Chapter 513: The Messenger, Unsolvable Symbols, and Accusatory Letters

The warhorse galloped wantonly across the open fields, the dry, grey dust kicked up by its hooves trailing behind it in a yellowish plume several meters high. Not a drop of rain had fallen for days; if it were a normal year in Changmai Village, the villagers would naturally have fetched water to carefully irrigate the crops in the fields, keeping the surface soil moist.

With that moisture, there wouldn't be so much dust flying about, but since the villagers were dragged away at the beginning of this year, even weeds had barely grown in these vast fields outside the village, leaving only dry, fragmented soil.

The rumbling of hooves carried far, causing the defeated soldier messenger fleeing the village to look back in terror, only to discover an enemy riding an armored warhorse rapidly closing in on him.

In that instant, the defeated soldier acting as a messenger even momentarily mistook Jier, who was riding over, for the Knight Lord of their own troop.

Fortunately, this terrified misidentification lasted only for a moment.

The soldier quickly saw the difference in the warhorse's trappings and the difference in the armor worn by the person approaching.

The warhorse's trappings lacked brightly colored caparisons, and there were no fluffy feathers decorating the top of the horse's head; it was merely plain metal protective gear, looking more like the elite cavalry in the hands of the nobles.

As for the armor the enemy wore, it was merely plate armor made of bundled and pieced-together plates similar to their own soldier armor, rather than the thick, large metal plate armor of knights; furthermore, there were no bright, conspicuous bird feathers decorating the top of the newcomer's helmet.

Although he wore a cloak, the overall equipment was not ornate, appearing more like a cavalryman than a knight.

"Damn it! I can't even handle a cavalryman!"

The defeated soldier messenger wailed in his heart, his feet not stopping as he looked left and right to see if there was any cover he could rely on for defense. He couldn't possibly face a cavalry charge in these open, abandoned fields, could he?

Wouldn't that just be seeking death?

Yet, after looking all around, he despairingly discovered that there was nothing in the vicinity he could use to block the thrust of the cavalryman's long spear.

He did not want to die, and he immediately thought of surrendering, but the words his uncle had said to him last night echoed in his heart. Compared to dying instantly in battle, being subjected to long, slow torture by the enemy after surrendering, and having his human dignity stripped away through humiliating methods, was even more terrifying to him.

Thus, the defeated soldier abandoned the idea of surrendering; after all, they themselves were very clear about what they had done after arriving at this village.

Most villains are most afraid of others doing to them, without the slightest change, the evil deeds they have done to others.

Because they clearly know how many evil deeds they have committed and how much suffering they have caused others.

"Ah!!! I'll fight you to the death!" the soldier shouted loudly, attempting to turn and face the enemy.

He stopped running forward because he knew that no matter how he ran, it was impossible to reach the woods before the other party caught up on horseback.

"I should have left the village in a different direction!" This was his final thought.

A breath later, Jier, riding the warhorse, lowered the Dwarf Long Spear in his hand and instantly swept past the opponent.

The soldier still wanted to lunge sideways at the moment of engagement to dodge the spear's thrust.

But Jier's speed was faster than his, his movements more agile, and the reach of the long spear was further than the defeated soldier messenger had anticipated. Jier merely adjusted the orientation of the spearhead, and in the instant he swept past on horseback, he let the spearhead graze the upper body of the opponent as he lunged out.

*Squelch—*

First came the sharp, grating sound of metal colliding, followed by the sound of a human body being pierced and shattered.

Jier's right hand holding the spear felt almost no resistance or recoil as the tip of the long spear smoothly sliced open the right side of the enemy's upper body. Jier immediately pulled the Jiansheng to slow down, circled around, and rode back to check on the enemy's condition.

Blood splattered the scene, and some of the human internal organs were even flung out of the body along with the massive, devastating wound, looking extremely horrifying. Jier glanced at the tip of the Dwarf Long Spear and found it unscathed; furthermore, after being stained with blood, strange, glowing Dwarf runes faintly emerged on the spearhead, and the sharp edge of the spearhead gained an extra layer of faint light, as if it had received some kind of enhancement.

Jier sat on his horse, lowered the spearhead, and tentatively poked the enemy's helmet with the sharp tip; without using much force, he pierced a hole right through the enemy's metal helmet.

One must know this was a metal helmet; although the metal of the helmet used by the enemy soldier was very thin, relying more on a layer or even multiple layers of leather padding inside the helmet to increase protection, it was still a metal helmet.

A slight poke of the long spear could pierce a hole; it was simply treating metal like mud or rotten wood.

"Truly remarkable technology."

Jier couldn't help but exclaim; if such a weapon were placed in the hands of a true powerhouse, he wondered if he could still have easily won when he previously fought against the Dwarf soldiers.

