Bear School Astartes

Nearby, a series of fly-like curses directed at non-human species made Lann and Sachia involuntarily frown.

If it was only about this attack, then Lann didn’t have much thought on it.

After all, the Squirrel Faction did what they did, committing sabotage on important civil facilities and slaughtering innocent humans was indeed a fact.

But to link the Squirrel Faction’s assaults with the so-called ’innate depravity’ of non-human species, and their ’lack of gratitude and integrity’...

Such illogical and randomly concocted remarks naturally gave rise to a sense of disgust in Lann.

When they got off the small boat and walked to the dock, they found quite a few people already engaged in the cleanup of sunken ships in the river.

Lann waved his hand behind him, prompting Lincoln to lead the other Ember Knights to start helping out as well.

The sunk ship didn’t look big, but its unnatural post-sinking position posed a significant threat to passing ships.

The mast was still poking out of the river surface.

It definitely needed to be cleared before anyone could pass.

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the busy dock, Lann, Rong Buqiu, and Sachia went inside.

This was the second facility attacked by the Squirrel Faction that Lann had entered.

It’s evident that the security situation in Temeria is rapidly deteriorating.

Though banditry was rampant before, and the occasional death on the roads wasn’t uncommon. But now even official facilities guarded by soldiers are being breached... this is a significant blow to public security and authority.

The sergeant who had earlier gone to fetch personnel from the ship walked ahead of Lann, his bandages soaking through with blood due to his injuries, exempting him from the cleanup work in the river.

"Those are the people who died in this attack."

The sergeant pointed to a makeshift shelter with a thatched roof outside the wooden sentry box.

Inside, covered by white cloths and canvas, were eight or nine bodies.

"Three were from the Squirrel Faction, the rest were our people."

The wooden planks on the muddy ground were soaked, the land very wet.

The planks creaked and squelched as they walked over them, often squeezing water from the cracks.

Rong Buqiu habitually lifted his legs, then kicked back to shake off the water.

This place was originally a muddy riverbank, and the recent skirmish had made it even more muddy and chaotic.

Horses neighed, shouts and activities were everywhere. The sergeant led Lann and his companions around the wooden sentry box, pointing inside.

"You go in; the person in charge is inside, just talk to him."

The Demon Hunter nodded, and the group went inside.

Inside the dim, smoke-filled sentry box, a lively conversation was underway.

A bald knight, wearing sleeveless chain armor and a blue coat adorned with the Elrand Duchy emblem, seemed to be the leader of the soldiers.

He was yelling at the two merchants inside the room.

The original toll officer at the dock, with several layers of bandages on his head still oozing blood, sat quietly yet gloomily on the side.

Unclear whether he was just watching the scene or if his head injury had left him nervously dazed.

"I said no! Are your ears broken?"

The knight banged a fist on the table, which seemed about to fall apart, launching several toll receipts from the drawer.

"I’ve told you, there are Squirrel Faction members in the Ponta River Valley ahead too! And they’re even more rampant! They’ve massacred several villages in the mountains; no one survived!"

"But we’ve been stuck here for several days already!" protested a merchant with a round hat, constantly wiping sweat with a handkerchief.

"Especially today! If you hadn’t arrived so quickly, and if we hadn’t hidden well, the Squirrel Faction’s knives would’ve been stained with my blood!"

Another merchant, with a wallet hanging around his neck, chimed in, "And our goods are devaluing with each day of storage, costs are rising, our business can’t hold on!"

"That’s not my concern," the knight said arrogantly, slamming his leather gloves on the table, "Anyway, in the Ponta River Valley ahead, Duke Seward is mobilizing the army to completely eliminate the Squirrel Faction entrenched there."

"To avoid you causing trouble, no one can pass until it’s done. Hey, Sergeant, who did you bring this time?"

The sergeant, not eager to enter in the first place, just peeked in, responding with a nod.

"No, sir. They’re warriors from the Duke’s chartered ship, here to understand the current situation."

This brought a cheerful smile to the knight’s face as he looked at Lann and Sachia, who almost blocked the door.

"You look capable. It’s a pity you have to go inside the valley, or I’d really want you to help deal with the Squirrel Faction here."

His attitude towards the warriors contrasted sharply with that shown to the merchants, hinting at a preference to engage with valiant individuals.

However, when he mentioned the Squirrel Faction, his expression turned sour once more.

"I heard earlier that the Squirrel Faction is causing chaos in the valley? Is that true? Why are they doing this?"

Sachia stepped forward, a little puzzled, and asked the knight.

The closer you get to the valley, the harder it is to keep this a secret. That’s normal.

