Chapter Seventy-Three: Probe
"So, Mr. John, what do you think we should do next?" Odelle asked immediately after their cooperation was settled, with seven parts sincerity and three parts cunning in her eyes, "Should we start exploring right away, or wait and gather intelligence first? Or, try to collect more jade leaves by any means possible?"
Mediterranean couldn't help but smile wryly in his heart, so it's starting now?
Odalie's proposal, of course, contains no malice and is completely sincere in seeking opinions.
But isn't it also a kind of test to raise such big directional questions from the very beginning? Moreover, it is still a high-difficulty test conducted from the perspective of a leader.
After all, an adventurer has to face situations that are far more complicated than those of a mere soldier or warrior.
Fighting is only one part of adventure, it can be said to be the most important and crucial, but it does not represent everything. If you want to successfully explore an area, or even obtain treasure inheritance in a crowded scramble, relying solely on fighting is insufficient, and can only be said to be enough to save one's life, but not enough to achieve success.
So Odell is eager to know Meddy's comprehensive strength at this moment.
For Mide, who had long since set his sights on the entire continent of Arad, such a problem was naturally not an issue at all.
After hearing various intelligence reports, he already had a complete plan in his mind.
"Miss Odette, what's to be done next is quite simple. In my view, adventure means eliminating all the dangers that may be encountered along the way and finally reaching the destination, opening the treasure chest, nothing more." Midas spoke fluently with a calm and natural expression, his tone carrying an unshakeable confidence.
Aileen, who was quietly listening on the side, suddenly felt that Midy not only had excellent swordsmanship but also a good brain, and could actually converse with her most admired captain like this!
The surrounding people who perked up their ears, wanting to hear the Morning Star Captain's words, were left crying and laughing at the same time, with a disappointed face.
This statement is too fake, too big and too empty. It's just like the unrealistic slogan of a nobleman. It says it wants to eliminate danger, but what exactly is the method of elimination?
Odette's expression didn't change because she knew Middy definitely had more to say.
As expected, the next moment, Midy's words suddenly turned around, carrying a cold and ruthless tone: "Miss Odell also said it before, the most dangerous thing at present is the Blood Blade Mercenary Group. Since the process of adventure is to eliminate danger, then what we need to do now is very simple."
"Excluding Bloodreaver Mercenaries."
In an instant, Odelle's heart skipped a beat.
The expressions of several captains around him became even more colorful.
Excluding the Blood Blade Mercenaries, Midei's words lacked even a hint of excitement. It was as if he were saying "excluding that trap" to an experienced companion during an adventure.
But Blood Blade Mercenary Group and a small trap, isn't the difference between them too big?
For a moment, the entire camp fell silent, and even Aileen didn't show her usual smile. Apparently, this proposal was a bit too shocking for this little girl who had been hunted by Blood Blade before.
But everyone couldn't refute Miti either.
Adventure is about eliminating danger, and the Blood Blade is the greatest danger, so it's only natural to eliminate it first. Otherwise, even if you find the inheritance of the Elf King Court, it may be taken away by force, resulting in a futile effort, or even complete annihilation.
This logic is too correct, it's so correct that everyone understands it, but somehow there seems to be something slightly off.
Suddenly, an elemental mage remembered something and shouted: "But we can't beat the Blood Blade Mercenary Corps!"
As soon as these words came out, everyone suddenly realized.
Yes, the key is not whether or not to exclude Blood Blade, but rather if one has the ability to do so! To attack a rock with an egg, isn't that seeking one's own destruction?
It is known that the Principality of Bellmard has extremely strict restrictions on the number of mercenaries in order to control the armed forces. All adventurers within the principality must register with the official organization "Adventurer's Guild", and the establishment of a mercenary corps requires approval through multiple levels.
The maximum number of a large mercenary group is limited to three hundred people by the nobles, and any more will be considered rebellious. Whether it's the Queen's faction or the Senator's faction, they will send troops to annihilate them directly.
But Bloodreaver Mercenaries were different.
Backed by the powerful organization of Blood Blade Thieves, who specialized in doing dirty work for nobles, this mercenary group had a total of 600 members. Due to their master having control over many secrets and handles of the nobles, as well as using money to pave the way, both above and below were bribed, so the nobles turned a blind eye to this oversized mercenary group that was twice the normal size.
What about the Morning Star Mercenaries? There are only over 40 people, and the highest level member is only Odell, a 35th-level roaming gunman.
Forty against six hundred, how can we fight? This is simply seeking death.
"We can't fight against the Blood Blade Mercenary Group." Odelle smiled wryly and spread her hands, "I said it from the start, no one can stop them."
"I can beat them," Midy said calmly.
The sentence seemed to contain some kind of inexplicable magic, and the entire camp fell silent once again.
Everyone's gaze was concentrated on the young man with disheveled hair like a bird's nest, pale complexion and freckles, as if they wanted to see through him. Among these gazes, some seemed to be looking at an idiot, some seemed to be looking at a monster, some were filled with incredulity, while others were filled with sincere admiration...
