Armored Cavalry, survive in a world full of mods

The other person nodded in satisfaction, but also avoided the wooden tubs soaking in leather with a look of disgust. When they encountered the ground where people were eager to eat from, they would jump over it, afraid of getting even a speck of dirt on their beautiful boots.

"Forget it, I can make do... I'll just stay in this latrine-like place for a while... Hmm, if I'm not mistaken, this is another swampy cowhide. You've taken on a big job."

The two walked toward the house while talking, and after entering the outer room, Patrick showed no sign of stopping and continued into the inner room... Then, just as the other man came in, Patrick grabbed him by the collar, slammed him against the wall, and let out a roar like a wounded beast.

396. Misguided intentions (2)

"You actually dare to come looking for me?!"

Patrick's eyes were bloodshot, his face contorted like that of an enraged wolf, completely devoid of his previous composure and indifference. The hand gripping the other person's collar was squeezing harder and harder, as if he were about to strangle this well-dressed visitor to death.

Despite the sudden attack, the man remained completely calm, seemingly having anticipated his reaction. He simply stared at him coldly for a long while before letting out a sneer.

"You think you can escape? Shalido, you can never get rid of it. Once you're a member of the Holy Order, you can never live without it! Look at yourself now, a cobbler who deals with rotten hides all day long. Is this the life you want?!"

"This has nothing to do with you! You promised me that after I completed my final mission, we would have nothing to do with each other anymore, so why did you have to appear in front of me again?!"

At this point, Patrick's gaze turned cold, the veins on the back of his hands bulged, and some ominous blackness began to writhe beneath them. Blood suddenly began to flow from the neck he was gripping.

This terrifying threat had absolutely no effect; the other party merely smiled coldly, glancing downwards at his twitching, sinewy hand.

“These are the marks, Shalido, the marks! Your body has been left with indelible marks, and no amount of hiding them will help. You are no longer the same as those mortals, and besides, you had no choice.”

Patrick's expression changed, and an ominous feeling welled up inside him:

"What do you mean!"

The man who was being choked suddenly reached out and grabbed his wrist, then pulled hard—accompanied by a terrifying writhing sound. A look of surprise appeared on his face, and he involuntarily released his grip. The thin wound on his neck had stopped bleeding.

"How long has it been since you felt 'thirsty'?"

Patrick, on the contrary, calmed down:

“I am no longer troubled by hunger and thirst, and this is what I deserve after doing so much.”

Do you really think so?

A strange smile appeared on the other person's face. Suddenly, he opened his throat and let out a trembling sound, while Patrick immediately fell to the ground as if his bones had been removed, and his whole body began to convulse.

An indescribable, terrifying thirst quickly began to spread through his body, making his mind buzz, his bones rub against each other, and his face covered in saliva and snot. Some ominous, terrifying, and alluring writhing sensation began to stir in his mind. The parasite that had penetrated his flesh and was coexisting with him was frantically expressing its desires, scratching at his internal organs and nerves.

The feeling was so terrifying that the parasite that had made him so strong and agile had completely transformed into a ferocious beast trying to devour him alive, relentlessly demanding from him with unparalleled hunger and malice, almost sucking out his marrow and gnawing at his brains.

As if he had fallen into an abyss of despair in an instant, he could barely control his body and could only writhe on the ground like an ugly worm... This terrible thing finally ended when the other person let out another trembling sound from his throat, and he was completely paralyzed on the ground, unable to get up at all.

"...You despicable person, you have deceived me!—"

"I have never lied to you."

The other person squatted down, looking into his eyes with a mocking expression:

"I said before that as long as you complete that task, you will be free from the torment of thirst... but I never said it would be permanent. The thirst is not removed, it is only suppressed. Sooner or later it will erupt. Why don't you guess what it will be like when three years of thirst are not satisfied and it finally erupts?"

"They were just in a minimally consuming slumber before. How long has it been since you drank the 'raw essence'? Even if I don't come to you today, sooner or later you'll be searching for us like a pathetic stray dog, kneeling on the ground begging me..."

