Silence

"A doll?" He Xi's heart sank. "How could it appear in a place like that?"

"The sounds in town are being silenced... could it be related to this strange mud doll?"

"Goblins are weak individually, but they swarm like ants and fear no death! Rushing in blindly is suicide! And from what I can see, there's likely a spellcaster behind this."

He forced himself to calm down, pushing the thoughts away.

The priority now was to find Baron Ul!

"Bruce, stick close to me! To the manor!" He Xi whispered, then turned and dashed along the shadows of the town's outskirts, heading towards Eagle Claw Manor.

Thanks to the +4 physique from [Mora's Blessing], He Xi could clearly feel the changes in his body.

His steps were light and powerful when running, his breathing long and steady.

After sprinting for hundreds of meters, he was only slightly out of breath, a far cry from the dizziness he used to experience after just a few steps.

"This feeling... it's amazing!"

"I just wonder if I'll still have this stamina after my bloodline power is drained."

Heading north along the west side of town.

As they rounded the northernmost corner of the town, the scene before them made He Xi gasp!

The entrance to the town was packed with densely packed, green-skinned, pointed-eared goblins.

They surged like a rolling tide of green, letting out silent roars, brandishing rusty short swords, wooden clubs, and crude stone axes!

Facing this horde of green-skinned shorties were the guards of the Eagle Claw family, numbering only a little over a dozen.

He Xi recognized them; they were the guards usually stationed at the manor.

The Eagle Claw family's territory wasn't large, far from the main monster mountain ranges. The entire population of Plint Town was just over two hundred.

There were only about twenty to thirty regular guards, most of whom lived scattered throughout the town. Only a small squad was on duty at the manor each night.

At this moment, Baron Ul stood slightly ahead of the guards.

He wore half-plate armor, wielded a broadsword, and his face was smeared with blood and dirt.

Several guards were fiercely swinging their spears, impaling the charging goblins and knocking them to the ground. They formed a human wall, protecting the Baron as they fought and retreated.

But the goblins were too numerous.

They swarmed from all directions, attempting to surround the small squad.

Just as He Xi was preparing to rush over and help, Bruce suddenly tugged at his pant leg.

"Whimper!"

He Xi stopped immediately.

Just as he suspected!

The sound had disappeared again!

"This silencing zone is gradually weakening... it fades out without you noticing..."

"Based on the path we took earlier, this silencing zone seems to be a huge circle? At least on the west and north sides, the boundary is curved!"

He didn't dare risk charging into the silencing zone.

It was too far, and he couldn't throw a [Light Spell] that far.

He could only follow the outer edge, circling around to a position closer to Baron Ul.

He Xi, with Bruce in tow, carefully searched for the boundary of the silencing zone.

Finally, behind a patch of bushes near the manor, the sound became clear again!

"My Lord! We can't go any further!" a young guard shouted anxiously, his voice filled with terror. "Inside the town... you can't hear anything at all! If you go in, you'll lose contact!"

"Damn green-skinned vermin!" Baron Ul cleaved a charging goblin with his sword, its foul blood splashing all over him. He roared, "No! Kadan is definitely in town. He'll rally the remaining guards."

"But my Lord! With the few of us charging in..."

"Shut up! This is my town! Letting these green-skinned vermin run rampant on my land is a disgrace to the Eagle Claw family!"

He swung his sword again, slaying two more charging goblins.

But more goblins, like flies drawn to carrion, immediately filled the gaps, brandishing their weapons and roaring as they closed in.

He Xi raised his hand.

[Light Spell]!

A blinding ball of white light streaked across the sky, exploding instantly amidst the goblin horde.

"Gah--!"

"Guao!"

The goblins, directly hit by the intense light, let out piercing screams, covering their eyes and writhing in agony on the ground.

The sudden flash of light caused the guards to instinctively squint their eyes.

Taking advantage of the goblins' momentary confusion, He Xi shouted, "Lord! Retreat first!"

Baron Ul was startled by the sudden intense light and the shout, but he reacted swiftly, immediately seizing the opportunity to roar, "Retreat!"

The guards, protecting the Baron, quickly disengaged from the goblins and retreated to a safe distance.

The goblins seemed to have lingering fear of the bright light and did not pursue immediately.

Baron Ul, panting heavily, wiped the blood and grime from his face before he could clearly see who had just come to his aid.

"It's you?" A flicker of surprise flashed in his eyes, followed by a hint of embarrassment.

He remembered how he had previously intended to drive this young man out of Plint...

Although Cyril insisted that it was the young man who helped him master the ability to command mosquitoes, he had sent someone to summon the young man to the manor this morning.

"He Xi?" Baron Ul's voice was a little hoarse, "This place is very dangerous! The manor is safe for now, you should go there first..."

He suddenly realized something, "That spell just now... was it you?"

"Yes, my Lord," He Xi replied calmly, "I can help. These goblins seem to be afraid of bright light."

Baron Ul looked at He Xi's young yet unusually calm face, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

"He Xi... earlier I..." He opened his mouth, as if wanting to explain something.

He Xi interrupted him, "My Lord, there's no need to mention the past. I was planning to leave Plint anyway."

"No! You can stay!" Baron Ul quickly said, "The Eagle Claw family welcomes you! Cyril, he..."

"None of that matters," He Xi interrupted him again, his gaze fixed on the town, "The priority now is to rescue the people in the town."

Baron Ul took a deep breath, suppressed the complex emotions in his heart, and nodded.

"You're right!" He pointed at the goblins agitatedly pacing at the edge of the silent zone, "These green-skinned scum are no match individually, but there are too many of them! Like locusts! If my guards were in formation, we could still fight!"

"Kadan, my captain of the guard, he's a seasoned warrior. Most of the guards live in the town, and Kadan must be trying to gather people. He might be waiting for us to create a diversion from the inside and outside."

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, punching a nearby tree, "Damn it, I can't hear anything once we get close to the town, communication is impossible, let alone coordination!"

He Xi pondered for a moment and asked, "My Lord, you just said... Captain Kadan is waiting for you to coordinate from the inside and outside?"

"Yes!" Baron Ul confirmed, "Kadan has been with me for twenty years! He knows me! At a time like this, he would definitely try to gather people.

Create chaos in the town, attract the goblins' attention, and then wait for me to lead people to attack from the outside, we've practiced this!"

"But now... we don't even know if he's ready! We don't even know where he is!"

He Xi's gaze drifted towards the highest point in the town, the bell tower that looked particularly sinister under the moonlight.