Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 492 A small accident

The heavily armored knights marched in formation, full of fighting spirit.

Countless eyes were fixed on them, and news spread rapidly throughout the city.

Rean's Knights made no attempt to conceal their presence; such a large-scale troop deployment was difficult to hide.

Especially after acquiring the Great Mirror Demon's teleportation portal, one could often know the entire city's combat strength deployment simply by staying at a fixed point. Rean intended to show this to his opponents from the very beginning.

But this journey felt a little strange to him; it was too easy the whole way.

"Is this the Dark Zone? The front line of the battlefield?" Soon, the Knights arrived at their destination.

It was an endless black area, with almost no specific information on the map. The dark mud made the air seem as if it had never been washed clean.

Led by Dimon and Larry, that group of elite paladins had an average level of 2.3. This might not seem like much in a true knightly order, but considering the years they had spent developing their skills, it was quite remarkable.

This time, Larry didn't avoid suspicion, and even Rean silently watched as these were the blood and bones that had been painstakingly accumulated. Even if the hunt failed, Rean would not accept them falling here.

"This is too harsh a battlefield for them."

There had actually been a dispute before, and Larry was a little worried about their fighting strength.

"However, slaying evil is also an opportunity for a knight to grow."

Dimon is very direct and doesn't mince words.

“We are not here to train doormen and decorative figures; let them decide for themselves whether or not to participate.”

Rean made a decision.

But the result delighted Rean; no one refused the challenge. If they had hesitated or backed down, they probably wouldn't have been able to walk this thorny path.

The knights marched through the cave with high morale, and any monsters that blocked their way were instantly reduced to ashes under the onslaught of dozens of Demon-Slaying Slashes.

For the first time, Rean experienced what it was like to have people both in front and behind him, and he also learned what it was like when the Holy Knights were mobilized.

"Uh, why are they all running so fast?"

The ones who ran the fastest were not monsters, but passersby and other adventurers.

"It was like a flood."

"These evil people must be feeling guilty."

In the past, a paladin was always a cause for concern, as people worried that he might casually investigate evil. But the paladins in this city have gained a new skill called "Judgment of Sins," which allows those recent crimes to be displayed on the spot.

If you have an evil aura, and it's not too strong, you can still try to justify yourself by saying things like, "Think about it, I'm not a good person, I admit, but I haven't committed any crimes." As long as the evil aura isn't strong enough to make you a murderer, the paladin will just keep an eye on you, remember you, and investigate you when they have the chance, rather than taking direct action.

However, the paladins of the law school can see recent crimes, which means that as soon as the evil aura of a recent crime flashes, the judgment knights will not hesitate to take action on the spot.

In fact, the significant improvement in security in the dock area is also due to them. Of course, there were quite a few complaints, but Larry, who was in charge of this aspect, didn't take them seriously.

"Larry and Dimon have shown significant improvement in their skills."

The two paladins, one in black and one in white, both near-great knights with the combat strength of great knights, each took half a step back and stood to Rean's left and right.

In the past, they had to keep their distance from each other in public, after all, it would be suspicious to see a gang leader and a police chief mixed together. Outsiders were not worried about them conspiring together for personal gain, because as long as a paladin did not fall from grace, his character was much better than that of an ordinary person.

What they're worried about is that excessive "orderly sanctions" will make it impossible for them to continue their shady businesses.

If the dock area truly becomes a "paradise of order," then perhaps it won't be a place for those who have nothing to live in.

"If you don't even try to hide it now, aren't you afraid of making headlines tomorrow?"

Previously, Dimon and Larry were quite careful, always keeping their distance in public.

"It's pointless now."

“We’ve brought our core combat force with us; it can’t be hidden.”

This is just one of the reasons.
"Besides, there's no need to hide it anymore, right?"

This time, he is destined to become a complete enemy of certain forces. Once the dock area is completely under his control, Rean's status as "lord" will likely be firmly established.

At that time, Dimon and Larry, his two right-hand men, will naturally come to light; it will be impossible to hide them from the public.

"That slave market."

This is also an opportunity; Rean looks forward to clashing with them and then completely eliminating them.

The reason I couldn't control them before was because I wasn't in a legitimate position. If I become the true lord of the dock area, it will be only natural for me to manage the affairs within my jurisdiction.

