Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

"But logically speaking, they and the orcs are not on the same page. And since the orcs said that so openly, I suspect it might be a trap."

“A trap,” Raslaufer repeated the word. They certainly knew it was a trap, but it was a different kind of trap than what Dahl was referring to.

They originally thought the trap was only aimed at their group, but according to Dahl's speculation, the other side had a deeper plan, wanting to make their side fight against other forces and make the situation even more chaotic.

But this is just a process; there is an ultimate outcome—what will it be? To take Angelita's life?

“No matter who you are, little girl, I don’t think it’s worth all this trouble,” Dahl gave Angelita a deep look. The girl from the Empire still claimed to be the daughter of a count, but the old mercenary didn’t comment much on that. “Killing someone requires clarity. You must be certain that the target is dead completely and absolutely. You can’t achieve that by muddying the waters.”

"If that orc's next mission is really to kill you, he's more likely to not want to do it. Or... he doesn't actually care about your lives, but what he wants is definitely you."

"The purpose of muddying the waters is to exhaust you and then launch a surprise attack."

"What do you think, Leslaufer?"

Chapter 348 The Mercenary's Scheme

"What they want isn't a person, but... something else?"

The group exchanged glances, each looking puzzled.

What could they possibly have that would make an orc care?

“No clue? That’s troublesome,” Dahl said, shaking his head as he saw the confusion. “If we don’t know what he wants, we can’t know what tactics he’s going to use, and naturally we won’t know how to deal with it.”

"I'm sorry, Leslaufer, I'm afraid I can't help you. Perhaps you can talk to me again when you know what that orc really wants?"

“By then, it will be too late,” Leslaufer clicked his tongue. “I’m telling you, you’ve been holed up here for quite a while now, don’t you want to stretch your legs?”

“I don’t want to,” even Dopler, who knew the other’s character well, never expected Dahl to respond so resolutely. “Reslaufer, let me ask you: what should be the most important thing in a person’s life?”

“It’s a legacy,” he asked himself, “I thought I could walk through the world with killing, like you, leaving nothing behind, but that’s not me.”

“I formed this mercenary group and took in many adopted children. When I pass away one day, Dahl’s story will still be remembered, and his traces will continue to exist in this world for years or decades. In this way, it will be as if I am still alive in this world.”

Leslaufer stared at Dahl, who had suddenly launched into a long speech, and abruptly asked, "Are you afraid of dying?"

“Who wouldn’t be afraid? Oh, probably except you.” The old mercenary shook his head. “Yes, I’m afraid of death, ever since the day you saved me. But what I’m afraid of is not losing my life, but that all traces of me in this world will be erased, and on that day, I will truly be dead.”

"What a pity. I wanted to be like Emperor Richard the Great, but in the end, I'm just a minor chapter commander. I don't even dare to buy a noble title—what's the use of that? I have no land, no castle, not even children. A noble title, ha, it's better for me to invest all my money in the chapter..."

"And you, now you want me to lead my entire army to fight for you with just a word? No way, I can't do it."

"Speak," Dahl shook his head, looking at Dople in front of him. The other man's complete lack of response made the old lion somewhat uneasy. "Reslaufer, does this guy really understand what I mean?"

The Forest of Riha is a troublesome place. It would be a pipe dream to take the members of the warband on a trip like a picnic. It is definitely not going to let him do a losing business. He is not even interested in making a small profit.

To Dahl's surprise, although Reslaufer did not express her opinion, the imperial noblewoman who had just spoken reacted. With a crisp "snap," a neatly crafted and exquisitely made golden brick was taken out and placed on the table.

“Miss Anne, what do you mean by this?” Dahl’s brows furrowed immediately. “Am I the kind of person who only cares about profit? Put it away! What I’m concerned about isn’t just this little bit of money!”

As the leader of a mercenary band, Dahl was responsible for the expenses of hundreds of people in the blink of an eye, so he naturally recognized the value of gold pounds. While this amount was considerable for an individual, it was a drop in the ocean for an entire band.

“I know, but this gold pound isn’t just about ‘profits’,” Angelita flipped the pound over. Now that she could freely control her magic, a row of tiny engravings immediately appeared on the gold pound before Dahl’s eyes. “Do you understand Imperial language? Uncle Leslaufer can translate for you…”

“I understand,” Dahl raised his hand to interrupt her. After recognizing the meaning of the engravings, he looked at Angelita with a complicated expression. “So, you’re not actually the daughter of a count?”

“Magna Pares can also be considered a count’s territory, under my father’s direct jurisdiction,” Angelita smiled. “From that perspective, I’m not lying to you.”

