Six-Armed Serpent Demon

Page 19

As the mountain stream swelled, numerous tributaries joined it, causing the water to surge and become a turbulent river. The river cut through the Sanglachi Mountains, perpetually shrouded in dark clouds and lightning, forming a north-south valley. The narrow banks of the stream below the cliffs widened, transforming into a gentle riverbed at the mountain pass.

The Yamaguchi Pass had changed drastically by then.

The dense forest within a radius of two miles has been completely cleared, making the view much more open.

The soldiers built simple Samarachi-style barracks longhouses out of wood and mud. Fire pits were lit inside, and the roofs were covered with thick thatch and banana leaves. Separate stables were provided for the Pegasus within the camp, surrounded by walls and fortifications made of sharpened bamboo.

Samarach's army turned this place into a military camp.

Amidst lightning and thunder, four knights, much shorter than average, patrolled the riverbank in the rain.

This was the order given by Lieutenant General Cons. With the arrival of the rainy season, flash floods had occurred in many parts of the Sanlach Mountains, causing rivers to swell. To ensure that the rising river waters would not endanger the military camp, the lieutenant general divided the patrols into six groups and ordered them to patrol along the riverbanks day and night.

The patrol members were all halflings from the East.

These tiny beings are only half the height of a normal human, hence the name "half-men" given to them by other races, though they actually call themselves "Hobbits." The halflings patrol in groups of three to five, each riding a large dog. They are not only brave and agile, but their mounts also possess incredibly sharp senses, ensuring nothing escapes the notice of the halfling-dog riders.

The four patrolmen rode their dogs upstream for a long distance before turning back to camp.

Suddenly, a large dog ridden by a half-man began barking wildly at the river.

The other halfling screamed, "Look! What's that?"

They all looked up at the shimmering river.

No one noticed that in the darkness on the opposite bank, a jet-black snake tail was silently slipping behind the rocks.

At the Yamaguchi campsite.

In the largest longhouse in the middle of the barracks, thick furs were hung on all four sides, covering the drafty windows in the mud walls and keeping out the torrential rain and flashes of lightning.

In the center of the longhouse, the hearth crackled and popped. A large silver pot inlaid with rubies sat atop the fire.

A rich aroma of wine was constantly emanating from the spout of the silver pot.

In the firelight, exquisite bronze armor and ivory helmets stood beside the wooden bed. On the low table lay a map of the camp and the surrounding terrain. The map was covered with layers of dots and circles drawn with various colored pens, almost turning it into an unrecognizable abstract work of art.

General Tancred, commander of "The King's Companion," was dressed in civilian clothes and leaned against a low table.

His scarred face glowed red in the firelight. His silver-brown hair had grown a thin layer, and the long scar that ran across his forehead and the back of his head was still clearly visible.

Tancred removed the black eye patch from his face, staring at the firelight with his single eye and empty left eye socket.

He suddenly leaped up, grabbed the family heirloom sword beside him, drew it out to examine the blade, then impatiently sheathed it again, and reached out once more to stroke the gem disc that the Archmage of Zaire had given him on his belt.

Then he slumped down again.

“Damn rain,” Tancred muttered, “It’s fucking cold.”

He reached over the campfire, lifted the silver pot, poured himself a full bowl, and drank it all in one gulp.

The deep red wine and seven or eight spices are simmered together, emitting a warm aroma that is very effective in dispelling cold.

The mountain climate is unpredictable. Although this is a tropical rainforest, at such a high altitude, it can get very cold when it's windy and rainy.

Just then, the door to the longhouse opened, and fresh air rushed into the room.

“Report, sir,” the lieutenant Constance’s voice came through the fur.

"Come in."

Tancred's anger surged the moment he heard Cons's flat voice.

Having received orders from Archmage Zaire some time ago, Tancred dared not delay and immediately dispatched his lieutenant, Cons, with elite troops to set up camp at Narubel Pass. He himself remained outside the jungle, recruiting a sufficient number of adventurers and natives before slowly making his way towards the pass.

Tankred would never admit that he made these arrangements because he didn't want to run into the six-armed serpent demon.

According to Tancred's estimation, the female demon should have arrived at Narubel Pass several days ago, utterly defeating the still-unsettled Cons and calmly escaping the borders of Samarach, disappearing without a trace.

