Green was getting faster and faster back to camp, making it difficult for the two behind him to keep up. However, the two dared not stop and could only grit their teeth and follow Green. Their clothes looked like they had been rolling in a mud pit, and blood was seeping from their injured arms from time to time, making them look utterly miserable.
As for stopping and secretly running away, the two didn't have the guts. In their eyes, Green didn't even bother to restrain them, probably because he completely believed that even if they ran away, he could easily catch them.
Green, who had originally intended to slowly make his way back to camp, suddenly remembered something. During the ten-odd days he'd been in the Visalas Wasteland, he hadn't been completely separated from the caravan. Why did Baron Candia report this at the very moment everyone was near the river, when their vigilance was at its lowest? He probably wanted more than just Green's bounty; he was after the caravan's valuables.
When they were still some distance from the camp, Grimm heard sounds coming from within. Having become a full-fledged knight, Grimm's five senses had been greatly enhanced, allowing him to perceive unusual situations from a greater distance.
[Is there still any discussion? It seems they haven't had a chance to act yet. Are they planning to make their move only after the assassination is successful?] Green wondered to himself. He glanced back at the two assassins following him. After signaling them to stop, Green began to quietly approach the camp.
Upon reaching the vicinity of the camp, Green slowed his pace, quietly approaching the carriage carrying Baron Candia. As a noble baron, Baron Candia's carriage was positioned directly behind Baron Crow's. Grand Knight Green's power could resolve any problem head-on, but to prevent Baron Candia from resorting to underhanded tactics, such as using the caravan members as leverage—for example, by pre-poisoning them, with only Baron Candia possessing the antidote—Green opted for a more cautious approach to avoid such a dramatic turn of events.
Green doesn't care about others, but it's different for old Green.
With the aid of the chip and his superior mobility, Green easily evaded everyone's sight and quietly crept up to the back of Baron Candia's carriage.
"Has the item been put in yet?"
"Rest assured, Your Excellency."
Two voices could be heard inside the carriage.
[Matching voiceprints]
The chip automatically collects external information and stores it in a concise manner, giving Green a complete understanding of the entire team's information.
[Voiceprint 1: Kerry, Knight Apprentice]
[Voiceprint 2: Candia, Official Knight]
Amidst the commotion of the camp, the two people in the carriage were unaware that Green was eavesdropping on their conversation.
"The mandrake's poison isn't strong, but it's very insidious. Whether ingested or touched, it will cause poisoning. The only places in the entire Vessas Wasteland that can replenish water are these few rivers. These people will definitely use a lot of water. Once the mandrake's poison takes effect and these people lose their fighting ability, everything will be ours. Hahaha." Baron Candia finished speaking and gave a sinister smile, as if everything was under his control.
Green, who had been eavesdropping beside the carriage, breathed a sigh of relief.
[No slow-acting poison was used; only mandrake flowers were employed.]
Green immediately recalled records about the mandala flower. It was a swamp-growing, predatory flower that could digest animal carcasses through its roots, accumulating a special toxin in the process. It was colorless, odorless, and easily soluble in water. While not inherently toxic, it was extremely hallucinogenic; contact with it would induce various hallucinations and completely impair perception of the outside world. Even a knight-level warrior could effectively resist it, but even large-scale exposure was not advisable.
"Bang!"
A loud explosion rang out, bringing the entire camp to a standstill as everyone focused their attention on the source of the sound.
Before everyone's eyes, Baron Candia's carriage exploded, and Candia and Captain Kerry of the guards were dragged along the ground by a figure, their hands being pulled along. In just a short moment, their faces were mangled and bloody, and their bodies were so badly abraded that large amounts of flesh and stone mixed together, making them unrecognizable.
Everyone in the camp recognized Green, but the exploding carriage and the two people being dragged on the ground silenced everyone present. No one dared to utter a sound, much less question Green. Even Baron Candia's own troops remained silent. Not all nobles were as friendly as Baron Crow; many more exploited the commoners within their territories like vampires.
Green stepped on Baron Candia's head. "Looks like you're unpopular! Not a single person will plead for you! They don't even dare to ask me why."
Candia lay sprawled on the ground, his body covered in gruesome wounds. Blood soaked through his clothes, mingling with mud and dust, making him look utterly wretched. His right eye had been ruptured from Green's rough handling, and his left arm was twisted in an unnatural position, clearly broken.
Candia looked up and saw Green, and naturally knew that the Shadow Organization's assassination attempt had failed, and all his plans had been meaningless.
