Chapter 141: Follow Me From Now On

  After walking among the trees for half a day, they were already approaching the elven barrier marked on the map.

  According to Axsis, one function of the elven barrier was to alert the elves about intruders in the forest, while the main one was to automatically prevent anyone from approaching the elven settlement. However, he didn't explain how the barrier would prevent them or what methods it would use. Probably he had never tried it himself.

  "I feel something's not right." Old Bill nervously looked around, like a mouse that felt it was being watched by a cat. He had been acting this way since entering the forest, becoming more and more suspicious as they went deeper. But he didn't have the courage to turn back alone. Although the time had been short, Sylka's temper was already deeply imprinted in everyone's mind here.

  "Damn it. You've already said that ninety-nine times. I swear if I hear you say it once more, I'll break your old bones." Hilton glared fiercely at the old man, the veins on his face and the ferocity in his eyes both bulging.

  "I bet I'll blow your brains out before you make a move..." The old man, who originally looked as wretched as a mouse, suddenly became fierce as well.

  Flutter. A larger lyrebird suddenly flew up from between the branches, and Hilton and the old man, who were glaring at each other, jumped up simultaneously like two rabbits. The others were also startled to varying degrees.

  This situation wasn't the first time it had appeared. The forest was full of life everywhere, and various animals would appear from time to time in what was originally a peaceful and tranquil environment. Everyone's mentality was exceptionally tense. Although none of them here were novices new to the battlefield, maintaining this tense mindset for half a day, the accumulated psychological pressure still exceeded their imagination.

  Having walked the line between life and death for years, their hearts were exceptionally sensitive to the aura of danger and abnormalities. Although no matter how carefully they observed, they couldn't find anything unusual, the strange feeling permeating the air was indeed just as Old Bill had said - it seemed as if someone was watching them from somewhere. Being in such a state of high tension and apprehension for a long time, Hilton and Old Bill were obviously approaching their psychological limits.

  "Don't be nervous." The man named Sanderfirth spoke up. He was considered the leader of this group and the only one who still appeared calm. His face still wore that lifeless expression, but his voice was very plain and amiable. He glanced at the others and said, "Are you all very afraid of death?"

  "Nonsense, who isn't afraid of death?" Hilton resentfully sheathed the punch sword he had just drawn.

  "Then rest assured, as long as you listen to me, you definitely won't die." The man said something somewhat strange in a flat tone. Actually, these words weren't strange in themselves, but under his plain tone, it felt as if something was hidden. Before the others could react, he said something even stranger: "Why don't we all have a chat?"

  "Chat?" The others were all stunned. The current situation didn't seem like a good environment for chatting. It was just that strange intuition that made them somewhat hysterical.

  The man suddenly stopped walking, turned to look at everyone and said, "Let me speak plainly. I may have many big deals to do in the future, and I think highly of everyone here. If you're willing, you can follow me from now on. You can speak freely about your hopes and requirements. I'd also like to hear about your backgrounds."

  Hilton, the Druid, and Old Bill all looked at each other. Even Jessica, the woman in black who had been following the man, looked at him with astonishment.

  "Thank you for thinking highly of us, boss." Hilton hesitated for a moment and said. "But after completing this job, everyone here should be able to retire and enjoy the rest of their lives slowly, so let's focus on completing this job well for now."

  "Then let me tell you, this job is absolutely hopeless." The man said flatly.

  "What?" "How could that be?" "What do you mean?" The three of them, Hilton, turned pale with fright. The astonishment in Jessica's eyes also indicated that she had no idea about the reasons.

  The man said flatly, "There are at least ten thousand elves in the Tulalion Forest, and among them are over a hundred mages. There are also over a hundred unicorns. Do you really think that with just those four hundred thieves and the few of us, you can occupy this city that the elves have managed for hundreds of years?"

  "How could that be? Didn't Sylka say it was just a small village?"

  "Now I'm saying it's not. Do you believe him or me?" The man didn't argue, looking directly at his companions.

  After a strange silence, Old Bill sighed and said, "I believe I only have one life."

