Swallowing the wine in his mouth, Anthony's words were indifferent, "Have they arrived?"

Hall's eyebrows raised.

Arrived?

He turned his body, his gaze swirling through the wooden cabin.

The next second.

Hall's eyes widened, his face full of shock as he looked ahead.

He clearly saw a black, ink-like substance seep through the cracks in the wooden wall, spreading around the wooden wall.

Only a few seconds.

The black substance completely covered that wooden wall!

Pitch black as ink, swirling like an abyss.

Making it impossible to see what that blackness truly was...

Under Hall's gaze, the black suddenly condensed quickly, drawing and converging.

Finally forming a voluptuous woman's body!

Hall's eyes narrowed, instinctively turning, wanting to flee the wooden cabin.

The previous experience was vividly remindful.

Thump thump!

The sound of footsteps hitting the ground kept echoing.

Just as Hall was about to dash out of the cabin, he glanced back.

Only to see the newly formed woman's body transforming again into black lines.

Woo~

The speed of the black lines surpassed Hall in an instant, arriving in front of him.

In the fearful gaze of Hall, the black lines drilled into his eyes, mouth, nostrils, ears...

Hall's running movements stopped, standing dumbly in place.

Anthony ignored Hall, just drinking the wine from his jug.

A moment later.

Hall's tightly closed eyes suddenly opened.

The original pupils had vanished, replaced by a pitch-black tint.

Hall's body turned, moving with stiff steps, walking towards Anthony.

Sharp voice like a woman's mixed with a man's voice sounded again from Hall's mouth.

"Sir Anthony, I think I've shown sincerity, haven't I?"

"Withdraw the Storm Mercenary Corps and tell you about the defenseless villages and towns nearby!"

"Let you acquire food, water, and women..."

Anthony glanced at Hall, remaining silent.

The mixed voice continued.

"As long you agree to collaborate with me, I will bestow upon you a great gift!"

Anthony seemed interested, staring at Hall, "A great gift?"

With stiff steps in the cabin, Hall's mouth curled into a stiff and eerie smile.

Seeing Hall had no intention of explaining further, Anthony fell into silence once more.

Until a few minutes later.

Anthony spoke, "I can agree to your collaboration."

Hall's smile grew more apparent, though it made one feel distinctly uncomfortable.

As if an invisible pair of hands were pulling Hall's mouth into a smile.

Hall's face suddenly became rigid, "In a few minutes, the Storm Mercenary Corps will reach this village!"

Upon hearing this.

Anthony's face changed suddenly, his body tense.

Hall continued, "Sir Anthony, no need to be tense."

"They are not coming to annihilate you, but to become your subordinates."

"Starting from a few minutes later, they will follow your orders!"

Anthony's face showed some astonishment.

If it were just asking the Storm Mercenary Corps to withdraw, giving up hunting them, that's not difficult.

All it takes is enough Gold Pounds to achieve this.

But getting a force clearly stronger than the Iron Blood Brotherhood to follow orders.

That's not an ordinary difficulty.

Anthony couldn't help but ask, "How did you accomplish this?"

Hall displayed another smile, "I naturally have my ways."

Just as he finished speaking, the sound of galloping hooves rang out outside the town.

Despite the considerable distance, Anthony, familiar with horses, quickly judged that the number of horses was at least over two hundred.

Hall also stopped his steps, standing at the cabin door, gazing into the distant darkness.

There, tiny specks of firelight were rapidly approaching.

Hall asked, "Sir Anthony, are you pleased with this gift?"

Anthony glanced at Hall, "Not bad."

Hall said, "Then our collaboration with Sir Anthony can be considered accomplished."

"Forgot to tell Sir Anthony, this gift is only the appetizer."

"If you complete the task I give you, there'll be an even greater gift waiting for Sir Anthony!"

Anthony's eyes slightly widened, "Even greater? What sort of gift?"

Hall grinned, "It's something... that gives you the chance to unsettle the entire Karedi Empire!"

"Oh, forgot to mention, your time is limited... If you can't accomplish it by January, I'll impose a minor punishment!"

Anthony's face changed again, "Punishment?"

"You didn't say anything about punishment before!"

Hall's demeanor was calm, those pitch-black eyes staring directly at Anthony.

"I'm the rule maker, and you are the rule keeper... You ought to set your status straight, Sir Anthony!"

"Besides... Do you have any other choice now?"

"You're almost starving to death, Sir Anthony!"

Anthony fell silent instantly.

He was about to say more, the mixed voice continued.

"Well then, that's it for now."

The voice fell.

Hall's standing body instantly knelt to the ground, like fainted.

Anthony casually glanced at Hall, got up, and walked to the cabin door.

His gaze turned to the distance.

There, a sight visibly clear to the naked eye of torches fast approaching.

Under the glow of the torchlight, one could see figures wearing various uniforms.

Seeing the cavalry outside the village was certainly not solely Anthony.

A few Brotherhood patrol members ran to Anthony's side in panic, fearfully explaining, "Chief Anthony..."

"Cavalry, so many cavalry!"

"Yes, yes, I roughly heard, there are at least two hundred riders."

"If I'm not mistaken, it's that bunch from the Storm Mercenary Corps!"

"Chief, they're numerous; we should flee... withdraw."

"..."

Anthony scanned them, his voice deep.

"What's the panic?"

Upon hearing Anthony's voice, the panicked voices instantly vanished.

The Brotherhood members wanted to flee, but seeing their chief remain calm in crisis...

They had no way to complain.

The closer pounding of cavalry hooves nearly frightened all Iron Blood Brotherhood members.

They emerged from various cabins, scrambling to Anthony's cabin.

Watching silhouettes steering horses into the village, they even gripped the weapons at their waists tightly.

In the urgent 'woah' sound, a horse's front hooves bent, leaping high.

Finally, stopping a few meters before Anthony.

As the hoof steadied, a young man's face appeared before the Brotherhood members' eyes.

Fan Ke, leader of the Storm Mercenary Corps, bore a smile.

"Sir Anthony, surprisingly... we meet this way!"

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