94: intelligence

Zalan had someone bring a small box, from which he took out a small parchment map and spread it on the table.

Then, pointing to a spot on the map, he said, “The only main road to Qingfeng Valley is this old path.

“Follow this road, and you will reach the first town—Mist Town.”

He paused, his tone becoming grave: “Be careful of the wild wolves that roam the forest, and the ravens in the sky.

“These beasts are all the Vampires’ eyes.

“Anyone who steps into Qingfeng Valley will be watched by them.

“These bastards will report any movement to those monsters.

“Except for those with a pass, anyone else who enters Qingfeng Valley will never get out.”

Zalan’s voice dropped even lower, “Anyone who tries to escape that place will die from various accidents.

“Wolf packs, Werebeasts, deformed monsters, and of course, those Vampires.”

As he spoke, the Dwarf’s voice trembled slightly.

He suppressed the urge to look back, grabbed his wine cup, and took a large gulp.

Seeing him like this, Catherine wanted him to relax a bit, so she asked, “Why did you decide to tell us all this?”

With a long sigh, he pulled down his collar, revealing the prominent brand on his collarbone. “All of us are their slaves; as long as he lives, we will forever live in fear.

“Of course, you might say we should completely cut ourselves off from Qingfeng Valley.

“But the problem is, as long as the profit is tempting enough, merchants will constantly send people to trade with them.

“That place has rich iron ore, and there’s also a gold mine, right inside the Snowfall Mountains.”

Zalan pointed to a spot on the map, “We only know the location of the iron ore.”

He caught his breath and then said, “As for why I’m helping,

“It’s simple; I heard your Lord is a Saint approved by the Mother Earth Church.

“Consider it an investment in him.”

“So, who is the current ruler of Qingfeng Valley?” Jessica interjected, asking.

“A woman named Elizabeth Vantred, she claims to be the Lord’s bride.

“But we all know that the Lord has countless brides; some died, and some turned into Vampires.

“So Elizabeth’s rule is not stable.

“At least the Werebeasts roaming the forest don’t submit to her, and neither do the Toreador family’s Vampires.”

Jessica and Catherine exchanged glances, their expressions very serious.

“How many of these monsters are there?” Jessica asked again.

“Ah, that’s countless; kill one, and another will appear.

“You’ll never figure out how many monsters are hidden in that place.”

It was Hassan who answered; he was like a startled bird, his voice full of urgency.

Newt, seeing their fear, couldn’t help but ask, “Since nothing can leave Qingfeng Valley, why are you so afraid?”

Hassan gave him a sidelong glance: “Kid, that only applies to the living.

“The dead and the monsters are different; although they won’t leave without the Lord’s permission.

“But there’s only one exception, like now.

“Do you think the brands on us are just decorations?

“It’s alive; it can hear us speak, and if it hears this, we’ll be dead very soon!”

“Relax, fella.” Zalan said to comfort him, “He’s already sleeping, isn’t he?

“Our priests say so; he can’t hear anymore.”

Hassan snorted coldly: “Those lunatics who talk about the Black Hand all day? I don’t believe them.”

“Shut up, you idiot, you’re talking too much!” Zalan sternly rebuked.

Clearly, these two had no idea that their true identities had long been exposed.

“Alright, that’s all we know.” Zalan wanted to end the conversation, “In short, Mist Town is your first stop.

“It used to be the safest place because many fools with a sense of justice would gather there, attempting to overthrow the Lord’s rule.

“But they all became pathetic slaves and playthings, except for that one time six months ago.”

“Another round of drinks!” Paul shouted to the waitress, “Li, don’t rush off; this round is on us.

“Tell us, what kind of fools are in that place?”

“Hey, where are you going, kid?” Sariya reached out and grabbed a sneaky child.

She recognized the boy as Little Oak, the son of the Halfling Barny.

The little fellow looked panicked and hadn’t had time to speak.

Sariya noticed the figures of two other children.

“Stop! Hey, don’t make me say it twice, Lily, Kaden!”

The two children, who had just turned to run, immediately stopped at her voice.

The patrolling Sariya carried Little Oak towards them, saying in a low voice, “Speak, what are you doing?

“Oh! For earth mother’s sake, why are you stealing weapons!”

Thanks to the generous supplies provided by the two great families, the Pioneer Group’s children were also equipped with weapons.

But to be safe, only children with permission could carry them; others’ weapons had to be handed over for unified safekeeping.

But clearly, these little ones had somehow managed to distract the guard and secretly taken the weapons.

Sariya quickly recalled something in her mind and then shouted, “Azrak, you fool, come back quickly!”

As she called out, a muscular Tiefling ran over from the other side.

“Sariya, you’re just in time; there’s a thief!” Azrak said.

“Yeah, I caught him for you, idiot!” Sariya cursed impatiently.

“Huh?” Azrak looked at the two children,

then at the weapons in their hands, and immediately said furiously, “Alright, you little rascals, how dare you trick me!”

The three children were so scared they were about to cry.

Sariya sighed and motioned for her companion to step aside.

She suppressed her anger and asked Kaden, the oldest, “Why did you steal the weapons?”

Kaden immediately spilled the beans, explaining the reason in detail.

After listening to his account, Sariya’s brows furrowed.

Azrak, beside her, urgently shouted, “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go rescue them!

“Son of a bitch, they dared to kidnap our people!”

“Shut up.” Sariya said, “Go find the Vice-Captain, and Mr. Godwin.”

Azrak immediately ran towards the western house.

“You said someone was following the kidnappers?” Sariya asked, “Who was it?”

“It was that Chult kid, Katu. And Lucas.” Lily replied.

“Put the weapons back, Lily and Little Oak go home.

“Kaden, you come with me to find them.” Sariya commanded.

It wasn’t long before Godwin and Valok arrived; they had already learned the full story on the way.

Since Jessica was not present, Godwin naturally became the person in charge of the Pioneer Group.

He didn’t hesitate at all and instructed the boy, “Lead the way, child.”