Chapter 015: Rare and Precious

“No…” Casimir shook his head weakly. “I’m not an idiot. Of course I knew that if someone was willing to pay so much, the task must be extremely difficult. That’s why I refused it without hesitation.”
“And then?” Du Fan asked.
“Then… when I was about to leave, that person added another condition, which made me accept the task without hesitation.” Casimir looked bitter. “As I was leaving, he said something else—he said that if we could complete this task, not only would we get a hundred gold coins, but I would also guarantee that the members of your Snow Fox Mercenary Group would never have to do such work again. Instead, they could have a decent job and a proper status in the southern part of the empire… as long as they could return alive…”
Du Fan frowned and said, “Such simple conditions could change your mind so easily?”
“No… it’s not simple at all.” Casimir shook his head. “We mercenaries may be bloodthirsty and kill for a living, but how many of us are willing to do this? We struggle throughout our lives, and who doesn’t have some hope? If there’s a chance to escape this life, then… even if it means sacrificing our lives, we’re willing.”
Du Fan nodded thoughtfully. After a moment, he asked, “So… since they’ve offered you such benefits, what’s the task ahead?”
Casimir sighed deeply and suddenly shook his head. He gestured for Du Fan to look at his damaged leather boots and said, “Lord Du Fan, everything you want to know is recorded there. I just hope that after learning this, you’ll end our suffering quickly.”
Du Fan smiled faintly and said, “Haven’t I already promised you that?”
Casimir smiled slightly, as if seeing through life and death.
Du Fan didn’t look at him again but stared at the stinking boots on the ground in silence.
Although Feray felt disgusted, he had to bend down and search inside the boots for a while before pulling out a palm-sized scroll of parchment. A flash of his Light Combat Aura burned away any impurities on the scroll before he respectfully presented it to Du Fan.

Du Fan glanced at the parchment, his eyes flickering. After a moment, he shook his head and said, “I see. I understand what your mission is without you having to say it. It’s just… I originally planned to spare your lives if possible, but under these circumstances, it’s impossible to do so… Casimir, don’t blame me when you’re in hell. If you must blame someone, blame your own bad luck.”

Casimir let out a bitter laugh, then burst into loud laughter. But halfway through, his laughter suddenly stopped as Du Fan’s sword sliced through his throat. Casimir’s head was pushed upward by the blood spraying from his neck. Before it could fall to the ground, his bloodied head froze, with a crystal-clear red line connecting it to his body—a rather rare sight indeed.

Du Fan silently wiped the blood from the tip of his sword and sighed again, “What a fine sword!” However, after spinning the sword a few times in his hand, he threw it into Feri’s arms. His gaze swept over the three mercenaries on the ground, and he said in a deep voice, “Kill them.”

With that, he left the tent without looking back.

Feri held the still-dripping sword, frowning slightly. After hesitating for a while, he cut the throats of the three mercenaries one after another.

…

A yellowed parchment was laid out on the table inside the warmly lit tent. Du Fan, Nicholas, Tasia, and Alfred sat there each in their own seat. Though none of them spoke, their eyes were all fixed on the parchment.

The lines on the parchment were rough, and the details were rather simple, but with their keen eyes, all four could recognize that the destination indicated on the map was none other than the very place they were heading to— the Divine Palace.

Alfred tapped the table with his finger and said gravely, “What do you think this represents?”

Nicholas smiled and sighed, “I’m not entirely sure what it represents specifically, but I’m certain this parchment is over a hundred years old. That means someone discovered this Divine Palace long before Roland Academy existed; otherwise, this map wouldn’t have been passed down.”

Tasia remained silent, merely nodding before glancing at Du Fan.

Du Fan gave a bitter smile and said, “You don’t all need to stare at me. From what I can tell, this wasn’t done by the people from Roland Academy. If it were them, they would have gone to the Divine Palace as soon as they discovered this map. How could they wait until now?”
The others nodded slightly in agreement.
Du Fan thought for a moment before whispering, “Anyway, we should assume that besides us and Roland Academy, there seems to be a third party involved in the affairs of the Divine Palace. Although we happened to deal with a group of mercenaries, who knows if they weren’t just their vanguard? They can casually promise mercenaries an identity, which shows their backing must be quite strong. Even if it’s not on par with our Holy Church, it’s certainly not trivial.”
The others exchanged glances, seeing the horror in each other’s eyes. If Du Fan’s guess was correct, such a powerful organization wouldn’t act so casually. What worried them most was that, apart from this group of mercenaries, they might have sent many more people to this northern ice plain.
Alfred slammed the table and decided promptly, “Anyway, we don’t have time to rest tonight. Lord Nicholas and Lady Tasia, please stop holding back your strength. Our top priority is to reach the destination as quickly as possible. If we delay even a little, we might not even have a chance to regret it later.”
Du Fan nodded and said, “The situation is unclear, but this is the only option. It gives us a slight advantage. It would be good to rush to that place right away. If everything is arranged properly, it’s not impossible to let these strange guys fight it out with the people from Roland Academy.”
With such devout faith in the God of Light among these people, upon hearing Du Fan’s words, they immediately declared that they would even abandon their purity and kindness for the sake of the God of Light.
That night, Du Fan and his group got ready and set off again. With Tasia wearing the magic robe, she was no longer afraid of the cold, and since Nicholas also stopped holding back his strength, the group moved a bit faster.
Over the next few days, the group traveled day and night, rushing toward their destination. Finally, after three days, they reached the entrance of the valley where the Divine Palace lay.

Along the way, due to battles with demons, nearly half of the Temple Knights had sacrificed themselves. The remaining less than thirty Temple Knights were all injured. Du Fan and the other three had hardly intervened for their own reasons. Du Fan knew his own strength was insufficient, and fighting would only be suicide, so he preferred to stay out of it. As for the others’ motives, Du Fan couldn’t fathom them. As a result, these four leaders hadn’t done anything at all.

This place was the boundary between the Northern Ice Plains and the Frozen Forest. If they continued northward, they would reach a dense white forest. It was said that beyond the Frozen Forest lay a wild continent, but no one knew the exact details.

Du Fan and the others’ destination was actually in a valley on the outskirts of the Frozen Forest.

Perhaps due to millennia of geological changes, although most of the Northern Ice Plains were flat, there was a series of mountains right at the junction with the Frozen Forest. These mountains stretched for thousands of kilometers, and it was unknown whether they connected to the Dusk Mountains to the east of Roland Continent.

Du Fan stood on one side of the valley. Having taken off his cotton coat, he felt the warm wind blowing from within the valley. Frowning, he said, “This place is really strange.”

Nicholas stood beside him. Without hiding his divine power, a layer of pure white light surrounded him. Staring at the scene in the valley, he sighed and said, “Indeed strange. In this icy northern land, there happens to be a valley with spring-like weather all year round. Who would believe such a sight unless they saw it with their own eyes?”

Du Fan shook his head slightly and said, “This place is so hidden. I wonder how Aldas discovered it back then. I doubt anyone would be interested in coming here just for sightseeing.”

As they spoke, they exchanged glances and saw the shock in each other’s eyes. It was better Du Fan hadn’t mentioned it. Now that he had, everyone realized that if Aldas had come to the Northern Ice Plains, it must have been to cultivate. No wonder he could reach the eighth level at such a young age. His determination and perseverance were truly remarkable.

At the thought of possibly facing such a person on this journey, Du Fan couldn’t help but feel a chill. Could such a person really be dealt with through schemes and tricks?