Chapter 137

The night in Kunseci was quiet and utterly desolate.

You can probably only find a few scattered figures near the tavern, but once inside, it's a completely different story.

Life is tough, so I often drown my sorrows in alcohol.

In other areas, it is estimated that only wild cats roam, searching for food when no one is around.

At this moment, however, this tavern was quite different.

The tavern doors were tightly shut, a "Closed" sign hung outside, and the kerosene lamps inside were extinguished.

--It looked dark and deserted.

However, the reality inside the tavern was quite different.

Everyone in the tavern had their hands bound, their mouths gagged, and were kneeling on the ground.

This also included a caravan that secretly traveled from the Saint Airo Empire to Kunse City to conduct "trade".

After Mayor Vernon bribed the officers stationed at the border checkpoint, some clandestine deals moved into the open— Kunse City officials, bandits, and foreign merchants colluded.

The single word "profit" drove most people to participate.

The mayor secretly orchestrated everything, and the robbers became his "weapons," enabling him to do everything he couldn't do openly.

Foreign merchants, on the other hand, became their money-making pouches.

When Cyrus first Kunseci, she did not act rashly.

After all, Mayor Vernon has practically turned this city into his territory, and the slightest misstep could disrupt the carefully laid plan.

[Honestly, I've been using this app to follow my favorite books lately. It has multiple reading sources, various voice options, and works on both Android Apple.]

If anything unexpected happens...

Not only will some escape, but the impoverished villagers who are imprisoned will also be affected...

To ensure a complete catch tonight, Cyrus made preparations and ambushes in various locations throughout Kunseci —outside the city, in taverns, villages...

Another cavalry unit was dispatched to the border to pursue the bandits and caravans that had already shipped oil, and to further investigate the situation on the borders of the Saint Airo Empire.

Because Walker had gotten in touch with the tavern owner, Cyrus and Taylor were conveniently "betrayed".

--Walker embezzled their property as a surrender gift, while they were taken to the village and imprisoned, forced into labor.

An investigation revealed that this village was likely a hideout for bandits.

The bandits, disguised as ordinary people, lived a carefree life in Kunseci, enslaving the city's already suffering injustices...

Cyrus didn't need to personally enter the village to confirm the existence of the bandit hideout.

But as the lord of Desinia, what could soothe the hearts of people more than his own presence when they were rescued from the ravages of long labor?

If Kunseci is now gradually sinking into darkness...

Then, the appearance of Cyrus will be like a bright beam of light shining into the hearts of these people—despair and suffering will eventually pass.

Cyrus personally appeared in Kunseci, in the village, to let them know that this place would be saved and had not been forgotten.

One of the tavern's windows was slightly ajar.

Walker stood at the back, concealing himself in the darkness, but his gaze remained fixed on the pitch-black night outside the window.

Inside the dimly lit tavern, the soldiers' spears were pointed motionless at the man who was tied up and kneeling on the ground.

Before long, several more soldiers came in through the back door of the tavern and quietly reported to Walker.

"Sir, all the mined minerals have been packed into wooden barrels and scattered throughout the warehouse where the barrels are stored..."

"We have completed the count; there are a total of twenty-eight barrels of minerals."

"Furthermore, after questioning, it was discovered that sixteen round wooden barrels had already been transported out of Kunseci..."

After the soldier finished reporting in a low voice, he stood aside and waited.

Walker's eyes then caught sight of a white shadow slowing its flight in the night. A smile played on his lips as he said, "We can begin."

"... Take away all the minerals loaded in the log barrels, along with these people."

"Yes, sir." The soldier acknowledged the order.

Then, these terrified people were dragged out of the tavern through the back door...

Outside the city, Bana and his soldiers had already laid an ambush.

A hawk's cry came as a signal.

He looked up and saw that familiar figure appear against the night sky adorned with the moon and stars, and waved...

At this moment, in the village.

Cyrus, Taylor, and the others who were imprisoned in the same room were taken to the vicinity of the mine in the back hills.

Even Little Bowen, who was already running a high fever, was not spared.

He was roughly shaken awake by his guards.

If Bunier hadn't struggled to hold onto his younger brother, Little Bowen would probably have been thrown to the ground immediately...

Although he managed to catch him in time, Bunier was still severely beaten with a stick by the guard for disobeying orders.

After being shaken so vigorously, the child, who was running a high fever, woke up.

He was held drowsily in the arms of Todd, the middle-aged man who had helped them earlier. If Little Bowen hadn't held on that night, perhaps...

Thinking of this.

Bunier clenched his fists, a glint of something flashing in his eyes before he concealed all his resentment.

Suddenly, Cyrus placed her hand on Bunier's shoulder and whispered, "Just hang in there, it'll be over soon..."

If his prediction was correct, things had already started moving outside.

Moreover, in the Lifens Mountains...

Bunier's lips twitched slightly, and strands of hair fell down, obscuring his somewhat gloomy gaze.

Upon arriving at the mine, Cyrus discovered that, besides them, there were several other people being held captive in other rooms.

--They had all gathered here together.

Meanwhile, the guards were circling around the mine with some tools.