It would probably have been a life-or-death battle, right?

Withdrawing his drifting thoughts, Jier returned the long spear to the weapon rack behind him, then jumped off his horse. After looking left and right to ensure no new messengers appeared, he began to rummage through the enemy's body.

Of course, he didn't covet the enemy's weapons and equipment; others would naturally come to clean up the battlefield later. What he wanted to find were the letters carried by this messenger, or something like a token used by the defeated soldiers to pass on important information internally.

He quickly found two such items.

One was found in a pocket on the opponent's belt: a small wooden cup sealed shut with wax that was still warm, inside of which seemed to be a folded letter.

He inspected this small wooden cup and found that such an item was not only resistant to accidental damage during movement but also entirely waterproof; the beeswax-like substance sealing the cup's mouth could ensure the important documents inside would not be affected by dampness or water vapor.

The other was found in a pouch on the enemy's back: an iron plate that had turned red, likely due to some additive, on which only one side had been nervously and temporarily scratched with an unknown symbol using a sharp object like a Dagger.

The latter was clearly a symbol understood only within their own ranks; looking at the symbol itself, one could not deduce what it represented.

Because it could be any content previously agreed upon within the enemy's ranks.

For example, if the other party decided that the horizontal line 【One】 represented their pre-agreed "Number One" situation, then this "Number One" situation could be an expected defeat after encountering the enemy, or it could be a need for reinforcements after encountering the enemy.

It could be any content it represented.

So Jier sighed; he knew that unless he captured a low-level enemy officer, it would be impossible to know what this symbol represented.

As for the other document, Jier used his hand to pry off the sealed wax, took out the letter from the small wooden cup, unfolded it repeatedly, and read it quickly. The content was substantial, actually filling both sides of the letter.

【Whoever sees this letter, please understand one thing.】

【Things were not supposed to develop into what they are now.】

【I am an ordinary Tax Officer from a remote village in Odorf County, Viscount territory, Grinana Lake, Southern Province.】

【My nephew and I were conscripted into the army only because we incorrectly estimated the enemy's strength under the propaganda of the conscription officers.】

【But I later discovered that behind all of this, there might be a deeper conspiracy.】

【Please understand one thing: my nephew and I are both good people; in the face of temptation and orders, we held our ground.】

【But if you found this letter on the corpses of our uncle and nephew, please do not overthink it; the moment the army we were in drew swords against innocent people, we already had a reason to be killed.】

【The conspiracy behind the events, and the dying wails of innocent people, prompted me to write this in advance so that you may understand some of the things I have discovered.】

【I hope they can bring you some help and clear away some of the Mist brought by the conspiracy.】

Below were the serial numbers marked by the writer, along with some specific content.

【1. The Re-gan Kingdom in the south, Aofēilìnè, is adjacent to the county where I live. Our county should have been relatively well-informed about the neighboring country's military situation, but in reality, the Noble Allied Forces were extremely lacking in intelligence regarding the enemy. The fact that I had learned from merchants about the neighboring country's army capable of controlling fire was something most people in the Allied Forces were unaware of; there were no means to respond in advance to the enemy releasing fire.】

【2. After the two armies made contact on the battlefield, our army quickly collapsed. Even though most of the troops in the rear could not see the situation in the front due to the terrain of the battlefield, the collapse started from the rear, not from the troops fighting in the front. I can guarantee this here, because at the time, I and the unit I was in were in the middle of the Noble Allied Forces on the battlefield, able to see the front battlefield as well as the positions of more troops in the rear. Yet the collapse and retreat of the troops started from the rear.】

【3. After the army retreated and collapsed, the leader of my unit, Knight Hartna, went missing during the engagement. The unit's Adjutant took over command, leading the unit to avoid the combat zones on the battlefield and hide in a dense forest in the mountains. After several days, the missing Knight Hartna suddenly appeared. Although he himself had suffered severe burns, he was mentally stable and spoke normally. This is very strange; burns are extremely serious injuries, and even if the Knight was powerful enough, he should not have appeared so calm and normal.】

【4. It is not only this that is strange. After Knight Hartna found us, he suddenly had a plan, a plan to let the unit get out of the current awkward situation. Because we had hidden in the mountains near the battlefield, although we avoided the fighting, we were trapped in the battlefield control zone of the neighboring country's army due to the backward extension of the war's combat area. The missing Knight Hartna, who had reappeared, brought a plan at this time that would change our fate. A bold plan: cross the vast, uninhabited Southern Mountains and move directly toward the northwest to reach our own territory, far away from the battlefield.】

【5. Before reaching the starting point for crossing the mountains, Knight Hartna displayed extraordinary command ability, an ability that should not have been his given his age and experience. Along the way, we avoided the enemy army's several patrols and searches without any losses, as if the Knight had known long ago when those troops would pass by and when they would leave. A Scout in the unit expressed doubts about this, but I privately advised the other party not to express these things in front of everyone again. The other party later safely made it through the Southern Mountains; I cannot say whether my advice saved his life.】

6, the most bizarre thing happened: before we set out to cross the mountains, we inexplicably received a supply drop. Led by the Knight, the troop raided a local Bandit lair and actually obtained a large amount of the supplies needed to cross the mountains from within it. There was some discussion about this in the troop, but Knight Hartna did not respond.

