Chương 68: The Harpist's Secret Alliance

A secret alliance among harpists?

Ignas Bethan?

Hearing two familiar terms in a row made Richard's brain start spinning.

The former, in his memory, was a semi-secret organization on the continent of Terella (the identities of the lower-level members were kept secret, but the identities of the top-level members were mostly public).

Their core objective is to combat evil forces and maintain world balance. Their members come from diverse backgrounds and are not limited by race or profession; anyone with good intentions can join.

However, unlike other knightly orders with similar ideologies, their organization is relatively loose and their leadership system is unclear. They mostly rely on small-scale espionage activities with senior members leading junior members – which is also the main reason why their lower-level members need to keep their activities secret.

In some ways, it resembles a corrupted and even more disorganized mafia.

This is why the outcome of their actions is highly uncertain, and sometimes they do more harm than good... But overall, they remain a widely respected force within the good camp.

Especially the group of bards.

Perhaps because their name contains the words "harpist," poets particularly admired this organization and would often boast in taverns about their connection to it, using this to seduce women (and assassins from the evil faction), resulting in a number of deaths (some more, some less).

cough cough.

Let's talk about Ignatius instead.

In Richard's memory, this person was also very famous.

In terms of strength, he is the most powerful paladin in the Gulf region, and is said to be only one step away from becoming a legend. He has even single-handedly defeated a green dragon!

In terms of status, he is not only a high-ranking member of the Harpist Alliance, but also the younger brother of the Lord of Winter City, the leader of the Snow Mountain Knights who worship the Lord of Radiance, and the son-in-law of the Kalanick family, Earls on the Imperial Border.

It carries significant weight in every sense.

present.

After listening to Levin's words, Richard thought about it for a while and concluded that the plan was highly feasible.

Mendel and Hammer were both astonished.

I never knew my captain had this kind of identity!

That's amazing!

They were not embarrassed by Levin's concealment; on the contrary, they quickly approved of his plan.

And so, everyone reached an agreement and prepared to head to Thumb Island...

"etc!"

Suddenly, Grace gave a low shout and pointed again to a tree not far away.

Richard understood her meaning and immediately unleashed another shattering sonic wave into the air.

Amidst the violent vibrations of magical energy, leaves fell one after another, and two figures emerged from them.

Unlike the halfling Amy, they were fully armed and wore black masks, clearly not benevolent people.

Among them was a tall man who was holding a crossbow.

Seeing that his whereabouts had been exposed, he immediately snorted coldly and said to the crowd:

"A bunch of idiots, knowing the truth, still dare to oppose the church?"

"Look at your own strength! Compared to the church, what's the difference between you and ants!"

"If you don't want to lose your life in vain, hand over that halfling to us quickly. That way, we might be able to share the bounty with you. Otherwise..."

Richard narrowed his eyes.

It seems these two are the people the church sent to hunt down Amy.

Look at the class levels, hmm, one is level 4 and the other is level 3, which are rogue and mage respectively.

Well then... now that the enemy and we have been distinguished, there's no need for further words!

Rumble!

Richard unleashed another shattering sonic wave, but this time he aimed not at mid-air, but at the heads of the two assassins!

Levin, standing beside him, immediately followed suit, firing three arrows with his crossbow in quick succession, aiming straight for the torsos of the two assassins.

"Damn it! You'll regret this!"

The two assassins ducked back behind a tree, barely escaping the first wave of attacks. Then, without looking back, they ran deeper into the denser forest, hoping to shake off the others this way.

Considering the distance between the two sides, this strategy is quite reasonable.

However, at this moment, relying on his specialty speed of swift movements and the magic provided by the prop Wave Echo, Richard aimed at the gap between the tree trunks and released the third Shattering Sonic Wave!

Despite being a poet, he displayed the overwhelming power of a cannon at this moment!

"what!"

"How... so fast..."

The two assassins never expected Richard to be able to unleash sonic waves, and they immediately collapsed to the ground, spitting blood.

The crowd immediately surrounded him, searching him while interrogating him for information.

Then I received some bad news.

It turns out that the two assassins had spotted the group a few minutes earlier and used a magical item called a communication stone to relay the adventurers' decision to help Amy to their superiors who were guarding outside the forest!

"Damn it, time is of the essence, we have to set off immediately!"

Levin frowned, ignored the tent, and started walking towards Thumb Island.

The others immediately followed.

"Lai..."

Richard opened his mouth, wanting Levin to use the crossbow to kill the two immobile assassins and make up the crossbowmen's head count, but he found that he couldn't think of a suitable reason.

After all, crossbow bolts are consumables, and even if they could be retrieved, there would still be some loss, so people certainly wouldn't want to waste them.

Never mind, I'll do it myself...

Richard then took his sword and approached the two assassins.

The assassins saw through his intention and said in trembling voices, "Stop... stop... aren't you afraid..."

puff.

[Experience points +7] Before the two could finish speaking, Richard turned their experience into wisdom and turned to catch up with the main group.

As for whether you're afraid or not?

What's so scary? They're a team of adventurers. In the fantasy world, there's nothing a team of adventurers can't do!

at the same time.

Inside the temple of the goddess of fortune in Phoenix.

Just after Bill Benjamin finished his daily prayers, he was summoned to a secluded drawing room, where he met an elderly man dressed in fine clothes and with an extraordinary air about him.

That was his mentor, Elijah, the high priest and high minister appointed by the church to Phoenix.

Beside him were several mid-level members of the local church, Jason, the Phoenix family's steward, and... the current head of the Phoenix family, Baron Oliver Phoenix himself!

The latter frowned, his fingers, adorned with jeweled rings, tapping incessantly on the wooden table, clearly showing his anxiety.

Bill's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

What a grand display! Could it be that...?

Just as he was wondering, Elijah spoke up to explain:

"You messed up the handling of the stomach worm potion incident. The halfling escaped the pursuit, accidentally ran into the adventurers you sent to clear out the purple leaves, and gained their trust."

"Now, the two groups have joined forces..."

Bill: "!"

How could there be such a coincidence?

And aren't those people profit-driven adventurers? Why would they make such a risky choice, risking both their money and their lives?

Bill was greatly alarmed, but on the surface he merely frowned and pursed his lips, maintaining a calm demeanor. Then he lowered his head and said to Elijah:

"I'm sorry, teacher. My arrangements weren't thorough enough. I'll do it now..."

He expressed his apologies while trying to come up with a way to salvage the situation.

Elijah was fairly satisfied with Bill's performance, and the wrinkles on his face smoothed out a bit. He said:

"There's no need for that. I'm not blaming you; after all, these kinds of accidents are always unpredictable."

"We called you over here simply so you could discuss with everyone how to solve this problem."

"After all, we can't let a few audacious small fry ruin our long-planned grand scheme!"