In Sumeru, pretend to be a scholar!

Liam took a deep breath, and without further ado, turned and roared at everyone:

"I heard you all! Hilichurl tribe! Nock your crossbows, grip your spears! Light all the torches to avoid being ambushed, protect the scholars, and remember, hold the wagon wall, don't let a single one get through!"

At his command, more torches were lit and hurled out with crackling sounds, forming a discontinuous fire barrier around the perimeter of the wagon. The flickering flames made the suspicious shadows moving along the edge of the woods appear even more sinister.

The aroma of food lingered in the air, but now it was mixed with rust, sweat, and a tense atmosphere as if a storm was brewing.

From the depths of the dense forest, inhuman roars and the sound of heavy, dragging footsteps began to echo, growing louder as they approached.

Wang Yan gripped the wooden stick tightly, but his ears twitched slightly.

A low, indistinct roar came from the forest, mixed with the sound of wooden sticks striking tree trunks.

To Wang Yan's ears, these sounds gradually became clearer and more discernible:

"Plata! Plata! (Attack! Attack!)"

"Movo unta! (Charge!)"

"Mimi muhe mois! Mimi muhe gusha! (We want food! We want meat!)"

"Eleka dada! (For the tribe!)"

He also vaguely heard a rougher, more raspy voice, seemingly that of a commander, shouting:

"Todo odomu! Todo yika! (Rob strangers! Rob those bad guys!)"

"Sada upa! (Ready!)"

Wang Yan was startled and shouted, "They're going to attack!"

After Wang Yan shouted a warning, in just a few breaths, three Hilichurl thugs wielding giant shields rushed out of the jungle, and the men with crossbows instinctively fired.

Unfortunately, all the arrows struck the Hilichurl's wooden shield with dull thuds, but did not cause any damage.

Behind the three-headed wooden shield thug, dozens of Hilichurls wielding wooden clubs rushed out, hiding behind the wooden shield Hilichurls, and charged towards the defensive position.

Just as the Hilichurls were about to reach the defensive cart, the five members of the Gilded Brigade rushed out. The captain, wielding a long sword, struck down with a single blow, causing a wooden shield Hilichurl to stumble and nearly fall to the ground. The remaining four members of the Gilded Brigade also coordinated perfectly, blocking the remaining two Hilichurls.

The Hilichurls' charge was interrupted, and Liam quickly shouted, "Shoot the Hilichurls around us first, and avoid the Gilded Brigade's position!"

This is to prevent the guy from shooting the Gilded Brigade instead of the Hilichurls.

Upon hearing this, the caravan crewmen regained their composure and began firing again.

This time it worked very well. Without the cover of the Hilichurl mobs, it was difficult for ordinary Hilichurls to break through the crossbow fire. Even if they did break through, they would be stabbed to death by the men behind the cart with spears after getting close to the cart's defenses.

Just as things were improving, Wang Yan's expression suddenly changed again. He heard the slightly vulgar language again: "The vines summon (Abyss language)."

Wang Yan was startled and shouted, "Watch out for the vines!"

His reminder was timely, and the combatants of the Gilded Brigade retreated instantly without hesitation.

The next second, the ferocious vines, like venomous snakes that had been lurking for a long time, burst out of the ground the moment the members of the gilded brigade retreated. The barbed tips whistled across the spot where they had stood, cracking the ground and eerily green light emanating from the cracks.

If it weren't for Wang Yan's timely reminder, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"Shaman, jungle to the left, within 30 meters, Liam," shouted the scarred, gilded brigade leader.

Within the defensive formation, Liam revealed a terrifying smile: "Found it."

Then, Wang Yan saw the caravan leader, carrying a large sword, stand up and leap from behind the defensive formation into the nearby jungle.

"Yika odomu! Movo unta! (You bad outsider! Run!)"

Several panicked Hilichurl screams echoed from the depths of the forest, followed by Liam's heavy footsteps and the sharp whistling of blades cutting through the air. Interspersed among these were the cracking sounds of some kind of wooden staff being violently broken, and a short, mournful wail that was definitely not human.

