Aside from the strongest Cairo mercenary faction in the Valley of Sunshine, there were two other slightly weaker factions: the House of Menlo and the Katar orc tribe.
The House of Menlo was originally a minor noble family in a small kingdom. They had their own private army and had attempted a coup, but had failed when their plans were discovered.
They'd fought with the royal army of the small kingdom and fled, discarding their armour on the way. They'd finally arrived in the Valley of Sunshine, their strength greatly diminished.
They had only three hundred soldiers, but the House of Menlo had made off with a great deal of the small kingdom's wealth during the chaos of the civil war. When they arrived in the valley, they used this fortune to recruit a thousand experts in various professions, and their strength was now second only to the Rainbow Sickles.
The House of Menlo was now the richest power in the valley, and the head of the house, Sawyer Menlo, always dreamed of becoming the most powerful in the valley, recruiting more soldiers and returning to their homeland to gain authority over that kingdom.
The Katar Orc Tribe was a small tribe that had originally lived in the frozen wastes. They'd overcome countless hardships to migrate to the Valley of Sunlight and settle in one of its mountain ranges. There were only five or six hundred orcs within this tribe, but all of them were highly skilled warriors who were hard to take on.
The orcs of the Katar tribe were mainly concerned with protecting the merchants and using their earnings to care for their families and elders.
This faction wasn't weak, but the chief of the tribe was also constantly thinking about controlling the valley to gain more benefits and gold.
The Cairo Mercenary Band, the Rainbow Sickle Mercenary Band, the House of Menlo, and the Katar Orc Tribe were currently the four strongest forces in the Valley of Sunshine.
This information wasn't hard to come by. Han Shuo had just arrived in the valley not too long ago before he learned all this from Emily. Everyone knew that the four powers had an uneasy relationship and that each of them wanted to take over the Valley of Sunshine in order to exploit its resources and quickly increase their own power.
The Cairo mercenaries had only a thousand men to begin with. After they'd taken control of the Valley of Sunshine, their numbers had doubled in just a few years. This was all because they'd received huge amounts of gold after taking control of the Valley of Sunshine, and they'd attracted even more experts to join them.
For the Cairo mercenary band, it was a wonderful trade to be able to weaken the Rainbow Sickles immensely without harming their own strength. A mere storefront compared to the entire valley, it was a worthwhile trade no matter how you looked at it.
It was because Han Shuo understood the situation in the valley that he was full of ambition and began to think for himself, trying to plot a profitable path for the mercenary band he'd just formed.
"Trunks, take your old comrades and go for a walk around the House of Menlo tonight. Hide your faces and cause some trouble. Kill some people and set some fires!" Han Shuo looked at Trunks and smiled slightly.
"You mean make the House of Menlo think that another faction did it?" Trunks' expression changed when he asked.
"They won't suspect us if they are attacked anyway, because we don't have the strength and no reason to be enemies with them. They'll end up suspecting the other three factions." Han Shuo explained.
Trunks nodded and a sinister smile appeared on his face. "I think I can do this well. I was used to the covert and overt battles between the factions when I was in the Rainbow Sickles!"
"Well then, be careful and don't expose yourselves. Cause as much destruction as you can!"
Trunks took advantage of the night and said nothing more, leaving quickly. It looked like he wanted to do something tonight.
After Trunks left, Han Shuo said darkly to Emily and the others. "Since the Rainbow Sickles have already made a move against someone else, we can't take that long to get down, can we? Come on, let's take a walk ourselves and see if we can kill some of the Rainbow Sickles!"
Han Shuo's group now enjoyed extremely good relations with the Cairo Mercenary Band. It was very convenient for them to enter and leave the valley. This time, however, they didn't use the main entrance, but instead used Gilbert's flying ability to fly out of a quiet corner of the valley.
There were also rules in the valley. Under normal circumstances, even archmages who could fly couldn't float in and out of the valley. If they were discovered by the Cairo mercenary gang, they would be immediately detained for questioning.
The moonlight shimmered like water as it cascaded over the white ground. The snow had not yet melted, and the snow-capped mountains and towering trees were exquisitely beautiful in the moonlight.
The Rainbow Sickles were located in a small mountain valley north of the Valley of Sunshine. When Han Shuo's party arrived, they could see a row of low red brick houses as they looked into the mountain valley. There was a large hot spring in the valley, and hot mist was rising from the water, shrouding the mountain valley in white mist.
There were many fresh flowers and grass planted around the hot springs, and because of the heat from the springs, the flowers and grass in the area didn't fear the bite of winter. Many vibrant flowers bloomed throughout the area.
Strong looking mercenaries were stationed at outposts throughout the mountain valley. They glanced around, always on the lookout for enemies.
Han Shuo had Gilbert stop on a cliff above the valley and looked down. Han Shuo smiled coldly, "Maybe someone else will make a move before us this time!"
Phoebe and Emily showed confused expressions after his words. They looked at Han Shuo in confusion, with Phoebe asking, "What makes you say that?"
"When we were at the shop earlier, the Dark Grand Magus Edwin and the female alchemist Belinda of the Church of Calamity were watching not too far away. I sensed their position before I stopped, and the two of them followed Andy when he left."
"Edwin and Belinda were the first to break off the pursuit, and then it was Gabriel and the archer Maxine who left. Edwin and Belinda should be in the valley below by now. If they're here to kill Florida, that will be a great help to us! Han Shuo said slowly as he looked down into the valley below.
"Then what should we do?" Since some unknown time, Emily had gotten used to Han Shuo deciding everything when he was around.
Raising his head to look at the sky, Han Shuo said, "Only half of this long night has passed. We still have plenty of time, let's wait a while!"
The time passed quickly, for about half an hour later, violent magical impulses suddenly emanated from one of the most magnificent red brick buildings. A metal golem in the shape of the Three-Eyed Demon God suddenly appeared out of nowhere under the cool moonlight.
As soon as it appeared, the golem began to body slam the magnificent building. Its thick metal tail swept across the scene, sending red tiles flying everywhere and shaking all the buildings.
At the same time, powerful magical impulses accompanied the rumbling sounds of the earth shaking and mountains moving. Three Hands of Death appeared out of nowhere and floated through the windows of the magnificent building, destroying its interior with abandon.
"Edwin and the others have made their move, we can't just stand by and watch!" Han Shuo chuckled coldly as the air of bloodlust gathered around him again. The evil and ruthless expression from earlier floated back to his cheeks.
"What shall we do, honourable master?" Gilbert was agitated again as he rumbled in his deep dragon voice.
"Carry her on your back and fly over the mountain valley. Destroy all the buildings in this valley as best you can and spray poisonous flame. If you come across any attacks that could hurt you, fly away immediately and don't wait for me. No one will be able to stop me if I want to leave!" Han Shuo laughed loudly with a grimace and a cold, stern expression. He swooped down like a diving hawk, a bloody red light emanating from his body as his eyes turned a deep bloody red.
"Will he be alright?" Phoebe had already discovered Han Shuo's peculiarities before he had flown down and couldn't help but express her concern to Emily.
"Do what he says!" Emily replied, kicking Gilbert in the side. "Dark Dragon, move out!"
" A thin figure followed Han Shuo at that moment, floating downward through the air.
The little skeleton flailed wildly as it flew like a kite with a broken string. When he reached halfway, the seven bone spurs on his back shook one after the other and his body regained its balance. It followed closely behind Han Shuo with a strange trail and dove down towards the mountain valley.