Chapter 5 The Weathered Gate
927 Words
"Using a knife to kill someone."
Is it because of differing political views? Are they using the madness of the Eternal Demon Sect to eliminate us? Hodge considered this reason.
He marked a check on the paper as a reminder, planning to prioritize this angle for investigation and analysis.
"Next, I need to understand the ability to break through both overt and covert sentries, as well as external sealing barriers..."
Though Hodge was rather lackadaisical, he was still aware of the basic knowledge regarding extraordinary powers. The entire boundary of the territory was fortified with special barriers set by high-level magicians. Ordinary people approaching would be detected by the barriers, alerting the corresponding sentries, who would report to the castle immediately. How could a twenty-man team silently breach such layers of security and reach the marquis' residence?
This itself was a problem.
Moreover, stationed just twenty miles from the residence is the cavalry of Marquis Canglan, numbering five thousand, and there are at least a thousand soldiers guarding the residence’s perimeter. When those twenty assassins attacked, it should have caused quite a commotion. Why, until the very end, did the cavalry remain unresponsive, ten miles away?
"Did they die as well?"
"Or was someone preventing the troops from moving?"
"Could there be a spy within the territory?"
Realizing this, Hodge hesitated to inform his father, Marquis Bach, about everything. Although he knew his father would believe him and prepare accordingly, acting rashly without locating the traitor might provoke them, allowing the cult to invade prematurely—a loss all around.
More crucially, Hodge still had to ascertain which faction was behind this.
This was vital.
A marquis is not a mere cabbage to be slaughtered at will; there are only nine in the entire Empire, each holding significant status and land.
"Furthermore, I need to consider the strengths of those in Sequence 5 and even Sequence 4..."
Hodge had no clear understanding of these sequences but based his judgment on something his father once said.
Marquis Bach had told Hodge that apart from the two officially supported sequence paths, many other unofficial paths existed—professions that evolved by mimicking the advancement methods of other races. These included elves, giants, werewolves, vampires, phoenixes, and so on.
Advancing through these unofficial paths often came with madness and mutation, as many transformed into bloodthirsty monsters due to consuming potions, which the official channels strictly prohibited.
Once, Hodge asked his father, "Father, how strong would someone need to be to kill you?"
Bach had paused in surprise before laughing, "Sequence 5, or perhaps Sequence 4!"
…
Hodge gathered his scattered thoughts, calmly writing out his next plan in Chinese.
"First step: clarify what my father is doing these days and understand which faction wants to strike against us."
Second step: uncover why the cavalry did not move, and identify the spy... Hmm, I can use hunting or the need to assess corresponding abilities as an excuse. After all, the cavalry consists of both Knights and Mage path experts. It’s a reasonable pretext to visit the village since I have yet to choose my route.
"Third step: mobilize all available forces to completely crush the invading enemies..."
Hodge’s thoughts were simple. If he wanted to prevent this attack, it was easy enough—just inform his father and alert the church. After all, if the church dispatched a bishop-level figure, the crisis would be resolved.
However, there’s a saying: a thief can only steal for so long; how can one remain alert forever? If he disrupted the plan, the enemy might cancel their actions, causing him to lose the advantage of foresight.
This was a precious opportunity gained from a death he had suffered.
He absolutely could not waste it!
If the enemy capitalized on their defenses being lax and launched another surprise attack, a territory with unresolved internal issues would be an easy target for them.
This time, Hodge aimed not only to eliminate the invading enemies but also to resolve the spy issue and trace back to the masterminds behind the operation, rooting them out entirely.
Thus, whether mobilizing forces or searching for spies and weak points, it must all be done discreetly—keeping the number of people in the know to a minimum.
"Once everything is clarified, I’ll inform my father and let him coordinate the forces, delegating tasks to those best suited for them..."
Having thought through it all, Hodge quietly took the paper, held it near the candle, ignited it, and tossed it into the fire pit. He watched as the flames roared, consuming the paper until it turned to ash.
He picked up the silver key from the table, preparing to visit the village where the cavalry was stationed under the guise of hunting, planning to meet a few leaders and conduct a preliminary investigation.
Suddenly, a strange heartbeat echoed in his mind.
“Thump!”
Hodge's face changed, and he staggered, his legs giving way as he fell onto the table.
An eerie chill coursed up his spine, reaching the crown of his head.
In an instant, his vision blurred, and he was engulfed by a suffocating black mist, plunging him into an abyss of darkness.
Time passed—he was unsure how long—before Hodge suddenly awoke to find himself in a bizarre, overlapping space, dark and boundless.
Before him stood ancient doors floating in midair, adorned with an array of bizarre patterns: white skeletal goblets spilling crimson blood, grotesque, decaying battle-axes, emaciated, mummified hands, and Guqin made of human ribs...
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