Good Morning

In a spacious treehouse near the Silvermoon Elf residential area, five Mine Owners Mine Owners from the Nikoba Mountain Range sat around a round table in Padesto City. Their faces were filled with sorrow, and it was clear that the news of Avar 'Mine Owners death had struck them like a bolt from the blue.

A candle was lit on the round table, its flickering flame dancing in the eyes of the group.

The room felt unusually stuffy. Several cups of fruit tea on the table went from hot to cold, then were replaced with hot tea and went cold again...

"Avar is dead. It's said he was killed while trading Teleportation Pass. He was hit on the head with a hammer, and none of his guards were with him when he died. All his valuables were taken from him. When he was found, his face was covered with a parchment portrait with his name on it. It shouldn't have been done by Black Market merchant."

"It was said by a Mine Owners whose age was hard to discern."

A young Mine Owners sitting next to him quickly asked:

Who do you think it could be?

Another Mine Owners speculated, "Could it be a hunter from the Pagisto Plateau? Killing people for bounties."

"That's possible," the seemingly young Mine Owners nodded in agreement.

"Could it be that guy on the plateau who did it?" Mine Owners with a hoarse voice said.

He's an impatient person, and his voice even became high-pitched when he said that.

He stared wide-eyed at the Mine Owners, whose age was impossible to discern; clearly, this man was the Mine Owners of the group...

The Mine Owners, whose age was difficult to discern, responded, "There's no news on that yet, but I think it's highly likely..."

He then added, "The Thieves Guild in Padesto City is now choosing to remain silent, and this matter is clearly inextricably linked to them."

The young Mine Owners said with some worry, "So... our channel for buying Teleportation Pass from the Black Market has been completely blocked. What should we do?"

The Mine Owners voice was hoarse, turned pale. He had been so anxious these past few days that his voice had gone hoarse. He had heard that the channel for buying Teleportation Pass on the Black Market had also been cut off. He immediately said, "I want to leave Padesto City and stay outside for a while."

After saying this, he stood up from the round table and prepared to leave.

The Mine Owners, whose age was difficult to discern, quickly reassured him:

"The news of Avar has spread throughout Padesto City, putting us in a very passive position. Even if we choose to leave, we will probably be targeted by Adventure Group at this time. I do not advocate leaving Padesto City at this risk."

The Mine Owners, his voice hoarse, was somewhat agitated. He strode towards the door, saying as he went, "What good will staying in the city do? If we stay here, they'll find us sooner or later. I can't control what you do, but I'm leaving Padesto City tonight!"

The young Mine Owners tried to run over and pull him back, shouting, "Carlos, calm down!"

"Ignore him, let him go!" The Mine Owners, whose age was hard to discern, waved his hand, indicating that he should leave.

The Mine Owners walked out of the room without incident, quickly ran out of the treehouse, jumped into a carriage, and left the Silver Moon Elf Residential Area under the cover of night.

The room fell silent, and no one spoke for a long time.

"Since you are willing to stay and plan with me to go to the Elf Continent, then I will tell you my plan." The Mine Owners, whose age was hard to tell, walked to the window, pulled back the edge of the curtain and looked outside. It was so dark that he couldn't see anything in the distance.

He sat down again at the round table and said, "I have an old friend in Padesto City. He's a broker, and we've known each other for many years and worked together a few times before. He's absolutely trustworthy. He has connections with the Guard Regiment the Padesto City Guard. If we're willing to pay a sum of money, we can buy Teleportation Pass from him. It's a bit pricey, but it's safe! If all goes well, we should have news in the next couple of days."

The remaining three Mine Owners looked at him with delight. At this point, if he could bribe the commander of the Silver Pegasus Military Department Guard Regiment, even without Teleportation Pass, he probably wouldn't have any problem passing through the Teleportation Portal, since guarding the Teleportation Portal was exactly his job.

The young Mine Owners said happily, "Uncle Yarman, you really have a way with things. In that case, I'll wait in town a little longer!"

"I just wonder how many Magic Crystal Stone such a Teleportation Pass would cost?" a Mine Owners hadn't spoken until now asked curiously.

"One thousand Magic Crystal Stone per sheet," the Mine Owner Yarman quoted the price.

"..."

