Silver Seal Three

After Rhode finished his last sentence, a silence fell between the two of them.

Rhode maintained his usual calm expression. The Vampire, other than glancing at Rhode when he produced the Soul Crystal, made no other movements.

Yusuf's expression shifted constantly, revealing his inner turmoil.

Inside the tent, as the silence stretched on, the atmosphere grew heavy. Rhode even sensed a fleeting killing intent.

At this moment, Yusuf's aura was fully unleashed within the confined space of the tent. In Rhode's perception, the aura Yusuf displayed now was that of a true Warrior.

The Vampire beside Rhode also felt the imposing presence emanating from Yusuf. It stepped forward from behind Rhode's chair, fixing its gaze on Yusuf's actions, ready to intervene at any moment.

Correspondingly, Rhode was also prepared. Although still seated, his consciousness had locked onto the blade within his Space Ring, and his body's center of gravity shifted forward. If Yusuf were to make a move, Rhode could draw his blade and thrust forward in an instant.

Despite being ready for combat, Rhode's heart remained calm.

Although Yusuf possessed the strength of a seasoned Warrior, he was only wearing light cloth attire and no armor typically worn by Warriors in combat. Rhode felt no fear.

Unlike Rhode, a Swordsman who relied purely on swordsmanship, a Warrior's true strength was inseparable from a set of exquisite equipment.

If one were to say that Swordsmen relied on the sharpness of their sword techniques and the timing of their strikes, then Warriors relied on the transition between offense and defense during combat.

To pursue damage and agility in dodging, Swordsmen would wear at most leather armor. Once they donned heavy Iron Armor, their own strength would drop significantly.

Unlike Swordsmen, Warriors would wear different types of armor based on their needs. To find the optimal moment for attack, Warriors would often rely on their equipment and combat experience to block their opponent's attacks until they discovered an opening.

Warriors might not surpass Swordsmen of the same level in swordsmanship, but with their superior equipment and their control over offense and defense in battle, they could generally defeat Swordsmen of the same tier.

It could be said that a significant portion of a Warrior's strength was built upon their equipment.

This was why, even realizing that combat might occur, Rhode only prepared himself without becoming overly anxious.

Rhode knew that while he might not be able to defeat Yusuf based on his own strength alone, with the Vampire's assistance, if Yusuf decided to make a move here, the outcome was uncertain.

Even with a Space Ring, armor was different from weapons; it couldn't be summoned instantly. Equipping a full set of armor took considerable time.

A Warrior without armor, while not suffering a reduction in base stats, would struggle to withstand several of the Vampire's attacks. Add to that Rhode looking for opportunities to strike, and Rhode didn't believe Yusuf could last long.

However... Rhode mused, if he were to engage Yusuf, unless he could defeat him quickly, the other members of the merchant group would swarm them. Coupled with potential spellcasters, he would have to figure out how to escape the merchant group's encampment.

Moreover, only this one merchant group was heading to the City of Wailing. If Rhode missed this opportunity, he might have to wait a long time for a second group to depart for the City of Wailing, and he might even have to completely change his plans.

While Rhode was contemplating, Yusuf's mind was also in turmoil.

Yusuf couldn't fathom how the Necromancer before him had discovered that his true cargo was Soul Crystals. Although the Necromancer had stated it sentence by sentence, Yusuf found it hard to believe that this Necromancer had deduced it solely from a few clues.

In a very short time, Yusuf considered many possibilities, but numerous questions still lingered in his mind. What was the Necromancer's true objective? Had his confidant betrayed him and colluded with the Necromancer? Or were they spies sent by another merchant group to probe him?

If the Necromancer truly had other intentions, Yusuf didn't want the information about his Soul Crystals to be exposed. The best course of action would be to kill the Necromancer now and immediately leave with the merchant group. Although this might seem like a cover-up, it was undoubtedly the best option at the moment.

However, after the clash of auras, Yusuf dismissed this idea. Years of combat experience had made him acutely sensitive to danger. The auras emanating from the two before him clearly indicated that if he rashly attacked, he would likely be the one to fall first.

At this moment, a thought flashed through Yusuf's mind: these two, despite their attire being no different from the Necromancers he had encountered before, exuded an aura that didn't seem to belong to a Necromancer who only hid behind and controlled Undead Creatures. Instead, it was more akin to that of a battle-hardened melee Practitioner.

Yusuf took a deep breath. The current situation had clearly exceeded his expectations. He was unsure which of his previous judgments were correct and which were intentionally misleading displays. He could only try to placate the two before him for now.

Yusuf said slowly, "I can take both of you to the City of Wailing, and I won't even charge you any travel fees. However, you must remain at the merchant group's encampment until the group departs."

Upon hearing this, Rhode confirmed Yusuf's intentions and replied, "Then we'll trouble the merchant group for care along the way." This was his agreement to Yusuf's terms.

Yusuf nodded, signaling Rhode and the Vampire to wait a moment. He went behind the tent and shouted loudly a few times.

Shortly after, a person dressed as a Rogue entered the tent from the rear. Yusuf whispered a few instructions to him, and the Rogue led Rhode and the Vampire out of the tent.

Under the Rogue's guidance, Rhode and his group walked for a short distance in the direction they had come from and arrived at an empty carriage.

"Please, the two mages, rest here. The merchant group will depart in two days. If you require any supplies, please inform me in advance, and I will purchase them for you."

The Rogue's hoarse voice reached Rhode's ears. Rhode wasn't sure if he was deliberately lowering his tone or if his voice was naturally like that.

After speaking, the Rogue did not leave but waited nearby.

Rhode understood. Although Yusuf had agreed to let him and the Vampire travel as passengers, he didn't fully trust them. The Rogue, after guiding them, would remain there, ostensibly waiting for Rhode and the Vampire's instructions, but in reality, he was monitoring them for any suspicious activity.

This tactic by Yusuf was within Rhode's expectations. If Yusuf had not placed any surveillance on Rhode, that would have been more surprising.

Rhode didn't say anything further, merely leading the Vampire onto the carriage.