The Hunt

Two days later, a huge crowd gathered outside Flower Territory. Most were guards accompanying the lord on his outing, while a few were mercenaries joining the expedition. Since the prey belonged to whoever killed it, the hunt attracted many mercenaries who lived by the sword every year.

Today was the human race's hunting festival. The seven human kingdoms in eastern Azeroth held this festival every year, its purpose being to wipe out the remaining foreign races and ferocious beasts on the continent, creating a safe environment where ordinary people could live and thrive without being harassed by them.

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

Since Centurion Otto had led last year's hunt, his men would stay behind this year to protect Flower Territory. Centurion Brown and soldiers from his five garrisons would accompany the lord and protect him.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Suddenly, gale-force winds swept around Lin Lei. The fierce gusts sent his long black hair flying in every direction. The clear blue sky, with the sun plainly visible, was covered by drifting clouds in less than three seconds, plunging the world into darkness. Lin Lei looked at the soldiers training less than ten meters away and could barely make out their faces.

"A bad omen."

Watching the weather change so abruptly, Lin Lei felt even more oppressed. He could no longer focus on the quiet training session.

"Henry, Luo Ji, Allen, you three stay behind. Everyone else, dismissed. Training is over for today. Go back to your rooms. Don't go anywhere today. Stop gambling at the casino or looking for fun at the brothel. We'll have something to do soon."

At Lin Lei's order, the men below who had been hoping to go out and enjoy themselves immediately let out a chorus of groans. Their training had already cut into what little free time they had, and now that practice had ended early, they still weren't allowed to relax and have fun.

The soldiers were somewhat dejected, but fortunately, Lin Lei had built up considerable authority over the past few days, and no troublemaker dared to stand up and object.

"Here's something you should know: Lady Moran Tailor Shop is a stronghold for dark creatures. Today may be the day the lord decides to uproot this scourge, and we may be called upon to help. I'm telling you now so you can prepare yourselves, and so you can keep morale high during the operation. Understood?"

Lin Lei's eyes swept over the three men, searching for any strange movements and any sign that one of them might be a dark creature's charmer.

"Understood."

All three answered firmly. They were shocked by the news, but as Lin Lei's loyal admirers, they didn't blindly object. They were simply having trouble accepting it.

Lin Lei gave them a few more instructions, then sent them away. He still wasn't entirely sure things would unfold as he'd predicted, so all he could do now was wait for news at the garrison.

Meanwhile, Lord Edward's party had already set out. Only Centurion Brown, Captain of the Guard Henderson, and five hundred Bronze- and Silver-ranked soldiers accompanied him.

Not far from Flower Territory, two black-robed figures watched the lord's departing party.

"That fellow Edward has finally left. Should we begin the operation?"

"No rush. Have you spotted Alice? Why is she—"

"Yishe, a spy in Flower Territory reported this to me this morning. Yesterday, she fought that Captain of the Guard, Edward's man, and was injured. They left her behind in Flower Territory."

The black-robed man named Yishe sounded hesitant.

"Xuanshui, could this be a trap? The plan's gone too smoothly. I feel like something's wrong."

Xuanshui thought for a moment, then replied to Yishe.

"I feel the same way, but Lord Zhumian's plan can't be delayed. We've already drawn the bow; there's no turning back now. This may be just a little place like Flower Territory, but the fate of the entire Kingdom of Kul Tiras is at stake. If we delay, neither of us can bear the consequences."

"...Then we'll wait until Edward and the others are far away before activating the Inversion Plan. So many powerful people in Flower Territory are ours; nothing can go wrong. Long live Lord Kil'jaeden!"

After Edward had left, the two black-robed men soon ended their discussion. They slipped away from their hiding place like shadows and disappeared.

"Knock, knock!"

A knock came from outside Lin Lei's door.

"Come in."

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

"What is it? Tell me."

Lin Lei looked up at the visitor. His previously casual expression turned to delight. Standing before him was Aier, the man he had fought in Wheat Town. Aier was looking at him with a broad smile.

"What are you doing here? It's been a long time."

Lin Lei excitedly rose from his chair and walked over to thump Aier on the chest.

Aier was Miss Alice's Captain of the Guard. He and Lin Lei had once faced off in Wheat Town. Although Lin Lei had ultimately won, heroes recognized one another, and the two had developed a mutual liking.

"Come on, sit down. You must have come because something urgent's come up. Otherwise, Miss Alice wouldn't have wanted to send you away."

