Shen Ye quickly finished reading and sheathed his sword before going to look at the letter.
Actually, the hand was probably referring to this letter.
The badge was just an additional harvest.
"Hey, I can't read these characters; can you read them for me?" Shen Ye said.
"I haven't studied the Human Race's script either," the Great Skeleton said.
Shen Ye rolled over and found a corpse of a Human Race soldier, spreading the letter in front of his eyes:
"Excuse me, what does this letter say?"
As he was asked this, the corpse had no choice but to open its eyes and began to read the letter:
"Notification concerning the imperative investigation of the truth behind the Undead Race's anomaly."
"To all brothers and sisters:"
"The Empire and the Elf Kingdom have jointly issued a major mission. Anyone who can uncover any intelligence on the Undead anomaly can exchange it for generous rewards."
"Please head to the battlefield, everyone. The survival of our races demands that we fight with all our might."
"May the shadow protect you and me."
"—Hand of Shadow."
Hearing this, Shen Ye suddenly understood.
It turned out to be an assassin who had picked up a mission!
Roman must also have been an assassin, and having seen his Face Armor, decided to lend a hand, hence the reason for leaving that single soldier combat pack behind.
He told himself to look for the tent displaying three Short Swords when searching for the Brotherhood.
That was pretty much the situation.
But—
How did that help him?
Did he really have the capacity to figure out the Undead anomaly?
...Wait a second.
"Brother, could you tell me a bit about the Undead situation? I'm going to exchange it for rewards," Shen Ye said toward the Ring.
"What kind of intelligence do you want? Earth-shattering? Or just normal?" the Great Skeleton asked calmly.
Shen Ye was somewhat surprised.
This fellow didn't have any objections at all?
It was a bona fide member of the Undead after all.
But on second thought, considering it had once been coerced by three of its own kind to attempt an assassination on the Elf Leader, he could somewhat understand it.
—If I were in its place, I'd turn traitor too.
Shen Ye said, "We can't ask for too sensational intelligence because I'm just a normal person. Once I bring out earth-shattering intelligence, and others seek to verify it, I'll definitely face tremendous risks."
"Well, I have a piece of intelligence here, which is just enough for you to exchange for something," the Great Skeleton said.
"What intelligence?"
"The Undead Race has adopted new parts for their artillery, allowing the Undead Soulfire Cannons to increase their firepower by twenty percent and their firing rate by ten percent."
As the Great Skeleton spoke, a crystal exuding a gray-white mist appeared in front of Shen Ye.
"Isn't the value of this intelligence a bit too high?" Shen Ye hesitated.
"Not really high, actually. With the war going on, I believe the Human Race's higher-ups have already made their guesses; they just haven't confirmed it yet," the Great Skeleton said.
"So my intelligence won't be too conspicuous?" Shen Ye's eyes lit up.
"Completely correct," the Great Skeleton said.
That was good.
He could get a benefit without attracting too much attention.
Only then did Shen Ye confidently store the crystal away.
All was ready.
He rolled next to the Undead Giant, took a deep breath, and struggled to prop up the Stone Hammer.
"Hey, are you serious?" the Great Skeleton couldn't help saying.
"Just tell me; can the Human battlefield's medical standards treat my wounds?" Shen Ye said.
The Stone Hammer was so heavy that his hands were already shaking uncontrollably, just by propping it up.
"Of course, they can. If you have money, they can even regrow severed limbs," the Great Skeleton said.
"What about you Undead?" Shen Ye asked.
"Usually, we throw the soldiers who are about to die outside. If they survive, then they survive," it answered.
"Don't you treat them at all?" Shen Ye asked curiously.
"That's not to say we don't use special Cursing Spells to manifest the altar city and detain a group of Undead or living beings. By drawing power from them, we can also recover immediately—this can only be done by the very high-status Undead, and they must understand various secrets," the Great Skeleton explained in detail.
"So it turns out, the Human Race offers better value for money," Shen Ye evaluated.
"Of course, as long as you're willing to pay a good price, the Human Race's Holy Arts are the best; even the Elves can't compete with humans," the Great Skeleton said confidently.
"It costs money?"
"Yes."
"Do we have any money?" Shen Ye asked.
"I do," the Great Skeleton said.
"So we have money, that's great," Shen Ye said.
The Great Skeleton had no comebacks.
—After all, it was also relying on him.
Shen Ye released his grip.
Thud.
The Stone Hammer fell, smashing into his chest and making him spew out blood.
"Buddy, how about we go for a limb-regeneration? I have money," the Great Skeleton said resentfully.
"Why spend so much on a bit part?" Shen Ye said.
"For authenticity," the Great Skeleton replied.
Shen Ye let out a loud groan of pain:
"Who... who will save me..."