  "But... didn't they swear that they had scouted it properly and confirmed there were only a few hundred people there?" Hilton wasn't convinced. The reward for this mission was indeed tempting enough to make someone take risks.

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  "I'm asking you one last time, do you believe him or me?" The man's lifeless face and voice carrying a heavy sense of death, combined with his strength, truly made one feel dare not take risks.

  "Actually, I think it should be this way too." The Druid nodded. He had been following the team quietly all along, with an honest and dull appearance that made him look like an attendant to the others at first glance. "The elves have been here for hundreds of years. Even when the Kingdom of Erathia was established and expanding, they didn't have any designs on them. Considering the lifespan of elves, it really doesn't make sense that their population would have declined as Sylka said over these hundreds of years."

  Now even Hilton stopped refuting. If this was indeed the case, then their group of invaders was completely on a path to death. A hundred elven mages was absolutely a terrifying concept. The lifespan of elves determined that they definitely wouldn't be novices in magical attainment. Although it was said that due to their beliefs and civilization, few specialized in practicing advanced elemental attack magic, those hundred mages weren't a hundred cabbages. There were also over ten thousand archers who could serve as instructors in human armies.

  To deal with such a formation, unless, unless, among the three scrolls in Axsis's hands was the legendary Forbidden Spell scroll. However, Forbidden Spell scrolls definitely numbered no more than three on the entire continent, almost like dragons, belonging to the realm of legends. If Axsis had such a treasure, he wouldn't need to work as a thief. Moreover, with his mere advanced mage level, he probably wouldn't have the ability to use such a treasure that represented the pinnacle of magic.

  The man seemed to think this wasn't enough and continued, "Nighon once sent troops trying to cross the Tulalion Forest to head straight for Erathia, but they couldn't get past the elves either. It's just that the elves didn't make a fuss, so these battles aren't widely known. Or did you think they established such a huge magic barrier just to defend against humans?"

  "How do you know... these things?" Old Bill frowned his pair of mousy eyes, staring at the man. "And since you know, why did you join our team?"

  "How I know, you don't need to know for now." The man gave a slight, skin-deep smile that didn't reach his eyes. To the others, it seemed both strange and mysterious. "If you still have doubts about me, just continue walking inside and see for yourselves, and you'll understand."

  "If that's the case, why do we still need to go in, to deliver ourselves to death?" Hilton was both anxious and angry, drawing his punch sword again as if wanting to stab someone a couple of times. But he discovered there was no one here he dared to stab. So he waved it around randomly. "Damn it. I fucking quit. Damn it, why didn't you say so earlier? Saying it now, is this fun to you?"

  The man said flatly, "That's why I just told you to follow me, believe me, the reward shouldn't disappoint you."

  The others fell silent. Having walked here with tension mounting, to suddenly hear such news inexplicably made their nerves alternately tense and relax, and their minds couldn't react. Only the Druid Anderson asked, "Then what do you want us to do?"

  The man said, "Since we're no match for the elves, then why not turn around and help them deal with those thieves instead? And... there might be other enemies as well."

  "What? This... this is too unrighteous, isn't it?" Hilton scratched his head, and the others were also stunned.

  "I agree. I'll help you." Anderson almost blurted out his agreement. "As long as you can help me ask the elves for a few things I need."

  Hilton thought for a moment and had to nod. Although his mind might not be very sharp, after so many years in this line of work, he was quite good at assessing situations. The man had already revealed his objective, showing his stance on the elves' side. Although he didn't understand how such a person could have any connection with the elves, not joining in this situation would be the same as directly asking the other party to kill him to silence him.

  Old Bill thought for a moment and also nodded dejectedly, saying, "Alright, this way at least victory is in our grasp. We won't be turned into hedgehogs by the elves, nor will we return empty-handed." This old man's mouse-like appearance wasn't just for show; he naturally could see the stakes. Besides, really following someone with such genuine strength, perhaps the benefits would indeed be many.

  Continuing to walk deeper into the forest, along the way, the man indeed asked about everyone's background and experiences. The tense defensive mindset was gone. As they talked, the group slowly and gradually approached the edge of the elven barrier.

