Lord of the Myriad Worlds

Chapter 172: The Kind Wild Dogs

At dusk, dark clouds drifted across the sky, gathering into thick layers that hinted at rain in the coming days.

Farmers in the wheat fields filed back toward the farmsteads, where cooking smoke soon rose into the air — proof that the farmers were, at the very least, still functioning normally?

The militia, however, was nowhere to be seen.

"Caw, caw, caw!"

A cloud-like flock of crows swept back and forth, circling predominantly above the mountains to the north and east of Kakh City, as though searching for something.

Li Wei hid in the tall grass without lifting his head, remaining perfectly still as the crows circled overhead. He had considerable confidence in the Noble Crest Armor's concealment effect.

What gave him even more confidence was his control over his own presence. The surrounding grass and shrubs seemed to become his allies, while he himself felt like nothing more than a withered tree stump. With 42 points in the Woodcutter Destiny Grid, he could afford to be that audacious.

Night finally fell. When the last crow in the sky descended into Kakh City, the dust settled on any lingering doubts — the Mad Baron and the Grand Witch had indeed joined forces.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

"Awooo!"Packs of wild dogs in the open fields began howling, their cries growing more and more intense.

It didn't feel like a coincidence.

Li Wei pondered and listened, carefully sipping from his waterskin while quietly chewing on a piece of Three-Star quality deer jerky.

Praise Fila, and praise the Two-Star sika deer — this high-quality food was truly exceptional. The taste was wonderful, the flavor rich, and once swallowed, it sent a warm current through his body that rapidly restored his Stamina.

Just this one small piece would continuously restore 300 Stamina points for Li Wei over the next five hours. Collas, you magnificent bastard!

Come to think of it, this single Two-Star sika deer alone had netted Li Wei 120 Contribution points.

"Roar!"

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

To the west of Kakh City, roughly five or six kilometers out, strange roars erupted alongside frenzied barking and the clash of weapons. Someone had started grinding monsters.

Just as Li Wei had expected.

At the same time, similar sounds of chaos erupted to the east. One after another, the barking swelled into a tidal wave of noise until all of Kakh City was engulfed in a sea of howls. Faintly, hoofbeats could be heard as well — the garrison seemed to be mobilizing in a hurry.

'These mobs aren't easy to farm!'

Li Wei glanced up at the pitch-black sky. He was certain that at least two or three Blood Crows were circling high above. Ordinary crows wouldn't fly at night, but Blood Crows could see everything with perfect clarity.

And so —

"Can't know until I try."

After a moment's hesitation, Li Wei took off his backpack and gathered the Three-Star War Bow's bow case, quiver, Iron Spear, and Bloodthirsty Spear, clutching them all against his chest. Then he slipped out without a sound.

He didn't move fast. He sought every scrap of cover the terrain and vegetation could offer, willingly taking detours, weaving curves and zigzag paths — all to make full use of the Noble Crest Armor's stealth properties.

The noisy skirmishes to the west and east ended quickly. Hathaway and Ron apparently knew the value of a swift strike — as Four-Star experts, swarming and instantly killing a Three-Star Fallen Knight posed no challenge. But there was one thing they couldn't do: approach Kakh City in silence.

Li Wei wasn't sure he could manage it either, but he figured it was worth the risk.

After all, there was no moon tonight. If there had been even starlight, he wouldn't have dared — he would have waited another two days.

"Clop, clop, clop!"

Hoofbeats echoed from ahead. A strange knight rode forward like a ghost, lonely and patrolling in solitude. Unlike during the day, however, five wild dogs trailed alongside the rider.

Each dog had glowing crimson eyes. They darted back and forth around the eerie knight, effectively covering a search zone of over a hundred meters.

That was just plain dirty.

Even Li Wei found this tricky. He had already prepared a contingency — shoot the warhorse first, then quickly pick off all the dogs, then turn tail and run. As long as he reached the mountain forests, nothing could touch him.

But the very next second, something bizarre happened. When the five wild dogs came within a hundred meters of him, they suddenly let out low whimpers, tucked their tails, and bolted — as if some unspeakable predator lay in ambush ahead.

What the hell?

Could the Dog Butcher title actually have this kind of effect?

Li Wei was indeed wearing the Dog Butcher title at this moment.

He watched the scene unfold with muted astonishment, but what surprised him even more was that the eerie knight seemed completely unaware of the dogs' behavior. The rider just sat there, rigid atop his warhorse, as though combat wouldn't trigger unless the dogs actually barked.

Before long, the eerie knight lumbered past like a zombie on horseback, coming no closer than a hundred meters from Li Wei. The dogs that had fled quickly circled back to rejoin their ghostly master.

Without constant vigilance, one wouldn't even notice these details.

