Witch Troupe and the Undead

"Wow, that's heavy!" Firefly's face lit up the moment she caught the bag. "We need to find their treasure vault; there's definitely more than just this!"

Even though Gregory would give gold coins, the sacrifice itself would cost money, and hiring those guards wouldn't be enough just by making a wish; you'd have to pay separately or allow separate wishes to be made.

Therefore, the priests would definitely store a sum of money locally, and the guards would do the same, at least less than the priests, and usually kept it close to their bodies.

The village is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with only one side being a slope leading down the mountain. The front of the village is a simple fortress built of wood and stones. The monsters and thieves in this other world are much stronger than those on Earth, so the defense systems of most towns and villages are quite sturdy and advanced.

At this moment, the hillside was filled with soldiers summoned by the count, numbering at least a hundred, and reinforcements were constantly arriving. Local lords and nobles also brought their knights and infantry to help, as his treasury had been inexplicably robbed and he was eager to recover.

When they saw this group of masked men, they immediately felt like they had found the culprit. The mysterious gold coins from the sect, their stolen treasure vault, and their obvious thief attire—they were the prime suspects.

Frankly, if these villagers hadn't covered their faces, the nobles might not have suspected them. After all, who would think that a group of illiterate farmers who were tilling the fields just yesterday would have the ability and means to steal so much gold from a heavily guarded treasury? However, if they were a group of thieves, then the suspicion would be much higher.

Moreover, even if it wasn't stolen from the treasury, but rather lured villagers or young people from the town into opening the gates and rushing into the town to plunder under the guise of religion, it was still considered stolen goods and money. Similarly, for the nobility, it was something that had to be eradicated.

They could tolerate bandits who robbed along trade routes, and there might even be their own people among those bandits. Some bandits even jokingly called themselves the "special tax collectors" of the nobility.

However, no nobleman could tolerate thieves colluding with them to storm into the city and rob, as that would be extremely unsafe for them. Moreover, if they could open the gates for a band of thieves, they could open them for the armies of other nobles.

"Line up!" the company commander in his red uniform shouted, pulling down his metal mask. Seven or eight fully armed soldiers lined up in two rows, holding shields as they approached the gate on the hillside.

The mountain path was narrow, making it difficult for a large number of people to rush up and attack at once. They could only send people up in groups, while the rest of the people took bows and crossbows and fired them at the gate.

In this world, due to monsters and other reasons, most soldiers and even town guards need to learn a lot of weapon skills. Usually, only those who are proficient in long and short swords, axes, hammers, long and short spears, shields, greatswords (two-handed swords), and crossbows can be called qualified warriors, or rather, can obtain the title of trainee warrior from the training camp.

For the Imperial Legion, only those who have completed the above training in the training camp and mastered at least one path to advancement in physical prowess, including wearing light and medium armor, can leave the ranks of recruits.

The path to extraordinary physique advancement here refers to reaching the limit of one of the attributes that can be achieved through training and practice. It is usually strength or physique. Agility and perception are relatively less common, since the effects and levels of these two training methods are limited in the military.

"Whoosh~ Whoosh~" Arrows shot from the hunting bow kept whizzing past the corporal leading the team, but he didn't care at all. The empire's steel industry was no longer at the level of blacksmith shops making things by hand. The development of steam, magic power, and alchemy had made the price of plain metal armor without enchantments as cheap as it was in the Dark Ages.

Even the thieves under Black Crow's command can wear leather armor and chainmail, let alone the elite private soldiers under these nobles. Occasionally, an arrow or two will pass through the edge of the shield and land on their bodies, but it will only create a spark on the armor plates forged from alchemical alloy.

As ordinary soldiers, they did not have enchanted armor. In this world, whether or not armor is enchanted is a completely different story. A complete set of plate armor without enchantment costs about 300 to 400 silver coins, while if it is enchanted, even the lowest level of enchantment costs at least 1 silver coins. Even if they bring their own materials, the labor cost will be more than 2000 silver coins.

