Mount and Blade

Green hid his tracks and slipped under a tree a little further away. After all, climbing trees is his strong point. Fortunately, the tree canopy in Grant in July is dense. Even if Shadow Hand climbed up the tree to observe the surrounding situation, it would be difficult to find his tracks.

...It was like looking for a needle in a haystack for them to find him.

He underestimated Madwuxiu. Madwuxiu's many years of experience as a Shadow Hand made him extremely sensitive to the smell and traces of prey. Madwuxiu only sniffed the mud on the ground and touched the fresh mud marks on the tree trunk, and he knew that Green was hiding in the tree.

Madwuxiu winked, and several of his men quietly spread out and surrounded the tree. Green secretly said in his heart that it was not good. It seemed that he would not be able to get away today.

At this moment, an arrow whistled and shot directly at the shoulder of a man next to Madwuxiu. Everyone was startled and drew their swords to be alert to the surroundings.

I saw a figure quickly shuttled between the trees, and the agile posture was very similar to Shadow Hand. Madwuxiu shouted, "Who is it?"

"Humph! You guys are disturbing my hunting." It turned out to be the hunter Abaying who lived in seclusion here.

He has been living alone in this ownerless land and does not allow anyone to destroy his hunting ground.

Abaying shot another arrow, which was deliberately missed, but it was very intimidating.

Just when Madwuxiu and his companions were hesitating, a black wolf bigger than Ludvik emerged from the woods behind Madwuxiu.

The black wolf bared its fangs and let out a low roar. Looking at Madwuxiu and others dressed in dyed wolfskin, its blood-red pupils suddenly flashed with an extremely fierce light.

The black wolf was two meters long, and its black and shiny hair made it look like a black lion. Its sharp fangs and huge mouth seemed to be able to take people's lives in a few strokes.

Madwuxiu and his companions were instantly caught in a dilemma. On the one hand, there was the mysterious hunter Abaying, and on the other hand, there was the huge black wolf that was coming with great momentum. Even the shadow hand who had been educated about wolf nature since childhood could not help but squeeze together nervously.

At this time, there were only four of them in total, and the situation was very unfavorable for them.

Abaying frowned at the strange outfits of the four people. Those were Grant's most primitive hunter costumes. With the progress of the times, hunters dressed like this are rarely seen now, and the dye on the wolf skin looks very valuable.

Madwuxiu weighed the pros and cons. He knew that this hunter was not easy to mess with, and Green was trapped at this time and could not run away.

Madwuxiu suddenly thought of a good way to kill two birds with one stone, so he shouted: "We have no intention of offending, leave now." After that, he withdrew with his men in disgrace.

The black wolf drove them away until they were really far away, and the black wolf returned from the forest.

"Well done, Luke." Abaying stroked the black wolf's huge head, then looked up at the tree.

"Come down."

Green breathed a sigh of relief, came down from the tree and thanked Abaying: "Thank you for your help, what's your name?"

Abaying looked Green up and down, speaking authentic Grant dialect, looking well-nourished, perhaps because he broke into the hunting ground of that group of people and often poached.

But this conversation... is obviously different from that of ordinary mountain people. If the guys who often hunt in the mountains, even if they don't know me, they should know that there is a hunter who always stays with his black wolf in this forest.

But it's not easy for him to come out to make a living alone at such a young age, right?

Thinking of this, Abaying said, "My name is Abaying, I'm just a hunter in this deep forest. Go away, kid, don't provoke those people again."

Green nodded deeply. Abaying... This name sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had heard it for a while.

Green didn't take it to heart and prepared to walk towards the Fire Dragon's Nest first. He had to ensure his safety before delivering the message.

After walking a few steps, Green seemed to remember something and turned to Abaying and said, "Mr. Abaying, those people will not give up. They will definitely come back to trouble you."

Abaying smiled nonchalantly and patted the black wolf beside him: "Don't worry, Luke and I often hunt together, I'm not afraid of them. But you, little guy, you look so flustered, where are you going?"

Green hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth and decided to confess: "This matter involves the future of the entire Principality of Grant."

Abaying was slightly startled, with a puzzled look on his face: "The future of the entire Principality of Grant? How can a little kid like you be related to such a big thing?"

Green said with a serious face: "Sir, I accidentally learned of a conspiracy. The Grand Duke wants to sell out the country and frame General Gulenberudo."

Abaying frowned, his eyes became serious: "Do you have any evidence?"

Green shook his head: "There is no conclusive evidence yet, but I know that their next plan is probably to harm General Gulenberudo!!"

"That group of people are the Grand Duke's men. They just wanted to prevent me from informing General Gulenberudo."

Abaying was silent for a moment, and said seriously: "Then I will go with you."

Green widened his eyes: "Sir, this is a very dangerous thing, you don't have to get involved."

Abaying patted the black wolf on the back: "Although I am used to hunting alone in the jungle, as a member of the Principality of Grant, how can I stay out of this big issue that concerns the fate of countless people?"

"Besides, more people means more helpers. And I am familiar with this forest and know a lot of shortcuts."

Green was surprised. He didn't expect Abaying to offer to help.

Abaying grinned, "I don't want to see those greedy guys destroy the peace here."

Abaying said, the dark green hunter's outfit couldn't cover up his handsome appearance, and his dark eyes only showed his love and sincerity for this land.

A warm current surged in Green's heart, and he nodded vigorously. Then Green, Abaying and Black Wolf Luke hurried towards the direction of the Fire Dragon's Nest. A race against time intelligence war was about to begin.

.........

Rather than hunting, it was just an excuse to gallop on the plains outside the city of Norudkahuati.

Unconsciously, Edward and Hickel rode to the river they often visited in their childhood.

The river water was flowing and clear. Edward got off the horse, walked to the river, squatted down, and gently stirred the water with his hands. Hickel also got off the horse and stood quietly by the side watching him.

"Do you remember the scene when we caught fish here when we were young?" Edward said softly, with a faint smile on his lips.

"How could I forget? Every time you are always clumsy, and in the end you have to rely on me to catch fish to fill your stomach." Hickel teased.

Edward laughed, and the laughter echoed on the river bank. He raised his head and looked into the distance, his smile gradually faded, as if sighing: "Unconsciously, we are already this age..."

Hickel followed Edward's gaze and looked at the river together. The river was still the same as it was then, with ripples when the wind blew. "Yes, time flies by so fast."

"Hickel, have you ever thought about the future?" Edward turned to look at her with a hint of confusion in his eyes.

"As long as I can still protect this land, there is nothing to think about in my future." Hickel said firmly, with a bit of ease in his tone, as if he had figured it out.

Edward stood up and patted the dust off his body, "It's a pity that we were delayed by too many things. It would be great if it was always like before."

Hickel was silent for a while, then walked up and held Edward's shoulders, "No matter what happens, we have experienced so much together, and there is Gulenberudo... In short, we will not be separated easily."

Gulenberudo...

A trace of disgust flashed in Edward's eyes, but Hickel didn't notice it. He didn't want to hear that name at all now.

"So? Don't you have any complaints about the marriage granted by the Grand Duke?"

"This is the will of the Grand Duke, how can I resist?" Hickel sighed helplessly, with a hint of loneliness in his eyes.

"And the other party is the eldest son of the Olson family... Frankly speaking, for a woman like me who is not a virgin, there is nothing to complain about this marriage, and my parents will not allow me to refuse."