Chapter 28: The Spirit Tribe

  On the fourth day after that amazing raid, on the edge of the Aslex family's territory, near Gran's forest, two open-top carriages that looked extremely ordinary were swaying gently along the bumpy dirt road leading to the forest.

  This is a small, fairly common traveling merchant caravan of the Kingdom of Bellmare, consisting of two drivers, two merchants and four guards. Carrying large quantities of goods that don't look particularly valuable but are precisely tailored to the tastes and needs of the elves, they aim to head into elven territory to try their luck.

  However, although the masters of the convoy looked unremarkable, those four guards were obviously elite.

  "Hey, tell me about this 'true master of the forest' business?" said Guard Aka, with his beautiful red hair like maple leaves, as he walked along and casually brought up the topic.

  "That's a memory from my childhood, when I used to play in the nearby family villa and had an encounter." The black-haired, black-eyed guard replied sharply, "And what is meant by the true master of the forest refers to the controller of the magic pulse in this area. Whoever controls the magic pulse can even make stubborn spirits surrender, so finding reinforcements still depends on that master's say-so."

  "Why do we still need to go to the Elf tribe, isn't it a waste of time?" A petite guard with a smattering of freckles on her face chimed in, "No need for me to remind you, but our time is tight now, where did we have the time to go around in circles with those stubborn long-eared ones!"

  "Is it because it's more polite that way? It feels like letting the butler announce first?" The blond-haired guard, Ding, speculated, subtly easing the atmosphere.

  "It actually has nothing to do with etiquette..." Guard B explained patiently.

  These four guards are naturally Mide, Feena, Sigumund and Lilian.

  Although the raid had left everyone exhausted, they set out again the very next day to search for reinforcements.

  The time gained by burning the granary was only three weeks, which is still the most optimistic estimate. If the Seth family goes all out and replenishes quickly without considering the cost, or buys grain from other nobles nearby, this time will be even shorter. As for how long it would take to convince that "true master of the forest", no one can say clearly.

  Including the Fog Witch Alice? Otrolopse's lover from before, Midy herself is inside.

  In the previous life, Mide was met with the fog witch Alice while escaping with Feina after the invasion of the Delos Empire. At that time, Feina was in a state of high fever, her magic out of control and running wild, the situation extremely dangerous. In order to find rare medicinal herbs, Mide would recklessly rush into the already mutated forest.

  Fortunately, at that time, due to the relationship with the heavenly fire, the forest's defense was extremely fragile, and the elf tribe had also become a mere name. Midee, although weak, still managed to stumble into the witch's mansion by mistake.

  The story of three people began at that time.

  But this time is different, the great fire of Gulan Forest has not yet arrived, the Elf tribe is still strong, and the Fog Witch's large-scale magic array laid down by the demon pulse is also seamless and flawless.

  Midi's memories of how he found the Witch's Mansion in his previous life were already quite vague - after all, it was a chance encounter, and along the way, there were only similar-looking forests and woods, so naturally, there wouldn't be a clear direction after rebirth. And now, at this point in time, wanting to directly rush into the forest to search for the Witch's Mansion would be even more difficult.

  If she could be defeated so easily, then the Fog Witch wouldn't be the Fog Witch.

  Although Mi Di understood Alice very well, if they couldn't even break through the formation and meet face to face, it was impossible to persuade her.

  So Midee chose the most reliable method - first find the peripheral spirits controlled by Alice, then try to find clues, follow the vine to get to the melon, and finally determine the entry method of the witch's mansion.

  As for dealing with elves, after long-term verification, the fastest and safest way is to do business.

  The carriage drove quickly into the forest of Gran.

  Granzen has large areas bordering the Principality of Bellmare, each with its own distinct style.

  Compared to the chaotic combat zone controlled by various monsters in the college trial, this forest adjacent to the Aslex family's territory is much quieter due to the presence of the elf tribe. Along the way, there are no annoying goblin robbery teams popping out from the bushes, nor any cat demons jumping up and down on the treetops, and no minotaur blocking the road.

  Along the way, the speed of progress was very fast and smooth, and in just half a day's work, they had already penetrated deep into the forest. However, at this time, the man-made road had long since disappeared, and both lightweight carriages had been replaced with off-road wheels, slowing down significantly. Meanwhile, Mi Di and others, disguised as guards, pulled out the large mountain axes they had prepared earlier, chopping open shrubs and small trees along the way, forcing a path to be made.

  There is no road, but that doesn't mean there's no direction. This time, along with Qiao's disguise, the one who came together with Mide was a real businessman, an old and young pair of master and apprentice from the renowned Elvin Commercial House. The elder and the elf had been doing business for over ten years, and they were familiar with their habits, etiquette, and taboos. The two drivers were also seasoned veterans, and even in the rugged forest, they could handle it with ease.

  What's more, there was Middy. As Alice Otterlop's lover, and with the misty sorceress who could make the proud and stubborn elves bow their heads, those years were spent understanding the way the elves think.