As he spoke, he took out a bottle from his waist containing a shimmering purple liquid. Within that beautiful pale purple liquid, tiny white particles, as fine as hair, were wriggling.

"I beg you to grant me this reward... I know you could kill me easily, but what good would that do?"

Patrick leaped up from the ground with the speed of a cheetah, ready to snatch the bottle in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately for him, his opponent, though not as agile, was prepared and easily dodged Patrick's hand with a simple turn.

"Hahaha, see, what I said has come true, hasn't it? You can't possibly escape us. No matter how much you try to escape, it's useless. You need the original essence to sustain your life, and only we can provide that... Now, you should be able to listen to what I have to say and then figure out what you should do."

Patrick remained silent for a long time, but finally sat up straight, his face ashen.

"Tell me, who is your target this time...?"

"I knew you were a smart man, always able to think things through... But this mission I'm giving you is no simple matter. Even you, our best assassin to date, faced a near-certain death. So, besides you, there are three other Revelation-level assassins assisting you. But you can rest assured about one thing: if you accomplish this, my current position will be yours. You'll enjoy endless wealth and glory, and get everything you want. Wouldn't it be better to be a lowly cobbler here?"

A neat parchment was pulled from his bosom, on which various information was recorded in fine writing, and in the upper right corner was a small picture, in which a beautiful girl was drawn with the most delicate strokes.

“This is your target, To. Talina, the most trusted advisor and strategist to the Imperial Consul Tersolius. She is also the key factor that has repeatedly thwarted our plans… In order to bring forth wisdom, she must be eliminated.”

"Tesolius has already conquered the entire south with his army and values ​​her highly, so she is always protected by a large number of elite soldiers. Not even a mouse can easily get close to her... Moreover, there are those ominous black crows of the empire in the shadows. If we are not careful, we will be exposed. Our attempts have all failed miserably."

“But this time, thanks to our previous arrangements, we have a real opportunity. The water source of the entire southern first province is polluted, and if it is not handled properly, it may even cause a riot... This woman will definitely come to solve the problem herself, and this is the best opportunity.”

“You have five days to clean up the mess here, then you’ll be leaving. There will be people to meet you along the way, and you’ll find out the next steps locally… Here, take this and fill it in as soon as possible.”

The bottle of pale purple liquid with white, thread-like strands wriggling inside was tossed into his hand, and without hesitation, he bit off the stopper and drank it down in one gulp, letting out a sigh of relief.

........................

The thick swampy cowhide was removed from the large wooden frame, its surface having turned a beautiful oily gray. It was both thick and soft, and the processing was just right, without any unnecessary damage. Even the ropes that were used to stretch the leather to the wooden frame through the holes were only passed through the most insignificant corners, so as not to affect the final yield.

After trimming the edges slightly, the scraps were carefully collected and sent along with the whole piece of leather to prove to the always suspicious and stingy wealthy merchants that he had not embezzled. Finally, he brushed on the finest ox bone oil, which would make it resistant to heat and cold and preserve it for a long time.

After doing all this, he temporarily dismissed his apprentices, sending them home so he could take the precious leather to the city himself, where professional shoemakers would carefully process the material.

There were other leathers on the carriage, which were to be sent to the city for sale. The scenery outside was perfect: the leaves were growing lush and green, the sunlight was warm but not scorching, butterflies and insects were fluttering in the roadside grass, and croaking frogs were croaking in the pond next to them.

The people living here are noisy and vulgar, but also simple and honest, like the dry bread you can eat every night. Only when you really lose it do you realize how much you miss it and how important it is.

But in the end, he turned his head away, expressionless, and whipped his mule, urging the strong horse forward, letting the wheels of the cart crush the gradually drying soil, and began to leave the place where he had lived for three years.

The toad behind him croaked twice more urgently, as if trying to persuade him to stay, but his heart was already as hard as stone.

........................

"A very important person is definitely coming here."

