The Otherworld.

The forest remained as silent as ever. The sky, still gray and oppressive. A towering skeleton wandered aimlessly. Undead beings were rare in this forest; in a whole day of roaming, it encountered only two of its kind. Skeletons did not communicate; they simply passed each other by, uncertain when they might meet again.

Footsteps echoed from behind, prompting the tall skeleton to turn its head blankly. Another of its kind approached. It turned back and continued its path. Suddenly, the world inverted—the forest now appearing above. Its limited intellect offered no answers, nor did it have time to ponder. A longsword shattered its skull.

A faint white mist emerged from the broken skull, which Sophia inhaled through what had once been the nose cavity. She stood, gazed around, and let out a silent roar towards the sky. With a speed uncharacteristic of a skeleton, she dashed into the forest, hunting for her next target.

The "Dragon and Beauty" mercenary group set out in the coolness of early autumn. Reginald and his thieves advanced towards Fort Cyrus to scout and set traps. In the main force, Grayson led one hundred and fifty knights at the front, while Ryder commanded two hundred swordsmen at the rear. In the middle were a dozen heavy wagons. Lucian sat in one of them, with Tristan, his guard, seated comfortably beside him. Dorian rode alongside Grayson, posing as an axewielding cavalryman.

Their destination was the town of Le Mans, sixty miles from Fort Cyrus. Le Mans was a modest town with about 2,000 inhabitants. Ever since Captain of the Snow Fox Brigade arrived, there has been no news from the alliance regarding this town. Reginald's reconnaissance efforts confirmed the frequent presence of the Snow Fox Brigade in the area.

At dawn, the people of Le Mans began their day, preparing for another day of sustenance. The sun had not fully risen, but the morning light already illuminated the town. The sounds of roosters crowing and dogs barking grew louder, and smoke began to rise from chimneys. The streets, though sparse, saw the early risers moving about. This remote mountain town, with its meager resources and infrequent trade visits, had long been accustomed to a self-sufficient, peaceful life.

The morning breeze carried a slight chill as the sun slowly climbed from behind the forest, casting a golden-red glow over the town. Trees shimmered as if adorned with golden leaves, and early birds joined in a chorus. It was a picturesque rural morning.

However, Dorian lacked any appreciation for such scenes. Frowning at the dilapidated houses along the main street, even though this is the widest street in the center of the town, there aren't many shops to be seen. The poorly dressed townsfolk eyed the intruding cavalry with curiosity, indifference, and even hostility.

"This town has 2,000 people, maybe three or four hundred households. Given their poverty, an average annual income of 2 gold coins per family would be generous. After taxes, that's about five silver coins, of which three and a half go to the duchy... So, fifty gold coins a year? Damn, is this my territory?" Dorian's muttering grew louder with frustration.

Tristan shot Dorian a disapproving glance, the fat man's greed spoiling his enjoyment of the rural scenery. Grayson remained silent, leading sixty light cavalry axemen, the rest of the mercenaries unseen.

The cavalry slowly reached the town's central square, already gathering a sizable crowd. An elderly man, tall and vigorous, stepped forward, bowing in greeting. "Honorable knights, I am Ian, What brings you to our poor town? Do you have any orders for us?"

Dorian replied nonchalantly, "We are the knights of the Asteria Duchy. I am Dorian, this is Tristan, and this is Grayson. From now on, this town and the surrounding areas are our domain. Mayor, prepare some food for us and report on the town's population and income. After we eat, you will show us around."

"Wait a moment!" A tall, dark-skinned man with a massive hammer stepped forward.

Grayson frowned, urging his horse forward, an aura of cold menace emanating from his. "What, do you have something to say?" Grayson's axe-lance, enhanced by Lucian, was now heavier and magically sharpened. As he channeled his battle energy (Battle Qi), although his skills were not yet strong enough to be fully externalized, his overall aura was gradually increasing and growing more intimidating.

The man, struggling against Grayson's pressure, did not back down. "I am Bam, the town blacksmith! How do you prove you're knights of the duchy? The duchy has done nothing but collect taxes. Where were the knights when those damned bandits took Shanna? When they killed my brother? Now the bandits are gone, and we've had six months of peace. You come to collect taxes again! How are you any different? This land is now under the Snow Fox Brigade—they saved us!" The crowd murmured in agreement.