The Mine Owners all looked rather grim, and no one spoke.

Although the price was a bit high, the Mine Owners were able to accept it.

After the matter was settled, the Mine Owners quickly dispersed from the treehouse.

In the dense forest at night, it was pitch black.

Dennis crouched behind a bush and saw a carriage stop in front of the treehouse. A Half-Elf stepped quickly down from the carriage, followed by six Half-Elf Warrior.

The elves hurried into the treehouse, but the carriage parked at the door did not leave.

Not long after, another carriage stopped in front of the treehouse.

Although all the windows were covered with curtains, shadows still moved back and forth by the windows...

Dennis, who was crouching in the bushes opposite, frowned and whispered to his companion, "Damn it, they seem to be trying to slip away tonight. I need to inform the client first. You keep an eye on things here."

After saying that, he disappeared into the bushes.

Roy was surprised by Dennis's efficiency; after investigating the second Mine Owners, he even ran to the hotel that very night to tell him the news.

When Dennis came to the door, Roy was still awake. It seemed he had just entertained some guests, as there were a few teacups left on the sofa in the living room.

The reason Roy was still awake so late was that Vice Captain Tennyson had led a Assassin Squad from the Pagisto Plateau to Padesto City, a decision made jointly by Mulin, Timothy, and Tiprado.

One of the three disagreed with this, and it was impossible for Vice Captain Tennyson to come to Padesto City.

Dennis arrived in a bit of a hurry, worried that the Mine Owners might run away overnight, which could mean missing out on some of the payment, a significant loss for both her and Boss Roy ...

Upon hearing Dennis's message, Roy immediately donned his Magic Inscription Construct and followed Dennis out of the inn without hesitation...

"Boss Roy, he has no family members with him, only a squad of elven guards, twelve Half-Elf Warrior."

As they walked, Dennis explained the Mine Owners's situation to Roy.

Roy nodded slightly.

He led Dennis to the backyard of the hotel, where there was a stable where the hotel guests' horses were kept.

The groom was chopping hay in front of the stables, mixing soaked beans into the hay, when he saw Roy walking quickly over. He stood up solicitously and said, "Boss Roy, are you out so late?"

"Please bring out two horses for me. It's so late, thank you for your help." With that, Roy handed the two Kole horses to the groom.

The groom, having taken Roy's money, lost his last bit of displeasure and hurriedly went into the stable to lead out two white horses for Roy, even helping Roy saddle the two warhorses.

Dennis didn't consider why Roy would keep two horses in the hotel's stables; she didn't think it was strange to Roy...

Roy and Dennis mounted their horses, left the inn, and rode along the main road toward the treehouse where the Mine Owners was hiding.

When Dennis and Roy arrived at the treehouse where the Mine Owners was hiding, the treehouse had become completely dark, and the surrounding area had become deathly still.

Several deep tire tracks remain in front of the treehouse...

A Half-Elf poked his head out of the bushes, grinned lewdly, and said to Dennis, "Boss, they're running out of town, that way... We have people following them!"

Following the direction his companion pointed, Dennis and Roy rode off in pursuit.

The two carriages, one after the other, sped away from Padesto City under the cover of night.

They walked eastward along the main road, but once they left the city, the wide, flat road became much more difficult to traverse.

Especially after the recent rains, the road, which is overgrown with weeds on both sides, has become even muddier.

Only after the carriage drove away from Padesto City, and the treehouse with its still-lit treehouse grew farther and farther away in the distance, did Carlos, the Mine Owners, breathe a sigh of relief, feeling as if he had once again escaped from a dangerous area.

Sitting in the carriage, he thought about how he had been fleeing like a stray dog, and this was hardly the life a Mine Owners should lead...

Suddenly the carriage jolted slightly, and then the coachman sitting in front pulled on the reins, bringing the carriage to a stop.

The Mine Owners, Carlos, was slightly nervous. He had been on tenterhooks for the past few days, and even his voice had become hoarse.

Seeing that the carriage had stopped, he quickly pushed open the window and peered out.

"Master, the road ahead is blocked by some branches and debris. I'll go clear it right away..."

The coachman hurriedly jumped off the carriage and ran to the front of the road to move the branches that were blocking the way.

The leaves on these branches hadn't wilted, clearly indicating that someone had just laid them across the road, yet there was no sound from the surrounding area.

