Chapter 153: Fog of War
Ryan had stayed in the Temple Tribe for several months, so he naturally knew that under the crater was the temple of General Morogos, one of the 72 General Knights of the Monkel civilization.
But even the witch priest Mafa said that no one has ever come up alive since going down there, and it is a "death place".
Ryan also knew that Ymir was coming for the temple.
Regardless of whether His Highness has the "Crystal of Divine Power", even if he does, he feels that he should go and persuade Her Royal Highness the Princess not to go and die.
Besides, in this forest, no one can escape the Coleman’s perception.
Coleman's priests not only tame monsters to become scouts, but also various insects, plants, and even rainwater.
When the time comes, the "elder-level" masters will be dispatched, and regardless of who will win or lose, both sides will surely suffer losses in the fight.
Both sides are allies, and Ryan doesn't want to see them fighting to the death.
Then, he volunteered to take on the task of "persuading people to quit".
…
Ryan, Bazel, the "Ghost Mushroom Elder" Daler and a group of Warcraft Knights went to the area where the wave of "enemies" was discovered.
After traveling for two days, they finally stopped in an area where the "fog of war" was obviously artificially set up.
It was obvious that Ymir and the others had made sufficient preparations.
"Doctor Ryan, those people are now in that wetland. But they are extremely alert and are all experts. We haven't determined their exact location..."
"I understand. Senior Bazel and I will go in next."
"Well, Dr. Ryan, please be careful. If there is anything abnormal, take care of yourself first, and our soldiers will rush in immediately."
"good."
After a brief conversation, a large group of Coleman warriors disappeared into the forest.
Ryan walked into the fog.
"Fog of war" is a kind of artificial fog, which is essential for marching and is also the favorite method used by assassins.
In the pitch-black fog, the assassins were like elusive ghosts who could easily cut the throats of their enemies. And for a werewolf like Bazel who was good at stealth and reconnaissance, the thick fog was also his best disguise.
It is obvious that there must be a high-level assassin lurking outside.
There is no need to actively look for it. Once the "prey" walks into the ambush circle, the assassins will naturally come to the door.
Ryan did not dare to be careless and was afraid of causing misunderstanding, so he directly put the emblem given to him by Ymir on his finger and held it in front of him, for fear that no one would see it.
Ryan brought Bazel with him because he was afraid that he might be wrong. If it wasn't Ymir, he might be in danger.
The Colemans were not invited in because their tall figures would definitely lead to a fight as soon as they met, and the two sides would not have a chance to negotiate at all.
Ryan had received a year of professional assassin training, and he knew very well that assassins could not only lurk, but also set traps.
So, instead of tiptoeing in, it’s better to let someone come to him.
As he walked further into the fog, he began to shout, "I'm Ryan Hermes, here to negotiate!"
He only gave his own name but did not reveal the eldest princess's name, for fear that in case it was an enemy, there would be room for maneuver.
As expected, his action quickly attracted a high-level assassin lurking somewhere.
Just when Ryan was completely unaware, a dagger appeared at his feet.
This is a warning: Private campsite, state your intentions, trespassers will be killed.
Ryan held up the ring and shouted, "My name is Ryan. If you recognize this emblem, please take me to see its owner."
Ryan didn't know whether the other party could see it or not, so he lit a torch to make the golden rose ring shine brightly.
As soon as he said this, he saw the fog not far away surging slightly, and a group of fog quickly condensed into a human figure. Then in the blink of an eye, it turned into a leather-armored assassin with a gray-white hood and a mask.
"What a clever stealth method!"
Ryan sighed in his heart, this extraordinary ability to blend into the fog is really weird.
The assassin took a closer look at the ring in Ryan's hand, his eyes hidden under the hood slightly surprised. He said in a low voice: "The friend next to you makes me feel very dangerous. I want to know who he is."
This is a perception circle set up by someone else. Even though Basel is a legend, he doesn't think it's possible to hide it from the other party.
He revealed his true identity directly, took off his mask, and revealed a bearded wolf face.
The assassin was obviously stunned as well. He didn't expect that he was one of the "Top Ten Legends".
But since we know each other, there is nothing to ask.
"Wait a moment, I'll go report."
As soon as the words fell, the assassin's figure merged into the mist again.
…
After hearing this, Ryan and the other man stopped wandering and waited where they were.
Bazel looked at the direction where the assassin disappeared, smacked his lips, and said, "The fifth-level court assassin, Heishuitai's secret stealth ability [Mist Shadow Body], is very powerful."
Ryan breathed a sigh of relief. Since the other party recognized this emblem ring, it was most likely that the person inside was Ymir herself.
They did not stay in the mist for long.
The assassin came back, his voice so erratic that no one knew where he was going. "Follow me. His Highness wants to see you. Don't step around. There's a trap."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ryan could no longer see anyone.
But Basel identified a direction and followed it in.