“No, this isn’t about deception,” the old mercenary waved his hand, “but I still don’t understand, what are you doing here all this way, with your distinguished status?”

Of course, it was to avoid her emperor father. Angelita thought this to herself, but didn't show it outwardly.

“The Grand Duke has been bewitched by the devil and has raised an army against Father. You must have heard about their momentum,” Angelita said calmly. “To be honest, it will be difficult for Father to win. We have to seek help from outside the Empire. For example, the Doples, or... the dwarves.”

"But this quota is more than enough, you could even say the more the better... If you're that afraid of 'death,' how much longer can a small warband or a few adopted sons keep you 'alive'?"

"It can't be more than what an entire empire can provide."

Dahl hesitated. He had only told Raslaufer half the truth, but what he really wanted were just a few things. He believed Raslaufer couldn't give him those things, but now, this little girl could.

"A contract, plus this gold brick."

“A contract is fine, but this won’t do,” Angelita said, taking back the gold pound. “You can take something of equal value from our belongings as a substitute, or we can pay with gold coins.”

"Deal!" The old mercenary quickly agreed. These were secondary; the most important thing was that the other party had agreed to the previous part, which meant that from now on, they could fly the empire's banner!

A mercenary group recognized by the Imperial Family! Just based on that, we can raise our prices by at least half again when we ask those lords for more money in the future. This is the real long-term solution!

While Dahl's vision might not be considered particularly far-sighted, it wasn't short-sighted either. Although he was reluctant to part with his own wealth, the prospect of such promising future gains made the risk entirely worthwhile. He immediately had all the necessary items brought to him and drafted a contract to demonstrate his and his mercenary group's willingness to submit to the Empire.

Conversely, the "empire" should also give them equal preferential treatment.

The old mercenaries of Inasas were not particularly skilled in writing, but after a brief discussion, Angelita and Mary easily "modified and perfected" the entire contract. In this way, even if Dahl later discovered something was wrong, he would not be able to hold them accountable—he and his mercenary group should be loyal to "direct members of the royal family in a completely normal state of mind and soul," and the Mad King? Of course, he could not be included.

Unless Angelita's two brothers are also aware of this news from such a distance, this mercenary group will undoubtedly be used solely by Angelita. As for their subsequent treatment, that can be discussed after the internal strife in the empire has subsided.

Chapter 349 The Elves of the Forest of Riha

With ample resources at hand, the dwarf quickly completed the repair of his prosthetic limb. After resting overnight at Dahl's warband's encampment, Dahl rallied his men the next day, urging them to assemble quickly and set off for Rihar Forest at their employer's command.

"I must remind you: everything you have is built on Anne's foundation. If anything were to happen to her..."

Leslaufer didn't mind the almost empty carriage; his only concern was: "Don't say I was nitpicking later."

"Ha, Reslaufer, you can rest assured!" Dahl knew Doppler well enough to know that his "nitpicking" wasn't just empty talk. He didn't want himself or his band to face Doppler's rage if there was any chance. "I know, all of this is to protect her. I will absolutely not let this little girl get hurt!"

Before the battle, Dahl changed into a suit of scale armor, holding a sword in his right hand and a shield on his left arm. The scales on the shield reflected a special luster in the sunlight: "Reslaufer, with this sword and this shield, I can definitely protect this little girl better than a bastard. You can rest assured about that!"

"As for the possible orcs, we have thirty crossbowmen, forty spearmen, and twenty shieldmen here. Even if we encounter a small army, we have nothing to fear—can you rest assured now?"

“The money was well spent,” a slight smile finally appeared on Raslaufer’s face. “But don’t be careless. After all, they are orcs, not farmers or prisoners.”

"Alright, alright, trust me on this," Dahl waved his hand. "You may be better at fighting than me, but I'm the one who can lead the team—and let me tell you again, it's unlikely that an entire orc army could infiltrate this place."

"Once you get there and see those branches swaying in the wind and the empty woodland, you'll know whether this money was well spent or not!"

"Speaking of which, I'm quite curious, how much did they pay you? After you messed with me like this once, all the money ended up in my hands."

When it came to compensation, Raslaw looked thoughtful for a moment, but then shook his head: "Of course there's something to be made. The things you're dividing up aren't ours, so it doesn't add up."

"Tsk, in our line of work, we split the profits among ourselves?" The old mercenary scoffed at the idea. "Anyway, you've figured it out, haven't you? I made a killing this time!"