Seeing this, Taylor whispered to Cyrus, "They've probably found the center of the mine."

The core of geological mining is digging downwards; once you dig to a certain depth, a large amount of minerals will appear.

Liquid minerals, such as "the Devil's Sweat," can be obtained by simply drilling through the deep oil layer at a suitable location, thus capturing a continuous stream of rising minerals.

The location of the previous exploratory well was incorrect.

Because the oil is not evenly distributed underground.

The depth of the oil layer also varies, so if the wrong location is identified, the amount of oil that comes out will naturally be small.

For oil well drilling, choosing the drilling location on the surface is one of the most important steps.

For example, the first step in oil exploration.

Sometimes oil slicks appear on the surface, which indicates that there is definitely oil underground.

Drilling a well in this area would definitely increase the success rate significantly.

The next important step is to see how deep the well is drilled from the surface.

--Most of the time, drilling an oil well is purely a matter of luck.

Kunseci Mayor Vernon's discovery of the flammable liquid underground was entirely accidental, a "lucky" find...

This made him keenly aware of the vested interests involved.

--The first mine shaft to be excavated was located in an area that had already sunken and exposed a small amount of oil.

After that, Vernon ordered the area to be excavated.

But later, Vernon discovered that the Devil's Sweat gushing from the mine was not much, so he began to order his men to slowly explore other areas.

There are signs of excavation both near and far from this mine.

Now, the group has identified a location to dig downwards.

At this crucial moment of decision, even the leader of the bandits came in person.

Cyrus was staring at the bandit leader, whose face was covered in scars and who had a fierce appearance.

He didn't notice the flicker in Bunier's eyes as he stood beside him, and the resolute look on his face.

Rather than let everyone suffer here, it's better to drag these wicked people down into the abyss, into the devil's embrace...

If the "Devil's Sweat" could rise from the ground and flood this place.

Bunier thought—he would risk his life to snatch the scimitar or greatsword from the guards.

The sparks that fly when iron rubs against each other are sure to ignite the "Devil's Sweat."

However, before Bunier could even put their plans into action—they were led to a designated location and were about to begin digging when countless arrows came flying from nowhere.

With a "whoosh".

An arrow pierced the chest of the guards surrounding them in an instant, right before Bunier's eyes.

The ruthless bandit leader, whose face was covered in scars, was also hit in the thigh by an arrow...

Panic ensued.

Just then, before anyone could react, flee, or do anything, a wolf's howl suddenly echoed throughout the entire village.

The Lifens Mountains behind the village had long been surrounded by bandits.

Under their tight surveillance, not even a fly could escape... but tonight seems to be an exception.

A snow-white wolf had somehow appeared on a low, upturned cliff, its icy blue eyes reflecting the bright moonlight, making it appear even more cold and mysterious.

The White Wolf ran downhill and arrived near the mine in the blink of an eye.

Just as the White Wolf ran off, two tigers of opposite colors suddenly sprang out from the other side.

A cry of an eagle echoed from the sky, and a huge, snow-white shadow swooped down, its sharp claws instantly seizing a guard who was trying to escape.

The guard's shoulder was immediately pierced by sharp claws. He screamed and was thrown to the ground, where he rolled several times before being subdued by the soldiers who arrived.

At this moment, the White Wolf had already arrived beside Cyrus.

Taylor pulled a thin, soft wire from the corner of her clothes.

He twisted the wire and aligned it with the shackles on his wrists. With a "click," the shackles were easily opened.

He first unlocked the chains on Cyrus's hands and feet, and then unlocked the shackles on his own feet.

Taylor threw down the wire.

Seeing the White Wolf guarding the lord, and soldiers wielding scimitars rushing towards him, he charged into the chaotic crowd...

Before long, Taylor swiftly grabbed the man guarding them, snapped his wrist without hesitation, and retrieved the key to the shackles from his person...

All of this happened so suddenly that Bunier stared blankly, mouth agape, looking completely bewildered.

He stared blankly at the enormous White Wolf, an unbelievable thought rising in his mind.

"You, you, you are...?"

Cyrus winked at him and said, "I told you, it'll be over soon."

"Bunier, do you want to go and take revenge yourself?"

Taylor came over and helped them remove the shackles from their wrists and ankles.

Little Bowen couldn't hold on any longer and fainted. At that moment, he was being held in the arms of the middle-aged man, Todd, Todd remained motionless, his expression frozen.

By the time everyone slowly came to their senses, the battle was already over.

This place, which had caused them such despair and hardship, and these evil people against whom they had no way to resist, were all eliminated.

The bandit leader was captured, some died, and the rest were tied up and forced to kneel on the ground...

And they were rescued.

Bunier's carefully crafted plan was aborted before it could even be implemented.

However, he laughed through his tears.

This night was destined to be anything but peaceful—the entire city of Kunseci was shaken.

At the moment dawn broke, accompanied by the tolling of bells, almost everyone gathered at the city gate of Kunseci, which faced the direction of the Saint Airo Empire.

In front of the city gate lies the border between the Desinia Territory and the Saint Airo Empire.