The last glance was from Aileen, although the little girl might become the vice-captain of Morning Star in the future, but for now, she was still a very naive adventurer and was directly deceived by Mide's overbearing tone.
Noticing the puzzlement in their eyes, Middy smiled and explained faintly: "Of course, I'm not saying we're going to take on six hundred at once. That would be a bit of a handful even for me. The first target is their supply base in town. Let's take that out first. What do you think, Colonel Odell?"
The supply base of the Blood Blade has about a hundred adventurers stationed there, with mid-range levels. However, that base is equipped with a large number of defensive devices, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack, for small mercenary groups, it's like an iron-shelled turtle that will also spew fire randomly.
It is precisely because of the existence of this supply base that third-rate mercenary groups like Morning Star Mercenaries are unable to enter the town, and can only search for secret areas in the wilderness to set up camp. Supplying and repairing equipment is also very inconvenient, and the speed at which they explore the forest is also slowed down.
Midi's plan was to first remove this troublesome road tyrant, deal a heavy blow to the Blood Blade, and restore order to the town.
After all, for a commander like Middy, he couldn't tolerate his supply lines and retreat routes being pinched by the enemy.
On the contrary, in all attacks on targets, Middy's first thought was to cut off the enemy's supply lines.
Yet even so, this was a goal that was utterly unimaginable for the Morning Star Mercenaries.
Odette fell into hesitation.
To answer or not to answer?
No agreement was reached, and the cooperation between the two parties that had just been finalized naturally came to an end.
But if they agreed, what would be the outcome? Would it be that the Morning Star Mercenary Corps would rise to fame in one battle, or would they perish like moths flying into a flame due to their overconfidence?
This female captain naturally acknowledges that the strength of this young man in front of her is extremely strong, she can't see through it at all, even if they have fought before, until now she still can't guess what level he is.
But whether it's defeating a few people or annihilating a team of thirty, after all, it's just a small-scale battle. The Blood Blade supply base, however, has a full hundred people and a perfect long-range defense system, with buildings connected in a solid fortress.
Going to attack the base is no different from a large-scale siege for adventurers.
But adventurers are good at exploration, dismantling traps, discovering treasures from spider silk and horse tracks, etc., and siege warfare is really not their forte.
Even if the young man in front of him had strong personal strength, could he really do it?
At this moment, Odelle's gaze collided with Midy's line of sight.
At this moment, Mi Di no longer had the dull and stupid look he had when he was disguised. His eyes had a sharpness that could not be ignored, yet they were calm and peaceful like a crystal clear lake.
Odelle was shocked beyond measure in her heart.
Not because of its sharpness, but because of its calmness.
This shows that although the young man in front of him has become serious, he is only serious and has no feeling of fighting to the death or burning ambition. It's as if attacking this supply base is just like a routine meal for him, a very natural thing.
In a flash of insight, Odelle suddenly realized that Middy's words just now meant that a pair of 600 would be very "troublesome".
He never said he couldn't handle six hundred by himself!
Is this arrogance, pride or confidence? Odette's heart was turbulent with surprise as she sensed Medea's must-win mentality.
It wasn't just that; in an instant, she also came to a sudden realization - the young man before her eyes was testing Morning Star Mercenary Corps, and testing herself!
Midi is indeed more beautiful than Odile.
What is being tested is not strength, but temperament.
He didn't actually care whether he had the help of the Morningstar Mercenaries or not. As a commander who was very skilled in siege warfare, an underground organization's hundred-man base wasn't even worth his notice.
At the age of 20, he dared to raid Yorkshire, where the Red Flame Legion had stationed six thousand elite soldiers, with only three hundred well-trained elites, and ultimately achieved his strategic goal.
I'm already at level 33, which is equivalent to a level 40 adventurer in terms of quality, and I also have even more powerful equipment, as well as the unbeatable "Extreme Will". If I still can't take down an adventurer base with just over 100 people, then I might as well go reincarnate again.
Midi threw out such a topic here, but wanted to know how great Odelle's determination was.
Midi didn't doubt Odell's character and sincerity, but if he wanted to obtain the inheritance of the Elf King Court, this was not enough.
Far from enough.
Can Morningstar Mercenaries trust their own judgment in bloody battles?
In a crisis-ridden adventure, can the Morningstar Mercenaries obey their own orders and respond to their demands in a timely manner?
The situation in this life is more complex and changeable than the previous one, and it's not just a matter of relying on rebirth experience or some secret skills to gain results.
Only this kind of unreserved cooperation can make it possible to obtain the inheritance of the Spirit King's Court, that treasure that makes everyone jealous.
And now he is waiting for Odelle to make a judgment, can she be completely open and honest?
A long silence.
Finally, Odelle's eyes flashed with a firm determination, and then the female team leader nodded seriously: "Let's do it as you said, we'll go together to destroy Blood Blade's base!"
"Thank you." Medea flashed a sunny smile and extended her hand once more, "Let me reintroduce myself, I am John of the Hawk's Team. Now, let us fight side by side!"
