Chapter 3: Escape
The young man trembled all over, his face filled with incredulous ecstasy and joy. He longed to rush forward and kiss the corpse several times. Good heavens, what an excellent corpse! At that moment, he felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude toward those Ramma knights. If not for them chasing this man here, wouldn’t this top-notch corpse have rotted away uselessly or fallen into other people’s hands?
Circling the pit several times, the young man carefully examined every part of the corpse. Its long legs were slightly thin, but even through the pants, he could tell they were lean yet highly elastic—clearly legs built for running. A narrow waist tightly connected the upper and lower body, and its already yellowing hands appeared very dexterous, probably essential qualities for a professional thief. The young man didn’t like thieves, but he also knew that on this continent, being a thief didn’t just require strong evasion skills and adept stealing techniques. Powerful martial arts were the only way to ensure survival, as anyone could face pursuit and ambush, especially skilled thieves. In such circumstances, martial arts were what could truly be relied on.
This guy had strong, even wrists, gentle and delicate fingers, smooth fingertips, and thick calluses on his knuckles—clearly a skilled swordsman. Well, as those Ramma knights said, this guy must have died from the poison of the Sauron Tree. It was said that those poisoned by it would develop yellow skin, with the poison spreading throughout their bodies. The Sauron Tree’s poison was deadly upon contact with blood, even for tough beings like orc warriors or barbarian fighters with exceptional constitutions. If he could train this guy into his own undead warrior, wouldn’t his power multiply? Wouldn’t it be hundreds of times stronger than losing those few guys? Thinking of this, the young man couldn’t help but laugh in delight, which caused his wounds to flare up again, and blood began to seep from the corners of his mouth.
He took out a pair of slightly yellowed thin silk gloves from his bosom and carefully put them on. The young man bent down to examine the corpse’s bones, joints, and flexibility in detail. It was indeed an outstanding corpse—worthy of a top-notch thief. Someone who could earn such praise from the highly esteemed Ram Knights must be no ordinary person. In particular, the bulging muscles in the thighs and calves, along with the smooth tendons, proved that this guy had trained hard in running and jumping. The poison from the Sauron Wood had killed him instantly but hadn’t damaged his other abilities. If he could turn this corpse into a Hundred-Refined Golden Corpse, it would greatly enhance his own strength. In the future, even when facing magical beasts or other supernatural creatures, his chances of escaping would likely increase.
Since it was a thief, might there be something desirable on this guy’s person? After checking the entire body, the young man took a few breaths. Suddenly remembering this, his heart started pounding. Why would the Ram Knights go to such lengths as using Sauron Wood arrows to kill this man? Could it be that he had stolen sacred relics or treasures from the Light Church? Although he had been hiding in the soil underground, his special ability to sense vibrations allowed him to overhear part of the conversation between the Ram Knights and the so-called Church Protector. It seemed no mention was made of this guy’s identity or deeds, nor did they seem intent on searching his body. Then, why would the Ram Knights, who were so rare, go to such extremes to hunt down just a thief?
Scratching his head in confusion, the young man couldn’t figure it out. It seemed there was no animosity between this guy and them. Even if there had been, the Ram Knights, who saw themselves as righteous defenders, wouldn’t have killed someone so easily. Though he wasn’t entirely convinced, he couldn’t deny this. So why did the Ram Knights hesitate none in administering poison, even resorting to Sauron Wood arrows? He truly couldn’t understand the reason. Perhaps it was better not to understand. If he really understood certain things, it was uncertain whether he could live peacefully in this world. The young man saw this very clearly.
Without dwelling on anything else, the young man set aside these irrelevant trivial matters. His attention and interest quickly returned to the corpse with its strange origins before him. His hands began to search skillfully over the body, and soon a look of triumph appeared on his face. A crystal stone the size of a small mirror was taken out from the right side of the corpse—it was a finely polished jade crystal, with a greenish ring that emitted concentric halos in the sunlight, appearing extremely enchanting and mesmerizing. The young man could clearly sense the magical energy contained within this strange crystal. It was not an ordinary magical crystal; it must contain some peculiar magical elements. Yet, as someone not yet very proficient in magic, he couldn’t determine exactly what they were. But he knew it was a treasure of great value.
