Chapter 5: Duchy of Shilin (Part 2)

Yadelan and the others’ expressions changed instantly. Once Guo Shier and Ezek left, they would be in trouble. Guo Shier said, “We can’t let you follow us for nothing… You can leave the Karabaza Trail. There are plenty of gold and silver coins here. Take some and leave immediately. You can go to Edlu Fort or elsewhere. Chaos will soon break out here. The Duchy of Ek and the Duchy of Qisca… have both sent troops. They’re not opponents you can handle.”
Guo Shier glanced at Pinata and added, “I guess you can’t go back either. Take some gold and silver and leave.” He decisively gave up on these bandits. If he hadn’t received the message, he would have used them to search for resources and gather information about the area. But since Li Ran ordered them to meet immediately, he had no choice but to stop.
Yadelan and the others looked panicked. Guo Shier smiled and said, “Don’t worry. We won’t leave right away. Give you half a day. Pinata, take out the gold and silver from the camp and distribute them right away. Do the same for your men—give each person a share, then disperse.”
Pinata smiled bitterly and asked, “Lord, are you going to the Duchy of Shilin?”
Guo Shier nodded. “I have companions waiting there, so I can’t stay here long.” Zhen Wuji, Goha, and Yao Zebusong had already arrived in the Duchy of Shilin. Halechi and Meili were also heading there, while Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen were gathering people at the edge of the Barren Lands. Since no one was familiar with the terrain here, they decided to head to the Duchy of Shilin.
The Duchy of Shilin was a large and famous duchy in this world, making it easy for everyone to find.
Yadelan was extremely disappointed. She said, “Let’s go! We need to divide the gold and silver!”
De Da was overjoyed. He had come here just to make money and was waiting for this opportunity. He knew he would get rich. Pinata called his trusted men and joined in dividing the gold and silver.
A large amount of gold and silver was distributed. The bandits were all thrilled. They had come to the Karabaza Trail to get rich. With this gold and silver, most of them planned to leave. After all, there was nothing here but plundering. With wealth, they could live in various duchies.
So most of the bandits decided to leave, while only a few wanted to stay and take advantage of the empty area to strengthen their group.

Guo Shier was somewhat disappointed. Although reaching this point wasn’t difficult, it was also his first step toward integrating into this world. Once interrupted, it would be unlikely for him to integrate again. Yet he was also very interested in the Barren Lands. According to the information from Li Ran, the Barren Lands were the most worthwhile place to go. A place that made Li Ran eager to enter must be extraordinary. It was a pity that Pinaata and the others were too low in rank; they only knew about the Barren Lands from legends and had no idea of the truth. No matter how many times Guo Shier asked, he couldn’t get any more information.

De Da came specially to say goodbye, carrying a large bag of gold and silver. He was extremely grateful to Guo Shier, as they would never have been able to obtain so much gold and silver through robberies around the Karabaza Trail.

Eisen also came with his men to say goodbye. He was very satisfied with his gains this time. However, he didn’t intend to stop there. Instead, he took his men and the gold and silver to Fort Edlu, planning to use them to recruit soldiers and expand his forces.

Although Ezek didn’t understand why Guo Shier still hadn’t left, he didn’t want to rush him either. To him, it didn’t matter where he went.

Yadelan quickly arrived with her men. She said, “Lord, could this… could this be left for… me?” She held a talisman bag in her hand.

The talisman bag was a priceless treasure to Yadelan, but it meant nothing in Guo Shier’s hands. He had countless such bags. Nodding, he said, “Keep it. Consider it a gift from me.” He admired this woman, especially after seeing her stab Ezek—she was truly remarkable.

Ezek turned his head away. He felt a bit afraid of Yadelan, not out of fear of her strength, but because of her ruthlessness. Every time he saw her, he instinctively clenched his buttocks—a feeling by no means pleasant—so he said nothing.

Pinaata felt bitter, knowing he could never return. He was the lord of a castle under the Principality of Chiska. But he was only bitter inwardly. With his abilities, he could be a castle lord in another principality as well. Moreover, he had a group of loyal subordinates and had received a fair share of gold and silver this time.

Most of this gold and silver was originally meant to be given to the Principality of Chiska, but after the distribution, he got more than he would have originally received. With so many subordinates, he was quite satisfied.

A burst of noise came, and Pinata frowned, saying, “What’s the commotion? Send someone to find out…” Before his men could leave, a group of people ran toward the fortress gate. Guo Shier was sharp-eyed and immediately recognized them as the group that had left earlier, led by Eson, who was riding fast toward the center of the fortress.

About a hundred meters away from Guo Shier and the others, Eson jumped off his horse and shouted, “Lord, someone is blocking our way!”

