Infiltrating

"Careful. I spotted mountain cats raised by the Forest Trolls. They can track us by scent." Valeera Sangunar, scouting at the front, had discovered the mountain cats lurking in the shadows and warned the others.

Mountain cats were common in the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas. They possessed keen senses of smell, and trained mountain cats made excellent battle companions. Thus, both High Elf and Forest Troll hunters trained them as fighting partners.

At Valeera's warning, Tyrel and the others each took a bottle from their Space Bags, opened it, and smeared its contents over themselves.

The bottles contained Forest Troll Magic Crystals. Once ground into liquid and applied to the body, they made the wearer smell like a Forest Troll, allowing them to evade the mountain cats' keen noses.

The smell of Forest Trolls was far from pleasant, a mixture of sweat and stench. Covered in that odor, even Tyrel could not help frowning.

After successfully evading the mountain cats' sharp sense of smell, they soon sneaked close to the Forest Troll village. Beyond this point, there were no more trees to conceal them.

The moment they left the woods, the Forest Trolls would surely spot them. So they brought out another treasure: a magic-filled orb known as the Deception Orb.

Using a Deception Orb allowed one's appearance to become that of any race.

Deception Orbs were exceedingly precious in the outside world, something money could hardly buy. Yet they were produced by the High Elves of the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas, so Tyrel and the others could each possess one.

Under the Deception Orb's effect, Tyrel grew taller, his armor vanished, and his muscles swelled. He became a tall, rugged Forest Troll.

Once transformed into Forest Trolls, the four gathered together and strode out of the forest, while Valeera remained in stealth.

The Forest Troll village was mainly built of wood. Compared to the buildings of the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas, it was undoubtedly crude.

The Forest Trolls had once possessed a powerful civilization: the Amani Empire. Unfortunately, the Amani Empire had been defeated by the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas and the human Arathor Empire, leading to the Forest Trolls' decline today.

Ancient records described old Forest Troll buildings as being made of stone and possessing their own distinct style.

Tyrel took the lead and slowly entered the Forest Troll village.

Their group did not attract much attention. Occasionally, a Forest Troll glanced at them before looking away.

However, several male Forest Trolls soon blocked their path.

"Stop right there!" (Trollish)

Six burly Forest Trolls stood in the way of Tyrel's group.

Faced with this situation, Captain of the Guard Arthas slowly reached for the weapon at his waist, ready to spring into action and protect Prince Tyrel if anything went wrong.

Tyrel remained relatively calm. "What is it?" he asked. (Trollish)

While studying under Scholar Prophet Volethal of the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas, Tyrel Sunstrider had mastered the languages of nearly all the major races in the Eastern Kingdoms, including Trollish.

Only by learning Trollish could he better understand the Forest Trolls, the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas's sworn enemies. With that goal in mind, Tyrel had put great effort into studying Trollish, and his command of it was flawless.

The leading male Forest Troll looked Tyrel up and down, then sneered disdainfully. In his eyes, Tyrel was far too skinny to be considered strong among Forest Trolls. Then he looked toward Luminas Sunmark, the only woman among the four, his gaze filled with desire as he unconsciously licked his lips.

"You weaklings don't deserve such a beautiful lady. Get lost!" It turned out that they had set their sights on Luminas Sunmark.

The Deception Orb changed its user into another race based on their original appearance. Luminas Sunmark had already been exceptionally beautiful, and coupled with her otherworldly bearing, she remained a rare beauty even after becoming a Forest Troll through the Deception Orb.

Luminas Sunmark had also learned Trollish. The moment she heard the Forest Troll's words, her expression darkened. Magic began gathering in her right hand, ready to kill him outright if he tried anything.

The Deception Orb was flawless, yet Luminas Sunmark's beauty had caused this trouble. Tyrel found it both amusing and exasperating, but he still decisively stepped in front of Luminas Sunmark and said coldly, "She is my friend. You had better not entertain any filthy thoughts, or do not blame me for being rude!"

As long as he did not use magic or Holy Light, he would not expose himself. Tyrel was confident he could kill this lust-driven Forest Troll with warrior skills alone.

"Heh. And what can you do if you are rude? You?" The Forest Troll clearly looked down on the skinny Tyrel and moved to attack.

Just as Tyrel was about to teach the Forest Troll a lesson, another fully armed Forest Troll appeared and shouted, "Stop!"

"You idiots never learn! Do you want me to report this to General Dakara?"

At the mention of General Dakara, the Forest Trolls were instantly terrified and fled in a scramble.

"My apologies. I am Dakuro Warfang. You know how it is—now that the troops are gathering, there are always some arrogant fools looking to stir up trouble." Dakuro Warfang took Tyrel and the others for Forest Trolls who had also come in response to the call to assemble, so he stepped forward to help.

Compared to the bloodthirsty, berserk Forest Trolls Tyrel had imagined, Dakuro Warfang was undoubtedly much more polite. Tyrel could also sense his goodwill, so he replied, "It is nothing. Thank you for your help, Dakuro. I am Barkan."

Tyrel had made up a name, since Tyrel was obviously a High Elf name and would expose him the moment he said it.

"Come with me. I will take you to the camp. General Dakara will soon gather the troops and set out. With me leading you, you will not run into this sort of trouble again." Dakuro Warfang patted his chest and spoke with firm conviction.

Thus, Tyrel and the others followed Dakuro Warfang into the depths of the Forest Troll village. A large number of young, strong Forest Trolls had already gathered there, each holding a different weapon. Aside from a few wearing armor, the rest of the Forest Trolls had been conscripted.

Tyrel's mission was to investigate the reason behind the Forest Trolls' unusual movements. This was the perfect opportunity, and he naturally could not let it pass.

Not long afterward, a Forest Troll warrior several times stronger than an ordinary Forest Troll stepped onto a wooden platform. He radiated a powerful presence. He was clearly General Dakara.