Ark said this with absolute certainty. The former bakery owner had now changed his attire, wearing the short cannon with black trim and predominantly red color, typical of imperial officials, and a simple leather hat. Just as he had predicted, after making so many contributions, the position naturally fell into his hands. Even Morsaforso received a sum of money, but unfortunately, he seemed to be in a hurry to go back and did not get together with them again.

This truly pleased him. After all, wasn't this the reason he had taken such a great risk to stay in the city? The empire would genuinely promote commoners like him for their merits and outstanding abilities... whereas in the past, when lords and nobles controlled the city, he could only bake bread for the rest of his life.

Now, as a member of the city management agency... even though few people have returned to the city yet and he is not of much use, he can still be considered to be in a good position. After all, he has broken through the fixed status of his family for hundreds of years.

Soloar, standing nearby, turned his head somewhat casually. He had more tasks to do these past two days, requiring him to thoroughly investigate the records of people entering and leaving the city gates over a period of time. This kept him extremely busy, leaving him almost no time for anything else. Even his lunch and dinner were brought to him by Ark.

"Maybe. Something this big has happened here, someone has to come and take a look. Maybe it will be resolved in a couple of days, but it doesn't really concern us. Just be careful and do your own thing."

"...That's true. Anyway, there's no chance for us to make a name for ourselves, but maybe we can still broaden our horizons."

The two chatted idly as they worked on the documents assigned to them in a small hut near the city market, feeling the heat waves constantly surging in from outside the window—it had started to get hot these past few days, though not yet so hot that it made one sweat profusely and unable to concentrate.

Such focused busyness would be unbearable for some. But for Yak, it was exhilarating; this was the kind of life he had always dreamed of... without having to exert much effort, without having to endure the scorching sun, and with many people fawning over him.

This tranquility was shattered by heavy footsteps from outside. The two men stood up somewhat flustered, and the next moment, an official with a feather in his hat pushed open the door and poked his head in.

"Hurry up, hurry up, we have things to do! The orders from above are that the citizens will be returning one after another, and we need to prepare in advance to avoid being caught off guard."

“Return...?!” Zoroya asked in surprise.

"Isn't the city's water supply still poisonous? It was just tested on rats a couple of days ago, how come someone wants it back now? Aren't they worried about not having enough water to drink?"

The arriving official waved his hand impatiently.

"You don't need to worry about that. The water problem will be resolved this afternoon, and then our lives will return to normal."

The two exchanged a glance, both quite surprised, but ultimately said nothing. They simply tidied their clothes and hurriedly followed each other out the door.

Meanwhile, beside the well in the southern part of the city, Tarina had already begun her work…

--------

Fully armed soldiers nearly filled the surrounding streets. They were all solemn and silent, not uttering a word except for necessary exchanges. The cold light emanating from their swords, spears, axes, and halberds was enough to silence any onlooker, and their gaze alone was enough to make even the most unruly child become obedient.

The surrounding streets were all blocked off, and elite soldiers patrolled back and forth to investigate. Even the houses were thoroughly cleared. The place that was being protected by these battle-hardened soldiers was just an ordinary-looking well. In front of the water feature, Talina had already put on her protective suit and solemnly picked up a pottery jar tied with a rope.

The next step is to verify whether my hypothesis is feasible...

397. Misguided intentions (3)

The pale brown liquid gathered into a thin line at the bottle's mouth, falling from a height and slowly merging into the cold well water. It quickly spread throughout the well water, and then, after just a few breaths, tiny specks of purple fluorescence began to spread within it. Each speck was as insignificant as the smallest raindrop, but when gathered together, they directly illuminated the darkness inside the well.

Damp moss covered a large area around the well walls, making it slippery, cold, and slippery. Stepping on it would definitely cause you to slip and fall hard. Even in the hottest weather, this well could still maintain a bone-chilling coolness. At first, it would make people suffering from the scorching sun feel comfortable, but it would not be long before they would feel uncomfortable and stay away, driven away by the bone-chilling cold.

Then a ceramic jar was slowly lowered down with a hemp rope. The jar was covered with a very fine gauze to ensure that the contents could release their scent without leaking out. As the rope was lowered, the jar was slowly submerged in water.

