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n“Let’s get to Mordun Wasteland first, and then we can discuss these matters.”

nWales didn’t bother stepping out of the carriage, speaking directly, “Right now, with so many eyes and ears around, even if I find a new path for you, it would be discovered.”

nUpon hearing this, Athena’s brows arched slightly in confusion, “Are you implying that there is a spy within my team?”

nWithout waiting for Wales to respond, Athena chuckled, “I’ve been aware of that possibility for quite some time. After all, those mercenaries live on the edge of a knife, valuing money over loyalty. There’s no credibility to speak of. If someone offers them a hefty sum, it’s only natural for them to betray me. I’ve never allowed that group of mercenaries to get too close to me.”

n“As long as they don’t turn their backs on me before we reach Mordun Wasteland, and can fend off some attacks for me, I’ll be satisfied.”

nHearing this, Howard couldn’t help but curl his lips.

nThe girl’s nickname might sound noble, but her heart was filled with all kinds of schemes and cunning.

nBeing young and yet to step into society, Howard was unaware that to survive in a world ruled by the law of the jungle, one must have various plans and precautions in place.

nOtherwise, you might not even know how you died.

nNot having the heart to harm others does not mean others won’t harm you.

n“I’m not talking about those mercenaries,” Wales shook his head, “A path that has been traversed by many will inevitably leave traces, making it easy to discover. As for the mercenaries, as long as you haven’t reached the brink of defeat and as long as the allure of money is there, they won’t easily betray you, unless someone really offers an extremely high price.”

n“However, having precautions in place ahead of time is excellent.”

nUpon hearing these words, Athena revealed a smile, bowed gracefully again, and spoke, “I thank Lord Ravenous Wolf for your advice. Once we reach Mordun Wasteland, I plan to streamline the caravan’s personnel, using some as a decoy while we quietly make our departure.” .

n“With that, I shall take my leave, and I hope both of you rest well.”

nWith these words, Athena left the carriage, and the caravan once again set in motion, moving towards the distant horizon.

nInside the carriage, Wales turned to Howard and spoke softly, “Once you leave the academy, never trust anyone completely. Just like this Athena, she has hired these people herself yet doesn’t trust any of them!”

n“I understand,” Howard nodded, taking this advice to heart.

nHoward wasn’t foolish; he disdained people like Athena who were overly calculating, but he also knew that being cautious was necessary.

nTo survive, sometimes you must become the very thing you despise, and it is an unavoidable part of life.

n“By the way,” Howard, regaining his composure, asked with curiosity, “How were those magi able to cast the same magic just now?”

nHoward, after all, was just an orphan with limited exposure to the world and was unaware of the existence of Linking Magic.

nThe mentors at the primary academy had only taught about elemental properties of magic and its basic types. .𝒎

n“Oh, I forgot that you come from a small town,” Wales explained with a light chuckle, “Linking Magic is a special kind of skill that requires at least ten people to cast.”

n“The strength of Linking Magic depends on the number of casters. However, even the weakest Linking Magic possesses power comparable to an S-level skill. Some Linking Magic, cast by hundreds or even thousands of people, can even reach the level of Forbidden Incantation, far surpassing SSS-level skills!”

n“…”

nHearing Wales’ explanation, a thought struck Howard.

nUnfortunately, Linking Magic required a group of people to cast, and moreover, it required a prolonged period of practice to achieve sufficient coordination.

nIf even one person made a mistake, the skill would be interrupted and they would have to start over from scratch.

nFurthermore, Linking Magic required a rather lengthy preparation time, necessitating protection for the casters.

nOtherwise, if an enemy got close, the magi in the preparation stage would be utterly defenseless and could be easily killed.

nNoticing such glaring weaknesses in the Linking Skill, Howard lost interest in learning more about it.

nHe simply closed his eyes, deciding to rest well and prepare for the challenges of the coming day.

nFrom the conversation between Wales and Athena, Howard could tell that the real danger had not yet arrived.

nAt present, although battles erupted from time to time and the men in black continued their sneak attacks and assaults, they were still within the territories of the Alliance.

nMany of their strategies could not be employed, and they were far from breaking through the veteran mercenaries’ defense line.

nNot to mention, Athena had selected people of various professions.

nAs long as they could hold off the attackers and buy time for the archers and magi to cast their skills, the battle would soon be over.

