novelraw Chapter 173: Rescuing Joseph
Chapter 173: Rescuing Joseph
He never expected to encounter the black-robed witch Mixi inside the Mare Inn!
Moreover, the straight-line distance between Li Wei and her was less than thirty meters!
Yet Li Wei's heart didn't stir in the slightest. He didn't even entertain the thought of drawing the Bloodthirsty Spear for a throw. His entire being, inside and out, radiated the life force of dead wood. Yes, in that moment he truly became a piece of dead wood—not a single thought crossed his mind.
As if his heartbeat, his very breathing, had slipped into hibernation.
About five or six seconds passed like this before another figure emerged onto the second-floor balcony of the Mare Inn.
"Mixi, what are you doing?"
It was a beautiful voice—like a mother humming a lullaby, or a lover's whisper. Words couldn't capture the sheer allure it carried.
Even Li Wei, thirty meters away, couldn't help but feel the urge to drop to his knees in utter surrender. He was almost certain this was the most enchanting voice in the world, and its owner must surely be a celestial maiden worth sacrificing everything for!
But the impulse faded quickly.
Li Wei resisted the compulsion. Of course, another reason was certainly the distance—some syllables didn't carry clearly.Moreover, his earlier dead-wood act—that state of absolute mental stillness—must have provided some resistance as well.
'What a terrifying Grand Witch!'
"Mother, I can feel it—he's here."
"Oh? Where is he?"
"I'm not sure, but he's definitely here. Three months ago, I didn't get the chance to kill him. This time, I don't want him escaping."
The black-robed witch Mixi murmured these words as if explaining to herself, or perhaps to someone listening. Then she vaulted off the second floor. Moments later, hoofbeats faded into the distance—she had charged out. At that very instant, a cacophony of howls erupted from the eastern part of the city, quickly followed by the same from the west. Hathaway's and Ron's groups were raiding again.
The Grand Witch considered for a moment, then actually left the Mare Inn as well, mounting a warhorse and riding toward the western district.
Only then did Li Wei slowly raise his head. A mental blueprint of the Mare Inn—every room from the first to the second floor—flashed through his mind, overlaid with the layout of the Tavern back at the family Camp.
There might be minor differences, but the overall layout was identical—One-Star buildings all followed the same blueprint.
He zeroed in on a specific spot: behind the counter where the innkeeper always stationed herself. A quick turn from there led to the storeroom, and from the storeroom, one could access the cellar.
Back when Li Wei had helped Leon with the detailed woodwork for the Tavern, he recalled Leon mentioning that if the Tavern continued upgrading, they could eventually excavate a cellar.
So—could there be a secret passage inside the Mare Inn leading directly to the lord's fortress?
For a split second, a fierce light burned in Li Wei's eyes. He wanted to gamble!
But that fire lasted only a second before dying out. He never gambled—because rather than betting on a secret passage existing in the inn's cellar, it was far more prudent to assume Fallen Garrison Knights stood guard down there.
The fact that these two witches—mother and daughter—had allied with the Mad Baron for whatever reason yet still didn't reside in the fortress... wasn't that the best evidence?
In the next instant, he slipped away, skirting around the Mare Inn and heading for the military barracks.
This time, he was actually willing to bet—the barracks should be emptier than usual.
But as he drew closer to the barracks, a familiar stench of decay hit his nostrils—pungent and unmistakable!
Blood Wolves. That was his first thought, and he was certain of it—the rot carried a distinctive undertone unique to those creatures.
So the black-robed witch Mixi had penned the Blood Wolves in the barracks. She hadn't even ridden one when she left the city.
Something felt off.
Li Wei furrowed his brow, and then it hit him.
Yes—the black-robed witch Mixi no longer carried that putrid stench. In fact, she even had a faint fragrance about her...
Damn!
She had advanced!
She was in her complete form now.
After a moment's consideration, Li Wei still didn't dare scale the wall into the barracks. Instead, he circled around to the western city wall and waited patiently, listening to the battle raging outside.
The eastern front fell silent quickly—they'd likely struck and withdrawn.
But the western front was ferocious. Two or three minutes passed without it ending, and if anything, the fighting was intensifying.
'This is bad. Who knows which poor soul got tangled up with the Grand Witch.'
Li Wei's mind raced through assessments. No sooner had he reached that conclusion than a thunderous rumble echoed through the air. Several hundred meters away, the fortress gates—sealed tight until now—burst open, and a torrent of twenty to thirty heavy cavalry poured out, charging through the west gate straight toward the western battlefield!
Li Wei didn't dare raise his head to look, but he could be fairly certain the Mad Baron had mobilized. Someone out there was caught in his jaws!
The barracks gates swung open too, and over a dozen figures riding Two-Star Blood Wolves howled out into the night. Blood Wolf Riders?
A new unit type?
No time to think. Li Wei seized the moment and vaulted nimbly into the barracks compound.
