Chapter Twenty-Seven Trouble Arrives

Lurking in the grass, Orland frowned as he watched the guards by the campfire.

"Are you sure it's this carriage?"

He lowered his head and asked the person beside him.

"Yes, my lord, we've been following them from Riverwood Town all the way here. We can confirm that Miss Helen of the Keller Family is indeed in this carriage."

"The number of people seems to be inconsistent with what you said earlier?"

"That's right, there are three other travelers in the carriage. Their identities are temporarily unknown, but I don't think they have any connection to the Keller Family. Their strength shouldn't be too high either."

"Very good, remind them to be careful and prepare to attack. We absolutely cannot fail."

Orland said no more. They had received intelligence about Helen leaving the city several days ago and had finally found an opportunity to act. The order from above was to capture her alive. However, this was not a major problem for Orland.

"Yes."

The man turned and quickly disappeared into the depths of the grass, while Orland once again looked up at the carriage not far away. Just then, he suddenly noticed that the carriage door had opened, and a young man stepped out.

Is it him?

Orland frowned slightly, a vague sense of unease rising in his heart.

Rhode stepped down from the carriage.

In the firelight, the distant forest appeared exceptionally dark. He shifted his gaze to the bushes not far away, his expression then sinking slightly.

There were indeed people there.

In fact, when Rhode sensed someone lurking nearby, his first thought was that those persistent guys from the Dusk Forest had come back to pester him. However, he quickly dismissed the idea, thinking that if it were them, his senses would have a hard time detecting them. After all, scouts were an advanced profession, and no matter how monstrous his base stats were, they couldn't compare to an advanced profession. The only possibility was that the other party was careless and left behind such a small clue.

But after getting out of the carriage, Rhode changed his mind. His senses could lock onto them firmly without any pressure, which meant these people ambushing in the grass were not high-level scouts. This made things very strange. Rhode believed he hadn't provoked anyone since arriving in this world. However, it now seemed... perhaps they weren't here for him?

"Mr. Rhode? What happened?"

Just then, Lize also opened her eyes. As a mercenary, she maintained a habit of being vigilant at all times. Rhode getting out of the carriage late at night couldn't be for a stroll. So, she quickly opened her eyes and asked in a low voice.

"Some rats."

Rhode withdrew his gaze and looked back at the campfire. Hearing his answer, Lize was startled.

"Is it the people who were tracking us before?"

"No, it seems they aren't after us."

Rhode shook his head. His answer surprised Lize, but before she could ask further, a guard walked over.

"Hello, sir, is there anything you need?"

After a day of travel, Rhode knew that the man in fine clothes before him was Miss Helen's head guard, named Ben. While normally, the position of head guard would be given to someone highly skilled, Ben clearly wasn't among them. He was only a level seven swordsman, which by this world's standards was just past the apprentice level, having become a formal swordsman. However, because his family had always served the Keller Family with unwavering loyalty, he was assigned this position. It was more accurate to say he was her attendant rather than her protector.

As for Ben, his attitude towards Rhode had subtly shifted to one of respect. Initially, Ben had a poor impression of Rhode, thinking his handsome face made him a mere pretty boy with no substance. But Rhode's subsequent actions left him speechless. At his age, ordinary noble scions couldn't even hold a sword properly, let alone fight. Yet, Rhode could send two well-trained guards flying with a casual gesture. No matter how he did it, the young man's strength was unimaginably formidable. Ben had lived in Deepstone City for twenty years, but in his memory, apart from the promising heir of the Felix Family, he had never seen such an outstanding individual.

Every man harbored a dream of becoming strong, and Ben was no exception. Moreover, the Dragon Soul Continent had always revered strength. Although he had a very unpleasant encounter with Rhode before, upon learning that the young man possessed the power to crush him with a single gesture, Ben's attitude immediately became extremely respectful.