However, the enemies they are facing now also do not have enchanted arrows or weapons. Because arrowheads are small and difficult to inscribe with runes, most of the time, no one enchants arrows. Arrows are more often enchanted using magic infusion techniques, since their small size makes them more susceptible to magic erosion.

The biggest drawback of equipment made using the enchanting technique is that it is disposable and difficult to create complex spell effects. However, this is not a problem at all with arrows.

Some magic workshops are even considering enchanting the bullets of magic crossbows to further enhance their power, but since those hexagonal metal strips are made of alchemical alloys, the cost of enchanting them is even higher, so it is not yet widespread.

"Hold the line! Slow down!" the corporal shouted. Shields covered with steel bars and iron sheets were pieced together, their serrated edges interlocking to form a massive steel wall.

The arrows fired by the villagers from their hunting bows on the wall had no effect whatsoever; instead, several people were hit by arrows fired back by archers behind the shield wall.

“Enchanted arrows… hiss~” Wild Sparrow glanced at the wounded man’s blasted wound, the flesh around which was almost completely charred, and countless fragments of metal arrowheads deeply embedded in the flesh. “Lead…” She rubbed the soft and hot metal particles between her fingers, her face turning a little pale.

Lead-infused magic arrowheads, military-grade magic-infused ammunition, are only issued to regular archer units in the regular army. Each person is given 12 arrowheads, which are checked regularly. If the number is insufficient, the person will be whipped.

It explodes through flesh and blood, tears blood vessels, and releases highly toxic lead particles into the bloodstream. In earlier times, it was even called the "kiss of death," meaning that if you were hit by an arrow and your armor didn't protect you, you were doomed.

The difference is whether one is killed on the spot by the explosion or dies from infection and decay afterward. Even in this day and age, it's only because of advancements in alchemical alloys and enchanting techniques that armor can better withstand such weapon fire.

In a sense, the reason why this world has not invented firearms or why firearms remain at the "toy" level is this: rudimentary gunpowder weapons are not as powerful, accurate, or even lethal as these enchanted explosive arrows.

"Didn't you use Explosive Arrows?" The enchanted arrows with ruby ​​tips are as powerful as 40mm grenades. Of course, the price... well, they're the kind of arrows that the Imperial regular legions only use when attacking fortified positions.

"If they have explosive arrows, we're doomed!" The veteran, fully equipped, glanced at the girl beside him. "Just one shot, bang, and we'll be blown to bits!"

"Don't worry, your gear won't get blown up," another veteran patted his companion on the shoulder. Their equipment was a gift from the gods, all runic in design, and looked very high-level.

Other villagers also received some equipment. Some wore breastplates over their clothes, which had to be stuffed with straw to make them stand up, with the straw sticking out from the sides of the breastplate, making them look like a poorly made scarecrow. Others wore only a pair of wrist guards, while still others wore ill-fitting chainmail and carried heavy spears that had been straightened by pitchforks.

"Close in, cease fire!" The bugle call delivered this order, and the archers immediately lowered their longbows, rubbing their shoulders and arms vigorously. The continuous suppressive fire was taking a toll on them. When engaging the enemy, they needed to stop firing because the two sides were too close, making it easy for their own men to be riddled with arrows, especially when attacking from below.

"They're here!" The gate, which had been blocked by wooden sticks, suddenly bulged inward, revealing a crack. Under the cover of the shield wall, four soldiers wielded a thick battering ram and smashed it against the gate.

"Form ranks!" the veterans shouted. Some of the braver villagers who had managed to grab a few pieces of equipment stood beside them, gripping their weapons tightly and swallowing hard. The only reason they didn't run away immediately was because they were trapped in this place surrounded by mountains on three sides. Without the extraordinary physique and agility of those high-level adventurers, it would be almost impossible for them to cross the mountains and escape.

"Boom!" The gate collapsed inward, shields collided with each other, and longswords clashed together.

