On the dawn of the fourth day, in the lust forest outside City No.
492, Frugal and Aven stood in hooded cloaks beside Jacob in his new black windbreaker and white mask.
Those three stood in front of 18 people from different races, and all of them had unique traits. The only thing common among them was their sharp auras.
Jacob speaks impassively, "Let me introduce myself, I'm Viper, and I'll be leading this expedition. These two beside me are my captains, Fire and Snow. If you have any questions, you may ask."
At this moment, a monkey face orc raised his hand and asked sharply, "Nice to meet you, Leader Viper. I'm the leader of this One Fist mercenary team, Bryan, a B-Class Epic Mercenary. On behalf of my team, I would like to know what is this venture about?"
"I'm told by my captains that you were already informed that we are heading into the heart of Vile Witch Valley. What else do you want to know?" Jacob questioned.
"I want to know the exact mission. Although you have offered handsome pay to assist you, I can't just lead my team to the depth of Vile Witch Valley without even knowing what we are after. I hope you understand my plight." Bryan smilingly stated.
"Didn't I've already told you we are going to acquire a rare item? Just when did mercenaries start to ask questions?" Frugal retorted in a dissatisfied tone.
"Captain Fire naturally states the truth. But you should know the depth of the Vile Witch Valley is filled with advanced epic magic beasts, and my team has been operating in this place for four years.
"If I know what it is that you're after, I might be able to lead you there without falling into some best den. I'm not doubting your capability, but just offering my expertise and want to keep everyone safe." Bryan stated with a straight face.
Jacob looked at the orc deeply before replying, "You indeed have a point. I understand that you don't want to put your life in the hand of a strange like me. But I can assure you we know our way around this place and just need your help when we retrieve the item, or we might not need your help at all.
"We are taking precautions just in case. But since you care about your teammates so much, how about we do this? You can follow us first and see for yourself how we lead you. If we put your lives in danger, you are free to leave, and we'll pay you in full."
Bryan's eyes narrowed at Jacob's offer, and he no longer refuted it since this was a very fair term.
'Why are they refusing to tell us what they are after? Could it be a rare treasure?' He thought but didn't show it on his face and nodded, "Very well, let's do as Leader Viper suggested."
"Good, then let's move out. Captain Snow will be leading us first." Jacob stated before he signaled Aven, and she mildly nodded and came forward.
"Please follow me carefully. It would take us five days to reach our destination!" She sternly declared before she moved, and everyone started to follow her.
Jacob had already discussed their entry plan with Frugal and Aven the other night, and they also showed him the map at last.
Jacob was quite surprised to see the map as it was like a maze, and without that map's direction, it would be impossible to reach the 'door.'
Since Frugal and Aven were already been there, they were most familiar with the terrain, so he left the pathway to them. As for the One Fist Team, they were their pawns, and whether they trusted them didn't matter.
The moment they signed up for this venture, their fates were sealed!
Aven led everyone from a particular path, and half a day passed. Even the One Fist team was surprised since they had yet to encounter a single beast, and they finally started to believe in Jacob's words.
When night arrived, they reached a canyon, and there was only a single narrow pathway going forward.
"There is a cavern half an hour distant within this canyon wall. We can rest for the night there." Aven told as she slowly moved forward on the dark pathway, and the only light there were the torches they brought.
The canyon was deep, and no light came from above, so they all were moving carefully.
"I had to admit. This is my first time seeing this canyon." A cheetah face orc commented. He was impressed.
"If I'm not wrong, we should be in the Spider Leg Bat colony. Normally, those beasts would attack anyone in massive folks, so only a few dared to enter their territory. But we are avoiding them with this secret passage." An elf with half of her face covered said with uncertainty.
"How peculiar." Bryan commented with a strange light in his eyes as he looked at the leading figures, 'Just where are they going, and how did they know about this passage?'
Jacob was listening to the One Fist team conversation silently and thought, 'They might start to suspect something…'
Half an hour later, they were all deep in the canyon when they finally found a large cavern, just as Aven stated before, and took shelter for the night.
Although this place looked safe and exempt from any beasts, Jacob still volunteered to be guard, and Bryan also came forward to assist him while everyone rested.
Sitting at the entrance, Bryan couldn't help but speak, "Leader Viper, do you enjoy alcohol?"
Jacob glanced at smiling Bryan before nodding, "Who doesn't?"
"Haha, indeed, how foolish of me to ask. Adventures like us tend to enjoy alcohol to make the adventure more colorful." He laughed heartedly before a gray gourd appeared in Bryan's hand, and he threw it toward Jacob.
Jacob caught the gourd and examined it. There was a wooden cork sealing its mouth.
Bryan took out another such gourd and introduced it smilingly, "This is a special ale from my tribe called the Spirit Cold Ale. Please have a taste and tell me what you think." He popped open the cork at this moment.
'He wants to see my face, huh?' Jacob easily guessed Bryan's intention behind offering him the Spirit Cold Ale!