Doble didn't mind sharing the spoils with his old friend, especially since he himself had this need. The entire battle group quickly began moving towards the direction of Riha Forest. This area wasn't within the mercenary's usual operating range, but it wasn't far away, and the route was familiar.

As the march progressed, things went much as Dahl had predicted. Even when they reached the edge of the forest, what they encountered was just as Dahl had expected: no orcs, no tribes, and no large armies. Everything was quiet, as if Raslaufer's description of them was nothing more than his own imagination.

However, just as the old mercenary was directing his men to set up camp outside the forest, preparing to explore twice before heading back the next day, Feng Zhi Feng and his teleportation beast mount silently disappeared into the depths of the Riha Forest.

"Reporting to the mistress, the sword has arrived."

Shortly after the orcs departed, a slender yet strong figure deftly traversed the intricate obstacles of the forest, finally landing before several huts constructed of vegetation rather than rock. The forest above ground was indeed dazzling, but for this dark-skinned youth with sharp ears, it was far from a challenge.

He lowered his head, not daring to look directly ahead with his bloodshot eyes. Although the wooden door there was still half-closed, he knew that his mother, the mistress he served, the priestess of the great goddess Rose, was there, perhaps watching him right now.

Delicate, tiny faces emerged from the surrounding tree trunks and branches. They resembled the people on the ground somewhat, but were much, much smaller. They gathered around the plant-built shelters, chattering and waiting for things to unfold.

"Very good, where is the orc?"

A heavy, hoarse voice slowly rose from behind the door. It belonged to a woman who looked similar to the young man on the ground, but was more slender and agile. Her bare arms had little muscle, but possessed a unique beauty of strength, making her look like an elf.

However, her dark skin and scarlet eyes betrayed her true identity: unlike their relatives who had established homes in the east of the empire, she belonged to the race of dark elves.

“This… Mistress, I have not found any trace of him.”

"waste."

Lillindra's face darkened. Her right hand swept across the pale elven skull at her waist, and with the force of a thunderbolt, she drew her whip, instantly knocking her son to the ground. But this alone was far from enough to extinguish the rage of this 240-year-old young matriarch.

Her whip curled up again, and the four venomous fangs at the end shot out with her exquisite strength, leaving several bloody gashes on the young man's body on the ground.

"What are you standing there for? Go back!" Lillindra roared, her hoarse voice undoubtedly a result of it. "We have to find that bastard and figure out what tricks he's up to!"

"If you continue to be this incompetent, you might as well wait to be fed to the spiders! Or do you think becoming a spider would be more acceptable?"

Watching her son's hasty retreat, Lillendra Evans cursed under her breath. She felt a slight weight on her shoulder, and when she turned around, she saw another female dark elf with her hand on her shoulder.

"Sylvia, take your hand away. I'm not in the mood today." The hand holding the whip loosened slightly, but the mistress's words remained stiff and cold.

This is her eldest daughter, currently her most capable assistant, but also her most dangerous rival in the future. Perhaps one day, mother and daughter will have to fight each other in front of Rose's handmaiden, and only one of them can survive.

However, Lillendra had no complaints—as a priestess of the goddess Rose, she knew exactly what she wanted: power in her family and the favor of the gods. The latter was essential to the former, and she was willing to pay any price to achieve it.

Even if it was the will of the gods that made her take over this place after killing all the elves of the Forest of Riha, and live on the ground far away from the underground where she was closer to the gods, it was no exception.

Lillindra turned her head and saw Sylvia's purplish-red eyes, which were exactly the same as hers, but not blood-red.

Chapter 350 The Night Attack

No one knows what the orc's plans are. This was true before the fairies sent Quickling Santy, and it remained true afterward, especially after the little fairy died.

The only thing the dark elves and fairies knew was that their opponents had indeed brought their target to their vicinity. The only difference was in the number and scale of the attack.

Hidden in their hiding place, watching the procession of about a hundred people, even Lillindra fell silent.

To ambush a human warband? What kind of nonsense is this! Doesn't the sword they want belong to the elves?

Lillindra couldn't help but recall that night when she led her family members and other subordinates away from the dark elf town, through the dark underworld, and here. In their eyes, they saw those evil, blasphemous elves dancing and singing around the campfire, unarmed, immersed in the world after the dark elves were driven out, completely unsuspecting.

She launched the first attack, leaving the foolish creatures on the ground utterly helpless. She easily slaughtered all the creatures under the malevolent sunlight and offered them to the goddess, saving only the skull of the one who dared to resist. She hung it at her waist as a constant reminder of the danger posed by the spirits dwelling in the forest.

