Guild Boss's Ambition

After messing around for a while, the three of them finally sat quietly at the same table again.

This time, before Raftan asked, Bai Ye took the initiative to speak: "As adventurers, we must be careful and cautious in collecting intelligence. For example, there are some strange things in what the Self-Defense Force captain said today. Sometimes, if we miss or get a detail wrong, we will lose everything."

Bai Ye's teachings were meant for both me and Raftan, who was also a novice.

After a pause, she continued, "Every quest involves different stakeholders. We adventurers have our own positions, the quest issuers have their own goals, and even the monsters being conquered have their own motives for causing chaos. What is the position of the marching wolves we are facing this time? Why do they attack humans and occupy the Wawville Forest?"

Bai Ye looked at the Paladin and said thoughtfully, "Ms. Raftan, if you want to stay in the adventurer business for a long time, then, now, assume that you are the leader of the marching wolves and think about it. Then, since I am afraid of trouble, I will not tell you the truth. If you don't figure out the doubts tonight, then complete the task according to my way tomorrow."

When Bai Ye said this, both Raftan and I frowned.

It was obvious that she was trying to make things difficult for us. What she said was like pointing at an object that looked like a time bomb and saying to the people next to her, "Can you defuse it? If you can't, then I'll throw it out of the window, but I can't guarantee that it won't explode onto kittens, puppies, or innocent passers-by."

Of course, this is just a crude metaphor. In reality, Bai Ye herself may also suffer other unnecessary risks because of her in-depth involvement in the Marching Wolf incident, which is the "trouble" that Bai Ye just mentioned.

But since Bai Ye did not hide this from us, it means that the danger of this incident is not very high. On the contrary, she is actually encouraging Raftan and me to try to solve this mystery, and also provided us with the first step in thinking.

Think of yourself as a marching wolf.

But what kind of creature is the marching wolf?

I was immediately disappointed with my own shallow knowledge base.

But just because I don't know doesn't mean no one else knows.

"Ms. Raftan, please tell me in detail what kind of creature is a marching wolf?"

Raftan, who had fallen into deep thought because of Bai Ye's words, frowned and said depressedly, "March wolves are a kind of wolf that lives in groups. The first adult march wolf will have at least silver-level individual strength, and the combat power of the wolf pack leader will be gold-level or above. They are very good at hiding, and the color of their fur will change day by day according to the environment. It is difficult for ordinary people to spot them from a distance."

No, there are still not enough clues.

I asked again, “Anything else?”

Raftan nodded and continued, "The leader of the marching wolves has unfathomable intelligence, and the wolves under his command also have rigorous and efficient execution capabilities. Just like their name, they are as strong as an army."

army……

I suddenly seemed to have grasped some important information.

I straightened my back and asked, "Since they are an army, how do the marching wolves maintain their levels during the battle? Even if they can rely on the mountains to eat, wouldn't it be very bad if they are distracted from hunting during the battle?"

Raftan was startled, then nodded calmly: "Yes, although the marching wolves are used to quick battles, in the longer war of attrition, they did arrange a small number of soldiers to replenish food. In other words..."

I narrowed my eyes solemnly. "Mr. Yamakawa Hamaichi's statement is not correct! They sent out a large number of guards and adventurers to encircle and suppress the marching wolves. At that time, the marching wolves should have had a certain number of logistics troops. In this case, even if they chopped off more than 600 wolf heads in the end, the number of wolves left would probably not be just over a hundred, but many more—"

Just as Bai Ye said, from the perspective of the marching wolves, doubts were exposed.

At this time, Miss Raftan gradually got into the state, her starry eyes sparkling in the moonlight.

"Not only is the number wrong, the behavior of the marching wolves is also very suspicious. The so-called war is linked to actual interests. Since the marching wolves can come to the Wawville Forest from their original tribe, it means that they have the ability to leave this forest. Why do they still insist on not withdrawing from this land after paying more than 600 lives?"

