Gari

Two days later, outside the Flower Territory, a massive, dark crowd gathered. Most were guards for the Lord's excursion, while a small portion were mercenaries joining the hunt. Since the spoils of the hunt belonged to whoever claimed them, the event attracted many mercenaries who lived by the blade every year.

Today was the Human Hunting Festival, an annual tradition across the seven human kingdoms of Azeroth. Its purpose was to cull the non-human races and ferocious magical beasts still roaming the continent, creating a safe environment for ordinary civilians to live and multiply without interference.

Lin Lei was still at the North Wind Garrison of the City Defense Department, training his soldiers as usual. The hunting festival beginning today had nothing to do with him.

Because Captain Otto had led the team for last year's hunt, his men were staying behind to protect the Flower Territory this year. Accompanying the Lord was Captain Brown, who led his five garrison units to defend him.

"Swish! Swish!"

Suddenly, a gale erupted around Lin Lei, the violent winds whipping his long black hair into a chaotic mess. The sky, which had been a clear, sun-drenched blue, was swallowed by drifting dark clouds in less than three seconds. The world plunged into instant darkness; Lin Lei looked at his soldiers training less than ten meters away and could barely make out their faces.

An ominous sign.

Watching the sudden change in weather, Lin Lei felt an even deeper sense of oppression, and his focus on the training vanished.

"Henry, Luo Ji, Allen, you three stay. Everyone else, dismissed. Training ends here. Go back to your quarters and do not go anywhere today. Those planning to gamble at the casino or seek pleasure at the brothels, stop. We will have work to do shortly."

Hearing Lin Lei's prohibition, the men who had been looking forward to some fun let out a chorus of groans. Their free time had already been scarce due to the recent training, and now, even with training ending early, they weren't allowed to relax.

The soldiers' moods were somewhat dampened, but fortunately, Lin Lei had built up significant prestige over the past few days, so no troublemakers jumped out to object.

"I'll tell you a piece of news: Lady Moran Tailor Shop is a stronghold for dark creatures. Today may be the day the Lord decides to eradicate this tumor, and we may be needed. I'm telling you now so you can prepare yourselves mentally and keep morale high during the operation. Do you understand?"

Lin Lei scanned the three men intently, searching for any signs of strange behavior or signs of being charmed by dark creatures.

"Understood."

The three men spoke with firm tones. They were shocked to hear the news, but as loyal admirers of Lin Lei, they didn't blindly object, even if it was hard to accept.

Lin Lei gave a few more instructions before dismissing them. In truth, he wasn't certain if things would unfold as he predicted, so he could only wait for news at the garrison.

Meanwhile, Lord Edward's party had already departed, accompanied only by Captain Brown, Captain of the Guard Henderson, and five hundred soldiers of Bronze and Silver rank.

Not far from the Flower Territory, two figures in black robes watched the Lord's departing procession.

"That fellow Edward has finally left. Is it time to initiate the operation?"

"Don't be impatient. Have you spotted Alice? Why is there no sign of her this time?"

"Yishe, the spies in the Flower Territory reported this to me this morning. She had a duel with Edward's guard captain yesterday and was left behind in the Flower Territory due to her injuries."

The black-robed man named Yishe spoke with a hint of hesitation.

"Xuanshui, could this be a trap? The plan is going too smoothly this time; I feel like something is wrong."

Xuanshui pondered for a moment before replying to Yishe.

"I have that feeling too, but Lord Zhumian's plan cannot be delayed. The arrow is already on the string and must be fired. Although this is just a small Flower Territory, it concerns the entire layout of the Kingdom of Kul Tiras. If we delay, neither of us can bear the consequences."

"...Then, once Edward and his men are far enough away, we will immediately launch the Inversion Plan. So many of the experts in the Flower Territory are our people; there will surely be no mistakes. Long live Lord Kil'jaeden."

After Edward left, the two black-robed figures stopped their discussion, vanished like shadows from their hiding spot, and disappeared.

"Knock, knock!"

A knock came at Lin Lei's door.

"Come in."

A man draped in a silver-white cloak strode into the room.

"Speak, what is it?"

Lin Lei looked up at the visitor. His previously indifferent expression shifted into one of pleasant surprise; standing before him was Aier, with whom he had fought in Wheat Town. Aier was looking at him with a smile.

"Why is it you? Long time no see."

Lin Lei stood up from his chair in excitement and walked over to pat Aier on the chest.

Aier was the guard captain for Lady Alice and had once clashed with Lin Lei in Wheat Town. Although Lin Lei had ultimately won, the two had developed a mutual respect for one another.

"Come, come, sit down. You must be here for something urgent; otherwise, Lady Alice wouldn't have let you leave."

Lin Lei greeted Aier warmly, quickly pulling a stool from under his desk to offer him.

Aier was also happy to see Lin Lei again, but his expression turned solemn when it came to business.

