Fate Threads (Combined)

Howling cold winds and rotting fallen leaves drifted on the breeze, startling the chirping of a few insects.

The fallen leaves landed on the King's Road, then swirled away into the distant swaying red light.

Within the dim and gloomy Serene Valley, a line composed of points of light faintly appeared, and countless firelights flickered in the darkness.

Xia Lun crouched behind a tree, peering like a ghostly shadow at the steadily approaching refugee procession without a sound.

That was a massive refugee procession, numbering at least several hundred people. Militia bearing blood-red torches and knights in gleaming armor prowled the outer edges of the crowd, while the inner core held haggard, wandering refugees, along with carriages and handcarts carrying meager supplies.

"Do you remember the plan and contingencies?" Xia Lun asked softly.

"I remember them all," Renee said, nodding at his side. "So which plan are we executing?"

"The refugees lack supplies and their organization is poor; a conflict will break out with high probability" — that plan. We can light the candle. Act now.

Hearing Xia Lun's command, Renee pulled her mask up to the bridge of her nose. She reached back, pulled a thick blood wax out of her backpack, and lit it directly with a piece of tinder.

"Boom—"

The blood-red light illuminated the withered woods, as well as the short sword and revolver at Xia Lun's waist.

"Let's go." Xia Lun stood up, took the blood wax, and walked quite openly toward the distant refugee procession.

Footsteps echoed through the valley, carrying along the cold wind and drifting leaves toward the advancing refugee procession.

Soon, the few scouts at the very front heard the footsteps, and in an instant, all of them displayed obvious tension. Pockface, who led them, shrank his head back and unconsciously