Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Mission Target
Chapter 43 Mission Target
......
"You're the Caster from Kazdel?"
"Who are you calling a Caster?"
"Who in their right mind would be a Caster?"
"Who says using Arts makes you a Caster?"
Code phrase correct!
"Alright, come in."
The mercenary nodded, glanced around, and quietly moved aside to let them through the door.
W rubbed her forehead with a headache, wondering which genius came up with that code phrase. If anyone else heard it, they'd think she was engaging in group discrimination.
Those Casters on a rampage aren't something ordinary people can stop.
"Why are there two of you?"
The lead mercenary asked curiously; that wasn't the original plan.
"Ah, he's a teammate. The Doctor assigned him last minute. Just consider him a backup."
W scratched her head and explained.
"Hmm, it's your commission anyway. But if he acts on his own and something goes wrong, we won't be responsible."
"Fine, fine, you won't be responsible."
After their conversation concluded, Kevin observed his surroundings. There were about a dozen mercenaries, all Sarkaz judging by their features.
"Based on the intel we got, the Military Commission people probably won't arrive until the day after tomorrow. Should we set up in advance?"
The mercenary Amiya was quite professional. After all, they'd done this sort of thing plenty of times and could be considered somewhat experienced.
Assassination, right? Isn't it just gathering intel — setting up an ambush in advance — taking out the target? That's the process.
Everyone does it this way.
"Do we know the route yet?"
"Still looking."
The mercenary Amiya shook his head, though he didn't hold out much hope. Even if the Military Commission's security was sloppy, there was no reason a bunch of mercenaries could track their movements in real-time.
——————
After a brief discussion, W and the mercenary Amiya finalized the operation plan, and then everyone dispersed.
After all, if they all stayed holed up in the same place, there was always the risk of getting wiped out in one go.
Kevin and W walked through the town's market. Places this stable were rare in Kazdel, so the foot traffic here was relatively dense.
Many Sarkaz people laid out a cloth in front of them and set up stalls, hawking and shouting their wares.
During transactions, they often didn't use currency but instead relied on a barter system.
Cheaper items included perforated armor and helmets stripped from corpses; more expensive ones were canned goods and artificially sweetened foods smuggled in from Columbia.
Why artificial sweeteners? Of course not because the Sarkaz needed to lose weight, but because on Terra, the production of natural sugar was pitifully low. Not only were sugar-producing crop varieties scarce, but the price of processed products was also exorbitantly high.
It was basically a specialty food for nobles and high-ranking officials. They themselves used it sparingly; how could it possibly be smuggled into the hands of these poor Sarkaz?
Even these artificial sweeteners mixed with sugar substitutes were enough to be considered a rarity for the Sarkaz people.
W walked with a casual stride, picking out some artificially sweetened snacks from a smuggler's stall with interest.
She did have a bit of savings.
"Boss, want some?"
Peeling off the wrapper, W tossed a grayish-white candy into her mouth. The long-absent faint sweetness spread in her mouth.
It made her eyes narrow slightly, and a subtle smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
"No need."
Kevin wasn't interested in such things. He glanced at W lightly. No matter how much she tried to act like a precocious mercenary, in the end, she was still just a kid.
Of course, that "kid" was a different story when she could stuff explosives into your head.
"Hey, why did you stop suddenly?"
W almost bumped into Kevin's back but noticed he was handing her a metal box.
"If you like it, you should eat this instead."
Kevin's expression was slightly odd. W took it in a daze.
Pressing the mechanism on the metal box, inside were exquisite candies, each even carved into the shapes of little animals. Their appearance was far superior to her grayish-white blocky sugar substitutes.
W was stunned for a moment. She picked one up and put it in her mouth. The refreshing sweetness formed a stark contrast to the taste of cheap artificial sweeteners.
Moreover, the flavor of this candy wasn't monotonous at all. The multi-layered fruit taste utterly overwhelmed her impoverished and long-suffering taste buds.
"What's this... no wonder they could travel together. These two are nothing but soft-hearted fools..."
W muttered under her breath, yet the corner of her mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.
——————
"Sir, we'll be arriving soon."
A rather oddly dressed team of about a hundred people.
Judging by their uniforms, they should belong to the Military Commission's forces.
"Hmm, I hope they can correctly recognize their position."
A black-robed figure wearing a peculiar mask nodded silently. Sharp horns protruded from within the robe, and a few strands of white hair could faintly be seen falling through the gaps.
"Manfred is growing impatient. We must hurry."
Another person spoke up.
Unexpectedly, within this team, there were actually two Confessarius!!!
Such a small town, even if it was strategically important, shouldn't warrant such a large-scale mobilization by the Military Commission. Their main mission was actually to reinforce Manfred on the front lines.
In just a few days, the battle on the Lovinen Plain had already entered a white-hot phase. As for Rosins Town, it just happened to be very close to their advance route; dealing with it was merely a side task.
"Rest assured. If those in control there don't cooperate..."
This rather fierce-looking Sarkaz made a "slitting the throat" gesture. Eliminating those who don't cooperate is the most frequently used and efficient method for Sarkaz.
The two Confessarius said nothing more, clearly acquiescing. They didn't see anything wrong with this approach.
During civil wars, isn't it normal to take special measures against insects who don't take sides with either party and only think about profiting?
That's right. These people were the so-called "diplomatic personnel" mentioned in Babel's intel.
A "diplomatic team" composed of two Confessarius and over a hundred elite Sarkaz?
W's so-called mission targets were precisely these two "Confessarius"!
At dawn two days later, everyone gathered again.
"Are all the Originium explosives planted?"
"Captain, as per your orders, they're all buried along the main road into town."
The lead Sarkaz mercenary nodded coldly.
No choice. They didn't have precise intel and could only set traps using this relatively simple method.
No matter how much they detour, that group still has to enter town eventually, right?
W leaned against a rock, silently cleaning her firearm, quietly waiting for the mission targets to arrive.
——————
Collectible:
【Hope Milk Candy】
Effect: Each Operator recovers +1% HP per second.
Description: A candy brand produced by the last sugar manufacturing enterprise of the Previous Era. Aponia often gave these as gifts to Griseo and Kosma. Griseo would always happily accept them. As for Kosma, each time he would remain silent in embarrassment for a while before finally taking them.
(Why give me candy?)
(Should I tell her I'm not a child anymore?)
(But if I refuse like that, would she be very sad...)
(I'll ask Elysia what to do next time. Anyway, forget it...)
now i cry, fuck shaoji