Chapter 90: The Fuse
“I was wrong…”
Mo Tan opened his message bar, which he had been ignoring, and saw ‘99+’ unread messages next to Shuang Ye’s name. He looked up and sincerely said to the girl in front of him, who had a murderous look on her face, “I was thinking about something just now, I honestly didn’t notice.”
“Pervert.” Shuang Ye looked down at her companion, who was tied up like a zongzi, and snorted unhappily. Then she waved her hand at a few Orcs beside her, “It’s this guy, please untie him.”
Three Orcs with two blood-red tattoos on their chests silently stepped forward to untie Mo Tan. Then, the leading Orc nodded to the warriors who had returned early and said in a muffled voice, “Thank you for your hard work, everyone. Leave the rest to us. Please continue with your mission.”
“Yes!” The patrol squad leader immediately thumped his chest, then turned and shouted at the others, “Did you all hear that? Continue with the patrol!”
Thirty-odd Orc warriors who had ‘escorted’ Mo Tan all the way here responded in unison, then turned and quickly left the way they came, led by the squad leader. Although they were elite warriors under Overseer Karon, they didn’t even dare to breathe heavily in front of the three of their kin beside Shuang Ye.
Although they were just ordinary soldiers, the difference between them was like a chasm!
These three taciturn soldiers with two Blood Claw tattoos… were from the Blood Claw Guard!
They were the personal guards of the Fire Claw Grand Chieftain, also the Fire Claw Grand Duke of the Violet Empire — Xi Luo Bloodaxe.
They were the strongest and most tenacious warriors in the Fire Claw Territory, each one a deserving hero. Their strength was far beyond what anyone in this patrol squad could contend with. One should know that their Grand Overseer Karon came from the Blood Claw Guard, and before being granted territory, he was merely a squad leader among them…
To put it this way, if there had been a few Blood Claw Guard officers at the outpost during Benny’s previous attack, he would have turned around and left without hesitation, and he might not even have been able to escape.
This was the ultimate force of the Fire Claw Territory, and there was only one reason for their presence here…
“The Grand Chieftain himself has come.” Shuang Ye casually threw a water ball at Mo Tan, cleaning him up a bit, and snorted, “Overseer Karon, who we fought before, is also here. If you were sent to him, it would be a huge mess. You might be chopped into a mosaic in minutes. Even if you have a masochistic constitution, can’t you at least pick your timing?”
Mo Tan chuckled and walked over to her, asking in a low voice, “When did you log on? What’s the situation now?”
“An hour ago. I was delayed a bit today, and then I sent you many messages but didn’t get a reply.” Shuang Ye glared at him, “Because I didn’t know if you were offline or in trouble, I came out with these big brothers to check. I just got here and you already assaulted my eyes. Let’s talk about the details as we walk…”
Mo Tan nodded, then he and Shuang Ye, accompanied by the three Blood Claw warriors, walked towards Fell Axe City, located near the border of the Fire Claw Territory. Along the way, he learned the general course of events from Shuang Ye.
This girl’s efficiency was terrifying. After logging on yesterday evening in game time, she observed for a while and finally confirmed that the Autonomous Army’s outpost at the border seemed to have received no news. So, she boldly returned there under the guise of resupply and, under the noses of many people, secretly planted six or seven magic scrolls. Then, she openly left the outpost and went to the place Ned had mentioned to retrieve the intelligence.
That wasn’t all. After that, Shuang Ye still didn’t immediately go to the Fire Claw Territory. Instead, she impersonated a messenger and returned to Dieyan City, successfully tricking an administrative official into sending someone to notify the Marshall Family that the plan was successful. She also extorted and promised many benefits in the name of Benny’s confidant, then made a trip to the local Mage Guild to bid farewell to her mentor, and by acting shamelessly and charmingly, she managed to get several spell books and many useful magical items. Finally…
“You said you set off fireworks at the Autonomous Army’s border outpost?” Mo Tan looked at the smiling Shuang Ye with horror, as if looking at a… God knows what…
The girl gently pushed up her glasses and said with a cunning smile, “They shouldn’t have arranged all the tents together, and those high platforms, post posts, and temporary command posts built with wood were all fragile and good fuel. I first used two Thunderstorm scrolls to disperse the crowd, then activated Fireball, Chain Fireball, and Explosive Fireball scrolls to ignite the entire outpost. Their placement was very scientific; the first three-no buildings to collapse successfully caused panic, and the carefully planned collapse and ignition directions minimized waste~”
“Just a small farewell gift.” The orange-haired female mage with round-rimmed glasses exuded an aura as if she were over 1.6 meters tall. She idly played with her hair and whispered, “Chaos and panic won’t make people bleed, but they can cause doubt and expose flaws. I think at least for a short time, Benny’s mysterious disappearance after ‘completing the mission’ and that burnt-down temporary outpost will give the Marshall Family a headache, even if it’s just the kind of headache that makes them eat two fewer bites of dinner… Anyway, I don’t lose anything.”