"Please...please..." Candia's voice was hoarse and weak, her lips trembling, each word accompanied by a painful groan. "Spare...spare my life..."
"I...give...all my treasure...to you," Candia pleaded with Green.
Looking at Candia's pleading, Green gave a bright smile.
"Fool, even if I kill you, the stuff will still be mine."
Upon hearing this, Candia's left eye vein bulged, and he stared intently at Green, his anger revealing a deep despair.
"Peng, Peng"
Green stomped hard on their heads, and their skulls exploded like watermelons.
Everyone in the camp was completely stunned, staring at Green, wondering why he had done this.
"Wade, Dilla, come over here and explain what's going on," Green shouted behind him. Wade and Dilla, the two assassins, heard Green's shout and quickly ran to the camp.
All eyes were drawn to Wade and Dilla, who were dressed in black and looked exceptionally miserable.
"It's like this..." Desperate to survive, Wade explained to everyone as soon as he arrived at the camp.
The hostility in the eyes of the team members towards the Candia team members grew heavier as Wade explained.
The Candia team members grew increasingly pale, their eyes filled with fear. If Wade was telling the truth, the treatment they would face was self-evident. Some of the Candia team guards' hands trembled as they gripped their weapons. The force Green had just displayed was far beyond their capabilities to resist.
"My lord, we really weren't involved. We knew nothing about this." One of the maids in the Candia caravan finally couldn't bear the pressure any longer and knelt down before Green, frantically kowtowing and begging for mercy. She even kowtowed so hard that blood seeped from her head. But even so, she didn't stop.
One person's breakdown quickly triggered a series of breakdowns, with all the players from the Candia team kneeling down and begging for mercy from Green.
"Aishville, go get paper and pen, and write down the slave agreement." Ashville, who had been standing to the side, immediately snapped out of his daze upon hearing Green's sudden command, knowing what Green wanted to do, and quickly ran towards the carriage. However, a strange joy flickered in Ashville's expression.
Watching Ashville drive away, Green turned to look at the Candia team members who were still kowtowing.
"Alright, stop now. I'm giving you two choices: one, leave the caravan and fend for yourselves; two, sign a slave agreement and become my property."
The Candia team members, who had been kowtowing, all unanimously agreed to choose option two after hearing Green's words. Some even showed joyful smiles on their faces.
In their view, following Baron Candia was practically the same as being a slave. These people did not leave with Baron Candia voluntarily, but were forced by him.
After entering the Visalas Wasteland and talking with the Green team, it became clear that Green was an easy person to get along with, not to mention his strong abilities, making him a better choice than Candia.
After Ashville brought out paper and pen and wrote down the slave contract, everyone in Baron Candia's caravan pressed their fingerprints on it without hesitation.
However, Green, with his chip, could clearly discern those who were loyal to Baron Candia; those subtle expressions of lying were not easily concealed.
After capturing a dozen or so of Candia's die-hard loyalists, Green used them to join forces with Baron Candia.
Green's renewed attack completely shocked the rest of Candia's group. Everyone looked at Green cautiously, afraid of angering him. After scanning again with the chip and confirming that there were no other loyalists, Green nodded slightly, then signaled everyone to clean up the bloody scene before preparing to tidy himself up.
With mud and blood mixed in, Green looked worse than a homeless man.
"Sir, may we leave now?" the two assassins asked cautiously as Green walked toward the riverbank.
"Of course, you can leave now." Hearing Green's agreement, the two assassins were overjoyed. They quickly thanked Green and then left the camp.
Green watched the two figures disappear into the distance and smiled slightly.
"Bang! Bang!"
Two muffled explosions rang out. Green wasn't about to let them escape; who knew if these two assassins would harbor resentment and continue targeting him? From the very beginning, Green had only suppressed the surge of energy within them, deliberately setting a distance. Once they moved a certain distance away from Green, the energy would erupt again, this time more exaggerated and violent than the first time.
Green glanced back once, then turned and walked toward the river.
"Brother Green, we've brought your clothes over." A crisp voice interrupted Green.
Green turned around and saw Lyra and Mia, one holding clothes and the other holding pants, which they had specially placed on a plate for Green to use.
[It seems the two of them saw Ashville's situation, sensed a crisis, and didn't want to send only one person, so they made this arrangement.]
"Just leave the things by the river."
"Um"
After putting their things down, the two looked back at Green several times, as if they had something to say, but in the end neither of them said anything, and they left the riverbank with their faces red.
Green was certainly aware of Essieville, Leila, and Mia's situation. Having been in this world for so long, Green had begun to adapt to the local customs.