Watchtower Two

Standing atop the watchtower, Rhode could see far into the distance. Rhode estimated the watchtower's height to be around sixty to seventy meters.

Reaching the edge of the watchtower's summit, Rhode looked down.

In Rhode's sight, the bonfires the merchant group had lit were now just small dots, and the people gathered around them appeared extremely tiny.

Through Eagle Eye, Rhode could count the number of people by the bonfire. Since his Eagle Eye was only at the beginner level, the view was still somewhat blurry. With expert-level Eagle Eye, he could even see the expressions of everyone by the bonfire from here.

For melee Practitioners, Eagle Eye was indispensable for observing everything happening in a battle. It was especially crucial for Scout-type Practitioners.

Rhode looked in one direction. The area around the watchtower was still a forest, but the number of trees began to decrease, and their height was incomparable to what Rhode had seen before. Plains appeared in the distance. Even without Pathfinding, Rhode could tell something was unusual.

"Dya..."

Looking at the distant plains, Rhode understood that the watchtower's location should be the border of Eri, where it met Dya. Just a little further ahead, he could enter Dya.

Rhode finally understood why the merchant group had stopped here. They likely wanted to rest for a night while still within Eri's borders, recovering from the fatigue of several days of travel, and would set off into Dya the next morning.

Learning that the merchant group had reached the border, Rhode realized that although he couldn't tell how many days his deep Meditation had taken from the system logs, the time he spent in deep Meditation was longer than he thought.

After several days of deep Meditation, even though his own consumption was minimized, Rhode still felt hungry.

Rhode sat down at the edge of the watchtower, took out the preserved food from his Space Ring, brought it to his mouth, and took a bite.

Some of the preserved food in Rhode's Space Ring came from the initial tomb, and some had been stored in the Space Ring all along. The quantity was sufficient for Rhode's use, and he had been eating it all this time.

Since it had been stored in the Space Ring, Rhode could swallow it without much effort. Although it had no taste, it could restore stamina.

Suddenly, Rhode, who was eating, noticed something. He immediately stood up, put the food back into his Space Ring, and looked behind him. He moved from the edge of the watchtower platform to the center.

Rhode heard heavy footsteps coming from the stairs inside the watchtower behind him. The owner of the footsteps wasn't trying to be stealthy; in fact, he seemed to be deliberately making them louder.

Before long, as the footsteps gradually approached, Rhode saw the figure behind him – it was the merchant group leader, Yusuf, who had been by the bonfire earlier.

Yusuf's figure appeared at the entrance of the watchtower's top platform. Rhode saw that Yusuf was holding a large roasted lamb leg, and the aroma of roasted meat filled the air.

In the time between Yusuf appearing and the sound of his footsteps, Rhode hadn't smelled anything. This steaming roasted lamb leg had clearly been taken out of Yusuf's Space Ring.

Yusuf must have come up the watchtower to find Rhode, but he stopped at the entrance to the top platform.

Perhaps Yusuf's original intention was just to use the excuse of sharing food with Rhode to observe if Rhode had any unusual behavior. But at this moment, Yusuf had clearly noticed the environment of the top platform.

Originally, not knowing the strength of the two Necromancers in the merchant group, Yusuf was wary but wouldn't provoke them.

What surprised Yusuf now was that the two Necromancers in the merchant group had actually separated. He just didn't know if the one who had been in deep Meditation earlier was the one in front of him.

Yusuf quickly assessed their respective states. He was currently wearing armor, and with his weapons in his Space Ring, he was in his strongest state without any spell enhancements. In this environment, even a formal Necromancer might not be able to withstand his surprise attack.

Instantly, Yusuf's heart began to struggle intensely. His original thought of just observing the Necromancers began to change.

Although the Necromancers were willing to show weakness, Yusuf was unwilling to let go of this good opportunity.

Even if he suspected that these two Necromancers might not actually be after the Soul Crystals in the caravan, Yusuf still couldn't rest easy.

Based on their previous behavior, Yusuf was about seventy percent sure that these two Necromancers wouldn't try to snatch the Soul Crystals. But if he could kill them here and now, that seventy percent would become one hundred percent, completely eliminating the hidden danger to the caravan.

For Yusuf, at this moment, with the terrain advantage, dealing with one Necromancer should be a sure thing.

Finally, as if he had thought of something, Yusuf made up his mind.

Rhode also sensed something, but he made no move. As if due to the light, Rhode squinted slightly, watching Yusuf on the stairs.

The afterglow shone, casting Rhode's shadow long on the platform.

Despite his internal struggle, Yusuf maintained control of his expression and showed nothing. In Rhode's gaze, Yusuf remained calm.

"I didn't see you come out all this way. This is the first time I've seen you outside the carriage. The caravan has some extra food, and I wanted to share it with you," Yusuf said, forcing a smile to appear more normal.

As he spoke, Yusuf offered the lamb leg in his hand.

Seeing Yusuf's expression, Rhode sneered inwardly, understanding that this fight was unavoidable.

Often, no matter how much one shows weakness or states their intentions, others won't believe it. Words and intentions are never as convincing as one's own strength.

"Then I thank you, Guild Leader."

With that, Rhode reached out his hand, preparing to take the lamb leg.

As Rhode reached out, Yusuf's eyes remained focused on Rhode's outstretched hand.

Years of combat experience taught Yusuf that an enemy's body movements could reflect their thoughts to a certain extent. Especially in a situation like this, if the enemy's outstretched hand trembled even slightly, he could seize the initiative and gain the upper hand.

But, under Yusuf's careful observation, Rhode's hand extended steadily and finally grasped the lamb's leg bone. During this process, Yusuf found no opportunity to attack.

Yusuf was startled, as if realizing something. He raised his head and saw Rhode's indifferent gaze fixed on him from beneath the black robe.

Suddenly, the lamb leg held by both of them vanished, taken into a Space Ring by one of them.

Weapons appeared in both their hands simultaneously, and they swung them at each other.