CHAPTER 50: CHAPTER 50: WOLF EATS MEAT_1

"Let her cry. Venting would be good. Balistan and Reynard, you two rest here for a while. Dismas, come with me."

Lance gave the two a cautious look. While he told them to rest, it was actually so they would keep an eye on her.

Lance knew all too well what a brutal world this was. He couldn’t possibly let a stranger out of his sight. Who knew if she was genuinely a person kidnapped by bandits? What if this whole thing was a monster’s trick to play a dirty trick on him?

After all, there was Supernatural Power in this world, and one had to be cautious in all matters. He couldn’t afford to lose.

Returning outside, he gestured towards the bandit with the broken leg, indicating to Dismas.

"Getting information from these bandits will be useful for you. Understand their relationships with other bandits in the vicinity, and what has happened during this time."

Without a word, Dismas dragged him to one side.

The bandit seemed to realize he was doomed. He didn’t cooperate at all, constantly screaming and wailing, refusing to speak.

"Bring him out." Seeing this, Lance picked up a severed hand and walked out of the camp. Indifferent to the bandit, he carelessly threw the hand out.

He then turned to look at the bandit Dismas had dragged out. "Watch."

Lance’s behavior seemed very bizarre, causing the bandit to be somewhat confused.

But soon, noise erupted all around, and pairs of eyes lit up in the forest outside the camp.

"Wolves!"

Of course, the bandit recognized what they were. He instinctively struggled to back away but was pinned down by Lance’s foot. Lance said sternly, "Look closely!"

The alpha wolf emerged from the darkness. Less cautious than it had been the first time, it directly bit the severed hand and retreated into the dark.

Although unseen, the sound of bones cracking and a chilling howl that conjured vivid images could be heard by everyone.

"Humph! Did you hear that?" Lance leaned in close to the bandit and let out a sinister laugh. "If you cooperate, I can make it quick. But if you don’t, then you’ll feed the wolves. My little ones have been hungry for days. Do you think they’ll start with the hands or the feet first?"

"You’re not human!" Terror crawled over the bandit’s face.

"TCH." Lance scoffed disdainfully. "Compared to you, I’m indeed too kind to be human."

One hand clearly wasn’t enough for so many wolves, and soon the alpha wolf came forward again.

The scent of fresh blood had probably driven them into a frenzy, and the other wolves also drew near. The pack bared their teeth in a grisly display and stepped closer, eager to pounce on their prey the very next second.

Lance held the torch aloft. The flickering flames caused the wolves to retreat a step. They let out low GROWLS at him, a warning as if protecting their food and trying to drive the human away.

"Look. I’ll let them bite off your flesh bit by bit, then let you watch yourself get torn apart by the pack."

The bandit saw the wolves gradually approaching. Under the firelight, he could even see the fresh blood on the corners of their mouths.

"I’ll talk! I’ll talk! Quickly, take me back!" The bandit completely broke down, pleading with a sob.

Only then did Lance step back, leaving the rest to Dismas. He needed to clean up the scene.

These things were not fun at all. But for the sake of the Sacrifice, he had to suppress his revulsion and offer them as a Sacrifice, all while gathering their equipment and money.

There were a dozen men, but not a single musket among them; all their weapons were for melee combat. These crudely made weapons were nothing but scrap iron—bulky and heavy.

He did find quite a bit of money, though most of it was in copper coins. Dealing with these was a nuisance, not to mention the woman.

"My Lord, there is news."

Dismas approached Lance to report something interesting.

According to the bandit, a short while ago, someone from the artillery unit had contacted them, seemingly intending to invade Hamlet once more. However, the matter just faded away without further development, and it was unclear what had happened.

It was also revealed that during the looting of the town, the artillery unit had clashed with the Wolf Faction. This culminated in the Wolf Faction beating them up and then stealing the goods, hence the ongoing tension between the two groups.

This time, there didn’t seem to be any intention to ally with the Wolf Faction.

Just as I suspected. Lance smiled faintly. "These bandits had remained here because they were planning a second raid on Hamlet, or even to occupy the town. However, both the Wolf Faction and the artillery unit had been stalling because they each wanted to conserve their strength."

Quickly digesting the information he’d just received, Lance outlined the subsequent situation to Dismas.

"It’s a ready-made excuse. The Wolf Faction is unhappy with the artillery unit’s growth, so they plan to annihilate them first and then monopolize Hamlet. As a result, they’ll start to move against the bandits, and you will be the sole survivor of their actions tonight."

"My Lord, if we do this, won’t it cause all the other bandits to join the artillery unit? If the Wolf Faction doesn’t display sufficient strength and is wiped out by a few cannon blasts, we will be the ones to suffer in the end."

Lance understood Dismas’s worry. If the Wolf Faction didn’t put up a good fight and failed to achieve a mutually destructive outcome with the artillery unit, they would then have to face a bandit group a hundred strong and armed with artillery.

The thought was too dreadful to entertain.

"What you’re worrying about doesn’t scare me, because that would at least use up some of their ammunition. I’m more afraid of another possibility: the Wolf Faction, seeing the situation, might just flee. Then the artillery unit will definitely take the opportunity to attack Hamlet.

Or the Wolf Faction might see through our plan and join the Allied Army. In that case, we would have to directly face the full might of the bandit Allied Army."

Lance voiced two more possibilities, each seeming more likely the more he thought about them.

After all, the Wolf Faction isn’t stupid. If they can’t win, wouldn’t they just run away? That’s how they ended up here, after all.

"We must find a way to ensure that these two factions definitely engage in battle..."

Lance fell into deep thought, with Dismas waiting by his side.

AWOOOO!

Suddenly, a wolf’s howl sounded outside, startling Lance awake as if he had come to a realization. His conflicted expression dissolved into a smile as he nodded and muttered to himself.

Right... right... What’s missing is the meat.

Dismas, watching his Lord’s reaction, was somewhat puzzled. What did this have to do with wolves?

"At the end of the day, the conflict between the two factions isn’t enough to spur them to fight to the death. However, if the stakes were high enough, that would change."

"When you find the artillery unit’s leader, tell him you saw with your own eyes that the Wolf Faction has an Extraordinary item in their possession.

Then, guide the conversation to suggest that it was because of this item that they offended a noble. If he gets his hands on it, he could either sell it or reach out to that noble and secure a prosperous future for himself.

I refuse to believe they’re content to remain bandits here. And he surely won’t want to share such a prize with other bandits. He will undoubtedly forsake any alliance and decide to attack the Wolf Faction alone."

What does an Extraordinary item represent? It’s equipment imbued with magical powers. For these low-level mercenaries, it’s an object that exists only in legends yet is undeniably real. Every time such an item is mentioned in taverns, it’s said to fetch exorbitant prices, snapped up by powerful figures.