Li Wei found the whole thing deeply unsettling. The wild dogs were clearly being controlled by some means, but not reduced to complete mindlessness — they still needed to function as an early warning system. Was that why they still recognized him?

Li Wei recalled the night of his dog slaughter. By the end, the wild dogs hadn't barked at him at all — they only whimpered and fled with their tails between their legs, every ounce of fighting spirit drained from them.

Then onward it was.

Under cover of darkness, and with the kind doggies' unwitting cooperation, Li Wei reached the base of Kakh City's walls in just over half an hour. There, he found quite a few old friends...

Gallows had sprung up outside the walls — many of them. Judd, Sir Tuck's Guard Captain, hung from one, his corpse swaying alongside several younger bodies. Their armor and clothing had been stripped, but Li Wei's eye had grown razor-sharp of late, and a single glance told him nearly everything he needed to know.

Oh, and there were more familiar faces over there — like the caravan guard who had once helped Li Wei grind reputation in Kakh City, the one who claimed he'd taken an arrow to the knee and was always half-drunk. Along with other caravan hands, guards, and a generous and wealthy young lady...

Li Wei offered a silent two-second memorial for old Tuck. Both of his trade caravans plus his Guard Captain — all wiped out right here.

But where was that sly caravan boss?

Something felt off. According to Sir Tuck, his caravan was supposed to stay in Kakh City for ten days before heading to Juniper Province, visiting a few cities there, and returning. Under normal circumstances, a full round trip took no more than three months.

Li Wei had encountered this caravan in Kakh City six months ago, which meant they should have been back in Victor Town at least three months ago.

During that window, Kakh City had still been functioning normally.

When had things gone wrong? Shortly after the Battle of the Quarry — that was when Priest Joseph had gone silent.

In theory, if the caravan hadn't been delayed, they absolutely should have escaped this catastrophe.

And yet — look at Judd over there. His corpse had already decomposed badly. He'd been hanged last month.

The caravan members, however, looked fresh — dead no more than four or five days. And judging by the state of their bodies, they had endured horrific torture before death.

Something was very wrong!

What intelligence could an enemy caravan possibly have that was worth extracting?

Under normal circumstances, wouldn't you just hang them and be done with it? Why resort to interrogation and torture?

Instinctively, Li Wei guessed that the Mad Baron's legion hadn't marched north to attack Victor Town, and the reason might very well be tied to the intelligence this caravan had brought back.

They had been delayed on their journey and only returned at the start of this month, stumbling straight into Kakh City completely unaware of what had happened. They were captured, and somewhere during the process, something valuable — some critical piece of information — was discovered. After a round of torture extracted what was needed, they were hanged.

But the caravan boss was probably still alive.

Whether Hathaway and Ron had picked up on this detail, Li Wei couldn't say.

With those thoughts swirling in his mind, Li Wei scaled the city wall like a giant rat in the dark — silent and sure. He had been here before, seen every corner, walked every street. Kakh City was practically home to him. He knew exactly where the gaps were, which bricks offered handholds, and the precise location of each.

After all, he hadn't visited Kakh City all those times for nothing.

Of course, it also helped that Kakh City no longer had a moat — it had been filled in long ago.

Once inside, Li Wei found the city as silent as a tomb.

Not a sound, and no soldiers on patrol — but people were alive in there. He could hear faint breathing from within the houses. Some residents were even still awake, seemingly gripped by some pervasive terror — tiptoeing about, afraid to move, afraid to light a lamp.

Li Wei didn't dare act rashly either. Perched on every rooftop, clusters of crows roosted in sleep.

The slightest sound would rouse them.

This was going to be incredibly difficult.

Fortunately, Li Wei knew the layout of Kakh City like the back of his hand — every part except the Lord's Fortress and the barracks.

He suppressed his presence as much as possible, imagining himself as nothing more than a dead tree trunk, then glided along the walls in utter silence. At every corner, he found a place to hide.

He owed thanks to the pitch-black night and the absence of patrols. Had there been even a glimmer of torchlight, his cover would have been blown.

Before long, Li Wei reached the vicinity of the Mare Inn. The building was completely dark, silent within.

But he didn't dare go inside. Who knew what was lurking in there now?

Perhaps the black-robed Witch was staying here.

Or perhaps in the Lord's Fortress.

Li Wei narrowed his eyes at the massive structure looming in the distance, equally dark and foreboding. He'd never been inside that place. The indecision gnawed at him.

Still, it should qualify as a Two-Star fortress.

Its layout shouldn't vary too drastically from the standard.

Assuming, of course, that Kakh City had truly been built by players centuries ago.

Li Wei was still deliberating his next move when —

A second-floor window of the Mare Inn flew open. A figure stepped out, and instantly, five massive crows launched into the sky — Blood Crows. Shit!

The figure was the black-robed Witch — Mixi!