Melor arranged the best accommodations for the children, rooms that met a level of luxury befitting Vogar’s royal status. Long ago, he no longer cared much about the boundary between royalty and nobility. At present, they shared the same enemy that had to be eradicated.

  The children gathered in Melor’s meeting room, with the manager standing beside them in respectful attendance. Everyone knew that Melor was the true central figure of Two Hands. As for Voga, although strong, he lacked intelligence. The entire territory of GoldenFang in the past was, in truth, now under Melor’s control, including the three fortresses Allblack, Blackmist, and BlackGate.

  “SilverFang?”

  Thane hoped to uncover SilverFang’s whereabouts through Melor. According to Ramos, Melor was the current representative of that tribe.

  “The situation of SilverFang is truly complicated.”

  Melor sighed. To the outside world, they declared him their representative, but only those involved knew that SilverFang had been reduced to nothing more than an empty name. In reality, it was no longer orthodox.

  An Ossa tribe was officially recognized only when it fulfilled three specific conditions. First was bloodline, which granted clan members abilities beyond ordinary people. The higher the concentration of bloodline, the stronger one became. Second was the representative emblem, which only a worthy leader was permitted to hold. Lastly came inheritance, religion and culture, and most importantly, the coming of age rite.

  The coming of age rite was crucial for the younger generation. It awakened the bloodline and allowed its power to manifest to the fullest. For example, among BloodClaw, only children who had passed the rite could partially understand what their mounts desired. They called this “Wolf Speech.” As for SilverFang, their gift was the ability to absorb fire elements, thereby enhancing their own strength.

  “SilverFang at present consists of the remnants of GoldenFang who surrendered after their defeat. They lost the leader’s emblem and do not even have a single priest capable of conducting the coming of age rite.”

  Melor spoke in a low voice. If this continued, their future would only weaken further and further until their bloodline vanished, returning them to ordinary people.

  Thane suddenly recalled Ulmar. During the coming of age rite, she would often draw certain sigils across the children’s bodies. So it truly had a function, rather than merely serving as decoration.

  “The main line of SilverFang has certainly survived, but they hide themselves extremely well. If by chance one of them is captured, he will immediately commit suicide.”

  Melor slowly took a sip of tea and spoke softly. In truth, this matter had little to do with him. The gazes of the other Ossa leaders made him uncomfortable. He was, after all, an outsider.

  “If you wish to tour Allblack, inform Terax. He is the current leader of SilverFang and manages the entire Allblack fortress. It is already late. Go and rest.”

  Melor signaled the manager with a glance, indicating that the guests were to be dismissed. The manager immediately understood and escorted Thane’s group back to their rooms.

  Melor did not plan to remain in Silver Town for long. He needed to return to attend Aster’s imperial consort selection. Compared to a small profit from Cerebus dung, the position of empress of the Hesmor Empire was clearly far more important.

  “It would be best if you were smarter than your grandfather, Vogar.”

  Melor rubbed his forehead. What he truly needed was an intelligent ally to help shoulder the pressure of Two Hands.

  At the highest level of the fortress, Terax gazed somberly through the window at the entirety of Silver Town below. A vicious scar ran across half of his face. At the battle of BlackGate, after Net died, Terax had surrendered without hesitation, kneeling at Melor’s feet like a dog. To preserve his own life, he had accepted selling away a warrior’s honor. Of course, in his heart, this did not represent cowardice. He merely wished to live on in order to protect the last remnants of SilverFang’s legacy.

  “I know you are hiding somewhere. You rats. I can smell your fear and your cowardice.”

  Terax longed to restore the former glory of the tribe. He believed that the remnants of SilverFang still possessed the emblem. As long as the emblem existed, whether they wished it or not, those remnants would be forced to submit to the leader chosen by it and hand over the inheritance of the coming of age rite.

  Capturing a remnant was extremely difficult. They were far more agile than his soldiers. He needed to identify suspicious traits and carry out a sweep. This time, he would act personally. Terax’s gaze turned venomous. Once they fell into his hands, suicide would be out of the question. He would make those wretches suffer a fate worse than death.

  “My lord. A group of children claiming to be sent by Melor have arrived to tour Allblack.”

  A soldier rushed over to report.

  “Melor? That damned old man has not left yet?”

  Every time Melor was mentioned, Terax felt deeply irritated. That name always reminded him of a memory he would rather forget. Even so, he quickly went out to receive the children. He did not want those brats whispering unpleasant things about him behind his back to Melor.

