My health recovery is incredibly fast.

The squirrel grabbed the hem of its owner's cloak, climbed up into the owner's hand, took a peeled pine cone, and then burrowed into the owner's cloak.

The man in the black cloak walked in the direction the squirrel had come from and reached out to pick up the waterproof cloth bag from the ground.

"Damn it, these untrustworthy mercenaries." The cloaked man counted the number of poison glands in the bag and found that half of them were missing. He cursed viciously.

The cloaked figure looked around and walked back.

Xia Zuo cast a detection spell on his back from a distance.

...

[Character Name] Unknown

[Identity] Unknown

[Health] ? ? ? (Health)

[Resistance] None

[Strength] 6

[Agile] 6

[Endurance] 7

[Vitality] 3

[Perception] 5

[Willpower] 7

[Mental State] 5

【Charm】2

[Characteristics] ? ? ?

...

Xia Zuo followed the other party from a distance, mentally comparing the images of the circus performers.

The cloaked man's stats are similar to Snake's; their total attribute values ​​are roughly the same, but the cloaked man has 3 more points in Spirit, 1 more in Willpower, and 5 fewer in Charisma.

The cloaked figure was completely unaware that a hidden follower had appeared behind him.

He emerged from the bushes, left the forest, and jogged to board the carriage that was waiting on the forest path.

"Open the door, Serenf. Those mercenaries gave us way too many poison glands!" the cloaked man shouted, slamming his hand on the car door.

A curse came from inside the carriage. A man with a hooked nose opened the carriage door and waited for the cloaked man to get in before closing it.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xia Zuo cast a detection spell at the hook-nosed Serenf, and then floated to the outside of the roof.

The carriage started moving.

A gloomy man wearing tattered leather armor is controlling a packhorse.

The carriage traveled westward along a secluded mountain road.

Xia Zuo looked around to make sure no one was there, then transformed back into human form. He sent a secret message to Mars from the swaying roof of the carriage, before transforming back into his cloud form and lying on the carriage as it drove away.

The carriage turned into another forest and traveled through the woods where there were no roads.

The number of white-trunked trees around them increased, and brown-trunked trees were almost invisible.

This place is now a deserted wasteland.

The driver was clearly very familiar with the surroundings, skillfully avoiding all the narrow places and winding around the ditches. He even knew exactly where the stones buried that would make the carriage lurch.

The carriage traveled from noon until nightfall before finally coming to a stop.

The hook-nosed Serenf and the cloaked man got out of the car, each carrying several bulging cloth bags.

"Kakuff, I'll take Serenf inside first." The cloaked man waved the bag in his hand.

The coachman, Kakup, nodded silently, flicked the reins, and steered the carriage to the other side.

The cloaked man, Puev, and Serenf walked together into the dark forest, their figures swallowed up by the darkness among the trees.

Xia Zuo remained lying on the roof of the carriage.

The coachman, Kakup, stopped the carriage in a makeshift thatched hut, untied the reins of the packhorses, and, holding the horse with one hand, used the other to dangle branches and conceal the hut.

He first tied the packhorse to a tree, then bent down and began to search through the grass and bushes.

Xia Zuo followed the other person as they wandered through the woods, then approached to observe their movements.

Kakuff is setting a trap.

There are three tripwire traps and three impact traps. These traps are not offensive; they only make noise to alert people deep in the forest.

Shazo quietly memorized the location of the trap and followed Kakup forward.

A short while later, he returned to the thatched hut.

Xia Zuo floated into the carriage to check it out, and then floated out.

There was nothing inside except for bits of dried rations. Presumably, everything was in the cloaked man's and Serenf's bags.

While lying on the roof of the carriage, Xia Zuo overheard the conversation inside.

The cloaked man who controls the squirrels is named Puyev.

Puev and Selenf had only met today, and they chatted about their experiences along the way, mentioning that they had rushed over as soon as they received some secret letter.

