest. If the Empire bought heavily, the price of timber from the Black Forest would skyrocket soon.
“And the last piece of information may or may not be related to this. It’s said that a warship crashed on the edge of the landmass not long ago. It was a very large ship, possibly a duke’s flagship. It looked like a ship from the Evernight Blood Clan, but it ultimately crashed into the void, so the information hasn’t been confirmed. That’s all I know, so you should get off, lad!”
Stepping out of the airship, Qian Ye’s gaze was dark as he glanced at the mercenaries disembarking and then left.
Many mercenaries shivered inexplicably, cursing the damned weather of the Neutral Zone. The captain squinted, watching Qian Ye’s retreating figure, and after a while, he murmured, “Such heavy killing intent.”
The first mate beside him probed, “Do you know who he is?”
The captain shrugged. “I’m only guessing, but if it’s really him, things will get lively. Anyway, these messy affairs are none of our business. Get ready; we set sail in two hours and try to make another run!”
The first mate and the crew loudly agreed, immediately getting busy. During this special period, each shipment of mercenaries to Nanqing City earned them an additional reward. Such lucrative days were rare.
Qian Ye left the landing field, planning to buy a motorcycle in the city to head to the Black Forest. But when he arrived at the street dedicated to selling motorcycles, he was shocked to find all the stores empty. Even the oldest off-road vehicles had been snatched up. There were hardly any parts left, and key components were out of stock, leaving his plan to assemble a motorcycle from parts in ruins.
Qian Ye’s expression grew even darker. The empty streets could only mean one thing: the motorcycles had been bought by mercenaries. Their sole purpose was to rush to the Black Forest to capture young Zhu Ji.
Qian Ye was confident in Zhu Ji’s combat abilities, especially in the Black Forest, where she was as agile as a fish in water. On paper, a whole mercenary company could be wiped out by her. But battle was not just a game of numbers, and mercenaries were skilled in using treacherous methods like traps and poisons. Young Zhu Ji, lacking combat experience, could easily fall victim to their schemes.
With time running out, Qian Ye abandoned the idea of buying a vehicle. Instead, he left the city, hijacked a motorcycle from a small group of mercenaries outside, and raced towards the Black Forest at full speed.
At this moment, the Black Forest was busier than ever. When Qian Ye arrived, he saw three large camps, and even a makeshift landing field for airships. Next to the landing field, various cargo boxes were piled up like small mountains. Some boxes were already open, with engineers and mercenaries assembling heavy-duty trucks and logging machinery. In the central camp, a power tower was halfway built.
Clearly, the organizer of this operation had grand ambitions, aiming to take over the entire Black Forest.
Outside the camps, many wooden stakes stood, with native warriors hanging from them. This was a psychological tactic, serving both as a deterrent and an attempt to provoke the natives into leaving the Black Forest. Once out of the forest, their combat effectiveness would be weakened by at least a third.
It was uncertain if this tactic would work, but the mercenaries, who lived on the edge of life and death, naturally needed to vent their violent emotions.
The native warriors hanging from the stakes were mostly humanoid, but with many features of beasts, and a few were particularly tall and lanky. The ones with beast-like features were the lowest-tier warriors of the native race, with low intelligence, basically cannon fodder. Only those towering over two meters were the backbone of the native race.
Qian Ye had never closely observed the native race before, so he moved closer to examine them. These warriors had prominent throat protrusions, likely capable of producing special whistles. Judging by their physique, they were well-suited for fighting in the forest.
Just as he was observing, a team of mercenaries stormed out of the camp, shouting, “We’ve surrounded the little one! Hurry up and come!”
“What? They managed to complete the encirclement? That’s impressive!”
“I heard the Storm Fury Mercenary Group made the breakthrough, slaying countless native ghosts, and finally cornered the native ghosts and the little one in a single section of the forest.”
Immediately, a group of younger mercenaries grew anxious. “Then what are we waiting for? If we’re late, we won’t even get the leftovers.”
The more seasoned fighters sneered. “Do you think the native ghosts are that easy to handle? Who knows how many are inside the encirclement. To crack it, many lives will be lost. The Black Forest is no picnic. The Storm Fury probably paid a heavy price to break through.”
Some disagreed, saying, “So what if a few die? Aren’t we all risking our lives in battle? With so much profit to be made, we should seize this chance to make a fortune. What’s the point of being a mercenary if you fear death?”
Many others agreed, and a crowd of mercenaries noisily climbed aboard, swarming towards the Black Forest.
Watching the mercenaries leave, Qian Ye’s gaze turned icy, a cold smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
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