"Clang!" "Thud!" A villager holding a one-handed sword had his blade easily knocked off balance. Before he could even reach out to steady the sword, a military-issue one-handed sword slashed across his neck. Compared to these well-trained soldiers with the rank of warrior, the villagers' martial arts skills were simply unbearable.

"Not bad!" The corporal caught the longsword that his opponent had dropped. His eyes lit up the moment he held it. This weapon was indeed of some quality. Several runes were engraved on the silver-gray blade. It seemed to be an enchanted weapon. Where did these villagers get such expensive things?

"An enchanted sword?" Maripol's eyes lit up. Unlike the villagers and soldiers who didn't know much about swords, he recognized it. This was no ordinary enchanted sword; it was more valuable than all the gold here.

"Hey~" The greatsword swordsman's eyes lit up, and he decisively tore a mask off the corpse and put it on his face. "A magic trick!?"

"Here it comes! Transformation!" The wizard sprinkled a handful of furnace ash, instantly changing the color and shape of his armor. It was just a simple illusion, but it was perfectly adequate to deceive the villagers in this chaotic scene.

"Don't panic, I'm here to help you!" The swordsman strode forward excitedly, his two swords rising with the force of his charge. Before the corporal, who had just acquired his weapon, could react, his shield was ripped open by the blade. "Bang!" A fist encased in an iron gauntlet slammed into his face, and stars flashed before his eyes.

"Give it to me!" The swordsman grabbed the blade and pulled it outwards, taking the enchanted longsword into his own hand. He casually tossed aside the ordinary steel two-handed sword he was holding. "Whoosh!" The activated enchantment caused the blade to emit streaks of golden light.

"Hmm?" Count Anta, riding his horse, was struggling to keep up with his heavy body, and the horse was kicking and panting.

"That sword..." It looks familiar. Luckily, this guy is just an incompetent fool. If it were the old count from before, he would have recognized it the moment the swordsman activated it—hey, isn't that the ancestral sword in my family's treasury? It looks so similar!

"Pfft!" The swordsman kicked the dizzy corporal to the ground, then plunged the blade into his chest and twisted it forcefully.

"Hold on!" The heavy sword slammed into the veteran's shoulder, and his face turned pale instantly. Even with his armor protecting him, the impact still made him hunch over. "Die!" He slammed the hammer into the stomach of the infantryman in front of him, and the next blow struck his face the moment the soldier bent over.

"More are coming!" Many villagers were already retreating. The seven or eight soldiers were already making it difficult for them to hold out. And now more than one group of people were coming from behind. Moreover, the arrows in their hunting bows were almost used up. They couldn't possibly fight these heavily armed infantrymen with stones and sticks, could they?

"Lulua, forget about those people, come and help!"

"Coming!" Lulua rushed over, carrying a bulging bag in her hand. For the Night Clan, this chaotic dark night was practically her domain. Perhaps most people would have difficulty spotting the scattered gold and silver coins on the ground under such circumstances, but for her... those shiny metals were too conspicuous.

"Stop running! You can't escape! Do you all want to die? Listen to me, grab your weapons and block the gate! They can't climb over the wall without ladders!" The Earl's biggest mistake was not bringing siege ladders. However, this mistake was not difficult to remedy. After all, ladders are not difficult to make, and these villagers did not have any special weapons or tools to deal with them.

"It's really intense..." Black Crow looked down at the chaotic battlefield. Flames were burning near the entrance. Even at this distance, you could hear the clash of weapons and the screams of dying humans, though the sounds of battle were not deafening.

The villagers outnumbered the attackers, who were well-equipped and well-trained. The outcome was almost obvious. Whether they were adventurers or wild tits, they were all there for the money, taking the opportunity to collect expensive equipment and gold coins from the dead on the battlefield.

For example, the clergy acted as if they were performing last rites and first aid for people, constantly pulling the injured and fallen villagers to the back, working up a sweat. Not only did they go unnoticed, but they also received a lot of admiring glances.

