Chapter 216: Counterattack Immediately, Little Scout

Unlike the water-spitting crocodile Jier had already fought, Jier could not easily judge the truth of the information this person provided about the group, so after simply noting it down, he looked toward the pitch-black mountain forest not far away.

This captured fellow said that the main force of his group was about twenty-some people, and besides the unlucky wretch forced to come out this time to lure nearby monsters, there were nearly twenty-five others hiding not far from here.

Because they were familiar with all the terrain near the trade route, it was almost impossible for their hiding spot to be discovered by teams on the trade route, and they had also employed many methods of concealment.

If Jier wanted to deal with those nearby bandits, this disheveled fellow who had surrendered was willing to take the lead and guide Jier and the warriors under his command over there.

However, Jier saw the expression on this person's face change several times while confessing these things, and it was difficult to judge whether this person had any ulterior motives or if the words were true or false.

Perhaps this person still wanted to personally lead Jier into a dangerous area or an encirclement of some kind to ambush Jier!

Therefore, after letting the man finish his confession, Jier had him knocked unconscious and put under the guard of Sipulu, while he himself called over Weier and Xueya Site, as well as that shop assistant from the Sweet Fruit Merchant Guild, and added Aoni, whom he always kept by his side, to discuss this matter.

"Although it's a bit troublesome, I've already defeated the monsters those bandits lured over. Look, that pile of giant crocodile carcasses on the ground over there is them. They are a difficult type of fellow called water-spitting crocodiles. Their armor plates are incredibly sturdy, and they can even spit water from their mouths."

Jier joked with a smile, pointing at the monster carcasses piled up like a small hill.

The others couldn't laugh; if it weren't for Jier or Shishou being present, even if all of Jier's subordinates and those Dwarves had joined the fight, it would have been very difficult to deal with a monster of this size. If they had heavy crossbows with winching power like the Sweet Fruit Merchant Guild, it would be fine, but without them, they could only use human lives to hold the line to drive this monster back.

Perhaps they wouldn't even be able to drive it back, and would have to let the other party eat its fill of humans and horses before it retreated on its own.

The shop assistant from the Sweet Fruit Merchant Guild looked at the carcasses of the water-spitting crocodiles in even greater shock. He knew that his own merchant guild had once hired Knight Lords from Ke'er Shan Jun to deal with these water-spitting crocodiles, but those knight lords had tangled with these crocodile monsters for several days, breaking many swords and long spears, yet they hadn't been able to do anything to this group of water-spitting crocodiles entrenched by the riverbank. He hadn't expected to see Jier, this young Knight, solve one today.

He had a thought in his heart, wondering if he should hire this Knight Jier temporarily at a high price, and have him kill all these water-spitting crocodiles at a high price of one hundred Gold Coins per head?

But he quickly shook his head and abandoned this thought. It wasn't that he doubted Knight Jier couldn't do it, but that he himself didn't have that much money, nor did he have the authority to facilitate this matter. If it were his superior, it might be possible, but getting his superior to make the final decision and pay to hire someone for this was unlikely.

To put it bluntly, for the Sweet Fruit Merchant Guild, there was no need to spend expensive sums of money to provoke this group of water-spitting crocodiles; after all, they were powerful and stayed in groups, and their interference with the trade route was limited. Compared to attacking caravans passing on the trade route, they clearly preferred the wild beasts migrating north and south in the mountain forest.

"After dealing with this monster, I don't think those bandit groups can come up with any decent tricks. So after interrogating the captured bandit, he roughly confessed the location where those people are currently. Look, it's over there, probably here, here, or here. That person can only give a rough idea; to truly find the place where they are hiding tonight smoothly, one must take that person along."

Xueya Site immediately raised an objection: "This is unreliable, Jier. What if this is a trap designed by the bandits in a chain? To lead us to another place where monsters might exist."

Only then did Weier realize the danger involved and immediately said: "That's right, unlike the open riverbank here where we can maneuver, entering the mountain forest at night to search for a group of bandits specifically hiding themselves carries no small amount of risk."

Jier nodded: "That's why I don't intend to take that person with us. Aside from being roughly certain that the other party's group is entrenched nearby, I don't believe a word of the information regarding this aspect. However, I have still decided to deal with those people tonight; after all, we still have to travel tomorrow, and I don't want to delay our travel time."

"This..."

The others didn't expect Jier to still want to travel, and to deal with the bandits nearby tonight. Several people looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

"My Lord, no matter what, don't leave me out of the fight in a moment!" Aoni felt he hadn't played any role tonight, so he immediately stood up and requested to be included in the operation.