"No news. It's possible that none of the big bosses are in the slave market."

"Didn't any friction occur?"

"No. Maybe we acted too quickly." Rean stroked his chin, as if things had gone beyond the script. Shouldn't the other side be the ones initiating trouble? According to the script the informant had obtained, the plan was to create friction between Rean and the slave market, escalating the conflict and potentially leaving him with the blame for "killing Baron Rean." But now, no one was around, and something seemed wrong.

"How about we wait a moment?"

"There's no need. Why give the opponent an easy way out?"

"I'm just worried that if the plan changes, the news might leak out."

"Only classmates know this."

Rean's information network is probably the most secure. If someone were to leak information, Rean would actually be happier. He would then have a reason to kick them out and add a series of rules.

The little incident passed quickly, and the news that dozens of paladins had formed a battle formation and entered the dungeon would probably soon spread throughout the entire city.

The expected timeframe wasn't long. If they really wanted to do something, they had to speed up the Knights' advance, which was already gradually moving towards the designated location—the swampy area that had once nurtured the black dragon.

"To be honest, this is the worst terrain for a knight."

"There's no other way, we'll just have to make do."

The knight class, heavily armored and skilled, is undoubtedly best suited for plains, while the pitch-black swamp and bush forest before them are the worst fit for them.

The heavy body and equipment made it easy for his boots to sink into the mud.

The muddy water that reached past their toes further restricted their mobility, and the low bushes not only affected their vision but also hindered the knights' sweeping swordplay.

An ordinary knight might only be able to exert 30% of his combat power here.

This is terrain suitable for thieves to launch surprise attacks. It is also suitable for ambushing large numbers of troops, as they cannot be clearly seen from the outside.

"Could it be that they knew we were coming today and were waiting inside beforehand?"

Rean activated his Eagle Eye and Dragon Eye to survey his surroundings from above. He wanted to fish, but instead, a big fish ate his bait.

But he paused for a moment. It wasn't that he hadn't detected the surrounding situation; if that were the case, it meant there was a problem, and he could accept that.

"Why is there nothing?"

Rean even wondered if he had gone to the wrong place, since he hadn't encountered any interceptors yet.

"Perhaps they're planning to ambush us when we leave?! But that would likely take a long time and cause problems."

Reality is not a game; it's not over once you've killed everyone. The time and number of people needed to clean up the battlefield can be several times longer than the actual battle.

If the Crystal Dragon is indeed hunted, in order to keep the materials fresh, the core personnel will likely not leave for a while. Instead, logistics, craftsmen, and potion makers will come to process them on-site. With so many people involved, plus the little mirror demon's live stream, it will be interesting to see how they handle their interactions.

Rean shook his head, deciding not to think about it anymore and to take it one step at a time.

"Let's move to a different position and prepare for battle in all aspects."

Rean was confused. Where had the expected ambushers and troublemakers gone? The same confusion was also present among the conspirators behind the scenes.

Where are they? Where are the people we arranged? We received a notification, but we haven't seen them.

"What about the key figures in the slave market?"

"It seems something has happened to the head of the family, Finkel. I heard it's an internal power struggle within the aristocratic circle, and he can't be found."

Can't find it? Giving up at the last minute, huh?

"That city lord's son, doesn't he have city guards under his command?"

"I heard that he was investigated for corruption yesterday and the city lord ordered him to stay at home. He is willing to respond to our call, but it will take some time."

At this point, even the most clueless person would vaguely sense that something was amiss.

How come these "vanguards" who should have been at the forefront all ran into problems?

What about the Four Leaf Clover Church?

Surely a church wouldn't back down at the last minute.

"They...they went, but the latest news seems they didn't encounter Rean and his group either. Their final response was a dragon."

"dragon?!"

At this moment, these elite soldiers of the church were staring blankly at the battlefield before them.

An entire black dragon family approached them.

Fate twisted again, whether due to interference or retreat at the last minute, the first batch of cannon fodder ambushers ran into trouble.

So, will those behind the scenes stop here, or will they have to escalate their efforts?
"Those opportunists are indeed unreliable. Do we have any other choice? We have no choice but to rely on ourselves. Contact the priests of the Beast Order."

(End of this chapter)