Chapter 282: 10-man squad, the attack of the Iron Rats

It has been raining frequently in "Kalinsha" lately.

Sometimes, despite the clear blue sky, a large dark cloud would drift in from nowhere, followed by a torrential downpour.

Such is the climate.

Anri has no choice but to carry an umbrella with her, stepping on the still-damp ground as she walks toward the potion workshop.

"The weather in the Holy Kingdom is truly fickle," Anri thinks to herself, seeing a small puddle ahead and leaping over it with a forceful push of her front foot.

Splash!

The tall figure of the Evil Spirit Dog follows Anri at a leisurely pace, stepping into the puddle without a care, splashing up a trail of muddy water.

"Xiao Hei, you've dirtied your paws again," Anri says, feeling a headache at the sight.

"Awoo," the Evil Spirit Dog responds lazily.

Drip—drip-drop—

Drip-drop—

The sky darkens, and rain falls without warning.

Anri hurriedly takes out her umbrella and opens it, holding it over her head: "Why is it raining again?"

Pedestrians on the street also open their umbrellas one after another, and sounds of complaint or annoyance rise among the crowd.

Due to the rain, the street becomes somewhat chaotic. Anri grips her umbrella tightly and walks forward; under the intimidation of the Evil Spirit Dog, pedestrians on the street actively clear a space wherever she passes.

"I'm late today; I must hurry to the workshop to deliver the potions. I can't keep the guests waiting," Anri thinks, quickening her pace.

Back in the Kingdom, she always sold potions together with Miss Cuiye, but the people of the Holy Kingdom don't really like demi-humans.

To prevent any trouble, the Evil Spirit Dog now accompanies her.

"Demi-humans aren't all bad people."

"Is this the 'prejudice' that my lord mentioned?" Anri has always felt that although Miss Cuiye is a bit cold, she is a very good person.

The sudden rain comes quickly and goes just as fast.

Just as the potion workshop appears before her eyes, the dark clouds in the sky have already receded.

According to the residents of "Kalinsha," this season is always rainy; the Holy Kingdom is surrounded by the sea on three sides, and some abnormal weather always occurs every year.

She takes a few quick steps.

Anri arrives in front of the potion workshop, hesitates for a moment, signals the Evil Spirit Dog to wait outside, and then walks into the workshop.

Anri is naturally not going to another potion workshop to provoke them with alchemy potions; this is simply the location designated by that trader.

A solemn atmosphere permeates the potion workshop.

Ten figures draped in gray raincoats stand quietly in the hall, and as Anri arrives, they all look over in unison.

Facing the gaze of so many eyes.

Anri's footsteps falter as she enters the workshop, and she says softly: "I am here to deliver the potions."

One of the figures walks out from the crowd; it is a middle-aged man with an obvious finger-length scar on his face.

"Sorry to trouble you. Where are the potions?"

The scarred man first sizes Anri up, then speaks indifferently.

Anri hurriedly takes 20 bottles of "Regeneration Potion" from the magic leather bag at her waist and says calmly: "These are your potions."

Having experienced so many things, Anri is no longer the timid and cautious village girl who just left Carne Village.

These 10 people look a bit like adventurers.

Looking at their attire, there are Rangers and Thieves.

Anri glances quickly, muttering to herself inwardly.

She also feels these people don't look like real adventurers; they look a bit like the elite soldiers she often encounters in "Kalinsha."

"20 bottles? So few." The scarred man frowns, turns his head, and shouts to a figure beside him: "Check them."

Another young man, also draped in a raincoat, walks out from the crowd, takes the 20 bottles of potions from Anri, raises his palm toward the potion bottles, and chants in a low voice:

"Item Identification."

Magic light flickers.

A look of surprise appears on the young man's face.

"What is it?"

"No problems. This is my first time seeing this kind of healing potion. The effect is even better than rumored; it might really save our lives at a critical moment."

Hearing this.

A trace of a smile also appears on the scarred man's face as he looks at Anri: "That's good. How many gold coins in total?"

Anri says immediately: "10 gold coins per bottle, 200 gold coins in total."

"What!"

"So cheap? The number I inquired about was not this price." The young man holding the potions suddenly raises his head, saying in disbelief, then as if realizing something:

"As expected of Mr. Pabel, to have such great face."

Pabel?

That is the tall, thin soldier captain who visits the Captain from time to time, with sharp, somewhat frightening eyes.

"That's not it!"

Anri raises her head and says earnestly: "The potions made by the Captain have always been this price; it's just that those who buy the potions raise the price again to sell them."

"The number of high-grade 'Regeneration Potions' the Captain can make each day is very small. This time, it was that Mr. Pabel who entrusted the Captain."

"Our Captain stayed up all night to make them for you all." Anri's tone carries a hint of dissatisfaction.

Hearing these words.

The ten figures in raincoats present look at each other; some are expressionless, some look indignant, and some let out a light laugh.