The three Blood Claw warriors beside them exchanged glances, conveying to each other the idea that ‘although we don’t quite understand, we feel this short mage is pretty amazing.’
“Alright, how did you remotely control those magic scrolls?” Mo Tan shrugged and gave Shuang Ye a thumbs-up in admiration.
“It’s simple~” Shuang Ye extended a slender index finger and gently waved it in the air, “The magic power in this world has many diverse uses, not just for casting spells. If you step out of the concept of ‘game’ and consider yourself a true mage…”
A thread of magic power, emitting a light green glow, flickered at the girl’s fingertip, and with the rhythm of her small hand, it wove into the words ‘M-type’ in mid-air.
“Although it has no meaning and I can’t use it as an attack method right now, remotely activating a scroll or two is not a problem.” The girl casually dispersed the pure magic power, stretched like a kitten leaning forward, and glanced at Mo Tan, “Understood?”
【You have unlocked Worldview Diagram: 《Versatility of Magic Power》, Civilization Attribute: Lore + 2】
Mo Tan extended his hand amidst the system prompt, but after a long time, he couldn’t produce anything, so he chuckled, “I understand, but in terms of practice…”
“It’s alright, smart people are always a minority in this world.” Shuang Ye shook her head distractedly, “Even if you can’t figure it out for a while, there’s no need to belittle yourself. At least you gained some knowledge, didn’t you?”
The implication was simple: ‘At least I made you gain two points of Lore attribute. It’s normal that you can’t do what I can, because I’m smarter than you.’
“That’s truly an uninspiring comfort.” Mo Tan shook his head and sighed.
But as he sighed, a faint golden light flashed across the hand he held behind his back…
After walking a little further, Mo Tan could already see the thick and rugged gate of Fell Axe City in the distance. On either side were a pair of huge dark-red totems, each embedded with a black short-handled battleaxe, looking very Orcish.
Shuang Ye had arrived at this place last night. While extorting and blackmailing in the Dieyan City Hall, she happened to glimpse half of the Fire Claw Territory map hanging there. So, after setting off fireworks at the Autonomous Army’s temporary outpost, she immediately crossed the border and headed straight here, finally arriving before dawn with the aid of wind magic.
“I didn’t expect the Fire Claw Grand Duke to come here in person, but it’s fortunate he did, otherwise the intelligence I brought wouldn’t have been taken so seriously.” Shuang Ye said leisurely, “Yesterday was too rushed. We have a lot to explain later. I wonder if the Grand Chieftain is awake yet.”
“The Chieftain has been waiting for the two of you for a long time…”
Just then, a slightly hoarse voice suddenly sounded in their ears. Shuang Ye and Mo Tan turned their heads at the same time, only to see an Elf in a dark-red tight suit leaning against a crooked-necked tree by the roadside, nodding at them.
“I am Kasi Kamaitachi, the head of the Fire Claw Territory’s shadow intelligence unit, the 【Fire Shadow】.” The unusually muscular white-haired ‘Elf’ slowly walked in front of the two, raising a hand to adjust the headband on his head, “Please follow me, both of you.”
…
As the Chieftain of the Fire Claw Clan and one of the nine Grand Lords of the Violet Empire, Xi Luo Bloodaxe’s image was not very ‘chieftain-like’. His waist was not eight feet wide, he didn’t eat children, his muscle ratio wasn’t one hundred percent, his weight wasn’t over three hundred catties, his voice didn’t shake people to death, he wasn’t unsightly, and he certainly didn’t breathe fire.
