Upon their return to Hope's Edge, it was already midnight. Approaching the town, Eddie sensed a strong stench of blood wafting through the air.
In the darkness, flocks of low-level scavengers drawn by the smell converged, their eyes glowing eerily green in the light of the fires.
The unsettling laughter of hyenas and the sound of disputes echoed in the night, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
Fires blazed throughout the town, illuminating soldiers patrolling with torches. Surviving mercenaries and civilians sat surrounded by the soldiers.
"You're survivors?" a burly patrol captain asked cautiously, emerging from the group.
"Are there any more survivors in the valley? What happened down there?"
"We're students from Ivy Academy, here for training," Eddie replied, handing over the academy's authorization and school emblem.
"Students from the Great Xia Country?" The captain furrowed his brow, aware of the potential diplomatic implications.
After verifying their identities, he nodded, "No casualties among you? That's fortunate. Please, rest here. We'll arrange for your return home soon. But first, we need your help understanding the situation in the valley. Are there more survivors?"
"We don't know; probably all dead," Eddie said calmly.
"We hid in the ant tunnel. When we came out, everyone was gone, and there were meteors falling from the sky, leaving the valley in ruins."
"It seems this incident was triggered by golden ant eggs," Yehken added.
"The mercenaries went mad!" Hessian acted frightened.
"We came back looking for our companion, Inan, who left a couple of days after us. Could you help us check if she's arrived?" Eddie's sister, concerned about Inan's safety, requested.
"Thank you for the information. We'll record it in your training and award points. As for your companion, we'll follow up. If she's in Hope's Edge, we'll bring her to you as quickly as possible," the captain assured, guiding them to a well-preserved cabin, providing hot water and steamed buns. After registering their names, he hurriedly left.
About half an hour later, a man in general's attire entered, with the captain respectfully following. Seeing Eddie and his group on guard, the captain quickly reassured them.
"Students, don't worry. General Ma just wants to understand the valley's situation better. We need your help. Please, sit and talk."
The stern-faced general, trying to appear friendly, introduced himself, "Students, I'm Ma Xingkong. You can call me Old Ma."
"General Old Ma!" Yehken and Hessian exclaimed in unison, displaying perfect harmony.
Upon their arrival at Hope's Edge around midnight, Eddie and his group were immediately struck by the overwhelming stench of blood.
The area was teeming with scavengers drawn to the scent, their eyes glowing eerily in the flickering firelight. Soldiers patrolled the scene, surrounding sitting survivors, both mercenaries and civilians.
General Old Ma, a serious yet approachable man, was particularly interested in hearing the account from the seemingly low-profile yet evidently crucial member of the group, Eddie.
Recognizing Eddie's potential as a strong leader due to his pet silver wolf and the Moonblade at his back, Old Ma believed Eddie held the key to understanding the entire incident.
Eddie, maintaining a level of secrecy about his encounter with the Purple Gold Marquis, recounted their experience in the ant tunnel, describing the chaos and his humanitarian effort to rescue the mercenaries trapped with golden ant eggs.
He also mentioned Zhong Hao, a mercenary leader, suggesting that if found alive, he could validate Eddie's story.
Eddie's narrative was a test to see if Zhong Hao had survived, which he doubted.
Old Ma confirmed the existence of Zhong Hao, who had escaped to Hope's Edge but was subsequently captured along with his companions.
The general suspected the use of a madness-inducing toxin, as the mercenaries' behavior was uncharacteristically irrational.
He also noted that both Hope's Edge and the settlement were spatially disrupted, preventing teleportation and escape.
Old Ma's interest peaked when the topic turned to the meteor bombardment.
Eddie, wanting to divert attention from his encounter with the Purple Gold Marquis, the Fire Dragon Fruit and the Codex, decided to elaborate on this part of their experience, leading Old Ma's focus away from the earlier parts of their journey.
Eddie spoke in a calm voice, recounting his experience: "When I emerged from the swarming ant burrows, I discovered my companions were besieged by enemies.
Among them were two fifth-level masters and a sixth-level patriarch, hidden among the crowd, instigating the soldiers to attack my friends.
Upon realizing my return, they summoned creatures like the Forest Python, Copper-Skinned Lion, and Iron-Bone Cheetah, even a massive Mammoth to join the assault. I was drawn into a fierce battle.
The sixth-level patriarch hidden in the crowd summoned five meteors. Risking everything, I managed to disrupt his summoning, causing the meteors to backfire and crash down on them, eventually causing the mountain itself to collapse.
By the time we regained consciousness from the shock, they had already been whisked away by their companions in the sky.
...There were many flying war beasts in the sky, at least two hundred people, all fleeing after the meteor strike.
"Can you describe the appearance of the patriarch who summoned the meteors?" General Old Ma furrowed his brow.
He could tell that the young man's account, though simple, did not seem fabricated.
If there truly was a sixth-level patriarch involved in this affair, using meteors to silence others, then the situation was far more complicated than imagined.
This could be ten times more serious than initially thought.
Eddie internally breathed a sigh of relief, knowing General Old Ma would temporarily set aside any suspicions about his own experiences in the ant tunnels, focusing instead on the sixth-level patriarch.
This was precisely the diversion Eddie had crafted for General Old Ma, to shift his attention.
It seemed this was not a mere vendetta against him.
Since it had nothing to do with him, Eddie decided to stay out of state affairs and political intrigue, preferring to focus on his personal affairs.
When General Old Ma asked for the appearance of the sixth-level patriarch, Eddie generously described not only the meteor-summoning individual but also another sixth-level patriarch and the two masters.
Eddie pretended ignorance of the existence of two sixth-level patriarchs, referring to the meteor-summoner as a junior patriarch, addressed as 'Lord' by all soldiers.
Upon hearing this, General Old Ma's expression changed dramatically.
Clearly, he recognized the two patriarchs and was intimately familiar with them.
"We are deeply grateful to you," General Old Ma said. "You have uncovered a terrible conspiracy against our Tianluo Nation. Once we investigate thoroughly, we will report to His Majesty and request special commendations for you. "
"For now, we suspect the enemy still wishes to cover up this affair, so please don't leave. We will gather more experts and inform your academy's instructors to come and escort you home. Rest assured, we will protect your lives; we are the military, and we have the strength!"
Before General Old Ma could finish, a thunderous roar outside sent shockwaves through the room, flinging the wooden door open and dislodging dust from the beams.
The alarm sounded, piercing and urgent.
The anger in General Old Ma's eyes blazed like a volcano, ready to erupt.
He stood up calmly and reassured Eddie and his companions before leaving: "Don't be afraid. Whatever happens, we have the capability to protect you. Stay inside the house and don't come out. I'll go check!"
Eddie found the situation unbelievable. The Tianluo Nation's army had been deployed, yet these criminals dared to launch such a brazen attack?
What kind of desperate criminals were they dealing with?
What deep, earth-shattering secrets were hidden in this despair, compelling them to such lengths?
A great curiosity surged in Eddie's heart... Could there be something here even more precious than golden ant eggs and hard-shell fire dragon fruit?