Ryan could only follow behind the boss, carefully following his footsteps and walking inside using exactly the same steps.
After walking about one or two kilometers, the fog began to thin out, and then they saw a campfire.
There are several marching tents next to the campfire.
Six fully armed high-level transcendents were looking at Ryan and the other man with curiosity.
Warriors, mages, assassins, hunters and priests...a very standard expedition team.
There were several portraits that Ryan had seen in various notices, and the "intelligent brain" instantly matched them up.
The former commander of the First Mechanic Corps of Omar [Storm General] Baron Askopa...
The former Omatin Knight Commander [Magic Swordsman] Rhine Root...
Archbishop Friedel of the Royal Monastery of Oma...
Each of them is a famous fifth-order transcendent, and each of them is very powerful.
Although she was wearing a gas mask, Ryan still recognized Ymir's beautiful long golden hair and the royal rapier at her waist at a glance.
He walked straight over, saluted like a gentleman, and greeted, "Your Highness Ymir, long time no see."
Ymir was also surprised to see Ryan here.
Out of politeness, she also took off her mask, revealing her delicate and flawless face, and responded: "Long time no see, Dr. Ryan."
The subordinates around her stared at Ryan again and again with curiosity.
They are Ymir's direct subordinates, so they naturally know a lot of inside information and have also heard of Ryan's existence.
Now that he saw the real person, he couldn't help but be curious. How could this seemingly ordinary low-level extraordinary person attract so much attention from Her Royal Highness the Princess?
What surprised them even more was that they actually saw a low-level transcendent in the depths of the "Forest of Ashes"?
Any random animal or plant here can kill low- to mid-level transcendents.
But when they saw Bazel beside Ryan, a hint of caution flashed in their eyes.
Just from the fact that he could have a "Top Ten Legends" as his bodyguard, they knew that the young man in front of them must be no ordinary person.
Ryan certainly knew why these guys looked at Bazel with such vigilance. After all, Bazel had attacked the princess in Storm Lake and almost killed her. Both sides felt a little uncomfortable when they met.
He quickly introduced, "Mr. Bazel is my friend. He followed me to make sure I wouldn't die in the monster's mouth. He has no ill intentions."
“…”
Ymir didn't say much.
After all, in that situation, both of them were the ones being plotted against, and there couldn't be any irreconcilable hatred between them.
Although she knew that Bazel seemed to be protecting Ryan for some reason when she was in the City of Glory, Ymir was also surprised to see that such a legendary man actually escorted people to the depths of the "Colman Forest".
At this moment, she did have countless questions in her mind, so she asked Ryan, "Did you come here specifically to see me? And...how did you know I was here?"
…
Ymir's operation this time is top secret.
In the dense jungle where the trees were taller than the mountains, they were as inconspicuous as the sand in the desert. But she didn't expect that someone could find her exact location directly.
Hearing this, Ryan did not immediately tell her the purpose of his visit, but said to Ymir: "I have something to say to you alone."
Ymir raised her eyebrows slightly and said calmly: "This is my most trusted subordinate. You can tell me directly if you have anything to say."
Ryan was not afraid of offending anyone, and insisted, "I'm sorry, Your Highness, the Princess, this is a serious matter, I can only tell you."
He knew that Ymir wasn't being careless when she said this.
And this is the best choice from the perspective of those in a superior position.
In this situation, any distrust shown could easily lead loyal subordinates to think things like "Her Royal Highness the Princess doesn't trust me" or "There might be someone among my companions who is not worthy of suspicion"...
The team will be difficult to lead.
This kind of "bad guy" role can only be played by an outsider.
After all, this trip is of great importance.
Although Ryan knew that those brought by Ymir must be subordinates she trusted.
But no matter who it is, he trusts Ymir but not others.
Last time in Storm Lake, the princess was framed and fled to the wilderness with serious injuries. It would be strange if the people around her didn't get into trouble when such a big assassination mistake was made by a princess like her.
Now, not to mention that he came to negotiate on behalf of the Coleman tribe, this was something that could not be made public.
And Metternich's letter is also a very sensitive issue.
Ryan now knew that the "Clemens F. Metternich" who loved playing cards was from the lineage of the Queen and the eldest prince, and was a political and mortal enemy of the eldest princess' faction.
No matter what the content of Metternich's letter was and what its purpose was, if it were known to a third party, it might cause trouble for all parties.
…
Hearing that Ryan insisted, Ymir glanced at him and said nothing more. She stood up and walked towards a tent behind her, saying lightly, "Come in and talk."
Ryan's "black face" invisibly resolved a possible crisis of trust.
After all, he is an outsider, and a low-level transcendent at that, so no one takes him seriously.
Several high-level transcendents on the side remained silent.
They ignored Ryan who followed him into the tent, and instead fixed their eyes on Bazel who was not far away, with a hint of vigilance.