I took the opposing side and proposed a hypothesis: "Maybe they have no other way out?"

Raftan immediately shook his head and denied this assumption. "Not far to the east of the Wowell Forest is the forest ruled by the high elves. With the strong fighting power of the marching wolves, they will have no trouble finding a new habitat. Going head-on with adventurers and guards like this will not be of any obvious benefit to their survival. It's like a moth flying into a flame!"

Raftan's argument made me notice another point, which gave me a cold sweat. "Also, why did their leader choose the Vowell Forest as the migration site for the new tribe? He chose this land bordering the town, so conflicts were bound to occur. And since he knew that conflicts would occur, he only brought a small tribe here. Could it be that -"

Raftan's expression was also subtle: "There may be quite a few of them."

Perhaps she was thinking of the same term as him—the wrath of nature.

Puff -

However, Bai Ye couldn't help laughing at this moment.

"Alright, alright, I'm about to get hurt because of your two imaginations. Don't think of the Wrath of Nature so easily. The deployment of the High Elves is not so easy for you to discover. There are various possibilities for the reasons why the marching wolves came to the Wowel Forest. As for this reason..."

Bai Ye revealed a playful expression again, and stopped talking suddenly. He just looked at me and Raftan with a smile, as if he was expecting something.

Seeing her acting this way, I couldn't help but complain: "Since you know the answer, just tell me quickly, okay? It's not fun to keep guessing here, and we are doing serious work, not going on an outing. If we can't do this well, not only will we be too embarrassed to go back to see Hai Lao, but we will also fail the expectations of Captain Yamakawa and the people in the town."

Raftan also stood on the same side as me: "Ms. Bai Ye, I also think this is not a good idea."

"Okay, okay, okay."

Bai Ye's slender index finger slowly swirled on the edge of the teacup, and he said lazily, "Anyway, I am the kind of woman you call a bad woman. I know that, I understand that, but actually, the truth is, I really don't know why those little dogs ran to the Wawville Forest. I have to go to the forest to inspect it in person to understand the details."

"Then why did you act so mysterious just now?" I complained fiercely.

"That is the elegant temperament that I possess." Bai Ye raised his eyebrows and said with a smile.

I turned my head to look at Raftan, pulled her arm and asked for help: "Dear Miss Paladin, how could you bear not to chop such a big monster sitting in front of you? Hurry up and punish her with holy light. As long as you destroy this perverted old monster of unknown age, you will soon become a saint and have a marble statue erected at the door of the church!"

"To be honest, I am no match for Miss Bai Ye."

Raftan showed an embarrassed smile. His humble and polite attitude was a hundred times more lovable than Bai Ye's flawless composure. When it comes to friends, it is better to choose those who are stupid, silly, and dull, because that way it is easier to fool and tease them.

If everyone in the world is as smart and capable as Bai Ye, then I'd better just act cute from now on.

Then, the conversation started to become less serious. The originally good strategic meeting turned into a chat with empty content under Bai Ye's guidance and interruption. Bai Ye was mainly teasing me, and then Raftan was laughing beside me. As for the group of marching wolves that were described as too powerful? Haha, we only came to a simple consensus in the end.

"We'll make plans after we conduct a field investigation in the woods tomorrow."

So we went to bed early to prepare for tomorrow's work.

That night, I had a nightmare. In my dream, I always heard a faint grinding sound.

……

……

33. The Story of the Stars (Little Blue)

(Ulu-Lannon)

The next morning, I woke up earlier than anyone else.

──I originally thought it was like this

But Bai Ye, the night owl who never got up early, was nowhere to be seen. She was not sleeping in bed, nor was she in the house. The table in the room showed signs of being used, with some unknown black powder scattered on it, and several silver tools of unknown function, probably Bai Ye's belongings.

Huff!

As soon as I left the bed, I felt a slight chill.

"You were wearing a sweater to sleep."

