The night was full of dangers in the Orlando Mountains, where the faint glows in the dark were the eyes of wild beasts, and the occasional shrieks of birds made people shudder.
Blue Witch Mercenary Corps did not have torches. They carried large bags of loot on their backs, and also escorted a group of young beasts. They groped their way through the mountains in the dark.
The mercenary corps had a hard time moving forward. The road was rugged and bumpy in the dark. Some mercenaries fell down from time to time, and some large wild beasts would suddenly rush over.
But the wild beasts that attacked the team were killed by arrows shot from the dark before they got close to the mercenaries. Occasionally, some beasts that got close to the team were instantly swallowed by Adeline's flames.
They walked non-stop for almost a night. When dawn was about to break, the mercenary corps stopped for the first time to rest.
Even so, the mercenary corps stopped reluctantly, because no matter how hard the mercenaries whipped, the captured young orcs could not walk anymore.
All the orcs had collapsed on the ground. After the mercenaries set up a simple guard, they began to take turns to rest.
Arthur had been silently observing the actions of the mercenaries all the way. He could not understand some of their actions, but he still remembered them.
The exhaustion from fighting and marching overnight made the mercenaries fall asleep quickly, even the ones who were supposed to be on guard duty couldn't help but doze off. Because it was already dawn, the danger had passed.
The fatigue of fighting and marching overnight made the mercenaries quickly fall into a dream, and even the mercenaries responsible for performing the alert task could not help but fall asleep. Because the day has dawned, the danger has passed.
They didn't know how long they slept, until they were awakened by a scream. All the mercenaries grabbed their weapons at once, ready for battle.
"Tony, what the hell are you screaming for?" Kains yawned and sat up.
"Boss, the little lion ran away!"
"How did it run away? Didn't I tell you to tie it up tight?"
"Look at the cut marks on this rope, it was rescued by someone!" Tony showed Kains the two neatly cut pieces of rope.
Kains frowned slightly, "Did any other cubs run away?"
"No, just that little lion."
"Forget it, let it go. Let's rest a little more and then set off, we better leave here as soon as possible before anything else happens."
"Ah!" Tony was so shocked that his jaw almost dropped. "Boss, how can we just let it go? That little lion is our biggest gain this time! And I suspect there is a traitor in the team, no one else could have easily bypassed our alert." Tony said, his eyes already turning to Arthur.
Kaines waved his hand. "Don't bother looking, it's a good thing that the little lion ran away."
"A good thing?" Tony scratched his head in confusion.
"Didn't you notice his fighting spirit color? That's the top-level fighting spirit of the Golden Lion family, 'Crimson Sun Flowing Gold', and only family members who are qualified to inherit can practice it. The Golden Lions are one of the three most powerful families of the beastmen, and even in our human territory they have their spies everywhere. What do you think they would do if they found out that their heir was sold as a human slave?" Kaines said with a heavy tone.
Tony, Angus and the surrounding mercenaries all gasped, that meant another war between humans and beastmen.
Kaines gave Arthur a meaningful wink, which was met with a polite smile from Arthur.
…
Three days later, the Blue Banshee Mercenary Group left the Orlando Mountains, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Arthur suddenly found an extra person in the team. He was a slender and handsome man with a large bow and arrow wrapped in green vines and carved with beautiful patterns on his back. The pointed ears that showed through his soft golden hair revealed his elf identity.
He was the archer who had been hiding in the dark.
Although humans and elves were not as hostile as they were with orcs, elves rarely appeared in human kingdoms, and they did not allow humans to enter their own kingdoms. Arthur was very curious how this elf named Ilaya became a member of the Blue Banshee Mercenaries.
Seeing Arthur staring at him, Ilaya nodded and smiled at him, showing the courtesy and grace of an elf.
Two days later, a towering city appeared before their eyes.
The city wall was made of gray basalt and was twenty meters high. There were watchtowers seven or eight meters high on the wall, and huge crossbow cannons were mounted between the crenels. Soldiers with weapons patrolled the wall.
The drawbridge of the city gate was laid on the ground, and people waiting to enter or leave the city lined up in a long queue at the huge arched gate. A squad of soldiers carefully checked the crowd.
This was where the headquarters of the Blue Banshee Mercenary Group was located, a small border town of the human kingdom of Isaac, called Hua Aoleisi.
Hua Aoleisi is also the first line of defense for humans against the orc attacks. Throughout history, Hua Aoleisi city has fallen and been reclaimed several times, and the city bricks and walls with traces of swords and axes and dark brown blood stains are the best proof of history. Therefore, even in peacetime, the guard force here has never relaxed, and a reinforced guard group of 5,000 people is stationed in the city.
Arthur was stunned by the huge city in front of him. From his birthplace, a small village, to the shabby orc camp, this was the first time Arthur had seen such a tall and magnificent building.
The mercenary group did not queue up, but walked straight to the gate under Kane's lead.
"Captain Kane, you've done well this time, huh?" The captain guarding the gate was obviously very familiar with Kane, and he greeted him warmly without checking.
"Lucky me, I caught a few orc cubs. Let's have a drink with the brothers." Kane casually threw a few gold coins to the captain, and received compliments from the gatekeepers.
Mercenaries had a status only second to nobles and merchants in various human kingdoms. Because mercenary groups had the obligation to assist city defense in wartime, every city welcomed the settlement of mercenary groups, especially large ones. The strength of an A-level mercenary group was even better than that of a human army division.
As the largest city on the border, Huawales City was very prosperous in peacetime. The Orlando Mountains were rich in resources, from rare ores to precious herbs, to large quantities of magical beast materials, and even some goods smuggled from the Orc Wasteland. The streets were lined with herb shops, weapon shops, and trade houses, and the wide streets were bustling with people.
Arthur, who had never seen so many people before, was dazzled by everything. He found everything novel.
Because they brought a team of young orcs into the city, the Blue Demon Mercenary Corps attracted a lot of attention. Some bold children even threw stones and spat at the young orcs. The conflict between humans and beasts was deeply rooted in the children's hearts, and passed down from generation to generation.
At the corner of the south of Huawales City, a huge courtyard with a blue stone wall stood in front of a tall fat man.
The fat man had a cold face, full of horizontal flesh, and a protruding belly like a small hill. He had only one arm, and the other sleeve was cut off at the shoulder.
Looking at the approaching team, the fat man took a few steps forward and showed a slight smile on his face. "Brothers, welcome home!"