With Lolth's blessing, she and her daughters gained heterochromia, and everyone's equipment and bodies were altered to adapt to the harsh environment of the surface. According to the prophecy brought by Lolth's handmaids, they will establish the world's first dark elf stronghold on the surface. They will use this as an opportunity to climb upwards and expand outwards, and ultimately reclaim everything that originally belonged to them.

During her adaptation to life on the surface, Lilindra tried to make contact with the outside world and with races that were rarely seen or never seen underground, the most prominent of whom were humans—creatures completely different from the evil elves.

Their thoughts were as complex and incomprehensible as underground tunnels. Initially, Lilindra had to kill most of the humans who discovered their existence to prevent the family's stronghold from being exposed prematurely. But now she had an entire intelligence network distributed throughout the surrounding human towns, providing her with information.

Therefore, she naturally knew the true strength of a human warband of one hundred people—it was a number the Evans family could not handle head-on. If it were a family ranked in the top ten of their homeland, and more openly close to Rose, they might have a chance.

“There are too many of them, Mother,” Sylvia said in a low voice. “We can’t handle them, at least not from the front.”

Sylvia was the one Lilindra focused on raising between her two daughters, and she resembled Lilindra more. When the mistress withdrew her probing gaze, she came to the same conclusion.

"But the longsword that was offered to Rose is still in their hands, no matter what the orc is planning."

"Should we... hold a ceremony to request support?"

Lillindra paced back and forth impatiently. "You're being foolish, Sylvia. Do you think the gods would like us constantly asking them for help? We should please Him, not bother Him, my daughter. This is something only we can do ourselves."

“However, your suggestion makes some sense…” The matriarch of the Evans family pondered for a moment, then waved her hand and instructed, “Go and prepare the ceremony. Although we shouldn’t ask for help, we should at least find a witness to witness the great feat we are about to accomplish tonight.”

"The best witnesses are naturally the handmaidens of the gods."

“Daisy…I sense some kind of evil power.” While the others on the other side were completely unaware that they had been caught in a slowly closing spider web, Zheng Ling’s voice suddenly came through Daisy’s mind link to Kira.

“Hmm, I think that’s your own power,” the bard said, somewhat bewildered by this sudden remark. “You yourself are the most evil devil, so what evil power are you talking about?”

“No, you didn’t understand what I meant,” Zheng Ling’s voice sounded somewhat helpless. “That was disordered malice, not orderly persuasion.”

"We're already in complete chaos, being attacked by orcs right here. Could things get any worse?"

The devil's answer carried a hint of something indescribable: "...Yes, perhaps."

"In short, I think you should remind others that the malice is quite obvious, and I think it's safe to assume they'll make their move tonight."

"Then can you sense again what exactly is plotting against us? And what exactly are they planning?"

"Unfortunately, due to the different ways of communicating with the material world, when I discovered the other party, it probably hadn't discovered me yet, but if I had continued to try, it definitely would have been discovered—that thing is quite sensitive in this respect."

As she spoke, the devil vanished once more, refusing to appear no matter how Daisy called out to him.

Seeing this, the bard could only get up and go look for Leslaufer, who should be with the lion Dahl at the moment, planning the search for the next few days.

However, when Daisy found them, she discovered that Angelita and the others were also there. They were gathered in a circle, their faces solemn. When Daisy squeezed through, she found a soldier's corpse lying in the center.

This should be a spearman, but half of his face has been smashed by some kind of blunt weapon. Even the most skilled healer probably couldn't get him to stand up and speak again—unless he was resurrected.

"What's going on? Why didn't anyone call me?" the poet asked hurriedly. "Were we attacked?"

“He was attacked,” Dahl said in a low voice, arms crossed. “This kid was one of the guards on duty tonight. He went into the woods to take a dump and didn’t come back for almost an hour. The guards who were on duty with him went to look for him and found him like this.”

“That’s good news,” Leslaufer said, glancing at Dahl. “If that reckless fellow who went later hadn’t been so lucky, we probably wouldn’t have even known that the outposts there had been completely wiped out!”

“The question now is, who exactly beat him up like this?” Bella crouched down, examining the strange wound. “A single fatal blow would have required a very heavy weapon, but another person claims that he didn’t hear anything unusual? That’s clearly not right.”

Carrying such a weapon should make both movement and attacking quite inconvenient.

“But that brat has already been hung up and whipped twice. He shouldn’t lie about this anymore.” Dahl’s brows furrowed with a fierce look. Such a bad start was unacceptable to anyone.

Just then, with the sound of boots, everyone turned around and saw a mercenary staggering towards them.