  "Why don't you ask about my background? Or ask what price I charge for working for you?" The woman in black, Jessica, suddenly asked the man.

  The man kept a straight face and didn't answer. Indeed, along the way, he had asked about Hilton, the Druid Anderson, and Old Bill's situations, but he had never asked about Jessica. The three of them didn't find it strange; in their view, since these two had already gotten involved, and so intensely and loudly at that, they naturally knew each other as well as possible. It was only when Jessica suddenly said such a thing that they found it unexpected.

  "Is it because we've slept together that you think I'm on your side, that I'm naturally yours?" The woman in black's words were blatant and very plain. "You'd better not think that way. Sex is sex, work is work, those are two different things. I haven't slept with few people, and among them, more than a dozen were killed by me."

  The man was gloomy for a moment, scratching his head. This action, like that of an ordinary young person, immediately diminished much of his originally deep and mysterious temperament. He sighed, "You never mentioned it, and I didn't want to ask... If you want to say something now, say it... or we can talk about it later."

  At this moment, the elven barrier had already appeared in everyone's sight.

  Under the setting sun, the warnings carved by elves in the common human script of the continent on the trees had long since healed into scars on the trees due to age. Even someone like Hilton, who didn't understand magic, could feel the slight strangeness in the air ahead. Old Bill and Anderson simultaneously let out a gasp of amazement; they could feel a magic barrier that seemed to extend infinitely, naturally integrated with the surrounding trees, flowers, grass, and even the vibrant life in the air.

  "This is simply an artistic magical engineering work, I'd like to learn from these elves properly." Old Bill's mousy eyes lit up, and so did the Druid's.

  The man hesitated for a moment in front of the magic barrier, but ultimately took out that magic scroll. He actually didn't know what the consequences of forcefully breaking through this magic barrier would be, so he still planned to use this to enter first, and then explain to the elves.

  The scroll was opened. A burst of magic-condensed flame fiercely burned out from the man's hand, directly scorching the magic barrier ahead. Two trees also immediately caught fire under the magical flames.

  "This can break the magic barrier?" Old Bill looked blankly. It wasn't just him who was stunned; the others also saw that this was indeed a fire system flame magic wall spell, a pure fire magic power of moderate size, a very standardly made scroll, just with a different appearance.

  "That bastard, daring to deceive us." The man suddenly shouted loudly.

  As if commanded by the man's shout, a strange whizzing sound echoed through the trees at the same time, it was the sharp whistling of hundreds of arrows simultaneously tearing through the air. Just as the flame magic wall scorched the magic barrier, the light and shadow ahead distorted, and hundreds of elven archers appeared as if emerging from the air, the arrows already fully drawn on their bows suddenly released.

  Those who haven't seen it with their own eyes absolutely cannot imagine the scene of hundreds of arrows flying simultaneously toward five people from different directions. Although it was just an instant, those hundreds of arrows almost formed a wall in the air. There was no collision or overlap between the arrow feathers; each one aimed at the fatal points of the five people's eyes, throats, and chests. These arrows were enough to kill the five people hundreds of times over.

  Hilton and Jessica almost sensed it at the same moment the elven archers made their move, leaping backward and sideways to dodge, barely avoiding the arrows that could have turned them into hedgehogs. The Druid, though not transformed, also displayed extraordinary agility, rolling away on the spot.

  Old Bill, however, couldn't possibly have such agility. Fortunately, there was someone else who could. The man leaped in front of him in a single step, while covering his face with both hands.

  Hundreds of arrows simultaneously struck the man's body, but at that instant, a faint light emanated from his body. The arrows made a sound like raindrops hitting banana leaves before falling off him, without even harming a single hair on his body.

  "Battle aura?" Hilton, who had just jumped away in extreme embarrassment, hadn't even steadied himself when he exclaimed in surprise. Worthy of being his current boss.

  But this incomparably mighty boss, who had blocked hundreds of arrows with his flesh and blood body, immediately raised his hand and shouted loudly: "Please stop, we are here to surrender."