"Of course I'll include you. Everyone, don't worry, although I can't determine the specific location of those people, I have my ways. However, before we act, I must ask clearly: how does your Sweet Fruit Merchant Guild view this kind of, uh, spontaneous disposal of bandit groups entrenched on the trade route by passing teams? Is it encouraged? Or is it considered a troublesome matter? Or is it obstructed, or even punished, for 'spontaneous good-hearted people' who deal with bandit groups that set up checkpoints to collect fees on the trade route?"

Following Jier's words, everyone around looked at this poor shop assistant from the Sweet Fruit Merchant Guild. Several people placed their hands on the hilts of the swords at their waists, as if they would draw their swords and hack this fellow if he said something they didn't like.

Poor little shop assistant, what could he say? And could he represent his own merchant guild? Those high-level stewards of the merchant guild were all people from Baron Ke'er's family, not his father or his mother.

Thus, "Please rest assured, everyone! Our Sweet Fruit Merchant Guild welcomes those with justice in their hearts. Being able to eradicate these pustules that hinder trade on the trade route is actually the best thing! If it weren't for their ability to lure monsters to attack passing caravans like tonight, these people would have long been eradicated or driven away! If Lord Jier is determined to take this opportunity to wipe out those bandits hiding nearby, although my skills are average, I will also join this battle to express our merchant guild's attitude toward these people!"

After finishing, the shop assistant drew a Short Sword he had specially brought along from his waist. Although he had no Helmet, no Armor, and his weapon was only a Short Sword with a blade length of no more than forty centimeters, since he had said he would personally participate in the battle, the other warriors no longer looked at him with hostility or contempt.

"Good, I'll take you along for the fight in a moment. It's just that you... never mind, Weier, you have to help protect this person from the Sweet Fruit Merchant Guild in a moment, don't let him die so foolishly."

Jier said to Weier, which made the merchant guild shop assistant, who was drawing his sword to the sky and striking a heroic pose, quite embarrassed.

But embarrassment was better than dying in a battle with unknown circumstances without protection, so the shop assistant immediately smiled ingratiatingly at Weier and stepped forward to greet him and make small talk. In the eyes of this merchant guild shop assistant, Weier, who possessed a handsome face and a calm, noble temperament, looked more like the true leader of this team, rather than the carefree Knight Jier who loved battle. This fellow Weier looked just like some noble young master out for training with a low succession priority.

It couldn't be said that this shop assistant judged wrong, but in reality, he hadn't judged right either.

"However, Jier, since we cannot reliably have that captured bandit lead the way, how are we going to find the bandits hiding somewhere in the surroundings?" Xueya Site raised this realistic question that everyone around wanted to ask.

This question was something only Xueya Site, who had the best relationship with Jier, could ask directly. Others, including Weier or Aoni, were actually too embarrassed to ask because they were afraid of affecting their own trustworthiness and impression in Jier's eyes. Others were even more embarrassed to ask, even though this question was very important and very realistic.

"Simple, don't forget, our team doesn't just have Humans and Dwarves."

Jier said, blinking his eyes.

Some of the onlookers remembered the long-haired lynx Beast who followed Jier, sleeping during the day and active at night, and had a look of realization. As for Aoni and Weier, who knew more, they guessed even more from Jier's blink.

The overnight camp became quiet again, and the refugee caravan returned to the camp. After watching the water-spitting crocodile carcasses piled up like a small hill at close range, they returned to their own tents to rest in high spirits. But looking at the way those people in the caravan were dancing with excitement, it was estimated that it would be difficult for everyone to truly fall asleep until dawn, and they would likely talk about the water-spitting crocodile carcasses until daybreak.

After all, this main trade route had existed for how many years, and they had run this trade route I don't know how many times; this was the first time they had seen with their own eyes someone who could deal with these thick-skinned water-spitting crocodiles. This couldn't help but make those people in the caravan complain about the skills of the Knight Lords of Ke'er Shan Jun, feeling with slight disrespect that it was the outside knights who were capable and could slaughter these water-spitting crocodiles.

Meanwhile, the warriors under Jier were organizing their respective equipment. Knight Jier had decided to deal with the bandit group hiding nearby tonight, so those people had to die tonight! There was no room for negotiation.

Many warriors were discussing in low voices while preparing their equipment: what would the reward for killing these bandits be? Someone guessed one Gold Coin, and was sprayed by everyone, because that disheveled bandit who was caught didn't look like he had any oil and water, and it was estimated that Jier was unlikely to offer such a high bounty for these people.

So after everyone discussed it, they felt it would mostly be between one Silver Coin and three Silver Coins.

After all, these bandits possessed the ability to drive and lure monsters to attack caravans, and were hiding in the mountain forest somewhere nearby. Added to the fact that this battle was an emergency sortie at night, the difficulty of the battle was there, just not too much.