Tristan nudged Dorian, whispering, "Notice, there are no women among the townspeople, and they all carry weapons."

Dorian looked closely, realizing Tristan was right. The townspeople held weapons, though many were just makeshift. He also noticed figures peeking from closed windows.

Dorian's face darkened. "Finish this quickly, we might have trouble."

Grayson snorted and spurred his horse. Bam roared, raising his hammer high. A flash of cold light and a sharp sound followed as Grayson's axe-lance split the hammer in two. When the man and the horse crossed, and Grayson struck Bam's back with the lance's butt. A crack of breaking bones and a spray of blood sent the blacksmith flying. The crowd erupted in noise. Grayson, satisfied with the mix of fear and hatred in their eyes,turned his horse around and walked towards the fallen Bam, with his axe-lance raised, ready to chop him in two with one blow.

"Wait!" Ian ran over and grabbed Grayson's reins. "My lord, Bam has offended you and deserves to die. But you have already punished him severely. In consideration of the fact that we are all your subjects, please spare his life. I have already arranged some food in the town hall, I hope you lords do not mind the simplicity of our town."

Dorian looked around and slowly said, "We will let this crime of treason will be recorded for now. Let's go eat first, and when we come back after dealing with the Snow Fox Brigade, we will deal with you scoundrels. I know you are still not convinced, and the Snow Fox Brigade has given you a little benefit. But remember, this is our territory! We are your masters! Our words are the law on this land! If anyone dares to challenge us, they can try their luck like that idiot. But don't expect me to show mercy this time. Ian, go find some pretty girls to entertain us. If I find out there are any prettier girls hiding in this town, old man, get ready to spend your last ten years in the slave camp."

The atmosphere in the town hall was extremely oppressive. The knights were all silently eating a simple breakfast, and a few girls from the town were shuttling around serving food and cleaning up the plates and utensils. Occasionally, there would be a few scattered screams, signaling that one of the knights had touched a girl's butt. Dorian and the other two sat at a table, continuously whispering to each other while the food on the table was quickly being devoured. However, it was clear that none of them were paying attention to the taste of the food.

Old Mayor Ian stood nearby, smiling obsequiously. He was relieved that the worst hadn't happened. The knights seemed to have little interest in the town's girls.

During the preparation of breakfast, Dorian and his companions had relentlessly questioned him about the Snow Fox Brigade. Not long after the Snow Fox Brigade had stationed themselves at Fort Cyrus, a band of thieves had attacked Le Mans, looting the town and killing several people. The Snow Fox Brigade happened to pass by during the attack, swiftly annihilating the thieves and saving the town. Since then, members of the Snow Fox Brigade frequently visited the town to trade for supplies at reasonable prices. The town's simple folk naturally favored the Snow Fox Brigade, especially since the alliance's tax collectors had stopped appearing. However, the sentiments of commoners were of no concern to Dorian and his noble companions. Politics was a necessary subject for high nobles, but for these marginalized and declining minor nobles, it was often a waste of time.

Suddenly, a flurry of hoofbeats echoed through the town hall, stopping abruptly at the door. A dusty, ax-wielding knight burst in, removed his helmet, and hurried towards Dorian's table, loudly announcing, "We have found the Snow Fox Brigade..." He was cut off by a sharp slap from Grayson. "Why are you shouting?" he hissed. The knight immediately fell silent and began whispering with Dorian and the others.

Dorian and his group continued to question the knight in hushed tones. Ian could only catch fragments of words like "ambush," "sneak attack," and "Demon Forest." The old mayor maintained his smile and posture carefully, afraid to cause any misunderstanding.

At this point, the group's plans were set. Several noble villains grinned at each other. They called for the knights to mount up and rode out of the town like the wind, leaving behind a mess of cups and plates in the town hall. Ian quickly called over a clever-looking young boy and whispered a few words to him before the boy went off. Not long after, the boy followed the tracks of the knights on horseback. Ian, on the other hand, was busy comforting a few girls with red and swollen eyes.

An hour later, the boy returned at a gallop, and soon after, another rider sped out of the mayor's house, heading swiftly towards Fort Cyrus.

Hart had not been in good spirits for the past year. As the captain of the Snow Fox Brigade and an eleventh-level swordsman, being assigned to this backwater for over half a year was a bitter pill to swallow. He cursed angrily as he patrolled the castle grounds.