Without hesitation, he put the crystal stone in his bosom, and his hands continued to explore the corpse. A satisfied smile appeared on his lips once again as a slender, delicate small crossbow arrow was pulled out from the slightly bulging waist area of the corpse. It was a finely crafted standard crossbow arrow set, with a long, rectangular arrow quiver whose edges were smoothly rounded, clearly the result of careful refinement. Two spells inscribed in silver stone script were engraved on opposite sides of the quiver, looking dignified and ancient. There was a hidden compartment at the back; with a gentle press of his finger, it opened, revealing nine arrows forged from fire metal lying peacefully inside. Together with the three arrows already loaded, there were exactly twelve arrows—each one a deadly weapon capable of claiming lives.
He gasped in shock. If he had no idea the value of the crystal stone earlier, then these exquisitely crafted crossbow arrows truly shocked this young man, who thought he had seen much of the continent and had some knowledge, though not much learning.
This was no ordinary crossbow arrow. With such exquisite craftsmanship, the young man could be certain that it must have been created either by a dwarf master craftsman from the distant western borders or by a master-level elf artisan from the faraway forests—only such experts could achieve such remarkable skill and design. As humans, they could never devise a weapon that combined art and functionality so perfectly. The magically charged spring, emitting a dark, gloomy light, was clearly forged from some kind of extraordinary magic metal; merely touching it with his fingers allowed him to sense the frantic surge of magical energy within it. Yet he couldn’t guess what category this extremely rare magical metal belonged to. The simply designed crossbow case was made of sand-set wood, which was ideal for preserving magical elements. The arrow shaft shone with a golden glow, as if flames of fire sprites were dancing on it—this was sunwood, a perfect combination of fire and wood elements, one of the best materials for making arrow shafts. And the arrow itself was made of fire gold, which was incredibly valuable. While this could greatly enhance the effectiveness of fire magic, the enormous cost alone would likely bankrupt an ordinary family.
At this point, the young man began to feel fear. The owner of such a deadly weapon had abandoned the body in the wilderness, and the murderers were none other than the renowned Ram Knights of the Ram Knight Order. What exactly was going on? Unable to stay still, he stood up and looked around, fearing that someone might see this scene, especially those Ram Knights. If they found out he had witnessed it, they would surely not spare his life.
A chill ran through his heart. He realized it was unwise to stay here at this moment and place. If those Ram Knights returned to check, he might meet the same fate as the corpse. With that thought, he didn’t hesitate. He stuffed the arrow into his chest, then reluctantly searched the man’s waist further. He found a dull, grayish ring and an old parchment scroll. Without time to examine them, he quickly threw the ring and scroll into his chest. Standing up, he muttered a spell, and soon the corpse turned into a wisp of smoke and disappeared into the bag he had prepared earlier. After finishing everything, he carefully restored the surface of the grave to its original state. Checking that nothing unusual was happening around, he slipped quietly into the forest and vanished into its dense shadows.
Not long after the young man left, countless figures appeared on the distant horizon, and the sound of thunderous hooves approached. The Thunderhorse knights returned, with a middle-aged knight leading the way straight toward the pit. However, when they arrived, a quick inspection revealed changes in the situation. With grim expressions, the middle-aged and older knights dismounted to carefully examine the pit. Due to the young man’s excellent concealment efforts, almost no traces remained, which only made them feel even worse.
After searching the entire pit, the older knight stood up and shook his head helplessly. “Commander, the guy who took the body is an expert. He didn’t leave any clues—even the smell was covered by the scent of evaporating wooden leaves.”
Although the middle-aged knight’s expression was dark, he remained composed. Nodding, he said, “Hmm. I never expected such a serious mess to arise from our carelessness. I suspect this is related to the undead creatures targeted by the Holy Voice Mage earlier. The fact that he managed to take the body away means he must belong to the undead or dark faction. The range is limited.”
“Hmm, Commander. He probably hasn’t gone far yet. We should be able to find him!” The older knight grew serious and glanced toward the woods behind them. “What’s behind these woods?”
Immediately, a knight replied, “My lord, behind these woods is the Murray River. Not far ahead lies a bustling port town, where many ships stop to rest and refuel.”
“Let’s go! We’ll head there right away!” The middle-aged knight mounted his horse without hesitation and led the way.