Chapter 59: The Imperial Envoy
Although Bai had been nonchalant about the massive kill order against her, it was no small matter.
Even Karina, the dim-witted sister, had collected a stack of her wanted posters, dreaming of a life of luxury after claiming the bounty on “Isabelle”… though she had already met her, and hadn’t recognized her.
And the human mercenaries and beastkin raiders, who lived off such bounties, were now scouring the land for any trace of “Isabelle.”
The reward was simply too high.
Even a Calamity Class demon’s bounty was only around fifty or sixty thousand gold coins (and those were usually the weakest of their kind). But this one offered a hundred thousand just for reliable information.
Of course, the real hunters were the human Knight units and the beastkin armies.
As for the elves… they were content to remain within the Bewildering Forest, sending only a few token squads to assist.
The beastkin tribes of the Savage Lands had been ordered to temporarily allow free passage across their borders, to maximize their forces, to ensure that if they encountered “Isabelle,” they could hold her off until reinforcements arrived.
And the North Empire, besides putting its cities on high alert, had dispatched three elite squads, at Queen Arachne’s request, to assist in the Savage Lands.
These three squads were formidable, each one as strong as the honor guard that had accompanied Arnold to the Bewildering Forest.
Although their equipment was slightly inferior, their soldiers were just as skilled.
And they were also led by a Legendary Knight.
In the past, both the Wild God Altar and the sacred lands of the Bewildering Forest had had Legendary Knights stationed there.
But they had all been recalled during the Battle of Vikarn, and had not yet returned.
The Legendary Knight who had been stationed at the Wild God Altar was Lin Ye, Lin Yan’s uncle.
But this time, it wasn’t Lin Ye who was leading the envoy, but… Lin Yan.
…
On the military device-car, Lin Yan, clad in her heavy armor, rested her chin on her hand, her gaze lost in the endless desert.
“Is this your first time in the Savage Lands, Commander Lin?” a familiar, gentle voice asked from behind her.
Lin Yan turned. “Uncle Lin, in private, you don’t have to call me ‘Commander Lin.'”
“We are currently on a military expedition. It is not a private matter. We must adhere to protocol,” he said with a smile.
“…” Lin Yan said nothing, turning back to the window.
“You’ve been very quiet lately, Miss,” he said, sitting down beside her. “Is something on your mind? You can talk to me.”
“I don’t know,” she said, her voice low, her gaze flickering.
“Don’t worry. It’s always better to talk about what’s bothering you,” he said, a look of concern on his face.
“I really don’t know,” she said, lowering her head, a hint of confusion in her voice. “I… I feel like I’ve forgotten something, but not completely…”
“There’s a… void, deep inside, and I can’t seem to fill it…”
He sighed. This was beyond his ability to help.
“But, Miss… this is about Xu Bai, isn’t it?”
He couldn’t think of anyone else. She had seemed to like him, when he was alive.
Although her way of showing it had been… strange.
(Challenging him to a fight every day, and getting beaten every time.)
But Lin Yan remembered him. She had even written a novel about him. So it couldn’t be that.
“Let’s not talk about this. We’re almost at the Wild God Altar,” she said, her expression hardening, her usual composure returning. “Uncle Lin, you were stationed here with Uncle Lin Ye. Is there anything I should know?”
“The Wild God Altar…” he thought for a moment. “Things to know… the offering?”
“What offering?”
He explained the rules of the Wild God Altar.
When Lin Ye had been stationed here, his retinue had been small, and the offerings had mostly been… condemned prisoners.
But Lin Ye was a powerful warrior, and so… many prisoners had been “consumed.”
Although the word “consumed” was a bit… unsettling, for the beastkin, who were notoriously cruel even to their own kind, it was just a part of life.
Lin Yan’s skin crawled. Such a bloody, terrifying place… and the beastkin had made it their capital.
From a human perspective, it was incomprehensible.
“The beastkin are truly…”
“They are not human, Miss. You can’t judge them by human standards,” he said calmly.
“And this time…” she looked at the knights in her retinue, who were resting in the back of the device-car.
“There are too many of you. The beastkin don’t have enough condemned prisoners. So, you will have to enter the Wild God Altar alone, to meet with Queen Arachne.”
His voice was flat, betraying no emotion.
“You’re not coming with me?” she frowned.
“The beastkin have made their decision. Their current supply of prisoners is only enough for one Calamity Class being to enter,” he said, shaking his head, a hint of reluctance in his voice.
He didn’t approve of the beastkin’s cruelty, but he was powerless to change it.
It was worth noting that the beastkin’s “condemned prisoners” weren’t all like the Empire’s, who had committed unforgivable crimes.
Many were prisoners of war, including children and the elderly.
And with the various tribes’ different laws, some of which were incredibly harsh, even a minor transgression could result in a death sentence.
Even so, they still didn’t have enough prisoners to allow more than one human knight to enter… which meant…
Uncle Lin didn’t tell her this. She was still young, and if she knew the full truth, she might act impulsively.
The beastkin’s morality wasn’t their concern right now. The Empire was in a difficult position and needed their help.
“And once they become an offering… they die?” she asked, a hint of pity in her voice. Although she had killed many beastkin in battle, the thought of them being sacrificed like this… was unsettling.
“Their most precious possession is taken,” he said, his voice low. “Their memories, their emotions, or their lives…”
