Chapter 79: The Mutated Forest

  The next morning, when the dawn sun rose from the other end of the horizon, casting golden sunlight on the densely packed buildings of Taketown, a team of more than sixty people quietly left the town and headed straight for the not-too-distant Gran Forest.

  Midi's proposal received the most enthusiastic response at the first time.

  These future masters with eccentric and cold personalities are currently just some lonely adventurers.

  No one will provide them with rare materials, no one will give them high-end treatment, whether it's formulas, design drawings, tools and funds, they have to rely on themselves to earn.

  Their original companions had already died or escaped under the attack of Blood Blade, and some adventurers even came to Tak Town alone to try their luck. In this situation, not to mention going to find the legacy of the Elf King's Court, it was a problem whether they could survive in the current Gran Forest full of mutant monsters.

  And now, although it's unclear what Hayabusa's team is like, Miti's personal combat power is undisputed.

  With the addition of Morning Star Mercenaries' support and Odell's excellent reputation, these adventurers saw hope once again.

  One night, a new team was formed, with Morning Star as the mainstay, supported by craftsmen with unique skills, Middy as the spearhead and insurance, echoing each other, greatly enhancing their combat effectiveness.

  As this joint team embarked on a brand new journey of exploration, seven or eight messenger birds flew over the sky above Gran's Forest at an even faster speed.

  "I heard that a new ruthless character has arrived, and as soon as he came, he destroyed Blood Blade. Moreover, it seems like there's something ambiguous going on between him and Odell." A muscular bald man with a charred and blackened appearance said to the people beside him amidst the flying ash and sparks near a ruined area.

  "At first, his tone was still quite relaxed, with a hint of teasing, but the next moment, it took on a steely coldness, 'Only, if that little brat thinks he's accomplished something by destroying a small base and dares to stand in the way of our Iron Blood Corps, then he'll have to taste some bitter fruit.'"

  This burly man with a shaved head wore a suit of crimson plate armor, and was none other than Dickson, the leader of the Iron Blood Mercenary Group.

  "Name, John. Affiliation, Falcon Squad. Combat Power Assessment, 40th Ashura." Under a magnificent and majestic ruin, a middle-aged man pushed his glasses and read out the contents of the letter, seemingly deep in thought, and then deduced, "From the situation at that time, I think this person is likely to have a noble background, and it's a big one. The aura of his superior seems to be very strong, with a kind of majesty in every move."

  This man had a stern face, a robe full of magical fluctuations, and a uniquely-shaped staff in his hand. He was none other than Kaelin, the leader of the Mountain Wolf Mercenary Group.

  "What about the young noble? What should we do?" asked the deputy commander on the side.

  "Maybe you'll get a chance to meet him." Kael adjusted his glasses habitually, "But first, Mr. John who's skilled in battle needs to be able to enter the palace. After all, adventure isn't just about fighting."

  The Iron Blood Mercenary Corps views Middy as an opponent, while the Mountain Wolf Mercenary Corps wants to cooperate. When a messenger bird arrives at its destination deep in the forest, the leaders of each mercenary corps make their own judgments and choices about the impending arrival of Middy.

  But there is only one mercenary corps, no choice, and no need for a choice.

  "Our base has been breached!?" A suppressed roar came out from the temporarily set up tent.

  Pierce, the leader of the Blood Blade Mercenary Group, crushed the solid water jug in his hand into a ball of scrap iron as soon as he finished reading the urgent report. Clear water flowed out from the twisted gap, like colorless blood.

  Those captives, ran away just ran away, anyway, it was just a casual catch. More than 100 troops left behind, Pierce didn't care at all, unlike ordinary adventurers, Blood Blade had reserve troops.

  But those jade leaves that were found through the use of multiple intelligence and collected, as well as the treasures that he and his party had worked hard to obtain in the Elf Kingdom, were all taken away. This was something that Pierce could not accept.

  Moreover, he believed that those ruthless big shots in the Blood Blade Thief Gang would be even less likely to accept it.

  "John... Hawk's Team..." Pierce gritted his teeth, chewing on the two names, his tone filled with unease and fear, but more so with anger and hatred. "I'll tear you to shreds!"

  "It's just a loss of a base, why such a fuss? What kind of dignity is this?" A calm and cold voice suddenly sounded in the silence.

  Although he knew the identity of the person who came, Pierce still felt a tightness in his heart - behind him was an invisible master like a ghost, and anyone would feel uncomfortable.

  "Lord Mason, there's quite a bit of internal intel from various organizations inside that base..." Pierce adjusted his mood, turned around and said in a humble yet polite tone.

  "Hmm, isn't that guy named John coming over to the forest?" Mason, a rare dark elf in the Kingdom of Bellmard, was handsome with a tall and slender build, dark skin, and distinctive pointed ears. His eyes were filled with icy light, "I suppose they have everything from the base on them? We'll just take it back by force and kill everyone, problem solved."

  "Is Lord Mason going to take action himself?" Pierce let out a sigh of relief, he was afraid that the other party would not be willing to help, although he claimed to be the captain of the Blood Blade Mercenary Team, but the person in front of him was a strong man from the Blood Blade Bandit Team, and he couldn't command him.