He grabbed the Tower Shield and hit it against the Undead Giant's Stone Hammer to make a "clang" sound.
In the distance,
A few Human Race soldiers turned their heads suddenly.
One of them sprinted over, came up for a closer look.
Shen Ye was seen lying on the ground, holding a broken Spear, and his Tower Shield was completely shattered, his Battle Armor was broken, and his Helmet was covered in blood.
——He was pinned under the stone hammer.
How brave!
The Human Race soldier forcefully blew the whistle around his neck.
The stretcher team quickly ran over.
…
Dozens of minutes later.
In the midst of a busy grassland.
The priest had finished healing and patted Shen Ye's shoulder, saying:
"Brave young man, you've survived beneath the stone hammer of the Undead Giant, and that's truly an amazing feat."
"Thank you for healing me," Shen Ye expressed his gratitude.
He touched his chest.
The broken breastbone had become intact again, without leaving any scars.
At this moment an officer, accompanied by a dozen of his confidants, entered the camp.
Shen Ye noticed that the entire camp had quieted down a lot.
Looking at the officer, although he was not old, only in his late twenties, the confidants behind him were quite impressive.
There were white-haired old men in grey robes and holding magic wands, Great Knights clad in battle armor, and mysterious figures in black robes holding black books and wearing face armor.
Several Female Warriors wielding crossbows stood at the very outskirts of the group, carefully watching the surrounding situation.
——Who was this person, to have such grandeur?
Shen Ye silently wondered, his heart also becoming suspended.
Little did he know that this group of people, walking and looking around, would finally stop right in front of his stretcher.
The officer scrutinized Shen Ye and asked,
"Whose subordinate are you?"
"Lord of Rhine," Shen Ye said.
The people around all looked over.
The officer paused for a moment, then spoke in a softened tone, "I am sorry, your territory has been occupied by the Undead... do you have anything to prove your identity?"
Shen Ye handed over the Nightmare Crystal.
"This is our lord's distress message," he said with a saddened expression.
A confidant beside the officer took the crystal and passed it to an old man in a long robe behind the officer.
The old man chanted a spell.
Immediately, a panicked voice sounded from the crystal:
"Nobles of the empire."
"Who can bring troops to save our Rhine Territory, I am willing to pay three hundred Gold Coins and a sizeable deed of land!"
"I am Lawrence, the Lord of Rhine!"
"Please, come save us!"
The voice ceased.
The old man nodded, "This is Lawrence's voice, and the crystal is fine."
The officer sighed and looked around at everyone.
They all looked forlorn.
There was no other way.
The Rhine Territory's situation was truly dire.
This messenger might be the only survivor left.
"Messenger, you rest well for now and don't think too much," said the officer.
"Thank you, sir," Shen Ye said, with his eyes red, as if he was struggling to hold back his sorrow.
"Rhine has fallen, why don't you go back to the empire's rear and find a place to live?" the officer said.
"No, sir, I want to stay on the battlefield," Shen Ye said.
"Why?"
"I want to avenge everyone, to the death."
Shen Ye's words were resolute, and yet his young age made his declaration all the more poignant.
——I still have to find the assassin's tent to claim my reward, and you're just sending me away?
"Considering your youth, why were you chosen as a messenger?" the officer asked further.
It was both an inquiry into his identity and a concern, contemplating plans for his future.
Shen Ye was taken aback but quickly recovered.
"I run fast—no one of my age in Rhein County can outrun me," he replied.
Shen Ye jumped off the stretcher and swallowed the second "own people" entry.
As a result, his Attribute Points increased by 3.
The Total Attributes went from 4 to 7.
All 7 Attribute Points were added to the original 2.9, resulting in 9.9 Agility.
This was an unprecedented number.
"Sir, watch me run," Shen Ye said earnestly, in a pleading tone.
"Alright, let's see," the officer said.
Shen Ye dashed with all his might, racing to the camp entrance like a whirlwind, startling the guard there.
Then he turned back to the officer.
And back to the entrance.
And back to him again.
"Stop!" the officer quickly called out.
Shen Ye stopped in front of him, panting heavily, and asked:
"Do you see that I can stay at the front line?"
His Battle Armor was in tatters (meticulously chosen by the Great Skeleton), his body covered in blood (from rolling too many times on various corpses), and that youthful face (15 years old! Only 15!) paired with deep, longing eyes (one must appear genuine or else give themselves away, and being discovered could be fatal), deeply moved everyone around him.
"Sir, let him stay, let him join us in revenge."
"Yes, give him a chance."
"The spark of Rhine must not be extinguished like this, sir."
"Let him come to us; I'll take good care of him."
"Such a fine young man should go to the rear for further study, sir!"
"I bet he'll be an assassin, or a Great Knight."
Everyone spoke all at once.