Almost instantly, the purple dots that had been moving slowly in the well water began to surge violently. In the blink of an eye, they formed a vortex and rapidly moved toward the center, crashing against the pottery jar like fanatical believers who had seen a god... However, because each one was so tiny that it was almost invisible to the naked eye, it naturally could not generate the power to shake the pottery jar, and it was even powerless against the thin veil.

If anyone could see the underground water source beneath the well at this moment, they would witness the dreamlike and magical spectacle. The magnificent purple lights, like birds returning to their nests, gathered upwards, attracted by the ordinary pottery jar, desperately crashing against its outer wall, but ultimately unable to obtain what they craved.

The results were even better than Tarina had imagined, but to be on the safe side, she waited a while to make sure all the parasites had been attracted before she was ready to make her move.

The silver staff was originally made of a metal that was easily deformable, but at this moment, Talina thrust it into the hard stone with all her might, producing a unique crisp sound that only steel could produce. The incredibly slender staff head, which was like intertwined vines, showed no sign of twisting and even carved a small hole in the hard stone.

Ding! ——

A clear and resonant metallic hum quickly spread, like striking a heavy bell. In the grooves carved into the edge of the water feature, a blue light immediately began to flow, and fine ripples quickly spread in the well water below.

A subtle yet persistent vibration began to ripple through the water, spreading and bouncing along the earthenware pot across the small surface of the water. This vibration was, of course, negligible to humans, barely enough to cause a pleasant tingling sensation in the hand... but it was utterly deadly to those tiny creatures living in the water, their bodies incredibly fragile. In this violent turbulence, their tiny bodies were completely pulverized, crushed into fragments invisible to the naked eye, adding a completely harmless protein to the clear drinking water.

Moreover, even these impurities will float on the surface of the water due to their weight. As long as the top layer is cleaned off, the rest can become a clean water source and can once again provide drinking water for the city's residents.

To ensure absolute success, the short staff was repeatedly thrust into the small pit, with the exact placement correct. The ripples in the well water continued for several minutes until the last purple light spot was completely shattered.

Finally, after waiting a little longer to allow the bait to continue working and to ensure that no fish escaped, Tarina finally felt relieved and lifted the jar up—these nematodes used as bait had a limited reproduction rate, and so far there was only this small jar.

"To ensure absolute safety, the well water here must first be tested on other animals to make sure there are no problems before people can drink it."

Following Talina's instructions, the officials beside her nodded repeatedly, and the armored soldiers around her began to line up to protect her as she headed to other water sources. In the darkness of the street, a black figure with a bronze mask flashed by. This place seemed ordinary, but it was already a den of dragons and tigers.

..............................

"What an unfortunate fellow, what a waste of such a fine carriage."

Just as the patrolling soldiers sighed at the wrecked wagon lying in the river, Patrick had already changed into a new outfit and begun traversing the jungle... His identity as a leatherworker had been completely destroyed by drowning in the river after his horse was startled. A similar but rotten and unrecognizable corpse would be found downstream in a few days, and he would go to a city to assume a new identity in preparation for his next mission.

His attire had been replaced with a leather tunic lined with chainmail rings. He wouldn't snag even when moving through the most complex thickets, and thanks to the thick lining, it wouldn't make the usual creaking sounds of chainmail. His boots also had the thickest leather soles, so even walking on unstable wooden planks wouldn't make a sound.

He continued through the bushes and woods, rarely disturbing the yellow deer grazing in the trees, moving at a speed that no ordinary person could possibly achieve in the forest. Before sunset, he finally saw his destination—a small cabin nestled in the forest, so hidden that even a hunter familiar with the area would have a hard time finding it.

He pushed open the door and went inside. The floor was covered with a layer of dust. He easily found a box in the pile of firewood next to him, opened the lid, took out the purple syrup, and drank it down without hesitation. After learning the terrible truth, he dared not take any more risks. Now he had to replenish it at least once a week to prevent the parasite from eating his brain.

