Chapter 198

"Damn! There are guns on the other side!!"

"What?! A gun! But I didn't see a flash..."

"Fuck you, didn't you hear that commotion?! I could practically feel the bullet whizzing past my scalp and shattering the rocks next to me! It might just be a new gun they stole from those bastards in Laterano!"

"I fucking said long ago that only a small percentage of people who dare to carry torches in the dark are clueless idiots; the rest are most likely some guy we can't afford to mess with!"

"You're talking nonsense! That's not what you said when you drew the bow! I... wait... damn it, the fire went out, they threw away the torch?"

"Damn it, damn it, damn it! Did that guy detect our location? Did he drop the torch because he's planning to chase us?!"

"Damn it! Is that a Bloodfiend on the other side?! Then why is he lighting a torch?!"

"Maybe they're just trying to lure in an idiot like you! Figure it out and run!!!"

.

"Did you throw it away?"

Zuo Jian, with his ears perked up, heard the noisy information carried back by the wind and frowned slightly.

Indeed, in the dark, it's not much of an advantage for him, since this body can't freely change the organs he needs, such as pupils that can detect heat sources at night.

With Theresa by his side, he couldn't effectively pursue her, so he could only resort to this method to "scare her away."

Of course, if possible, Zuo Jian still hoped that the stones he threw out could directly solve part of the problem.

After all... Zuo Jian had no reason to let those guys who used poisoned arrows in the darkness of night go.

Only------

He sighed, broke the arrow he had caught in half, leaving only a tuft of fletching on his back as an identification mark, and then tossed it into the bag he carried with him... which was now stuffed with quite a few arrows of different sizes and shapes.

Kazdel is truly a vibrant land where everything thrives. Along the way, they encountered countless heroes who would work diligently even under the cover of night.

So much so that he and Theresa had developed a certain tacit understanding in this regard, and now the latter only needed a glance to understand Zuo Jian's meaning.

"Theresa, let's find a place to rest... The situation on the road... is a bit beyond my expectations."

He was referring to the numerous ambushes they suffered along the way, too many to count on two hands.

Although the sneak attacks were anticipated, the frequency was unexpected, with an arrow flying out from a corner every ten minutes or so.

Ultimately, it can only be said that he underestimated Kazdel.

If things continue like this, it will be difficult to make any progress, and Theresa probably needs a rest too.

Zuo Jian picked up the torch and relit it, then began leading Theresa to find a temporary place to stay.

"Zuo Jian, should we continue?"

Theresa picked up the lit torch and looked at Zuo Jian beside her.

"No need, Theresa, we should find a place to rest. Are you tired?" Zuo Jian glanced at her, seemingly able to get the answer from her expression without needing a reply.

"I... I'm not tired! Don't worry, I'm not Zuo Jian as you think... sigh----"

Theresa was taken aback, then watched as the other person walked right up to her, put down the torch, and carried her on their back.

"Indeed, Teacher Te is much more amazing than I imagined. I originally thought you would have given up a few hours ago, but you actually managed to hold on with me until now."

"Waaah... I... I can walk by myself."

Theresa pressed herself against the man's back, looking at his seemingly thin but incredibly strong physique, and for a moment she felt a sense of security.

"A proper rest is for better travel, Theresa. You've walked enough today, you should rest. Otherwise, if you can't walk tomorrow, I'll have to carry you all day." Zuo Jian said in a somewhat joking tone.

"A... a whole day is too much..."

Theresa was taken aback, and then couldn't even reply.

Zuo Jian simply smiled at this, and then said...

"And now we have to trouble Teacher Xiao Te to hold the torch, otherwise I can hardly see the road."

"Yes, yes, I'll help you light the way!"

Upon hearing Zuo Jian's reminder, Theresa reacted and held up a torch behind him to light the way ahead.

And so the two continued walking in the darkness.

However, compared to before, the number of sneak attacks this time was reduced to zero.