  By finding the various hidden landmarks set up by the elves on tree trunks, in grasslands and between rocks, the caravan proceeded on its way and soon arrived before two gigantic twin trees.

  This pair of twin trees are each over 20 meters tall, one leaning to the left and the other to the right, together forming a giant gate-like shape, clearly not natural but rather the result of intentional effort.

  This is the "absolute control area" of the Elf tribe. The result of accidentally entering is only one - being shot to death.

  The carriage stopped under the twin trees, and a white-haired old merchant leader took out a huge horn and put it to his mouth.

  First blow the horn, then lead in the door, this is also a habit of doing business with the spirit tribe.

  However, before the old captain blew his horn, Middy's gaze suddenly became sharp, and then he took a step forward, grasping Fina's right hand. The red-haired girl's hands had already begun to condense magic power, but this action abruptly interrupted her.

  The next instant, a sharp tearing sound pierced through the eardrum.

  Dozens of arrow feathers shot out from the dense forest, and the sharp arrowheads reflected a cold light. Before the members of the convoy could dodge, the arrows had arrived, and all that was heard was a "whoosh" sound, as these dozens of arrows were neatly inserted into the front of Midy, who was walking in the lead, like a fence, with the arrowheads deeply embedded in the mud, and the feathers on the tail of the arrow still trembling.

  It's clearly a provocation, a blatant display of military force.

  "There's no need to blow the horn, don't disturb our village with that tasteless sound." A proud and youthful voice rang out, then dozens of figures flashed out from all directions.

  First and foremost, there was a male adult elf, dressed in extremely fine attire, with delicate scale armor on some vital parts of his body, with a green cloak trailing behind him, and two slender skeletal hands hidden in long gloves, giving off a somewhat heroic aura. Compared to the huge longbow in his hand, the elf's head of golden hair that fluttered in the wind was even more dazzling.

  "I am Beryl, the captain of the Silver Star Tribe's Galeforce squad." The elf said with a condescending tone, "Humans, I've been following you for quite some time now. State your names and then honestly tell me what brings you here!"

  The old team leader hurried forward, with a smokeless and fireless smile, began to get close, and introduced the members of the car team by the way.

  Captain Beryl's discerning gaze swept over the crowd, only lingering on Fiona for a moment, seemingly surprised that there was such a beautiful woman among humans.

  It's said that elves are a beautiful and elegant race, but that's just the average standard. On an individual level, only women who can be compared to Fiona are at least on the level of an elven queen, this tribe simply can't produce such a person.

  Not only in appearance, but also in eyes, temperament, aura and so on, plus that fiery red hair, the Queen of Magic Bullets is always a shining pearl wherever she goes.

  Midi is proud of this.

  As for whether the other party would have evil thoughts due to such beauty, Mi Di wasn't worried.

  Let's not mention how much this nose-upturned elf looks down on humans for now. Even if he really had a change of heart, what then?

  According to the adventurer's standard, Mi Di estimated that the leader of the Whirlwind Squad in front of him was only a 28th-level wandering gunman, and he wasn't even using high-attack firearms, but rather a self-made longbow. What kind of power could it have?

  Of course, this Gale Squad Captain indeed has exceptional talent. Judging from his movements earlier, his physical abilities are probably around level 30. Adding on the Night Vision ability and Shadow Concealment skill that are characteristic of Elves, his combat strength in forested areas might be on par with a level 32 Gunner.

  However, whether it's 28 or 32, for Midee and others, there is no difference, a single slash will end the matter instantly.

  No, probably Miti won't have a chance anymore. Fina raised her hand and fired an unreserved magical bullet, which was enough to clean up the situation.

  In fact, since the storm squad had been eyeing the convoy, Middy and others had already sensed their presence, but they just pretended not to know. When the elves made a threatening shot, Middy quickly stopped Feena from counterattacking out of conditioned reflex, also intentionally showing weakness.

  After all, if one were to reveal their true strength, they might be met with suspicion and not even allowed into the village, so hiding one's strength is a must.

  Midi is now level 23, having leveled up once during the York County raid. Siegmond and Lilian also reached level 23 after a life-or-death battle, while Feena remains at level 24 as usual. However, if we consider their actual physical abilities, their true combat strength is above level 28. Midi, who can take down a level 30 centurion in one second, and Feena, the bombing queen with a range of one and a half kilometers, are even more exceptional, making it impossible to accurately estimate their true combat strength.

  But at this moment, from the eyes of that arrogant elf captain, what's in front of him is just a group of around 20-level adventurer guards. His own team, the Whirlwind Squad of sixty people, can take out twenty elites with one simultaneous shot, and they're nothing but instant-kill material.

  Then, after slightly admiring Fina's beauty, he waved his hand and said with a flourish: "Go in! But I warn you, don't try to be sly, don't cheat, and don't try to take advantage of the Silver Star tribe. Otherwise, my arrow will not forgive!"