The Unexpected Visitor

It had taken Qin Ran and his companions roughly three or four hours to reach this forest from Merck Castle, not counting necessary stops to rest.

But it took Qin Ran an entire day to make his way back to the area around Merck Castle.

That was partly because two legs were slower than four, but mostly because he carefully avoided any patrols he might encounter.

Compared with the journey out, the current situation made those patrols far more dangerous.

Qin Ran had no interest in crossing paths with them.

By the time darkness fell, Qin Ran had reached the vicinity of Merck Castle.

He looked toward the castle in the distance.

Scattered points of firelight illuminated only small patches of it. Most of the castle remained indistinct, swallowed by darkness.

Only when the firelight moved across it did the solid gray walls come into view.

The breeze still carried a faint smell of blood.

It was as though the air itself spoke of the brutal battle fought here a day earlier.

To Qin Ran, the castle at night looked more than ever like a monster that had devoured countless bodies and now waited quietly for its next feast.

Qin Ran slipped silently into a secluded spot and stopped.

He planned to rest for an hour or two before moving on.

As for entering Merck Castle?

Qin Ran had never intended to do that.

Although the rebellion had greatly reduced the castle's guards, those who remained would only be more vigilant in their grief and anger.

Trying to sneak inside under those circumstances was hardly a good idea.

Besides, the castle's only entrance, the drawbridge, had been raised again. To get in, Qin Ran would have to climb the cliff beneath the castle's inner courtyard.

Thinking of that nearly vertical