Of course, he was indeed casting healing spells. No one was better at first aid and wound healing than the priests of the God of War. Their daily training could produce tons of wounded. What's that saying again? Every excellent surgeon has had more than one person die on the operating table.

While treating patients, he would casually remove the expensive enchanted equipment and gilded and silver-plated decorative equipment, and also slip the gold coins he had hidden in his pocket and belt into his own belt.

Meanwhile, Firefly was doing the same thing, except she was bandaging and applying potions. The two exchanged a glance, silently looked away, and worked together to dismantle the oversized armor plates, each taking a portion. Although it would damage the integrity of the enchantment, it was still valuable.

If it's really hard to separate them, just pry off the magic gems and precious metals. As for how it looks, it's naturally disguised as the necessary act of removing armor and cutting open clothes to treat external injuries—after all, you really can't treat someone while wearing armor.

In this world, healing spells and offensive spells are essentially the same, meaning that even if you wear magic-resistant armor, you will still be immune to healing spells.

Therefore, when performing healing spells, the chaplains in the military camp would remove all the soldiers' clothes, armor, and ornaments before carrying out the healing.

Of course, drinking potions is fine, but potions are expensive and non-renewable, right? Only nobles and squad leaders can afford them.

Chapter 218 The True Identity of Glicoli

“Miss Livia, do you think there is any magic that can help us without revealing our identities?” Black Crow looked at the little witch who was also covering her face with a scarf. After hesitating for a few seconds, the latter reached out and placed her hand on a tree next to her.

"Snap!" The tree roots twisted and rose, and countless roots spread down the steep hillside, quickly forming a staircase of roots and soil leading to the back of the village.

At the same time, as the witch's staff lit up with a bright green light, trees came to life at an astonishing speed, their tough bark twisting and tearing, turning into angry human faces still dripping with sap.

"Whoosh!" "Who goes there?" The soldiers on guard at the edge of the army formation looked up at the hillside. A clump of branches parted the tree canopy and moved down the hillside. "Damn it, a tree demon! Get torches!"

The commander immediately noticed this strange phenomenon. Since these trees were just ordinary fir trees, not giant trees, even though they were awakened by the witch's power and infused with a little soul essence, they were still just living trees, not even as good as real tree spirits.

The treants hit by the rockets quickly burst into flames, but even so, they still sluggishly charged toward the camp. Tree spirits feared fire, but these living treants were not. Before they were completely burned to ashes, they charged headlong, frantically whipping everything around them with their branches and roots.

"Stop them!" The archers and infantry had to turn around to prevent the burning trees from rushing into their camp, which greatly eased the fighting at the front. "Quick, get out!" Alessina jumped into the village along the steps made of tree roots and mud. His greatsword slid across the ground, cleaving a heavily armored infantryman who had rushed into the village in half at the waist. Using the momentum of the swing, he parried an enchanted knight's sword.

"Here you go!" Firefly tossed a large bag of things up the hillside, only to be grabbed by Scarface and thrown onto the prepared horse. "Run this way!" Maripol also noticed the mud and altered tree roots on the ground, casually pulling out a small piece of ferrous sulfate. "Acidic!"

The acid, like a venomous snake, bit into the neck of a villager who was running with a money bag. The priest next to him snatched the small bag full of coins. Before he could climb up the hillside, Lulua stepped on his back and snatched the money bag from his hand.

"damn it!"

"Forget about that, run!" In the woods on the hillside, Black Crow had already prepared several horses, hung the spoils on the saddlebags, and quickly picked up the people and ran. As for the witch and Roach on the other side, they didn't follow at all.

"Hoo~" The little witch watched the bloody massacre in the village below, sighed softly, then opened a small bottle. Silver-gray soul fire quickly filled the bottle, eventually condensing into several small, silver, transparent crystals.

