Chapter 226-1: Everywhere My Gaze Falls, Lies the Land I Shall Conquer (Part 1)

Words : 1632 Updated : Oct 11th, 2025

Barren Plains. The mercenary William Harlington was hiding with his team inside a tall clump of grass on a small hillside. He paid no mind to the damp soil staining his clothes, pressing his body tightly against the ground. From time to time, he carefully lifted his head, peering through gaps in the grass to watch the beastmen army thousands of blades away, slowly advancing while carrying weapons made of wood or bone. The ground was covered in low, short grass, giving him an excellent line of sight. The beastmen averaged about two blades in height, with mostly black eyes, dressed in clothing made from animal hides. The muscles on their bodies bulged powerfully, full of strength, and the four interlocking tusks in their mouths radiated a fierce savagery. Savage, backward, primitive, strong. These were the words that surfaced in William’s mind every time he saw beastmen. As a descendant of nobility, even though his family had fallen into decline, William had still received a proper education, unlike his teammates beside him who couldn’t even recognize all the letters in their own names. “Nicholas, are you sure these beastmen are headed to a new settlement?” William gazed excitedly at the beastmen army numbering over a thousand in the distance. Ever since a month ago, when a mysterious figure had posted a massive number of missions at the Green City Mercenary Association to scout the movements of the beastmen armies on the Barren Plains, mercenaries like him had begun appearing here dozens of times more frequently than before. Speaking of that mysterious person, he was truly generous. As long as you scouted the beastmen’ movements, you could receive gleaming Gold Pucks without having to fight. Moreover, the clearer the intel and the larger the number of beastmen discovered, the richer the Gold Puck rewards would be. For example, with this sighting of a thousand-strong beastmen army, if he could confirm that they were moving to a new settlement and prove that they belonged to an undiscovered beastmen force, he could easily receive at least fifty Gold Pucks. If he could trace their movements further and gather even more detailed information, the bounty might even double. Since taking on the mission to scout the Barren Plains, he had already received over a hundred Gold Pucks in rewards. Understanding exactly what that mysterious person cared about, he naturally knew how to maximize his profits. “Of course. I ran into this group two days ago and tried to follow them, but they discovered me halfway through. After I revived, I came back and carefully studied their route. It looks very likely that these beastmen are relocating their tribe. Sir William, we might strike it rich this time.” Nicholas, a slender player, wore an excited expression. Ever since he had accidentally joined this mercenary squad a month ago, he had found his own way of surviving in this world: as a scout. Relying on the players’ ability to revive, he could take on dangerous tasks that normal mercenaries wouldn’t dare attempt, such as closely tracking a beastman army. And William, after discovering some time ago that these adventurers from the Lost Planes could revive, had recruited this fellow, who had been hauling sandbags at the docks, into his team. Since then, thanks to the adventurer’s revival ability, William had managed to preserve most of his strength amidst the perils of the Barren Plains and earned handsome Gold Puck rewards. Thanks to his contributions, Nicholas had become a proud, reserve member, of William’s mercenary team. “Excellent. Stay alert, don’t let the beastmen wolf cavalry catch our scent.” Although William was quite pleased, he remained cautious. “Don’t worry, Sir William. Though the wolf cavalry have sharp noses, I chose this spot because it’s downwind. As long as we stay beyond a thousand blades, they won’t be able to detect us,” Nicholas said confidently. Recently, a rogue in the mercenary group had taught him rogue skills and helped him switch professions, allowing him to quickly master these techniques. The wolf cavalry were the beastmen’ elite troops, with extremely keen senses of smell, often able to detect enemies from afar. But even the sharpest nose had its limits. Beyond a thousand blades, the wolf cavalry couldn’t catch a scent, and being downwind placed them in a completely safe zone. “Nicholas, you’ve made a great contribution this time. Once the mission is complete, I’ll give you twenty percent of the reward as payment.” William patted Nicholas, who was lying beside him, in satisfaction. “Our mercenary team never shortchanges its members.” Nicholas nodded with joy. This mission alone would yield at least fifty Gold Pucks, and twenty percent meant ten Gold Pucks!! That was a fortune. Lately, some wealthy closed