Facing Ben's eagerness, Rhode waved his hand. He could sense a total of seven people lurking nearby, with two on the left, two in front, and only one behind. And it was only this one person whose movements Rhode couldn't pinpoint. He could track the others even as they moved, but this one's movements were somewhat elusive, capable of disappearing at any moment.

It seemed that was the strongest link among these people.

With that thought, Rhode had an idea.

"Recall your men."

"Huh?"

Hearing Rhode's words, Ben was momentarily stunned. He instinctively wanted to ask more questions, but Rhode didn't give him the chance.

Star Trace appeared.

Brilliant white light slashed through the dark night sky. A sharp, bright crescent-shaped blade shot out from the sword. Ben only felt a flash before his eyes, and then a sharp wind grazed his cheek, whistling towards the dark depths of the forest. In an instant, grass and trees fell, and broken branches and leaves scattered under the intense air current, like small stones being washed away by a giant wave.

The two men in black, unfortunate as they were, never expected their opponent to attack so suddenly and without warning. By the time they reacted, the Moonlight blade was already upon them. They only had time to make one move before they froze in place.

Like a gentle breeze, the Moonlight blade swept past the two, then disappeared into the dim forest.

The two frozen figures, moments later, collapsed in the grass like puppets with severed strings, without a sound.

All of this was witnessed by Orland, who was lurking on the other side. He was dumbfounded and speechless.

He's an advanced swordsman!?

Someone who can condense and project sword energy is definitely not to be trifled with. Generally, those with such skills are either powerful individuals who have stepped into the advanced realm or members of influential families. Either way, they are not someone a mere thief like himself can afford to provoke! With that thought, Orland gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on his dagger, wishing he could stab the person who reported to him just now. What do you mean the opponent doesn't seem strong but has strange techniques and hopes you'll be careful?

Not strong? An advanced swordsman, what the hell do you mean not strong?

It's no wonder Orland thought this way. After all, in the Dragon Soul Continent, NPCs and players are different. An NPC's level and skill level increase together; a level ten profession means a level ten skill level. But players are different. By consuming skill points to improve proficiency, even a level ten player can possess high-level spells and sword techniques if they pursue them to the extreme. Some players can even possess master-level sword skills right after advancing—however, conversely, the higher the skill, the greater the consumption. So, even if one masters a master-level technique, without enough power to sustain it, it's just a joke.

This sudden accident caused Orland's meticulously planned scheme to collapse instantly. He had originally planned to have his men kill the three unremarkable little guards and then capture Miss Helen. Now, before he could even make a move, he had lost two subordinates, and there was an advanced swordsman on the other side. This made things very troublesome. Although Orland himself was not weak, he hadn't yet touched the threshold of advancement. That single sword strike from the opponent sent a chill down Orland's spine.

However...

"Let's go for it!!"

Orland gritted his teeth, then put his finger in his mouth and blew a long, clear whistle.

Immediately, several dark figures leaped out from the grass and charged towards the carriage!

"Protect the young lady!"

Although he was still somewhat intimidated by Rhode's previous actions, Ben immediately reacted upon seeing the two figures collapsed in the grass. He drew his longsword while shouting, and the other two guards quickly moved to surround the carriage. At this moment, Lize also hastily jumped down from the carriage and immediately cast Shield of Protection on the three of them.

"Whoosh!"

Lize's Shield of Protection was cast at the perfect moment. Less than a second after she finished casting the shield, five or six pitch-black arrows flew out from the grass towards the unsuspecting guards. However, they were still a step too late. They were repelled by the shield, which emitted a faint golden glow, rendering them useless.

"Ready! Watch your surroundings!"

Ben shouted loudly, even sounding a bit nervous. It was understandable, as this was his first time encountering an enemy ambush in the wild. Previously, his young lady's activities were confined within Deepstone City, so he didn't worry about encountering any trouble. But now, having left the city, he hadn't expected such bad luck!

However, there was no point in dwelling on that now. Staring at the black-clothed figures lunging towards him, Ben gritted his teeth, let out a roar, and charged forward.