Zane, Spanning a Thousand Miles

"What on earth is going on?!"

Inside the prison cells at the Light Eagle Legion's headquarters.

Ta Mi angrily shook the iron fence, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Save your breath, how can you reason with mercenaries?"

There were also seven or eight adventurers locked in the cell, all of whom were unfamiliar faces.

"But what right do they have to imprison us?"

As soon as he left the dungeon, he found himself in the wilderness, surrounded by the Light Eagle Legion, who caught him red-handed.

He was given almost no time to explain himself before the mercenaries, known for their domineering style, locked him in a dungeon. To this day, no one has come to see him or explain what happened.

Ta Mi was so angry she gritted her teeth and yelled:

"When my captain gets here, he'll definitely teach them a lesson!"

"Who's your captain?" someone asked curiously.

He proudly straightened his back, crossed his arms, and said, "[Black Bat] Lu Lu Wo!"

To be honest, Ta Mi really admires Lu Lu Wo, and she didn't feel ashamed at all for expressing her feelings in public.

However, the expressions of the other adventurers became strange.

"If the Lu Lu Wo you're talking about is the same person we're thinking of."

"What's wrong?" Ta Mi suddenly had a bad feeling.

"She was here not long ago, but she's been taken away now."

"Ha!?"

Captain, don't suddenly break down when I'm praising you!

Ta Mi knelt on the ground, stunned. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to see the lawless and energetic Lu Lu Wo locked up in a cell.

And why was she taken away? Is the captain in danger?

Thinking of this, he started shaking the fence frantically again, looking anxious.

The Light Eagle Legion's cells were built by an ultimate Construction Magician with over fifty years of experience. Even a dragon's charge couldn't easily destroy them, let alone Ta Mi, who is currently only at the Silver Rank.

Being in a dimly lit cell makes even your sense of time blurry.

After an unknown amount of time, new adventurers were continuously brought in. Some looked bewildered, some had bruises on their bodies, and some were too frightened to move.

Gradually, the cell filled with people, and even the mercenaries guarding the place complained with a headache, "Why are there so many intruders today? Has the captain not returned yet?"

Outside the cell, a growing commotion and argument began, growing louder and louder than a small-scale conflict, with mercenaries shouting everywhere.

Ta Mi was completely confused. Did they mean that troops from another country had invaded?

The noise lasted for a very long time, but no new adventurers were thrown in, followed by a long silence.

What exactly happened outside?

After waiting a while, the cell door creaked open and someone came in.

The locked-up adventurers were about to unleash a torrent of curses, and Ta Mi was no exception, but when he saw who it was, the curses that were about to come out caught in his throat.

Because the person who came was Lu Lu Wo!

Not only Lu Lu Wo, but also Leon and his group!

However, Leon and his companions bore the marks of battle, and their expressions were not good.

"Captain, you're alright, that's great!" Ta Mi rushed to the fence.

"You're locked up here too?" Lu Lu Wo asked in surprise. "Where are Bei Er Tuo and the others?"

"We got separated"

"It seems they have a pretty strong survival instinct." Lu Lu Wo took out a key, opened the cell, and then tossed the key to Ta Mi, saying, "Release everyone. By the way, only release the adventurers from Bede City."

Once everyone was released, Ta Mi followed the group out of the underground prison with a puzzled look on her face, only to find that it was already dawn outside.

The mercenaries of the Light Eagle Legion watched from afar, but no one came over. Sally and Elsa, whom he knew, were among the group.

Around the cell were a large number of adventurers from Bede City, easily exceeding a hundred. The fact that they were able to get here meant that they could withstand the Undead Legion for at least ten minutes. Together, they formed a force to be reckoned with.

"What's going on, Captain?"

"It's just a misunderstanding," Lu Lu Wo with a look of disgust as she looked at the mercenaries. "It was a misunderstanding that could have been resolved by talking things out."

"?"

Ta Mi later learned that the area where the portal was located was the base of the Light Eagle Legion.

These adventurers, who had stumbled in by mistake, were mistaken for spies from an enemy country—because the Arnor Kingdom had a long history of conflict with the neighboring Warrior Country, and the situation had recently become even more tense.

Mercenary groups are inherently violent organizations, and the Light Eagle Legion is particularly xenophobic. The sudden appearance of an underground city in their base had already put them on edge, and the arrival of adventurers forced the mercenaries to remain vigilant.

But you can't blame the adventurers. Who knows why, after dying once, they didn't resurrect at Firelink Shrine but instead ended up in front of an unfamiliar bonfire, and the portal next to the bonfire could teleport them thousands of miles away to the vicinity of the Leyndell.

