19 Finding a different way

Dawn on February 11, 1806 in the imperial calendar, South Changling Pass.

The early morning fog clung to the ground, and the thick fog ripped up the stretched white robes and covered the entire pass.

Klan returned to where she had set out, and with a tired look on her face, she saw the expected and the unexpected—the battlefield after the fierce battle and the empty passes.

The dawn fog quietly surrounded, unable to be torn or pulled apart, and all the scenery was dreamlike and misty...... There was silence, no chirping birds, no breeze, no noisy crowds...... It's as if everything is dead.

With the white wooden staff that had always been by her side, Koran walked to the center of the battlefield the night before—her horse had run away. Traces of the battle were everywhere: cracked barns, scattered footprints, burnt torches and campfires, faint bloodstains, spent bandages, broken weapons and armor fragments, broken arrows, and scattered projectiles...... are all telling about the intensity of this battle.

But where have all the people gone?

Remembering the panic caused by the complete disappearance of the villagers of the two villages, even the skilled Kelan couldn't help but worry, not to mention that what she had experienced last night was also extraordinary. Klan searched the battlefield for clues, trying to find out what happened after the battle, after all, she hadn't seen a single body, and it was not the time to prepare for the worst.

"Ah, here......" Koran looked at the burned bonfire, not emitting a single trace of black smoke. It is used to extinguish the fire...... If it was water, it would have emitted thicker and darker smoke, and it was clear that the fire had not been extinguished in a hurry...... But it is also possible that Sha Ling did it. Her gaze quickly noticed the scattered fragments of weapons and armor, "Hmm...... These weapons are discarded after they are so bad that they have no usable value, and there is not a single intact weapon left, indicating that someone has cleaned the battlefield. ”

Following the scattered footprints, Kelan still found a trace that was obviously moving in the same direction, "The footprints that walked back are not particularly urgent, at least they don't look panicked, they should be retreating in an orderly manner......" The footprints extended into the distance, and they were the direction from which the guards came - Changling Canyon.

Ignoring the abandoned improvised camp, Kelan followed the indistinguishable footprints and followed the path where the guards came, entering the Changling Gorge.

At this point, the battle of Nanchangling Pass ended.

"Look! Ms. DuPont is back! The Green Dragon Mercenary was the first to spot Kolan approaching from the south, and shouted excitedly. Everyone looked to the south, and Kelan's yellowish white robe stood out slightly in the valley. Erin greeted Klan with a musket, followed by Milo, while Snowdog and Nightsparrow continued to heal the wounded Guardsmen, while the others continued to rest.

This is a little more southerly in the middle of the canyon, where the Guards have set up a makeshift camp.

At noon, when Klan approached the camp, Irene put down her musket and rushed to her, giving her a warm hug, and the former naturally accepted it happily, without any verbal exchange, a hug was enough to express all the care and greetings.

"Welcome back!" Melo greeted with a smile, "I knew you were going to find us." ”

"Well, I'm so flattered that you trust me so much," Koran replied humbly, "and it's a pleasure to see you again." Kelan looked at the rest of the guards and estimated the number a little.

"We don't have any deaths! Some of them were slightly injured and didn't care. Erin saw Kran's intentions, "It's a miracle, isn't it?" This is certainly the blessing of the God of All Sources. ”

This miraculous result did not cause Klan to feel joy or surprise, but instead made her fall into deep thought, as if this result had another direction of interpretation. Erin noticed that Kran's expression had become serious, so she didn't say anything, picked up her musket, and glanced at Milo, motioning for him to continue communicating with Klan.

"Looks like you've found out," Milo understood Erin's eyes, "and the Sand Spirit men have shown mercy. ”

"Hey." Kelan affirmed, "Please call the magician couple and the two green dragon mercenaries, let's exchange the current information and analyze the current situation." ”

……

A few people hurried their lunches and held a small meeting away from the guards.

"I see, Sha Ling suddenly stopped attacking when he was crushing you." After listening to the report of Milo and the others, Kelan sighed with emotion, "They haven't taken any killings for the time being. ”

"yes, we thought we were going to die." Erin snatched the words, "Those sand spirits...... Transformed into the form of a djinn and smashed the bars in front of us, all the shots had no effect on them, but just when they could easily destroy us, they were ...... Suddenly turned around and walked back into the sandstorm......"

"No matter how much we fight back, they won't look back." A Green Dragon mercenary added.

"It's so calm, it's like you're showing us." Nightfinch continued, remembering every detail of that battle vividly.

