Behind Farnan

Following the direction the farmers had given him, Alpha walked for ten minutes before two houses came into view. Thin wisps of smoke rose slowly from one of them. It looks so peaceful here. Why are the other farmers so afraid of it? They're far too timid. Isn't it just a few accidents? Even so, Alpha did not lower his guard.

As Alpha drew closer, Farnan Farm gradually revealed its true appearance. The fields were nearly abandoned, overgrown with weeds, and gnolls darted about everywhere. If not for the sounds coming from the house, Alpha would never have gone near this place.

"Come on, children, lunch is ready! We have something good today—pumpkin soup with little rolls. Don't fight over it. Sit down quickly; there's enough for everyone." A weary voice came from inside the house, answered by the children in unison. "Okay." The children sat neatly around the table, their bowls filled with golden pumpkin soup. A thin woman in a red linen blouse and gray long skirt carried a basket of coarse bread in her hands. This was what Alpha saw when he pushed open the door. "Sorry to disturb you. I heard you were hiring. Have you filled the position already?" Alpha asked with a smile.

"Ah, come in. We're still hiring. You haven't eaten yet, have you? Sit down and eat with us. We can discuss things afterward." The woman hurriedly set down the bread, her face pale as she spoke.

Though Alpha had his doubts, he did not point them out. Under the children's curious gazes, he sat down as the woman instructed. She handed him a bowl of soup. "Stop staring. It's rude. Finish eating quickly, then go take your nap." At that, the children lowered their heads and began drinking their soup and eating their bread.

After the meal, once the woman had settled the children down for their afternoon nap, she sat at the other end of the table and looked at Alpha uneasily. "Your daily duties are fetching water, driving away gnolls, and clearing sunflower trees. Food and lodging are provided. Ten copper coins a day." Alpha put on a thoughtful expression and did not answer immediately. After a while, just as the woman thought he was about to refuse, he said, "I agree." Alpha stared at her. Her face turned even paler, and her lips trembled as though she wanted to say something. "You—"

"Ma'am, we're back. Huh, is this the new hand? Hello, I'm A Li. This is Yi Li, Er Li, and San Li." Four burly men walked in. The leader was bald, wearing a red scarf, black leather armor trimmed in red, black linen trousers, and short wolfskin boots. Alpha looked at the four men, then at the woman, and replied, "Hello, brothers. I'm the new hand. My name is Alpha. Please take care of me." He quickly rose to his feet and bowed to them.

"This kid has potential. Since it's your first day, go drive away the gnolls first. Those damn gnolls come every day. They're driving us crazy," one of them said. "All right, I'll go right away." Alpha hurried out. Before leaving, he noticed the pitying look in the woman's eyes.

As night fell, Alpha finished his work for the day. When he arrived at the sleeping quarters, he found that the four men were nowhere to be seen, though the four beds were messily made. After a while, the four returned and went straight to sleep. Though it was faint, Alpha still caught a trace of blood in the air. Combined with what had happened that morning, it seemed Farnan Farm truly had a problem. Alpha lay down as well and drifted into a light sleep.

Over the next several days, Alpha noticed that the four men always vanished during the day and returned late at night. He never saw them work. But whenever he cautiously questioned the landlady, she said nothing, only telling him not to meddle and to mind his own business.

One morning, after the four men left, Alpha quickly got up and secretly followed them. He watched them circle around the farm, cross several small hills, and repeatedly look back. At last, they approached a mine. At the entrance to the abandoned mine, creatures wandered about—it was kobolds, creatures similar to gnolls but smaller and quicker. They especially loved gold and wore candles on their heads, presumably to make it easier to search for gold. Alpha had no idea what method the four men used, but the kobolds ignored them as they sneaked inside.

Should I go in? But I don't know what it's like inside. What if I alert them? This is really troublesome. Alpha tapped his head, caught in a dilemma. Forget it. I'll go in. If they discover me, I'll deal with it then. A gray leopard slowly approached the mine.