This demonstrates both his skillful command and effective military strategy, and also gives Zaire an explanation: I have done my best, but my men are too incompetent; this is not a fault of the battle.

Whether or not the female demon can be captured has nothing to do with Tankred. Is it worth it for him to risk his life for this, instead of enjoying wealth and luxury?

No matter how terrifying the Zaire Archmage's verbal threats were, they could never compare to the visual impact of witnessing mountains of corpses and seas of blood firsthand.

Tancred shuddered at the memory of what happened in the circular basement.

Not everyone is so stubborn as to want to face the demon that almost killed them again.

But Tancred didn't expect that when he led his ragtag army to the Narubel Pass, the female demon still hadn't appeared. Instead, Conseil used that time to fortify the pass into a fortress that even birds couldn't cross.

Having received intelligence from the natives, Tancred carefully studied the female demon's route of movement.

Considering the locations of the Boto family estate, the lizardman village, and the blood ape habitat, the conclusion is obvious:

The mighty demon is a terrible navigator.

This is the only reasonable explanation.

Otherwise, there's no way to explain why, even though he clearly told her the location of Narubel Pass, she was still able to walk a near-perfect circle around those mountains.

Upon realizing this, Tancred was devastated.

According to this route, the demon has not only not crossed the Narubel Pass, but it will also crash into it soon.

Tankred was inwardly groaning.

If he could, he really wanted to grab the six-armed snake demon by the collar and yell, "Sister, can't you cross the mountains and borders from somewhere else?"

But the six-armed serpent demon had no collar, and...

Tankred's thoughts lingered on the female demon's attire for only two seconds longer before he felt a surge of malevolent fire rising from his waist down.

When he stopped lost in thought, he found that Lieutenant General Cons had already come to him.

Constance was half the age of Tancred, a blond, blue-eyed young man.

He wore gleaming bronze muscle armor and a bronze helmet. A broadsword rested at his waist, and a shield was slung across his back. Rain streamed down his body, and the red cloak that had been protecting him from the wind and rain clung to his armor.

Tancred warmly poured a bowl of mulled wine and handed it to him.

Cons, who became the lieutenant general of the Royal Guard at a young age, is a descendant of the Nimbro Pegasus Knights who followed Lord Samar in restoring order. He has extensive connections and is also an arcane knight skilled in both magic and martial arts, so his promotion has been rapid, making him a promising young talent in the military. Moreover, if that female demon really comes, Tankred will still need to rely on this lieutenant general.

Constance hurriedly took the bowl of wine and drank it all in one gulp.

Tankred asked casually, "What is it?"

Cons remained silent, or perhaps he didn't know what to say.

“Sir,” he said, “you’d better take a look at this.”

As Cons put down his wine bowl, he left a bright yellow object on the low table with a "snap." He then reached out and pushed it in front of Tancred.

Tancred stared in astonishment, his heart pounding.

Under the firelight, it shone with dazzling golden light.

This is a gold brick of extremely high purity.

Moreover, Tank Red is very familiar with the emblem on the gold brick.

That's the coat of arms of the Mandeb dynasty!

He grabbed the gold brick in his hand, examined it closely, and then looked up at Cons.

Tancred's voice trembled: "Where did this come from?"

Cons frowned, his expression displeased.

"Upstream, sir. The patrol officers saw a reflection in the water upstream. They pulled it up and confirmed it was gold. Sir, there's something else I must report. The adventurers you recruited, upon hearing that gold had been found in the river, immediately rushed out of the camp, charging into the river and even getting into a fight with the patrol officers on the bank. Now all those adventurers have gone upstream to fish for gold!"

When the topic of those adventurers came up, Constance's face was full of disdain.

However, Tankred had already ignored the vice commander's dissatisfaction.

At this moment, his mind was filled with the gold bricks bearing the Mande's coat of arms—a legend passed down from generation to generation eight hundred years ago, that when Elinuwar II fled, he took all the gold in the treasury with him for the purpose of restoring his kingdom…

"In the water?"

Tancred muttered to himself, "In the water?"

Why is it in the water? If there are gold bricks in the water, why didn't any patrols see them a few days ago?

Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck him.