  Seeing the children standing outside the gate from afar, Terax immediately put on a friendly and radiant smile, although combined with his scarred face, it looked anything but harmonious.

  “Welcome to Allblack, my young friends. Ha ha ha.”

  Thane’s eye twitched. A Battle King being overly friendly felt strange to them. It did not match what they had imagined. Even someone as honest as Mira felt that this man was far too fake.

  The children’s silence made Terax awkward. He knew his behavior just now had been somewhat excessive. He cleared his throat lightly, quickly dispelled the embarrassment, and spoke in a low voice.

  “I already know your purpose in coming here. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Terax, leader of the Allblack fortress. This tour will be personally guided by me.”

  They began moving toward the high ramparts. Terax slowly explained every corner of the fortress to the children, the watchtowers, the defensive catapults, the magic pylons. During times of peace, these things had not been maintained much. All resources had been concentrated by Melor on renovating Allblack’s dungeon. The former kennels now only occupied a small corner. Most had been converted into storage rooms or distilleries.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  When they set foot in the dungeon, Vogar suddenly felt uncomfortable. The mana in his body gradually drained away. Although the loss was slight, there was no mana in the air to replenish it.

  “This place lies upon an ancient formation. Mana cannot enter. Being imprisoned here for too long will cause the body to deteriorate.”

  Terax explained. He himself did not know when this formation had been created or by whom. He only knew that when he was born, it already existed. If anyone truly understood this formation, it could only have been Richer. Unfortunately, he was dead.

  The original dungeon was truly horrifying. They saw rusted cells, walls stained with blood and yellowed blotches. Iron hooks and torture implements were hung across the walls, thick layers of dark grime caked upon them. The floor was a grotesque canvas of dried blood trails. A faint stench of rot and dampness still lingered in the air. The glowing magic stones made the place slightly less oppressive.

  “Magic stones are a luxury. In the past, this place was lit by small torches. You can see that there are no locks here, simply because there is no escape. Before the renovations, the dungeon had only a single well opening, used to lower in new prisoners and deliver basic supplies.”

  “Where does that passage lead?” Mira suddenly pointed toward a dark corridor, a wide and pitch black passage.

  “Ah. It is a tunnel leading to the Darkwood forest.”

  “Didn’t you say there was no escape?” Mira asked mischievously.

  Terax fell silent and paused for a moment. He thought, then spoke hesitantly.

  “That place has guards. Naturally, it is impossible to escape.”

  Thane clearly did not believe him. He looked toward the dark and gloomy corridor. The stone paving there was smoother than inside, indicating that something had once been dragged along that path.

  As Thane observed the passage, Terax also noticed the small rabbit carved from flint hanging on Mira’s wrist. The craftsmanship was exquisite. More importantly, it was flint, one of the hardest materials in the Infernic region.

  “Little girl. That stone is very beautiful. Where did you buy it?”

  Terax smiled warmly. He seemed very interested in the stone, stroking it repeatedly. Deep within his eyes, a dangerous glint flashed.

  “I bought it at a small stall in the residential district. That old woman sculptor had many beautiful works. If you want one, you can go ask her,” Mira said innocently, not noticing anything unusual.

  “Of course I will buy one as a keepsake. This is truly an unexpected delight. Ha ha ha.”

  Terax laughed heartily. This time, he was genuinely pleased. It seemed he had found a clue to a large rat.

  Thane ventured deeper into the passage. At the end of the exit was a spacious open area covered with grass and dry straw. Nearby was a massive chain made of flint. Judging by its size, it was certainly not meant for humans. It was used to restrain some enormous creature.

  Thane ignored this area and continued along the passage. The light ahead grew clearer and clearer. He could even feel the coolness of the wind brushing across his body. At last, he left the dungeon. Before him stretched a dense forest, filled with trees whose trunks were pitch black. The canopies swayed as if dancing in the wind.

  “This is the Darkwood forest. The passage leads directly into it.”

  This place was truly desolate. Near the exit, there were scattered bottles, but dust and spider webs covered them, showing that no one had guarded this area for a long time.

  Thane plopped down onto the ground, listening to the rustling of leaves and enjoying the coolness of the forest breeze. The suffocating oppression inside the dungeon seemed to be completely erased, leaving only lightness and ease. The scenery was beautiful, though it lacked one thing.

  “If only there were a bottle of Meli wine.”

  After the tour, Mira and Vogar decided to return to SeaBloom first. The fire element in the air here was steadily worsening Mira’s health. They departed aboard a supply convoy together with Melor. Saying farewell to their first two companions, Thane knew that this was likely the last time they would travel together.

