Published: March 11, 2025
Chapter 63: Undead Mercenary Group
Zhao Hai and Merlin both nodded, but they found the situation a bit strange. Normally, there would be some people traveling from Black Mountain Pass to Casa City every day, yet today was unusual; not a single person had come from the direction of Black Mountain Pass. Up until now, Zhao Hai and the others had not encountered a single soul.
In fact, what Zhao Hai and his group did not know was that very early in the morning, several merchant groups had already traversed the route they were taking. However, upon traveling a short distance, these merchant groups sensed something was amiss and quickly retreated back to a nearby small town, informing the merchants behind them. Now, many individuals who had come out from Black Mountain Pass were gathering in that small town, planning to form a larger merchant group and hire more mercenaries from Black Mountain Pass before setting out again.
Zhao Hai was unaware of this, as he had been feeling weary from the journey over the past few days and had woken up a bit late. Those merchant groups had set off at dawn, two or three hours ahead of him, so he had no knowledge of these developments.
It was precisely because those merchants had blocked the later travelers that Zhao Hai and his companions had not seen anyone coming from Black Mountain Pass, resulting in this strange situation.
Not only Zhao Hai was puzzled; even Galen found it confusing. There were many thieves on the continent, and one could also encounter wild beasts in the wilderness, so some merchant groups were extremely cautious. If they sensed anything unusual, they would immediately seek refuge in a town and band together with other merchant groups to travel. Zhao Hai, of course, was unaware of all this, and Galen didn't know either. The Budah family did not have their own merchant group in the past, which is why he was unfamiliar with these matters.
Zhao Hai and his group continued to move forward. Along the way, they had encountered five villages, all of which were deserted. The villages were not large, but collectively they housed over a thousand people, and now they had all vanished. Not just the people, but everything alive in those villages had disappeared.
As they moved further, Zhao Hai and the others grew increasingly alarmed; not only were more and more people missing, but Merlin also sensed that the energy from dark magic was becoming stronger and more terrifying.
Based on Merlin's estimation, if the seduction technique had been used frequently and had lured away so many people at once, the dark mage's strength had at least reached level eight, comparable to Merlin herself.
Although Merlin estimated that the enemy's strength was on par with hers, she had to admit that if a fight broke out, she might truly be unable to contend with the opponent since dark magic was incredibly insidious, and she lacked confidence.
However, Zhao Hai was not overly worried. With Galen by his side, he knew he could retreat to his space if things became too dangerous. He didn't believe the enemy could chase him into his space.
The speed of the creature had neither increased nor decreased; it still moved steadily. This was one of Zhao Hai's characteristics; no matter the situation, he pursued stability and constantly reminded himself to stay calm. He had learned a saying in school: "In the face of major events, maintain your composure," and he had always kept it as his motto.
Thus, at this moment, Zhao Hai kept reminding himself to stay calm as he carefully observed his surroundings. Although he couldn't discern anything at present, he remained alert and prepared for any sudden occurrences.
Merlin was seated beside Zhao Hai, resting her eyes, while Galen sat atop the creature's head, seemingly asleep. Meg had already been sent back into the space by Zhao Hai.
However, to Zhao Hai's surprise, they had traveled an entire day without encountering any incidents. By four in the afternoon, although the road remained devoid of any people, they had not faced any attacks, and everything was eerily calm.