Guo Shier soared into the air and cast a vision-enhancing spell on himself. Instantly, he saw a large force surrounding the fortress from afar, with many pursuing them—all of them were the ones who had left the fortress earlier. He estimated there were at least ten thousand soldiers.

With a teleportation, Guo Shier reappeared on the ground. He asked, “Eson, who are they? Are they from the Duchy of Ek or the Duchy of Qiskar?” Before Eson could answer, he added, “Pinata, take some men to support them…”

Pinata reluctantly replied, “Yes!” He immediately led a squad of cavalry toward the outside of the fortress.

Guo Shier said, “Aizek, get ready to fight. Hah, damn it, I can’t even leave if I want to.”

Aizek replied nonchalantly, “Let’s fight then. It’s better than doing nothing. Do you want me to go?”

Guo Shier nodded. “Yeah, go support them. Don’t let them get wiped out.” He always protected those who were his own or had once been his subordinates; he would never abandon them.

Aizek smiled and said, “Okay.” He immediately teleported away, disappearing from sight.

Eson was devastated; at least half of his men had been lost. Filled with rage, he said, “I’ll kill them! I’ll kill them all! Lord, we’ve suffered heavy losses… I… I…” With such heavy casualties, his original plans had almost completely failed, and he was filled with extreme hatred.

…

Yadelan was filled with fear. She never expected an army to appear. She immediately recognized it as the army of the Duchy of Ek, wearing standard armor. As soon as they clashed, five or six of her men were killed, forcing her to order an immediate retreat toward the main fortress. The pursuing army kept chasing them, shooting arrows that caused those falling behind to collapse in pools of blood.

The screams of her men made Yadelan grit her teeth. She turned sharply and charged at the pursuing soldiers, swinging her greatsword and killing two of the fastest ones. She shouted, “Run! Run!”

Another seven or eight soldiers rushed over, attacking fiercely.

Yadelan had a few loyal followers who fought alongside her. They all knew that if they couldn’t slow down their pursuers, they would remain in this forest forever. These soldiers were of low rank, so Yadelan could easily defeat them. After killing three of them, her men killed four as well. Just as they were about to wipe out the eight pursuers, more reinforcements arrived. In an instant, dozens of people swarmed over. Yadelan knew she couldn’t fight head-on; she was well aware that once trapped in their crowd, death was the only outcome.

“Go!”
Yadelan swung her greatsword, knocking down several arrows, then dashed backward.

The pursuers panicked. Someone shouted, “Catch her! Don’t let her escape!”
“I want this woman! I’ll make her submit to me… Chase her!”
Yadelan cursed, “Go to hell!” She turned sharply, her sword slicing through the air—the soldier’s head flew off. He had no idea that this woman dared to stab Ezek even once; if he insulted her, he wouldn’t survive.

She turned again and rushed forward. Yadelan was also a bit panicked. She knew full well that if captured by those soldiers, her life would be worse than death.

The soldiers were insane. Though this woman was strong, they weren’t weak either. If they couldn’t beat her one by one, surely ten or eight of them could overwhelm her? A minor leader shouted, “Cut off their escape route! Send a signal—I want her alive!”

Yadelan was almost out of the forest, her men already ahead, thanks to her efforts in delaying the pursuers. But she noticed that other soldiers had also exited the forest. Though not at this location, she saw hundreds of soldiers heading this way. Once she rushed out, she would be trapped.

At this point, Yadelan fought desperately. She knew that Guo Shier and Ezek were still in the stronghold. As long as those two were there, and as long as she could break through the encirclement, she could survive. So she went wild, racing out of the forest like a panther. The soldiers chasing her screamed, “Block that woman…”
“Go to hell!”

Yadelan was fierce beyond measure—she was insane. If captured by those soldiers, the consequences would be unimaginably terrible. So she resolved that she would rather die than fall into their hands.

The great sword had no more moves left; it could only swing wildly, with each strike glowing brightly as she exerted all her brute spiritual energy. She knew that such an attack could only last for a short time before her energy would be exhausted. With continuous slashes, several soldiers fell, but the others fought in a circling pattern, too afraid to confront her directly.

The relentless attacks from the soldiers prevented Yadelan from escaping. Soon, her two closest allies fell, and she was also nearing exhaustion. Panic filled her face as cold sweat poured down; despair surged within her. She didn’t want to be captured by the soldiers. Shouting and slashing wildly, she gradually lost control, relying solely on her bravery to fend off the attacks.

Crack!

A burly man dressed like a leader suddenly swung his heavy stick. Yadelan felt an unimaginable force surge through the great sword, and she could no longer hold it. The intense shock shattered her knuckles, causing the sword to fly away.

Yadelan flipped backward, kicking one of the soldiers in the head as she drew a dagger from her hand. But in despair, she saw that dozens of soldiers had surrounded her. At that moment, she spotted Ezekiel and cried out, “Save me!”