The Mine Owners, Carlos, hurriedly jumped off the carriage. He first ran to the front of the road to check it out, and then decisively abandoned the slow-moving carriage and rode away from Padesto City.

The two carriages had only four horses.

The two carriages carried a total of thirteen Half-Elf, including the Mine Owners Carlos.

The Mine Owners, Carlos, mounted a horse, leaving only three of his Half-Elf guards with him...

The four horses swiftly leaped over the obstacles in the road and fled eastward...

Seeing Roy riding alone in the direction where the Mine Owners Carlos had fled, Dennis quickly spurred his horse to catch up with Roy and asked, "Boss Roy, do you need our help?"

Roy shook his head and said, "You setting up roadblocks to keep these two carriages here is enough. I'll handle the rest!"

After saying that, he rode off on his horse and chased after them alone.

As Dennis watched Roy disappear into the dark forest path, his curiosity about Roy grew even stronger.

The night before last, she witnessed Roy, holding a copper-bound book, kill the owner of the Avar Mine Owners in the clearing of Third Apple Orchard, and this time he chased after him alone again...

"Dennis, what do we do?"

A companion standing to the side asked Dennis.

Dennis hesitated for a moment before saying, "We can just wait here!"

As Roy entered the dark forest, a holy light appeared above his head.

The Divine Light pierced through the dense canopy and floated into the air.

A dozen huge black shadows silently streaked across the night sky. A Assassin Squad appeared above Roy, each riding a griffin. The Griffon Cavalry carried the Assassin Squad and quickly caught up with Roy.

Roy didn't bring them to Padesto City because they weren't familiar with the Padesto City and wouldn't be able to investigate the Mine Owners effectively. Besides, their Dark Moon Elf appearance would make them easy targets for other elves.

However, this time, when Vice Captain Tennyson led the Assassin Squad to Padesto City, he brought with him twelve Griffon Cavalry.

In the dark of night, I rode my horse for more than ten kilometers along the Mountain Road in one go.

Seeing that the horse beneath him was covered in sweat, its breathing was getting heavier and its pace was getting slower, he knew that the horse could no longer run and needed to rest before continuing its journey.

Instead of pulling on the reins, the Mine Owners Carlos let his horse stop on its own by the roadside.

He then instructed the three Half-Elf guards present, "Let's rest here for a while..."

The three Half-Elf guards quickly dismounted and loosened the saddle straps so that the four horses could rest.

It's already quite remarkable that these four horses pulling the cart could run this far in one go. There's still a long way to go, and they can't afford to exhaust these horses too much...

Just as the four of them were resting under a big tree, the Mine Owners Carlos heard the neighing of a horse.

As the three guards got up and ran toward the four horses, the four horses, which should have been tied to the trees, suddenly galloped wildly into the night, and the reins tied to the trees were cut off at the roots.

The already suspicious Mine Owners, Carlos, turned pale with fright. He led his remaining three guards and ran towards the mountains on the left side of the road...

Just as he was crossing this mountain ridge, the three guards who were with him disappeared one after another.

Moreover, they all disappeared without a sound, which terrified the Mine Owners Carlos so much that his legs went weak, and he could only run desperately with his last breath.

Keep running forward until you reach the mountain ridge, and you'll see the first hint of dawn breaking on the horizon.

It was just before dawn, and daylight was about to break. There were no more Half-Elf guards behind him, and all night long, the Mine Owners Carlos had not seen a single pursuer.

Just as he reached the top of the mountain, he saw a person's back on a large rock.

At this moment, the Mine Owners, Carlos, was completely exhausted. His legs felt as heavy as lead, and he could no longer take a step...

Roy sat on a boulder, his back to the Mine Owners Carlos, and said to him, "If you were just opening a mine in the Nikoba Mountain Range, there would be nothing wrong with that; the Silver Moon Kingdom never restricts such things. However, your open trading of Elf Slaves on the Pattington Plane violates the laws of the Silver Moon Kingdom. For your heinous acts of openly harming and persecuting Half-Elf slaves and destroying mines, I have no choice but to order your arrest."

After saying that, Roy turned around, gave him a cold smile, and said:

"Good morning, Carlos, Mine Owners."