After walking a short distance, they didn't encounter any sneaky attackers, which once again surprised Zuo Jian. Perhaps luck is just a strange thing like that.

He sighed, and at the same time noticed that the girl behind him was beginning to breathe steadily.

Theresa is asleep.

However, she still had her hand on her shoulder, holding the torch.

We need to find a place to stay quickly.

After all, he really didn't want Theresa to sleep in the wild, exposed to the harsh winds of the wilderness.

Then, as if he had overheard Zuo Jian's own complaints about so-called luck, after walking only a few steps, Zuo Jian saw a small, dilapidated building in front of him, exuding the atmosphere of an ancient castle...

Perhaps it was once the residence of a Sarkaz nobleman, but the scene that now appears before Zuo Jian can only be described as a cluster of ruins.

Even the time since it became damaged is unknown.

But there are no other options at the moment.

It's better to have the moon overhead than to have drafts coming from all sides.

Zuo Jian found a house that was somewhat intact. Although the roof had collapsed, the four walls were still relatively undamaged. He figured he couldn't find anything better, so he simply took Theresa's torch and extinguished it.

Only...

He had a strange feeling about the room.

This body is indeed very inconvenient in some ways; it can't even perceive the life around it in detail, and can only rely on this nerve that can barely be called intuition.

He

He became slightly wary, then slowly carried Theresa into the roofless house.

Beyond the weathered and rotten door frame, Zuo Jian looked into the room. Most of the original interior was covered by the collapsed roof and rubble, and a few clumps of wild grass, almost half a person tall, could still be seen in the corner.

But... there was no one there.

Zuo Jian merely narrowed his eyes again, seemingly without any suspicion, and walked in. He then put Theresa down, took off his coat, and spread it on the ground as a cushion for her.

It was as if he had never doubted the dilapidated little house in the first place.

The figure hiding in the shadows watched all this and subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

However, in the very next moment...

Zuo Jian took off his shirt and used it as a blanket over Theresa. He Zuo Jian slowly got up, revealing the muscles in his close-fitting vest that seemed to be locked to his body, and spoke softly to the rubble behind him, where there was no one.

"How long do you plan to hide, stranger? I don't think showing your face and talking would be a bad thing for us right now."

Hearing Zuo Jian's words, the figure in the darkness was stunned, seemingly unable to understand how he had been exposed, but after hesitating for a moment, he chose to remain still.

Until the Zuo Jian opened again.

"I'm sorry, stranger, but right now I don't want to make too much of a commotion—" Zuo Jian glanced at Theresa, who was fast asleep Zuo Jian him, and continued.

"I don't want to rashly attack someone I've never even met, and I certainly don't want to put my companion's safety in this ambiguous situation."

After saying that, Zuo Jian, and a pebble the size of a broad bean flew out instantly, grazing the head of the dark figure and passing through the wall behind him, making only a slight thud and raising a little dust.

The Zuo Jian aim isn't great, but that's only true when you're at a distance and have no line of sight.

But----

The moonlight gradually pierced through the dark clouds, temporarily illuminating the small house.

"Stranger, I sincerely hope you can come out and have a proper talk. It would be better for both of us, but it would be better for you most of all."

Zuo Jian earnestly advised.

Chapter Thirty-Five, "The Big Shot"

"Tsk tsk, there aren't many mercenaries these days who can see through my disguise. And even those few are all renowned scouts and reconnaissance mercenaries. Friend, I think I should get to know you."

In the shadowy corner, the shadows shifted like flowing water. Then, a cloaked figure slowly emerged. Judging from the voice, the person opposite was male, with a hoarse voice. His face was covered by a strange, bird-beak-like half-mask, revealing only a pair of small, sharp eyes that kept darting around to Zuo Jian.

Moreover... the latter noticed slightly that the other person's ears were long and pointed, with dusty marks and small scars, and... only the right ear.

However, seeing the other party take a few steps forward, Zuo Jian simply raised his hand as a warning gesture.

After all... Theresa was still fast asleep behind him.