beta players who had started out disastrously had been buying up Gold Pucks on the forums at high prices. Silver Pucks were going for 500 RMB apiece, while a single Gold Puck was worth a whopping 50,000 RMB. Which meant that this mission alone would earn him several hundred thousand. For Nicholas, whose family back on Earth was of modest means, this made his heart soar with joy. “Thank you for your generosity, Sir William.” The players’ levels were too low. At this stage, they were simply not qualified to register as mercenaries at the Mercenary Guild, so players could only join other NPC mercenary groups. Trying to scout information and complete these missions alone, relying solely on their ability to revive, was nearly impossible. Even if a player managed to gather intel, those proud NPCs wouldn’t pay any attention to a rookie. The ability to revive was indeed powerful, but without William’s acceptance, he would probably still be at the docks hauling sandbags just to earn a few dozen Copper Pucks. Thinking of this, Nicholas couldn’t help but feel sorrowful. He had played so many games, yet this was the first time things had gone so miserably. The hellish start had made him want to quit several times. If not for the time he accidentally passed by a small shop with pink magical lamps after hauling sandbags and saw the lightly dressed young women inside... “Awoo~” Just then, a howl from a dire wolf came from ahead. “Get down, suppress your aura.” William’s expression changed sharply, immediately pressing his body even closer to the grass. Thump thump~ thump thump~ With his body pressed against the ground, William could feel the pounding footsteps approaching. The dire wolves normally moved quietly; for them to make such noise could only mean one thing. William slightly raised his head and peered through a gap in the grass. At once, cold sweat soaked his back. At the edge of his vision, over a thousand massive dire wolves, each about 2.5 blades tall and 5 blades long, charged across the land under the command of beastmen riders. William’s sharp eyes noticed that many dire wolves seemed to have something tied to their backs. As they drew closer, his eyes widened sharply. Dwarves?! The beastmen army had actually captured so many dwarves?! What was going on?! Why would dwarves appear in the Barren Plains?! William’s mind was full of questions, but there was no time to think. The galloping wolf cavalry forced him to lower his head again. If they were discovered by so many wolf cavalry, even a hundred lives wouldn’t be enough to make it out of the Barren Plains alive. After half a sun-hour had passed and the beastmen army with their families had moved on, with the wolf cavalry long gone, William finally dared to lift his head again. By now, his entire body was drenched in cold sweat. Far too dangerous. The wolf cavalry had gotten as close as 500 blades from them. If not for being downwind, they would’ve already been in the bellies of the wolves. “Sir William, do we still need to follow the beastmen?” Nicholas, who had been excited earlier, now looked rather pale. That constant threat of being discovered was unbearable. He would’ve rather been caught and killed outright, it wasn’t like the death penalty was heavy at such a low level anyway. William shook his head. “No. The information we’ve gathered is already sufficient. Our task is to scout the beastmen’ movements, not to figure out their exact purpose. If we follow any further, no one except you will survive.” Then, as if remembering something, William spoke deliberately. “Nicholas, you’ve passed your trial. When we return, we’ll sign the contract. The William Mercenary Company will officially accept you. From now on, you are one of us, and you’ll share in all future profits.” Nicholas finally let out a long breath of relief. Holy crap, finally joined an organization. It’s too hard trying to survive alone. “Sir William.” “No. From now on, you may call me Captain or Boss. Let’s go. We’re turning in the mission. This time, we’re earning at least 100 Gold Pucks. This many wolf cavalry, that’s a force that can decide the outcome of a war. And with all those captured dwarves, Nicholas, we’re going to strike it rich.” Nicholas was in high spirits as well. Damn, I’m about to get rich too. One Gold Puck is 50,000 RMB. Better cash in while the price is still high. [T/N: Based on the description, the beastmen resemble the classic depiction of orcs. So why am I not calling them orcs? Because the author groups multiple beastmen races together, including lionmen, wolfmen, and others. The original Chinese term used here is 兽人, which can refer to orcs in some contexts, but in this novel, it covers various beastmen species. Just a heads-up in case anyone gets confused.]

Chapter 226-1: Everywhere My Gaze Falls, Lies the Land I Shall Conquer (Part 1)

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