"Whoosh!" Several fireballs shot out from the woods, exploding at the village entrance. Under the witch's control, the flames twisted and unfurled like living things, forming a barrier. The knights at the front were forced to stop, watching helplessly as the villagers and priests scattered and fled down the steps created by the witch. However, the priests hadn't gone far before they were struck on the back of the head with a club.

"We've caught them!" Kanger and the others tied the priests to their horses as well. Their main purpose in coming here to collect money was to investigate what was going on with Gregory and what his purpose was. After all, this guy looked like an evil god, and it would be easy to fall for his tricks if they didn't know anything about him.

Livia was surprised to find that she couldn't ride a horse at all, so Alessina had to carry her. The few horses that had been brought from the town were no match for the warhorses of the pursuing cavalry. But that was on flat ground. On the mountain, facing the huge trees that Livia had summoned to block the road, the pursuing cavalry could only watch helplessly as the group sped away.

"There's even a mage to help..." The count was somewhat surprised, but not entirely. These cultists were so rich that it was normal for them to be able to hire a mage. The thought of money made him nervous. "Quick, go and see how many gold coins are left in the village!"

As the flames spread wildly after the witch lost control, the village gradually turned into scorched earth. However, the count and the nobles didn't care about any of this; they were eager to know how much loot this cult still had waiting for them to claim.

Scattered across the scorched earth were specks of gold, gold coins that had fallen into the soil. The wooden statues of gods were scorched beyond recognition. Silver coins were passed from hand to hand among the soldiers, eventually ending up in the pockets of some officers.

"How come there's only so little stuff?" The count felt a chill run down his spine looking at the small bags in front of him that could only hold two fifty-coin bags. "Wait, this is..." A baron noticed the gloves being pulled off the corpses by the soldiers. "Put them down, that's..." The baron angrily pushed the soldiers away and held the remaining glove in his hand.

Made of the finest lambskin, with gold thread outlining the edges, and three rhomboid rubies set on the back of the hand.

"Damn it, those damned thieves!"

"What happened?" The count frowned as he looked at the chaotic crowd.

"My lord, these are treasures stolen from my family's treasury..."

"My lord, something terrible has happened!" A sergeant rushed over, holding a longsword that had been bent and deformed in the fierce battle. The silver-plated blade bore the emblem of the Anta family. Upon seeing the emblem, the count pondered for a moment which knight's sword he had bestowed upon it. Then, the more he thought about it, the more something seemed amiss. Upon closer inspection, his vision went black.

"Thieves! These damned thieves!!!! I order that all these damned thieves be hanged!!!!"

"They've already run away, sir."

"Issue them! Immediately, now, right now!" The count recognized it as a decorative sword from his family's treasury, a family heirloom. It was a command sword used by his ancestor during the founding of the dynasty. It had no enchantments or special features, but it was very meaningful and valuable.

However, the alchemical alloy technology at the time was clearly inadequate, and the sword was completely damaged in the fierce battle, with the blade riddled with nicks and deformities.

Soon, the nobles found many familiar items on the corpses on the ground, and the gold and silver coins also looked particularly familiar at this moment.

In Valley Town, a cavalry caravan burst into the town. The town's militia immediately surrounded them, only dispersing when they saw it was Black Crow's group. "This is..."

“Those priests from the Holy Fire Cult, they really are thieves,” Black Crow said. “We need to interrogate these people and get us a cellar.”

"Yes, no problem." There were already some rumors circulating in the town about this sect, and now that it was confirmed to be a group of thieves, the militia captain broke out in a cold sweat. If those misled young people opened the door, they would be completely finished.

Train carriage.

"Splash!" The spoils from her pocket spilled onto the table. "Let's take stock."

"About 600 gold coins and less than 1000 silver coins. This is the value of the gold and silver ingots." Leslie and Firefly quickly tallied up the pure gold coin proceeds. According to the previously agreed ratio, the Shadow Raven Thieves would take 20%, and of the remaining 80%, Rhine and Roach would each take half.