Lin Lei warmly welcomed Aier and quickly pulled a stool from beneath his desk and offered it to him.

Aier was delighted to see Lin Lei again, but when he got down to business, his expression grew serious.

"I'm here because I need your help with something important. We may need to borrow your garrison's troops today. Are you willing, Centurion Lin?

"Of course, I know a centurion serving the territory can't freely deploy troops, but this is Miss Alice's decision. Don't worry about Lord Edward punishing you."

"Of course I am. I owe my position to Miss Alice. If she needs me, I'll go through fire and water without hesitation."

Lin Lei answered at once. As soon as he heard Aier's request, he knew he'd come to help eliminate the dark creatures. Faced with such evil beings, Lin Lei was naturally willing to do his part.

"Good, good, good..."

Aier was delighted by Lin Lei's answer.

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

"Understood. I'll get moving right away."

Lin Lei never dragged his feet. As soon as he heard Aier's request, he decided to gather the troops and head to the Lord's Mansion.

"Guards! Notify every squad leader and have everyone in the garrison assemble. Everyone must report, except the two on duty today."

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

"Come on. My soldiers are quick to assemble."

Grinning, Lin Lei led Aier, who had only just sat down, out of the room. Seeing how different Lin Lei looked from the peasant clothes he used to wear, Aier felt a surge of emotion. He wanted to ask him something, but didn't know how to bring it up.

"What's the matter? If you have something to say, just say it. Don't be so coy, like a woman."

Although Lin Lei walked alongside Aier, they were old friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time. Lin Lei noticed Aier's hesitant expression.

"...What did you say under your breath during that duel?"

Aier wasn't one to beat around the bush. At Lin Lei's prompting, he asked outright.

"What? You mean the words I said before using my Heavenly Eye?"

"Yeah. I wanted to ask you at the time, but we were in a hurry, and then you passed out, so I never got the chance."

"..."

Lin Lei felt a little awkward. Back then, he had been incredibly melodramatic, and he'd regretted saying those words as soon as they left his mouth.

"Turn the tide!"

Lin Lei thought it over and decided to tell Aier anyway. Let him laugh if he wanted. You were only young once, and everyone had their melodramatic moments, young or old.

"Oh."

The mockery Lin Lei had expected never came. Aier remained perfectly calm, as if he'd heard something utterly unremarkable. The words didn't seem to affect him in the slightest.

"All right, I guess I was overthinking it..."

Looking closely, Lin Lei noticed the corner of Aier's mouth twitching. Aier's movement was subtle, but Lin Lei caught it. The man was laughing at him.

"If you want to laugh, go ahead. You don't have to hide it. I can see you."

"Pfft... Hahahaha!"

At Lin Lei's words, Aier stopped even trying to hide it. He bent over, clutching his stomach as he laughed heartily.

While Lin Lei and Aier joked around, Henry arrived with the troops in neat formation. Their synchronized movements made Aier's eyes light up. He had come for Lin Lei alone, and everyone else had been a bonus. He hadn't expected the bonus to be so impressive.

"Centurion, the North Wind Garrison is assembled. No one is missing."

"Good. Follow Aier and me. Our destination is the Lord's Mansion. We're going to protect Miss Alice. Everyone, bring your mounts and set out."

Lin Lei took his mount, Red Hare Fire Cloud Horse, from a guard and placed Red Fire in front of him. Aier also mounted his Green Mane Horse, a powerful Bronze-ranked beast with a coat of green hair.

"Hyah..."

An unbroken stream of hoofbeats echoed through the streets of Flower Territory. Lin Lei's party made quite a commotion, and even the pebbles on the ground trembled slightly from the vibration.

Seventy-seven horses thundered down the road and entered the heavily guarded Lord's Mansion.

At least three hundred guards were gathered at the Lord's Mansion, protecting it in layers. Their commander was Centurion Hera. Today, they were responsible for keeping Flower Territory safe.

After Aier proved his identity, Lin Lei and the others were escorted into the inner hall. It was less than twenty meters from Alice, and the guards there were even stricter than outside, with sentries every five paces and posts every ten.

"Centurion Lin, your men will stay here and stop anyone who tries to attack. Can you handle that?"

Aier stopped and spoke to Lin Lei.

"Of course. We'll protect Miss Alice with our lives, won't we?"

"Yes! We'll protect Miss Alice with our lives!"

"We'll protect Miss Alice with our lives!"

Lin Lei's words stirred a powerful response. Not only did his men cheer; Hera's soldiers nearby joined in as well.