Though he'd never been here before, one glance at the layout was all he needed. Without a moment's hesitation, he dashed straight for a barracks building that had been kept permanently sealed.
And it was locked!
No time for subtlety. Li Wei drew his Two-Star dagger in a flash and went to work on the heavy wooden door.
Under normal circumstances, this would be an absurd approach. But he was a Three-Star Woodcutter—any weapon he wielded dealt an extra thirty percent damage to wood!
He didn't need lockpicking skills. He just needed to carve out the section around the latch.
The whole process took less than two minutes!
The solid door—at least ten centimeters thick—creaked open.
What met his eyes was a man bound to a specially constructed cross-shaped torture rack. Despite the darkness, despite the man being tortured to the brink of death, Li Wei recognized him at a single glance. This was the same middle-aged man he'd seen over five months ago—on the morning the Mare Inn's owner was taken away—whose clothing and bearing had been so distinctly different from everyone else.
Joseph, the Level 2 Priest of Kakh City.
The barracks room had been converted into a torture chamber, fully equipped with every instrument of pain imaginable.
A corpse hung nearby. Another familiar face—the caravan master. Poor old friend.
Li Wei rushed forward. A flick of the dagger severed the leather straps binding Joseph. He swiftly shouldered his pack, secured his weapons, and stuffed a small piece of Three-Star venison jerky into the unconscious man's mouth. Then he popped one into his own. What came next required speed!
There was no other option!
He could bribe the friendly dogs himself, but Joseph certainly couldn't.
Fortunately, he was wickedly fast on his feet!
He scaled the barracks walls, then used his familiarity with the terrain to sprint straight for the eastern city wall. Over and out—so far, so good. Joseph seemed to be stirring, mumbling something, but that didn't matter now.
Li Wei drew a deep breath, listening to the thunderous crash and clang of battle from the west. 'No words can repay this debt!'
Time to go.
He slowed his pace as much as he dared, buying time before discovery, all while listening for any sound around him—especially for that distinctive set of hoofbeats belonging to the black-robed witch Mixi.
Of course, the Blood Crows circling overhead were a real pain.
Li Wei even considered ducking into a civilian house and hiding for the night.
But that was out of the question—it wouldn't be long before they discovered Joseph was gone.
He could only hope that the eastern team, upon hearing their western allies had engaged the enemy, would seize the chance to take out a few more mobs.
Li Wei crept along the base of the city wall—anxious yet composed—waiting. Every second was agony.
But soon enough, about two to three kilometers to the east, a sudden frenzy of barking erupted. These allies truly lived up to the name—they had launched another raid.
Now!
Move!
Li Wei exploded forward like a sports car flooring the gas—no stealth, no restraint, just raw speed!
But he'd barely covered three hundred meters before he was spotted.
"ROOAAR!"
"ROOAAR!"
Howls came from both flanks and ahead, followed by the whimpering of dogs. Those pooches were still adorable as ever.
"I have Priest Joseph! Come cover me!"
Li Wei bellowed as he ran.
The players on that side were all Four-Star—their hearing and vision wouldn't be lacking.
With the enemy's main force pinned down to the west by the allied team, the eastern allies absolutely wouldn't drop the ball!
And Li Wei had bet correctly. Sigh—in the end, he'd gambled after all!
But who cared!
The moment he shouted those words, Hathaway's voice rang out from the east. Ah, what a beautiful, wonderful sound!
Across two or three kilometers, they were somehow perfectly in sync. 'Help! Old flame, save me!'
Li Wei ran like the wind, but those eerie knights were faster—they had four legs, after all!
Sharp lances, sharp cavalry swords!
Their combat instincts were every bit as lethal!
But even burdened with a person on his back, Li Wei's reflexes remained extraordinary. He dodged lance thrusts three consecutive times. As the fourth thrust bore down on him, he felt a wisp of cold!
Whoosh!
A burst of frost streaked past, grazing the Fallen Garrison Knight's mount and freezing it mid-stride. The horse shuddered violently, bucking its rider clean off!
"Whoosh! Whoosh-whoosh!"
A barrage of arrows whistled through the air. Li Wei had no idea who fired them or whether they hit their marks—he just ran like a madman. Hathaway's frost attacks proved devastating, intercepting pursuing Fallen Garrison Knights three times in succession.
And that was enough. The Fallen Garrison Knights on this side were fewer in number to begin with.
The friendly stray dogs, on the other hand, numbered several dozen. But they were quite cooperative—they only dared bark from a hundred meters away, as if shouting: "Run, benefactor! We'll cover your rear!"
Occasionally, when Li Wei slowed down, they'd even chase up to urge him on—but never dared come within fifty meters.
This was actually crucial. If these strays had swarmed him with all sorts of harassment, Li Wei would have been done for no matter how fast he could run!
'In any case, this kindness—let me, Li Wei, repay it tenfold someday!'