This is even more outrageous than the journey from Bede City to the Val City!

And how are they supposed to get back? It would take them a month or two to get back to Bed from the Leyndell, unless the Zane Dungeon can provide them with a fast passage.

The adventurers desperately hoped that Lord Sien would show mercy and give them a way out.

"So, Captain, how did you clear up the misunderstanding?"

"Heh," Lu Lu Wo sneered, and said, "Fight."

Beat?

Captain Lu Lu Wo always preaches that harmony brings wealth, actually has such a volatile side. Come to think of it, how can she fight so many mercenaries all by herself?

Lu Lu Wo saw through Ta Mi's thoughts, pointed to the Strategy Team next to her, and said, "They're the ones doing the fighting, and I'm cheering them on."

No wonder Leon was covered in injuries.

However, as long as they can fight a match, they can calm down and communicate properly. The Light Eagle Legion is really something else.

Elsa, who was mixed in with the mercenaries, stared intently at Leon's back and pouted unhappily. Sally quickly comforted her when she saw this.

Alright, now we know who Leon fought, but we also don't know how the battle ended.

Seeing the tense atmosphere between the adventurers and mercenaries, Ta Mi couldn't help but feel nervous.

How should this matter be resolved?

Adventurers continued to arrive, each looking completely bewildered.

The Light Eagle Legion temporarily designated an area for the people and warned them not to leave, which naturally aroused protests from the adventurers, and another wave of disputes began.

Before the conflict escalated further, Sally and several other mercenaries who looked quite imposing stepped out; they were likely captains or higher.

The group stopped the mercenaries and then invited Leon, Lu Lu Wo, and other highly respected figures among the adventurers to join them in the hastily erected tent.

They must be having a conversation.

The content of the conversation remains unknown, but soon after, Lu Lu Wo returned and announced several things to the adventurers.

First, the Light Eagle Legion will no longer attack adventurers, but adventurers cannot continue to penetrate their territory; this is the most important thing.

Secondly, the Light Eagle Legion can provide horses for a fee, whether the adventurer wants to go to a nearby Leyndell or another city, as long as they pay.

Third, if adventurers find anything in the dungeon, they can go to the Light Eagle Legion's logistics team, who will assess its value and purchase it.

Sally also sent gifts to the adventurers who were injured in the conflict, and after receiving compensation, most of them did not pursue the matter further.

"I never expected that the third young master of the Bede Family would actually run here," Lu Lu Wo with some emotion. "I even considered whether I should try to curry favor with him."

Ta Mi asked, "Captain, what are our plans next? Shall we go to the Leyndell?"

As a good young man born and raised in the countryside, he had never actually seen what the Leyndell was like.

"Are you tired?" Lu Lu Wo asked in return.

Ta Mi felt a little tired, but she figured that saying she wasn't tired would leave the best impression, so she firmly shook her head and said, "Not tired!"

"Very good, then let's continue into the dungeon!"

"Huh!?"

The adventurers' side was bustling with activity, and the Light Eagle Legion's side was equally noisy.

"Things have been chaotic enough lately, and now a bunch of adventurers have come along and are causing trouble," a rough-looking vice-captain said irritably. "If you ask me, we should just drive them all out."

"Leaving them around is indeed a potential problem. Our base cannot allow outsiders to linger," a captain said. "But as long as the dungeon portal remains open, adventurers will keep coming, and we can't close it."

"What can we do? Just watch these adventurous kids turn our home into an amusement park?!"

"Don't worry, we definitely can't let them get away with this," Sally shook her head and said, "But we still need to wait for the captain to come back before we can talk about anything else."

"Can't the commander come back sooner?"

Upon hearing this, Sally smiled, thinking that it would be better for the commander to come back later.

The reason why the leader of the Light Eagle Legion, Iliphis, was not present was because he led his men to welcome an important figure— King Anzi III's long-lost bloodline, a real Princess.

For Anzi III, who had never had a child, this Princess was his future successor, the Queen!

"The captain is smart; he's already established a good relationship with the future Queen." Sally spoke with great respect for Iliphis.

Just then, a mercenary suddenly ran in, shouting, "The commander has sent a message!"

The captains all stood up, and Sally pressed for an answer, "What did the captain say?"

"Yes, the commander said that there was an accident on the way and he will be delayed for a few days before he can return, but don't worry, it's not dangerous and they can handle it."

"What about the dungeon?"

People looked at each other in bewilderment, and none dared to venture out without Iliphis's presence.

"The commander also brought this up, and he said:"

The mercenary said solemnly:

"We must explore the dungeon with all our might, and spare no effort to ensure that the Light Eagle Legion is among the first to clear it!"