I looked out the window and found that the scenery outside the hotel was completely new, with white snow everywhere. The roofs and eaves that originally looked different were now all the same color. As someone who had lived in a temperate zone for many years, I suddenly felt lucky, happy and peaceful for this unexpected snowfall. Wow, I was healed by nature.

I was intoxicated by the snow, but my body complained to me.

Huff!

Two long slugs emerged from the nostrils.

Very good, all the good atmosphere has been ruined by them.

Without saying a word, I put on another piece of clothing and went to the bathroom to wash up.

Looking back, the missing Bai Ye was already sitting at the table sipping a glass of strange blue liquid. At the same time, Miss Paladin lazily dragged her half-awake and half-asleep body into the bathroom behind me.

I looked over to Raftan's bed.

Hey……

The pillow style is different from the hotel...

When I thought about the result of the appraisal, I couldn't help but smile like a gentleman.

Bai Ye, who was standing by, saw my smile in all its glory: "Uru, you were fantasizing about something terrible just now, weren't you? You were definitely fantasizing about something weird, weren't you? You were looking at the bed sheet of a female knight with such an obscene smile, could it be that you wanted to become her mount? You're only twelve, almost thirteen years old, are you that hungry - huh?"

Before Miss Paladin came out, I hurriedly covered Bai Ye's mouth and said, "Stupid Bai Ye, please don't speculate on other people's thoughts without authorization. I am now in a state of sainthood with a pure heart and few desires. I only focus on my career and will not fall in love prematurely. So don't help me to match up a couple randomly. If Miss Raftan misunderstands later, how do you think I should explain it to her?"

Bai Ye gently pushed my hand away and pretended to be thinking.

After a while, she said seriously, "Isn't it common sense that a paladin rides a saint?"

"..." I complained helplessly: "What kind of common sense is this?"

Bai Ye explained in a serious tone, "In people's common sense, human griffin knights ride griffins, and orc wolf knights ride wolfhounds. So, shouldn't paladins ride on holy relics? If they have a small and cute little saint like Uru as a mount, I think both paladins and knights of other classes and races will greatly improve their combat effectiveness."

"Did it turn into a dirty joke in the end?" I decided to complain loudly: "Besides, Bai Ye, when did you add the character setting of someone who loves to tell dirty jokes? Where's your elegance? Where's your dignity, beauty, generosity and decorum? Besides, the Church of Light clearly has the Shining Unicorn, why did you insist on letting Raftan ride on some damn saint!"

At this time, Raftan came out of the bathroom.

She looked confused and asked, "Wait? Why are you guys going to ride on the marble statue?"

Bai Ye smiled widely and started to talk nonsense: "Raftan, Raftan, I heard that as long as you ride on St. Paul's shoulders and look up at the stars, you can get the blessing of the stars and become a powerful magical girl! And as long as the witches can successfully defeat the bad guys arranged by fate, they can finally make a wish to the God of Creation, and he will unconditionally fulfill one wish for each of them!"

I originally thought that no one would believe such a flawed lie.

But Raftan changed my perception of human intelligence.

Her eyes sparkled without any doubt, and she asked seriously, "Really? Miss Bai Ye, after defeating the enemy, will the Creator God really fulfill the witches' wishes? Any wish is acceptable?"

Bai Ye's expression froze for a moment. Perhaps even she hadn't expected that she would be believed. She turned her eyes away and continued to write her story: "With the power of the legendary God of Creation, in theory, any concept that we humans can understand can be accomplished. However, if you insist on asking Him to create a world where 1+1=3, then there is probably no way."

After hearing Bai Ye's words, Raftan's expression eased a little, but he asked more in-depth questions: "So, Miss Bai Ye, may I ask which church is the statue of St. Paul that you just mentioned located in? You should also know that many believers in our church admire a great dragon slayer like St. Paul, and have erected many stone sculptures for him."