“These equipment are hard to value and will have to wait until we get to the capital to sell them. However, I suggest you keep some of them. They will be more effective as gifts than gold coins.” Rhine took away the equipment with obvious family characteristics. “These are not suitable for you. You can’t withstand the retaliation of a powerful count.”

But the intelligence agency is different; their treasury is full of these shady things, and a large portion of them have to be sent to the palace.

Roach and his companions basically didn't need these equipment. Roach's armor was enchanted by the Little Witch and was of better quality than these other equipment. As for melee weapons, "Luminous Fragments" were sufficient.

Lulua only asked for a magic ring, not because it was particularly effective, but because it had a sharp spike on it, which, in her words, would hurt a lot if used to hit someone. Alessina asked for a belt, and the rest of the people didn't ask for anything else.

In the end, Roach's share ended up in the hands of Natalia and her group. Of course, they exchanged it for magical materials and gold coins. After all, Roach and his group were indeed short of money, especially Livia, who didn't need any money at all when they were in the Living Forest, as the property left by their teacher was enough for her.

However, after leaving the Living Forest, the cost of various magic books, picture books, materials, and even the little witch's snacks would be considerable. Before she could confirm her acceptance of the position as a professor at the Royal Academy, it was essential to prepare sufficient travel expenses.

"The total profit is around 4 gold coins, but that number is greatly inflated." On the other side, the four adventurers were also dividing the spoils. "The actual gold coins are not much. Ouch, that damn girl!" Knight Hansen rubbed his cheek. That kick was really powerful; it even knocked his visor off balance.

"The emblems and the obvious enchantments on them need to be removed. We need to find a place, and we can't stay here any longer." Maripol looked at the pile of equipment in his hands. "We probably won't get the final payment from the Earl, after all..."

"He probably already knows that these gold coins came from his treasury, and the spoils we took earlier..."

It has now become a thorn in the Earl's side. He originally thought he was getting the lion's share, and the scraps were just carrots to keep these adventurers motivated. But now that the nature of the deal has changed from profit to stop loss, the 4% loss is unbearable for the Earl.

"Then where are we going?"

“Silver Maple County, and after that's settled, we'll go to the capital. There are plenty of wealthy people there, and we can sell this equipment for a good price,” Maripol said decisively.

They don't need this equipment. For adventurers, being familiar with useful equipment will help them survive longer than blindly pursuing high-level equipment.

"We'll only get 40,000 gold coins if we sell them. In reality, I estimate that these things of dubious origin... will only fetch 30,000 at most on the black market. And the black market will take half of that. In reality, we'll be lucky to get a little over 10,000 gold coins at most," the priest complained.

"Ten thousand gold coins is no small sum. With that, we can buy a manor in Silver Maple County and retire." The wizard tower in Maripol is also expected to begin construction.

“That’s true,” the swordsman said, leaning on his sword. “Anyway, I did manage to snag a pretty good sword.” It’s the ancestral sword of the Count Anta family. The only problem is that a wizard needs to spend a lot of time processing it until it’s unrecognizable as it was originally.

Valley Town cellar.

The three priests were tied to pillars, their faces and bodies covered in blood. It was clear that these guys were very stubborn, but under the combined interrogation techniques of Shadow Raven and the Imperial Military Intelligence Bureau, they eventually confessed everything.

"They are all from the Southern Swamp Territory. It is said that they unearthed an ancient statue in the swamp, which inspired them to worship a wish god named Gregor. This god appears through fire, listens to people's wishes, and grants them. The reason they serve Gregor is that he will take the lifespan of those who make wishes and add it to his own, thus granting them immortality and allowing them to enjoy all things forever."

“It’s a really old-fashioned way,” Alessina shrugged. “Old-fashioned, but it works.”

“It sounds somewhat like…” Livia looked thoughtful, “Somewhat like… Genie.”

"You mean something like Djinn?" Rhein asked.