During the drive, Kakoff thanked the two men in the car several times, seemingly delighted by their arrival.

The three individuals had no obvious identification marks, and their relationship was unclear; they seemed like strangers, yet also like long-time, spiritual friends.

Deep in the forest, there is a low wooden house of unknown purpose.

A multitude of questions weighed heavily on Xia Zuo's mind, forming a tangled mess.

Chapter 19 Drinking Leads to Mistakes

Xia Zuo stood in the shadows of a grove of trees, took out a night vision potion from his alchemy pouch, and poured it into his mouth.

The pitch-black night scene before me has been transformed into a black, white, and gray picture. The light is much brighter, but the color tone is much more monotonous.

He took out a second vial of medicine.

The icy blue color of the potion, its crystal-clear luster exuding a coolness, easily evokes the medicinal effects of this potion.

This is an energy booster.

Skilled grade, perfect quality.

After consumption, it can maintain a clear and calm mind for the next hour, significantly increasing spellcasting speed. It is especially suitable for combat and continuous long-duration operations.

After finishing this dose, Mars will only have one dose of the potion left... Hopefully, I won't have a chance to use it.

"Gurgle."

The energy booster was taken.

Xia Zuo instantly felt all his fatigue vanish, and he felt as energetic as if he had just woken up in the morning.

Before deciding to investigate the low house further, he had thoroughly explored the surrounding area.

This place is located in the northwest corner of the province of Nyenan, near the provincial border of the province of Sbril. The nearest village is more than 10 kilometers away.

Kakov, Selenf, Puev.

These three names clearly have regional characteristics.

Professor of Poison Alchemy, Kurov's name is similar to these people.

XX, this naming convention is likely characteristic of the western region of the province of Spree.

This group of people from the far west of the kingdom set up their secret outpost in such a remote place and even set up traps around the low house to prevent outsiders from getting close.

Perhaps there are other people inside the low house…

Xia Zuo took a deep breath, the air brushing away the lingering effects of the stimulant in his throat, a cool sensation reaching his head, making his mind even sharper.

He transformed into a cloud and slowly drifted into the depths of the forest.

A small wooden bungalow appeared not far away.

The windows were covered by curtains, and slivers of candlelight peeked out from the gaps in the curtains.

Xia Zuo found the front door, pressed himself against the thick wooden door, and successfully squeezed through the gap in the hinges.

A nauseating smell of alcohol and mildew filled the air.

Xia Zuo, in his cloud-like form, took a moment to adjust to the air in the narrow, damp corridor with its cracked floor.

In the room on the left, flickering flames shone from behind a half-open door.

Five men sat around a round table. Three candlesticks on the wall barely illuminated the room. A longbow and quiver, along with several weapons, hung on the wall.

Xia Zuo cast a detection spell at the figure inside the house, feeling somewhat heavy-hearted.

Of the five people, four had practiced breathing techniques, while only the gloomy-faced Kakup was an ordinary person.

The tallest man among them had yellow teeth and a strength attribute value of 14 points, which was 1 point higher than the strongman in the circus.

Xia Zuo calmed his thoughts and stood behind the door, silently observing them.

Inside, there was a round table, its dirty surface reflecting the grease. On the table was a small bucket of pickled tomatoes, a large bowl of mashed potatoes, and slices of smoked meat lying on a plate.

In the very center of the table was a large barrel of strong liquor, and in front of each man was a glass overflowing with the liquor.

"Long live Babalov!"

The five men shouted, clinked their glasses, downed their drinks in one gulp, and let out a series of joyful sounds as they drank heartily.

The tallest man picked up the barrel of liquor from the table and poured drinks for the others at the table.

A long-haired man covered his glass. "I have to make poison tonight."

"A little more, Peter, a little more. We've known each other for so long, and you're still making excuses."

The tall man pushed away the long-haired man Peter's hand, which was half-covering his glass, and poured half a glass of strong liquor into his own. "This is all you get. The rest is ours!"