Carefully avoiding the kobolds at the entrance, he slipped into the mine in a flash. Whew, it's dark in here. And freezing. The tunnels crisscrossed one another, and faint candlelight swayed back and forth. Seeing how many lights there were, Alpha cursed inwardly. Damn it, why are there so many kobolds? Did they all gather here? Becoming even more cautious, Alpha relied on the leopard's nose to track the four men. Found them. Here...

"Damn Adona. That Alliance lapdog. Can't he just stay quietly in Sentinel Hill? Why does he have to come and cause trouble for us?" A familiar voice drifted over. "Stop complaining. Just carry out the task the leader assigned us," another voice said. "Why isn't he here yet? I'm freezing to death," the third person grumbled.

Alpha found a concealed spot and hid himself. His instincts told him this was not over. Sure enough, a mass of shadow floated over. "How is the matter I entrusted to you?" The voice was airy and indistinct, but Alpha felt as though he had heard it somewhere before.

"It's mostly done. The Defias Brotherhood's contact told us that as long as Twilight can take Sentinel Hill and let the Brotherhood control all of Westfall, they're willing to join Twilight's Hammer and serve our master," A Li said respectfully. "Mm. You've done well. Remember, do not let anyone else learn of this. Once it is done, our master will reward you." The shadow vanished after speaking, and the four bald men left as well. None of them noticed the person hiding behind the rocks in the corner. No, not a person—a leopard.

"Twilight, the Defias Brotherhood, the master. The waters run deep indeed. I've heard of the Defias Brotherhood, but what is this Twilight?" Alpha muttered. It seems I need to have a proper talk with those four. A fierce glint flashed through his pale blue eyes. The mine fell silent once more, as though no one had ever come there.

Behind the warehouse at Farnan Farm, the group of four bald men chatted as they discussed what to do next. A Li said, "We're finally leaving this rotten farm. I'm sick to death of staying here every day." "Yeah. We've nearly completed the task our master assigned us. We've more or less figured out the situation in Sentinel Hill," Yi Li said, kicking away a stone. "Don't make any noise. If anyone finds out, our master will kill us," A Li warned. San Li said carelessly, "What's there to fear? If anyone finds out, we just do what we did to the previous few. As long as they can't speak, what's there to worry about leaking?" "You've got the nerve to say that. If it weren't for those people, we would have left long ago. Would we have needed so many extra days to finish the task? If we're any later, our master will blame us. Who's there? Come out!" Suddenly, A Li drew his dagger and stabbed forward, ignoring the shocked looks of the others.

"So I was still too close. Sigh, I should have stayed farther away. I think you'll be telling me more information soon, won't you?" A gray leopard calmly dodged A Li's dagger and spoke teasingly. As soon as the words fell, its claws flashed. Blood sprayed everywhere, and several screams drifted from behind the farm.

After a long while, Alpha wiped his hands and said, "Twilight's Hammer, ogres, the Defias Brotherhood... Why is this getting more and more complicated? Forget it. Once I settle things here, I need to hurry to Sentinel Hill. Judging from the intelligence those four gave me, the crisis at Sentinel Hill is coming soon."

He pushed open the farmhouse door with a bang and saw the landlady standing pale-faced beside the stove. The spoon in her hand had long since fallen to the floor, but she did not seem to notice. This woman and those children are truly pitiful. Alpha called softly, "Ma'am?" "I don't know anything. I didn't see anything. Don't come for me!" She crouched down with her hands over her head, while the children huddled tightly together. Alpha sighed at the sight before him, took out a money pouch, and placed it on the table. "There are more than ten gold coins in here. It's enough for you to reach Stormwind. Leave this place quickly." With that, he turned and left without looking back.

Farnan Farm gradually became a black dot behind him before finally disappearing from sight. Treading across the golden earth and looking at the still-blue sky, Alpha sighed. "The weather is about to change." He quickened his pace and headed toward Sentinel Hill.