Bai Xiaowen was delighted. This is exactly what I've been waiting for!
Even before the tavern brawl, Bai Xiaowen had guessed that the two burly Resistance Army men were carrying out an important mission. Otherwise, they would never have swallowed their anger and sat by while that pathetic bard slandered their leader.
Later, during their conversation, the two men had confirmed it. Once Bai Xiaowen had his proof, he began making plans.
To raise his standing with the Resistance Army, he naturally had to undertake important missions—preferably ones that would bring him to the attention of the upper ranks. That was why, when completing his first mission, Pledge of Allegiance, Bai Xiaowen had gone to every length to wipe out three Imperial Army outposts in one stroke.
This finally achieved Bai Xiaowen's goal and qualified him to take part in this important mission.
Without hesitation, Bai Xiaowen declared, "It would be my honor. Ralph, tell me—who are we taking out this time?"
Ralph nodded in satisfaction. "We received reliable intelligence that an Imperial envoy from Northshire will arrive at Elu City tomorrow. Our mission is to assassinate the Imperial envoy outside Elu City!"
Loga said, "If the Imperial envoy dies within Elu City's territory, Elu City will have to bear the Empire's wrath. That is something the lord of Elu City absolutely does not want to see, and the Elu City Guard will certainly intervene. Therefore, we must complete the mission before the Imperial envoy meets up with the Elu City Guard!"
System prompt:
"Side mission: A New Mission activated. Mission difficulty: A-." "Mission objective: Assassinate Imperial envoy Elliott." "Time limit: 8 hours." "Failure conditions: Imperial envoy Elliott enters Elu City or makes contact with the Elu City Guard."
Bai Xiaowen nodded. "I'll send that damned Imperial dog to meet his Lord of Light."
"Not 'I,' but 'we'!" Loga laughed and patted Bai Xiaowen's shoulder. "The Imperial envoy has a guard detail of nearly twenty people. Most of them are support troops with little combat ability, but they're still not something you can handle alone."
Ralph said, "The Imperial envoy's party will camp in White Stone Valley tonight. We leave now and make sure we complete this mission. For Usok!"
"For Usok!" Loga raised his fist and growled. Bai Xiaowen hurriedly copied him, baring his teeth ferociously as he raised his own fist.
Night fell over White Stone Valley.
"Hey, do you see that?" Loga whispered.
Ralph, likewise concealed in the darkness, nodded slightly. "Their defenses are tight. Support troops are standing watch in every direction. An ambush won't be easy."
Bai Xiaowen observed the Imperial envoy seated by the campfire. He was a young nobleman, his every movement carrying the refined elegance of a proper upbringing. Yet under Bai Xiaowen's Insight, it was clear that the envoy himself was a complete weakling, roughly on par with the support troops.
However, four full-fledged Imperial Regular Army soldiers sat beside envoy Elliott! There were two Great Hammer Warriors, one Shield Armor Warrior, and one powerful archer.
All four regular soldiers were Challenge Level 2. If Bai Xiaowen had been alone, he would have run as far away as possible.
But Bai Xiaowen had two fierce men beside him: Ralph and Loga. Loga was a Level 3 Shield Armor Warrior and could easily fight two opponents alone. Ralph was an Elite Class Champion Swordsman. Working together with Loga, they could sweep through this entire group without Bai Xiaowen's help.
"But that's exactly the problem..." Bai Xiaowen frowned.
This was an A- difficulty mission! His previous Class Change Mission 2, learning Dragon Language, had only been at this level. If Bai Xiaowen could simply ride their coattails and clear it effortlessly, the mission difficulty would not have exceeded C Tier. Why would it be classified as A-?
Deeply puzzled, Bai Xiaowen thought for a moment before activating his Insight Talent and examining the enemies one by one, beginning with the envoy.
The envoy was still a weakling, and the four regular soldiers were nothing special either. But when Bai Xiaowen examined an apparently ordinary attendant in a cloak not far from the envoy, he jolted so hard he nearly jumped up!
[Lyra Redleaf (Elite)/Challenge Level 5]
[Race: Humanoid/Elvenkind]
[Class: Level 3 Sword Dancer]
[Attributes: Strength 14, Agility 21, Constitution 16, Spirit 9]
[Skills: ???]
So there really is a problem! Bai Xiaowen gritted his teeth inwardly. He had not expected the envoy to be accompanied by such a formidable Elven bitch. This female elf named Lyra Redleaf had a Challenge Level as high as 5—no weaker than Ralph, perhaps even stronger.
Startled, Bai Xiaowen used Insight to inspect every remaining support troop before finally letting out a breath—there were no Ultraman hiding among them.
Nothing had gone wrong. They could still fight.
On the other side, Ralph and Loga were discussing their battle plan and waved Bai Xiaowen over.
"There are too many enemies. We need a decoy to draw away part of their attention," Ralph said. "The remaining two can launch an ambush while the camp is undermanned. We'll definitely be able to kill that cowardly Imperial dog."
"I'll be the decoy."
After hesitating for a second, Loga said, "Ralph is the main attacker. He has to stay."
Being the decoy was undoubtedly dangerous, and there was little chance of earning credit for it. It was thankless, exhausting work.
Ralph shook his head. "Brother, we've fought side by side for so long. I'm already used to having your shield protect my back."
At that point, how could Bai Xiaowen fail to understand Ralph's meaning? Still playing the reckless hothead, he said quietly, "I'll lure the enemy away. No one is more suitable than me."
Loga was still hesitant, but Ralph nodded heavily. "All right, brother. Everything for the liberation of the Northern Frontier!"
Those words dispelled Loga's hesitation.
"I'll make some preparations. Wait for my signal," Bai Xiaowen said in a low voice. With that, he circled around the mountain hollow and slipped away furtively.
Ralph and Loga waited patiently.
Ten minutes passed.
Half an hour passed.
An hour passed.
Bai Xiaowen never appeared.
Ralph frowned. "What's going on? Did he run away?"
Whoosh!
With the twang of a bowstring, a support troop standing watch at the valley entrance staggered back half a step, clutching his arrow wound as he cried out miserably:
"—Enemy attack!"
Whoosh!
Another arrow struck the wounded support troop. It hit him squarely in the heart, and he collapsed on the spot.
The camp fell into slight chaos. After examining the slain support troop, the envoy's party responded by sending two Imperial Regular Army soldiers and five support troops to search for the attacker.
It was a reasonable arrangement. There was clearly only one attacker, and judging from the arrow that had killed the support troop, the opponent was not overwhelmingly powerful. Two Imperial Regular Army soldiers and five support troops were enough to drag out and kill that rat lurking in the dark.
If they ignored it, none of them would get a peaceful night's rest.
Watching as nearly half the camp emptied out, Ralph gave Loga's shoulder a heavy slap. "It worked. Let's go!"
Before you continue