"Uh-oh, I've run into it, the foreshadowing I've set has come into play, my buddies are already waving at me from stealth!"
Zhuo Yang chose to respond with silence, ignoring this noisy guy.
Heine did the same, remaining silent.
It was Jianglu who, after the initial shock, seemed to remember something, and her expression suddenly changed.
She took a long look at Heine and silently retreated into the shadows.
Merely with a glance, both received the information they wanted.
Jianglu realized that the other party was the Necromancer she had been tasked to eliminate. The thought of such a difficult opponent being described as a waste infuriated her.
Wasn't this clearly a setup?
If it hadn't been for the skirmish two days prior, she might have foolishly fallen for it. This time, she didn't think anyone could save her; this was the lord's hunting ground, after all.
Heine, on the other hand, noticed the emblem representing Donald on her coat, as well as the willow-leaf-shaped dagger that had been lost and now was found.
Thinking about Donald hiring someone to deal with him made things all the clearer.
Thanks to Mr. Donald for the sponsorship of 27 Gold Coins, the boss is generous!
...
As usual, the Viscount praised the gods and the upcoming Mercy Festival, while also mourning his late father.
Inside Donald's tent, an intense argument was unfolding.
"Cancel? Why cancel?"
"I'll ask again, you want me to deal with Heine Heinrich, the blond Necromancer under 20 with two undead servants?"
Donald frowned, "Is there a problem?"
"Do you really understand who this person is?"
"All his information is right here: a lousy Mage expelled from Bone Burial Ground, who couldn't even summon a decent undead servant four days ago."
"Ha, hahaha…"
Jianglu seemed to have heard the funniest joke in the world.
"If the students of Bone Burial Ground were at his level, it would not have fallen to ruins!"
Donald's expression shifted slightly, "You've crossed swords with him? When?"
"That very afternoon your men saw me, at the Haunted Farm."
"Then he deserves to die more! He was most likely investigating the device there!"
Jianglu sneered, "Whether he deserves to die, I do not know, but I don't want to die. I won't provoke him, but I will report this to Cui Yeting."
"This Necromancer is at least a second-level threat, the two undead servants at least third-level, yet you describe him as a waste, either your or your subordinates' brains must be malfunctioning."
She stormed out, leaving an angry Donald behind, then suddenly turned around:
"Oh right, I remember you're in charge of the Energy Well at Ying Xian Mountain, right? I'll suggest Eternal Dawn considers this matter carefully. Consider the money for the dagger as consultation fee. I never advise fools, but this time you got lucky."
Having said that, she vanished into thin air.
Bang!
The table hp-20.
"Sharp-tongued Elves!"
Donald's face turned dark with anger as he took several deep breaths to barely calm himself.
Minutes later, he personally released a crow.
It flew straight toward the Haunted Farm, landing on the balcony of Gittler Manor, where it was seized by a pair of pale, slender hands.
At the same time, three horses left the manor's stables and headed directly for the hunting ground.
...
The Viscount's speech was incredibly boring, but at least the idle chatter of a couple of people helped pass the time.
Zhuo Yang asked, "By the way, what level is that Jianglu?"
"Combat-wise, she's about 13 or 14, but you know how it is with Wanderers, without stealth they're like paper. She's fifth-level stealth, and if I weren't familiar with her movements, stealth would make her virtually invincible."
"Doesn't that make her equivalent to a 25-level Wanderer? What's someone like that doing here instead of serving as a spy on the Ashen Front Line?"
"She's here to fish for people. She's a high-ranking agent of Cui Yeting, which is in dire need of talent, otherwise why would they recruit players... Actually, all organizations are short of people, they've all set their sights on this neutral war zone. It's just your hometown folks who are the most ruthless, not wanting to share the cake, so they flipped the table."
"That's an exaggeration. Hasn't the Shadow Temple made their move here early? This place is crawling with level one and two Necromancers, the Tale King of Haunted Manor is level 15."
"It's not the same, we're not part of the Netherworld, or there would be no Ghostly Expedition Army."
"I suppose that's true..."
Hearing this, Heine had a moment of clarity.
Five player levels equate to one NPC level.
But NPCs' needs and assessments of levels are clearly different from those of players.
