Chapter 101: Night

Chapter 101: Night

The wolf pack approached North Fort Bridge, then began to split to both sides and ran along the riverbank for a distance before circling back. Several riders following closely behind stopped at the bridgehead and quietly looked toward the opposite shore. When Bran, who was at the rear of the group, arrived swaying at the bridgehead, it was already evening. Bran parked his large cart there and got off. As the camp settled and became secure, the Snow Falcons returned one by one.

Inside Northland City at this time, people cautiously stepped out of their homes, glancing at each other. Without the clamor of the Snow Falcons, the entire castle became exceptionally quiet and peaceful. It felt as if people had just woken from a dream, and everything seemed so unreal.

But this was not a dream. A child spotted a hawk feather, excitedly rushed over, and picked it up. Then he raised the hawk feather high and shouted, “Look!”

In response, the adults made tense silencing gestures: “Shh…”

…

In the Northlanders’ camp, Bran was eating unhurriedly. Mary moved close to him and asked excitedly, “Are we going over tomorrow?”

“Wait, no rush.”

“What if they run away?”

“If they run, they run.”

“But that’s ours, why let them run away?”

Bran looked at Mary carefully. “…It’s better if they run. They’ll definitely take the most valuable items with them, saving us the trouble of searching and sorting.”

Mary suddenly understood. “So that’s how it is. Tomorrow, I’ll circle around to block those who try to escape.”

Bran said irritably, “I was tricking you! Stay put here, you are not allowed to go anywhere.”

Amid the laughter of the companions around them, Mary complained, “But that’s ours, we can’t just let them go like this. Think about it, then decide.”

“If they wanted to run, they would have run long ago! The fact that they haven’t hidden away yet clearly means they are waiting for us to state our terms.”

“Then why are you dawdling? Go over earlier and state the terms.”

Bran felt a headache coming on and raised his voice. “You, shut up! Tomorrow, we’ll release all the Snow Falcons and decide based on the situation.”

The host had returned, so the guest staying here should come out and give a greeting. If the other party didn’t even have that much awareness, then he would do the cleaning up later. It wouldn’t be too late.

…

Earl stood on the city wall, blending into the Night. It was Night, it was her World. She looked at the opposite shore, a confident smile appearing at the corner of her mouth. In her eyes, the opposite shore sparkled with a patch of Starlight, enveloping the Northlanders’ Camp. It was unimaginably powerful, but so what?

Earl leaped lightly from the city wall, hidden within the Night, drifting down under the moonlight. She easily walked onto North Fort Bridge. As she neared the edge of the Mana barrier, she reached out a hand and gently touched it. After careful probing and finding no abnormal reaction from the other party’s Mana, she felt relieved and walked toward the Northlanders’ Camp.

A tall four-wheeled cart was parked at the bridgehead. As she approached, she noticed something strange. This cart was like a heart, beating slowly. On top of the cart, a Black Cat stared at her quietly, as if it could see through the Night. Instantly, her hair stood on end, and she was too frightened to move for a long while. Fortunately, the Black Cat just kept watching quietly.

She patted her chest lightly and let out a small breath. Hesitating for a moment where she stood, she lifted her leg to move forward again. As she moved, the Black Cat continuously turned its head to follow her. This feeling was very uncomfortable, so as she passed by the cart, she whispered, “Sooner or later I’ll skin you.”

As a result, this Black Cat seemed to understand and suddenly let out a howl at her: “Awoo…”

In this silent Night, this howl sounded abrupt and eerie. Earl felt her scalp prickle. She waved her hands repeatedly, softly pleading, “My mistake, my mistake, take it easy, take it easy…”

Just as she thought she had gotten past it safely, a barely suppressed chuckle sounded near her ear. This time she was truly panicked. She turned and started to run, only to find a tall female Warrior already blocking her retreat.

She chanted silently in her heart, “You can’t see me, you can’t see me…”

However, as she passed by the female Warrior, a Single Blade was gently placed horizontally against her throat. In the teasing look in the female Warrior’s eyes, she suddenly realized the Night draped over her had vanished without a trace at some point. Then, a burst of laughter erupted in the Camp.

Amid the laughter, a somewhat exasperated voice came from behind the carriage. “Mary! The Great Wizard said to let everyone watch the fun secretly. Guess how long it would take this foolish woman to realize she walked right in openly.”

A slightly aggrieved voice defended, “I just couldn’t hold it back, that’s all.”

Earl now felt utterly ashamed. Her face turned bright red, and she stood there at a loss. Then someone said, “Let her go.”

Watching Earl’s flustered retreating figure, Mary knocked on the carriage door dissatisfied. “Just let her go like that?”

“She doesn’t have much ill intent and isn’t carrying any weapons. Showing some goodwill appropriately will help with future contact. Also, because of you, everyone lost their chance to watch the fun. What do you think we should do about that?”

“What else can we do? Sleep.” Mary replied, pretending to be completely justified.

…

In the Council Hall, some people waited anxiously, hoping Earl would bring back some useful information.

Their luck was good. Earl did not disappoint their expectations and returned to the Council Hall quickly and safely. Under the hopeful gazes of everyone, Earl’s face reddened a few shades more. Gritting her teeth and muttering a few words to herself, she then raised her voice and said, “I was discovered.”

Upon hearing this, people let out sighs of disappointment. But Earl’s following words rekindled their hope.

Earl said loudly, “The Northlanders mean no harm.”

“How can you be so sure they mean no harm?”

“Because they caught me.”

Someone snorted coldly. “If they really caught you, how could you come back alive?”

“At such a time, is there any need for me to deceive everyone?” Earl felt somewhat resentful.

“Who knows what you’re thinking? Or perhaps you never even entered the Northlanders’ Camp at all.”

Someone jumped up and scolded loudly, “Quiet! At such a time, what are you still snapping about? Everyone, quiet! Let Earl first explain in detail what happened.”

Such an embarrassing matter wasn’t very suitable for public recounting. But at this moment, any concealment would only increase everyone’s misunderstanding. With no choice, Earl, feeling both ashamed and angry, began to recount her experience. From an outsider’s perspective, it was actually a pretty good story. And through this event, they understood the goodwill of the Northlanders. So people felt much more relaxed, the heaviness in their hearts dissipated somewhat, and then someone finally couldn’t hold back and laughed…