"Hey, hey, friend, don't be nervous. I mean no harm. In fact, if you hadn't called me out, I was really planning to just stay in that little corner and rest until dawn before leaving." Seemingly noticing Zuo Jian's movements, the other party immediately raised his hands, adopting a non-threatening posture.

However, faced with the other party's "frankness," Zuo Jian only gave a cursory glance at his attire.

Judging from the wrists, the person should be quite slender, but the cloak makes them appear rather large, suggesting that there are probably some strange things hidden in those concealed areas.

In particular, the other party's claim of being no threat was merely raising their hands; everything under the cloak remained completely covered.

"Friend, there's no need to be so nervous. Pointy-Ears is just an ordinary merchant in this area, and he has some credibility among mercenaries." Seeing that Zuo Jian was still wary, the cloaked man who called himself Pointy-Ears put his hand to his left ear and lifted his hair to show Zuo Jian.

Immediately afterwards, Zuo Jian looked at the other person's left ear area, and it was not the hideous wound he had expected. On the contrary, the other intact ear appeared quietly in the hair that had been lifted.

Only...

That ear looked just like a normal human's, without any difference.

... The left ear looks normal, but the right ear has a pointed, elf-like ear?

"Well? Now you believe me? I'm the Pointy-Ears freak the mercenaries around here always talk about, and I'm also a fairly well-known merchant in this area. I think my reputation is among the best in Kazdel."

"After all, I'm just someone who sells things; anyone could be my customer, right?"

"I'm sorry, I still don't quite understand what you're trying to say, sir. There are simply two things I want to do right now."

"Prove that you pose no threat to us, or leave. I'm sorry, I have to be responsible for my companions."

"Mr. Pointy-Ears, I can't lower my guard based on your few words of introduction. As you know, this is Kazdel after all." Zuo Jian shook his head, still staring intently at the man.

"Hey, friend, that's a bit unfair of you, I was here first..."

Okay, okay, I got it. Ah... mercenaries, you get used to it.

Seeing Zuo Jian's attitude, Pointy-Ears had no intention of lingering. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard something being thrown from behind. His long-honed reflexes allowed him to tilt his head almost instantly, dodging the thrown object.

But illuminated by the moonlight, the object reflected a familiar silvery glow the moment it came into view.

"Dog tag?" He was taken aback, then quickly reached out and grabbed the silver nameplate before it hit the ground.

"I understand that it's really unfair to do this. As compensation, this should be accepted as currency; consider it payment for asking you to move."

Zuo Jian spoke slowly from behind him.

After all, from an objective point of view, Zuo Jian's actions were indeed not very kind, but considering Theresa was with him, he would never be willing to put her in danger like this.

Even if the possibility is extremely low, it's not acceptable.

Therefore, if the other party really intends to leave like this, he has collected quite a few mercenary badges during this period, and it wouldn't be unreasonable to use some of them as compensation.

He may have already begun to integrate into the Sarkaz mercenary environment.

After all, just like before, killing mercenaries one by one might solve the security problem in some areas in the short term, but it won't have any effect in the long run.

Mercenaries cannot be eliminated by violence. They are born from the suffering of this land, and as long as there are people and suffering, they will never be eliminated.

Therefore... you need to try to be patient and try to integrate into the Sarkaz community. Only in this way can you truly find a solution to the problem.

After all... in the end, this is just a fictional world, not reality, and that fact makes Zuo Jian feel a little better.

Although, ultimately, dealing with them like Sarkaz mercenaries is still somewhat...

"Oh my, friend, are you really a mercenary? You don't seem like one at all." The Pointy-Ears voice interrupted Zuo Jian's inner monologue, and then he held up the nameplate in his hand and looked at the latter.

"Pointy-Ears has been a merchant in this godforsaken place for forty years. Long? Maybe not, but most Sarkaz don't even know if they can last forty years."

"Over the years, I've seen countless unreasonable people like you trying to kick me out, most of them even resorting to violence. It's not uncommon in Kazdel —but..."