228: Chapter 228 Tracking! The Traitor and the Grand Knight! Shoot Down!

At the mine near the ruins.

After listening to Edgar's words, Rowan furrowed his brows slightly.

Knight Orion, he had heard this name before.

The other party was the captain of the guard stationed at the mine by the Imperial Department of Resources, possessing the strength of a Peak Knight.

To be able to kill a Peak Knight in such a short time, the intruder's strength was indeed very likely at the Great Knight level.

But upon hearing that the other party had also been wounded by an armor-piercing crossbow, his eyes lit up slightly.

He immediately said, "Take me to the place where they fought."

Upon hearing this, Edgar stood up and, supported by a guard, limped across the mine to a relatively open clearing.

The ground of the clearing was covered with crisscrossing sword marks and burn marks from battle aura.

Several paving stones had been shattered, and dark red bloodstains remained at the edges.

Rowan squatted down and looked at one of the bloodstains.

The bloodstain had not yet completely dried.

He could sense it—this was blood that had been nourished by a Great Knight's battle aura, containing special extraordinary qualities.

He reached out his finger and lightly touched the bloodstain, his fingertip stained with a slightly cool, viscous sensation.

Then, using his Vampire Prince perception, he analyzed the residual aura within the bloodstain.

A faint scent of blood, like a tenuous thread, slowly extended in his perception, pointing in a direction outside the mine.

A flash of joy crossed his heart.

Although this aura was weak, it was clear enough.

He could track the other party with this!

Thus, he stood up and directly ordered Portia, "Commander Portia, take your men and seal off the mine. No one is allowed in or out."

"At the same time, send people to take the wounded back to town for treatment, take stock of the mine's losses, and deal with everything else after I return."

Portia did not ask further, only nodding, "Yes, my lord!"

Rowan said no more, turned and walked out of the mine, mounted his horse at the entrance, and rode off alone, following the direction indicated by that bloody aura.

...

On the road from the Golden Flame Territory towards the Grey Fir Territory in the southwest, two fast horses were galloping wildly.

The horses' hooves trod on the dry dirt road, kicking up a trail of dust.

On the two horses sat two middle-aged men with different expressions.

The man on the left was wearing a worn light knight's armor, with several fresh sword marks and a distinct dent remaining on the plates.

His face was rugged, with a circle of short stubble on his jaw, and his gaze carried a mixture of excitement and vigilance.

While galloping, he turned his head and smiled at his companion beside him, who was wearing the official uniform of the Imperial Department of Resources:

"Alec, after we finish this job, we can go south and live it up; we won't have to blow in the cold wind in this hellhole anymore."

"I've long since had enough of this damn weather in the North!"

The person he called Alec was in his early thirties, with a thin face.

Hearing his companion's words, he smiled, then glanced at Kieran's wound and asked, "Kieran, is your wound okay?"

Kieran patted his chest indifferently, making a dull thud, "It's nothing! I'm just not very proficient with the power of a Great Knight yet, that's all, so I didn't block that armor-piercing sword. It's no big deal!"

As he spoke, he grinned, "But you, Alec, you kid, you've always been the famous goody-two-shoes among us since we were little, but that slash just now, tsk, it was ruthless!"

Alec heard this and was silent for a moment, "I didn't want to be this extreme either."

"I've worked at the Department of Resources for so many years; although I can't say there's any deep affection, it was at least a stable job."

Speaking of this, a ferocious look appeared on his face, "But, they were leaving and didn't even think to take me! I've worked for them for fifteen years! Fifteen years!"

"Even a dog would have some attachment, right? But look at them—not even a transfer order, just planning to dump me here to wait for death! Since they dared to do this, they can't blame me!"

Kieran frowned, feeling a bit strange, and asked, "Is what you said true or false? Are those people really retreating south? Even giving up the magic crystal mine? That's a magic crystal mine! A treasure that not even a county has many of!"

Alec sneered, "Of course it's true. Why do you think I noticed?"

"In the last few months, the mining speed of the mine has been doubled. The reason given from above was to adjust the mining plan, but I've worked in the Department of Resources for so many years; I can still see the tricks in this."

"That's clearly racing against time, ignoring damage to the vein, digging as much as possible, and leaving once it's done."

"Moreover, it's not just the mine; several departments in the North are secretly shrinking, and some important documents and supplies have already been transported south in batches."

Kieran's brows furrowed even tighter, "But why? Although the North hasn't been peaceful these past two years, it shouldn't be to the point of giving up even the magic crystal mine, right? This stuff is hard currency; which power wouldn't covet it?"

Alec shook his head, his tone tinged with irritation, "How would I know? I'm not a tapeworm in the bellies of those big shots. I just analyzed it myself from some clues."

He paused, then looked at Kieran, his tone carrying a hint of curiosity, "By the way, how exactly did you break through to become a Great Knight? If you hadn't sent word that you'd broken through, I wouldn't have dared to make up my mind to pull this job."

Hearing this, a slightly dazed expression appeared on Kieran's face, as if he were recalling something, "I don't know what happened either. It was just one night, a voice suddenly appeared in my head..."

"That voice was very strange; it rang directly inside my head."

"It taught me some... some strange methods. I followed them, killed quite a few people; I killed everyone in my mercenary group, and it still wasn't enough, so I found a village, and then, I broke through."

"Anyway, even if you hadn't written to me, I would have had to run. A bunch of people are investigating my whereabouts."

Kieran said this nonchalantly.

But upon hearing this, Alec's expression changed slightly. He was silent for a moment, lost in thought, then whispered, "Perhaps... this is the reason. Those people are rushing to retreat south, perhaps because of this."

He wanted to say more... but just then—Pfft!

An extremely faint sound rang out.

On Kieran's right leg, a flower of blood bloomed without warning.

He didn't even have time to let out a complete scream; he only felt a sudden, intense pain in his right leg, followed immediately by an incredibly tyrannical force invading his body.

He lost his balance completely, fell directly from the horse's back, and kicked up a cloud of dust.

"There's an enemy!"

Alec's face turned pale in an instant; he violently pulled the reins, wanting to accelerate and escape.

But the next second, a sudden intense pain also came from his right leg, and a terrifying battle aura invaded his body.

His body tilted uncontrollably, and he also fell from the horse's back, landing heavily on the ground, the pain almost making him unable to catch his breath.

The sound of horse hooves approached from afar.

Rowan rode up to the two men.

He looked at the two disheveled figures on the ground, his gaze calm.

But when he walked closer, his gaze lingered on Kieran for a moment.

He sensed that the Great Knight was exuding an unusual bloody scent, which caused the blood core within his furnace to tremble slightly.

That bloody scent did not come from his wound, but from an aura seeping out from a deeper level...

...