"Thank your Captain for me. If I can still live..." The young man looks at Anri and says gently, but stops halfway.

"Cough!" The scarred man coughs.

"Haha." The young man laughs heartily, while the expressions on the faces of the other figures vary.

"The items are ready. Everyone, we should go." The scarred man speaks indifferently.

Taking the paid gold coins.

Anri watches curiously as the few people in gray raincoats disappear into the street, then turns around and returns with the Evil Spirit Dog.

Inside the inn.

Tang Zheng sits on the sofa, looking at the prices of crops and meat he has copied down, lost in thought.

"Anri is back."

"Those people did not take the fortress wall route, but left 'Kalinsha' instead." The Witch Cuiye stands respectfully to the side, reporting softly.

"Taking the sea route?"

Tang Zheng is not surprised and waves his hand indifferently: "They intend to use the trade routes of those merchant caravans to sneak into the hilly region."

"I hope these people can return alive."

The Witch Cuiye's bright yellow eyes flicker; it seems the Master feels these people probably won't be able to return alive.

Even if the Master does not intervene.

With the strength of those people, they wouldn't be able to gather any useful intelligence at all, or rather, the intelligence they could gather is only what the Master wants them to know.

Abelion Hills.

Southern part.

Usually, entering March, the hilly region should be rich in rainfall, but there is absolutely no sign of rain; furthermore, the scorching sun is high in the sky.

Although winter has just ended not long ago, there is already a sense of high heat.

"Kill!"

"Slaughter this group of Ogres!"

"Rob them of everything!"

"..."

The clamorous shouts of killing resound through the sky, intertwined with the angry roars of the Ogres.

A torrent of gray and brown collides, and a brutal slaughter erupts in the forest; blood and flesh fly, emitting a thick, bloody scent.

Fighting against the Ogres is a group of gray demi-humans, bipedal demi-humans with the appearance of rats.

This is a powerful race in the hilly region—known as the Iron Rats!

Bang!

An Ogre swings the sturdy and powerful wooden club in its hand, forcefully striking an Iron Rat on the head, smashing it to the ground on the spot.

However!

To the Ogre's astonishment, the Iron Rat merely shakes its head and climbs back up from the ground.

"It hurts like hell, I'm going to tear you apart!" The Iron Rat screams in pain while raising its sharp claws and pouncing onto the Ogre's chest.

The sharp claws swing up and down!

The Ogre is disemboweled on the spot, literally pierced through from the chest by the Iron Rat.

Foul-smelling red blood drips along the Iron Rat's gray fur, which emits a metallic luster, making its already scarlet eyes appear exceptionally ferocious against the backdrop of the blood.

Iron Rats are born with steel-like body hair, which makes both their teeth and claws very sharp and hard.

At the same time, this also gives them a relatively high resistance to physical attacks.

The powerful Ogres have almost no ability to resist in front of these Iron Rats, and furthermore, the number of Iron Rats here far exceeds that of the Ogres; they were clearly prepared.

In less than a moment.

Dozens of Ogres are completely slaughtered, while the Iron Rats only lost seven or eight of their own kind.

Cheers resound through the forest.

Numerous Iron Rats begin to clean up the battlefield, which means taking away the corpses, and the food transported by the Ogres is also taken away by this group of Iron Rats.

Over the past month.

The commotion caused by the Ogres trading large amounts of food with humans has attracted the attention of the Iron Rats, who also reside in the southern territory of the hilly region.

As one of the 12 major demi-human races in the hilly region, the Iron Rats are not a race with a small population like the Magic Humans, but possess a very large population.

This attack was not a temporary impulse, but part of a long-planned scheme.

At this very moment!

A unit of about eight hundred Iron Rats is attacking the Ogre encampment.

"Hand over all the food!"

"Stupid Ogres, daring to trade with humans."

"You have betrayed the Hills!"

Excited roars erupt from the mouth of an Iron Rat with a belt-like magic item tied around its waist, its scarlet eyes filled with greed.

Bang!

An Ogre rushes over from a distance, but before it can get close.

The Iron Rat swings its sharp claws, easily dismembering the Ogre; the strength of the two sides is clearly not on the same level.

"Haven't you found the storage location of that food yet?" The Iron Rat chieftain shakes the blood off its claws and looks impatiently at the two Iron Rats beside it who are constantly sniffing.

"Chieftain, these Ogres seem to have used some method to mask the scent of the food." One Iron Rat says cautiously.

"Don't worry, Chieftain, that food is right nearby." Another Iron Rat sniffs hard and says with great certainty.

"Ah!"

"Ah!" Suddenly, the screams of tribesmen ring out from not far away.

The Iron Rat chieftain is stunned, narrows its eyes, and looks toward the direction of the screams.

Just look!

In the direction the screams are coming from, three higher-species Ogres, far larger than normal Ogres, are striding toward this direction.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 283 =====