7, while crossing the Southern Mountains, an alien tribe actually defected to us; they were Striped Mountain Cats that walked upright and could speak the common tongue. They were familiar with many things in the mountain forests, but the Knight and the Adjutant refused to let us have too much contact with this alien tribe; they monopolized the communication. But thanks to these aliens, we managed to cross the entire Southern Mountains accurately, despite suffering many losses, by following a map the Knight had in his possession—he claimed it was seized from the Bandit lair—though we did not know where he had gotten it from.

8, before leaving the Southern Mountains, we discovered a new Mine that was well-stocked with supplies but had been voluntarily abandoned. The alien Striped Mountain Cats cheered at this, as if some condition of theirs had been met. The Adjutant's explanation for this was that a festival for the aliens had arrived, but this was clearly a lie. It is just a pity that everyone in the troop followed along in celebrating that we had all made it through the dangerous Southern Mountains.

9, the troop's Captain had a fierce argument with Knight Hartna's Adjutant, and they even came to blows. Everyone pulled them apart, and thanks to the armor they were wearing, neither was injured in the scuffle. But afterward, the Captain no longer had any direct communication with the Adjutant, and Knight Hartna gradually stopped appearing before everyone because the wounds on Knight Hartna's body had become severe. My nephew even smelled the stench of rotting corpses on the Knight, yet the Adjutant kept claiming that Knight Hartna was fine. The confidence in the Adjutant's demeanor made many people believe him, because everyone did not think that was something a person who was lying could display.

The event finally happened: the troop's Captain led the rest of us to raid the first Village we encountered after exiting the mountains. Many Soldiers, having accumulated pressure, wantonly used violence and indulged their own base desires. Although my nephew and I did not harm those innocent people during the entire process, I have to say that we stood on the side of evil at that time. May the God of Wealth protect us, though I understand that this is not a crime that can be redeemed by wealth.

After raiding the Village, there was unexpectedly no large-scale slaughter because the Captain demanded that we capture those Villagers and escort them to the Mine in the mountains. Even though that Mine had already been happily occupied by those alien Striped Mountain Cats. Afterward, a secret elimination operation was arranged; the Captain assigned all the most violent, mentally unstable Soldiers who did not execute orders well or who had talked back to him to this Village, making us prepare enough food every half month for everyone who had retreated to the Mine in the mountain forest. Many people did not notice this, or rather, some people noticed, but no one took the initiative to speak of it.

The Captain and the Adjutant gave the same explanation to everyone on different occasions, saying that after discovering this Mine, everyone could make a fortune, which is why they raided the Village to capture people to mine. But I used to be a Tax Officer, and I understand some basic commercial transactions. How would the Mineral Ore dug out of the Mine be transported out? Who would those Mineral Ore be sold to? And how much money could be exchanged for them? With Knight Hartna still around, would he share the money with us? Or is this all a scam?

I have a premonition that I am unlikely to return to my hometown alive, but I also understand that we Soldiers who have done things like raiding a Village should not return to our hometowns, even if our hometowns are already under the rule of the neighboring country's army.

In the end, I hope that you, who see this letter, can use the contents I have written to uncover the conspiracy behind this and the mastermind. I am absolutely certain that there is a conspiracy behind this series of events, and in the process, many people have been manipulated; they may have succumbed to the desires in their hearts, or they may have known the situation but actively did those things. It is truly a deeply tragic series of events; the God of Wealth always teaches us to face our desires squarely and to control them, rather than being controlled by them. But in the midst of war, it seems everyone is manipulated by desires they cannot control, letting them spread and expand, occupying their minds, commanding their hands and feet, and causing terrible and tragic things.

The letter ends here. The letter is not large, but it is filled with important first-hand content. After reading this, Jier lets out a breath.

He gazes into the distance at the mountain forest south of Changmai Village, as well as the boundless mountains stretching out behind the forest, and for the first time, he discovers that these beautiful landscapes are smeared with the bloody color of slaughter and the black spots of conspiracy.

?? Welcome everyone to subscribe to this book, give this book recommendation votes, monthly tickets, and support with tips! Thank you all!