  "Hmph, when the time comes for battle, I will naturally take action." Mason's expression was indifferent, but his tone clearly revealed his arrogance and confidence in his own strength. "However, Pierce, I also remind you of one thing - don't forget why we came here!"

  Pierce's eyes suddenly froze.

  The dark elf gave him a cold, appraising look before continuing: "In the Elf King's court, there is indeed a treasure that can change the fate of the Kingdom of Bellmard! Our Blood Blade must obtain it, and only we can do so - this is what's most important, don't forget! Otherwise, no matter how many things you bring back, they will all be seen as failures!"

  "Yes, Lord Mason!" Pearse's forehead broke out in a cold sweat as he hastily bowed his head deeply to conceal the fear in his expression.

  As each of the major mercenary groups, either with hostility or wariness, or rubbing their fists in anticipation, or filled with anger, made their preparations, Midie's United Mercenaries also began to advance slowly but steadily into the depths of Gran Forest.

  The advent of endless heavenly fire has completely changed the original appearance of this vast forest.

  Everywhere there are signs of smoldering embers, monsters are stirring, no longer hiding in their own territory, but launching a full-scale attack. Even at high noon, fully armed teams will still encounter all sorts of ambushes.

  Not only that, but those ruins that were once so familiar to adventurers now emanated an aura of death that inspired fear.

  Even the terrain everywhere was changed due to the big fire.

  "Send out scouts to reconnoiter the terrain."

  "Advance in close formation, slowly."

  "Logistics team, note down the map and leave a unique mark, so that we can withdraw conveniently half a month later."

  "Harvesting team, pay attention to the soil and magical pulses around you. Although a big fire has occurred, there are still many rare herbs and plants that can be harvested here. The gains of this trip will largely depend on your performance!"

  One by one, the orders were given out of Odelle's mouth.

  The entire team of the United Squad, although newly formed, was in an orderly and organized manner, which made Midy also praise.

  Although there had been cooperation between the Falcon Team and the Morning Star Team in the previous life, their relationship was not close. They mainly discussed strategies beforehand, but during specific adventures and battles, they still fought separately. As a result, Mide naturally didn't have any deep feelings about it.

  At this moment, he is a member of this team and naturally sees it clearly.

  According to the standards after Medici's rebirth, Odell is now quite good, although there are still some immature places in command and not enough perfect details. However, the potential for future development is huge. To know that at this time in the previous life, Medici was just a 16th-level swordsman with no sense of existence, a spoiled son. This life rose strongly, but that is inseparable from the awareness, experience, and predictive ability of two lifetimes as a person.

  Midi will not become complacent or arrogant, but instead will be even more cautious in utilizing the advantages of rebirth, and at the same time, more genuinely evaluate the strength of others.

  At this moment, looking at the entire team as a whole with a sense of rhythm and coordination, each person like a gear working together in harmony, Midei once again confirmed his previous judgment.

  "Spark Twin Guns, indeed very talented, even without the inheritance of the Spirit King's Court, they will eventually rise under Odell's leadership." Middy thought, looking to one side, at Aileen who was working hard to cover everyone from the flank, "Later, with the growth of Butterfly Twin Guns and the rising trend of Morning Star Mercenaries, it will be even more stable."

  One battle after another was won cleanly, and this teamwork made Midori involuntarily compare it to the Falcon Squad.

  In the previous life, the Falcon Team was more like a military team rather than an adventure team.

  It is also so in this life.

  The style of a team, in the end, is determined by its leader. Whether in the past or present, the founder and leader of the Falcon Team, Midie and Feena, are two noble children, and the Fog Witch, although having a strong academic atmosphere, has no background related to adventure.

  One of the purposes of the establishment of the Falcon Team is to confront the Delos Empire, so it naturally requires strong combat power and national influence. Adventure is just a means to make the Falcon Team rise rapidly and obtain more funds.

  However, a traditional adventurer team is not like that. This type of team usually has fewer members, and in the future, after the Mercenary Guild's name is removed and the restrictions on nobles are lifted, even top-tier large mercenary groups will have at most only a few thousand people.

  This scale enables leaders to better command adventures and grasp the strengths of each member in the team, assigning them to do what they are best at according to specific situations.

  Undoubtedly, Odelle is such an unadulterated and uncompromising leader of adventurers.

  If the Falcon Squad had such talents, would they go further in their adventures?

  In an instant, such a thought flashed through Mide's mind.

  In this life, he was already the master of two earldoms and the commander of a 10,000-strong army. The enemy he faced was far beyond what he could have imagined in his previous life - the Imperial Alchemist Guild and the Seth family, such a powerful and deep-rooted giant. His way of thinking about problems and his perspective on issues had also undergone a change.

  In past lives, I could only appreciate, but in this life, I have the idea of recruiting.

  Just as Mide was thinking, a scout suddenly rushed out of the forest with an unmistakable look of surprise in his eyes.

  "Found it! The entrance to the Spirit Kingdom!" The scout shouted loudly.