"I've come because I need your help with an important matter. I may need to borrow your garrison's troops today. Would you be willing, Centurion Lin? Of course, I know that as a territorial centurion, you cannot mobilize troops at will, but this is Lady Alice's intent. You need not worry about punishment from Lord Edward."

"Of course I am willing. I, Lin, was promoted by Lady Alice. If there is a need, I am ready to go through fire and water without hesitation."

Lin Lei answered immediately. Upon hearing Aier's words, he knew Aier had come to eliminate dark creatures. Facing such evil, Lin Lei naturally wanted to contribute his own strength.

"Good, good, good..."

Aier was clearly delighted by Lin Lei's response.

"Lady Alice was right about you. Gather your troops and come with me to the Lord's Mansion."

"Understood, I will act immediately."

Lin Lei was a man who never dragged his feet. Upon hearing Aier's request, he decided to assemble his troops and head toward the Lord's Mansion at once.

"Guard, go notify everyone in the garrison to assemble. Aside from the two on duty today, everyone else must be present."

Lin Lei summoned his guard and ordered him to notify the squad leaders and soldiers to assemble.

"Let's go. My soldiers assemble very quickly."

Lin Lei walked out of the house with a grinning Aier, who had only just sat down. Looking at Lin Lei, who was dressed completely differently from his past farmer attire, Aier felt a surge of emotion. He wanted to open his mouth to ask something, but didn't know how to begin.

"What's wrong? If you have something to say, just say it. Don't be wishy-washy like a woman."

Although Lin Lei was walking side-by-side with Aier, Aier was, after all, a friend he hadn't seen in a long time. His hesitant expression was caught by Lin Lei, who was observing him from the side.

"...What was that you said during your match that day?"

Aier was not a pretentious person, so when Lin Lei put it that way, he asked directly.

"What? Are you talking about the sentence I said before using my Heavenly Eye?"

"Yeah. I wanted to ask you back then, but the schedule was tight, and then you fell unconscious, so I never got the chance."

"..."

Lin Lei felt a bit awkward. The Lin Lei of that time had actually been quite chuunibyou, and he had regretted saying those words immediately after.

"Reverse the grand situation!"

Lin Lei thought for a moment and decided to tell Aier. Let him mock him if he wanted; a youth is not a youth without a bit of madness, and everyone has their chuunibyou phase, regardless of age.

"Oh."

The mockery Lin Lei had imagined didn't come. Aier's attitude was very calm, as if he had heard something trivial, without causing much of a psychological stir.

"Fine, I overthought it..."

Upon closer observation, Lin Lei noticed the corners of Aier's mouth twitching involuntarily. His movements were subtle, but they were still spotted by the attentive Lin Lei; this Aier was laughing at him.

"If you want to laugh, just laugh out loud. No need to hide it; I can see you."

"Pfft... Hahaha."

Hearing Lin Lei say this, Aier didn't even bother to hide it anymore, bending over and clutching his stomach as he burst into hearty laughter.

Just as Lin Lei and Aier were joking around, Henry arrived with a well-drilled unit. The uniform movements made Aier's eyes light up. He had originally come only for Lin Lei, and everyone else was just a bonus, but the bonus had turned out to be unexpectedly impressive.

"Centurion, the North Wind Garrison has assembled. Not a single person is missing."

"Good. Follow Aier and me. Our destination this time is the Lord's Mansion. We are to protect Miss Alice. Everyone, mount your horses and let's move out."

Lin Lei took his mount, the Red Hare Fire Cloud Horse, from a guard and placed Red Fire in front of him. Aier also mounted his Green Mane Horse, a bronze-level magical beast with green fur and a sturdy build.

"Giddyup..."

The sound of continuous hoofbeats echoed through the streets of the Flower Territory. Lin Lei and his men were making quite a stir, causing the small pebbles on the ground to tremble slightly from the vibrations.

Seventy-seven horses rode in a grand procession through the thoroughfare and entered the heavily guarded Lord's Mansion.

At this moment, at least three hundred guards were gathered at the Lord's Mansion, protecting it in layers upon layers. Their leader was none other than Centurion Hera, and today, they were responsible for the safety of the Flower Territory.

After Aier proved his identity, Lin Lei and his men were led into the inner hall. They were less than twenty meters away from Alice, and the security here was even tighter than outside, with a guard stationed every five steps and a sentry every ten.

"Centurion Lin, you will guard this position. Block any enemies who attempt to attack from here. No problem, right?"

Aier stopped and said to Lin Lei.

"Of course. We will definitely protect Miss Alice with our lives. Isn't that right?"

"Yes! We will protect Miss Alice with our lives!"

"Protect Miss Alice with our lives!"

Lin Lei's words sparked a strong resonance. It wasn't just his subordinates; even Hera's men nearby joined in the cheers.