Yes! The torrential rains of the past few days have triggered flash floods, and the river has been rising continuously! The gold bricks must have been buried somewhere upstream and were washed down by the flash floods and mudslides!

Tankred looked down at the gold brick in his hand again.

His breathing was heavy and his hands were trembling.

He looked up at his deputy, so excited he could hardly breathe, and quickly unbuttoned his collar.

Cons was baffled by his series of actions: "Sir?"

Tancred managed a forced smile at him.

Have you seen this emblem before?

Cons shrugged.

"I don't recall much. But I must remind you, sir, our mission here..."

Tancred didn't hear a word he said next.

Yes, Nimbro descendants like Cons are quite unfamiliar with the history of the Mande dynasty eight hundred years ago, and don't even recognize the Mande's coat of arms.

But for Tancred, a descendant of the founding count, this gold brick was a devastating blow. The site of Elinoir II's demise, the royal family's wealth and treasures, were now within easy reach…

Tankred was itching to get his hands on something, like a cat scratching its paws.

He stood up.

"grown ups?"

Tancred tried his best to remain calm, donned his muscular bronze armor, slung his broadsword at his waist, and said angrily, "I'm going to quell those adventurers right now; what a rabble!"

"I'll go with you."

"No!"

Tanker immediately stopped Cons and seemingly nonchalantly tossed the gold brick back to his lieutenant.

“I’ll take half the men; that’s enough. You stay here to guard the camp… Oh, and tell those halflings who found this thing to come with me!”

Chapter 22 Stealth Games

In the darkness, the six-armed serpent demon lay prone in the riverbed beside the camp, slightly downstream.

Her body was completely submerged in water, with only half of her head showing.

The torrential rain created ripples all around her beautiful face.

She waited quietly until she saw a long line of people holding up an inextinguishable flame open the gates of the camp, walk into the heavy rain, and head upstream.

The vertical pupils floating on the water's surface ignited with emerald flames.

The six-armed serpent demon hadn't expected his "golden brick plan" to be so effective so quickly.

This was inspired by Cao Cao during the Three Kingdoms period.

Historically, Cao Cao first used a feint, pretending to cross the river to the north while actually rushing east to kill the unsuspecting Yan Liang. Afterward, he organized the people of Baima to retreat south.

Wen Chou and Liu Bei's large cavalry force pursued them. Seeing that he was outnumbered and unable to win, Cao Cao feigned a retreat, leaving behind piles of civilian property. Wen Chou and Liu Bei's cavalry, seeing the enemy had fled, relaxed their guard, disobeyed orders, and began scrambling for spoils. The scene became extremely chaotic.

Taking advantage of the situation, Cao Cao used a small number of elite troops to form a strike force and carried out a decapitation strike, which resulted in the defeat of Wen Chou, who had a large army but no soldiers to obey orders.

The reborn looked at the Tankred hurrying away and couldn't help but sigh at how effective Cao Cao's tactics were.

Her strategy was very similar to Cao Cao's.

He simply hid in the upper reaches of the river, and when he saw the patrol team in the distance, he seized the opportunity to throw a gold brick into the shallow water on the bank so that the soldiers could spot it.

Those who retrieved the gold bricks returned to the military camp and inevitably boasted about them to their comrades.

Even if they concealed the news, it didn't matter. Several people finding a piece of gold at the same time would inevitably lead to unequal distribution of the spoils; unequal distribution would inevitably cause those who felt they received less to become restless and suspicious. Regardless of whether the subsequent drama unfolds into mutual accusations or murder and embezzlement, it would still escalate the situation.

Sooner or later, news of the discovery of gold bricks upstream would reach Tancredi's ears.

As a descendant of the founding count, Tancred would surely recognize the Mande royal coat of arms on the gold bricks; once Tancred recognized the coat of arms, he would inevitably think of the enormous amount of gold that El Novar II had taken with him when he fled; and finally, once he thought of El Novar II's gold, Tancred would not be able to refrain from taking action.

She originally planned to do this several times, but after only throwing in one gold brick, the effect was so significant.

The scheme of enticement may seem simple, but it strikes directly at people's hearts.

Greed is a natural human trait.

Regardless of time or place, even in other worlds of swords and magic, this is no exception.