For an agent like Jianglu with fifth-level stealth, considering only infiltration ability, she's a fifth-level powerhouse.
For combat, it could only equate to level 13, which means a third-level capability.
However, generally speaking, if someone is extraordinary in one field, their social status isn't affected by shortcomings in other areas, so Heine guessed her status wouldn't be dragged down by her combat prowess.
From the two's description of the "Haunted Manor" dungeon, the Makala mountain range seemed to be the leveling area up to level 15.
When they had first crossed over, they had said that their own level was sufficient to dominate the lower-level dungeons, and after that, whether at Bone Burial Ground or in direct combat with Jianglu, they were never at a disadvantage, even managing with ease, proving what they said was true.
But were they of high level?
Clearly not.
Data can only be a reference and gauge; different situations require different analyses and cannot be generalized.
This is not a game after all.
...
The Viscount's speech finally came to an end, but the people below began to flatter him madly.
Even Heine was getting sick of it.
"The Makala mountain region is in imminent danger, yet these people are here doing their socials, sigh..."
"Exactly, how can one manage the Viscount's territory while spending time with this bunch of insects!"
Listening to the complaints of the two, Heine also sighed in his heart.
He was suffering much more than those two.
He was in a rush, yet he had to appear calm.
Not only that, but he also had to pretend that he had discovered the truth and then remind the Viscount...
It's truly exhausting!
Finally, all the preliminaries were over, and as the "referee" blew the whistle, more than ten participating teams, totaling over forty pairs of riders, set off one after another.
Heine waited until the last to leave.
He did not see Jianglu's figure, and Donald's face was gloomy.
His people didn't start at all.
Did they have a falling out?
He did not understand, but he would not let go of a "winning by lying down" opportunity.
Three horses started together, two of which were borrowed.
He had even taken time out yesterday to "teach" two undead how to ride, and now that he had given them enough freedom, it made sense for them to know how to ride.
In such details, he was never careless, fearful of exposing himself.
The hunting ground was located north of Wumu Town, right between the town and the Haunted Farm.
Heine even considered whether he should take the opportunity to destroy the Energy Well at the farm.
If he could make a big commotion, surely that would greatly change the course of the plot?
Subconsciously, one's actions can change inadvertently, and although Heine was originally just wandering aimlessly, he gradually deviated from the center of the hunting ground, getting closer and closer to the farm.
He noticed that the soil of the hunting ground was black fertile loam, a world away from the reddish-brown soil of the farm, so he activated the Eyes of the Undead.
There was no difference in the soil through his view, but a very faint trace of blood caught his attention.
The color of blood intertwined with the gray aura of death, indistinguishable from each other, as if remaining in the air and not yet dissipated, spreading towards the woods nearby.
Lucky for Heine, he had leveled up once, or he would not have noticed it.
"The action's on, mates," Heine locked onto the direction and turned his horse around.
"It seems there are undead sneaking in here aside from us."
Teacher Xia asked, "Is he talking to us?"
"Who else?"
"Although it's a bit weird, it seems rather natural now, not as pitiful as it was at the beginning."
"It's certainly better than talking to furniture..."
"? Are you cursing again?"
...
In the woods.
George Albert Sewen looked back at the shrubs behind him once again.
He always felt as if something was watching him.
But as his gaze passed the Guard, there was nothing there.
"What's wrong, my lord?" the Guard asked with concern.
"Nothing, perhaps I just didn't sleep well last night."
"There's game over here, my lord!!" A Guard in front suddenly shouted excitedly, and George's heart leapt, urging his horse forward hastily.
But just as he accelerated, that sense of being watched re-emerged stronger than before, and it seemed to carry a dangerous intent!
Could it be the Guard!?
George instinctively ducked forward, but he was still a moment too slow!
An agonizing pain pierced through from behind; it was a sword thrust into his shoulder. If he had not dodged in time, he might have been run through the heart from behind!
"Attack! Someone's attacking the lord!"
George couldn't afford to look back, desperately shouting forward.
At that moment, the Guard in front also turned back.
With just one look, George's heart sank.
The opponent's eyes were blood-red as he raised his sword towards him.
It was over...
Just as George was in utter despair, a whooshing sound came from the side!
Whoosh!
A purple streak of light flashed like lightning, and the Guard in front fell backward, tumbling off his horse.