Seeing that everyone had said the same, Milo concluded: "They haven't appeared again since then, and we have also withdrawn here with self-awareness, and to be honest, if we continue to fight, we will definitely not be able to fight." ”

"That contradicts the previous rumors," said another Green Dragon mercenary, "the people of both villages have disappeared, and if they are not killed, where will they be taken?" ”

"Hey, that's a good question!" Kelan continued, "It's not a contradiction, maybe those villagers were really taken somewhere, but we don't know. No definitive conclusions can be drawn until no remains are found. ”

"Tell me what you've found, Kolan." Milo didn't find it pointless to discuss these hypothetical questions, so she wanted to know what was going on Kolan's side, "Did you find those magicians after you rushed into the sandstorm last night?" ”

"Hey. My discovery......" Kelan hesitated and pursed his lips, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, in the sandstorm-

"I'm lost."

"I don't want to panic everyone, but it's a fact and I can't hide it. When I entered the sandstorm, I expected to encounter sand spirits, but I didn't encounter anything...... I didn't encounter anything before dawn.

"There was sand and dust all around, which obscured the view, and the distance you could see was probably less than ten steps. Besides, at night, I was like a blind man. I couldn't see the surroundings clearly, I couldn't even make out the direction, the sand and dust covered the sky, and there were no stars to guide the way.

"I summoned two fires with my magic, and walked in one direction along the overlapping lines of sight of the two fires, but the light of the fires could not penetrate the dust, and I could not see anything beyond ten paces. I can only use my consciousness to judge whether I have been going in one direction, but ...... It's like being in a forest full of fog, and it feels like you're spinning in circles.

"I tried to dismount and make some marks on the ground to see if there were any other clues or traces, but as soon as I turned around, my horse disappeared without any sound, and it disappeared out of thin air...... I didn't see it again until dawn, and I couldn't find the mark I made.

"Slowly I realized that someone knew that I was in the dust and deliberately let me get lost in it. But whatever the other party's purpose was—it was certainly not to get rid of me, but to make me wait until the dust had passed before dawn and then leave on my own. By the same token, the guards who fought with Shaling should not be in danger of their lives.

"When I learned that no one of our guards had died, my thoughts were confirmed. Friends, whoever or what our opponent is, he or they are very good people, and if our opponent is going to kill us, I don't think we have a chance of winning. ”

After listening to Kolan's narration, Milo, Erin, Snow Dog and Night Sparrow, and the two Green Dragon mercenaries, were all silent. The more detailed Kelan's narrative became, the more they understood what a formidable opponent Sha Ling was, not to mention the fact that they had actually lost the battle the night before. On the bright side, at least Shaling doesn't want to kill them – not yet; On the pessimistic side, opponents who hide their goals are even more frightening.

"Instead of defeating Shaling, it's better to know their purpose." Kelan continued, "Let the guards retreat to Fengxing Town first, they have also been frightened a lot, and although they will not die if they continue to stay here, they will be mentally tortured." To put it more realistically, the Guards won't be of much use here anymore. Everyone nodded in agreement, and Erin and Nightfinch suddenly wanted to ask something, but they couldn't say anything.

Kelan understood what the two wanted to ask, and continued, "Hey, we're ...... We stay! At least figure out who or what group of magicians are behind the scenes. ”

"But how do you get into a sandstorm?" The Green Dragon mercenary was puzzled, "You said you would get lost in there. ”

There was a hint of nervousness and uneasiness on Koran's face, but it only appeared for a moment, and then she said unhurriedly, "I reconsidered, although it is possible to get lost when you enter a sandstorm at night, we can try to wait for those magicians where they may appear during the day when the sandstorm does not appear, instead of entering the sandstorm from the edge. ”

"I see," said Milo, "is the opposite, and we wait in the depths of the sandstorm in advance, and if we are lucky, we can meet the magicians. ”

"That'...... What is the approximate location? Nightfinch asked, "The dust will advance tonight." ”

"Tonight, the sandstorm will reach a little south of here, and the magicians behind the scenes may be in the same place where last night's battle was made," Koran replied. ”

"Alright, let's meet these magicians!" The Green Dragon mercenary said with his morale high.

The sun was nearing the west, and the shadows of the people were slanted and stretched long. The guards formed their ranks, led by several squad leaders, turned around and retreated to Fengxing Town, and the soldiers of the guards were excited when they heard that they were going home, and they were all in good spirits, even more imposing than when they came. Kolan's party—Milo, Erin, Snow Dog and Night Sparrow, and the two Green Dragon mercenaries—have returned to the battlefield at the South Changling Pass, and this time, they have to wait for the arrival of the mastermind behind the scenes, knowing his or their true identity.

- And, of course, to know what their purpose is.

As night falls, the sandstorm is about to resurface......