Pillar of Yita

The red glow behind the wall flickered for a moment before disappearing, as the information Miss Nightingale provided had reached its end. After all, the spell didn’t offer any detection ability, only improved the precision and speed of information exchange.

Nonetheless, it was sufficient to glean enough details—four people, moving at a normal pace, with the first two having heavier footsteps, suggesting strength-oriented roles, the last one a Ranger, and not much information about the person in the middle for analysis.

Fang Hong patted Little Fatty’s shoulder beside him and used sign language to say to the latter: ”Hide.” At that moment, he felt something subtle, as if he naturally mastered this skill.

And Little Fatty also immediately passed the message down using sign language.

Everyone quickly moved, silently hiding in the corners on both sides of the cave.

Miss Natural Historian opened a large book, silently casting a spell, constructing an illusory wall to shield everyone. From the outside, it looked as if each stone wall on both sides of the cave had thickened by a layer; due to the symmetry, it’s not easy to detect upon cursory inspection.

The sound of rustling footsteps soon approached, unhurriedly, without urgency like detecting enemy invasion—and without cautious alertness, coupled with the footsteps, low conversations were heard ahead.

It was native tongue, mixed with thick local pronunciation, sounding like a meaningless low mumble that made one frown, but a voice echoed in Fang Hong’s mind:

”I heard Alimu say Grey Tower Inn has some fine women lately.”

”They’ve gone to town again?”

”Don’t rush, just endure a few more days, then it’s our turn to go to town...”

”Solely because of those damn wandering Alchemists, we missed our turn last time. I’m about to go crazy staying around this place any longer.”

”Come on, this place is still better than the island.”

Fang Hong gently turned his head, looking at Miss Tata on his shoulder, her mouth opening and closing, but the sound resounding in his mind.

She was currently under the effect of ’Invisibility Technique,’ visible only to him, yet Fang Hong heard her seriously mimicking their coarse and vulgar conversation without a change in expression, making it somewhat amusing.

Despite being crude language, Miss Tata meticulously imitated their tone, yet it didn’t provoke distaste, rather a certain cuteness.

Tata rotated her emerald-like eyes, looking at him, a flicker in her gaze: ”Is Mr. Knight listening?”

Fang Hong nodded of course.

The two approaching were the leading strength-oriented roles, each carrying a large curved blade—the large curved blade in Istania is also considered a kind of Two-Handed Sword, hence the pair could be regarded as Great Swordsmen or Heavy Swordsmen—when the two stepped out, no one else appeared behind them, walking further ahead before an old Wizard with a turban, gray robe, holding a Magic Wand, skin wrinkled like orange peel emerged from behind.

Fang Hong recognized the Wizard’s profession—a Snake Sorcerer, a branch inclined toward Illusion Technique magic guided conductors, quite common locally in Istania.

Behind the old Wizard, Fang Hong didn’t spot the Ranger’s position.

He looked at Elisa, Miss Nightingale silently pointed to a direction, the darkness quickly highlighted a red spot, located behind a stalagmite far away.

Fang Hong nodded again, the four Guardians divided into three groups, each twenty feet apart, seemingly unaware of an invasion, yet maintaining basic alertness, not clustering together to provide an opportunity.

But this created complications for a sudden attack, Fang Hong pondered briefly before signaling not far off to Little Fatty:

”Let them pass.”

Little Fatty hesitated, but immediately understood Fang Hong’s intention.

He considered momentarily, also using sign language to ask:

”What if they discover us?”

Fang Hong pointed to himself: ”The Ranger is mine, you guys keep the old Wizard busy, our people split into two groups to deal with the two Great Swordsmen separately.”

He simultaneously commanded Xiangzi, Parker, Elisa, and Luo Hao through the team channel, specifying individual targets should combat commence. As for Luo Yu and Gita, as spellcasters, they could adapt flexibly and provide support roles on the battlefield.

Everyone tacitly understood, nodding.

Over there, Little Fatty also conveyed his intention. Those under Shield of Lufu had relatively low levels; in such combat, they couldn’t play significant roles, but by sheer numbers could suppress enemy Mages from casting spells.

”Try to capture them alive.”

Fang Hong added.

Eteliria is a world with revival mechanics, thus crafting strategies must consider this often—the revival time is typically a quarter-hour, the time for information transmission is unknown—Invokers can revive within a few minutes, while natives may take longer.

However, natives can transmit information through Invokers, and at least have Transmission Crystals, theoretically, the longest would not exceed half an hour.

Which means forty-five minutes is the maximum time from revival to ’attack received’ information transmission.

Though it’s entirely possible to be sooner—

When stringent, usually considered twenty-five minutes as an average.

Thus, unless they can completely disregard the hassle of exposure identity or complete tasks within half an hour, it’s wiser not to opt for killing the enemy patrol team outright.