Bear School Astartes

The breastplate of the Adian officer from the other side of the Mahakan Mountains, elaborately crafted deadly arrows, and traces of destruction like a natural disaster, yet there were no biological remnants in the entire scene...

This was the conclusion after Lann and Rong Buqiu searched the scene.

Although it lacked the eerie and sinister atmosphere of a Demon Hunter’s work against curses and monsters, the entire scene exuded an abnormal aura.

Lann submitted all the gathered information to the biological intelligence brain for storage and analysis.

Before enough information is collected to form a clue, most of it remains in fragmented pieces.

But if any segment of these fragments is missing, they ultimately cannot connect into a complete line.

After collecting the arrows and breastplate, Lann signaled Rong Buqiu to exit the forest path seemingly ravaged by a natural disaster.

Upon leaving, Lann saw the Qilin and Triss under its protection.

The female warlock now, with her vibrant burgundy hair floating in the air, her body surface almost emitting a faint glow due to the active Chaos Magic Power.

The Qilin and Rong Buqiu should have been repelled by such twisted Chaos Magic Power, but having received the blessing of the Lady of the Lake, they remained unaffected.

As a result, the Qilin merely curiously sniffed around Triss’s body, watching her hair float and glow faintly.

When Lann returned, it suddenly straightened its neck, adopting a serious and alert stance.

Triss opened her eyes upon hearing the commotion.

"How is it?" she asked somewhat heavily, "What’s the situation inside that area?"

She initially thought that although things were severe, there was enough time to address them gradually. However, on the first day of entering the Ponta River Valley, they were met with a shock as the anomaly’s impact range suddenly expanded by ten kilometers.

Anyone would be unnerved.

"Inside... I can only say it’s very strange. But we did find something."

Lann said with a wry smile, detailing the situation he and Rong Buqiu encountered in that area.

However, when Triss heard the strange points Lann mentioned, she didn’t seem particularly concerned.

This was understandable, given the vast differences between the female warlock’s expertise and that of a Demon Hunter.

A Demon Hunter’s tasks are closer to a detective and hunter’s combination, while a female warlock is mostly a politician, magical cannon, and researcher.

"I don’t quite understand the rest." Triss spoke candidly, without pretense in front of Lann, "But regarding the Adian breastplate..."

She tucked a strand of her curly red hair behind her ear.

"I’ve heard that Adian has sent people to the Ponta River Valley. The Ponta River is a crucial route for them to sell agricultural products to Temeria and Redania, which is the lifeline of their kingdom’s finances. They can’t afford to ignore problems here."

"Demavi also has the Haji Fortress as a military outpost in the River Valley, making it easier and more convenient than Veltrest to send people."

"But the news only circulated briefly, and then there was no further movement..."

Then, the female warlock glanced meaningfully at the broken breastplate Lann took out, gesturing towards it with her mouth.

So... they all died?

Lann squinted, tapping the breastplate.

"But this doesn’t make sense, sir." The bio-intelligent brain immediately performed logical reasoning based on the new information and reported the results. "The Adian people might not have been killed by that unknown creature."

"Within the range impacted by that creature, almost all living entities vanished. Yet, leaving a breastplate behind suggests it at least isn’t concerned with steel. It’s impossible for only one person in Adian’s team tasked with addressing the issue to have worn armor, right?"

Lann agreed with this notion.

If the Adian people had directly encountered that creature, there should have been equipment left behind from a whole team.

But here, there was just one breastplate.

Perhaps this Adian officer was separated from his team and traversed deep into the vast Mahakan Mountains alone, ultimately encountering that entity.

Or, perhaps the location of his death wasn’t even here.

"Did your spread-out sensing yield any results?"

Lann pocketed the breastplate. He and the bio-intelligent brain had briefly discussed several ideas. But still, there was too little information.

"I did feel some trails." Triss, her eyes gradually losing their faint glow due to the use of Chaos Magic Power, replied, "But they’re quite vague."

"A general direction is good enough." Lann said nonchalantly. "Describe the locations of these trails to me."

Triss hesitated: "Uh... I remember Seward has a map of Mahakan, but now in my hands..."

"No need for a map." Lann interrupted Triss before she could finish, "Just point me in the direction and tell me the distance."

In the mountains, it is challenging to discern direction, and coupled with the complex terrain, it’s generally difficult to describe locations without a map.

But the bio-intelligent brain was far more practical than any map.

"Alright." The female warlock raised an eyebrow, "You really know how to surprise people. Is this a skill of the Demon Hunter?"