Laborers struggled to load sacks of ore onto wagons, six of which were already half-full in the castle's small square. Hart's original mission was to uncover a necromancer's laboratory, but he had found nothing. Instead, he had discovered a rich iron ore vein, high-quality enough to be directly used for steelmaking. For the resource-poor Valeria Duchy, this iron mine was invaluable. Unfortunately, it was located within the Asteria Duchy, forcing them to mine it secretly.

It was strange that the Asteria Duchy had not responded to the Snow Fox Brigade's occupation for such a long time, but Hart still had to do his best to keep their mining operations hidden. A few months ago, a strange attack cost Hart several elite cavalrymen and an intermediate mage. By chance, that mage was the nephew of the vice commander of the mercenary group. As a result, Hart was called back to headquarters and scolded, and his term of service in Fort Cyrus was extended by a year. Thinking about this, Hart's mood became even more depressed, and he began to look for some lazy laborers to practice his whip skills on.

A horseman galloped across the castle square and dismounted in front of Hart. After a brief exchange, Hart's stern expression softened into a grin, and then into hearty laughter. Clapping the messenger on the shoulder, he said, "After we deal with those bastards, I'll recommend you join Snow Fox Brigade! Stick with me, and you'll go far! Hahaha! Men, gather up! We're going hunting!"

Moments later, a hundred mounted knights and two hundred light infantry gathered in the castle square. A black-robed mage stood beside Hart. At his command, the gates opened, and three hundred Snow Fox Brigade mercenaries marched out of Fort Cyrus, leaving only fifty swordsmen to guard the fortress.

Dorian and his companions continued to ride leisurely along the road to Fort Cyrus, their formation spread out. As they rounded a small bend, the lead knight suddenly halted. The knights behind him, grumbling, pushed forward, but fell silent at the sight before them.

In the open field ahead, Hart and the Snow Fox Brigade mercenaries stood in neat formation, clad in heavy armor.

Dorian and his group gasped. The Snow Fox Brigade lived up to its reputation; their ranks were impeccable and silent, exuding a palpable aura of menace. Seeing them, Hart grinned wickedly, licking his lips as he slowly raised his lance. Behind him, the infantry split into two groups, advancing rhythmically, each step accompanied by a shout of "Kill!" The cavalry remained motionless, Hart's lance held high and steady, a murderous aura rising around them. Though only a few hundred strong, their presence felt like that of a thousand.

Dorian and his companions exchanged fearful glances. Their plan to lure the enemy with fifty knights and weaken their resolve had backfired. They had not expected such a battle-hardened force. The warhorses, sensing the killing intent, began to paw the ground nervously, and some knights already looked pale. Their half-trained recruits, having only been drilled for two months, were no match for seasoned veterans.

The nobles glanced at each other, their faces equally pale. Dorian quickly began chanting a spell. A black mist spread between the two forces, dissipating to reveal a dense web covering dozens of meters. Grayson raised his axe-lance, commanding, "Ready! Draw bows! Aim at the left front infantry! Fire!" Dozens of arrows whistled towards the infantry two hundred meters away. The Snow Fox Brigade infantry raised their shields in unison, but their equipment was inadequate. The light shields couldn't cover their entire bodies, and their leather armor offered little protection. After the volley, five or six infantrymen lay on the ground.

Grayson raised his weapon again. "Draw the bow! Shoot!" Another volley, and another five or six infantrymen fell. The Snow Fox Brigade infantry began to charge, closing the distance. Hart watched the enemy formation coolly, waiting for the right moment to unleash his cavalry for a decisive charge. Dorian's spell wouldn't stop his knights but would slow them down significantly. Patiently, he licked his lips again, like a wolf scenting blood.

Grayson lifted his axe-lance for the third time and shouted, "Get ready, everyone!" The foot soldiers of the Snow Fox Brigade were already charging towards them from a hundred meters away. Upon hearing Grayson's command, they immediately raised their shields above their heads and continued to charge, although their speed had slowed down slightly.

Grayson shouted, "Retreat!" The mercenaries of Dragon and Beauty, seasoned veterans, quickly and orderly turned and fled. Hart, caught off guard, watched as Dorian and his group gained significant distance.

Furious, Hart roared, "After them! Chase those bastards down!"