Chapter 332: Important People
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Suzanna, Ernest, and Anfey killed the only zombies active in the area. Nothing disturbed them again during the night. When they were about to leave, Black Eleven spotted the two mercenaries from Shadow mercenary group approaching them. The two mercenaries were standing by the side of the road and looked as if they wanted to say something, but could not bring themselves to do so. "Find them some horses," Anfey instructed.
Black Eleven brought two horses for the mercenaries but mounted silently. People enjoyed the company of others, especially in times of great crisis. People would band together with complete strangers to achieve their goals. The mercenaries could easily conceal themselves, but spending time in a forest filled with creatures of death was hard. When they saw Ernest, they knew that it would be wise to team up with him. They left Moramatch because they had grown frustrated with the way things were run there, but they still needed friends.
The group traveled deeper into the mountains. Transverse Mountains were already infested with creatures of death, and there were no travelers to be seen. Anfey stopped his horse and said, "Is there no one alive around here?"
"No," one of the mercenaries said, shaking his head. "You are the first people we have seen in a week."
"Where else did you go after you left Moramatch?"
"We just kept heading west. We needed to reach Maho Empire. It’s too dangerous anywhere else," Ling, the woman, said.
"Why did you decide to come with us then?"
"That’s still our home. We want to protect it," the other mercenary said. She glanced at Ernest and pursed her lips.
"Did the creatures of death attack Moramatch?"
"They did."
"What happened?"
"There are thousands of mercenaries in Moramatch right now. Those things didn’t stand a chance."
"How many mercenaries?" Christian interrupted.
"At least a thousand. Maybe more."
"How is that possible?"
"Wasn’t it you who said that all mercenaries should band together?" Long, the male mercenary, said, shaking his head.
"I don’t know what happened in Moramatch. Why would I lie to you about it? Even if the mercenaries should unite, they should rally around the four major mercenary groups."
"Those people?" Long chuckled. "Glory and Thunder mercenary groups had already closed White Mountain City. Blackwater is closed as well. Those outside can’t get in, those inside can’t get out. There’s nowhere else to go."
"Why would they do that?" Christian asked. "That makes no sense."
"Why not? We’re mercenaries, do you understand?"
"What about mercenaries?"
Long shook his head and turned away his gaze. The woman sighed and said, "All the farmers living in Country of Mercenaries fled. All of our food was bought from merchants and peddlers."
"Are there no supplies stored in White Mountain and Blackwater City?"
"There are, but not enough to supply the entire nation for a long time."
"What about Moramatch?" Anfey asked.
"Are you asking me what’s happening in your city?" Ling asked, amused.
Anfey frowned. He did not know what Alice had done after he left. She summoned more than a thousand mercenaries to Moramatch, which could be a good thing if she had enough food supplies. This had nothing to do with personal conflicts. This was a matter of life and death. Anfey would do the same thing if he was in her place. But she shouldn’t have been so strict. The different mercenaries groups were working together towards the same goal, but that did not mean they were the same group. It would take time for those mercenaries to trust each other and start working together as a group. Alice should know this.
Suddenly, a shrill scream broke the silence of the forest. Anfey frowned and looked around with the Heart of Nature. He quickly found the source of the disturbance. He pointed to his right and turned to Suzanna. "There’s someone fighting a zombie over there. Blavi, go with her."
Blavi levitated into the air and disappeared into the trees. Suzanna summoned her combat power and disappeared after him.
"How did you know there’s a fight?" Ling asked, narrowing her eyes.
"That’s my secret," Anfey said with a smile.
After a few tense minutes, Suzanna and Blavi appeared through the trees, supporting a wounded mercenary between them. The mercenary’s head was hanging low and his long hair obscured his face. He was stumbling and his s.h.i.+rt was bloodstained.
"Be careful!" Ling screamed suddenly. "He’s already contaminated."
Suzanna and Blavi dropped the mercenary and jumped aside. Suzanna drew her sword and swept it across the man’s torso. A deep gush appeared on the man’s body and he stumbled to the ground.
The time was nearing noon and the sun was high in the sky. As soon as sunlight touched the man’s body, he screamed in agony. Dark smoke rose from where the light touched his body. Anfey frowned. He jumped off of his horse and marched over to where the man had fallen and crouched down next to him.
The man’s body was covered with large warts that quickly broke open. Fine dust rose from the man’s body and dispersed in the wind. As more warts appeared and disappeared, the mercenary’s body became smaller and smaller until finally he was nothing more than a blackened corpse.
"I thought zombies could survive under sunlight," Anfey said, turning to the two mercenaries from Shadow mercenary group. "Why did this one die?"
"You think we would know?"
"Well, at least we know that there won’t be any new zombies," Christian said.
"Did you guys see any necromancers on the way?" Anfey asked.
"Once."
"Just once?"
"Yes."
"Strange…"
"Those things have their own leaders as well," the male mercenary said. "They’re weird. They’re stronger than normal zombies and faster. Those leaders can use magic and are intelligent."
"We noticed that too," Anfey said. "Clearly the zombies are still scared of sunlight when they first transform. What changed?"
"Maybe the necromancers discovered new magic,"
"I think so too," Ling said. "Those leaders aren’t afraid of Priests, either. They aren’t at all effected by light magic."
"The Priests must be confused," Anfey said.
"I’m not fond of the Priests, but they are our greatest weapons," Long said. "Light magic is more effective than forbidden spells when it comes to fighting necromancers."
"That’s not our worry right now," Anfey said, mounting his horse again. "I need to know what’s happening at Moramatch."
Long and Ling looked at Anfey frowning. Clearly, Anfey did not know that the mercenaries were flocking to Moramatch to seek help and protection from him, not Alice.