Subsequently, Triss frowned in concentration, extending her finger to point in various directions and stating distances aloud.

Occasionally, she directly indicated the extension path of a lengthy trajectory.

With each of her statements, Lann and Mentos worked together to organize the information, mapping it onto the makeshift topographical chart they had created.

Midway through Triss’s explanations, Lann’s expression visibly relaxed compared to when they started.

Based on integration and calculation, this unknown creature was not expanding its territory in an explosive manner, resulting in it being only twenty kilometers from the Ponta River Valley overnight.

It merely changed its direction of movement.

A few days ago, its trajectory showed that it had always been in a state of aimless wandering.

But recently, its path, although still erratic, was heading directly toward the direction of the Ponta River Valley.

Although this still isn’t good news, it is much better than ’the unknown creature suddenly expands its power explosively’.

"It was influenced by something, thus changing its original wandering direction."

Lann quietly spoke of his theory based on the current situation.

"Influence?" Triss widened her eyes, "What could influence a creature capable of such commotion?"

"Not sure, there’s too little information." Lann licked his lips, "But isn’t this too coincidental? On the first day Seward’s team entered the valley, this thing went straight towards the valley from its wandering state!"

"Are you saying... it’s coming for us?"

Triss’s expression grew even more ridiculous.

After all, Lann’s description earlier had already made it clear that it was a force of destruction like a natural disaster.

And this was as if saying: heaven sent down a flood just to kill you.

Who has such a big face?

"But it’s not a natural disaster." Lann explained to Triss while climbing back onto the Qilin’s back.

"It possesses destruction like a natural disaster but ultimately it’s some kind of creature, and since it’s a creature, it can be guided. Clearly, someone is targeting him!"

"Hold on to me, come up."

Triss had calmed down and grabbed Lann’s hand, sitting on the Qilin’s back with him.

Rong Buqiu also grabbed the Qilin’s tail and climbed up, causing the Qilin to buck irritably.

"Where should we go now?" Triss asked, hugging Lann’s arm, "To warn Seward?"

"Warning is useless." Lann turned to look at the destroyed, devastated, lifeless forest, speaking in a deep voice, "He needs to turn back and escape!"

"Advancing ten kilometers overnight, if it doesn’t slow down, that thing will reach the Ponta River Valley in just one more day!"

"Never mind that the team at its current speed will take at least two more days to reach Floating Harbor, even if they get there, what then?"

"Can a small town set up for trade transit stop this thing?"

"You didn’t see the scene of destruction that thing caused, Triss..."

Lann looked down, seriously speaking to the Female Warlock clinging to his arm.

"If there aren’t several Great Mages present, once that thing reaches Ponta River Valley, forget about the small Floating Harbor, even Haji Fortress... they’ll all die!"

Lann said, and Triss pressed her lips together, saying no more.

But within the calculations of the Demon Hunter and the bio-brain, there were even more frightening data.

The thing’s ten-kilometer speed achieved last night... it made many turns in between.

-----------------

On the south bank of the Ponta River Valley, on that treacherous and busy mountain path, flames flickered, and smoke billowed.

Two frightened horses neighed, dragging reins, harnesses, and a broken axle, charging straight off the path, plunging into the roaring river valley below.

The caravan was on fire.

Ignited arrows, like fiery birds, shot out from the bushes and forest beside the path, piercing through canvas and embedding into wooden planks.

The Squirrel Faction shouted and roared into attack.

The commander of this band of attackers was undoubtedly a master of tactics and planning.

Seward placed non-humans at the forefront of the team to serve as vanguards, which both prevented enemy spies among them and allowed the Squirrel Faction’s anger to vent on these ’race traitors’ first.

But the Squirrel Faction’s commander undoubtedly anticipated this move.

Like a rain of fire, only a few precise arrows were shot towards the vanguard.

And the goal was not to cause harm but to frighten the pack animals and the horses pulling the carts.

The panic caused by these animals wasn’t significantly damaging, but they could disrupt the formation and block the entire path.

Instead, it was the subsequent human convoy that received the main attack.

The enemy’s tactical foresight undoubtedly left Seward and the White Rose Knights around him feeling helpless.

These people, eager to see the non-human races destroy each other first, were struck at the core instead.

As the center of the caravan, they too fell into chaos.

And according to the Squirrel Faction’s consistent tactical style, after the arrow rain, a wave of soldiers charged toward the caravan on the mountain path.