Chapter Twenty-Six: Vile Society’s Base (1)

"Let's go to the Vile Society base."

After fetching the two escapees, Lan Sol immediately gave the order without beating around the bush.

Startled and confused, the two of them exchanged glances.

"O-Okay… It's… just taking you there, right?" Ria asked hesitantly. "If that's the case, I can take you there myself."

"Yeah. One of my subordinates and I will go to scout the area so we can prepare. As the saying goes, 'Know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster.'"

"R-Right," Ria nodded. "W-When are we… le-leaving?" she stuttered, her voice shaking. She tried her best to compose herself, but the trauma of that place haunted her.

"In an hour. Prepare yourself too. We just need directions—we'll handle the scouting. You don't have to worry, I won't take you anywhere near the enemy base."

Ria lowered her head, gripping her trembling hands.

An hour passed in a flash. Lan Sol packed plenty of cooked meals, a variety of long-range weapons like bows and spears, and all the potions he had.

Since he had no idea if the plan would go smoothly, it was better to be prepared than to be sorry.

For this mission, he brought along Elyris, who had the most experience in scouting. As an elf, she was the most useful in the forest.

"Let's go." Lan Sol donned a thick, warm coat—previously worn by the bandit chief.

The coat had been too big for him, but the women spent all night altering it to fit his frame. Even so, it was still oversized, reaching down to his thighs. However, it didn't obstruct his movement and provided excellent warmth.

Of course, the coat was worn on top of the mage robe. While it provided warmth, there was nothing wrong with gaining more heat rather than being cold in this frozen world.

"Let's gooooo!" Elyris beamed, walking beside him. Her dress had also been upgraded—leather padding added to the shoulders and legs for extra warmth.

"L-Let's go," Ria said weakly, stepping forward to lead the way.

The farther they got from the base, the more Ria trembled. It worsened to the point where she nearly collapsed.

With no other choice, Lan Sol gave her a piggyback ride.

"Thanks… and… sorry…" Ria's voice was barely a whisper.

Her trauma was so severe that Lan Sol couldn't help but wonder how much she had suffered.

"There," she finally said after an hour's journey.

Before them stood a dense wall of towering trees, their roots tangled and sprawling across the ground. The sheer size and chaotic intertwining of the roots made it impossible to move through them.

The only options were to climb the trees and jump from branch to branch—or to fly.

"Past these trees, there's a huge tree. Underneath it is the enemy's base. As far as I know, their forces are scattered throughout the forest. The moment you touch any of these trees, they'll know someone is here," Ria explained.

"Right…" Lan Sol's eyes gleamed as he observed the ancient tree.

[Name]: Ancient Guardian Trees

[Race]: Trees

[Level]: ???

[Health]: ???

[Mana]: ???

[Attack Power]: ???

[Strength]: ???

[Agility]: ???

[Spirit]: ???

[Constitution]: ???

[Skills]: ???

[Current Status]: Asleep

[Racial Talent]: When more than ten trees gather, they create a mini-space. Only those chosen by the trees can enter. Within the space, the Guardian Trees can control all stats and skills of creatures, rendering enemies powerless while strengthening allies.

[Note]: These trees date back to the Ancient Era. Once home to the elves, most were burned and destroyed during the Great Racial War, nearly driving the elves to extinction. The surviving trees have remained in eternal slumber, slowly recovering.

"An ancient tree…" Lan Sol murmured in awe.

It was so powerful that he couldn't even see its stats. But from what he read, it was undoubtedly connected to elves.

His suspicion was confirmed when he glanced at Elyris—her expression blank, just like when she had fallen into a trance while watching trees burn.

"Hey, missy." Lan Sol shook her shoulder. "Right, she's out of it again…" He let out a sigh.

"What… happened to her?" Ria asked. "She looks… sad."

"Yeah. She's reminiscing about her past," Lan Sol shrugged. "You stay with her—I'll go check out the enemy real quick."

"Wa-Wait, it's dangerous!" Ria shouted, but Lan Sol had already leaped forward, climbing the trees with ease.

"Wha… what the hell…" Ria stared at his disappearing figure, dumbfounded.

Short chapter today! I have work!!! So sad…

But a cool chapter is coming soon—Lan Sol and his group taking down an entire base! Just wait, because Lan Sol is about to unleash his true power!

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