Besides that, there was some food that could be stored for a long time, but nothing related to weapons... Unlike ordinary assassins, he didn't need any sharp blades. The sharp bone blade hidden in his wrist would not be detected by any guards, allowing him to easily approach many targets. Moreover, it was covered with a terrible poison, sharp enough to cut off a person's head.

This was the last rest period, and according to the original plan, three people would come to meet him before they decided on the specific assassination strategy.

As darkness gradually fell, he did not light a lamp, yet his eyes could easily see everything in the darkness. In those lightless nights, others were practically blind compared to him, which allowed him to calmly complete everything he did, as long as he did not make any foolish noises during the process.

Finally, just as his patience was starting to wane, a slight clicking sound came from the wooden door of the hut. After he tapped the wooden board three times in response, a gaunt figure pushed the door open and walked in.

This guy was dressed almost exactly like him, his head completely covered by a black mask, not a single hair showing, only two narrow, sinister eyes were exposed. After staring at him carefully for a long time, he finally spoke in a dry, hoarse voice:

“I have long admired your name, my lord. Urtbandora, the bird of the cold, will obey your commands.”

Patrick nodded slightly, gesturing for him to come to his side, and then continued to wait patiently. After a while, a similarly thin man, but a head shorter than Ulterbandora, pushed open the door and entered. He glanced at the first man with slight surprise, seemingly astonished that he wasn't the first to fall.

“I am Dorsyat, my lord, here to obey your commands.”

Patrick nodded again and waved for him to wait aside, ready to welcome the last participant so they could truly immerse themselves in the activity.

This time, however, they waited for what could be described as a very long time, until the moon in the sky reached an unsettling height, but the planned third assassin still did not appear. Sending out two other people to search the surrounding area also failed to find any signs of approaching, which almost confirmed that he had failed to show up.

"...He may have been captured by those Black Crows, sir. We've had a very difficult journey here...The Imperial jailers are regaining control of this land, and their Emperor's henchmen are operating in the shadows. We face numerous dangers on this land..."

Patrick frowned:

Is there a risk that he might leak information?

“No, you can rest assured, sir.” Ultbandora quickly shook his head. “After suffering a few losses, we now take immediate action as soon as we are captured. His body should have been completely devoured by the parasites. Unless someone can interrogate his soul, the Imperials will not be able to get any information from him.”

Patrick hesitated. Such a change in circumstances for such a dangerous mission meant that the situation had become unstable, and this instability was often fatal... If it were for the sake of caution, he should abandon the mission immediately. Most failed assassins had sent themselves into the abyss because of one or two careless mistakes.

Seemingly sensing his thoughts, Ultebandura quickly spoke up:

"My lord, we have no more chances. The mission absolutely cannot be terminated, otherwise, if we have such an opportunity again, we don't know what price we will have to pay."

"...Alright, it seems we have no choice but to do this even with one less person. But first we need clear enough information, otherwise we'll just be going to our deaths."

“I’m prepared for this…” This time it was Dorsyat who spoke. “It’s certain that the target will clean up the water sources one by one. We just need to wait near a confirmed contaminated water source to get close… That’s not quite accurate. It’s certain that there will be a large number of elite soldiers protecting the target. Although we know the target’s whereabouts, it will be difficult for us to get close.”

Patrick nodded slightly. He knew, of course, that this mission was fraught with difficulty, even bordering on life-or-death. A single misstep could land him in grave danger... but he had no other choice, and he believed the two others had no other choice either.

He stared at the locations marked on the map in silence for a long time, then selected several places with his finger in succession:

"None of these will work... The terrain is too narrow and simple, there's nowhere to hide or retreat. This place won't work either, it's too open and flat..."

After much deliberation and considering only a few locations, the three of them racked their brains... but still couldn't find a truly feasible plan with a high success rate.

This near-helplessness can easily lead to despair, and they were no exception. But just as Patrick was feeling overwhelmed and disheartened, a sudden thought popped into his head, startling him, and then he suddenly understood:

"What if we use a powerful crossbow to snipe them from a distance?..."