In fact, he looked like a particularly ordinary Orc, even less strong than most of his kin.
If it weren’t for the fact that this Grand Chieftain was currently sitting in a Grand Chieftain’s chair specially prepared for a Grand Chieftain, Mo Tan would have almost thought that the person in front of him was, at best, Orc A, the kind without even a name…
“Very surprised, aren’t you?” Shuang Ye whispered in his ear, “When I first arrived here, I happened to run into the Fire Claw Grand Duke out for a stroll and even asked him for directions.”
“And then?” Mo Tan asked curiously in a low voice, “What was his reaction?”
Shuang Ye rolled her eyes, “He didn’t seem to react, and then the next second I was pinned to the ground by this Fire Shadow boss next to us.”
“Ahem…” Kasi, with his extremely sharp ears, cleared his throat.
The two immediately stopped talking.
This was the council hall of Fell Axe City, and also where the Fire Claw Grand Duke presided over various affairs and handled daily work after his arrival. This showed that Xi Luo was an excellent leader; even if he had to go on a business trip for some reason, he wouldn’t neglect his work.
“Please don’t mind that small misunderstanding yesterday. Kasi is always a bit oversensitive.” The Grand Chieftain smiled at Shuang Ye, then nodded to Mo Tan, “You must be Miss Shuangye’s companion. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Xi Luo Bloodaxe, ruler of the Fire Claw Territory.”
Mo Tan bowed slightly, “It’s an honor to meet you, Chieftain.”
“Hmm, I’m not very good at pleasantries, so let’s get straight to the point. Yesterday was too rushed, and Miss Shuangye didn’t have a chance to say much.” Xi Luo’s voice paused, then he sighed deeply, “What I want to know most right now is, is Ned… truly dead?”
Shuang Ye’s expression darkened, and she pursed her lips, turning her head away.
Mo Tan nodded solemnly and said softly, “Yes, Captain Ned was… killed… by an assassin from the Marshall Family…”
“May his soul rest in peace.” A trace of weariness flashed in Xi Luo’s eyes, “Ned was a noble man. He shouldn’t have had to bear so much…”
Silence fell over the hall. Few of those present at this moment didn’t know who Ned was. A somber atmosphere quickly spread, very oppressive.
And then…
“His soul will not rest.”
A clear voice broke the silence. The girl, who appeared particularly small among the group, said coldly, “His wish has not been fulfilled. The rest needs to be done by us, and by you.”
“Exactly.” Mo Tan also said softly, “It wasn’t just Captain Ned who sacrificed himself, but many companions. Now that the intelligence is in your hands, we hope that the Fire Claw Territory, as fellow victims, will no longer remain silent.”
Perhaps these words were a bit presumptuous, but Mo Tan and Shuang Ye both truly hoped that the sacrifices of Ned, Krab, Salazar, Yinna, and the others would have value. Even if they were just a few intelligent AIs, just data, just NPCs, the two hoped they could become NPCs that were ‘heavier than Mount Tai’…
“We will.” Xi Luo didn’t mind the impropriety in their words, only nodded forcefully, “So many years have passed, and too many noble and innocent people have lost their lives over this matter. It’s time to put an end to it.”
【Hidden Quest: The Fuse, Completed. You have unlocked and been added to the compendium Fenrir Squad. Reward: Ode Cross, Ode Holy Scripture, Random Magic Scrolls * 5. Optional Experience: 3000 points. Due to killing ‘Gray Serpent’ Benny Crow, you have received special items: Ned’s Dog Tag, Krab’s Dog Tag, Salazar’s Dog Tag, Yinna’s Dog Tag.】
This was the system prompt Mo Tan heard as soon as Grand Chieftain Xi Luo finished speaking. Shuang Ye beside him also paused for a moment, then the two exchanged glances and nodded slightly at the same time.
Undoubtedly, both of them received the hidden quest completion notification.
However, unlike Shuang Ye, Mo Tan, who personally killed Benny, received an additional reward, which the former should not have received…
Although this additional reward was somewhat inexplicable, Mo Tan didn’t mind it; in fact, he was somewhat relieved that the system could give him this ‘reward’…
Chapter 87: End