But even Nanik doesn’t know the specifics, yet a knight here firmly asserts that ’the chaos in the valley comes from the Squirrel Faction’...

And the knight still had that undeniable expression.

"Of course it’s them, who else could it be? Monsters we’ve never seen? Don’t be ridiculous, ma’am. This world isn’t a fairy tale."

"As for why? Everyone knows, the Squirrel Faction wants every human to die, they’ve become notoriously famous. Destroying the valley can harm all of the Four Northern Countries, isn’t that enough?"

Seemingly surprised by Sachia’s apparent lack of understanding of the Squirrel Faction, the knight continued.

"Ever since we went to war with Niflgaard, the first batch of the Squirrel Faction has appeared. These despicable non-human races are just taking advantage of our misfortune!"

"We’re fighting life and death at the front with the Niflgaard black dogs, and they’re behind attacking our supply units with guerrilla tactics. They must think the Niflgaard people can defeat us, so they start spreading nonsense about how human rule is over, and the world will return to the old order."

The knight angrily waved his hand.

"’Drive humans back into the sea,’ that’s their battle slogan and their excuse for robbery, murder, and arson!"

While the knight spoke, Lann reacted quickly, and Rong Buqiu was quite smart.

The knight’s distrust and dislike toward non-human races were evident.

So, leveraging his figure and cloak, Lann simply blocked Rong Buqiu’s figure.

The little cat wisely did not enter the door, staying outside the guard post to avoid complications.

It really couldn’t understand why humans in this world couldn’t be like those in its New Continent.

Wouldn’t it be better for humans and other intelligent races to work together and live in peace?

Clearly, by working together, they could achieve so many things they couldn’t do before!

The Detel of the Valley Raider Race, after connecting with the New Continent Expedition Team and cooperating with each other, their life became much better than before.

Rong Buqiu scratched its ear in confusion with its little paw.

And inside the guard post, there were also those who opposed the knight’s statement.

"It’s your fault, your problem."

The merchant, wiping sweat with a handkerchief, seemed to sweat more and more.

"It’s you, and the other nobles and knights! You oppressed the non-human races, not letting them live their own lives, causing trouble for no reason, now it’s payback time. And we’ve been transporting goods in this area with no connection to them at all."

"That’s right." The merchant with the money bag hanging around his neck echoed, "The Squirrel Faction is no more ferocious than the bandits and water thieves rampant on the usual trade routes, and who do the elves deal with first? Those bandits and water thieves!"

"But I don’t care if it’s an elf or a bandit water thief hiding in the bushes and shooting an arrow through my heart!" The normally dazed toll collector in the corner suddenly spoke viciously.

He pointed his dirty fingers at the bandage on his still bleeding forehead.

"The ironwood club that almost opened my skull, does it matter whose hand it was in when it was swung at my head?"

"Sir, you say the Squirrel Faction and the bandit water thieves are about the same? That’s a huge mistake! Bandit water thieves only want money, but the Squirrel Faction just wants to see humans bleed!"

"Not all of us are wealthy, but all of us have blood in our veins!"

He first spoke to the merchant with the money bag around the neck, then turned to the merchant with the handkerchief.

"And you say this is an issue with nobles and knights, that’s an even sillier statement!"

"Outside, there’s another toll collector in the morgue. In other parts of Temeria, there are tar makers chopped up in the beech woods, and farmers fled from burned villages, did they do anything to deserve this from the non-human races?"

"I’ve never done anything against them in my life, yet not long ago, a dwarf jumped up trying to smash my head!"

The topic, initially on the surface, was gradually delving deeper with the dialogue among those present who had experience and insight.

Lann himself said nothing, only listening. Because the topics discussed had long been pondered in his mind and even more deeply.

However, in front of Lann, Sachia... clearly, apart from the last discussion with Lann about that book, she had not yet thought deeply about reality several times.

She looked worried but was clearly trying to keep her mind up with the pace of the discussion.

With a "bang," the shaky table in the center of the room was hit hard again.

The bald knight in a blue jacket who had knocked on the table loudly praised the toll collector.

"Exactly right! They want to see humans bleed, not caring whether it’s noble blood or common!"

"We were too lenient before, treating them as equals, and trust only led to betrayal! I swear on my life, it must be the Niflgaard people funding them, supplying these savage elves and dwarves with arms!"

"But another possibility..."

The bald knight’s tone became somber.

"Actually, the real help the Squirrel Faction receives comes from beside us––those elves, half-elves, dwarves, Half-Elves who still lead normal lives!"

"They harbor the Squirrel Faction, providing them with supplies and intelligence, even recruiting new members!"