“Wow—”

"Miss Paladin has already started thinking about the details."

"She's totally trying to be a magical girl."

I looked at Bai Ye with the mood of watching a good show. Bai Ye's indifference and elegance at this moment were on the verge of collapse.

If Bai Ye doesn't handle it properly, Raftan might really go and ride on all the Saint Pauls in the league──

Facing Raftan's serious question, Bai Ye remained calm and said, "I don't know which church it is, but Raftan, your age is far beyond the requirement to be a magical girl. According to the legend, the stars love pure girls of twelve or thirteen years old. Only they can fully bear the power of starlight."

Knowing that she could not become a magical girl, Miss Raftan sighed with regret, but in the blink of an eye she perked up again and moved me in front of her: "No, although I have lost the qualifications to become a witch, Miss Lannong should be just twelve or thirteen years old. The stars should share their power with her!"

Hey──

what's the situation!

I'm obviously just a spectator!

How did this fire get on me?

I gave Bai Ye a vicious look.

Bai Ye smiled happily and confessed, "Okay, okay, Miss Raftan, please let Uru go. Most of what we just told you were just jokes. Don't take them seriously. Magical girls, creator gods, those are all fake and fictitious. Only one element among them is true."

"Sure enough, everything you said was a lie!"

After hearing Bai Ye's confession, Raftan clapped his hands in sudden enlightenment and laughed heartily, "I just think that riding on the statue of St. Paul is very strange. Besides, if I do this in public, it will almost kill me."

Miss Raftan...

Don't forget that you also wanted me to sit on St. Paul's shoulders just now.

Do you want to kill me?

I was speechless, but Raftan seemed to have remembered something and asked, "By the way, Miss Bai Ye, you just said that only one element in the story is true. What is it?"

Bai Ye placed the two pendants on the table and replied with a smile: "I joked that magical girls gain power through the blessings of the stars. This part is not completely false."

She added: "In many ancient legends, every star in the night sky has its own will and powerful power, and there are also sects that worship stars. In fact, based on my own long-term observations, some stars do exist in a special form, or in other words, they are not real stars."

The stars aren't real stars?

Could it be a satellite?

But where did the satellite come from in this Illuminati that doesn’t even have a television?

I looked at Bai Ye suspiciously.

Bai Ye explained slowly: "Most of the stars in the sky will move over time, but some stars will never move at all. Their positions are as fixed as the positions that a girl draws on a ceiling print with fluorescent ink. In the eyes of a more sensitive necromancer, the small number of stars that do not move will have some kind of unexpected aura around them."

"Death energy! The smell of blood! The air around those stars is filled with the breath of death, and death creates life. Those stars collect the power of death through certain means to maintain their lives. If we observe carefully, we will find that, except for the stars of death, the other motionless stars will collect energy from heaven and earth as the necessary elements to sustain their lives."

Having said this, Bai Ye took a sip of the blue liquid in the cup, and then covered her serious expression with a gentle smile, with a hint of loneliness and self-admiration at the corner of her mouth. After all, what she knows is often not something we can understand if we want to.

Bai Ye smiled and pointed at the table. She said, "Well, generally speaking, these are useless trivia. You don't need to worry about them. The pendants on the table are what I made for you last night. The metal skull decoration is yours, Uru, and the teardrop-shaped one is Miss Raftan's. The two pendants have completely different uses. Don't take the wrong one."

Hearing this, I looked at the pendant that belonged to me, and immediately subtle memories were brought back to me.

A few months ago, Bai Ye had stuffed my wardrobe in the stone house with a bunch of non-mainstream clothes. With a strong sense of environmental protection and not wasting resources, I was reluctant to throw them away. Now I can only use them to barely piece together a combination that I can accept during the holidays. The result is that I often make myself look like a little devil or a little rabbit.

but……

Anyway, clothes are worn for others to see...

When Sister Meng'er and the guests saw my strange clothes, they would give me good comments...