When the lioness' gaze swept across the mountain forest, a few miles away from the orc camp, halfway up the mountainside, behind a dense bush, several pairs of eyes were staring at every move in the camp.
"Women from the lion tribe are so rare!" A strong man spat the four-leaf clover in his mouth on the ground.
The man crouching behind the bushes was wearing a shabby-looking gray cloak and a worn-out leather half-armor covered with scars. He has short blond hair, a beard, and a long scar from the corner of his mouth to the bottom of his eyes, which makes him look fierce.
Keynes, the leader of the "Blue Enchantress Mercenary Group", is a mysterious man. Five years ago, he and his mercenary group seemed to appear out of thin air in the border area of the Kingdom of Isaac, and they were leveling up every year. In just five years, he grew from the lowest G-level mercenary group to a B-level mercenary group. The Corps is rumored to be a miracle within the Berland Continent Mercenary Union.
The improvement of the mercenary group's level depends entirely on the points earned from tasks. The higher the level, the more difficult it becomes. During non-war periods, it takes decades or even hundreds of years for a newly formed mercenary group to be promoted to a senior mercenary group above level C. Nowadays, almost all B-level and above mercenary groups in various human countries are veteran mercenary groups with a history of more than ten years, with the exception of Blue Enchantress.
"Boss, have we made a mistake this time?" A small man lying on the ground next to Keynes asked in a low voice.
"It's our 'Blue Fairy''s luck. We didn't expect that such a C-level mission would happen to bump into an orc tribe. Eat them, and we'll have food and drink for a year." Keynes also looked excited.
"Are you two crazy? There is a small tribe of orcs down there. We only have about thirty people here this time. Once discovered, these orcs will probably swallow us whole." A cold voice poured a splash on Keynes. A basin of cold water.
The speaker was a woman in a black hooded robe behind the man. A silver six-pointed star on the collar of the robe showed her identity as an intermediate magician.
Magicians are a rare profession on the Berland continent. They are the targets of various kingdoms and large forces competing to recruit. Female magicians above the intermediate level are even rarer.
The female magician is in her thirties, with long flaxen hair, blue eyes, a tall nose, and a soft face. Perhaps due to being in the wild for many years, his skin looks a little rough.
Keynes turned back and grinned at the female magician, "Don't worry, Adeline, our brothers of the Blue Demon Queen are all elite mercenaries, and they are the best at hunting orcs. Even if there are twice as many orcs, they can swallow them." Down."
"I don't agree, it's too risky." Adeline's tone was still firm.
"I am the leader of the group. You just need to obey the orders. When the time comes, you will get an extra share of the spoils."
"I am also the deputy leader of the mercenary group, and I am also responsible for the safety of my brothers. You are acting recklessly!"
"You, the deputy leader, were also appointed by me. If it weren't for the promotion of the B-level mercenary group that requires an intermediate-level or above magician in the team, I wouldn't pay such a high price to hire you?" Keynes looked indifferent.
"If you insist on acting recklessly, I will quit the group now!" Adeline did not compromise at all.
"Don't be so impulsive? Listen to me and explain to you." Keynes was the first to compromise.
He had used all his means to ask Adeline to join the mercenary group, and with the mid-level magician, the team's combat strength was directly improved to a higher level. Naturally, he was reluctant to let Adeline leave.
"You haven't had enough contact with orcs to understand them. Orcs generally form tribes based on groups. For example, there will never be orcs from other groups mixed in a werewolf tribe. There is only one possibility for orcs to mix in the camp below. , that is the tribe of high-level orc nobles, and only nobles can recruit orc warriors from other tribes to serve for themselves." Keynes pointed to the orc camp below and explained patiently.
"Have you seen those cubs and female orcs in the camp? This means that they are a tribe of orc nobles who have fled or been maimed. They appeared here by chance for special reasons. The real orcs in the camp The number of warriors is very small, and their real combat power is not even half of that of ordinary orc tribes."
Adeline's eyes of admiration showed unnaturally. She had long discovered that the rough-looking man in front of her was actually very thoughtful. For example, now, he can guess the origin and combat power of the orc camp below just from long-distance observation.
Seeing Adeline's shaken expression, Keynes continued: "Orc martial arts, rare materials, weapons and armor, golden herbs, the wealth of an orc noble camp exceeds your imagination! You know that the mercenary group is in great need of money right now. , I still owe you half of the reward I promised you? We mercenaries are in a risky profession. How can we support women and children if we don't dare to work hard? "
Adeline nodded and finally stopped objecting.
"Boss, it's time for you to change your equipment after this job, right? Our Blue Demon Girl is also a dignified B-level mercenary group. Because of your equipment, boss, other mercenaries always laugh at us because we are from the countryside. ." The little man muttered in a low voice.
Keynes hit the little man hard on the head, "Tony, you know nothing! This leather armor I wear is an excellent enchanted leather armor. No matter how many attacks, it can't break through the defense, this cloak is made of dragon skin. You guys Ignorant guy!"
"Dragon skin? Come on, how many years have we not seen the shadow of a dragon on the mainland?" Tony curled his lips dissatisfied.
The bushes suddenly made a slight noise.
The two men immediately stopped bickering. Keynes put one hand on the hilt of the sword behind his back. A fireball instantly formed in Adeline's palm. Tony rolled to the side and disappeared into the bushes.
A thin man in hunting clothes appeared. The man's eyes were bright and sharp, and he had two neat strands of beard on his upper lip.
Keynes withdrew his hand on the hilt of his sword and asked, "Angus, what's the situation down there?"
Angus said slowly and unhurriedly: "The number of orc warriors does not exceed fifty, and most of them are first- and second-level low-level orcs, including the lioness and her two guards, and mid-level orcs. I found five warriors, but no higher-level orc warriors."
Keynes shook his fist excitedly, "It's exactly what I guessed!"
Angus hesitated for a moment, "The only troublesome thing is that there is a group of wolf cavalry in the camp. I'm afraid we will be smelled by their wargs as soon as we get close to the camp."
Keynes smiled softly, "Tony, it's your turn, I know you have a solution."
"I went to the forest to find some wild wood chrysanthemums. The smoke produced by burning them with the three-color mandala can knock out all those beasts." Tony's voice disappeared directly into the bushes.
"Okay! Let the brothers gather together, and we will take action when it gets dark." Keynes's eyes flashed with strong murderous intent.