But even a mosquito's leg is meat. The warriors under Jier didn't care that the enemy's bounty was too low; as long as there was an extra battle, and they could obtain the reward given by Jier through the battle, they were satisfied. Even some young warriors who owed Jier a mountain of debt didn't mind that the enemy's reward was small, only that there were too few enemies, wishing they could kill a hundred or eighty bandits or monsters a day to pay off the money they owed and refill their own money bags.

Although a few Dwarves in the caravan volunteered to participate in the battle, Jier, together with Lao Tiequan, persuaded them otherwise, only letting the Dwarf warriors do a good job of defense at the camp here and protect the safety of the overnight camp.

Especially Shishou, as a Dwarf warrior whose strength was on par with Jier's, when Jier took people out on a sortie, he had to shoulder the battle possibility of repelling monsters that might come again.

After all, Jier and his group were planning to wipe out those bandits, and who knew if the bandits, seeing that luring water-spitting crocodiles couldn't handle them, would lure other monsters over overnight.

This was hard to say, so for the safety of the camp, Jier and Shishou couldn't both go out; one had to be left behind to guard the safety of the camp.

On Jier's side, after having his subordinates prepare for the sortie, he went to the woods outside the camp to call for Kuaitui Maomao, who was out foraging.

He only shouted twice, and the sharp-eared Maomao came running and jumping from a nearby tree. It was still holding a headless small snake in its hand, and while eating this "little spicy strip," it ran around Jier happily.

"Please eat, snake, delicious!"

Kuaitui Maomao held up the headless small snake in its hand, hesitating whether to cut the small snake into two halves, one for it, and one for Jier to share.

"Thanks, but I've already had dinner. Not hungry, and did you see that crocodile monster just now? That prey is the good stuff; I'll be eating that for a while." Jier thanked the little guy for its generosity, gesturing toward the giant carcass of the water-spitting crocodile piled higher than the tents in the camp.

Kuaitui Maomao nodded repeatedly: "See, arrived, saw it. Jier, amazing! Kuaitui, just now, tree, watching. Encourage, Jier! Jier, amazing, hunter."

"Ha, you saw it just now? Haha, you're too kind. No more flattery, I have a mission to give you."

As soon as Jier said this, Kuaitui Maomao immediately threw away the half-eaten "little spicy strip" in excitement, stood up straight, looked up at Jier, and two reflective, huge pupils stared straight at Jier.

"Not bad, still remember the posture I taught you. Heels together, toes apart, legs straight together, tail naturally supporting the ground behind, hands close to the body, chest out, head up, eyes looking forward! Ears held high!"

After Jier finished speaking, Kuaitui Maomao stood straight with standard movements, and an expression of determination to complete the mission appeared on its cat face.

"Listen well, tonight's monster attack was not an accident, but a hostile attack lured by enemies in secret! I am not a person who doesn't fight back after being hit, so I not only want to fight back, but I want to fight back now, immediately! But the problem is, I only know now that they are hiding somewhere nearby, definitely in the mountain forest not far away, roughly in that direction. Other than that, I only know their scale is about twenty-some people."

"Maomao, I am now giving you a mission: immediately conduct reconnaissance in the nearby mountain forest, find the hiding place of that group of bandits, verify their numbers and equipment situation, and then immediately return to report to me. Can you complete it?"

"Meow! Definitely! Complete!"

Kuaitui Maomao answered immediately.

Jier nodded, and he took out a Gold Coin and shook it: "I cannot let you Scout at risk for nothing; this is the mission reward, to be issued immediately upon completion! So, please set off at once; I will be waiting for your intelligence at the campfire in the Yingdi. However, be careful; watch out for traps that those Bandit might have set, as well as the wild beasts and Monster that haunt the surrounding unfamiliar mountain forests. While doing your best to complete the mission, come back safely!"

"Yes!" Mao Mao picked up the small snake from the ground and immediately ran quickly in the general direction Jier had first pointed out. It had already traversed this patch of mountain forest where it had just been hunting for food, so there was no need to scout this area.

As for Jier, he had not finished his arrangements yet. After tasking the reliable Mao Mao, he returned to the Yingdi, came to the back of his carriage, and looked at the Huimao Hu Li in the cage that was restless and greedily peering through the bars at the carcass of the water-spitting crocodile. Jier brought his mouth close to it, gave it some whispered instructions, and then opened the cage to let it out.

This shapeshifter, having transformed into a Huimao Hu Li, took a few reluctant looks at the small mountain of the water-spitting crocodile's tempting carcass before walking into the nearby mountain forest, turning its head with every step.

Only then did Jier send out his two little scouts, and all he needed to do afterward was wait quietly for intelligence.

?? There is only one chapter today; I estimate there will be two chapters tomorrow. I will try my best to make up for what was missed this month.