Before the cries of agony had even subsided, the volleyballs besieging the camp seemed to have been simultaneously choked, and their chaotic charge came to an abrupt halt.

They looked at each other, uttering unintelligible mutterings and whimpers, their fierce glint quickly replaced by fear.

"Unu tomo nini! Movo unta! (The shaman is dead! Run!)"

It's unclear which Hilichurl took the lead in shouting, but the morale of the remaining Hilichurls immediately collapsed. They dropped their sticks, let out terrified howls, and turned to flee into the depths of the dark forest. Even the three wooden shield thugs who were entangled by the Gilded Brigade struggled to shake off their weapons and retreated hastily with heavy steps.

The crisis was thus averted.

The camp was filled with heavy breathing and low curses of survivors.

The men remained gripping their weapons, watching warily in the direction the Hilichurls had disappeared, until the scarred captain of the Gilded Brigade gave a signal that it was safe, at which point the tense atmosphere eased slightly.

Liam, carrying his large knife stained with an unidentified dark green fluid, strode back through the woods.

In his other hand, he was holding a motionless grass mound shaman.

"Solved. It was an old shaman, well hidden." He walked to the scarred captain, dropped the large knife and the shaman in his hand, gave a brief explanation, and then his gaze swept across the crowd, landing precisely on Wang Yan, who was being protected in the center.

Both previous reminders were given by this Liyue person.

Once could be a coincidence, but twice definitely isn't.

His gaze held undisguised surprise and scrutiny, as if he were reassessing this seemingly frail Liyue scholar.

"You…" Liam's voice boomed, "How did you know this thing was going to cast a spell? Can you sense elemental forces?"

In Sumeru, there are many people who can use elemental power. Scholars of the Sulun School all have some skills, but they also need to use instruments to achieve these skills.

Wang Yan, on the other hand, didn't use anything and immediately offered a reminder.

Wang Yan's heart was still pounding from the near-death experience, and his palms were covered in cold sweat.

He knew that his proficiency in languages ​​was too conspicuous in battle and that he needed to provide a reasonable explanation.

"I study ancient scripts and have also dealt with some extremely obscure... fragments of non-human race linguistics. I've taught myself some Hilichurls. I just heard a Hilichurl shaman chanting a spell, and I instinctively spoke up to warn him," Wang Yan explained. "I can only say I was lucky; I guessed right."

Liam stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly grinned, revealing a hearty smile, and patted Wang Yan's shoulder forcefully: "Whether it was a fluke or not, your shout saved at least three lives and saved us a lot of trouble! Good lad!"

As he spoke, he bent down, rummaged around on the Chuchu shaman's body, and pulled out a tattered scroll.

"You contributed to this battle. You just said you study writing, right? Here, take this as your share of the profits."

Liam tossed the tattered scroll to Wang Yan.

Beside them, a scholar spoke up: "This is a Demon-Sealing Scroll. It has some hieroglyphic patterns on it. It is very ancient and dangerous. According to research, Hilichurl shamans obtain their spellcasting abilities from it. The Gnostic faction has been buying these things."

Because Wang Yan demonstrated his knowledge and helped everyone resist the invasion, the scholars also began to show goodwill.

As Tinari said, a scholar should act like a scholar; your knowledge determines your social standing.

"Then I shall accept it without hesitation." Wang Yan took the scroll and did not refuse.

In fact, Wang Yan 'liked' the scroll the moment he saw it.

"Haha, alright, clean up the mess and increase vigilance! Tonight, give this... young man Wang Yan an extra portion of meat! It's on me!" Liam shouted with a laugh.

Scattered cheers and laughter erupted from the camp, and the atmosphere truly eased.

The men began clearing the crossbow bolts and inspecting the carts and goods, while the Gilded Brigade once again dispatched men to expand the patrol area in case the Hilichurls returned.