nThe strengths of archers and magi lay in their extensive attack range and high damage output, while their drawback was the relatively long casting time required for their skills.

nUnable to breach the defense, the men in black could not harm the archers or magi but were instead forced to bear the brunt of their attacks.

nDefeat was inevitable for them.

nAt first, Howard thought the men in black were simply wasting their energy, until he was constantly woken up and disturbed, unable to rest at all.

nThat’s when he finally grasped their intention — harassment!

nWith the convoy’s limited manpower, every attack meant a halt in their journey.

nWhether it was those travelling or resting in the carriage, all were startled awake.

nEven though there were priests casting skills to maintain everyone’s mental state, the interruption of skills only intensified the feeling of exhaustion.

nJust like Abby and Judy, they fell into a deep sleep as soon as the buffing skills ended, not even the high-speed movement in mid-air could wake them up.

nIf the convoy’s personnel also fell into such a state, they would be like lambs to the slaughter by the time the attacks escalated.

nHowever, they couldn’t afford to rest in shifts.

nIf the men in black sensed any opportunity, they could switch from feigning attacks to a full onslaught.

nWith fewer numbers, their defensive line would be directly shattered, leading them down a path of certain death.

nIf Howard could think of this, Athena certainly understood the dilemma. At this moment, she was indeed in quite a bind.

nWith no other option since the enemy was hidden and they were completely in the dark, they could only defend passively.

nHowever, despite her youth, Athena, capable of commanding the entire convoy, surely wouldn’t be easily stumped by this situation.

nWith decisive leadership, Athena quickly issued orders.

nSoon after, the guards of the convoy were divided into two batches: one resting on the carriage, while the other remained vigilant in guarding.

nIn less than half an hour, the men in black hidden in the shadows launched another assault.

nSince half of the guards were resting on the carriage, this time, the attackers successfully breached the defense line.

n“They’ve really gone to rest, attack with all you’ve got!”

n“Kill them, as long as we get the goods, we’ll receive rewards so substantial that we won’t be able to spend them in our lifetime!”

nRoars of fury resounded, and as the strength of the guards dwindled, even more men in black emerged, numbering in the hundreds.

nMostly warriors and assassins, they surged through the broken line, not bothering to attack people but instead heading straight for the most securely wrapped carriage.

nTheir goal was clear: to seize the contents of the carriage!

nWitnessing this scene, Howard couldn’t help but furrow his brows.

nIf he hadn’t seen Wales remaining as calm as ever, he might have thought about making a move himself; after all, the situation was far from favorable.

nThe shield bearers stationed on the periphery were undoubtedly slower in movement speed compared to the warriors and assassins.

nIn such a circumstance, they could barely protect themselves, let alone have the capacity to give chase.

nIn just a short span of a dozen breaths, the group of men in black had already reached the carriage draped in cloth.

nHowever, before they could wield their weapons to slash through the fabric, a thunderous roar suddenly erupted, making everyone tremble.

nEven Howard jumped in surprise.

nLooking up, he saw purple lightning flashing, as numerous bolts of thunder converged together, rapidly forming a giant net.

nIn the next moment, the net of thunder fell, actually binding all the men in black who were close to the carriage.

nThe lightning continued to burst forth, resembling venomous snakes as they crawled over the bodies of the men in black, unleashing a terrifying power and inflicting damage upon them.

n“Ahh!”

nScreams echoed one after another as the men in black convulsed violently, their hair and body hair standing on end.

nBlood-red numbers representing damage continually appeared above them.

nIt should be noted that attacks of the lightning attribute not only had a paralyzing effect but also dealt extremely high damage!

nThe HP of the men in black was plummeting rapidly.

nHowever, this was only the beginning.

nAthena’s figure appeared, and after leaping high into the air, she somehow managed to float in the space, brandishing her longsword.

nUnder the moonlight, the blade actually emitted a red glow.

n“Rage!”

nSuddenly, a crisp and resounding call of rage echoed, and the red glow instantly transformed into a phoenix engulfed in flames.

nSpreading its wings and enveloped in a sky full of flames, it dove towards the crowd of men in black with a speed so fast that it was almost impossible to react in time.

nWitnessing this scene, Howard’s pupils couldn’t help but contract violently.

nEven though he was a considerable distance away from the carriage, he could still feel the scorching temperature!

nVisit .𝘤𝑜

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