  Thane returned to the old woman’s stall. On the way, he was startled to find Terax’s soldiers tightly surrounding the area. Once Melor had left, Terax had once again become the ruler of Silver Town, and his troops reverted to their former ferocity, treating everyone with contempt.

  “It seems they are hunting down some criminal.”

  The murmured discussions among the merchants made Thane’s gaze tighten. He knew full well that it was no criminal. Terax was clearly targeting the old sculptor.

  Terax smiled with apparent kindness at the old woman as his soldiers encircled her from all sides. Moreover, he himself was a powerful Battle King. He could not imagine any way for the old woman to escape. Following the clue Mira had inadvertently provided, he had truly caught a big rat, the last priest of SilverFang.

  “How clever, Ullar. Truly clever.”

  Terax slowly approached the old woman, clapping loudly. No wonder they had searched all through DarkWood without finding a single trace. The rats had been hiding right here, in the very territory he controlled.

  “Of course. The most dangerous place is the safest place.”

  Ullar replied calmly, still focused on her carving, as if Terax’s presence meant nothing to her. Terax was no longer the boy she had prayed for during the coming of age rite. He was like Ret, an insult, a symbol of cowardice and betrayal, even worse.

  “Show me some respect, Ullar. You and your little rats have made me search quite painfully. You know what I want, do you not? Hand it over, and I will let you pass away gently.”

  “I do not have it,” Ullar said indifferently. She was simply stating the truth. Naturally, Terax did not believe her.

  The scarred leader took a deep breath after hearing her answer. He knew this would be a long process. That was fine. He had patience, and cruelty to spare. The long neglected torture instruments of Allblack would once again serve their purpose.

  With terrifying speed, he knocked the old woman unconscious in an instant, before she could bite her tongue. Terax tossed her limp body to the soldiers and ordered them to bind her with specialized restraints. He rummaged through her stall, then left in disappointment.

  Thane watched the scene closely from within the crowd. His powers of observation were exceedingly sharp. The old woman being taken away was a foregone conclusion. There was no way to help her directly. Setting aside moral character, Terax was a formidable warrior. With the bloodline of SilverFang, he was far stronger than most ordinary Battle Kings. Thane calculated silently, then quickly followed after Terax.

  The road to Allblack fortress was not far, yet Terax escorted the old woman very slowly. He seemed to be waiting for something.

  At that moment, a shadow hidden in a concealed spot drew a small dagger made from beast fangs. He stared at Terax with killing intent, planning to attack the prisoner convoy to rescue the old woman.

  “Do not act rashly. You are not his opponent. Do not let emotion overwhelm reason. This is just a trap.”

  The shadow jolted, revealing the figure of a small boy. He had not expected anyone to notice him hiding there. The boy was thin, dressed in tattered clothes, with a faint tattoo of a rat on his left shoulder.

  “Who are you?” The boy looked at Thane with caution.

  “Do not be foolish enough to throw your life away. He is a Battle King. What you plan to do will only make things worse.”

  Thane did not answer the question. He simply continued to advise him. The boy naturally understood what Thane meant. He trembled, tears streaming down, biting his lip until it split and bled.

  Only after the convoy had completely entered the fortress did the boy finally collapse to his knees, unable to hold back. He repeatedly punched the ground, his small arms soon smeared with blood. Hati ran over and gently licked his wounds. Its cuteness quickly helped the boy calm down.

  “All right. All right. We will find a way to save her. Do not worry too much.”

  Thane felt that the boy was far too impulsive. He could easily spot the child’s difference amid the crowd. His emotions were written plainly on his face. Thane suspected that if the distance had been close enough, even Terax himself would have grown suspicious.

  “Who are you?” The boy asked Thane again. This time, however, there was no dagger pointed at him.

  Thane smiled warmly, exactly the same way he had when he first met Mira.

  “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Thane. But let us set names aside for now. Do you recognize this?”

  The boy rubbed his tear swollen, reddened eyes, trying to focus on the object Thane had just taken from his pocket. The more he looked, the more terrified he became, then shocked, and finally overjoyed.

  “The leader’s badge of SilverFang,” the boy said in a trembling voice. His gaze toward Thane filled with closeness and reverence.

  If it were merely a badge, it would not have changed the boy’s attitude so quickly. What truly made him rejoice was the faint silver light emanating from it. As a member of the main line of SilverFang, the boy understood exactly what this represented.