Since the operation to clear out the Orc Tribe on the Black Rice Wasteland began last year, harassment and attacks on the Xinfei Merchant Guild's base there had dropped significantly.
Since the New Year began, starting the month before last, almost three consecutive months had passed without any orcs daring to harass the base, let alone launch a direct attack.
Of course, the return of peace was no reason to lower their guard.
Although the five hundred members of the Private Guard sent by Servini had withdrawn after completing their mission and were now stationed at the Servini Merchant Guild's production base in Falling Rain Valley, the Xinfei Merchant Guild and several other merchant guilds still combined their Guards Corps to provide tight security for the base. They also made irregular sweeps through the Black Rice Wasteland to clear out any orcs who still did not know better.
Under the agreement between the major merchant guilds, each guild would contribute two hundred permanent personnel to the defensive force on the Black Rice Wasteland.
The Xinfei Merchant Guild rotated its guards on the Black Rice Wasteland every other month. Besides giving those stationed there some time to rest, this followed Hart's suggestion that every guard in the guild should gain actual combat experience and improve their fighting ability through it.
Xu Yi had another purpose as well: by rotating the guards continually, he could update the military magic machinery they carried and then test it in actual combat.
The guards returning to Xinfei Farm aboard the Mana Armored Transport Vehicles were precisely a group of Xinfei Merchant Guild guards who had just rotated out of the Black Rice Wasteland.
Xu Yi cast a Wind-Riding Spell on himself and flew to the entrance of the Merchant Guild Guards Corps Training Base, which